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Georgetown-WVU Recap: The Jester Is Not Laughing

2009-01-23T08:41:00.003-05:00

The Hoyas got throttled at home last night by the West Virginia Mountaineers. I'm not happy about it. I'm not happy about it, but things like that are going to happen to a young team. You're going to lose a game or two that you were expected to win. It's like Coach Thompson said during his post-game news conference. It's a "blip." You have to move on. So, I'm not happy about losing, but I can take it.

What I cannot take, however, is a team that gives up. Sometimes even well coached players lose their poise. But last night, in the waning minutes of the game, I saw a JTIII-coached team just complete give up while the clock was still running. In the last minute, or minute and a half, the Hoyas figured out that they didn't have time to come back and they just stopped caring. They let WVU get an uncontested, and monstrous, dunk. They started walking away from the ball as the last 20 seconds rolled off the clock.

I understand being upset at a bad loss. I do not understand not having enough self-respect, or respect for your fans, to let your opponent disrespect you on your home court like that. The game is 40 minutes long. You are supposed to play all 40 minutes. If I was the Georgetown coach I would sit every player on the floor at the end of last night's game for the beginning of Sunday's match-up against Seton Hall.

That's all I have to say about that.

Otherwise, the game was what it was. We shot horribly (20-51, and 2-16 from behind the arc). We turned the ball over like it was our job (19 turnovers for the game, with 11 coming in the first half). We missed free throws (16-25). WVU played good defense. They focused on Greg Monroe--denying him the ball and then double teaming him when he managed to get his hands on the rock. In return we played sloppy defense. The Mountaineers seemed to have an open shooter on every possession, and even when it was apparent that Da'Sean Butler was tearing us up (he had 15 in the first half) we couldn't manage to get a defender on him to slow him down (he finished with 27). It was just a bad game on every level, and still we were within two points with less than 12 minutes to play.

Let's hope the Hoyas shake it off for their three game road trip. The first two games, at Seton Hall and at Cincinnati are infinitely winnable. The game at Marquette on January 31st will be very tough. Let's see if these young Hoyas can remember how to fight.

Musings on Georgetown-Syracuse

2009-01-15T16:31:00.001-05:00

I don’t have a lot of time to post, but I just wanted to say that last night’s thrashing of the Syracuse Orangemen was one of the most enjoyable Georgetown games I can remember. In fact, I think I enjoyed this game more than any that I have seen in person since Roy Hibbert hit that three to beat UConn at home last year.

It was just a thing of beauty. When’s the last time we saw the Hoyas look so unstoppable with their shooting. This year’s iteration of the Blue & Grey has never looked so hot from the floor. Everything about the game was just a lot of fun, from the students chanting “Ni-ki-ta, Ni-ki-ta” as Mescheriakov left the floor after shedding his normal “deer-in-the-headlights” play for two quick and timely threes; to the monster jam from Henry Sims; to the dejected look on the face of the ‘Cuse fans who I had to contend with in the Comcast Sportsnet box (thanks to Behemoth for pulling those tickets).

Just a few quick points:

1.) It was nice to see the Hoyas put together a strong performance in a game where Monroe didn’t do a lot of scoring. His final line (10 points) is misleading. Many of those points came down the stretch when the game was already firmly in hand. Don’t get me wrong, Greg did a lot of other things (i.e., leading the team with 6 assists). It was great, however, to see other players hitting the shots. It will serve us well down the stretch.

2.) The bench was the real story of this game. If you had told me a week ago that the bench would score 29 points against a top 10 team I would have said that you were crazy. Well, it looks like crazy just happened. Not only did the bench produce some points, but they played some valuable minutes, which left our starters looking rested and ready to play down the stretch. In our losses to Pitt and Notre Dame the most apparent problem (to me, anyway) was how absolutely exhausted our starting five looked. Exhausted players = ineffective players. The more the bench develops and is able to spell the starters, the more prepared the Hoyas will be to go the distance against the other elite teams of the Big East.

3.) On a related note, how about the rise of Jason Clark. He’s looked fantastic the last few games. He really is becoming the player that we expected him to be when he came to Georgetown. He scored 12 points last night on 5 for 6 from the field (including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc). He also looked comfortable handling the rock.

4.) The flip side of the rise of Jason Clark is the disappearance of Jessie Sapp. I didn’t expect Jessie to be a star this year, but I feel like he’s fading away. It’s sad. I’ve always enjoyed the energy that Jessie brings to the floor. At times, I feel like you can actually see the boxer in him. Last night he played less time than any other starter (19 minutes) and only scored 2 points -– making him the lowest scorer of the 10 individuals that got playing time. He also had two turnovers. The only bright side was the three steals he picked up.

5.) Did anyone else notice that Hollis Thompson dressed for the game and Byron Jansen did not? Is Byron hurt? Or is there a limit on how many players you can dress for a game? If the answer to that second question is “yes,” did JTIII just choose to dress Thompson instead of Jansen? Why would you do that for a player that isn’t supposed to play this year? I could probably dig around the Hoya Talk boards and find an answer, but if someone can save me the trouble by explaining in a comment it would be much appreciated.

6.) Does this scare anyone else? C’mon just give us one more year!

Anyway, bring on Duke!

An Interesting Anecdote From The L.A. Times

2009-01-14T14:26:00.005-05:00

I missed this on Big John's radio broadcast, which I rarely listen to because, well, I have a job and can't spend all day listening to sports radio. Having recently finished Leonard Shapiro's biography of John Thompson, Jr. (which is a good read), I thought that this was humorous.

Anyway, this is what The Los Angeles Times had to say:

Hoya means what?

John Thompson III, Georgetown's basketball coach, might want to quit
listening to sports-talk radio, especially when the one talking is his
dad.

John Thompson Jr., the former Georgetown coach, recently told listeners of
his show on Washington's WTEM that the Hoyas could cure their rebounding
problems if they had some "thugs."

As college basketball blog Rush the Court points out, Thompson, who was
known for defending his players against such labeling, would have taken
"umbrage" if any media type had suggested when he was coaching that some college
basketball players were thugs.

To his credit, JTIII, while acknowledging his team's rebounding
deficiencies, said merely that the Hoyas need players "with a nose for the
ball."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-random14-2009jan14,0,5516346.story

Starks Profile in Post

2009-01-07T15:42:00.003-05:00

Two painful losses under our belts and I feel like turning to something a bit more fun. (For the record, I expect the Hoyas to rebound just fine (in both senses). We are young, but very talented. The guys just need to get into a rhythm and work on some things. Greg Monroe--just keep doing what you are doing.) The Washington Post has this great video today on Markel Starks, who will join the Hoyas in 2 years.

AP Poll: Hoyas #9

2009-01-05T15:43:00.002-05:00

Georgetown finished one spot higher in the AP poll, coming in at number nine. Again, Pitt is number one and there are nine Big East teams in the Top 25.

The interesting thing is that Georgetown's performance this week (beating UConn in Connecticut and losing to Pitt at home) caused them to gain two spots in the AP poll...while dropping two spots in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

I don't know what to make of that.

Ouch! That's a Little Rough, Gary.

2009-01-05T14:27:00.003-05:00

Every week CBS Sportsline's Gary Parrish has his "Monday Look Back." One of the standard sections of that column is Gary's "Player Who Should Lose His Scholarship." This is this week's entry:

Player(s) who should lose (their) scholarship(s): I'm adjusting this category this week to include Georgetown's starting guards, namely Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Jessie Sapp. After going 12-of-26 from the field and combining to finish with 34 points in that win at Connecticut, they stunk it up Saturday in a 70-54 home loss to Pittsburgh. Wright, Freeman and Sapp combined to go 4-of-22 from the field (including 2-of-12 from 3-point range), and when that happens against a quality opponent the Hoyas are typically going to lose, even when DaJuan Summers and Greg Monroe combine for 37 points.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/sportsline/main11226135.shtml

Ouch!

