In early January 2011, an ESPN article written by Dave Telep dubbed Georgetown’s Otto Porter Jr., “the best player no one knows”. Fast forward a year, the country is just beginning to learn how good of a player Porter has become in his Sophomore year. The Ascension of Otto Porter continued over the weekend with his masterful performance against a very talented Syracuse team. Porter led Georgetown in the school’s final match-up against the Big East Conference rival with 33 points, 12/19 from the field, 5/10 behind the three point line, 8 rebounds and 5 steals while playing the entire 40 minutes.

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With Georgetown headed for a top seed in the Big East tournament, look for Porter to have his coming out party during post-season play. The secret of Otto Porter Jr. has been under wraps for sometime and even Bill Rafferty agrees “Otto Porter Jr. plays like a senior” or someone well beyond his years.

In his freshman season, Porter averaged just under 10 points and 8 rebounds. At 22% from the three-point line, he struggled in outside shooting and at times showed a lack of ability in creating his own shot.  Despite poor shooting, coach John Thompson III must have been pleased with the productivity he was able to get out of the freshman. More impressive is the ability to put up these numbers in the Princeton offense, which often stresses ball control and clock management. As a result, he was lauded for his potential as an NBA type player by scouts, but was relatively unknown among the general college basketball media and fan base. 

Fast forward to this season, many considered Porter to be a top Big East player. He came out of the gate a little slow, only improving his averages slightly from a year ago. Yet, as late January and mid-February rolled around, Porter has come on strong and quietly solidified his spot at the top of the Big East. As a 6’ 8’’ wing player, Porter is the NBA prototype. He is athletic, rebounds and has now added consistency to his three-point shooting. He is also much improved in putting the ball on the floor and has shown the ability to take over when the game is close. The number # 22, the cool demeanor on the court, brings back memories of Rudy Gay playing at UCONN.

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After a freshman year where defense largely dared him to shoot from the outside, Porter has displayed an impressive shooting touch . He’s shooting over 50% from the field in the last 7 games while averaging 18.7 PPG. With a diversified attack from both three-point and mid-range, he has become an extremely dangerous offensive weapon. What isn’t showing up in the personal stats is the overall impact his improved game is having on the Hoyas. The unassuming Porter is the leading force behind the Hoya’s success and it is because of his gradual rise from a player no one knows to the player no one can stop.

Georgetown is competing at the highest level in the Big East right now and is in contention to win the Big East regular season title. With all of the talented one and done players leaving college basketball for the bright lights of the NBA, it is refreshing to see a player who passes up the pros to return and dramatically improve their game. While quietly watching the Accession of Otto Porter from our perch above the Big East, we look foward to act II: the national coming out party.

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