Recap | Box Score | AP Action Photos 
Georgetown 73, American 46
Verizon Center
December 5, 2009
Georgetown University Head Coach John Thompson III
On the team's slow start...
I'm not concerned about slow starts. I'm more concerned about us not coming out in the first half as focused on the things we needed to be focused on, getting stops, allowing them second shots. We've come out in the second half and been pretty good for a couple of games now, but we have to make sure we come out of the locker room focused and ready to go.
On if the team is where they need to be after six games...
I don't know that I'd ever say that we're where we should be, but we're getting better and I think we're a significantly better team today than we were at the start of the season. Hopefully we keep moving in that direction. You guys have heard me say the last couple years that one of our goals is to be the most improved team in the country. Are we where we should be? I don't know that I've ever had a group that's been perfect, but we're getting better.
On his thoughts on the team's depth...
I'm very comfortable with the minutes Henry Sims is going to get and his experience, I'm comfortable with Nikita and with Hollis Thompson even as a freshman, I'm very comfortable with where he is. Jerrelle and Vee are the two that are going to have to continue to get comfortable out there. It's as much reps in practice, particularly for Jerrelle who hasn't had the reps in practice, but in his first time with extended minutes I think he was very good and very comfortable.
On Jason Clark...
We were lucky to have Jason out there in the first half. If he didn't have those five steals the game would have been much closer than 11 points. That's what a team is all about, today it was Jason making plays at a particular time where we needed. Jason gives you an honest effort at both ends of the floor, he's very unselfish and he's talented. I don't think that anything he does is a surprise to any of us because we see it everyday. He can make plays at both ends of the floor and does.
On the difference between this season's American team to last season's...
You have to give those guys a lot of credit. They lost six guys who helped them to back-to-back league titles. They're going to be a much better team in the second semester when Vlad gets there, when Brewer gets there and as the guys he has out there continue to get experience. Comparing and contrasting any team from year to year is a mistake and I don't do it.
Players Quotes
Chris Wright
On upcoming competition against ranked opponents...
Yes, I think we are ready. We have things we have to work on and like coach has been saying, it's been about us and I think we are ready and we will be well prepared and play as best as we can.
We approach every game the same way. We got out there and play as hard as we can and we don't worry about the opponent. It doesn't matter who you play you still have to go out there and execute, anybody can beat anybody any given day. We want to go out there and play hard regardless of who we are playing and put forth a great effort.
On what they learned from last year...
We learned to be consistent an even keeled throughout the whole season. I think last year, we got to the point we were complacent as a team and we won a few big games... and then we didn't do the things we needed to do down the stretch.
I think we started slow. Things weren't going as well as we planned. I think we weren't as crisp as we should have been in terms of offensively and defensively and luckily Jason Clark picked it up on the defensive end, got those steals and got us motivated and helped us get going.
Greg Monroe
On the two upcoming games against ranked opponents...
I am looking forward to it. I think my teammates are too. We have to go over some things to get ready first, but I think everybody's looking forward to the trip. Everybody's ready for the big stage.