The guards definitely let Georgetown down on Saturday. But Chris Right has been fantastic the rest of this (early) season, Freeman is always solid, and Sapp was one of the few players providing some passion as the game against Pitt started to get out of control (anyone who saw his reaction after the block/tie up he managed down low knows what I'm talking about). They had a horrible game. But it is just one game! Let's see what happens against the Irish tonight!

ESPN/USA Today Rankings: Hoyas #10

2009-01-05T14:19:00.002-05:00

The ESPN/USA Today Poll just game out. After beating UConn and getting drubbed (at home) to Pitt, the Georgetown Hoyas are #10.

The biggger story, however, is the incredibly strong showing for the Big East. After UNC's suprise loss to BC, The Pitt Panthers take the number 1 slots for the first time in school history. Behind them in the top 25 are another eight Big East teams, including three more in the top 10--UConn at number five, Syracuse at number nine, and, again, Georgetown at number 10. The Big East's other representatives in the Top 25 are Notre Dame (13), Marquette (15), Villanova (17), Louisville (21), and West Virginia (22).

It's going to be a long Big East season!

Hoya Fans are Everywhere

2009-01-03T09:55:00.002-05:00

From my perch at MSK, I've learned that Hoya hoop fans are literally everywhere; from M Street to the bowels of the hospitals in NYC. When I walked into the radiation room last week, I was sporting one of my old Hoya track long sleeve t-shirts. Eddie, my radiation tech, noticed the Hoyas logo and very excitedly began to tell me how he was in his words a "Hoya Hoop nut". He told me how he loved the Hoyas since the days of Patrick Ewing, Sr and followed Papa Ewing throughout his career. He's also a big fan of Monroe.

Anyway, the point of my story is that Hoya Paranoia is all over and has afflicted all ages. It's amazing what hooks people in. For Eddie it was Ewing. For me, it was Iverson taking on UConn in '95. Loyal readers, what's the first time you realized you were hooked?

Hollis is at Georgetown

2009-01-01T17:47:00.005-05:00

As reported earlier on Hoyatalk, Hollis Thompson has enrolled at Georgetown. He evidently completed his high school coursework and was able to graduate early. Being fully qualified, he has enrolled at Georgetown as a second-semester freshman, who will practice with the team, but will not actually suit up. This is a great opportunity for Hollis to (1) bulk up, (2) learn the offense, and (3) work with the coaches on his skill development. This could be huge--especially if Summers jumps to the league. Thompson will not have a massive learning curve. By all accounts he is an exceptional student and a great kid. It is great to have him aboard. And barring some surprise, that finishes off the class of 2009.

Here is the report from GUHoyas.com:

Hollis Thompson to Enroll at Georgetown for Spring Semester
California Forward admitted for Spring semester

Jan. 1, 2009
Washington DC - Georgetown University Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson III announced today that recruit Hollis Thompson, a 6-6, 180 lb. forward from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, California, has been admitted to Georgetown.

"Hollis will enroll for the 2009 spring semester," [begins January 7]" Coach Thompson said. "There are no plans for him to play, but he will practice with the team as he acclimates himself to college life. We feel this will be an exceptional opportunity for Hollis. It gives him a chance to adjust to life on and off the court before he begins intercollegiate competition in the 2009-2010 season."

Hollis is listed as an elite recruit with several recruiting web sites. He averaged 14.0 ppg and chose Georgetown over Duke, UCLA, USC and Arizona.

http://guhoyas.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/010109aaa.html

Katz still hearts the Hoyas ... and other thoughts

2009-01-01T13:24:00.003-05:00

I loved this mention of the Hoyas from Andy Katz's New Year's piece:

Georgetown closed 2008 with a resounding win at Connecticut. The Hoyas host Pitt on Saturday (ESPN, noon) in a game that is as anticipated as any in the Big East this season. Illinois closed the calendar year with an impressive overtime win at Purdue. Michigan is up next for the Illini, and that game could provide insight into the Big Ten winner. This is good for the sport. This is really good. Georgetown has returned to power status.

It proved its strength two seasons ago when it reached the Final Four. The Hoyas are not wilting. They're getting stronger and more firm in their standing as an annual title contender, and those back-to-back regular-season Big East titles are evidence. A third is hardly out of the question. Pitt has become a new player among the Big East elite this decade. But having Georgetown back is good for the game.

Why? Well, the sport needs the Hoyas. Call me a traditionalist, but name recognition matters. Georgetown, which plays in the nation's capital, is synonymous with college basketball. Having that school's basketball program on television and mattering nationally is good for business.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3801779

This got me thinking about just how far we have come since we began this blog to coincide with JTIII's hiring as head coach. (Granted, our posting thus far this season has been halting at best.) After that first season, which featured a disappointing fade down the stretch soothed by glimpses of future glory, Jester linked to an Andy Katz piece that didn't even list Georgetown among the top 50 programs in the country, heading into the 2005-2006 season: http://thevanburenboys.blogspot.com/2005/08/top-50.html

That season we spent much of the year in the top 25 and went to the sweet 16. The following year: top 25, plus Big East reg season/tourney champs and final four. Last year we were almost as good, save the disastrous loss in the second round to Davidson. This year we might even be better. What a testament to what many of us said during the ugly Esherick days. College basketball is all about the head coach. Plan and simple. Are facilities important? Yes. Does this issue need to be addressed at Georgetown? Of course. But it is worth appreciating what a difference a great coach makes.

I hope that the excitement of this year and the realization that the recent success was not just a fluke will spur more alumni to give to the program and to encourage the university to make the needed facilities investment. Reading between the lines of the JTIII contract extension negotiations, it seems that he was promised a new practice facility, but Lord knows how long that could take. With the economic downturn, he and we may need to be patient. That said, once the time comes, everyone needs to give generously.

Success in such a highly competitive environment is guaranteed to be fleeting without sustained commitment. This is true for great programs and great coaches. We learned that lesson at Georgetown in the late 1990s. Other programs, Temple, Michigan, Maryland, Depaul, St. John's and UNLV, to name a few, have also learned this the hard way.

Remember: high school students naturally have a very small frame of reference. They don't know who went to the final four 5 years ago, let alone 10 years ago. We can never become complacent again, as another JTIII may not be available to walk through those doors of an aging McDonough gym.

So let's enjoy our current success and plan for more in the future! Happy New Year's everyone!

Bilas on Hoyas' Win Over UConn

2008-12-30T08:43:00.002-05:00

I'll try to post some original thoughts later today, but I wanted to get something on the board about last night's win over the Huskies.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe we really are a top 10 team.

I think we'll know more after Saturday's game at home against Pitt.

Anyway, here are the thoughts of Jay Bilas (who has consistently been one of the Georgetown's biggest fans over the last few years), who covered last night's game.

Rankings, Memphis, and Where For Art Thou VBB?

2008-12-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

I admit it. We've been pathetic. Georgetown not only played cross-town "rival" Maryland, but whooped them, and The VBB are silent. The Hoyas rip off one of the most lopsided victories in school history against Savannah State and what do you get, adoring public? That's right. More silence.

What can I say? We suck. Much like this year's Hoyas, The VBB do not seem to have the same kind of depth that they've had in year's past. Imagine this. They Hoyas are deep in Big East play and Greg Monroe finds himself in serious foul trouble. JTIII has to sit him. Where does that leave you? Can you rely on Sims to pound it down low? No, you can't. All he wants to do is shoot three pointers (and he is likely to continue to want to shoot three pointers after finally hitting one against Savannah State). That's how The VBB have been this season. Greg Monroe has been in foul trouble and there's no one else to turn to. But, never fear, I'm coming off the bench with four fouls and I am ready to make an impact!

