Preview Among many non-conference opponents this season, Georgetown will face opponents small up front but capable of big things from the backcourt. Not so with High Point, making its first ever appearance at Verizon Center Thursday.
The Panthers' strength is up front, but the guard play has been inconsistent as befits a .500 team in December, but for a team returning five starters and 10 lettermen from one of the school's best seasons ever in Division I, Thursday's game is an opportunity to do in basketball what the school has been doing for much of the past decade: bring attention to its rapidly growing status.
Talking about High Point begins with redshirt sophomore John Brown, the pre-season Big South Player of the Year. A 6-8 forward, Brown was freshman of the year with a 16.4 point, 6.1 rebound average in 2012-13, and is off to an even better start this season,a averaging 21.7 and 9.8, including a 11-11 run at the foul line last weekend versus Stephen F. Austin.
Brown remains HP's best option in this game, but is without help off the bench in 6-9 Allan Chaney, a postgraduate transfer from Virginia Tech. According to vatious sources, Chaney is out of action over a heart ailmment which returned during the Panthers' Nov 24 game vs. Wofford. Prior to this, Chaney was putting up big numbers (15.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg) averaging about 24 minutes per game. Chaney is shooting 63 percent from the field and 84 percent from the foul line, giving the Panthers a needed second option inside. Absent Chaney, 6-9 freshman Cliff Cornish (1.0 ppg) will be severely tested against Josh Smith inside.
The Panthers have seen mixed results from its starting guards and may see additional action from 6-3 sophomore Adam Weary, who has averaged in double figures off the bench in four games this season with a 59.4 percent shooting percentage. 6-5 swingman Devante Wallace (8.8 ppg, 43% from three) needs a big game from the outside to counter Georgetown's defensive sets, while the Panthers' starting guards are a combined 2-15 from beyond the arc.
Leading the team in scoring over each of the past five games, sophomore D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera has been the most consistent option on what has been an inconsistent Georgetown team to date. Markel Starks is shooting just 36 percent from the field, Nate Lubick continues to take fewer shots, Josh Smith is averaging just 19 minutes per game, and Jabril Trawick and Aaron bowen are a combined 0-15 from three point range.
Georgetown needs more options on the stat chart before teams sit on Smith-Rivera and dare someone else to shoot from the backcourt. The Hoyas still have the height advantage in this one, but need to develop more of it bench while it has the time to do so.
The Panthers' strength is up front, but the guard play has been inconsistent as befits a .500 team in December, but for a team returning five starters and 10 lettermen from one of the school's best seasons ever in Division I, Thursday's game is an opportunity to do in basketball what the school has been doing for much of the past decade: bring attention to its rapidly growing status.
Talking about High Point begins with redshirt sophomore John Brown, the pre-season Big South Player of the Year. A 6-8 forward, Brown was freshman of the year with a 16.4 point, 6.1 rebound average in 2012-13, and is off to an even better start this season,a averaging 21.7 and 9.8, including a 11-11 run at the foul line last weekend versus Stephen F. Austin.
Brown remains HP's best option in this game, but is without help off the bench in 6-9 Allan Chaney, a postgraduate transfer from Virginia Tech. According to vatious sources, Chaney is out of action over a heart ailmment which returned during the Panthers' Nov 24 game vs. Wofford. Prior to this, Chaney was putting up big numbers (15.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg) averaging about 24 minutes per game. Chaney is shooting 63 percent from the field and 84 percent from the foul line, giving the Panthers a needed second option inside. Absent Chaney, 6-9 freshman Cliff Cornish (1.0 ppg) will be severely tested against Josh Smith inside.
The Panthers have seen mixed results from its starting guards and may see additional action from 6-3 sophomore Adam Weary, who has averaged in double figures off the bench in four games this season with a 59.4 percent shooting percentage. 6-5 swingman Devante Wallace (8.8 ppg, 43% from three) needs a big game from the outside to counter Georgetown's defensive sets, while the Panthers' starting guards are a combined 2-15 from beyond the arc.
Leading the team in scoring over each of the past five games, sophomore D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera has been the most consistent option on what has been an inconsistent Georgetown team to date. Markel Starks is shooting just 36 percent from the field, Nate Lubick continues to take fewer shots, Josh Smith is averaging just 19 minutes per game, and Jabril Trawick and Aaron bowen are a combined 0-15 from three point range.
Georgetown needs more options on the stat chart before teams sit on Smith-Rivera and dare someone else to shoot from the backcourt. The Hoyas still have the height advantage in this one, but need to develop more of it bench while it has the time to do so.
