Roy Hibbert
From Hoopedia
Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a collegiate men's basketball player in the NCAA. He attends Georgetown University where he is currently in his senior year.
Contents |
Background
Roy Hibbert was born in Queens, New York to Roy, Sr. and Patty Hibbert. The family moved to Washington, DC when Roy was 2. Around that time, the New York Post states that his parents introduced him to basketball after they had "tried to get him to play tennis, then golf, then the piano."[1]
Hibbert attended Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Maryland. The team was coached by Dwayne Bryant, who had attended Georgetown University as a varsity basketball player. Bryant introduced the still-awkward Hibbert to the GU campus.[2] Hibbert helped make Georgetown Prep's Little Hoyas co-champions of the Interstate Athletic Conference in 2004.[3]
Hibbert was successfully recruited by Georgetown University coach Craig Esherick in 2003. However, Esherick was fired before Hibbert arrived on campus (Esherick's last season as coach went 13-15). John Thompson III was hired as the new coach. Hibbert joined the Hoyas as a "project," a player who had potential but was not yet ready for varsity.
Key attributes
At 7'2" and 278 lbs., Hibbert plays center under Coach John Thompson III. He has evolved from a "project" to being NBA-quality.[4]
Hibbert's greatest asset is his size--few schools have a center of comparable height and strength. He leads the NCAA in Effective Field Goal Percentage at 71%, and is 2nd in True Shooting Percentage at 72%.[5] His slow-and-steady approach to the game meshes well with Coach Thompson's Princeton offense, which emphasizes control over explosiveness. The Georgetown University Hoyas in 2007 have held many opponents to their lowest-scoring games of the season.[6] In addition, Roy Hibbert has excellent free throw percentage, a major plus, given the frequency with which he is fouled.[7] His tireless work ethic has brought him to the forefront of the NCAA's best centers.
Hibbert's main weakness is temperamental--he sometimes lacks the aggressiveness necessary to dominate inside.[8] Roy is an avid Pokémon fan, and teammates frequently use the phrase "Power up, big fella", as a way of motivating Roy and getting him to play harder.[9]
Honors
Hibbert was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Jeff Green.Template:Ref In 2007, he and Green were unanimous selections to the All-Big East First Team, with Green earning Big East player of the year honors. The two led the Hoyas to victory in the 2007 Big East Conference Championship for the first time since 1989 against the Pittsburgh Panthers; Hibbert contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Before the 2007-2008 season he was named Big East's preseason player of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Future
Hibbert had repeatedly said that he plans to play all four years and graduate from Georgetown, continuing the tradition of graduating Hoya centers such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo. However, his performance in helping to lead the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four catapulted him into lottery pick status. Hibbert declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft 2007, but did not sign with an agent.[10] On May 23, 2007, Hibbert announced he would return to school for his senior season. Hibbert said of Georgetown, "My heart was here. ... I feel like I have unfinished business here." [11]
In fact, Hibbert withdrew from the draft and is remaining at the Hilltop for his senior year. This summer he was the starting center on the U. S. squad entered in the Pan-American Games. The team was coached by Jay Wright of Villanova U.
