The Van Buren Boys


The Blogosphere's best source for the latest analysis and
commentary from the world of Georgetown Hoyas basketball.


Wednesday, December 21, 2005

GU v. Savannah State (at the half)

We are up 19 at the half.

That is far too close.

We better turn in on in the second half.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Muir cans Benson!

Joe Lange he is not:

http://guhoyas.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122005aaa.html

I wonder if he has a Golden Domer in mind for the job.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Things I'm Happy For This Holiday Season.

Well, I guess I really should have titled this post "thing I'm happy for this holiday season," because I'm only going to discuss one of them.

This Wednesday, December 21, 2005, our beloved Hoyas take on the Tigers of Savannah State. This makes me very happy. Why? Because in a preseason of much needed tough games (none that really went our way), this has got to be the easiest game ever. Now, Georgetown would be foolhardy to look past the Tigers to the looming Big East conference season--but that's just because you should never look past any team. The fact of that matter is that Savannah State is horrible.

The Tigers are currently 1-9. Now, lest you be unimpressed by that number let's examine some of those losses. Because I believe in comparing apples to apples, and oranges to oranges, I think the best way to judge how bad they are is to look at how they fared against a common opponent. We only had one common opponent.

Earlier this year the mighty Tigers took on Oregon. Now, Orgeon is a solid program. But they are going to be in the bottom half of the Pac-10 this year; that's just the way the cookie crumbles. They aren't a joke, but they're not a great team either. That being said, the fact that the Ducks aren't a "great team" didn't stop them from beating Savannah State by 60. Yes, you heard/read me correctly--60. Six, zero. We beat those same Ducks by 14. That's a 74 point difference in our performances.

It kind of makes you feel bad for Wiberforce, which is the only school that has lost to Savannah State this year. If you play for Wiberforce you have to ask yourself "how did we lose to Savannah State...we can't be that bad. We're Wiberforce for crying out loud." (You should also ask yourself "how in the hell did I end up at a school named 'Wiberforce'? It sounds like the German version of what Obi-wan taught Luke.")

All I have to say is that I'm pretty sure that we're not Wiberforce, I'm happy that we're playing Savannah State this holiday season, and if I can find a sports book where the spread on the Hoyas is less than 30 I'm plopping down a major chunk of change.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

New Bracketology

Granted it's early in the season (even Joe Lunardi notes this fact), but in the latest edition of Bracketology the Hoyas have falled from their preseason NCAA seeding to a projected NIT team. I think the next few games going into the conference schedule will be very important down the stretch.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Big gift to SFS

$20 million; not bad but we NEED a lot more of that. (Interesting that it referred to the gift as the second largest in GU history. I assume that largest was Bob McDonough's $30 million but what happened to Virginia Toulmin's $60+ million endowment?; I suppose she hasn't officially given it yet.)

http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=11856

Update
Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/12/AR2005121200591.html

Monday, December 05, 2005

Week 5 Rankings

Though I knew we would not be ranked in the top 25, I was sad to see that Georgetown did not--unlike in the previous weeks' rankings--get any votes for inclusion in the top 25.

Andy Katz on Hoyas v. Illini

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2248557

Thursday, December 01, 2005

JTIII

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=shelman_jeff&id=2244067

Oregon v. Vandy

FYI - Oregon is now 3-1 after losing their game last night to Vandy. Just based on the scoring breakdown, their loss seemed much like Georgetown's loss. The Ducks outscored Vandy by 5 in the first half, and then Vandy turned it around to outscore Oregon by 6 in the second half, winning the game by one.

Should be a good match-up on Saturday.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Vandy post-mordem

First half -- we saw just how good this team can be.
Second half -- we saw just how bad this team can be.
I have never witnessed such incongruence in two halves of college basketball. Very disappointing; very disheartening. I went with a friend of mine (who is not a Hoyas fan) and we agreed that it wasn't until the game was basically over that we thought the Hoyas would lose. We were clearly the better team and completely dominated the first half. In the second half, we looked like the team that lost to Temple by 18 in our first game of the season. I would love to hear some explanation for what happened. We couldn't hit a shot; we couldn't grab a rebound. (And give Vandy some credit--I don't think they missed a shot in the last 10 mintues of the game.) This makes the games against Oregon and Illinois so much more important.

Friday, November 18, 2005

From the Hoya

The Type of Thing That Makes Diamond's Blood Boil

The Washington Post on-line posted a story on its front page this morning that read: "Goals Same for Terps, Hoyas."

Yet, if you actually go to the actual article it only talks about Maryland...there is not a single mention of Georgetown.

A slap in the face to be sure!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

As much as I delude myself, I know it's not as sexy as being 7th ranked in college hoops. But, the current national ranking of 7th for the men's x/c team is a pretty amazing thing. To me it signifies the resurgence of the men's team to back to a level not seen since our freshman year - we were 6th or 7th in the country going in to the national qualifier & ended up not going to nationals. (ncaa has since adopted an at large bid procedure similar in nature to the final four). Prior to our arrival at GU, we were a historical power (to an extent greater than hoops).

Although bball brings in scores more cash & national name recognition (i've personally never met anyone who said they first heard of GU b/c of track), it was always a sore point that the number of national championships & all-americans far outnumbered that of any team at GU.

But, I guess such is the frustation of realizing that being scrawny & fast isn't as cool as being able to put on a show on the bball court. It's just great to see the Hoyas running well again.

http://guhoyas.collegesports.com/sports/m-track/recaps/111205aab.html

Vince Neil make's GU's media guide

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/gu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/MBB_Intro_0506MG.pdf

It is unclear whether this is before or after his celebrity make-over.

Poor Seton Hall

Seton Hall 40 - Duke 93

I think this result just proves that Seton Hall is going to be the program that suffers most from the new, deeper Big East.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Bowman

According to the press guide Bowman is Antoine Walker's cousin. Draw whatever conclusions you wish from that IPB.

Fantasy Final Four

Pretty cool / interesting final four scenarios pitting the "dream team" for each school up against one another. GU's staring 5 would be Iverson, Sleepy Floyd, Ewing, Mutombo, & Zo.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hoops/tournament/index

Great article on front page of WashTimes

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20051115-124752-1128r.htm

Monday, November 14, 2005

Article on Doc and Jeramiah

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/highschool/orl-rivers1305nov13,0,2136513.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines-hs

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Letter of intent watch

It appears Summers has signed his. Still waiting on Rivers (can we call him "Baby Doc"?) and Big Ticket.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/basketball/bal-sp.signing09nov09,1,5898607.story?coll=bal-college-mbasketball%20&ctrack=1&cset=true

Austin's a Hoya!

Huge pick-up. One of the best shooting guards in the country. Check the video below; very impressive. He's ranked #37 nationally by Rivals and #24 by Scout in the class of 2007. Austin had offers from Maryland, Cuse, Notre Dame, and NCState.

Articles:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20051110-121538-9320r.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/09/AR2005110902192.html

(You'll note that the post article focuses on Maryland's consolation prize; the local coverage is still very very biased in favor of the Terps. That will change.)

Implications:
1. Firmly establishes GU as the #1 recruiting power in the D.C. area. This is the second major talent we've snapped up from under Gary's nose (the first being Summers). Local kids want to play at GU.
2. Leaves us with only one open slot guaranteed for 2007. That said, there will be attrition (likely Green going pro) and a second will undoubtedly open up. That means JTIII will probably try to get a commit soon from Biggie Mclain and then focuses on the top few local players left. He is largley building the program on local ties and local playes like Pops did in the 1970s. With all of the talent in the D.C. area that's a pretty bankable strategy.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Austin Freeman announces on Wednesday

Dematha sensation Austin Freeman is announcing his college decision on Wednesday. He visited NC St. last weekend and Notre Dame this weekend. Word is that GU and Maryland are the local favorites, but GU has supposedly been leading for a while. Rivals ranks him #37 in class of 2007. This video will make me weep if we don't get him:
http://www.hssmtv.com/Players/Austin%20Freeman.htm


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702563.html

Thursday, November 03, 2005

U Convicts!

