Player Preview: Hollis Thompson

This is the tenth preview of the members of the 2011-12 Georgetown Hoyas. You also can read about Nate Lubick, Markel Starks, Aaron Bowen, Otto Porter, Jabril Trawick, Greg Whittington, Mikael Hopkins, Tyler Adams, Moses Ayegba, and John Caprio.

The lone junior from an original three-man class, Hollis Thompson finds himself vaulted from occasional offensive spark to a relied-upon veteran in the span of an eventful summer. 

Thompson arrived on campus in January 2009, having chosen the path, uncommon in basketball at least, to start in the spring semester. He didn’t play any games during the toxic 2009 season; once he actually got on the court the next year, Thompson showed bursts off the bench, racking up double figure scoring on four occasions. Still, he showed signs of being just a freshman, ending even more games with a goose egg. Even if his 4-plus points per game weren’t central to the Hoyas’ 23-win season, Thompson showed signs that he could evolve into a marksman, netting nearly 44 percent of his three pointers.

While more was expected sophomore year from Thompson, how he was going to achieve more was uncertain. The only player departed form the previous year was big man Greg Monroe, who Thompson, with a reedy 6’7″ frame, seemed ill-suited to replace in the post. Coach Thompson his namesake to the wolves, though, beginning the season with Hollywood as the starting “power” forward. The younger Thompson fared well, although he occasionally proved over-eager, in particular taking an ill-advised circus lay-up in an effort to tie the score in the waning seconds of a loss to Temple. But Hollis v2 was a big improvement over the freshman edition, and with little more time, as he nearly doubled his scoring (8.6 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg) in just four more minutes per game. Thompson’s offensive efficiency jumped from the previous year, as did his rebounding rate, all resulting from Monroe’s departure and the consequent positional switch. He even survived a move to the bench in favor of true power forward Nate Lubick, netting 10 or more points in six of the thirteen games after getting pulled from the starting lineup. He was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dreary NCAA opening game, netting 26 points in a lopsided loss to Virginia Commonwealth, his first eclipse of the 20-point threshold. While he still showed flaws–disappearing in far too many games, not using his length and athleticism to evolve into a shut-down defender–he also seemed poised to evolve into one of the leaders of a much younger Hoya squad.

Then, in a surprising move, Thompson declared for the NBA draft. He didn’t hire an agent, leaving the door open for his junior season. Despite impressive pre-draft performances, he couldn’t assure himself a place in the L, and so returned to the Hilltop. While it’s easy to read dissatisfaction with Georgetown into Thompson’s decision to declare, there’s simply no evidence that his choice was anything other than practical, the desire of a young man to achieve a dream of professional basketball while earning a nice paycheck to boot.

Whatever the reason for testing the professional waters, Thompson is back, now one of just three upperclassmen after the transfer of classmates Jerrelle Benimon and Vee Sanford. And with the loss of more than half of the point production from last year’s squad, Hollis figures to be one of the team’s featured scorers, along with senior Jason Clark. During summer ball, Thompson played the part, playing well if unspectacularly in a few Kenner League games before averaging double figures and more than six boards per game in China. While he hasn’t yet developed a full complement of dribble-drive moves, he’s a deadly shooter from the perimeter and has the length to finish at the rim.

But just as Thompson figures to rise to a place of leadership on the Hoya roster, the young guns are coming up behind him. Otto Porter, perhaps the most ready of the new Hoyas to contribute, is a versatile player but most naturally a small forward, much like Thompson. And Greg Whittington, who impressed in summer play, also is a wing. Both have looked impressive on defense in limited action thus far, a side of the floor on which Thompson has generally lagged. Thompson almost certainly will start the season as the team’s small forward and, given his year-to-year progress thus far, seems likely to remain there. He may even lead the team in scoring, and should at least be among the team leaders in that category. Certainly, the China trip, where he was crisp on offense and better on defense, indicates that he’ll be a team leader. But nothing is a guarantee on such a young team brimming with potential. So while Thompson figures to step another rung up the ladder, he’ll have competition to ensure his motivation.