One of the ways I am going to evaluate the expected signing of Jerrelle Benimon at Georgetown is to compare him to the other guys that I felt were in the running for that particular scholarship.
Jerrelle Benimon wasn't signed to be a starter or an impact player right away - although it wouldn't hurt if he did provide that instant impact.
He was signed to add some size to the rotation from the bench which, as it stands now, only consists of Julian Vaughn or Henry Sims, depending on who you are penciling in as the other big man starter come November.
I feel that two other local players were vying for this scholarship.
Jamal Olasewere of Springbrook, MD
Terrell Vinson of Baltimore , MD
Jerrelle was the least heralded of the three but he's the tallest and, from other reports, seems to be a very cerebral type player. The latter is very important at Georgetown because the offense is predicated on making split second decisions based on what the defense is giving you.
Jamal busted on the scene late as he lead his team to a state title run in Maryland and is still undecided as to what school he will be attending this fall. Terrell has been a top 100 kid for quite some time that had been set to go to Loyola Marymount but has since decided on attending Massachusetts. Both kids seemed to be recruiting Georgetown more than Georgetown was recruiting them.
While I wouldn't completely focus on the comparison of these three kids, I think it's fair to at least monitor the situation since it looks like they all had a shot at being a Hoya. Probably moreso for Jamal than Terrell.
Another way to evaluate the signing of Benimon would be to see if he acknowledges his role in the program. There have been far too many early defections from Georgetown over the last few seasons - and I'm not talking about leaving early for the pros. Look you always want your bench players pushing for more playing time but you also need to make sure that they know what their role is going to be AND THAT THEY CAN HANDLE THAT ROLE.
The Hoyas were left a little short after Jeremiah Rivers and Vernon Macklin decided they needed more run. Same thing goes for Omar Wattad. I don't begrudge them for wanting more out of their 4 years of college basketball. Thompson needs to be more selective in who he brings in when building a team.
John Thompson III has been adamant in saying that last season's collapse won't happen again and that he will fix it. I believe him which is why I think Jerrelle is coming in fully accepting his role. I'm not sure exactly what that is but if I can guess, I would guess that he's been told that they need his big body for rebounding and toughness for short periods of time off the bench. Anything more than that will by gravy for next season.
Can't wait for Kenner League!