Somebody on another board compiled this list of run-ins with the law at UConn since 1990. It is amazing how rarely you hear UConn called out for this stuff. Wow!

Since 1990 the confirmed incidents involving University of Conneticut men's basketball players goes something like this.
1990Murray Williams – DWI. He was later dismissed from the team for academic reasons.
1993Brian Fair - Shoplifting. Placed on accelerated rehabilitation, community service.
1994Rudy Johnson - Breach of peace.
1998Antric Klaiber – DUI. Suspended for two games. Doug Wrenn – Shoplifting. Community service.
1999Khalid El-Amin – Possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana. Record cleared after small amount of community service.Doug Wrenn – Public disturbance citation.
2000Tony Robertson and Doug Wrenn – Tickets for goods investigation. Two suspensions; Wrenn for eight games; Robertson for one.Doug Wrenn - Breach of peace. Placed on accelerated rehabilitation and dismissed from the team.
2001Marcus Cox - Marijuana possession. Placed on accelerated rehabilitation and allowed to enter drug education program.
2003Ben Gordon - Charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. Placed on accelerated rehabilitation and community service.
2004Assistant coach Clyde Vaughan - Patronizing a prostitute and interfering with an officer. Resigned from the coaching staff.
2005Antonio Kellogg - Charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana. Suspended from team March 14 because of an undisclosed violation of team policy (code violation). Antonio Kellogg - Charged with criminal intent to assault a police officer, criminal trespass and interfering with an officer. Granted accelerated rehabilitation for both charges and previous marijuana charge, education program, community service and was expelled from UConn.A. J. Price - Charged with four counts of third-degree larceny and one count of making a false statement to police. One year suspension form team activities, suspended from classes until spring semester.Marcus Williams - Charged with four counts of third-degree larceny. Granted accelerated rehabilitation and placed on 18 months probation, community service. Suspended from team activities for remainder of fall semester. Granted return to practice on Dec. 17th and full competition Jan. 3rd. He was previously suspended from competition at the end of his freshman season for academic reasons.

Monday, October 31, 2005

More slimey behavior from UCon and Calhoun

First, they reinstate their star point-guard who pled guilty to stealing other students' laptops and now this. Really classless. There should be a Big East investigation.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/story/360992p-307602c.html

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9014921

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

As Yogi would say, deja vu all over again


What's wrong with this passage?

"Syracuse senior guard Gerry McNamara and Connecticut sophomore forward Rudy Gay were selected preseason co-players of the year.
. . . .

The 6-foot-9 Gay was the league's co-rookie of the year last season with Georgetown's Jeff Green.

Joining Gay and McNamara on the 10-member preseason all-Big East team were: Josh Boone, Connecticut; Taquan Dean, Louisville; Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh; Daryll Hill, St. John's; Randy Foye, Villanova; Allan Ray, Villanova; Curtis Sumpter, Villanova; and Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/ncaa/specials/preview/2005/10/26/bc.bkc.bigeast.coaches.ap/index.html

Picking GU as 6th seems about right, though. That should be more than good enough to make the NCAAs.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Prediction:

The Hoyas will run through the wall they hit last year.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/4997220

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Another pre-season preview

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/preview/2005/27.htm

New Unis


These looks like they'll be closer to the true colors of GU: Union blue and Rebel Gray. I hope the home are the reverse of this. Nike is also marketing an "alternate" away jersey that consists of the dreaded black and teal. Hopefully, they never break those out. What I'd really love is a return to the classic 1984/85 look without the crazy patterns down the side and on the shoulders.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Wormley Condos?

The Voice reports that the Wormley School is slated to be renovated for use as condos. The surrounding land will have row houses built upon it.

Surely this will raise the ire of Diamond.

How much did Georgetown get for that property again?

Full Article

Friday, October 14, 2005

ESPN's Pre-Season Top 25

ESPN.com has posted its preseason top 25.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2190839

The Hoyas did not make the cut...but they did get votes.

The really scary thing is how many Big East teams are in that list of 25.

GO HOYAS!

http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20051014-124200-9039r.htm

Friday, September 02, 2005

Summers's amazing Summer

With all of the excitement surrounding Macklin's commitment and a possible commit from "Duke" Crews (he's down to UNC, Wake, Tenn, and GU) we should not forget that Hoya-commit DeJuan Summers has shown he is also among the very best in his class. Here is the most recent report from Hoopscooponline:

Talk about poetic justice! Well, that's what happened earlier today when Howard Garfinkel announced the awards at the Five-Star Basketball Camp's loaded Honesdale, PA session and 6'8 Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonough) MD walked away with the Most Outstanding Player award for the week in the NBA. Prior to the start of the camp, Summers, was ranked no higher than #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. However, this terrific athlete who can beat you both inside and outside played better than anybody in camp and, as a result, gets this award the old-fashioned way (he earned it!). Summers also capped off the week with 14 points and five rebounds in the NBA All-Star Game and led his team to a runner-up finish in the camp playoffs and, as a result, now has to be one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally. As a matter of fact, this Georgetown-bound combo forward was [so] good that he will get my vote next March for the McDonald's All-American Game.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Trouble in Terp Town

First, they fail to make the post-season with a stacked team last year. Then in the off-season, JTIII starts sucking up the local talent, particularly Summers, who's been the best player in Maryland for the last two years. Now, one of their best players may be headed to jail. This brings us to the rhetorical question: Who is worse, a Terp Perp or a U Con?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/29/AR2005082900659.html

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Friday, August 19, 2005

U Con scandal update

It looks like Hilton Armstrong was also invovled in the crime. I wonder why he hasn't been arrested.

http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-ucaffadavits0818.artaug18,0,479641.story?coll=hc-headlines-sports

Top 25


Still in it according to U.S. News, although no one should be happy with #23. Considering what the university has weathered over the last 10+ years that is pretty amazing. Then again, it is unclear whether the rankings ever bore a strong correlation to what is actually going on at these institutions. One piece of good news is that the magazine lists our endowment as $744,003,000. That's the largest # I've seen for it since 2001 when it was just under $800k. That said, it is 1/4 of where is needs to be for GU to competes with its peers. Top institutions of GU's size have endowments ranging from $2-3 billion. I have no idea of how we get from here to there. At least we have stopped the negative endowment growth and have hired a Chief Investment Officer to run the thing properly. A report in the Chronicle a while back said that GU was going to start more risky investing (highly yeild stuff). The (very successful) Yale model is to put 1/4 of the endowment in such investments -- with so little to lose it seems like a reasonable strategy . . . .

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Top 50

Continuing with my postseason theme, I thought I'd refer everyone to this article by Andy Katz. This is part of a series of pieces (that are each hyperlinked in the article that I link to above) that ranks the top 50 college basketball teams for this coming season.

Sadly, we are not in the top 50. Is this a disappointment? Have we been slighted? I welcome your comments.

No Post Season?

So, the NCAA has purchased the NIT (see here). And it is possible that the NCAA will simply do away with the postseason tournament.

If they do, what does that mean for those "also rans" (like, as of late, our beloved Hoyas)? Even if you're not invited to the dance it's still nice to play after the regular season.