Yes, you read that right. I just compared myself to Greg Monroe.

And with that done, here are some thoughts.

Second, the rankings. With that victory over Memphis the Hoyas have climbed to 13 and 15 in the ESPN/USAToday and AP polls, respectively. I am a very pleased with the Hoyas play this year, but I am still not convinced that we are a top-15 team. Those 90 points that Tennessee hung on us in Orlando are still leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Especially, after Tennessee got beat by unheralded Temple.

Memphis Win

First, what a great win this weekend. It was an ugly win, but a great win. I think that the three most important games that the Hoyas are going to play this year are their out-of-conference match ups against Tennessee, Memphis, and Duke. The teams in the Big East are going to bloody up each other in conference play. Even the elite teams will likely have several losses. So, when it comes time to "dance," how you performed in non-conference games are going to be real important. The Duke game is at Cameron. That's tough. Tennessee was a neutral floor and Memphis was at home. Escaping the Tennessee-Memphis stretch with a least one with was very important.

It was also important in what it showed us about our team. First, after a slow start, DaJuan Summers is really starting to assert himself more. If he plays every game with the intensity and physicality he showed against Memphis the Hoyas will be just fine this year. The problem with DaJuan has always been that he tends to disappear some games. He needs to bring that intensity night-in and night-out during Big East play.

The next big point I took from Saturday's game is that Chris Wright is the man! He is the same kind of steadying force on the floor that we used to have in Jonathan Wallace, except that he about ten times quicker. He also showed some serious defensive intensity against Tyreke Evans in overtime. That was huge.

Finally, I am officially worried about our depth down low. Henry Sims got Z-E-R-O minutes. Thompson obviously does not trust him when it counts. Vaughn also got very limited time--only three minutes. Monroe played 42 minutes. I don't think he'll ever make it through the Big East scheduled playing that much. I really hope Vaughn and Sims step up in our two primer games before our trip to Connecticut.

Rankings

Still, that is nothing compared to what I found today. I love Ken Pomeroy. I, like many, have found his rankings to be one of the greatest barometers of a team's actually talent and chances of winning. Well, today I checked kenpom.com and he has the Hoyas ranked number one. What? I know that Ken has been tweaking his formula. But I'm pretty sure he must have forgotten to carry a number, or misplaced the decimal point, or something. Still, I hope that the Hoyas prove me wrong!

The Old Spice Classic Bracket

2008-11-24T11:42:00.003-05:00

Click the image to enlarge.

Alonzo Mourning at the Hoyas-Dragons Match-up

2008-11-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

Another highlight at the Georgetown game yesterday--besides the drubbing that the Hoyas gave Drexel--was the appearance of former Hoyas' great, and seven-time NBA All Star, Alonzo Mourning. When the in-arena announced Alonzo's pressence to the crowd, he got the hearty standing ovation that a great like him deserves. It was good to have him back.

'Zo was at the Verizon Center to sign copies of his new book, Resilience. In fact, Mourning was set up right outside the section where I sit. Unfortunately, however, the line was crazy long. I would have love to get a signed copy, but it would have meant missing pretty much the entire game. So, I'll have to be content with the photo I took on my cell phone.

Some Good Tid-Bits from The Washington Times

2008-11-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

The times provides some good information about two things that were bothering me at yesterday's Georgetown Hoyas' game. First, I was wondering what happened to Julian Vaughan. Second, I was wondering whether I had been pronouncing Nikita's name wrong, seeing as the name on the back of his jersey ended in an "ou."

The Washington Times has come to the rescue.

Georgetown sophomore forward Julian Vaughn didn't practice all week or play in yesterday's game because of a minor sprain just above his left Achilles. The 6-foot-9 reserve is expected to be available for the Old Spice Classic (Nov. 27-30). ...

For those who might have noticed the disparity between the way Nikita Mescheriakov's name is spelled in box scores and official releases compared with his jersey (Meshcharakou), the forward explained that the former is the anglicized Russian spelling while the latter is the official Belarusian spelling.

Greg Monroe = Awesome

2008-11-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

I suppose the jury will remain out on any freshman who has yet to see Big East action. With that caveat, let me at least tentatively proclaim that Greg Monroe is very, very good. Seeing him today felt similar to the first time I saw Jeff Green play. Like Green, there is not a single facet of his game that stands out. And yet, he rarely makes mistakes and simply makes those around him better. Monroe made a very good choice by selecting Georgetown. Our offense highlights his outstanding passing and frequently has him at the top of the key with the ball in his hands. Now, I love Roy Hibbert, but what a difference from last year! Greg can drive down the lane; he can fire a pass to a cutting guard; he can step back and hit the outside shot. And I don't cringe when he chases an opponent's guard on the perimeter!

Greg also showed great discipline on defense by keeping his feet planted against smaller players. We'll have to see how he stacks up against bigger teams in the Big East, but I would doubt there was anyone watching today who honestly expected him to be this good. The offense today looked as smooth as I can recall seeing it in recent years. Of course, Drexel was not a fearsome foe, but they aren't terrible either. We may all have to adjust our expectations for this season upwards.

I'm not sure much needs to be said about the game. It was a blowout from whistle to whistle. The most interesting aspect was watching the players. Here are my initial thoughts.

The Good (Greg Monroe aside)

Chris Wright had an outstanding game; lots of assists and drives to the hoop; knocked down a three. I don't recall a turnover.
Austin Freeman was also great. He hit a nice three and exhibited his upper body strength taking the ball to the hole.
Jesse Sapp was solid as always. His shot looks just as good as it did last year and he made no mistakes.
Omar Wattad was a pleasant surprise. Sure, he made some unforced errors, but he showed poise and confidence and even hit a three. Omar will be a serviceable sub for years to come.
Jason Clark showed some nice things. He is quick; his shot looks good; and his arms are freakishly long--should make him a very effective defender.

The Bad

Dajuan Summers simply wasn't having a good day. He disappeared for stretches, missed fairly open outside shots, and didn't take the ball inside. Not his best performance.
Nikita! Wow. Not. Good. At. All. And I loved this kid when I saw him play in Kenner. His outside shot--which looked automatic at that point--was not falling, and he made some very bad decisions on offense. That said, if I were JTIII, I'd keep him out there and tell him to keep shooting. Let's see how much of this is a dearth of confidence.

The Questions

I don't know what to make of Henry Sims. He had some nice blocks, but seems content to flit around the perimeter jacking up shots. He also looks too skinny to me to bang down low in the Big East. I'm not sure what we can really expect from him this year, but he is someone I could see blossoming under JTIII's tutelage.
Julian Vaughn must be injured. I can't think of why he would have been the only player to sit on the bench today.

All in all, this game has gotten me excited and optimistic for the 2009 campaign.

Former Hoya Baller as National Security Advisor?

2008-11-21T11:42:00.000-05:00

Former 6-5 Hoyas forward Jim Jones (SFS' 66) may get the nod to serve as President Obama's first National Security Advisor. General Jones has served as the head of the Marine Corps and as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

Jones is the leading candidate to be Obama's national security advisor.

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) – Two sources close to the Obama transition team tell CNN retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones has emerged as President-elect's leading choice to become national security adviser in the White House.

The sources said Jones has been given the impression by the President-elect that the job is his if he wants it. But the officials said there are still private discussions underway and no final decision has been made. The discussions are focused on precisely how much power Jones will have in the staff job since he is used to being in a command role. Among his many posts, Jones served for several years as the operational commander for NATO. In the third and final presidential debate, Obama noted that he deeply values advice from Jones, who has four decades of military service.

