Michael Theus has seen everything Louisiana AAU basketball has produced for the past two decades. He was there for the growth of Stromile Swift. He witnessed the recruitment of Danny Granger. He coached Paul Millsap.

But when Theus recollects on his 19 years at the helm of the Louisiana Select AAU program – the premier AAU program in the state – it’s hard for him to think of a player that combined both NBA-level skill and humility better than current Georgetown center Greg Monroe.

‘That’s what sticks out most in my mind,’ Theus said. ‘He just went in there and got it done.’

Now, Monroe has built off that ‘get it done’ attitude from his days in Louisiana and is using it to build a career at Georgetown. The sophomore will lead the Hoyas (18-6, 8-5 Big East) tonight against No. 5 Syracuse (24-2, 11-2 Big East) at the Verizon Center (7 p.m., ESPN2) in Washington, D.C.

Theus remembers beckoning Monroe over to the bench countless times during Louisiana Select games. The fate of the contest was always on the line when Theus called for Monroe.

‘Hey Greg,’ Theus would say. ‘We need a basket right here.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Monroe always answered.

Monroe shined in Louisiana. He averaged 21 points per game and 14 rebounds per game in his senior year at Helen Cox High School. He won back-to-back Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year awards. His success on the court led to being named a McDonald’s All-American and the distinction of being ranked as the No.1 player nationally by several high school recruiting services.

‘He was No. 1 in the country and he was fine,’ Theus said. ‘Of course he was honored and humbled by it. But he didn’t have a sign up on his head saying, ‘I’m No. 1.”

Whether Monroe wants to admit his success or not, while playing for Louisiana Select, he dominated his matchups. Monroe was young on the team at 16, but his height made up for the age gap. So did his demeanor.

‘Oh, he’s still a big old baby!’ Theus said. ‘He’s not the prototype leader because of his age, but everybody follows. Everybody follows Greg. We knew in our program we went up as he did.’

Two years later, Georgetown head coach John Thompson III depends on Monroe to softly lead his Hoyas squad as well.

But even with all of the accolades out of high school, Thompson and Georgetown presented Monroe with a challenge last season. Monroe’s learning curve was slower than expected in his first year on the collegiate level.

Stretches of the 2009 season were extremely tough for Monroe. In a year where many analysts believed the Big East conference was the most talented conference top to bottom in college basketball history – two teams reached the Final Four – Monroe struggled against more seasoned big men. Every night out, Monroe battled the Luke Harangody’s, Earl Clark’s, DeJuan Blair’s and Hasheem Thabeet’s of the Big East.

But he weathered it all.

Now, in just his second year under Thompson, that perseverance is paying off. Monroe is averaging at least 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.

‘He does a lot for us and it’s not just any one thing he does. It’s everything,’ Thompson said. ‘His growth and the maturation process from freshman to sophomore has helped him become one of the leaders of our team.’

Theus echoed Thompson’s remarks of Monroe’s diversity on the court. Monroe possesses ball-handling skills above par for a man of his 6-foot-11 stature.

Traditionally, ball-handling skills of Monroe’s like and his long body type create an awkward player. But, as Theus knows from all of those games calling Monroe from the head of the bench, Monroe is not any other player.

Monroe’s ability to create shots of his own from the perimeter, lead the fast break or pass to others makes him a tough threat to stop. And since arriving at Georgetown, Theus believes Monroe’s rebounding and scoring has improved as a result of facing better matchups in the Big East.

Theus won’t take credit for Monroe’s talent, though. That, he says, is all natural. He’s not responsible for what was ‘God-given’ to Monroe.

Monroe’s humility was never on display better than when the Louisiana Select team would travel. Whenever the team would hit the road for tournaments, Monroe and his mother, Norma Jean, would search for a church on Sundays to attend service when everyone else was relaxing.

And as Theus describes it, Monroe’s laid-back personality stems from that religious background. It is a background that, coupled with his skills, had college coaches drooling over Monroe on all of those trips to AAU tournaments.

Going back even further, Monroe’s demeanor made him a good addition to the Louisiana Select team in the first place. After Monroe’s mother wasn’t happy with the coaching on her son’s previous team, Theus’ squad turned out to be the perfect fit for her son.

The first time Theus saw Monroe, he said he was taken back by how many things Monroe could do with a basketball. But Theus saw the endless potential. The ability to go ‘past the rim.’

And every time Theus would push Monroe for more, Monroe would respond with the same two words.

‘Yes, sir.’

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on February 17, 2010 at 12:00 pm