Recently we’ve taken a look at some great seniors of Georgetown History who have made incredible impacts as the lone seniors. Now, we’ll take a look at what this season could mean for Jessie Sapp. We at Hoya Hoops have the utmost respect for all the Hoya players past and present, and that includes Bryon Jansen. But if Bryon makes significant contributions on the court for the Hoyas, it won’t be good for the team since it means that other players have gotten injured. For the purposes of our analysis here, we mean Sapp doesn’t have any seniors to help him on the floor, we in no way trivialize Jansen’s importance to the team.

We’ve talked about the senior seasons of Reggie Williams and Kevin Braswell. This season, Jessie Sapp has an opportunity to join that elite company with regard to showing leadership as the team’s only senior. His numbers will pale in comparison to Kevin Braswell’s, and his overall greatness will not be at the same level as Reggie Williams, but Jessie can still leave a lasting legacy on Georgetown Basketball.

There are so many memories that stick out about the Georgetown Class of 2007. When Hoya fans think of the players from that group – Hibbert, Wallace, Green, Ewing, and Crawford, they will always have great memories. That class will be remembered as the one that got the Hoyas back on the map, back in the national spotlight, and back into the Final Four. Last season, with Wallace, Hibbert and company still leading the way, there were some outstanding performances from Jessie Sapp. Time and again Sapp made key plays that were in some ways clouded by the good plays of his teammates.

What do people remember about the Connecticut game last season? Hibbert’s game-winning three.

The Syracuse overtime win at Verizon Center? Great defense by Ewing and Rivers.

The road win against West Virginia? Ewing’s incredible block at the buzzer.

But if you take the time to look back to some critical moments of the season, you might be surprised at how dramatic Sapp’s impact was.

In the last second win against Connecticut, Sapp was 1 for 7 from the field, until he made his only three-pointer of the game that tied the score with two minutes to play.

In the overtime win at Verizon Center against Syracuse, the Orange were up by 5 with two minutes to play. Sapp made a three-pointer and a fast break layup within 45 seconds to force overtime. Then in OT he made two free throws to put the Hoyas up for good.

In Morgantown, Sapp scored a team-high 15 points, including the game winning three-pointer with seven seconds left to play.

I don’t think Sapp is exactly an unsung hero, but under different circumstances his stellar play last season would have garnered him a little more notoriety.

Jessie Sapp is a leader with supreme confidence. You see his confidence when he is in the midst of a tough shooting slump and is still eager to take a shot with the game on the line. You also see his confidence in the way he carries himself. Sapp has made big plays for the Hoyas for three years, and often it was his teammates who got the spotlight and recognition. Now, Jessie Sapp is at the helm, and now he will have a chance to demonstrate that he has always been a key driving force. It’s hard to predict the way players and individuals will respond to difficult circumstances and challenges. Being the only senior on a top flight college basketball team is difficult. Sapp has continually showed composure, strength, courage, toughness, confidence, and leadership. Now he enters his senior season as a Hoya, which provides the perfect atmosphere for those traits to flourish.

So when you ask yourselves ‘Can Jessie Sapp lead the Hoyas to great things in 2008-09?’ here’s your answer:
Jessie Can