Q&A: John Thompson III hoping for better things after rough season
John Thompson III is anxious to lead Georgetown back to its rightful place in college basketball. The Hoyas are coming off a disappointing 18-15 season which ended with a loss to Florida State in the NIT. CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com's Jon Rothstein sat down with Thompson Tuesday in Washington D.C. to discuss last year's struggles, Georgetown's fabled incoming recruiting class, and what lies ahead for the new Big East Conference.
Jon Rothstein, CBSSports.com: It seemed like last year anything that could go wrong for your team, did go wrong. Where does last season rank among the most difficult that you've endured as a head coach?
John Thompson III: I would say it's up there as probably one of the two most frustrating seasons I've had as a coach in that everything felt like another road block kept getting put in front of us. Greg Whittington hurts his knee, then Josh [Smith] busts out of school for the second semester. Then Jabril [Trawick] breaks his jaw and misses the games that he missed. Then in the middle of all that, Nate [Lubick] sits a game then Moses [Ayegba] has the NCAA issues came up. I know that's the nature of athletics but last year it just felt like one thing after another happened and we weren't deep enough to continually reinvent ourselves. The way that we had to win at the end of the year was much different than I envisioned at the beginning of the year. That's natural, but it was extremely frustrating. It was a learning experience in many ways. I think that the guys that are returning --- you hate to go through that to learn a few lessons --- but I think the guys that do return are really fired up about this year.
CBSSports.com: You were 10-3 to start last season and that was with Josh Smith in the lineup. He didn't play after Jan. 4 and you finished the year 8-12. How would you rate Josh's progress on and off the floor as of right now?
Thompson: He has a made a lot of progress both on and off the floor. His body looks as good I've seen it look since high school. Off the court, everything is fine. Now he has to sustain it and he has to maintain it. At this point last year, I felt pretty good about Josh. Now he's got to maintain it. He's still a work in progress but with that being said, there's not too many --- if any --- people in college basketball that offensively on the block can do the things he can do. And he's doing a much better job at working at every other part of the game.
CBSSports.com: One of your key losses from last year's team was veteran point guard Markel Starks. Who takes the baton from him this season at the most important position on the floor?
Thompson: I don't know that we're looking at it like that simply because Markel probably for the time I've been here has been the most dominant point guard I've had in terms of always having the ball in his hands. I think we have the versatility and the flexibility this year where D'Vauntes [Smith-Rivera] is going to fill that role at times. We have other people that we can throw back there. Some of our freshmen --- L.J. [Peak] --- who is natural scorer, also has a great feel for the game. He can have the ball in his hands. Tre Campbell can have the ball in his hands. Jabril can have the ball in his hands. Now are they the stereotypical image that people will think of when they hear point guard? No. But are they skilled enough and do they understand enough where they can bring the ball up and initiate our offense? Yes. This isn't going to be one person that's going to be put in that role but I think we have enough pieces where we'll be fine.
CBSSports.com: I remember a few summers ago we were sitting together during an AAU game prior to Otto Porter's freshman season and you talked about how excited you were about that specific incoming recruiting class. The freshman group you bring in this year comes in with a high level of cache as well --- where does it rank among the best you've assembled at Georgetown?
Thompson: The future will tell that but sitting here now I feel as good about this group as any. And not just their talent level but their understanding of how to play and their feel for the game. They're an advanced group in terms of their understanding. Every freshman goes through transition but I think this will be a short transition period for them as a group.
CBSSports.com: People from the periphery like to talk about incoming players making all the difference but often times returning players are the ones who are the most important in a program. Which returning players will make the biggest jump this season for Georgetown?
Thompson: I think one thing that's exciting about this team is we have a group of returning players that have played and won the Big East. They've won big games. They're a veteran group. And then you bring in the freshmen who provide an influx of talent and IQ. It's a good mix. It's a really good mix and we're going to need the older guys to be better and we're going to need the guys to get ready quickly. Quite honestly I'm looking at several people. I think D'Vauntes will be much better this year. Now I say that on the heels of the fact that he's already one of the best players in our league. He's a big time scorer but he's really worked on his conditioning and his body. With Markel gone and even Nate Lubick gone who were our primary facilitators last year, you will see that aspect of his game go to another level. He averaged 17 points last year. Am I saying he's going to go from averaging 17 points a game last year to 25 this year? No, but I am saying you're going to see much more of his game this year. I think you're also going to see a jump in Jabril as a senior. He's one of these guys that the country forgets about because he plays as a freshman, he gets better as a sophomore, he gets better as a junior, and now his senior year --- I think he's going to be really, really good and do a lot of different things. We get so caught up in the one and dones that you forget about those guys that have just gotten better each year and we're going to need him to be effective at both ends of the court. And finally because of his own doing, Josh is the forgotten man in this country and rightfully so. Now at the same time, when the big fella is on the court there's not many people who can do what Josh can do.
CBSSports.com: We saw the Big East struggle last year on a national scale. What has to happen for this league to become a true force in college basketball?
Thompson: I think we will be. In many ways from my vantage point --- which is skewed because of the year we had --- I think when you look at the schools that are in this league, when you look at the recruiting classes in this league, when you look at the coaches that are in this league, not much is going to change. I think there were a lot of factors that went into how this conference turned out last year and I think a lot of those factors have to do with having a league in its first year. Scheduling played a part in it in addition to some teams just not having good years. I've said this from day one and I firmly believe it --- the Big East is still the Big East and we'll show people that.
CBSSports.com:
How many NCAA bids do you think is realistic for the Big East to challenge for on an annual basis?
Thompson: I haven't thought about that. Us and four or five more (laughs).
CBSSports.com: When people hear the name Big East, they think Georgetown. For your team this season, what needs to be done for Georgetown to become the Georgetown that people expect to see?
Thompson: I think last year was last year. We have to be able to keep everyone on the court that's on the roster. If we stay healthy and if we stay eligible, we're going to be among the best teams in the country. I think we'll show people that pretty quickly.
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