Friday, August 12, 2005

New PAC website

This has a lot of info on the new Davis center: http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/davis/

The photos are old though. Last month, when I was in D.C., the fascade was complete. It looks very nice.

UConn won't be as tough as we thought . . . .

With these two starters gone they won't have strong guard play at all.

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/husky/men/hc-price-arrested,0,3217479.story?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Hoya updates

The Schedule:

Home (in conference):
Cincinnati
Pitt
Providence
Rutgers
St. John's
South Florida
Cuse
West Virginia

Away (in conference):
Connecticut
DePaul
Marquette
Notre Dame
St. John's
South Florida
Nova
West Virginia

Home (out of conference):
Fairfield
Duke
Vanderbilt

Away (out of conference):
Navy
James Madison
Oregon
Colgate
winner of UTEP/MVSU
Illinois
Michigan

We still need to add one more OOC game. Hopefully it will be a good one. This may be the hardest OOC schedule GU's ever had and probably among the hardest in college basketball -- we got what we asked for!

Memories:
Check out this dig on Esherick as one of the least wanted college basketball coaches in the country:
"If only the rest of college basketball would view Esherick as glowingly as Esherick views Esherick. Before being fired last year by Georgetown, Esherick told the Washington Times that the school was "lucky to have (me)." After applying for the New Mexico State vacancy this spring, Esherick told The Albuquerque Tribune, "I'd be a heck of a coach for them." Just like he was with the Hoyas? Rent a Porsche and return a Kia, you get arrested. Do what Esherick did to John Thompson's program, you get fired."
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/8696537

Kenner League Report:
A number of knowledgeable posters on the Board have been writing up reviews of the new guys on the team. The biggest story from the summer though is the play of Roy Hibbert; everyone says he looks much, much better -- more agile, better shot, better timing, etc. It would be huge if he could blow up. The best newcomer everyone agrees is Marc Egerson. He has a pro-body and all facets of his game look polished. Great shot, great passer, decent rebounder, etc. This is welcome news as he was the least touted of all of the freshmen. Also a surprise is Pat Ewing Jr. Everyone says he has looked spectacular -- shooting, running the floor, blocking shots -- he is by far the most athletic Hoya since. . . . Too bad we have to wait another year before he suits up. It is clear to everyone that his leaving Indiana was not just sour grapes -- Davis did not know how to use his prodigious talent. Jesse Sapp has gotten favorable reviews. He was our highest rated recruit and played like it. Great shot, super quick with the ability to penetrate. He should get serious PT but probably won't take Wallace's spot. Everyone says Wallace has really bulked up and developed some driving ability. The other two freshmen did not have as glowing reviews. Josh Thornton seems to be a shooter with a beautiful stroke but without great instincts on when to shoot. That is something the coaches need to work on; but his shooting ability could prove very useful in the Princetown offense. Octavius Spann didn't get great reviews. He seems out of sync to more observers. All in all, much reason to be optimistic going into the brutal schedule!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Excellent

I feel that our little corner of the Blogosphere is maturing...thanks for your analysis Diamond (and, yes, I did mean the National Review Online).

In the continuing spirit of posting things that raise Diamond's ire, here is Manny Miranda's first regular column from OpinionJournal.com, a site affiliated with the Wall Street Journal. Apparently, Mr. Miranda will be reporting on the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Roberts.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Props to JTIII

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/8659033

The Dream

Piggy-backing on Mike's post re the multisport facility, let's keep the dream in sight . . . .


Thursday, July 07, 2005

Schedule update

So our schedule for next year is taking shape. Out of conference we'll be playing playing Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, and Navy away. We have Duke and Fairfield at home. We'll also be playing in the Sun Bowl Tounament which features UTEP, Mississippi Valley, and Colgate. As far the conference schedule goes we've got Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Cincinnati, South Florida and West Virginia at home. Away we'll play Marquette, DePaul, South Florida, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Villanova, West Virginia and St. John’s. We don't get Seton Hall or Louisville this year. This is definitely the hardest schedule GU has ever played in the regular season. In particular, the number of OOC road games is very high -- a nod to the need to have a much higher RPI so as to be able to get an at-large bid out of a crowded Big East field. I don't think we've ever had so many top flight OOC games in general: Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, and Duke should all make national tv. The one disappointment: no Ricky P.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Wormley Sold

According to the Post GU got $8+ for it. It was purchased in 1997 for $1.5. That's a tidy profit but I'd rather have the property.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

GU hits homerun with B-school Dean.

This is a very good hire -- the sort of senior administrator we should always be hiring:

The Georgetown University CommunityLadies and Gentlemen:With great pleasure, I write to announce that, in close consultation with Provost James J. O’Donnell, I have appointed George G. Daly as Dean of the McDonough School of Business. Professor Daly will assume his duties on a full-time basis in the fall semester but will be spending a considerable period of time at Georgetown between now and then. Dean of the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University from 1993 to 2002 and now Albert Fingerhut Professor of Business Administration there, Professor Daly brings to Georgetown a strong record of leadership in business education, a deep commitment to providing outstanding educational opportunities for students and robust support for faculty scholarship, and an imaginative vision for the future of the McDonough School of Business. As Dean of the Stern School, Professor Daly oversaw the school’s rise in national prominence as it achieved its first top-ten ranking for all of its undergraduate and graduate degree programs. He also led the effort to raise $150 million for the school, a sum greater than the cumulative total of funds raised in the school’s previous 100 years. Before his appointment at NYU, Professor Daly was Dean and Professor of the College of Business Administration at the University of Iowa from 1983 to 1993 and Dean of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Houston from 1979 to 1983. Early in his career, he held teaching appointments at the Miami University and the University of Texas at Austin and was chief economist in the Office of Energy Research and Development at The White House. He has also served on a number of corporate and non-profit boards and has held a number of leadership positions within the American Assembly of Collegiate Business Schools. Professor Daly’s areas of scholarship and teaching include applied microeconomics, economics of organizations and contracting, and leadership. He has published a number of articles, book chapters, and monographs and has authored several research reports for government agencies. Professor Daly holds an undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio and a master’s and doctoral degree from Northwestern University—all in economics. I am grateful to the search committee, led by Jim O’Donnell, for its commitment to recruiting to Georgetown a truly outstanding national leader in business education. I also wish to express my deep appreciation to Reena Aggarwal, who has provided dynamic leadership as Interim Dean, helping the school to advance in crucial areas during this time of transition. Dean Aggarwal has been particularly effective at ensuring that fund raising for the new MSB facility moved forward on the ambitious schedule we had established to realize the new building as soon as practically feasible. Dean Aggarwal will return to the faculty on July 31 and will spend the coming academic year on sabbatical at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A number of faculty of the School of Business had an opportunity to meet with Professor Daly earlier this month, and I look forward to introducing him and his wife, Barbara, to the full University community in the new academic year. I also look forward to the dynamic leadership he will bring to the McDonough School as we build on the momentum of recent years to strengthen further the school’s standing among the nation’s leading business schools. You have my very best wishes for the summer.Sincerely,John J. DeGioia

Thursday, June 09, 2005

JTIII can recruit!!!!

This is such a revelation. His Dad was not even doing this when we were at the Hilltop. Another great pick-up: DaJuan Summers out of Baltimore, currently ranked #71 nationally by rivals (#28 by hoop alliance), 6'8 225, supposedly highly versitile game (think Princetown offense). He apparently had offers from MD and Wake, among others. He will certainly be the heir to Jeff Green, whom we may only have for one more season. I'll add a link once the story is accessable.

So, assuming Wallace and Ewing get a scholorships, we only have one left for 2006. Everyone is hoping for Vernon Macklin -- I think JTIII might be going for broke with him and reserving the scholly.