One person close to the transition noted Jones is a bipartisan figure who has warm relationships with both current Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who may stay on the job for at least a brief period, as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is now on track to be nominated as Secretary of State after Thanksgiving.CNN first reported last week that Jones was getting serious consideration for either national security adviser or Energy Secretary.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/21/sources-jones-leading-choice-for-national-security-advisor/

Dash Riley, We Hardley Knew Ye

2008-11-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

After rumors flying for several days, Barker has retracted his report that Dashonte Riley signed with the Hoyas. He has instead decided to reopen his recruitment. Hollis Thompson has indeed signed, though.

Riley retracts commitment from Georgetown

Georgetown recruit DaShonte Riley informed coach John Thompson earlier this week that he will decommit from the Hoyas. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound center from Detroit Country Day (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) gave the Hoyas an oral commitment last summer but changed his mind after taking his official visit to Georgetown earlier this fall. "[Riley] just said after he returned from his official visit that he didn't feel like it was the right fit for him," Detroit Country Day coach Kurt Keener said. "I know his mother felt that he had committed a little too early in the process. They discussed the situation after he returned from his official visit, and he called the staff at Georgetown recently and informed them he would be reopening his recruitment.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/riley-retracts-commitment-from-georgetown/

I have a few thoughts on this:

(1) We clearly don't want any player who has serious questions about whether he will fit in on the team or on campus. Transfers have been far too common under the JTIII era--although, unlike during the Esherick error, our best players are staying(!). If Dash was not going to fit in, then it is better he figured that out sooner rather than later.

(2) I wonder if the staff communicated to him in any way that he was not going to be getting immediate playing time. If Monroe doesn't leave after one year, Riley would have been third string, after Sims, presumably.

(3) Riley is clearly a talent and may have had a very productive career at Georgetown, but he is a top 150-type, not a top 25-type, so we Hoyas fans should not lose an inordinate amount of sleep over this. The coaches, however, will have to find some another big man to get up in the mix for 2010. Assuming Monroe only stays two years, we will be very thin up front at that point. If Summers leaves after this year, next year we will probably see a three man rotation in the 4 and 5 spots--Vaughn, Monroe, and Sims. If both Summers and Monroe jump, JTIII will have to start scanning the juco ranks or hope for coaching changes lead to de-commits.

Geogetown-Jacksonville: An Introduction To The 2008-2009 Hoyas

2008-11-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

First, of all, The VBB sincerely apologize for the pathetic state of the blog. It seems that we have all let our real lives get in the way of our collective cyber-life. How selfish of us! We also have been neglectful of all of those emails we have received from our readership. Again, shame on us. But worry not. A new day is upon us, for it is November and the college basketball season has begun. We shall make amends for our previous silence.

Last night the Hoyas took on the Jacksonville Dolphins, a team they beat by over 30 last season. This year was a little closer--and a little too close for comfort. Nonetheless, it gave us the opportunity to see what this year’s Georgetown team has to offer. Though the Hoyas are young, last night showed that they have lots of potential. Here are some initial thoughts.

THE GOOD:

First, Greg Monroe may be the real deal. I was very down on Greg based on the few previous games I saw him play in during high school. Last night he looked polished and smooth on the court. His post moves are very refined for a freshman. And he showed some real promise as a blocking threat. That being said…

He was playing against a team that did not have any starters over 6’-7”. And he began to drag fairly early on in the game. He definitely has to work on his conditioning. He also seemed soft on defense. That could be a major problem when we get into Big East play.

Chris Wright was very impressive last night. He showed flashes of brilliance last year, but the injured foot kept him from fulfilling it. Last night, he was healthy and he was great. He was quick, and he was aggressive. He slashed to the basket at will and, as a result, ended up leading all scorers last night. He will definitely help us to be more up-tempo this year.

THE BAD:

DaJuan was still too passive. He ended up putting up good numbers, but it was not because he wanted to. If the Hoyas are going to succeed this year—especially given the Big East’s incredible depth—Summers is going to have to step-up and provide some leadership. He didn’t show me that last night. It’s early, but count me officially worried.

Outside shooting. It was horrible. We couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn…and trust me were trying. Thompson actually scolded the team for taking too many outside shots. He was right to. Their shot selection was troubling. But more troubling was their inability to hit those shots. While our young big men will become a force to be reckoned with, they aren’t there yet. Plus, it is relatively easy to defend against a one-dimensional team. If Georgetown is going to be successful, they have to solve this problem. The report on Nikita is that he is supposed to be an outside shooter. He was not last night (he was just awkward). Hopefully, that was just an aberration.

Free throw shooting. They’re free shots. No one is in your face. You are relatively close to the basket. You are supposed to make them. The Hoyas, as a rule, had trouble with this simple concept last night. This is something else they will have to work on.

THE QUESTIONS:

Henry Sims only played two minutes. I am not sure why. It looked like Monroe could have used more of a blow. But JTIII was obviously reluctant to but him in, opting for Vaughn instead. Since Vaughn was not overly impressive, I am guessing that Sims is still really raw. We’ll have to watch to see how this plays out.

No Respect

2008-10-23T14:36:00.003-04:00

The Hoyas aren't getting much love from the Big East coaches. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that we deserve to be in the top 3. Heck, maybe we're not even in the top 5. But you're honestly trying to tell me that we only deserved to be seventh? Really?!?!?

2008-09 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll

1. Connecticut (9) 214
2. Louisville (3) 205
3. Pittsburgh (3) 200
4. Notre Dame (1) 195
5. Villanova 153
6. Marquette 146
7. Georgetown 141
8. Syracuse 139
9. West Virginia 121
10. Providence 99
11. Cincinnati 91
12. Rutgers 53
13. Seton Hall 50
14. St. John’s 44
15. DePaul 43
16. USF 26

* * *

Georgetown Picked Seventh in Big East
Connecticut Is the Preseason Favorite

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 23, 2008; Page E02

NEW YORK, Oct. 22 -- On the heels of back-to-back regular season Big East championships and a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the Georgetown Hoyas were picked Wednesday to finish a humble seventh in the annual preseason coaches' poll.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102203139.html

Midnight Madness

2008-10-20T10:46:00.002-04:00

I don't have ESPNU and did not, therefore, get a chance to catch the coverage of the Hoyas' midnight madness celebration this past Friday. If anyone else did, I would love to hear what they thought.

I found these clips on YouTube, which give a sense of the atmosphere inside McDonough. It appears like it was pretty electrifying. I love Sims's enthusiasm. Monroe seemed rather reserved, as usual. Hopefully, he finds some enthusiasm when he hits the hardwood for the Blue and Gray.

JTIII beats out Beilein for Lubick

2008-10-08T09:25:00.002-04:00

2010 is shaping up with Nate Lubick now hopping on board the Hoya bandwagon. The versatile 6'8, 215 lb forward picked Georgetown over John Beilein's Michigan squad. Lubick, who hails from Southborough, MA, is rated as a 4-star recruit by both Scout and Rivals. Rivals has him as #62 nationally.

Here's a scouting report that included video of Lubick. http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/recruits/player/222/Nate-Lubick.php

Lubick looks like the versatile big men that both JTIII and Beilein love. Here's to hoping he can pittsnoggle a few teams for us while donning the blue and grey.

Of course, somebody has to jump all over the race issue. Is this not getting tiresome? JTIII has never coached an all-black team at Georgetown, nor did he ever coach one at Princeton. I mean all anyone has to do is look at the team photos each year. Hopefully, this is the death-rattle of that unfair (and untrue) smear on the Georgetown program.

