Luke Winn's Top 10 Frontcourts

SI.com's Luke Winn lists the Hoyas as the number 2 frontcourt in the country (and that's without giving any props to contributions from Ewing Jr.). He gives the number 1 spot to Florida.

Hibbert, the Hoyas' ever-improving 7-2 giant, has an ultra-athletic sidekick in Green and will welcome a McDonald's All-American in Macklin. Georgetown was Florida's toughest challenger in the NCAA tournament for a reason -- its size -- and has the big boys to make another deep run.

Hoyas pay tribute to Red

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103001438.html

Hoyas at #8 in ESPN/USA Today poll

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

Gray, Hibbert and Thabeet

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6099328

ESPN Preview up

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=2613132&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d2613132

Pre-season articles

10 Big East players to watch -- Green & Hibbs (also mentions of Summers and Ticket.)

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1161838011113720.xml&coll=1

Big East writers pick GU to win the BE.

http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1161767105169020.xml&coll=1

Hoyas prepare for the big time.

http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20061025-113835-1732r.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102500532.html

BTW: The IPB and I attended an open practice and got to see the team in person. I believe he is going to post his comments.

Big East Preseason Predictions

The Big East coaches have tapped Pitt as their choice to win the regular season title. Georgetown, however, was voted a close second. Pitt received 219 total points, including 10 first-place votes. The Hoyas received 212 points and 4 first-place votes. Syracuse came in third and Marquette trailed the Orange by one vote. Click HERE for the complete article.

Additionally, Green and Hibbert were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big East team.

Top 3 shooting guards

Interesting analysis of top 3 shooting guards in the senior class -- obviously, this includes Austin Freeman.

http://www.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=589580

Money quotes:

"Freeman is as good as most at shooting off the catch from 3-point range. Where he separates himself is with his ability to hit tough shots in the mid-range and short-range area. With deft body control and a soft touch, Freeman can drive hard to the basket and score while avoiding the charge. "

"Expect Freeman to immediately mesh with the Princeton-style offense that Georgetown employs. He has a high basketball IQ, knows how to move without the ball and is an efficient scorer. Like Bayless, he will likely be the No. 1 perimeter scoring option. As his conditioning improves, so should his defense. "

Barker sums it all up.

http://washingtontimes.com/blogs/storyview.php?StoryID=20061020-114105-8951r&TopicsID=discourse

More Hoya happenings

Josh Thornton has left the program for "personal reasons." This explains why the seeming scholarship crunch was not one.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/19/AR2006101901642.html

The Examiner reports on the Clark commit.

http://www.examiner.com/a-353438~Clark_commits_to_Hoyas.html

Interview w/ Clark. He sounds like a great kid.

http://www.dcmetrohoops.net/jasonclarkinter.htm

Since We All Missed It

I don’t think that we can truly excited about the upcoming season without having experienced Midnights Madness. So, here’s a few video posts from last week’s kick-off to the 2006-2007 campaign.

Midnight Madness!

Hoyas Dunking

Pat Senior

I also found this. It's not from Midnight Madness, but it's denifinitely worth watching. It's a compilation of Pat Jr. dunks. It's very impressive (unlike the clips that Diamond posts of our new recruits).

All these clips comes from YouTube. I’m sure that everyone, other than the IPB, is familiar with that little corner of the internet.

Jason Clark's Hoya!!!

More info to follow.

http://www.dcmetrohoops.net/

Interview w/ Bras

http://www.dcmetrohoops.net/

Money quote: "I want to help put Georgetown back on the map. We want to relive the dominance the Hoyas once had. We are on our way"

Also, the article noted that "Bishop O'Connell junior Jason Clark is expected to Pick the Hoyas over Maryland and Virgina in the next couple of days."

Clark is 4 star pg whom Virginia and Maryland have been pursuing.

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=2434276

Hoyas land Braswell!

GU picked up a commit from a top 25 player in the class of 2008 (current high school junior). He is considered one of the best players in the D.C. metro area and has been a Hoyas target for a long time. He picked GU over Nova, UConn, Maryland, Virginia, and a host of others. Here are some links:

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=2&c=580116&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fscouthoops.scout.com%2f2%2f580116.html

Rivals ranks him 12 nationally:
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1617

Here's some video:
http://www.hssmtv.com/Players/Chirs%20Braswell.htm

Needless to say, Freeman and Wright played a big role in this commit. Freeman is a teammate of his at Dematha -- two Dematha players on the Hoyas!!!! This is truly a sign of the second coming.

