Hoyas get frontcourt fix

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By Barker Davis

To avoid a repeat of last season's disappointing finish, Georgetown probably needs a traditional second-year leap from its frontcourt tandem of Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims.

"People talk about that jump [in performance] between a player's freshman and sophomore seasons. Well, even though I was a sophomore last season, it felt almost like I was a freshman because of the new system and all," said Vaughn, a 6-foot-9, 247-pound junior who transferred from Florida State after his freshman season to be closer to his ailing mother. "I can tell you that I've really seen that jump both in Henry and myself. ... I know we're both ready to accept the challenge of stepping into that void left by the departure of DaJuan [Summers]."

While coach John Thompson III still is tinkering with potential starting lineups following last season's 16-15 record, sophomore guard Jason Clark is in line to claim the spot alternately occupied by the graduated Jessie Sapp and junior Nikita Mescheriakov. That leaves Vaughn and Sims to battle for the slot left by Summers, who bolted for the NBA following his junior season.

"Last year, my role was to come off the bench and try to provide a spark inside with a rebound or a block," said Sims, a 6-10, 230-pound sophomore who averaged 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 9.9 minutes last season. "This year, I'm a lot more comfortable on the offensive end, and I feel like I'm ready to be a consistent contributor in all facets of the game.

"My primary focus over the summer was adding strength so I would be more prepared to mix it up with big guys in the Big East."

It's important to remember Vaughn and Sims really aren't replacing anyone; the power forward position was a total void for the Hoyas last season. Summers looked the part, but he was a 3-point marksman who never had any interest in mixing it up in the paint.

Summers was equally miscast as a power forward on the defensive end. When the Hoyas desperately needed a blue-collar board man last season, Summers' high was eight rebounds (accomplished once) and his season average was 4.1.

As a result, Georgetown finished the season ranked 184th in the nation in rebounding margin (minus-0.3). The Hoyas were outrebounded by an average of 3.8 boards in their 15 losses and managed to beat just two of their 12 ranked opponents on the glass.

Along with sophomore center Greg Monroe, the Sims-Vaughn duo is charged with rectifying that weakness. Both averaged more rebounds a minute last season than Summers.

"I think actually this year we have more big men and a much more formidable frontcourt because of the strides our big guys made over the summer," said Monroe, a preseason All-Big East pick who averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds last season and won the league's rookie of the year award. "I think Julian and Henry are going to really surprise some people this season."

With a strong nucleus of offensive options returning in the form of Monroe and the junior tandem of Chris Wright (12.5 points, 3.8 assists) and Austin Freeman (11.4 points), rebounding and defense is likely to provide the playing-time ticket for Sims and Vaughn.

Sims has advantages because of his huge wingspan and leaping ability. But don't be surprised if Vaughn also earns major minutes - while looking more like the blue-chip prospect who helped lead Oak Hill (Va.) Academy to a 40-1 record as a prep senior and less like the confused transfer who sputtered as a sophomore last season.

"Last year was sort of a transition season for Julian, coming back home and trying to get situated with a lot of things that were going on with him personally," Wright said. "I think this year, it's going to be more of the Julian that I'm accustomed to seeing growing up. And Henry is ready to step up and make that sophomore jump.

"You better not sleep on those two guys."