LUBICK NOT WORRIED ABOUT RACE ISSUE

It’s been more than four years since Georgetown has had an American-born Caucasion [sic] on their team. That was before Matt Causey transferred out of the program and ultimately landed at Georgia Tech. John Thompson III and the Hoyas landed highly regarded junior forward Nate Lubick last night. He isn’t set to arrive on campus until the fall of 2010. ``At first, after Georgetown offered, it was like, `Georgetown doesn’t offer white kids,’” Lubick said. “I thought about it a little bit and after I visited the second time and was with their players, I just said, ‘Who cares.’” ``I went on a bunch of visits and none of the teams were anywhere nearly as close as Georgetown,” Lubick added. “It’s crazy. They all hang out together like a family and couldn’t care less about the white-black thing and that’s what made me so comfortable. I didn’t even pay attention to it.” The Hoyas do have 6-foot-8 Nikita Mescheriakov on the team, who hails from Belarus.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox

(I suppose Kenny Izzo and Bryon Jansen don't count.)

Markel Starks picks Georgetown

2008-09-25T14:03:00.001-04:00

Georgetown Prep's Markel Starks has verballed to the Hoyas, reportedly choosing Georgetown over Stanford, Maryland, and others. The 6-1, 180 lb guard graduates high school in 2010. Both Rivals and Scout rank his as a 4-star recruit; #35 nationally on Rivals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092504524.html

Here's some video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1659850664/bclid1659879241/bctid1662474871

Hoya Hoops Ads on Orioles Games

2008-09-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

I know that Hoya hoops season is a long way off, but due to health circumstances, the Stallion has been watching a TON of sports TV. Not sure if my fellow Beltway VBB have seen, but everytime I see an Oriolems game or highlights, there is a huge ad behind home plate for Hoya Hoops tickets for the upcoming season. I'm pretty sure that it's image inserted for TV. But, I thought it was cool that Hoya Hoops frenzy is starting already. Especially cool to see it on TV here in NYC.

SI names Ewing all-time greatest Georgetown athlete

2008-07-23T15:48:00.001-04:00

Check out the whole list (spoiler: Jeff Green is #7).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0807/campus.georgetown.top10/content.1.html

Now it all makes sense....

2008-07-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

The Julian Vaughn transfer came into sharper focus today. Not that Julian wouldn't be a great pick-up for the Hoyas, but it seemed a little strange with Macklin and Sims and Braswell and Monroe all upfront. Then Macklin left and Braswell didn't qualify. But we will have Braswell next year, along with Vaughn. Well, today we learn that Vaughn will be eligible THIS year. Obviously, JTIII didn't know whether he would or would not be eligible this year, but clearly he and the staff thought it was a possibility and that, I'm sure, made him even more attractive for the Hoyas. Now, I don't imagine we will ever learn WHY Vaughn is suddenly eligible, as this is almost unheard of, but I'll take it. Kenner starts this weekend and the Hoyas are suddenly much deeper up front. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Waiver Allows Transfer Julian Vaughn to Play Next Season for the Hoyas
NCAA rules Vaughn need not sit out

July 3, 2008
Washington DC -

Georgetown University Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson III announced today that Julian Vaughn, a transfer student from Florida State University, has been granted a waiver by the NCAA and will not have to sit out a year before playing at Georgetown. "Julian transferred to be closer to his home for personal reasons which he wishes to keep private. This was considered by the NCAA along with his good academic standing and the lack of objection from FSU. They granted him a waver from the usual transfer rules and we're very pleased that Julian will be part of our program and have the opportunity to lend support to his family." At Florida State University, Vaughn, a 6-10, 245-pound freshman averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and was second on the team with 21 blocked shots. Vaughn connected on 51.5 percent of his field goals (35-of-68) and 68.8 percent of his free throws (22-of-32). He played in 31 of the Seminoles' 34 games as a freshman, averaged 13.3 minutes played per game and reached double figure minutes in 13 of the team's final 15 games of the season. A native of Vienna, Va., Vaughn was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Virginia following his senior season by the Roanoke Times and World News. He played at South Lakes High School and at Oak Hill Academy. While at South Lakes, he averaged a double-double of 20.1 points and 12.5 rebounds while making 32 three-point field goals and shooting 36.4 percent from outside the arc as a junior, when he earned All-Met Second Team honors from The Washington Post. He led South Lakes to a 17-9 record in 2006.

http://guhoyas.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/070308aac.html

Congatulations, Roy and Pat!!!!!

2008-06-27T09:08:00.000-04:00

I couldn't be happier for these two. They will continue to represent the blue & gray well in the NBA.

From the Post:

"I'm happy," Hibbert said. "People said I was going to parachute, that I was going to go late in the draft. But I ended up with a good organization. . . . I think Indiana is a good fit for me. I mix well with the guys in the front office and mesh well with guys on the team." Hibbert is the 11th Hoya to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, and the second in two years. Former teammate Jeff Green was the fifth overall pick last year before being traded to Seattle, where he was named to the NBA all-rookie first team. "It's an exciting day, without a doubt," his former coach, John Thompson III, said. "Who knows what would've happened last year; conceivably he went one, two, three, four spots [lower] than he would have last year. But then you have your degree, back-to-back Big East championships, and you go to an organization headed by Larry Bird. If there's anyone in basketball that understands that you can be a terrific player and not be a runner and jumper, it's Larry Bird."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062603696.html

Ewing Jr. watched the draft from the home of Georgetown head coach John Thompson III with Hibbert. After Singletary was selected, Ewing's father, former NBA star Patrick Ewing, called to congratulate his son on getting drafted. The pick had not yet been announced, but the elder Ewing found out from a third party. "People were saying I wasn't going to get drafted," Ewing Jr. said. "Just to get picked, it's like a weight off you. It's like, 'Man, I finally made it.' "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062700070.html?hpid=topnews

Desert News Reports Georgetown's Hibbert To Work Out With Jazz

2008-06-04T09:27:00.001-04:00

The Desert News is reporting that former Georgetown Hoya Roy Hibbert is scheduled to work out with the Utah Jazz today. This adds credence to the speculation of a variety of NBA mock draft sites that the Jazz could select Hibbert in this year's draft. The Jazz hold the 23rd overall pick.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700231614,00.html

Rivers to Indiana - Maybe Not?

2008-05-25T09:06:00.000-04:00

This morning's Boston Globe is reporting that the Jeremiah Rivers-Indiana transfer may not be a lock. Marc Spears of the Globe states:

"While Indiana seems to be the favorite to land Rivers's son, Jeremiah, Georgia Tech and Central Florida are also possibilities. Jeremiah will have to redshirt a year before using his two years of eligibility after transferring from Georgetown."

Hoyas' JTIII To Coach Team USA U-18s

2008-05-22T08:56:00.001-04:00

All I've got to say is that I hope that this helps Georgetown with recruiting. I would think that it could.

Georgetown's John Thompson III to Serve as Assistant Coach for USA
Basketball U-18 National Team

May 21, 2008

Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson III has been selected to serve as an assistant coach with the 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team that will compete in the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship scheduled for July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina.

The 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National will be coached by Bob McKillop from Davidson College and Thompson III will serve as an assistant coach along with Anthony Grant from Virginia Commonwealth. The coaching staff selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's College Committee, chairedby USA Men's Senior National Team assistant and Syracuse University Head Coach Jim Boeheim, and approved by USA Basketball's Executive Committee.

For the rest of the story, click here.

