Georgetown Men’s 2009-10 summer prospectus

25 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 1984 NCAA National Champions 11 Sweet 16 Appearances • 15 BIG EAST Championships

2008-09 GEORGETOWN RESULTS 2009-10 GEORGETOWN QUICK FACTS

University Information Day Date Opponent Result Record Location ...... Washington, D.C., 20057 Mon. Nov. 17 JACKSONVILLE W, 71-62 1-0 Founded ...... 1789 Sat. Nov. 22 DREXEL W, 81-53 2-0 President ...... John J. DeGioia Thurs. Nov. 27 Old Spice Classic W, 58-50 3-0 Interim Athletics Director...... Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D. vs. Wichita State Enrollment...... 15,318 total Fri. Nov. 28 Old Spice Classic L, 90-78 3-1 ...... 6,806 undergraduate vs. #12 Tennessee Nickname ...... Hoyas Sun. Nov. 30 Old Spice Classic W, 75-48 4-1 Colors ...... Blue & Gray vs. Maryland Conference...... BIG EAST Sat. Dec. 6 AMERICAN W, 73-49 5-1 Home Court (Capacity)...... Verizon (20,600); Mon. Dec. 8 SAVANNAH STATE W, 100-38 6-1 ...... McDonough Arena (2,400) Sat. Dec. 13 MEMPHIS W, 79-70 OT 7-1 Sat. Dec. 20 MT. ST. MARY’S W, 69-58 8-1 Basketball History Tues. Dec. 23 FIU W, 76-38 9-1 First Year of Basketball...... 1906-07 Mon. Dec. 29 at Connecticut * W, 74-63 10-1/1-0 Overall All-Time Record...... 1,477-925 (.615) Sat. Jan. 3 PITTSBURGH * L, 70-54 10-2/1-1 Years in NCAA Tournament...... 25 Mon. Jan. 5 at Notre Dame * L, 73-67 10-3/1-2 Years in NIT...... 11 Sat. Jan. 10 PROVIDENCE * W, 82-75 11-3//2-2 Last Postseason Opponent...... Baylor ...... (2009 NIT First Round, L, 74-72) Wed. Jan. 14 SYRACUSE * W, 88-74 12-3/3-2 Sat. Jan. 17 at Duke L, 76-67 12-4 Thurs. Jan. 22 WEST VIRGINIA * L, 75-58 12-5/3-3 Coaching Staff Sun. Jan. 25 at Seton Hall * L, 65-60 12-6/3-4 Head Coach...... John Thompson III Wed. Jan. 28 at Cincinnati * L, 65-57 12-7/3-5 Alma Mater...... Princeton ’88 Sat. Jan. 31 at Marquette * L, 94-82 12-8/3-6 Record at School (Years)...... 116-51, .695 (5) Career Record (Years)...... 184-93, .664 (9) Tues. Feb. 3 RUTGERS * W, 57-47 13-8/4-6 Assistant Coaches...... Mike Brennan (Princeton ‘94) Sat. Feb. 7 CINCINNATI * L, 64-62ot 13-9/4-7 ...... David Cox (William & Mary ‘95) Sat. Feb. 14 at Syracuse * L, 98-94ot 13-10/4-8 ...... Kenya Hunter (Duquesne ‘96) Wed. Feb. 18 at South Florida * W, 65-40 14-10/5-8 Director of Basketball Operations...... Matt Henry (Trinity ‘01) Sat. Feb. 21 MARQUETTE * L, 78-72 14-11/5-9 Men’s Basketball Trainer...... Lorry Michel Mon. Feb. 23 LOUISVILLE * L, 76-58 14-12/5-10 Sat. Feb. 28 at Villanova * W, 56-54 15-12/6-10 Tues. March 3 at St. John’s * L, 59-56ot 15-13/6-11 Team Information 2008-09 Record...... 16-15 Sat. March 7 DePAUL * W, 48-40 16-13/7-11 Home...... 11-5 Tues. March 10 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT Away...... 3-8 vs. St. John’s L, 64-59 16-14 Neutral...... 2-2 Wed. March 18 NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT 2008-09 Conference Record...... 7-11, 12th at Baylor L, 74-72 16-15 Starters Returning/Lost...... 3/2 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...... 7/4 BOLD CAPS indicate home game played at Verizon Center * Indicates BIG EAST Conference game Media Information Men’s Basketball Contact...... Bill Shapland Office Phone...... (202) 687-2492 Fax ...... (202) 687-2491 Home Phone...... (703) 521-5535 e-mail ...... [email protected] Men’s Basketball Contact...... Mike “Mex” Carey Office Phone...... (202) 687-2475 Cell Phone...... (917) 576-7445 e-mail ...... [email protected] Press Row...... (202) 628-3200 (Verizon Center) ...... (202) 687-1581 (McDonough Arena) STARTERS RETURNING Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. GP/GS PPG RPG Other Austin Freeman G Jr. 6-4 236 30/29 11.4 4.2 All-BIG EAST Rookie selection 08-09 Ninth in BIG EAST in FG% (51.3%)