June 9, 2005 – Reigning Baltimore Player of the Year and top frontcourt prospect DaJuan Summers has committed to attend Georgetown University. As previously reported by HoyaReport.com, Summers is a 6'8"+, 225lb forward capable of playing inside, and out. During Summers' junior season, he led the McDonogh School, located in Owings Mills, MD, to a 23-6 record, while averaging 20.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per contest. This prodigious output garnered him Baltimore Player of the Year honors, an obviously prestigious award presented by the Baltimore Sun newspaper. His Amateur Athletic Union coach, Anthony Lewis is effusive regarding Summers' ability to post up, get to the rim via a couple of dribbles, fill fast break lanes, rebound, and shoot from the perimeter. Coach Lewis is even more expansive when asked to describe DaJuan as a person. "I think if you've ever watched him play, and he's a very good player, he's even a better person" is how the two decade-long director of the Cecil Kirk organization summarized his feelings. According to DaJuan, he contacted Coach Thompson today, and delivered his decision. Reached at his West Baltimore home, Summers revealed that he is "Happy" to have chosen his future college home. "I feel it's a good fit" and "I'm going to be happy there" was how he expressed his feelings. In fact the young man was visibly excited, as he revealed, "I'm smiling right now, as I'm talking to you". Coach Lewis shared in Summers' elation: "He feels like it's a good fit. I feel the same way. I think it's very positive". DaJuan is not the first Cecil Kirk player to attend school at Georgetown; he is actually the fourth. Hoya greats Reggie Williams, David Wingate, and Kevin Braswell all benefited from Coach Lewis's tutelage as well. This writer can attest that DaJuan is not only possesses basketball acumen, but intelligence and personality as well. Add the excellent job his mother, Twana Summers has done raising DaJuan, and her other two other children, Regina and Malik, and it's not surprising DaJuan is achieving so much. This affable, well spoken young man has success written all over him. HoyaReport.com will be publishing a more extensive piece on DaJuan Summers soon. For the time being, the HoyaNation should revel in his commitment to the Blue and Grey. Coach John Thompson and his staff are hard at work turning the fortunes of the Hoya program around. Now, top level recruits are recognizing it also.Congratulations DaJuan. Your hard work and dedication are evident. With you bringing that, along with everything else you represent to the school at O Street, NW, Georgetown's Hoya Paranoia will be back soon. You are bound to impact the school, on and off the court.

More info on Summers:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/highschool/bal-sp.boys21mar21,1,3188539.story?coll=bal-utility-highschoolsp&ctrack=2&cset=true
http://www.bmorehoops.com/dsummers.html
http://mdvarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=300504
http://www.marylandprephoops.com/Class%20of%202006/Html/DejuanSummers2.htm
http://www.marylandprephoops.com/Class%20of%202006/Html/DejuanSummers.htm

New AD

Sounds like a good pick from a top-notch Athletic Department:

I write to announce the appointment of Bernard M. Muir as Director of Athletics, effective July 1, 2005. Now Deputy Director of Athletics for Administration and Facilities at the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Muir has overseen the campus’s athletics facilities, game management operations, and club and intramural sports and campus recreation, and has served as primary administrator for a number of sports and as secondary administrator for football. He previously served as Notre Dame’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Welfare and Development, a role through which he engaged deeply in all aspects of the student-athlete experience, including academic performance and participation in campus life. From 1992 to 2000, he held various posts at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including director of operations for the Division 1 men’s basketball championship. Mr. Muir holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, where he played basketball, and a master’s degree from Ohio University. Mr. Muir is highly regarded by his colleagues at Notre Dame, the NCAA, and throughout intercollegiate athletics, as well as by the coaches and student-athletes with whom he has worked over the past dozen years. At Georgetown, he will provide strong leadership to ensure that we build on our tradition of integrity, excellence in competition, and academic distinction in intercollegiate athletics. He will evaluate and build upon our deep commitment to provide a truly distinctive, holistic student-athlete experience. He will also be responsible for the supervision, support, recruitment, and retention of outstanding coaches. In terms of athletic department operations, he will work to enhance fundraising, ensure the most efficient use of resources, increase revenue, and improve our facilities. In these and other ways, Bernard will set the tone for Georgetown athletics and ensure that we draw upon the talent and resources of all who contribute to the realization of our goals. Bernard’s recruitment is the result of a national search in which a number of Georgetown Board members, faculty, coaches, alumni, and administrative leaders took part. I wish to express my deep appreciation to all who participated in this process.I am also deeply grateful to Adam Brick for his generous and effective leadership as Interim Athletic Director in 2004-05. He ensured that this past academic year was a successful one for student-athletes, coaches, and staff. With his leadership, we were able to keep a number of critical projects on track, recruit outstanding new members to our team in athletics, and improve the management and performance of a number of our operations. He represented Georgetown very well in Big East conference policy deliberations. Adam has long been an invaluable member of the University community and his commitment to excellence at Georgetown has made enduring differences here. I look forward to introducing Bernard Muir to the University community, and to the contributions he will make to Georgetown, our athletics programs, and our students in the years ahead. You have my very best wishes.Sincerely,John J. DeGioia

Monday, June 06, 2005

Reunion

for those that attended, how was the reunion this past weekend?

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

GU in Qatar

Here is an interesting article on the new campus. You should check out Qatar's website. The facilities they have built for other universities look amazing. I wonder what kind of remuneration GU will receive for this endeavor.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/05/18/foreign

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Reed, Cornelio gone

No surprise really. We have two good guards coming in next year and a great one the following. Reed wasn't going to get much more PT. Cornelio was playing behind the walk-on Amadou. Hopefully both transfer to good schools/programs. I hope this means that Owens is coming back for a 5th year. We could sure use him, the way he played the last 3 or 4 games of the season. As I see it, though, that would mean that either Wallace or Ewing would have to walk on. This does leave us a little thin in the front court. I really hope we'll see a big improvement from Hibbert and maybe Sead will step it up.

http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/051405aaa.html

Sounds like Owens might actually be coming back. Good news!

http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20050515-011239-3697r.htm

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

More big Hoya recruiting news

Veron "The Big Ticket" Macklin (consensus top 10 recruit in class of '06) has dropped Maryland, UNC and GaTech from his list and is down to GU and Wake (and let's be honest here -- the NBA). Here's to hoping we get him and David Stern raises the age limit! The stars appear to be aligning after many many years of pain . . . .

From Rivals:
"The Big Ticket was much more active this weekend in Charlottesville, displaying a face up game that didn't focus so much on jump shots (like last summer's debacle), but more on putting the ball on the floor and driving from the wing. He was extremely effective and produced points for Boo Williams pretty consistently throughout the weekend. He had 19 points in the championship game loss, and 21 points in their quarterfinal playoff win. Georgetown and Wake Forest are the only two schools on his list according to coach Williams."

http://georgetown.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=15182

Monday, May 09, 2005

HUGE HOYA NEWS!!!!!

GU picked up a verbal commit from Jeremiah Rivers -- a top recruit in the class of 2006 and the son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers (what is it with Celtics Coaches and GU -- this is the third in a row to send his son to GU).

Here are some links with photos:
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/
http://georgetown.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=28849

This is definitely the biggest recruit of the JTIII era in terms of how highly regarded he is. He is ranked #25 nationally by Hoopscoop, #44 by Bob Gibbons, #32 by Rivals and #46 by Scouthoops in the '06 class. Rivals ranks his #5 among point guards nationally. He is a 6'4 170. Here is what Bob Gibbons said: "This smart combo guard knows when to score or hit open teammates with rock. He has range to arc and knack to create intermediate game off the dribble. Doc Rivers's son has all the tools to help early at the high major level." Supposedly, he is also an excellent student. (Word is that he also had offers from Kansas, GaTech, and Notre Dame. It came down to GU and Notre Dame so academics were clearly a priority.) GO JTIII!!!!

