Even though
John
Thompson III has
only coached at Georgetown
for two full seasons, it seems like he's been around for
longer. After winning 19 games in his first season, year two
saw the Hoyas explode into the Sweet Six with wins over UNI and
Ohio State. This year though, might be
John's
biggest challenge so far, as an impressive trio of seniors have
graduated.
***
CHN:
Looking ahead, what should we expect to be the strengths and
weaknesses of this year’s team?
JT3: Our Strength will
obviously be our Frontcourt. Jeff and Roy have some good
experience and have proven themselves. We will miss the
perimeter scoring that departed when Brandon (Bowman), Ashanti
(Cook) and Darrel (Owens) graduated. We have some guys who are
capable of stepping up and filling that role in the backcourt,
but I would say our strength is the frontcourt and our weakness
is backcourt.
CHN: Fans often just see what happens during the games,
but talk about which of your guys deserve more credit for
working hard in practice, in the workout room, and being leaders
off the court:
JT3: Tyler Crawford
immediately comes to mind in all of those areas. I think the way
things are going to shake out this year he will get more of an
opportunity to get playing time than he did last year, but he’s
definitely someone who sets the tone for the team.
CHN: Discuss the incoming guys for a bit. Who will make
the biggest impact?
JT3: I think
its hard to tell that right now. I think all three, four if you
count Patrick, will get the opportunity to play. Patrick has
had a year under his belt in terms of practice so he knows the
routine, he knows what to expect, he knows the system. With the
three newcomers, Jeremiah Rivers DaJuan Summers and Vernon
Macklin, you have individuals that all one day will be pretty
good but they have to go through the adjustment period that all
freshmen go through. I think they’re all going to have a chance
to contribute.
CHN: How hard will it be to
replace the outgoing seniors? Who is ready to step up their game
instead?
JT3: Its going to be
extremely hard. We lose three guys that played significant
minutes from day one. Most note will be taken of Brandon,
Ashanti and Darrel, but the graduation of Amadou (Kilkenny- Diaw)
takes someone who was a big part of what we did and was
instrumental in the teams success even if he didn’t get a lot of
minutes. We will miss the experience, but at the same time
there are some guys like Jesse Sap who got some minutes last
year who are ready to step in. I mentioned Tyler earlier as
somebody who is a leader on our team and is ready to step up. In
addition the incoming freshmen have an opportunity. In many
ways, who replaces the graduates
is open to everyone.
CHN: What other
coaches really helped you reach the level of success you’re at
now? How does their advice and teachings still help you to this
day?
JT3: I have pretty good resources in this
business and I use them, whether that means pops (John
Thompson Jr), or
Coach Carrill, Ronny (Thompson)
or Bill Carmody. I make use of the coaching resources I have
and its been extremely helpful.
CHN: What are your realistic goals and
hopes for this season?
JT3: To be better, to improve, to keep moving in
the right direction
CHN:
Thanks for your time
John.
JT3: No problem guys. This year Georgetown celebrates its
100th year and the season will be full of fun events
and celebrations to mark this milestone.