Greg Monroe C So. 6-11 247 31/30 12.7 6.5 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year; 19th in BIG EAST in rebounding; 9th in BIG EAST in FG% (57.2%); 5th in BIG EAST in steals (1.9)

Chris Wright G Jr. 6-1 205 31/30 12.5 3.0 Team-best 3.7 assists 13th in BIG EAST in /TO ratio

OTHER KEY RETURNEES Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. GP/GS PPG RPG Other Nikita Mescheriakov F Jr. 6-8 212 23/8 2.7 1.5

Jason Clark G So. 6-2 168 31/0 5.4 2.6

Henry Sims C So. 6-10 220 28/0 1.9 1.7

Julian Vaughn F Jr. 6-9 249 30/0 1.8 1.7

STARTERS LOST Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. GP/GS PPG RPG Other Jessie Sapp G Sr. 6-3 212 31/22 6.5 3.6 Second on team, 37 three-pointers

DaJuan Summers F Jr. 6-8 236 31/31 13.6 4.1 Team’s leading scorer Team-high 52 three-pointers Second Round pick,

OTHER KEY LOSSES Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. GP/GS PPG RPG Other Omar Wattad G/F So. 6-4 225 25/1 2.6 1.4

Bryon Jansen F Sr. 6-6 211 5/0 0.8 0.2

KEY NEWCOMERS Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School Jerrelle Benimon F Fr. 6-7 242 Warrenton, Va./Fauquier Notes: Averaged 21 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks and 1.6 steals per game during his senior season, leading Fauquier to a 21-4 record and the district title ... A two-time selection as Cedar Run District Player of the Year, sharing the award as a junior ... Aver- aged 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 3.5 assists as a junior in 2007-08.

Ryan Dougherty G Jr. 6-0 192 Washington, D.C./St. Alban’s Notes: A transfer from the University of Rochester ... Walked on to the team prior to the 2008-09 season ... Appeared in seven games for Rochester in 2007-08, averaging 0.9 points per game ... As a senior at St. Alban’s, averaged 20.0 points per game and was named the IAC Player of the Year.

Vee Sanford G Fr. 6-3 180 Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic Notes: Averaged 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists a game this past season ... Selected to The Courier-Journal First Team All-State ... Played in the Kentucky/Indiana All-Stars Basketball Classic.