Roy Disney suing Leo (Among Others)

Disney Is SuedOver CEO Search

By MERISSA MARR Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNALMay 9, 2005 5:15 p.m.

Dissident ex-directors Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold filed suit against Walt Disney Co. and certain board members, alleging the board made false statements to shareholders about the company's search for a new chief executive.

The lawsuit revolves around the search process used by the Disney board before its recent decision to name Robert Iger to replace longtime chief Michael Eisner. The dissidents claim that the board misled shareholders in order to make them vote for the incumbent board and ward off critics.

In their lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Chancery Court, Messrs. Disney and Gold asked the court to void the 2005 election of directors.

In addition to Disney, the two former directors are suing Mr. Iger, Mr. Eisner, Chairman George Mitchell and five other board members -- Judith Estrin, John Chen, Aylwin Lewis, Monica Lozano and Leo O'Donovan -- for fraud and breach of the duty of disclosure.

The appointment of Mr. Iger as the new CEO was intended to extend Disney's recent financial revival with a leader who is well-versed in its inner workings and unique culture. Mr. Iger, who rose up through the ranks of Disney's network-television business, is scheduled to take over as chief executive on Sept. 30.

When Mr. Iger was announced as the new CEO, Mr. Disney and Mr. Gold quickly assailed Mr. Iger's selection, saying it was the result of a "sham" process overseen, and tightly controlled, by Mr. Mitchell.

Write to Merissa Marr at merissa.marr@wsj.com6

Friday, April 22, 2005

Not quite official...

My newest source for GU news, my father, found this for me on the Washington Times online.

Looks like the deal isn't quite sealed yet...

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

1st anniversary

I remember hearing the phone ring early in the morning. Ryan was on my answering machine saying I had to call him immediately. The impossible had happened . . . . On this day, several weeks later, John Thompson III was introduced a Georgetown's new head coach.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/870umjzw.asp

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Great win in McDonough

It was great to see a packed McDonough for tonight's game. Everywhere the camera went there were students right on top of the action. Does anyone know if we'll get any more NIT games on campus?

Great story about early days of JTII.

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-17/1111474676103450.xml

Friday, March 18, 2005

Post-Season in McDonough

Hoyas To Host NIT Second Round Game at McDonough Tuesday Evening
The team will take on the winner of the San Francisco - Cal. State Fullerton game.
March 17, 2005
The Men's Basketball team defeated Boston University 64-34 on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 in the first round of the NIT. The Hoyas (18-12) will advance to the Second Round to take on the winner of the San Francisco - Cal. State Fullerton game on on the evening of Tuesday, March 22, 2005 (time to be determined) on campus at McDonough Arena.
General admission tickets will be sold on a first-come first-served basis for $20 each beginning at 10am on March 18, 2005 by calling 202-687-2449. Tickets also can be purchased at the McDonough Arena Box Office.
The Hoya Hoop Club will sponsor the student tickets allowing students to purchase tickets for ONLY $5. We anticipate a sell out. Tickets can be purchased at the places and times below:
Red Square:Friday, Monday and Tuesday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Leo's:Saturday and Sunday: Noon to 2:00 pmMonday 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
McDonough Arena Box Office:Friday: Noon to 5:30 pm Saturday and Sunday: Noon to 4:00 pmMonday: Noon to 5:30 pmTuesday: Noon until game time
Fans who call in their orders via telephone can pick up their tickets at Will Call during box office hours on any of the days above.
Television/radio/webcast will be determined shortly. Check http://www.guhoyas.com/ for up-to-date information.
Come out and cheer on the Hoyas!! We are Georgetown!

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

JTII slams Brand

I gotta think this is payback for what he did to his friend Bobby Knight.

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_story.asp?intID=38427123

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Boston U in the NIT

I really hope we win our first few games and take on Maryland in the semis.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Good effort and Calhoun's on-air post-game comments

I also applaud the way the team played. There were numerous times when it looked like we were on the verge of getting blown out and then fought back to make it a highly competitive game. A little bit better play and better decisions during the last two minutes of the game would have gotten it done. Our last offensive possession left a lot to be desired....with twenty-five seconds left, we could and should have gotten a better shot off (alhough I thought Ashanti was huge all game--there were three or four critical junctures during the game where he hit a big shot to keep us in it).

Did any catch Calhoun's on-air comments right after the game ended?

At first he seemed highly complimentary of Georgetown and critical of his own team when he said something to the effect of he didn't think the team that put out the better effort won the game.

He then continued (and I'm paraphrasing here) and essentially said the only reason the game was close was because UConn played so poorly, which was a real slap to our team and the effort we brought to the table tonight.

Did anyone else have the same reaction to his comments? I sort of felt like he was subtely putting us down without directly saying so.

heartbreak

Boy do I wish we had a timeout left before that last play. Three huge mistakes: (1) Owens missing the front end of a one and one; (2) Cook dribbling the ball off his foot; (3) Cook not passing to a wide open Green at the end of the game. This is incredibly disappointing but we played, I think, the best we have all season. Maybe our performance against Pitt was a little stronger but this was great. They gave it everything they had and just stumbled down the stretch. This team has a lot of heart. I expect them to see them doing real damage in the Super Big East next year.

Priceless

Okay, I've got three priceless bits of info to share.

First, check out this exchange between Patrick, Deke, and Yao:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/players/03/07/first_person0314/

Second, read this description of MSG was West Virginia was pounding BC: "The Eagles, who will join the Atlantic Coast Conference next season, were showered with chants of 'ACC!' and 'overrated!' during the final minutes. " How sweet would it be if BC got bumped in the first round of the NCAA? Other BC-appropriate chants include "Fredo" and "Judas." (Jeff should appreciate how the Fredo chant works on multiple levels.)

Third, I love this email in the Post from a disgruntled Terps fan:

"I'm catatonic. I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know how it's physically possible to lose to Clemson 3 times, twice basically at home. Win any one of those games, and you're in. And you lose three times to Clemson. I don't know if I can ever root for them again. When a team is not very good, or is having a down year because of player losses, or whatever, I can handle that. I handled it for years after Len Bias died. I handled it through the entertaining but fruitless regime of Exree Hipp, Johnny Rhodes, and Duane Simpkins. I handled it through the slightly underachieving Joe Smith, Keith Booth years. But when a team brings back 4 out of 5 players from an ACC tournament Champ. Team, and can't make the NCAAs, and can't beat the CLEMSON TIGERS once in three tries...I just don't know how to process this information. I can't work. I can't think. I can't even begin to think of how to make sense of this. I think the Williams era is over. There were many, many great moments. And I will always remember Gary fondly for doing the impossible, turning the program around and bringing us both a Nat'l Championship and an ACC Championship. But this year has been the most sour I can remember since the death of Lenny. I've never seen anything like it. I'm literally on the verge of being physically sick."

