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

Great Big Ticket article

This has a great recap of GU's rise under JTIII: http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20050825-120644-8382r.htm

Hoyas land Vernon "Big Ticket" Macklin

Huge Get!!!! Consensus top 15 recruit and McDonald's AA lock picks Hoyas! Biggest recruit since Ivo? Othella? AP? -- well, certainly the biggest in a LONG time. He picked the Hoyas over UNC and Wake. We're back baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082401900.html
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=91113&ran=85350
http://www.georgetown.rivals.com
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/
http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=2&c=428651&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fscouthoops.scout.com%2f2%2f428651.html

http://hoyatalk2.proboards48.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1124903477
http://mb26.scout.com/fuconnfrm6.showMessage?topicID=987.topic
http://www.redmen.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=25775

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 . . . .

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.

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

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!