The Roaring Mouse examines the Legacy of one Mr. Jeff Green, suggesting that he almost singlehandedly restored Georgetown to the elite of college basketball after several down years under the Craig Esherick regime.
The Hoyas utimately fell to Ohio State, led by man-child Greg Oden, and many wondered where Jeff Green was with his clutch shots and playmaking. Well, the answer was he was just being Jeff Green, the consumate team mate who never forced that action and trusted in his coach and his teammates. The supporting cast fell short, Conley blew by the Georgetown guards, and perhaps Green didn’t do what he usually had never been asked to do - play for himself - but the Hoya team, as well as Jeff Green, could go home knowing they had completed what was perhaps the most exciting and rewarding season ever in the history of the program, and the powerhouse is back. Perhaps as imortant, the Hoyas are changing the perception of college basketball and black athletes.
So without Green, where does that leave Georgetown? Still in pretty good shape. With Hibbert returning along with Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr. and Vernon Macklin, with top incoming recruits Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, it's unlikely that Georgetown will fall significantly. They may not be a Top 5 preseason team anymore, but neither was last year's team. In fact, Washington Times Georgetown beat writer Barker Davis suggests that Hibbert's return was more important to the Hoyas' than if Green had returned:
As good as Green was in his three seasons, Hibbert represents a far more daunting matchup problem for opponents on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Hibbert's ability to alter shots and provide help on dribble-drive proponents makes the paint a virtual no-fly zone for Georgetown opponents. North Carolina terror Tywon Lawson was a total non-factor in the halfcourt set off the bounce against Georgetown in the East Region final (five points, five turnovers).
And offensively, Hibbert's 5-to-8 layups and dunks per game are far more difficult to defend as a reliable source of offense than Green's mid-range attack. Fact is, you don't have too many cold shooting nights from two feet.
The bottom line: As much as it smarts to lose Green, Hibbert's return to an otherwise loaded roster preparing to welcome two more McDonald's All-Americans in the backcourt (Freeman and St. John's Prep gunner Chris Wright) should make the Hoyas an instant preseason favorite to reach next year's Final Four in San Antonio.
As instrumental as Green was in Thompson's first three seasons, it is Hibbert the coach nicknamed "Franchise." It's Hibbert who Thompson once boldly proclaimed would one day be one of the best players in the world. And it's Hibbert who gives the Hoyas the better chance to win two more games next April.
While calling them a preseason Final Four favorite might be stretching it, ESPN's Andy Katz also thinks that if they can find someone to help run the offense like Green did, Georgetown will be just fine:
Now, the Hoyas will be a bit of a blend. They could go with a four-guard lineup with Hibbert since they will have a plethora of options with the return of Jonathan Wallace (who some would argue was this team's most important player at times), Jessie Sapp, Tyler Crawford and Jeremiah Rivers, let alone the addition of two heralded freshmen in Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. But don't discount the emergence of DaJuan Summers in a much more productive role and as well as Vernon Macklin and Patrick Ewing Jr., who is becoming one of the better glue guys in the Big East.
Sure, losing Green hurts the fluidity of the squad since he was the player that could be plugged into any spot -- whether it was passing, handling or scoring -- but the pieces are still in place for the Hoyas to be a major factor in the Big East and in contention for the national title. If the Hoyas can run their system as well as they did last season, they'll be doing just fine even without Green.