Is this not the IPB as a Terps fan?!? ;)

So the Clemson players want to know if the "BEAT UNC" ralley is still on for tonight. They want to take the metro into College Park to attend: http://clemson.scout.com/2/358913.html

Hey, even if the Hoyas don't make the NCAA we'll always have Schadenfruede as a consolation prize. Visit Notre Dame's message board: http://www.ndnation.com/boards/index.cgi?thepit

"Washington's Team" Loses AGAIN

The Terps fell to the mighty Clemson tiger today for the THIRD time -- a team we spanked by 20. Maryland is 3-7 over their last ten games with three losses coming against Clemson. If they make the NCAA with a 7-10 ACC record, I'll quit following college basketball. Fun fact: MD's only top 25 wins were both against Duke. Most analysts think Maryland only need to win one out of their last 4 games to be a lock. As bad as our meltdown has been, it pales in comparison to MD with almost all of its players returning from the ACC Championship/Sweet Sixteen team of last year not making the tournament by failing to pull out one win against Clemson in three tries. Research project: What is the shortest time span between a program winning an NCAA tournament and then subsequently failing to qualify for the field of 64? Maybe Marquette after Al McQuire won in the late-70s? Didn't Duke have a meltdown in the mid-90s? Anyone know?

Also, West Virignia took out BC in its last ever Big East game. Nice way for them to go out. West Virignia was up 22 at the half and held off BC which had a great comeback.

Chances tonight

Okay, so what chance to we have tonight. UConn is better than us at every position and is playing their best basketball of the year. And we played yesterday. They also beat us easily twice. I'm saying we have a 5-10% chance of winning because they probably will not be playing with much of a sense of urgency and could be a little rusty b/c they've had the last week off. That said if we win we very well could sneak into the tourney. There were a number of recent developments that could help us. First, everyone has been calculating the RPI wrong. We're in the mid-60s, NOT the mid-90s. Second, Notre Dame's loss really hurt them. I think they are cooked. Third, a lot of bubble teams have lost recently. Although I realize this is primarily an academic discussion, if we win tonight, and West Virginia loses, there is no way their they or ND gets in over us (all three of our RPIs and SOS are comprable). Would the committee only take 5 teams from the Big East?

HEART

The guys could have easily folded, down by 11 with 7 minutes to go, but fought back with rebouding and defense. We played worse offensively than we did against Providence but stepped up the intensity on defense and that was the difference. Big win for these guys. I can't imagine there is much left in the tank to take on a well-rested UConn, though.

Here are the post-game comments from JTIII, Brandon, and Darrel:

http://bigeast.org/sports/mbball/champs/quotes/2005/game1_gw.asp

BTW: The IPB must have gone ballistic when Brandon turned the ball over with 18 seconds to go and a 2 point lead. All he had to do was get fouled -- why the hell was he trying to run up the court?!?!

I wonder if Darrel has played his way to a scholarship for next year. His future with this team is still up in the air -- officially anyway.

Great article in the Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22198-2005Mar9.html

The two other BE games were interesting. West Virignia spanked Providence -- basically they did to them what we failed to do; and we did to Seton Hall what they failed to do. Funny how both Hall and Providence looked like much better teams in their last games. Also, it looks like Notre Dame won't be dancing. Rutgers came out and played very well against them. That's gonna kill their RPI and they've now lost 3 out of their last 4.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Green shares BE ROY honors

Great honor for Green. He's GU's fifth ever: Fred Brown in '81; Pat Ewing in '82; Othella in '93; and AI in '95. Hopefully, we'll add another one next year with Sapp, Spann, Thornton, or Egerson! (How did Sweetney not get one in '01? Was Eddie that much better? And wasn't he the one who punched Ty Shine and ruined what should have been a great season for the Hall?)

http://www.bigeast.org/sports/mbball/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=111

Also, West Virginia spanked Providence. WV only got outrebounded by three. That makes a big difference! I imagine they are still one more win away from the tourney, though. Their loss to Seton Hall really hurt.

Another source saying that we need to win the tourney...

...and not just make the finals.

[CLICK HERE] to see the article from today's Washington Post.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

SportsNation Poll

ESPN.com's SportsNation poll is currently asking, "[w]hich team is most deserving of an at-large bid?"

The choices are: Georgetown, Indiana, Saint Mary's, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech.

The Hoyas ain't doin' well in the court of popular opinion.

Big East v. ACC

Here's a great article on how the Big East is a better conference than the ACC...and has been since 1984. [CLICK ME]

Updated Rankings

Food for thought, but has anyone seen the updated rankings? I'm looking at them, and I just don't see how UConn is ranked 14 by ESPN w/ BC ranked 7. As of late UConn is a much tougher team and arguably much more of a favorite to win the BE than BC. Not the greatest news for GU as a win over the hall gives them a crack at UConn.

On another note, I recommend checking out the viewers' poll on the big east championship website. Apparentely GU is a fan favorite to win.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

nit - depressing

Tough loss tonight. Sounded like an amazing game -- back and forth all the way. Providence really killed us inside. Green and Hibbert simply couldn't handle Gomes who hit the game winner with one second left. Rebounding was the difference, period. We shot very well and the defense (sans rebounding) seemed quite good. But man did they kill us on the boards. 8-8 on the season. Good run but very very disappointing finish. What really sucks is that with West Virginia's loss to Seton Hall tonight we were poised to get into the tourney with two wins (tonight and in the first round). Now, it would take a run to the finals and that ain't gonna happen. Oh well, maybe we'll see Maryland in the NIT.
In other news, JTIII has been nominated for the Naismith award but the loss tonight pretty much guarantees he won't get it. (I imagine no coach has ever recieved it without going to the tourney.) Funny -- this Providence team has lost 5 games this year by less than 5; everyone kept saying that just couldn't hit the big shot. Well, tonight they hit it.
In other Big East news, UConn showed that they are one of the best teams in the country by dismantling Cuse. I wouldn't be surprised to see UConn in the final four.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Random Musings

Last night I was getting ready to watch The Apprentice and was attempting to kill time by watching the Madison Square Garden channel. Expecting to see a Mets vs. Cardinals preseason game, I almost fell-off my chair from what I saw - GU alum Jerome Williams giving a narrative and doing interviews at a local dog show. The JYD seemed to know his stuff and actually sampled a doggie treat during the showing.

On a different note, anybody have any thoughts / opinion about how Temple should handle John Chaney? I must confess that I really didn't know enough about Temple / Chaney to realize that Chaney has a temper. While what he did was pretty bad, one has to stop and think to realize that many coaches send in "goons" to make games physical. The older JT would only send in Jerry Nichols to mix it up. Having said that, calling one of your own players a goon certainly doesn't help team morale.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Bracketology - Wednesday Edition

The Wednesday Edition of Bracketology still (somehow) thinks we're going to The Dance.

But we are now listed (along with GW, WV, and Norther Iowa) as one of the last 4 teams in. Plus, this is all predicated on the Big East getting 8 teams into the Tourney.

The ship is sinking boys...

Today's Bubble Watch on ESPN.com is not kind to the Hoyas:

Georgetown [16-10 (8-7), RPI: 72, SOS: 55] Was blasted at UConn for fourth straight loss and now is in real trouble. Profile weakening rapidly. Must beat Providence at home in finale to have any chance.

That being said, they haven't officially said we're out of the money. Plus, the more I think about it the more I like the idea of a solid NIT run. It might be better for our young team in the long term.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

On-Campus arena

How cool do these plans look? I found this by doing some random searching on-line. Check out the design for an on-campus sports complex for basketball -- it has a full arena and three practice courts where the current outdoor tennis courts are. THIS is the kind of facility big-time basketball programs have. I hope JTIII can deliver it!

http://www.hgaarch.com/projects/college/georgtownmp1.htm

Monday, February 28, 2005

Still in (this week's Bracketology)

Well, boys, at least someone thinks we're still in.

The latest bracketology says we're still going to The Dance--though we're down to a 10-seed.

That being said, I'm a bit concerned that they are predicting 8 Big East teams! That just seems crazy.

Post Chat

Here is the PostChat with the author of the JTIII feature:

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/05/style_magazine022805.htm

She took my question from Austin, TX.