Hollis Thompson F Fr. 6-8 197 Concord, Calif./De La Salle Notes: Ernolled at Georgetown in January 2009 and practiced with the team during the second semester ... Averaged 14.0 ppg at DeLaSalle and chose Georgetown over Duke, UCLA, USC and Arizona. 2009-10 GEORGETOWN Roster Breakdown PRONUNCATION MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER GUIDE

Nikita Mescheriakov ALPHABETICAL Nih-kee-tuh Muh-SHARE-uh-kov No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/High School 20 Jerrelle Benimon F 6-7 242 Fr. Warrenton, Va. / Fauquier Jerelle Bennimon 21 Jason Clark G 6-2 168 So. Arlington, Va. / Bishop O’Connell GER-el BEN-ih-mon 12 Ryan Dougherty G 6-0 192 Jr. Kensington, Md. / St. Alban’s 15 Austin Freeman G 6-4 236 Jr. Mitchellville, Md. / DeMatha 5 Nikita Mescheriakov G/F 6-8 212 Jr. Minsk, Belarus / St. John’s Prospect Hall (Md.) CLASS 10 Greg Monroe F 6-11 247 So. New Orleans, La. / Helen Cox BREAKDOWN 11 Vee Sanford G 6-3 180 Fr. Lexington, Ky. / Lexington Catholic 30 Henry Sims C 6-11 220 So. Baltimore, Md. / Mount St. Joseph 11 25 Stephen Stepka G 6-6 190 Fr. Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson Total Players: 1 Hollis Thompson F 6-8 197 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif. / Loyola Juniors (5): Ryan Dougherty, Aus- 22 Julian Vaughn F 6-9 249 Jr. Vienna, Va. / Oak Hill Academy/South Lakes tin Freeman, Nikita Mescheriakov, 4 Chris Wright G 6-1 205 Jr. Bowie, Md. / St. John’s College HS (D.C.) Julian Vaughn, Chris Wright Sophomores (3): Jason Clark, NUMERICAL Greg Monroe, Henry Sims No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/High School Freshmen (3): Jerrelle Benimon, 1 Hollis Thompson F 6-8 197 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif. / Loyola Vee Sanford, Hollis Thompson 4 Chris Wright G 6-1 205 Jr. Bowie, Md. / St. John’s College HS (D.C.) 5 Nikita Mescheriakov F 6-8 212 Jr. Minsk, Belarus / St. John’s Prospect Hall (Md.) 10 Greg Monroe C 6-11 247 So. New Orleans, La. / Helen Cox GEOGRAPHIC 11 Vee Sanford G 6-3 180 Fr. Lexington, Ky. / Lexington Catholic BREAKDOWN 12 Ryan Dougherty G 6-0 192 Jr. Kensington, Md. / St. Alban’s 15 Austin Freeman G 6-4 236 Jr. Mitchellville, Md. / DeMatha Nikita Mescheriakov 20 Jerrelle Benimon F 6-7 242 Fr. Warrenton, Va. / Fauquier Belarus (1): 21 Jason Clark G 6-2 168 So. Arlington, Va. / Bishop O’Connell California (1): Hollis Thompson 22 Julian Vaughn F 6-9 249 Jr. Vienna, Va. / Oak Hill Academy Kentucky (1): Vee Sanford 25 Stephen Stepka G 6-6 190 Fr. Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson Louisiana (1): Greg Monroe 30 Henry Sims C 6-11 220 Fr. Baltimore, Md. / Mount St. Joseph Maryland (3): Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, Henry Sims COACHING/ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Virginia (3): Jerrelle Benimon, Head Coach: John Thompson III (Princeton University, 1988), 6th year Jason Clark, Julian Vaughn Assistant Coach: Mike Brennan (Princeton University, 1994), 1st year Washington, D.C. (1): Ryan Assistant Coach: David Cox (College of William & Mary, 1995), 3rd year Assistant Coach: Kenya Hunter (Duquesne University, 1996), 3rd year Dougherty Director of Basketball Operations: Matt Henry (Trinity University, 2001), 6th year Athletic Trainer: Lorry Michel POSITION Augie Maurelli (Johns Hopkins, 1987), 6th year Strength & Conditioning Coach: BREAKDOWN

Guards (5): Jason Clark, Ryan Dougherty, Austin Freeman, Vee Sanford, Chris Wright Forwards (4): Jerrelle Benimon, Nikita Mescheriakov, Hollis Thomp- son, Julian Vaughn Centers (2): Greg Monroe, Henry Sims John R. Thompson III, Head Coach

