It’s a great time to be a college basketball fan. The men’s season opens on Friday at Old Dominion. On Saturday, the women’s team opens at home against Augusta State. (And we’re sure you’re counting down the hours until the Voice publishes its annual basketball issue tomorrow.)

To get into the spirit of things, we decided to take a look at the Coach John Thompson III‘s progress on the recruiting trail.

Georgetown 1, Duke 0

One of the biggest surprises at Midnight Madness was the arrival of Tyler Adams, a then-Duke commit. Although recruiting players who have made verbal commitments is traditionally frowned upon, JTIII clearly knew what he was doing; in late October, Duke and Adams officially parted ways.

On November 1, the 6-foot-8-inch, 255-pound center from Mississippi verbally committed to join Georgetown. Adams is a true low-block player and will have a chance some fill the #swag void in the Hoyas’ defense after Julian Vaughn graduates. Georgetown basketball wouldn’t be the same without a talented big man in the paint; Adams will continue the tradition.

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We already caught you up on the new Hoyas over the summer in our Kenner League recaps, but with Midnight Madness around the corner, we figured it was time for an updated basketball cheat sheet.

Everybody Loves Austin

Publication after publication has picked senior guard Austin Freeman as the favorite for Big East Player of the Year and Coach John Thompson III isn’t tempering those expectations:

“Austin Freeman should be the Preseason Player of the Year in the Big East,” Thompson told MSG.com. “And I think, he’ll be the Player of the Year at the end of the season.”

Freeman, who is also on the preseason Wooden Award watch list, is joined by senior guard Chris Wright on Sports Illustrated‘s Naismith Award preseason watch list and Rival‘s preseason top 50 list.

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While storms brewed around the D.C. area on Sunday, a few Hoyas decided to bring some thunder of their own into McDonough during Kenner Summer League scrimmages.

With 18 points to his name, junior guard Jason Clark led Team Takeover to a blowout in the early game, but that’s not to say it wasn’t entertaining. Team Takeover amused the crowd during warm-ups with an impromptu dunk exhibition, and again when the game devolved into a series of uncontested jams. (The Kenner League: Where six footers repeatedly get open dunks in a set offense.)

In the late game, Austin Freeman was noticably absent. (Rumor has it that he spent his weekend playing in Las Vegas.) However, it gave the Tombs’ underclassmen a rare chance to shine. And they did—mostly.

To date, Hollis Thompson has yet to stand out in Kenner League play. And I’ve been a nervous wreck because of it, mostly thanks to the statistical minds at Hoya Prospectus, but also because his beautiful left-handed take against Ohio was the single positive memory that I took into the off-season.

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The annual Kenner Summer League is an early opportunity to see Georgetown basketball. While we shared our thoughts about some of Georgetown’s lesser-known players on Monday, today we tackle the big names (except for Jason Clark, who didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday).

Chris Wright

Wright, who is possibly the streakiest shooter on JTIII’s squad, put on a show last Saturday to the tune of 40 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. What surprised me—aside from the eye-popping stats—was how Wright used his size and strength to get to the rim when his jump shot wouldn’t fall. (And, I have to add, without pulling his goofy, oft-used “spin, then crash into the paint” move.) While Kenner League is historically a poor barometer for Big East performance, one thing was clear: Wright was easily the best player on the court.

Although he played on Sunday, Wright essentially took the day off. And I can’t blame him—he was matched up against a guard that shares my dimensions. Wright didn’t take the scrimmage too seriously, but you know what? As long as he stays healthy, I don’t mind.

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The  annual Kenner Summer League is an early opportunity to see Georgetown basketball. Today, we check in with some of the team’s lesser known players (except for Jerrelle Benimon, who didn’t play on Saturday).

Julian Vaughn

As the tallest and strongest player in his game on Saturday, Vaughn succeeded around the basket. But, don’t expect Vaughn to play defense for 40 minutes a night—he disappeared for portions of the scrimmage, despite finishing with a line of 14 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal. The following day, he kept up his strong inside game by dominating the boards and finishing with some surprisingly-polished post moves.

Henry Sims

Oh, Henry. Although he was a lauded recruit, Sims is still an indecipherable mixed bag. He has the ability to hit mid-range jumpers, has the best length of any Hoya, and seems to have better hands this summer than in seasons past … but, he gives up too much ground while defending his man in the paint.

One sequence from Sunday summed up Sims’s weekend: he blocked a shot, gathered the rebound, turned the ball over on an ill-advised pass, and then he held his ground on a 3-1 break, blocking the shot against the rim. He still needs to work on his post moves, but it was good to see Sims play confidently.

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