From the Post

Click on this link to read the Washington Post's article on yesterday's game. According to them, it's more of the same: slow start = loss.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Offensive Rebounding

I caught the second half of today's GU-Nova game. It looked to me like we were getting absolutely killed on the offensive boards by guys much smaller than us. I think it's looking more and more like we're going to have to fight it out with ND for the last Big East spot. A win against UConn would go a long way in that direction.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Power 16

Okay boys, it's gonna be tough.

At ESPN.com's Power 16 for the week, UConn is a 3 seed.

Nova is not ranked, but they're getting votes (one of 4 teams). That means the pundits are putting them in the top 20 teams right now.

Tough, very tough.

Pep rally

Beat 'Nova PEP RALLY
Both the men's and women's basketball teams will be in action against the Wildcats of Villanova this weekend. Come help the teams get ready for their games by showing your support Friday night.
Basketball Pep RallyFeaturing the men’s and women’s basketball teamsand head coaches Terri Flournoy and John Thompson III
Friday, February 25th @ 7:30 pmHarbin Patio
The pep rally will include a barbecue, and BIG EAST ticket raffle for students. Studnents can also purchase tickets for the games, but don't wait... tickets for Sunday's game are going fast!
Don't miss this great opportunity to hear from the coaches and see the players all in one place.
We'll see you there!WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Post article on Rich Chvotkin

Great story on a great play-by-play man:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51523-2005Feb24.html

"Green hits a snowbird! And the Hoyas clean the dust off the nets. Reed picks Bailey's pocket and here come the Hoyas the other way. Bowman feeds Hibbert. Hibbert with a lefty-hooker in the lane! The game clock arrests with 18:32 and the Hoyas holding a 4-0 lead on four unaswered. " I love Chvotkinisms.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

The Sports Guy and the Hoyas

I was reading the Sports Guy's column on ESPN.com this morning where he breaks down his NBA All-Star experience with fake awards he would have liked to give out. Here's one with a Hoyas connection that I think all of you will enjoy (you have to read to the bottom).

The Jim Gray Award for "Strangest moment that involved Jim Gray"
Gray and I were introduced for the first time on Saturday afternoon ... he walked away ... and then returned 30 seconds later to ask me, "Are you the Bill Simmons from Page 2?" He proceeded to tell me that I was wrong about his performance after the Artest Melee, when I wrote about his voice "inexplicably quivering." According to Gray, many people on the floor were sprayed with pepper spray -- including him -- which explained his general demeanor after the incident. Fair enough. Although I think this should be another event on All-Star Saturday -- "Spray Jim Gray with Pepper Spray."

Three other goofy brushes with greatness:

1. I followed Mark Eaton in a urinal, which was like following U2 at Lollapalooza.

2. I stood in line to buy drinks at the NBPA party with Wilmer Valderrama, Danny Masterson and a sloppy Bijou Phillips right behind me, but I wasn't quite drunk enough to ask Wilmer the "real or fake?" question about his ex-girlfriend Lindsay Lohan. Wilmer's carrying that secret around like Bob Woodward's carrying Deep Throat's real name.

3. At one point during the NBPA party, you could have formed an isosceles triangle using me, Dikembe Mutombo and Zydrunas Ilgauskas as the three points 20 feet apart. I couldn't have been more riveted -- they were standing out like two skyscrapers. Who wants to sex Mutombo!

To read the entire article click here

Screwed

Three games left. And after last night's BC-Nova game I'm thinking our chances against the Huskies are better than against the Wildcats. And, for the record, I think our chances of beating UConn are slim to none.

When most of the other teams in the league are peaking, we're dropping like a stone. I think we're going to have a very disappointing end to the season.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Bubble Trouble

Forgive the cheesy title. Just trying to spice things up.

Anybody see the latest ESPN Bubble Watch:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?page=2005bubblewatch

Call me pessimistic, but I think these next 3 games may prove troublesome. 'Nova & UConn are looking tough right now. Sure we should be Providence, but then again we should have run over St. Johns. I think NCAA is moving more towards goal than expectation. According to ESPN, the Nova game determines our fate, but I don't think beating Nova guarantees anything at this point. Certainly going 2-1 makes a difference and is doable, but I'd feel more confident had we not dropped the St. John's game.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

St. John's Game

Stephanie is going to the game today at MSG. I'll provide her analysis after the game.

Friday, February 18, 2005

I'm speechless

From Hoyas to Henson?
Ex-Georgetown coach wants Aggies job
By Jeff CarltonTribune ReporterFebruary 18, 2005
Former Georgetown men's basketball coach Craig Esherick took over for one coaching legend. Now he wants to replace another.
Esherick, 48, told The Tribune on Thursday he has applied for New Mexico State's head coaching job, which opened after illness forced Lou Henson into retirement after 41 seasons.
"I'd be a heck of a coach for them," Esherick said by phone. "But that is not my call."
New Mexico State Athletics Director McKinley Boston confirmed he has received Esherick's application. Bubba Jennings, a former star at Clovis High and Texas Tech, had also applied, Boston said. Jennings is the director of video operations for Texas Tech.
Lou Henson has two road wins since retiring from New Mexico State. N.M. 28, from Las Cruces to Sunland Park, will be named for the legendary Aggies and Illinois men's basketball coach, the state Transportation Commission announced Thursday. Henson had a street named after him in Champaign, Ill., where he coached the Illini for 21 years.
He had a 779-413 record in 41 years, including two stints at NMSU, his alma mater, from 1966-75 and 1997-2005.
Boston said he is two to three weeks from weeding out the applicants. He said he plans to interview candidates and make a hire by early April during the Final Four.
"This is very much an open process," Boston said. "I am committed to finding the best coach that I can afford."
Esherick coached the Georgetown Hoyas from 1999 until 2004. His career record is 103-74. He took over for legendary coach John Thompson and was replaced by John Thompson III.
Esherick is a Washington, D.C., native who has spent most of his life on the East Coast. He played basketball at Georgetown, graduating with a finance degree in 1978.
After one season as a high school coach and two more as a Georgetown graduate assistant, Esherick became an assistant coach under the elder Thompson in 1982. He served on Thompson's staff until his retirement in 1999. Then Esherick took over.
In his first season, he coached the Hoyas to the NCAA Sweet 16, his only appearance in that tournament as head coach. The following season, Georgetown turned down an NIT invitation.
One season later, the Hoyas played in the NIT, losing the title game to St. John's. In Esherick's fourth season, Georgetown went 13-15 and did not receive a postseason bid for the first time in 30 years. Esherick was fired.
As a coach and player, Esherick participated in 20 NCAA tournaments. As an assistant coach, he made it to three Final Fours and won a national title.
Esherick is a college basketball analyst for AOL Radio. He said the job gives him the chance to travel and learn from other coaches.
"I think there is an awful lot of potential (at New Mexico State)," he said. "I think, clearly, I do want to get back into coaching. I think I have a great chance to win there. I sent in my application, and that is all I know right now."
Esherick would replace another legend in Henson, who retired at NMSU on Jan. 22 as the sixth all-time winningest coach with 779 victories. He is NMSU's all-time winningest coach with 289 wins. He also is the winningest coach at Illinois.
Jennings coached for nine seasons at Artesia High, leading the Bulldogs to two state titles. He was the state's high school player of the year at Clovis in 1980. He set a state record for points in a game and career points.
Jennings was the 1985 Southwest Conference Player of the Year at Texas Tech. He was later drafted by the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston said he has encouraged New Mexico State interim coach Tony Stubblefield to apply. Stubblefield has coached the Aggies to a 5-20 record, including Thursday's 91-49 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.
Larry Shyatt, who was an assistant at the University of New Mexico and a head coach at Wyoming and Clemson, denied through a spokesman that he is interested in coaching the Aggies. Shyatt is an assistant coach at Florida under Billy Donovan.
"He is not a candidate for New Mexico State," said Fred Demarest, a Florida Athletics Department spokesman. "He hasn't been contacted by New Mexico State. He did not apply."