DaShonte Riley Commits To Georgetown

2008-05-18T14:22:00.001-04:00

DaShonte has been (reportedly) the #1 priority for JTIII since the Hollis Thompson commit. He is a top-flight big man listed at 6'11, 220 lbs. This is Draft Express's write-up:

There is little more that you can ask for physically out of a center prospect then what Riley gives you. Blessed with a big frame, huge wingspan, and ability to run the floor like a gazelle, he constantly gives you flashes of potential that leave you drooling. An explosive leaper, he has very nice timing when attempting to block shots and usually does a good job staying out of foul trouble. The problem with Riley seems to pick and choose when he’s going to display his talents, often instead opting to loaf around the court.

The effort that Riley displayed in the two games that we observed him over the weekend was incredibly disappointing, with the big man often seen walking up and down the floor or pouting on the bench. He seemed as if he would have much rather been at home in Detroit than showing his stuff in front of a plethora of high major coaches in Akron, something rather concerning when you basically had a “who’s who” of college basketball at each of his games. The mental aspect of things is far and away the area that the center needs to work on most because if he ever develops a desire to play the game at a high level, the possibilities are downright scary.

At a legit 6’11, he is very coordinated for a player his size and shows flashes of solid footwork in the post. His post moves are fluid with a turn-around jumper out of the post going towards his left shoulder proving to be his go-to move at the moment, though he did show flashes of a nice right handed jump hook. When facing the basket, Riley showed a decent jumpshot out to the 14 foot area and made a few gorgeous passes. One would expect a player who is so young and still relatively raw to hesitate when faced with a double team in the post, but Dashonte was able to consistently find the open man when placed in that situation time and time again.Defensively, there are times when Riley leaves you gawking at how good he can possibly come. With a wingspan looking to be in the 7’4 area and explosive leaping ability, he has already established himself arguably as the top shot blocker this class has to offer. Also able to move well laterally, Dashonte has shown the ability to guard big men who tend to face the basket just as well as he defends traditional centers.

Needless to say, its Riley’s potential as a stopper on the defensive end that has made him one of the elite prospects in the nation. Very similar to Texas A&M freshman DeAndre Jordan, Riley has all of the tools to be an elite draft prospect, but very rarely puts them ball together. He will likely have the opportunity to be a first round draft pick after his freshman year based on his upside no matter how he plays, but like Jordan, will probably be better suited to stick around for a few years in college before considering the NBA.

According to scout.com , Riley will spend at least one year playing for JTIII. Scout.com, by the way, ranks Riley #15 nationally in its class of 2009. Riley attends the Country Day School in Detroit, alma mater of Shane Battier. Riley, like Monroe, Thompson, and Vaughn, is supposed to be an excellent student--something that JTIII clearly places high on his list of recruit attributes.

Here's some video of Riley in action:

My Man Barker On The Hoyas' Transfers

2008-05-15T12:01:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, my man Barker Davis, had a piece in The Washington Times on Monday about all of the players that have transferred from Georgetown since JTIII took the helm. It is based primarily on an interview with JTIII himself. It's pretty good stuff.

Calmly weathering the losses

May 12, 2008
By Barker Davis

Turnover doesn't always equal turbulence.

Over the past two months, a Georgetown basketball program that
has made three straight NCAA tournament appearances and won back-to-back Big
East regular-season titles has absorbed some painful losses.

First, one of the most successful seasons in school history
ended with two losses in the team's final three games. The sting of the squad's
loss to Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament final was at least tripled by the
season-ending defeat Davidson handed the Hoyas in the second round of the NCAA
tournament.

That upset loss forced the program to bid a premature farewell
to the senior class that arrived on the Hilltop with coach John Thompson III
before the 2004-05 season and proceeded to compile a 100-36 record to complete a
remarkable revival.

Replacing a class that included an All-American center (Roy
Hibbert) and the most seasoned player in the college game (Jon Wallace with 136
straight starts) qualified as a major task before the surprising developments of
the last three weeks. First came transfer announcements from key sophomore
reserves Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers. Then came confirmation that recruit
Chris Braswell, a much-needed frontcourt player, would not be joining the Hoyas
next season because of ongoing academic issues.

Down to just nine available scholarship players and only one
returning frontcourt player with any experience, the Hoyas aren't likely to earn
any three-peat votes in what perhaps will be the deepest conference in America.

"Obviously, we will not have the sheer number of bodies up
front that we have had the past couple of years. But I have confidence in the
people returning and in those arriving," Thompson told The Washington Times last
week. "We'll be OK. We'll figure it out. ... That's what we do."

Outwardly, Thompson shows no signs of being frazzled by the
events of the last couple of months. He still finds it somewhat difficult to
discuss the Davidson game, proof of the emotion lurking beneath his mellow
demeanor. But he has no trouble discussing the senior class he describes as the
"most special group of young men [he has] ever had the privilege to coach."

Nor does he have any problem discussing the issue of
transfers; seven players have left the team during his four-year tenure: Ray
Reed (2005), Cornelio Guibunda (2005), Josh Thornton (2005), Marc Egerson
(2007), Tay Spann (2007), Macklin and Rivers. None of the seven were starters.

"Attrition is inevitable," Thompson said. "Part of it is
natural when you have a lot of extremely talented kids in an extremely
competitive environment. Everybody wants to play. Everybody expects to play. In
many respects, you want them to have that attitude. But there are only so many
minutes available. I'm not going to make promises about playing time. That's a
fluid situation for every player on the roster, from seniors who have started
before to freshmen who are just walking in the door. Those minutes are earned,
not promised.

"Transfers are just part of the equation at this level. I'm
not going to say they're an unfortunate reality, because look at Patrick
[Ewing]'s situation and how well that worked out. The bottom line is that
Georgetown isn't for everybody. We expect a lot on and off the
floor."

Given the team's heavy personnel losses, Georgetown's incoming
recruiting class will have to adapt quickly to those demands, particularly
coveted forwards Greg Monroe (6-foot-10, 226 pounds) and Henry Sims (6-11, 215).
With the team gutted up front by the graduation of Hibbert and Ewing and the
defection of Macklin, both Monroe and Sims will be expected to make an immediate
impact on the boards as the two tallest members of the team.

"The freshman class does not have the luxury of time,"
Thompson said of a recruiting crop ranked No. 3 in the nation by Rivals.com.
That ranking will drop a few slots with Braswell's loss, though he was the least
decorated of the team's four signees (also Bishop O'Connell guard Jason Clark).

"There are some similarities to my first year here," Thompson
continued. "The newcomers are going to be thrown into the fire and expected to
produce."

Actually, the young Hoyas won't make it through November
without a severe test. Georgetown committed to the Old Spice Classic, an
eight-team, three-game tournament that will take place in Orlando, Fla., over
the Thanksgiving weekend. Aside from Georgetown, the field will feature four
other NCAA tournament teams from last season (Tennessee, Michigan State, Gonzaga
and Siena) and a pair of NIT squads (Maryland and Oklahoma State).

"Obviously, it's an extremely challenging field, and we have a
young team, so I may regret it. But I really want to find out where we stand,
get a true sense of who and where we are quickly in the year," said Thompson,
who knew about the transfers before Georgetown agreed to participate in such a
demanding event.

Thompson also seems genuinely enthused about the possibility
of Georgetown meeting Maryland for just the third time since 1980: "I'm not sure
if that matchup draws much attention nationally. But locally, I know it would be
a very big deal."

In fact, cautious optimism seems to define Thompson's demeanor
as the Hoyas move toward what most assume will be a daunting transition season.

"It's a little like my first year here when we had a group
that was very young and hungry," Thompson said. "I'm really excited about this
year. It should be fun."

