Poised Hoyas Growing, Winning
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By DERON SNYDER
Saturday was tough for Georgetown’s basketball program as news spread about Jeff Green, the former Hoya and current Boston Celtic who will undergo heart surgery next month and miss the NBA season. Georgetown coach John Thompson III spoke with Green over the weekend and was impressed with his response to the discovery of an aortic aneurysm.
“It’s been a difficult week,” Thompson said after the Hoyas defeated American 81-55 at Verizon Center. “Jeff is a part of who we are, and he’s as upbeat as anyone can be as it relates to what’s going on with him.”
The Hoyas hope their play can help him stay upbeat. Georgetown is 9-1 and ranked No. 16 entering the meat of the schedule, which begins Thursday when Memphis comes to town for a rematch. The Tigers were ranked No. 8 when they lost to Georgetown 91-88 in overtime in the Maui Classic.
That victory was sandwiched by a 67-63 loss against then-No. 14 Kansas and a 57-55 road victory against then-No. 12 Alabama, and those three games put everyone on notice: These young Hoyas are not overwhelmed.
“This is a confident group,” sophomore point guard Markel Starks said after his career-high 18 points led all scorers Saturday. “Moving forward, we’re just going to keep getting better.”
