As he dribbled across the 3-point line in the waning moments of Saturday’s game against Butler, Georgetown senior Jabril Trawick saw freshman Isaac Copeland standing open to his left.
Though the Hoyas were trailing, and the clock were ticking, one of the program’s oldest players didn’t hesitate to snap the ball to one of its youngest. Copeland confidently rose and buried a 3-pointer from the corner, sending Verizon Center into an uproar and Georgetown to a 61-59 win.
Some may have viewed that moment as a turning point for Copeland, the top-ranked recruit in Georgetown’s highly touted 2014 class. After all, he had averaged only 4.1 points per game before Saturday.
Hoyas coach John Thompson III, however, disagreed.
“We’re long past that point,” he told reporters after the game. “It’s not like everyone in the locker room is going to say, ’Ooh, Isaac is pretty good.’ They know that. That’s something that has happened through weeks and months of workouts and watching and playing with him. The trust has been there.”
That trust, and a growing comfort in the offense, has translated into new levels of production for Copeland in Georgetown’s past two games. He finished with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks in a win against DePaul on Tuesday, then scored 10 points Saturday in a win over the Bulldogs.
The 6-foot-9 forward will aim to continue that streak of strong performances Monday night, when the Hoyas host No. 5 Villanova at Verizon Center.
“I think as a freshman, it’s all about confidence and just getting used to the offense,” Copeland said Thursday. “The Princeton offense is different than a lot of other schools’ so just more repetition and getting the experience is what’s been helping me out so far. … Just remembering what to do, when to do it and how to do it.”
On Thursday, Thompson characterized Copeland’s season so far as “a normal freshman year.” The Raleigh, North Carolina native has had highs, such as a 16-point performance in the Hoyas’ first meeting against Butler in November, and lows. He has finished with two points or fewer in eight of the team’s first 19 games.
“Freshman year, you never know how your year’s going to go,” senior Mikael Hopkins said. “Some games you might score a lot, some games you might not get much playing time. But I think all the guys are prepared to go out there and do what’s needed of them.”
Copeland hasn’t had scoring outbursts like fellow freshman L.J. Peak, nor matched the playing time and consistency of classmate Paul White. When he is on the floor, however, teammates say Copeland has an ability to hit big shots and spread the floor.
“I would always say Isaac may be somewhat of a mismatch,” White said.
Last week, Copeland said he is continuing to focus on mastering Georgetown’s Princeton-style offense, with a particular emphasis on identifying and executing backdoor cuts. It’s been a slow learning process at times, as it is for most newcomers to the scheme, but Copeland is getting more comfortable every day.
“He’s understanding more what we want and need from him,” Thompson said. “I think it’s just time. Some people settle in a lot sooner than others. … Has he been putting in extra work on the court? Yes. Has he been putting in extra film work with coaches? Yes. But I think it’s just time and reps.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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