Nov. 2, 2009
WASHINGTON - Before heading to New York City for BIG EAST Basketball Media Day, which was held on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Madison Square Garden, Georgetown Men's Basketball Head Coach John Thompson III made two separate visits to New York City, first visiting with members of the Georgetown University Wall Street Alliance and then appearing at a dinner recognizing the teams and coaches participating in this year's Jimmy V Classic.
It was a busy month before basketball officially started for Thompson who, along with his wife, Monica, hosted the JTIII Foundation Dinner and Festival in mid-September.
Just a week before Midnight Madness, which was held on Friday, Oct. 16, Thompson visited New York on two separate occasions, first to meet with the Wall Street Alliance.
Thompson's visit with the Wall Street Alliance was held on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and was held in the law offices of Skadden Arps in Times Square. After addressing the crowd of nearly 300 alumni and friends, Thompson took questions from the crowd.
Topics of conversation ranged from Thompson's thoughts on the 2008-09 season to his anticipation for the 2009-10 season, the BIG EAST Conference and some of the best players he's had during his time at Georgetown.
"Last year is something we all want to forget, me as much as anyone," Thompson said. "That season was not symbolic of Georgetown basketball and even though the season did not live up to expectations, the house isn't falling at Georgetown.
"The win at UConn last year was the worst thing that could have happened to us. Likewise, the loss to Old Dominion the year we went to the Final Four was the best thing that could have happened to that team."
One of the challenges the Hoyas will face this year will be the game-to-game battles in the BIG EAST Conference. The league, prognosticators say, will not be as strong as last year, but Thompson feels
"The BIG EAST was brutal last year and probably the hardest conference I've ever coached in for a single season," he said. "This year will be a lot different. Last year, you could pick four or five teams from the league and say they could be in the Final Four. The league is much more about parity and I don't think any one team stands out from the rest. Some teams that have been at the bottom of the league in recent years are now all juniors and seniors."
Thompson was also asked what player, since he has been a coach, has made the most strides and he quickly responded that 2008 NBA First Round pick and former Hoya All-American Roy Hibbert was that player.
"Roy was only the third or fourth best player on his high school team when he got to Georgetown," Thompson joked, "but because of his work ethic, he became a beast. Roy would do whatever the coaches told him to do without asking questions. If I had told Roy to go bounce a ball off the wall, he would do it."
Thompson said that Hibbert would be a very solid NBA player throughout his career and added that Jeff Green, a first round pick in 2007, will be "one of the best players on the planet soon."
Questions shifted back to the 2009-10 team and Thompson said that he was very excited about the freshman class.
"I'm very, very excited about Vee Sanford, who reminds me, in terms of his demeanor, of Jon Wallace," Thompson said. "We haven't seen too much of Jerrelle (Benimon), but he is a great rebounder. And I think that Hollis (Thompson) will really benefit from coming in early and I am expecting a lot from him this year."
Another player Thompson is expecting a lot from this year will be sophomore center Greg Monroe, who was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and is considered one of the top prospects in the country.
"Greg is in the same mold as Jeff or Roy," Thompson said. "He likes school. He knows he needs to improve on certain things, but he isn't like the typical one-and-dones. The problem with some of the one-and-dones are that those guys may already have a foot out the door, but it's not necessarily a problem if a guy comes for a year and embraces the school and the team."
When it came to a question regarding the team's biggest wins since he came to Georgetown, two games obviously jumped out - beating then-No. 1 Duke at Verizon Center in 2006 and the 2007 NCAA Tournament win over North Carolina - but one may not have.
"Obviously, the Duke and North Carolina wins were two of the best," Thompson said, "but when we beat Davidson at Davidson my first year, that was one of the biggest wins because that's when the guys realized, `Okay, we will be fine, this team isn't so bad.'"
When the North Carolina game was brought up, someone asked about his best halftime speech. Thompson said that he isn't one for halftime speeches, but usually talks about what the team did wrong and what they need to improve on in the second half. He spoke about drawing up the play for Jonathan Wallace - a three-pointer that tied the game in the NCAA East Regional Final - and that the team believed in what he said and in each other.
Thompson told them, `We are going to get a stop, Jon is going to drain this three and then we are going to get them in OT.' The Hoyas, of course, outscored the Tar Heels, 16-4, en route to a 96-84 win that advanced the team to the Final Four.
Challenging games are something that the Hoyas and their fans will get plenty of this season. In addition to the always competitive BIG EAST slate, Georgetown will play Butler in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden and then travel across country to play Washington in the John Wooden Classic in Los Angeles.
"Those are games that will get us ready for BIG EAST play," Thompson said. "And we open conference play on New Year's Even against St. John's, so everyone can show up to the game in tuxes with bottles of champagne."
As the question and answer session drew to a close, Thompson said that his wife, Monica, is his inspiration, but that he also drew inspiration from the institution itself.
"Georgetown is a special place," Thompson said. "There is a responsibility of the men's basketball program to the institution because of its commitment to the program, one that we must accept and meet every day."