In other recruiting news, the Hoyas reportedly recieved a commitment from a mid-major caliber guard from Tennessee for next year. This is wierd for a number of reasons. First, we didn't have room for Chris Wright but it was reasonable to assume that Jeff might go pro or someone would transfer. In any event, you make room for someone like Wright. Where will the scholarship for this guy come from? Here are some possible scenarios: First, maybe the staff just thinks they've found the second J-Wal -- someone nobody else really recruited but they think will be a stud. Supposedly, he is a ridiculous shooter. Second, maybe this offer is contingent on a scholarship opening up. That is, they would rather have this guy as a sophomore than a more highly touted freshman come 2008. Third, he is being offered the J-Wal deal -- walk-on but you can earn a scholarship. Fourth, maybe he is a straight walk on. Fifth, maybe JTIII just wanted to bring the first Arab-American to GU basketball.

This was how one Hoyatalk member who has played against the recruit, Omar Wattad, described him:

Wattad made it official today. He committed to Georgetown at 3:oo pm in a press conference at his high school. Wattad is a 6-5 combo guard. He weighs about 215 right now and has been putting on pounds, without giving up quickness, over the last 4 months. He can stroke it from deep. Real deep. He is an ultimate team player and his b-ball Iq is tremendous. I had a hard time keeping this kid infront of me and i played ball in college (albeit dII but still). His length is deceptive. Not tremendously athletic but he makes up for it with great positioning. He really understands the game. I've seen him function in all types of systems and his game is perfect for the Princeton-style offense. I think JTIII found a diamond in the rough with this kid.

Maybe this kid is a diamond in the rough, but with the 2008 interest GU has -- esp. from guys like Ed Davis, why use up the scholarship? This is an interesting story that has been drowned out by the Braswell commit. What I hope this does not mean is that the staff KNOWS Jeff is gone after this year, despite him publicly saying that he will stay. I think Roy, whose statements have been much stronger, can be taken at his word.

Patrick Ewing Sr. Meets the IPB

True story--so I was dining in a restaurant in Bethesda last evening when in walks Patrick Ewing Sr. and a young female companion. Turns out he was seated at the table right next to me, which I am guessing was a request on his part.

At one point I got up from my seat to use the restroom and Ewing followed me there.

We had a nice chat on the way back from the restroom to our tables in which Patrick told me he was looking forward to seeing me at Georgetown games this year and that his son was incredibly excited about the start of the season.

We also exchanged pleasantries as I left the restaurant.

This is a true story (well most of it).

Number 5?

MSNBC has the Hoyas ranked number 5 in their top 25.

Of course this is subspect since they list Jonathan Wallace as their "Must See." I love Wallace, and I hope that he steps up his game, but c'mon...who are we kidding...

Hmmmm....

Also from CNNSI

Here's Seth Davis's article about the biggest questions for 20 elite teams.

Mr. Davis's comments on G-town:

Georgetown: Will the littles be as good as the bigs?

We know 7-2 junior Roy Hibbert, 6-9 junior Jeff Green and 6-9 freshman Vernon (Big Ticket) Macklin will give the Hoyas the best frontcourt in the Big East. The backcourt, however, is much less of a sure thing. Jonathan Wallace, a 6-1 junior, did a very good job as the de facto point guard last year (2.26 assist-to-turnover ratio), but he had the luxury of playing alongside Ashanti Cook. With Cook gone, Wallace will probably move to the two spot, where he'll have to show more aggressiveness than he has in the past. The point duties, meanwhile, will probably be handled by Jessie Sapp, a 6-3 sophomore who averaged 16 minutes per game last year. The Hoyas have Final Four potential, but as of now, their guards are a question, not an answer.

SI Pre-Season Rankings

CNNSI.com did their first pre-season Power Rankings on Friday. So, I guess it's old news. Nonetheless, I thought I'd presented it to the rest of the VBBs who hadn't seen it yet. Our beloved Hoyas are ranked 7 (one spot above Pitt).

Georgetown Hoyas
Gotta dig into the murky world of message boards for this nugget, but if you're in the minority who doesn't expect big things from Roy Hibbert this season, check out his unofficial stat-line from the famed D.C. Kenner League title game this summer: 32 points (8-for-11 on FGs, 16-of-19 on FTs), nine rebounds, two blocks -- against a team led by ex-Maryland star Lonny Baxter. The championship took place on July 30, just 17 days before Baxter's infamous gun-near-the-White House incident. I speculated in the blog a few weeks back that it might have had something to do with a grudge against Karl Rove ... but maybe Baxter was just frustrated about getting beat by Big Roy?

For the rest of the article, click here.

Midnight Madness

By all accounts, the Midnight Madness last Friday/Saturday seemed to be a success. Patrick Ewing, Sr. made an appearance--his first in McDonough since his playing days. And they were either selling or handing out really cool t-shirts, which commemorate the fact that this is the 100th year of basketball at Georgetown (a factoid that I did not know and, for some reason, doubt).