CHANGING OF THE GU-ARD

With the departure of six players through graduation or
transfer, Georgetown will feature a vastly different roster this season. Though
three starters return, coach John Thompson III loses six players off the 10-man
postseason rotation and returns only one frontcourt contributor (current
sophomore DaJuan Summers). Here's a closer look at the players who are gone, the
players who are returning and the new arrivals for the Hoyas:

OUT

Player/position G/GS '07-08 Pts Reb Min

Roy Hibbert C 136/121 13.4 6.4 26.3

Jonathan Wallace G 136/136 10.7 2.1 28.7

Patrick Ewing Jr. F 50/12 6.1 4.2 21.7

Vernon Macklin F/C 65/0 3.4 2.1 12.8

Jeremiah Rivers G 68/0 2.5 2.4 18.6

Tyler Crawford G/F 102/1 1.0 1.1 6.1

RETURNING

Player/position G/GS '07-08 Pts Reb Min

DaJuan Summers F 70/67 11.1 5.4 27.2

Jessie Sapp G 104/70 9.7 4.1 26.8

Austin Freeman G/F 34/23 9.1 3.0 25.6

Chris Wright G 16/0 5.7 2.4 17.3

Omar Wattad G/F 11/0 1.0 0.4 3.3

N. Mescheriakov G/F 0/0 NA NA NA

IN

Player/position Hometown Recruiting ranking*

Greg Monroe F/C Harvey, La. 7.0

Henry Sims, F Baltimore 40.3

Jason Clark, G Arlington 66.7

Julian Vaughn F Vienna Florida State transfer**

* Average ranking from Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN

** Must sit out the coming season as a practice-only player
per NCAA rules

No Bras next year.

2008-05-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

Yikes! We are going to be thin up front! This is from espn.com:

Six-foot-8 senior forward Chris Braswell will return to Hargrave Military Academy for a postgrad year. The Georgetown signee was more active this weekend than we've seen in the past; he scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the quarterfinals for Triple Threat.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=3395513

Rivers To Indiana

2008-05-12T08:46:00.002-04:00

Several news sources, including The Washington Times, are reporting that Jeremiah Rivers, who announced his intention to leave Georgetown last week, will be heading to the University of Indiana. Rivers is the second major Big East defection to head to IU this offseason. Former Marquette coach, Tom Crean is also heading to Bloomington.

A couple of intersting notes from my man Barker's short article on this topic:

Indiana only has one guard returning with any experience. So, in that respect, the change makes sense for Jeremiah, who was looking to be the 3rd or 4th guard for the Hoyas.
Rivers reportedly felt that Crean's perimeter-oriented system would help improve his performance.
The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Doc Rivers was not happy with his son's decision to leave Georgetown.

There you go IPB, there's you opportunity to make some tangentially related Celtic's post.

It's Official: Rivers is Gone

2008-05-07T15:51:00.000-04:00

The Hoya has the scoop: http://www.thehoya.com/node/16081

This transfer is a little more understandable than Macklin's. From what we have seen, Clark is already a step better than Rivers and would have cut into his playing time considerably. I also understand these guys (Rivers and Macklin) wanting to take a year off to work on their games and to try to get into a system that may not require quite the skill level that JTIII's does. That said, JTIII really went all out to get them a great deal of experience, putting them into high-pressure games and asking them to make big plays, even as fans cringed. I don't think this transfer will affect us significantly, but I really wanted to JR to say. I loved the connection to Doc and I was hoping we could get the inside track on his little bro. Beyond that, he seemed like a nice kid what was working hard (as did Macklin). Oh well.

In other news, the Hoyas appear to be on the receiving end of a transfer. Julian Vaughn (6'10, 239) is leaving Florida State for the Hilltop. Vaughn averaged 3 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman at Florida State, over 13.3 minutes per game. One interesting tid-bit, Vaughn had some weird medical condition last year, that probably contributed to his lackluster performance: http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=765203 My guess is that, like Macklin and Rivers, he probably welcomes the year off to work on his game. One nice bonus is that Vaughn, like JTIII's other two most recent recruits, Monroe and Thompson, is an outstanding student. His GPA at Oak Hill Academy was over 3.7; Vaughn's father is a Cornell alum.

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=2&c=752794&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fscouthoops.scout.com%2f2%2f752794.html

I suppose it is worth wondering if this indicates anything about Chris Braswell's status. With all of the transfers, I sort of doubt it. Vaughn played for DC Assault, so I assume that Coach Cox knew Vaughn and wanted him at the Hilltop.

Macklin to Florida

2008-05-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

The Florida media is reporting that Vernon Macklin will be transferring to the University of Florida.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/SPORTS/805040381/1075

I have to say, I'm a little surprised that Florida would expend a scholarship on a player like Macklin. Not ot say that he's not talented, but a scholarship is a valuable commodity for a big program like Florida and Macklin will only be able to contribute for a year -- and that's assuming that he actually fits into the Gator's scheme.

Very interesting.

Barker on Ticket's Strange Decision

2008-04-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

Strange timing for Macklin's departure

While there were few answers given to the media for public consumption in the aftermath of the strangest episode of the JTIII era, a reliable source assured us that Macklin's decision wasn't triggered by academic issues nor the competitive challenge of the program's elite trio of incoming frontcourt recruits (Greg Monroe, Henry Sims and Chris Braswell). Rather, Macklin's decision was based on the advice of those inside his circle but outside the program that his growth as a player was being stunted at Georgetown. Said the source: "Ticket [Macklin's nickname] chose to listen to what he wanted to hear from some folks outside the program, rather than what he needed to hear from those within it. When expectations don't meet reality, the hardest thing to do is point the finger at yourself." The picture of Macklin as hoops prima donna isn't pretty. From a strictly basketball perspective, Macklin's timing couldn't be more perplexing. After waiting his turn for two years behind an All-American center (Roy Hibbert), Macklin was finally going to be given the opportunity to shine next season. ... and in a more up-tempo scheme that would have accentuated his strengths (transition speed) while de-emphasizing his weaknesses (halfcourt post-up strength). And yet, Macklin chose to walk out the door just when his ultimate window of opportunity as a Hoya was opening.

http://video1.washingtontimes.com/d1scourse/2008/04/strange_timing_for_macklins_de.html

The Big Ticket Is Leaving Georgetown

2008-04-24T09:03:00.003-04:00

Fox Sports is reporting that Vernon Macklin is leaving the Hilltop. This could be huge for the Hoyas, who are obviously losing a considerable inside presence with the graduation of Roy Hibbert and Big East Sixth Man of the Year, Patrick Ewing Jr. Though several new big men will be arriving on the Hilltop next year, Macklin was poised to get considerable playing time next season -- especially if he could build upon the flashes of greatness he demonstrated down the stretch this past season.

We'll report more when additional information becomes available...and when I finish up a couple of projects here at work.

Georgetown reserve sophomore and former McDonald's All-American Vernon Macklin is transferring out of the program, according to sources close to the situation.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound athletic big man played sparingly behind Roy Hibbert in his first two seasons in college. Hibbert graduated after this past season, but the Hoyas will bring in one of the most talented frontcourt players in the country in skilled freshman Greg Monroe.
Macklin averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds this past season while playing 12.8 minutes per game.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8066238/Macklin-to-transfer-from-Georgetown

P.S. - Thanks to Behemoth for alerting me to this story.

Happy Birthday, Jester!

2008-04-18T07:34:00.000-04:00

I hope you and the Mrs. do something special to celebrate.

WaPost on Chris Braswell

2008-04-13T13:23:00.000-04:00

We've known for some time that Braswell might not be showing up on the Hilltop in the fall. This article goes a long way to clarifying the situation. Hopefully, he can make it.

