georgetown perspective:
Stealth no more.
The word is getting out that these are not your father's Hoyas...at least if you're not John Thompson III. But with the increased attention is a closer scrutiny of what makes the 2004-05 Hoyas tick, which means a lot more team are re-focusing on the Hoyas and not relying on past memories of the wheels-off style of recent years. Teams like Rutgers and Villanova seemed ill at ease adjusting to the Hoyas' motion offense, but such will not be the case at Syracuse.
In the last ten years, Jim Boeheim has been able to adapt his teams to the situations provided, much more so than in the Rony Seikaly-Derrick Coleman years. Even with three consistent scorers, Syracuse is 17-1 for one simple reason: they react to their opponents better than anyone in the Big East and they can force their opponents to change the way they play. That's the challenge facing a Georgetown team that is still somewhat one dimensional in their offense to date.
The Orange(men) are led by Hakim Warrick, who will make a strong case for Big East Player of the Year by season's end. The 6-8 Warrick, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds a game, is one of the more complete players in Syracuse history, and forms a formidable task for freshman Jeff Green. 7-0 Craig Forth provides depth at center, but it's Warrick who controls the boards and forces his opponents into poor shot selections inside. 6-6 Josh Pace, shooting 65% from the field, rounds out the front court and will see time defending Brandon Bowman, who struggled in a 3-16 shooting effort in last season's game.
When Georgetown fans last saw Gerry McNamara, his shot at the buzzer marked the beginning of the end of the Craig Esherick era. Although his shooting can be erratic at times, McNamara is Syracuse's best outside threat and is a dangerous free throw shooter, especially late. McNamara is averaging 81% from the line, and a comaprable 79% in the final five minutes of a game. Sophomore Louie McCroskey and junior Billy Edelin should see plenty of time at the other guard position.
Syracuse holds a marked edge in bench strength. The SU bench outscored Providence 38-7 Saturday in a narrow four point Orange win. What was once a traditionally short Syracuse bench and a limitless parade of Georgetown substitutions is now in reverse: Syracuse now goes as much as 10 deep while Georgetown may not go past Darrel Owens and Ray Reed if they can afford it. The Orange(men) also hold a sizable edge on rebounding (38.3 to 32.7) one which Georgetown cannot let overtake them.
Three keys to the game:
1. Avoid foul trouble. The Hoyas have no answers inside if Green or Bowman sit for extended periods.
2. Force the second half tempo. Both teams shoot better late in a game than early, but their styles differ. The Hoyas need to stay close so they are not forced into a three point contest to get back in the game.
3. Ashanti Cook. Cook needs 15 or more points for the Hoyas to be strong at game's end.
The Syracuse message boards will tell you that this isn't a rivalry game, that a I-A school like Syracuse has no interest in smaller schools like Georgetown anymore. Don't believe a word of it. This is still a rivalry game and while the Hoyas are a year or two away from full strength, they'll be likely to give Syracuse a taste of the old days, when the mere mention of the name Thompson stirred the city's collective passion.
=====
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20050117-114219-4574r.htm
http://www3.georgetown.edu/athletic...skbl/spec-rel/200405/gamenotes/gamenotes.html
http://orangenation.net/archives/currentseason/pregames/01_18_05pre.php
http://www.democratandchronicle.com...ID=/20050118/SPORTS0102/501180329/1007/SPORTS
Stealth no more.
The word is getting out that these are not your father's Hoyas...at least if you're not John Thompson III. But with the increased attention is a closer scrutiny of what makes the 2004-05 Hoyas tick, which means a lot more team are re-focusing on the Hoyas and not relying on past memories of the wheels-off style of recent years. Teams like Rutgers and Villanova seemed ill at ease adjusting to the Hoyas' motion offense, but such will not be the case at Syracuse.
In the last ten years, Jim Boeheim has been able to adapt his teams to the situations provided, much more so than in the Rony Seikaly-Derrick Coleman years. Even with three consistent scorers, Syracuse is 17-1 for one simple reason: they react to their opponents better than anyone in the Big East and they can force their opponents to change the way they play. That's the challenge facing a Georgetown team that is still somewhat one dimensional in their offense to date.
The Orange(men) are led by Hakim Warrick, who will make a strong case for Big East Player of the Year by season's end. The 6-8 Warrick, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds a game, is one of the more complete players in Syracuse history, and forms a formidable task for freshman Jeff Green. 7-0 Craig Forth provides depth at center, but it's Warrick who controls the boards and forces his opponents into poor shot selections inside. 6-6 Josh Pace, shooting 65% from the field, rounds out the front court and will see time defending Brandon Bowman, who struggled in a 3-16 shooting effort in last season's game.
When Georgetown fans last saw Gerry McNamara, his shot at the buzzer marked the beginning of the end of the Craig Esherick era. Although his shooting can be erratic at times, McNamara is Syracuse's best outside threat and is a dangerous free throw shooter, especially late. McNamara is averaging 81% from the line, and a comaprable 79% in the final five minutes of a game. Sophomore Louie McCroskey and junior Billy Edelin should see plenty of time at the other guard position.
Syracuse holds a marked edge in bench strength. The SU bench outscored Providence 38-7 Saturday in a narrow four point Orange win. What was once a traditionally short Syracuse bench and a limitless parade of Georgetown substitutions is now in reverse: Syracuse now goes as much as 10 deep while Georgetown may not go past Darrel Owens and Ray Reed if they can afford it. The Orange(men) also hold a sizable edge on rebounding (38.3 to 32.7) one which Georgetown cannot let overtake them.
Three keys to the game:
1. Avoid foul trouble. The Hoyas have no answers inside if Green or Bowman sit for extended periods.
2. Force the second half tempo. Both teams shoot better late in a game than early, but their styles differ. The Hoyas need to stay close so they are not forced into a three point contest to get back in the game.
3. Ashanti Cook. Cook needs 15 or more points for the Hoyas to be strong at game's end.
The Syracuse message boards will tell you that this isn't a rivalry game, that a I-A school like Syracuse has no interest in smaller schools like Georgetown anymore. Don't believe a word of it. This is still a rivalry game and while the Hoyas are a year or two away from full strength, they'll be likely to give Syracuse a taste of the old days, when the mere mention of the name Thompson stirred the city's collective passion.
=====
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20050117-114219-4574r.htm
http://www3.georgetown.edu/athletic...skbl/spec-rel/200405/gamenotes/gamenotes.html
http://orangenation.net/archives/currentseason/pregames/01_18_05pre.php
http://www.democratandchronicle.com...ID=/20050118/SPORTS0102/501180329/1007/SPORTS
