Josh Smith Declared Ineligible 1/24/14
Georgetown officials declared junior center Josh Smith academically ineligible for remainder of the 2013-14 season, becoming the second starter lost in as many seasons for flagging grades.
?A lot of what we did was geared toward his presence," said a disappointed John Thompson III at the team's Friday media teleconference at McDonough Gymnasium. "This is Georgetown, and we have a set of standards, and everyone has a responsibility above and beyond what goes on outside of those doors.?
Smith arrived at Georgetown with a full two years of eligibility from the NCAA, which could have limited Smith to as few as one semester of play following his mid-year transfer from UCLA. The 6-10, 350 lb. center appeared to have lost little of the 350 lbs. that grounded his career at UCLA, and following a sterling opening game versus Oregon, Smith's impact decreased by foul trouble and dwindling minutes over his lack of conditioning.
Nonetheless, Smith's 11.5 points per game are especially missed for a Georgetown team that has lost four of five and is a prohibitive underdog in its next three, with a weak front line largely incapable of establishing points in the paint.
The Hoyas team now field 11 active players on scholarship, with a rotation that rarely goes beyond eight.
Coach Thompson noted that Smith has not been dismissed, is able to practice with the team, and would be invited to rejoin the team as a senior in 2014-15 if his grades improved.
Preview
Over the next seven days, an undermanned Georgetown team will face three ranked opponents. While there is just concern for a continuation of the losses that the team has endured, it can also be an opportunity for better things--if the Hoyas can reassert itself against top competition, a message can be sent that Georgetown is a contender down the stretch.
First up: a tough road match at Creighton, where the Bluejays' remarkable rout of Villanova was its biggest win over a ranked team in 50 years. In fact, Creighton had never defeated a ranked opponent of any kind by more than 12 points entering the game, and at one point in the second half, it led the Wildcats by 40.
The 15th ranked Jays aren't walking to the Garden, however, having lost to Providence and battling through their share of tough road games. The home slate has been more consistent, part of a run where the Bluejays are 155-25 at CenturyLink Arena over the past 11 years and 10-0 this season.
And as Villanova fans will tell you, Creighton can hit the three. Lots of them.
The Bluejays feature a solid starting lineup, from Austin Chatman in the backcourt to the defensive efforts of Jahenns Manigat, to the remarkable statistics of Ethan Wragge, who averages 12.5 points a game despite having made only two two pointers all season--his remaining 74 field goals are all by three. But these four are good because Doug McDermott, the prohibitive Big East Player of The year and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, makes the Bluejays great.
McDermott was an NBA lottery pick before deciding to come back for a fifth year, and makes a difference on nearly every possession for the Bluejays. Scoring (50% from two, 44% from three), rebounding (7.1), free throws (90 percent), and court leadership help the Bluejays take on all comers. A lengthy preview would simply understate the obvious: Georgetown goes as far in this game as they can to limit McDermott under his 24.8 points per game average.
Enough said.
For the Hoyas, they enter this game in hostile territory in probably the largest underdogs in a decade. Nothing from the Marquette game gives fans much hope, but in fact, how they were able to contain Marquette in the half court actually opens opportunities to limit Creighton, particularly from outside. The Hoyas won't give up 21 threes in this game, but if they close off the perimeter, they must be ready for McDermott inside.
Few teams have been ready to date, and Georgetown seems ill-prepared to do so here.
Josh Smith is gone, Jabril Trawick probably returns in late February, and the upcoming road is long and bumpy. Fans need to understand that no one is quitting on the Hoyas, and neither should we.
Georgetown officials declared junior center Josh Smith academically ineligible for remainder of the 2013-14 season, becoming the second starter lost in as many seasons for flagging grades.
?A lot of what we did was geared toward his presence," said a disappointed John Thompson III at the team's Friday media teleconference at McDonough Gymnasium. "This is Georgetown, and we have a set of standards, and everyone has a responsibility above and beyond what goes on outside of those doors.?
Smith arrived at Georgetown with a full two years of eligibility from the NCAA, which could have limited Smith to as few as one semester of play following his mid-year transfer from UCLA. The 6-10, 350 lb. center appeared to have lost little of the 350 lbs. that grounded his career at UCLA, and following a sterling opening game versus Oregon, Smith's impact decreased by foul trouble and dwindling minutes over his lack of conditioning.
Nonetheless, Smith's 11.5 points per game are especially missed for a Georgetown team that has lost four of five and is a prohibitive underdog in its next three, with a weak front line largely incapable of establishing points in the paint.
The Hoyas team now field 11 active players on scholarship, with a rotation that rarely goes beyond eight.
Coach Thompson noted that Smith has not been dismissed, is able to practice with the team, and would be invited to rejoin the team as a senior in 2014-15 if his grades improved.
Preview
Over the next seven days, an undermanned Georgetown team will face three ranked opponents. While there is just concern for a continuation of the losses that the team has endured, it can also be an opportunity for better things--if the Hoyas can reassert itself against top competition, a message can be sent that Georgetown is a contender down the stretch.
First up: a tough road match at Creighton, where the Bluejays' remarkable rout of Villanova was its biggest win over a ranked team in 50 years. In fact, Creighton had never defeated a ranked opponent of any kind by more than 12 points entering the game, and at one point in the second half, it led the Wildcats by 40.
The 15th ranked Jays aren't walking to the Garden, however, having lost to Providence and battling through their share of tough road games. The home slate has been more consistent, part of a run where the Bluejays are 155-25 at CenturyLink Arena over the past 11 years and 10-0 this season.
And as Villanova fans will tell you, Creighton can hit the three. Lots of them.
The Bluejays feature a solid starting lineup, from Austin Chatman in the backcourt to the defensive efforts of Jahenns Manigat, to the remarkable statistics of Ethan Wragge, who averages 12.5 points a game despite having made only two two pointers all season--his remaining 74 field goals are all by three. But these four are good because Doug McDermott, the prohibitive Big East Player of The year and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, makes the Bluejays great.
McDermott was an NBA lottery pick before deciding to come back for a fifth year, and makes a difference on nearly every possession for the Bluejays. Scoring (50% from two, 44% from three), rebounding (7.1), free throws (90 percent), and court leadership help the Bluejays take on all comers. A lengthy preview would simply understate the obvious: Georgetown goes as far in this game as they can to limit McDermott under his 24.8 points per game average.
Enough said.
For the Hoyas, they enter this game in hostile territory in probably the largest underdogs in a decade. Nothing from the Marquette game gives fans much hope, but in fact, how they were able to contain Marquette in the half court actually opens opportunities to limit Creighton, particularly from outside. The Hoyas won't give up 21 threes in this game, but if they close off the perimeter, they must be ready for McDermott inside.
Few teams have been ready to date, and Georgetown seems ill-prepared to do so here.
Josh Smith is gone, Jabril Trawick probably returns in late February, and the upcoming road is long and bumpy. Fans need to understand that no one is quitting on the Hoyas, and neither should we.