Entering his sixth season as the head coach, John Thompson III has added new chapters to the rich history of Georgetown men’s basketball. Since arriving on the Hilltop, the Hoyas have advanced to one Final Four (2007), won a BIG EAST Tournament title (2007), won back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season titles (2006-07, 2007- 08), reached three-straight NCAA Tournaments (2006-08) and been invited to the National Invi- tation Tournament twice (2005, 2009). During that time, Georgetown has been ranked among the top-25 teams in the country for 38-straight weeks and is among the winningest programs in the BIG EAST during that time. In addition, in the last three years, more Georgetown players (4) have been selected in the NBA Draft than any other school in the BIG EAST Conference. Thompson is a two-time winner of the Black Coaches Association (BCA) Male Coach of the Year Award (2007, 2008) and was named the 2007 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coach of the Year. In his first five years at Georgetown, Thompson has guided the Hoyas to a 116-51 overall record (.695 win percent- age) and to a 51-30 record in conference play. Overall in nine years as a head coach, including four at his alma mater, Princeton, Thompson has compiled a 184-93 overall record, with a 98-42 record in conference play (BIG EAST and Ivy League combined), won five league champion- ships and guided his teams to eight postseason appear- Thompson Career Highlights ances Last season, Georgetown made its fifth-straight post- Thompson Highlights season appearance under Thompson, advancing to the

