Hunter shines before hometown crowd

Victoria Sun

Monday, Nov. 29, 1999 | 10:26 a.m.

Demetrius Hunter has the potential to be a great college player.

Georgetown coach Craig Esherick sees it every day in practice.

Hunter's hometown fans got to see a glimpse of that potential when Georgetown played UNLV on Sunday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The freshman guard out of Cheyenne High School scored nine points and had two rebounds and one steal in 16 minutes.

He made a few nice moves including a coast-to-coast layup on a fast break and a dunk inside.

A team rule forbids freshmen from talking to the press until after their first semester. But his coach did plenty of talking for Hunter.

"Athletically, he is at this level right now," Esherick said. "He just has to learn how to play more like a guard.

"His ballhandling, passing and shooting from the perimeter are things he needs to work on, but I'm not worried because he has a terrific attitude about learning."

At Cheyenne, Hunter had a well-rounded game, averaging 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals as a senior.

His ability to shoot outside is raw because in high school, Hunter was able to rely on his ability to explode to the basket to score inside.

Now that he's playing Division I basketball at Georgetown, shooting is one thing he will need to improve on.

Through Sunday's game against UNLV, Hunter has made 12-of-29 shots including 4-of-6 against the Rebels.

Esherick says that the 6-foot-2 rookie can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward.

By the looks of things, he's got one position down -- defense.

Hunter is a relentless defender who sticks to his man like gum on the bottom of a shoe.

Esherick knows Hunter is a more advanced defender than an offensive player, but thinks it's only a matter of time before Hunter gets better.

"He's a very good player," Esherick said. "He can compete at this level right now.

"He's a great defensive player who makes good stops."

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