April 17, 2010

WASHINGTON - Georgetown University Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson III announced today that sophomore center Greg Monroe (New Orleans, La./Helen Cox) will forgo his final two years of college and submit his name for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft. Monroe plans to sign with an agent.

"Greg and I, along with his family, have examined the situation and he has made an educated decision," Thompson said. "We have watched him grow as a player and as a young man while here at Georgetown. We support him and I look forward to watching and cheering him on for many years to come."

"It was mentally what I wanted to do," Monroe said. "I feel like I'm ready to make this step after working with our coaches for two years. I've enjoyed being able to represent Georgetown. I've enjoyed my experience and while I am leaving campus, I still will always be part of Georgetown."

Monroe earned First-Team All-BIG EAST honors this year and was selected as a Third Team Associated Press All-American. He averaged 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks in 34.2 minutes per game this season, while connecting on 52.5 percent of his field goals.

He was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team after leading the Hoyas to the championship game against West Virginia, a 2010 Final Four participant. During the BIG EAST Tournament, he averaged 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.

Monroe was also selected as the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and earned Third Team All-America honors from that organization.

Monroe had 14 double-doubles during the season, including a 12-point, 12-assist effort at Providence this year. He reached double figures in scoring 30 times and had 15 games with at least 10 rebounds. In addition, the 6-11 center led the team in scoring 13 times, in rebounding 30 times and in assists 15 times.

Monroe scored a career-high 29 points and tied a career-best with 16 rebounds against Villanova. He had previously set his career-high in rebounds with 16 against Harvard. In a win at Providence in February, Monroe scored 12 points and handed out a career-best 12 assists. The 12 assists were the most by a center in BIG EAST Conference history and tied for the 10th-best single game performance in school history.

In two years at Georgetown, Monroe scored 942 points in 65 games for a 14.5 per game average. He averaged 8.2 rebounds per game, which ranks 15th all-time. His 54.3 percent field goal percentage ranks 14th all-time and he is tied for 48th all-time in scoring on the Hilltop with Jim Supple (1966-69).

Monroe was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2008-09 after averaging 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Georgetown finished the 2009-10 season with a 23-11 overall record, advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game for the third time in six seasons under Thompson, were selected for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in six years and posted wins over two of the three teams (Butler, Duke, West Virginia) that advanced to this year's Final Four.