As a Coach... NIT where the team lost to eventual runner-up Baylor. The • Led Georgetown to the 2007 NCAA Final Four Hoyas finished the season with a 16-15 overall record and • The first Georgetown coach to win back-to-back BIG EAST were 7-11 in the conference, finishing in 12th place in the Regular Season Championships (2006-07, 2007-08) • Won 2007 NCAA East Regional, 2007 BIG EAST Tournament and BIG EAST Conference, which was arguably the toughest 2007 BIG EAST Regular Season Championships in the country last year. Georgetown finished the season • Amassed a record of 116-51 at GU • Has a record of 184-93 in his nine years as a head coach ranked No. 12 in the country in strength of schedule, post- • Has had more players selected in the NBA Draft in the last three ed four wins over top-25 teams, beat two teams that ad- years (4) than any other team in the BIG EAST Conference • Named the 2007 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame vanced to the Final Four (UConn and Villanova) as well as Coach of the Year two that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tourna- • Back-to-back recipient (2007, 2006) of the Fritz Pollard Award as the Black Coaches Association’s Male Coach of the Year ment (Memphis, Syracuse). Freshman center Greg Mon- • Finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award in three of his roe was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, becoming five years at Georgetown • Defeated 13 top 25 teams over his tenure at Georgetown the sixth player in Georgetown history to earn the award. • Has won five league championships and reached the postseason The Hoyas made their third-straight NCAA Tourna- seven times in his first nine years as a head coach • Coached five All-Americans, four league Players of the Year, and ment appearance during the 2007-08 season, tabbed as three league Rookies of the Year the No. 2 seed before losing in the second round. Thomp- • Led Princeton to the 2001 Ivy League title and the NCAA son’s team earned a 28-6 (.823% win percentage) mark, tournament in his first season as a head coach going 15-3 in BIG EAST play to garner their second-con- As a Player... secutive regular season championship, a feat previously • Ranks third on Princeton’s all-time assist list with 358 unmatched in Hoya history. His team appeared in the • Earned the B.F. Bunn MVP Award Trophy for his contribution to Princeton basketball national polls all 20 weeks of the season, never dropping • Served as team captain in 1988 lower than 12th and senior Patrick Ewing Jr. earned the inaugural BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. During Thompson’s thir sea- son as Georgetown’s head coach, in 2006-07, JTIII saw the Hoyas win the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, the BIG EAST Tournament Championship as well as the NCAA East Regional Champi- onship while compiling a 30-7 record. The Hoyas appeared in the national polls 18 times, defeated seven nationally- ranked opponents and compiled a conference record of 13-3. Thompson saw junior Jeff Green named BIG EAST Player of the Year, MVP of the BIG EAST Tournament and Thompson Year-by-Year MVP of the NCAA East Regional. Green was the fifth Year School Overall Conf. Finish player selected in the 2007 NBA Draft. Thompson 2008-09 Georgetown 16-15 7-11 12th garnered his second consecutive BCA Fritz Pollard 2007-08 Georgetown 28-6 15-3 1st Coach of the Year Award as well as being named 2006-07 Georgetown 30-7 13-3 1st Coach of the Year by the NABC. 2005-06 Georgetown 23-10 10-6 T-4th In his second season at the helm, Thompson’s 2004-05 Georgetown 19-13 8-8 T-7th Hoyas made their presence felt with a thrilling run 2003-04 Princeton 20-8 13-1 1st 2002-03 Princeton 16-11 10-4 3rd to the Sweet 16. This was his fifth trip to the post- 2001-02 Princeton 16-12 11-3 T-1st season in six years as a head coach. A first-round 2000-01 Princeton 16-11 11-3 1st victory over Northern Iowa and a second-round Total (nine seasons) 184-93 98-42 defeat of Ohio State advanced Georgetown to its Georgetown (five seasons) 116-51 53-31 BIG EAST first Regional Semifinal since 2001. The Hoyas, who Princeton (four seasons) 68-42 45-11 Ivy League fell just three points shy of a victory over the even- tual national champion Florida Gators, ended the year with a 23-10 overall record, earning Thompson the Black Coaches Association’s Fritz Pollard Male Coach of the Year Award. In his inaugural season as the Hoya’s head coach, Thompson’s approach took a giant leap when he became one of only three coaches in BIG EAST history to defeat a nationally ranked team in the conference opener. The Hoyas ended up winning 19 games and advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals. Arriving on the Hilltop in 2004, Thompson became the 17th head coach in program history and the second named John Thompson. The child of one Hall of Fame coach and the student of another, JTIII has added a Princeton touch to Georgetown’s rich basketball history, creating a new system he describes as the Georgetown Offense: “The `system’ is more about how you see the game than about plays. It’s about adjusting and adapting to your own skills and strengths, and the skills and strengths of your opponent. If you look at the , Washington Wizards, Northwestern, Richmond or Princeton, they obviously aren’t the exact same style of ball. But the principles they play are the same – movement, reads, sharing patience and precision. You take the skills and personality of your team and tweak the system accordingly.” Prior to coaching at Georgetown, Thompson guided Princeton to three Ivy League Championships, two NCAA tour- naments and an NIT appearance over his four years as head coach. He amassed a 68-42 record as Princeton’s head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Princeton from 1995- 2000. As assistant coach, he helped lead the team to a top 10 national ranking and five-consecutive postseason appearances. Princeton not only made the postseason eight of nine years during Thompson’s tenure, but he helped recruit and coach three All-Americans, three Ivy League Players of the Year, two Ivy League Rookies of the Year and 12 First Team All-Ivy League players. Thompson also played basketball as an undergraduate for the Tigers while majoring in politics. As a forward, he ranks third on Princeton’s all time assist leader list with 358. Playing for legendary coach Pete Carril, Thompson produced with amazing proficiency with 103 assists and just 34 turnovers as a senior. He was co-captain of the 1988 team and shared the B.F. Bunn trophy that year as one of the Tigers’ Most Valuable Players. Thompson, 43, grew up in Washington, D.C., where he graduated from Gonzaga College High School. As a high school senior he was named first team All-Metro by the Washington Post. With his wife, Monica, the couple created the John Thompson III Foundation, which annually holds events to sup- port non-profits in the D.C. Metropolitan area that work with severe at-risk children and families. John and Monica, also a Princeton grad (Class of ‘89), have three children: Morgan, age 11; John Wallace, age 8; and Matthew, age 6.