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Washington Post college basketball gurus today

Princeton, N.J.: George Washington seems to be hitting its stride while Maryland is still up and down and Georgetown is losing to teams they need to beat this time of year (Notre Dame). Are all three in the tourney, or just the Colonials and the Terps?

Matt Rennie: I disagree on Georgetown. Winning AT Notre Dame would have been huge, but that's not a loss that hurts the Hoyas too much. If they can win at st. John's and beat Providence at home, they should get in. I think the Colonials are in a more dicey position, though I agree they are playing better. There's no way you can say they've assured themselves of an at-large bid.

Eric Prisbell: I think Maryland has a great chance to make it; an 8-8 ACC record would clinch it. Georgetown has an excellent chance if it gets 18 overall victories. GW’s RPI has improved to a respectable level (59-ish), but the A-10 is rated the 16th-best conference in the country. A conference that low doesn’t deserve two bids. GW will be an interesting test case for the committee.
_______________________

Washington, D.C.: What, realistically, do the Hoyas need to do in their final few games to ensure themselves a spot in the tourney? Also, do you have a sense of how much of their success this year is attributable to JT-III and how much is based on the fact that pundits simply did not appreciate how talented the younger players are?

Eric Prisbell: If Georgetown splits its final four regular season games, it should be enough. The Hoyas have an excellent RPI better than 40. Ten wins in the Big East should be enough. Beat St. John’s and Providence and that’s enough. Short of that, they will be sweating it out unless they win a game or two in the BE tourney. Oh, and credit JTIII with their success because he is a candidate for national coach of the year honors, in my opinion.

Matt Rennie: I agree that a 10-6 record gets Georgetown in (and the Hoyas could beat Villanova at home too, though winning at U-Conn. might be too much to ask). JTIII deserves a lot of credit for getting his team to play hard for 40 minutes a game, but there's no question that Jeff Green has exceeded virtually everyone's expectations.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Disastrous

Well, at least we can say that our boys don't give up. That was quite a valiant effort in the last minute of the game.

With that being said, let me be the first to say that exposure on national TV might kill Georgetown's chances of making the tournament.

Though I didn't see tonight's game because I'm stuck at work, it didn't seem to go very well. It's true that we picked up in the second half, but the first was abysmal.

This is only the second time we've been on national TV and this is the second time we've gotten beaten . . . badly (okay not badly tonight, but we got beaten badly in the first half). I have to believe that the fact that only our worst outings are reaching a national audience is going to hurt us on selection Sunday.

That's my two cents.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

The Son Also Rises

Great article about the rise of JTIII. Tomorrow is big for us; we could secure a spot in the tourney and in the top 25. Also, a win would put us in a 2nd place time with Cuse.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/sports/10904310.htm

Updated Bracketology

I'm not a bracket seeding expert, but does it make sense to anybody that in the updated bracketology on ESPN, GU is now a 7 seed (with a downward triangle) from a 6 seed? Am I missing something?

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Closer to Lock than Bubble

I can't say I'm nearly as on top of GU basketball as you guys, but I did see this prediction on ESPN.com recently (citing Syracuse, BU, Pitt, and UConn as locks out of the Big East):

Big East
Work left to do: Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame, West Virginia
UConn moves into lock status after victories against Villanova and at Syracuse. Nova and Georgetown are looking really solid right now. Notre Dame got a huge W last night but likely needs more.
Villanova (14-5 (5-4), RPI: 17, SOS: 19) Solid profile that is very close to a lock right now. 'Cuse, BC and Pittsburgh all coming to Nova in the next five games. One win likely is all the Wildcats need.
Georgetown (15-6 (7-3), RPI: 35, SOS: 43) Another team that has moved much closer to lock than off the bubble. Numbers are there. League standing is there. Unexpected season buzz factor is there. Ten Big East wins is very reasonable and that would be more than enough.
Notre Dame (14-6 (6-4), RPI: 40, SOS: 61) Came through UConn/'Cuse/BC gauntlet 2-1, but still has work left to do. Chances abound with Pitt twice and UConn (along with UCLA) still left on slate. If Irish miss Dance, no one to blame but themselves.
West Virginia (13-7 (3-6), RPI: 67, SOS: 72) We'll add the Mountaineers, but WVU needs a lot of work on its profile to get more significant sniff. 0-6 vs. RPI Top 50 not a good foot to put forward.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Another game, another win

Close game down the stretch and the Hoyas, once again, found a way to win. I listened to it. Ryan was there and hopefully he'll post a recap if he's not too busy celebrating Kevin McHale's new headcoaching position (hopefully Kirt Rambus won't charging the T-wolves bench). Board members who saw the game said JTIII adjusted beautifully after halftime and we got much better at breaking down the WV defense and cutting down on our own turnovers, although we still had way too many. So we are in third place in the Big East, two games behind BC, and one game behind Cuse. Wow. Next game is on TV -- against Notre Dame on ESPN Classic. Hopefully, Mike and Steve will be able to see it in spite of their crappy cable packages. I think we are really only two wins away but three will make us a total lock. We have 5 games left. St. John's and Providence should be wins. That means we have to steal one against Notre Dame, Villanova, or UConn. If we beat Notre Dame, I think we can start worrying about seeding. Too bad we have a new AD -- JTIII needs a contract extension. And, for the records, from here on out: MAKING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IS AN EXPECTATION NOT A GOAL!!!!!

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Bracketology

This week's Bracketology at ESPN.com has Gtown as a 6 seed. Even nicer, it lists GU as an "underrated" team. Hopefully with time--and more wins-- we can get the respect we deserve.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Reviews of JTIII

Someone posted this link on the Hoyatalk board. These are Ivy League fans assessing JTIII as a coach in light of the problems Princeton has had since he left. We heard nothing but good things from them when GU was considering hiring him and this echos those sentiments. Interesting stuff and very complementary.

http://www.basketball-u.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3250&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Taking Stock

Okay, we we're 7 and 3 in the Big East. When Hoyatalk did a poll at the beginning of the season, it asked how everyone thought we'd do in conference: 1-15, 2-14, 3-13, 4-12, 5-11, 6-10, 7-9, or 8-8. It didn't even have an option to say we'd have a winning season! The majority picked 6-10, btw. This team is just incredible. Tyler Crawford stepped up big tonight. Where did that come from? Winning at the RAC is always a big achievement. Clearly, the fantastic freshman three of Green, Hibbert, and Wallace, have hit some sort of a wall, though. We've played more BE games than any other BE team so hopefully having this week off will allow them to get back into the swing of things. Lord knows, we'll need them down the stretch. We need to win 4 out of the next 6 to guarantee a place in the Dance. 3 wins might do it, but we'd probably be sweating it out without a win or two at MSG. We have three home games (West Virginia, Nova, and Providence) and three away (St.John's, Notre Dame, and UConn) left. These are all winnable. Naturally, West Virginia, Providence, and St.John's are the most winnable, but even UConn doesn't scare me with the way they've been playing.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Speaking of Blue & Gray

Interim AD Adam Brick announced before the Seton Hall game that the Hoyas will be returning to traditional GU colors next year -- home grays and road blues. No more of the black and teal. Also, from now on, our uniforms are going to be made by Jumpman23.

Check out the shoes (and the cool pic of JTIII)

http://www.nike.com/jumpman23/team_jordan/team.jsp