A Pivot Positions Himself, and His School

Each time I see Roy Hibbert hover over some poor, trapped teenager underneath the rim, I'm glad he stayed at Georgetown. Each time I see a new wrinkle in his game -- such as the pretty, no-look pass he fed to DaJuan Summers in the final minutes yesterday afternoon -- I want to mock all the mock-draft experts who couldn't understand why Hibbert didn't leave school for monetary reasons.

Regardless of where Hibbert is chosen this June, staying on the Hilltop was crucial to the continued development of the Hoyas' 7-foot-2 senior center. It has nothing to do with points, production, accolades or even fundamentals; any capable NBA assistant could have worked on his footwork and rolling hook in the lane.

What the NBA could not teach Hibbert was that nasty, ornery desire to keep an opponent down -- to not just express dominance but to let that attitude become part of one's on-court demeanor. Ten minutes off Milwaukee or Toronto's bench doesn't teach young players that.

Beating down inferior big men from Notre Dame -- posting, re-posting and finally dropping the ball in two feet from the goal -- is an education Hibbert would have never gotten at the next level this early in his NBA career.

"He's a great kid, a nice kid, but he's probably gotten to be a cruel competitor," Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey said, when asked to describe Hibbert's improvement. "And I mean that as a compliment. He's gotten crueler at going for the jugular when he's got somebody down."

The Fighting Irish tried so hard to go at Hibbert and the Hoyas' front line in Georgetown's thorough 84-65 dismantling of Notre Dame. But as Hibbert slid his elongated frame into position and his teammates rotated perfectly, to see the utter frustration on the Notre Dame players was to see a Hoya defensive gem.

There was simply no crevice under the basket for an Irish player to release a shot from. Midway through the second half, most gave up out of fear of rejection.

The Hoyas looked and behaved like the fifth-ranked team in the country yesterday. Given their loss at Pittsburgh this past Monday, they're not yet in the class of Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina or UCLA. But they belong at the top of that second tier with Tennessee, Indiana, Washington State and Duke, which is to say Georgetown remains a bona fide candidate to win it all.

It's wild to think that barely two years ago the student section trampled chairs and tables to storm the court after knocking off No. 1 Duke, as if they were Chaminade and the Blue Devils were Ralph Sampson-led Virginia. But that's how far and fast John Thompson III has transported the program in the national conscience. Today, if the venues were reversed, the kids at Cameron Indoor Stadium might riot.

Big John's oldest progeny has created a monster in less than four years, replete with McDonald's all-American recruits and much more lofty expectations. Unless Gary Williams can work magic with a very maddening Maryland team or Jim Larranaga can siphon one more miracle run out of George Mason -- and shouldn't I have been in Chapel Hill yesterday? -- the Hoyas will carry greater Washington's banner to the NCAA tournament in March.

If there is a window into Georgetown's ascendance, it can be found in the development of Hibbert. Like the Hoyas, he grew. And grew. He went from a gawky, uncoordinated freshman with little confidence to the measured, mature senior who stood before the microphone in a smart cocoa suit and cream tie yesterday afternoon.

"Whether I'm picked 1 through 60, I'm happy with my decision to stay," he said after an economical 21-point, five-assist afternoon. "Get my degree in government. Help Georgetown win a few more games. I'm happy playing with guys I love -- my brothers -- and I'm continuing to learn the game. It all worked out."