Here are some pictures from the event.

On Campus Arena?

In The Voice's article about JTIII's recent talk to the student body in Gaston Hall, there are some interesting quotes about the prospect of building an arena on campus. And when I say "interesting," I mean depressing.

The coach said that he was as not optimistic about building an on-campus arena, saying that an upgraded practice facility is more feasible.

“Would we rather have something here on campus? Hell yea,” he said.

Thompson said that the obstacles to a new home for the Hoyas go beyond fundraising to include zoning and ward approval.

“Washington D.C. may inhibit having an on-campus arena at Georgetown.”

The entire article is worth a read, if you have the time. Good stuff about JTIII's take on the atmosphere at Verizon Center, the demand for student tickets, and playing other DC-area teams.

Junkies

I hate NPR's pledge drives. So, this morning I spent a fair amount of time listening to the DC-Baltimore-area morning show the Junkies on WJFK. (Note: if your office is like mine the Junkies' website might get caught it your smut filter).

Anyway, they were commenting on how Midnight Madness was this weekend and then started talking about the various local teams. It wasn't a long discussion, but they mentioned how Georgetown's next two classes are "just sick," and how the Hoyas are quietly collecting Final Four type talent.

Nothing really new, but I thought it was good evidence of how people are starting to turn their attention back to the Beasts of the East.

First report from Media Day

I love this from the Post:

"[C]onfidence is rampant out here [at Georgetown]. Like, real rampant. I asked Pat Ewing which team was the best in the area (more on this later), and here's what he said.

"Best team in the area? I'm not really concerned with teams in the area. We're more concerned with the best team in the nation, and I think as long as we get what we need to get done, we're the best team in the nation."

"The nation?" I said.

"The nation," he said. "As long as we do what we're supposed to get done, no one should be able to beat us."

Keeping the expectations low out here.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/

EDIT: Check out the line from Jeff Green about staying all FOUR years!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the Weiss post

I wasn't able to put this in my response to the IPB:

http://blogs.nydailynews.com/weiss/archives/2006/10/hoyas_add_two_blue_chippers.php

Money quote: "The two blue chippers - who are legitimate McDonald's candidates - could be exactly what John Thompson III needs in his quest to duplicate his father's accomplishments in the early 80's - one national championship in 1984 and two other trips to the Final Four - and make a strong run at a national championship within the next three years."

Also, note his mention of Chris Braswell. It is rumored that Bras will verbal to the Hoyas next month. He has cut his list down to GU, Virginia, UConn, and Nova, trimming among others Sweaty Gary's program in College Park.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/10/AR2006101001246.html

Braswell is only a high school junior but having him on board could bring another elite class to the Hilltop to follow on the heels of the Freeman/Wright triumph. By all accounts, he is also a top ten-type and will be hamburger AA.

Midnight Madness

Midnight Madness comes to the Hilltop this Friday. I saw that this event is not only open to students, but to the general public as well. I was wondering if anyone was thinking about going.

re: Recruits and Freshman

Diamond,

Can you pls post some additional background info about Wright and Freeman? I would like to know more about them (where they are from, what HS they play for, summaries and opinions of their on-court skills and strenghts, weaknesses)? Also will we have other recruits/incoming freshman next year or just Wright and Freeman?

Also, other than the Big Ticket, can you pls remind us who our new freshman are this year and what impact, if any, you expect them to have?

First 2 pts as a Hoya.

Wright's a Hoya!

From the press conference . . . .

Final Four 2007

Big Jeff and Roy baby!

Chris Wright press conference today at 3:30

This would be a huge pick-up. The Wright-Freeman back court would dominate. Of course, we don't have a scholarship available so one must assume that the staff understands Jeff is gone after this year. I'll post an update when we know something.

Roy . . . Roy Roy Roy is staying for four years!

"I'm totally committed to staying here for four years because I love Georgetown and being a student here. Plus, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a part of the Georgetown tradition. My dream was always to have people talk about me as one of the great ones in Georgetown's line of centers. I watch tapes of Patrick and Alonzo and Dikembe, and that's the epitome of what I want to be. That's a four-year project. And hopefully after four years, I'll have a chance to be mentioned in that company."

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20061010-122639-8565r.htm

A long time coming...

It's been quite a while since we've had a new post on ye olde blog. So, I figured it was time to get my fingers-a-flyin' over ye olde keyboard. If we don't keep up contributions now, during the off season, someone is likely to suffer a blogging injury during the basketball season due to a lack of conditioning.

Anyway, today's Hoya ran an article about funding for the university's new retreat center in Clarke County, Virginia. According to that article [CLICK HERE], the ESACPE prorrma will use this new facility most heavily. Given the prominent role ESCAPE played in the genesis of the Stallion household I thought this article would be of particular interest.