The media coverage of NCAA Men’s Basketball has exploded in recent years. Yet strangely, the additional hours of coverage and breakdowns has actually led to less talk about the game and the players.

Starting with the opening games of the season, you’ll start hearing about resumes and quality wins and losses. It almost takes the focus away from the games your watching and places it on an event weeks or months down the road. If the ubiquitous breakdowns and commentary were focused solely on on-the-court performances and players’ evaluation, Julian Vaughn would be much more well-known.

As it is, he’s not. He’s not as skilled as Austin Freeman, he’s not going to be a lottery pick like Greg Monroe, and he’s not going to be mentioned on the historical list of Hoya big men. However, for people who really understand college basketball, and understand the current Hoya team, Julian Vaughn will never be under-appreciated.

It has been a long time since a player for the Hoyas has made such an impact while averaging under nine points per game. But Vaughn doesn’t have to put up big numbers to make a big impact. We already discussed his critical plays in the road win over Villanova, and throughout the year he has made similar plays that go widely unnoticed. The Hoyas are guard oriented, for sure, but guards without a solid big man don’t do well in March. With Vaughn in the post, the Hoyas have a good chance to make some noise in the post-season.

As for Vaughn himself, he is much better than he gets credit for. Last season, with interior defenders focusing on Monroe, Vaughn often was left in single coverage. Vaughn is a deliberate post player with good moves and very good footwork. Nobody in the Big East can afford to defend him with only one defender – he scores too easily. So with his skills in the block he can either operate one-on-one to score, or draw double teams and open opportunities for his high-profile teammates. In tha way, Vaughn has been a major contributor for the Hoyas this season.

Apart from his abilities, I love his demeanor and his old-school attitude. He never flexes his muscles after a hoop or complains to the ref. In fact, I think sometimes, to re-emphasize how cool he is after he makes a big play, he should just yawn. There is one exception for Vaughn’s apparent indifference which occurred in the Providence game.

The Hoyas had an inbounds play under the basket. Vaughn set a screen, spun to the hoop, took the inbounds pass, dunked and was fouled. He didn’t scream or jump around (of course), but careful observers noticed two unusual elements of that play. First, as soon as Vaughn caught the ball, he knew what was going to happen. He actually was staring at the defender he was about to dunk on as he started to elevate. His look was a warning, as if to say, “Don’t bother, dude. It won’t end well for you.” Instead, the defender jumped, and got posterized. In the ensuing seconds, with the crowd and his teammates emotionally charged, Vaughn didn’t show much emotion, but he did glare at the defender, sort of. I’m not sure if it’s called glaring if you show no facial expression but constantly rotate your body to keep the person you’re looking at just in the corner of your eye. That’s about as “In Your Face” as Vaughn gets, even after a highlight reel play like that one.

Vaughn has had a very good career as a Hoya. He has developed his interior skills a great deal since arriving at Georgetown, and has truly become one of the better post players in the Big East. As a senior, he has demonstrated the focus and determination usually found in players who don’t want their college careers to end. When it does end, there will be a big void to be filled next season.