He’s such a talented, team-oriented player at this point that he tries to make the right pass before even looking at the hoop and realizing he’s open. Since he’s relied upon to play the high post in Georgetown’s zone offense (IU played a lot of zone last night) as a result of his ability to find open teammates, Porter sometimes second-guessed himself and hesitated to shoot the ball even though he was open and in excellent position to shoot. He should never finish with three points in a half, but that’s exactly what he did in the first half against Indiana last night, converting a 3-pointer and missing the other five shots he took as a result of briefly hesitating/second guessing himself before shooting the ball.
Porter is so versatile and is truly just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential under Coach John Thompson III’s tutelage.
(RELATED: Porter steals the show against Shabazz)
Whether he can consistently bring the aggressive mentality that he brought in the second half of both games during this tournament against IU and UCLA remains to be seen, but something tells me that as the season wears on, Porter will embrace the challenge to become the team’s unquestioned go-to player on an even more regular basis.
At the defensive end Porter displayed excellent anticipation skills, recording 5 steals in two games and blocking/altering a number of shots near the rim. He’s very solid and fundamentally sound near the hoop defensively and fights for position on the interior. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Porter’s development as the season wears on.
Markel Starks, 6-2, 175, Point Guard, Junior, Georgetown: If we had to choose one breakout performer from this event it would undoubtedly be the Hoyas’ junior playmaker.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 7.1 points, Starks averaged 21.5 points while shooting 16-28 (54%) from the field and 6-11 from distance in 38 minutes per game for Georgetown. Starks proved he has consistent NBA-range on his shot and excellent shot selection. He’s sneaky quick going to the rim combined with being able to jump-stop on a dime and deceptively time his shot to throw big men off.
Whether it’s a runner off the glass or a layup in traffic, Starks unique timing helps him to score points. Whether Starks can keep his offensive explosion up is anyones guess, but the aggressive-minded lead guard has no reservations when it comes to continually showing that he can compete with the best players in the nation. “I wouldn’t say I’ve met my expectations,” said Starks following last nights overtime loss to Indiana. “I played aggressive. There’s still a lot of games to be played, so I wouldn’t say I met expectations. I know I can play. We’ve got a lot of guys on this team that can play.”
Jordan Hulls, 6-0, 182, Point Guard, Senior, Indiana: “With the number of NBA people here, Jordan Hulls is an NBA guard,” Indiana head coach Tom Crean said on Monday night after Hulls’ 5-for-9 (4-for-6 3PT), 14 point, 4 assist performance.
Indiana’s efficient playmaker (0.8 turnovers per game through 5 games) was compared by his coach to Travis Diener at Marquette (whom Crean coached) and to Steve Nash, who played his collegiate ball at Santa Clara. Realistically, of course, Hulls has a lot of work to do to be compared to either one of those players.
Helping his team to win games by pushing the ball up-court, driving and dishing with speed and precision, knocking down 3-pointers (with range) and floaters while playing quality defense – he had 4 steals yesterday while demonstrating his anticipation skills – Hulls has a chance to become a breakout player for the Hoosiers this season.
He is an excellent decision maker and crafty passer in pick-and-roll situations, so it’s no surprise that he watches film to learn about how some of the best players in the NBA play the position.
“Steve Nash, Chris Paul, I like to watch Manu Ginobili to see some crafty moves and floaters,” said Hulls. “Any player that I can relate to, I watch.” The senior point guard doesn’t mind taking big shots under pressure and will continue to take big shots in big spots as the season goes on for the Hoosiers. If they are to make a run at a national title this season, Hulls’ ability to handle the nightly pressure of opposing defenses will be vital. Coach Tom Crean isn’t worried, though. “His facial expressions, his body language, they don’t change and I look forward to him having a big year,” said Crean.
Cody Zeller, 7-0, 240, Center, Sophomore, Indiana: To say the least, it was an interesting two days in New York for Zeller. “It was some kind of asthmatic bronchitis or something like that, Zeller told reporters following the championship game against Georgetown.