Posted by Ashwin Wadekar …

Jul 18 2012
1 Comment
By Ashwin Wadekar Analysis, NBA Hoyas, Professional Sports

Odds on Undrafted Hoyas Making an NBA Roster

While Hollis Thompson’s recent signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder may have compensated for a brutal NBA draft for Georgetown (and for my home team, the Boston Celtics, who decided to throw away its future and draft TWO Syracuse players in Fab Melo and Kris Joseph), three other undrafted Hoyas from the past two years are looking to follow in Thompson’s footsteps: Austin Freeman, Jason Clark, and Henry Sims.

The NBA Summer League is used to spotlight hidden talent and uncover the best undrafted players, as they have a chance to go up against recently-drafted players and some rookies. While every player technically plays for a team, the undrafted ones aren’t obligated to any single organization, instead acting more like showcases for the entire NBA. Here’s a breakdown of the Hoyas’ performances thus far:

Jason Clark, Miami Heat: There’s really not much left to be said about Clark. Extraordinarily talented and effective in college, Clark suffers from the same problem that plagues many collegiate players — he is a shooting guard in a point guard’s body. If Clark is to make the Heat’s roster, he must demonstrate improved ball handling and an increased ability to run an NBA offense. After a scoreless first outing, Clark came back to hit 3 of 6 field goals, finishing with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes.

Continue reading →

Jul 15 2012
2 Comments
By Ashwin Wadekar Analysis, Men's Basketball, NBA Hoyas

Kenner League, Day 6: Green and Monroe Go Head-to-Head

Sunday’s Kenner League action can only really be described as a celebration of Georgetown basketball, as every participating Hoya, past and present, looked good on Day 6. Newly signed Celtic Jeff Green joined Jonathan Wallace, Nate Lubick and Markel Starks for Clyde’s, while Greg Monroe and Mikael Hopkins suited up again for Team Takeover.

The Good: Jeff Green vs. Greg Monroe

For most of the game, Jeff Green went up against Mikael Hopkins and Lubick handled (or at least tried to handle) Greg Monroe. The younger guys held their own on the offensive end – Lubick made his first four shots and looked slimmer and more mobile in his second game back, while Hopkins displayed a few nice post moves down low – but struggled to contain Monroe and Green’s superior offensive abilities.

But the highlight of the day came when Green and Monroe abandoned their assignments and went head-to-head on several possessions in a row. Green threw down a ferocious dunk, to which Monroe responded with a killer post move. Green came back the other way and made a deep three; Monroe answered with a jumper of his own. All the while, the former Hoyas were talking friendly smack, grabbing at the other’s jerseys and generally enjoying being back in McDonough.

Continue reading →

Jul 11 2012
By Ashwin Wadekar Men's Basketball, NBA Hoyas, News

Thompson Signs Three-Year Deal with Thunder

Former Georgetown forward Hollis Thompson has signed a three-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to his agent, Seth Cohen. Thompson decided to forgo his senior year but was not drafted and has yet to play any games in the NBA Summer League.

Thompson left Georgetown as one of the school’s best three-point shooters, clocking 44 percent  from beyond the arc. His shooting ability and stellar performances in his last three NCAA tournament games helped his draft stock, but questions about his consistency and defensive abilities — as well as a nagging groin injury that plagued him throughout his junior year — contributed to him not hearing his name called in this year’s draft.

The Thunder, who are the reigning Western Conference champions, decided to take a chance on Thompson in what seems like a great fit for both sides. Oklahoma City looks to benefit from a sharpshooter like Thompson, having only one player on its roster who shot better than 40% from beyond the arc this past season, while Thompson figures to find loads of open shots off of double-teams on Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.

Details of the contract have yet to be released.

Mar 20 2012
By Ashwin Wadekar March Madness, Men's Basketball

West Sweet 16 Preview: Well, at Least Joakim Noah Left Florida…

Over the next few days we’ll be previewing the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. It will involve less Georgetown talk than we were hoping for, but hey… what can you do? Find the South preview here.

So a couple of weeks ago, I previewed the West region and made a few surprising calls; namely, that New Mexico would make the Final Four, Murray State would lose first round and Davidson had a chance to beat Louisville. As it stands now? New Mexico lost to Louisville, who squeaked by Davidson in the first round, and Murray State handled Colorado State. But although I was entirely incorrect, here’s why you should still listen to me: I’m not in last place in my March Madness pool. So some of you still have something to gain by listening to me. And away we go. Continue reading →

Mar 15 2012
By Ashwin Wadekar March Madness, Men's Basketball

West Regional Preview: Lobos Primed for Deep Run

The West figures to be one of the most unpredictable regions in the tournament, as several teams (Michigan State, Louisville, Missouri) won their respective conference championships. Others (New Mexico, Murray State, Davidson, Long Beach State, St. Louis) are looking to shed their status as mere mid-majors and make a statement against established teams. Perhaps the most interesting team of the region, though, is Memphis, who has undoubtedly fallen short of lofty pre-season expectations. Loaded with talent, the Tigers dropped five games out of conference but have only lost three since then.

Final Four pick: New Mexico

A bold pick, I know, but consider this: The Lobos are coming off of back-to-back top-25 wins over UNLV and San Diego State and have really started to gel as a team. Forward Drew Gordon is averaging a double-double and guard Kendall Williams is a great perimeter defender. The Mountain West was better than the Pac-12 [ed. note: So is my high school league] and deeper than the ACC and SEC. New Mexico is battle tested, senior-laden and hungry: Look for a deep run out of this team. Continue reading →

Feb 28 2012
By Ashwin Wadekar Men's Basketball, Rankings Analysis

Men’s Basketball Top 25: Hey, at Least Murray State isn’t Ninth in the Real Rankings

This is the third week in a row this  feature is running on a Tuesday. Which is where it will stay from now on. All ranks are from the AP poll, since, well, it’s better than the Coaches poll.

  1. Kentucky – It’s a shame that Kentucky’s first national championship since 1998 will have to be vacated when Calipari mysteriously withdraws from his coaching post and leaves the program in shambles. Oh, wait, no it’s not.
  2. Syracuse – After doing their best to be more like Georgetown against USF, the Orange squeaked by UConn to clinch the Big East regular season title.
  3. Kansas – Maybe one of the best comebacks of the year in the Jayhawks OT win over Mizzou.
  4. Duke – An OT win over Virginia Tech is not as impressive as an OT win over Missouri. So why is Duke still ranked ahead of Kansas in the Coach’s Poll?
  5. Michigan State
  6. North Carolina
  7. Missouri – The Tigers have dropped two in a row, and you have to wonder if this four-guard lineup is sustainable in the tournament.
  8. Marquette – The Golden Eagles can clinch a double-by in the Big East tournament with a win at Cincy this week before facing Georgetown on Saturday at home. Continue reading →
← Older posts
Newer posts →