Unlocking the Door to His Future

The end of a curious high school career could come today for Braswell when he suits up for the Capital All-Stars in the Capital Classic at Comcast Center. The player once dubbed the Washington area's next great big man orally committed to the Hoyas in October 2006, but it's far from certain when he will suit up. Braswell repeated the eighth grade at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Forestville. Then, he spent his freshman year at Suitland dogged by rumors of poor grades and attendance. He spent the next two years at DeMatha, but he missed the final six weeks of his second season there without any explanation. He's spending this year at Hargrave Military Academy, a landing spot for athletes hoping the strict environment will help them improve their grades and gain initial NCAA eligibility. If Braswell can complete the class work this spring and summer to satisfy those eligibility requirements, and enroll at Georgetown in August, he expects the skeptics to say there is something fishy. If Braswell cannot, and has to return to Hargrave for all or part of the 2008-09 school year, he expects those people will say they knew it all along: Chris Braswell is a bad kid who can't do any schoolwork. "People are running their mouths about me," Braswell said. "But they don't know what I'm going through." A year ago, Braswell discovered he had a learning disability, which explains his childhood of academic struggles.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/12/AR2008041201974.html

More 2009 predictions

2008-04-09T13:40:00.000-04:00

Fox Sports has the Hoyas a #5, but Andy Katz has us all the way down at #19. I think that may be more realistic, but it is worth pointing out that he does not take into account players leaving for the draft. For instance, he has Cuse at #18 thanks to the play of Donte Green, who announced for the draft yesterday.

From Fox:

5) Georgetown
2007-08 Resume: 28-6, lost to Davidson in 2nd round of NCAA
Likely Early Departure: None
The Hoyas lose plenty of experience with the departure of four seniors, including starting point guard Jonathan Wallace and 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert. However, John Thompson III will likely have Dajuan Summers back, and he'll have a far more athletic group. Jessie Sapp and Austin Freeman return in the backcourt, and look for Chris Wright to take the reins from Wallace as the starting point guard. The Hoyas also add a strong recruiting class led by the consensus No. 1 player in skilled big man Greg Monroe.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8003338/A-very-early-look-at-next-year

Andy Katz:

19. Georgetown
Why? John Thompson III has kept the Hoyas winning, regardless of personnel losses (like Jeff Green) that might have otherwise dropped them out of the Top 25. Georgetown still has a core group of players that can run the Hoyas' system, like Jessie Sapp, DaJaun Summers, Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Jeremiah Rivers around one of the top big man recruits in the country in Greg Monroe.
Why not? Losing Roy Hibbert and adding Monroe won't be a crusher. Not having Patrick Ewing Jr. takes away an athletic finisher. But, perhaps, the biggest loss will be not having point guard Jonathan Wallace. There are not many glue-guy point guards in the country that had as much to do with his team winning a conference championship like Wallace.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3337602

Jason Clark: All-Met Player of the Year

2008-04-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

Jason follows in the footsteps of Austin Freeman to be named the Player of the Year by the Washington Post. Congraulations Jason! We can't wait to see you in action next year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/hssports/longterm/allmets/winter08/basketballboys.html

Congrats to Kansas. Now, on to next year!

2008-04-08T15:36:00.000-04:00

Luke Winn already has an early look at the top teams in the country next year, with the Hoyas coming in at #8. Here's his take:

8. GEORGETOWN - Greg Monroe is no Greg Oden, but the 6-10 forward from Harvey, La., is the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2008 and will help fill the void left by center Roy Hibbert's graduation. Look for unsung point guard Jessie Sapp to emerge as the Hoyas' MVP.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/ncaa_tourney/2008/2008/04/musing-on-miracle-and-top-10-for-2008.html?eref=T1

I'm as excited as anyone about next year, but let's not get too caught up in expectations. The Hoyas will be a young team with scary but unmolded talent. Let them develop at their own pace. No one would accuse me of being short on enthusiasm for the Hoyas, but this year was the first year since JTIII arrived that seemed to me to be a bit joyless. No matter how well we did--and the Hoyas had a great season--there was a sense that the team was underachieving. I think it will be nice next year to get out from under the expectation that we have a Final Four caliber squad. Could they actually be that good? Maybe, but I'm not counting on it. I just want to see some great basketball with exciting young talents like Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Greg Monroe. If they turn out to be great, we'll all enjoy it that much more. So when does Kenner League start up???

An "Illustrated" History Of Pat Ewing Sr.

2008-04-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

As part of its coverage of Pat Ewing's selection for the basketball hall of fame, SI.com has a great series of photos documenting his career. It's definitely worth the visit.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0804/nba.patrick.ewing/content.1.html

PE2 Is Sick!

2008-04-07T11:16:00.001-04:00

Pat Ewing Jr.'s days as a Georgetown Hoya are coming to an end. But, seriously, he deserves to go to the NBA. Why you ask, since he did not even start for most of his senior year.

The answer, my friends, is because of this dunk. This dunk, by itself, qualifies him in my mind.

All-Americans

2008-04-03T09:30:00.000-04:00

There is a good deal of All-American news on the Hilltop these days. Two future Hoyas made the Parade All-American list for 2008. Greg Monroe was, of course, a first team All-American. And Henry Sims made the fourth team. Congrats to both!

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_04-06-2008/4All_America_Boys_Basketball

As for current Hoyas, Roy Hibbert was named a second team All-American, making him the second Hoya to receive such an honor during the JTIII era. (Jeff Green made the third team last year.) http://www.thehoya.com/node/15719 When discussing Roy's place among Georgetown's great centers, it is noteworthy that Dikembe Mutombo was only a third team All-American in his senior year. Of course, Roy's place in the pantheon at this point will depend on his performance in the NBA.

On last piece of good news, Jeff Green will be attending summer school at Georgetown this summer. He is reportedly 24 credits shy of graduation, so it sounds like he still has maybe three or four summers in front of him before finishing. I hope he sets a model for other Georgetown players who leave early. It would be great if under JTIII everyone who doesn't transfer earns a Georgetown degree.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2004318708_soni01.html

Greg Monroe at the McDonald's All-American Game

2008-03-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

I didn't catch the McDonald's All-American game last night. Maybe someone else who did can comment. But it appears that future Hoya, and Rivals.com No. 1 high school player, Greg Monroe, laid an egg. This is what Rivals.com had to say about the game.

Greg Monroe, considered the nation's top player by recruiting sites Rivals.com and Scout.com, had a tough game for the West, committing five turnovers and scoring one point after an 0-for-2 performance from the field. He had six rebounds.

Based upon Greg's performances in the big, televised games he's appeared in this season, I'm not expecting him to shine right away on the Hilltop. It seems that after this year's disappointing run in the tournament, next year will not provide any quick fixes.

2008-03-24T19:18:00.000-04:00

UMBC Point Spread

2008-03-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

Georgetown is a 17 point favorite in today's opening round game, making them one of the heaviest favorites on the board (behind only UNC, Memphis and Tennessee). The over/under is 131.5. Go Hoyas!

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Greg Monroe Named High School Baller of the Year

2008-03-19T13:56:00.001-04:00

Firmly solidifying his claim on being the #1 high school player of 2008, Greg Monroe was named this month the Morgan Wootten National High School Basketball Player of the Year on the McDonald's All-American team. Past winners include Kevin Love (2007), Greg Oden (2006), Josh McRoberts (2005), Dwight Howard (2004), LeBron James (2003), Chris Duhon (2000), Jason Williams (1999), and Shane Battier (1997). Monroe is the first Hoya to achieve this honor. Congratulations, Greg!

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-36/1204815012203730.xml&coll=1

The Washington Post On The Hoyas' First Round Match Up

2008-03-19T12:10:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post has a good article today on UMBC and their preparations for meeting Georgetown. The main point is that many UMBC players know the Hoyas. Some played against future-Hoyas during their days of high school basketball. Some play in the Kenner League during the summers. Some transferred from the JMU team that squared up against the Hoyas a few years ago. The point is the Retrievers come into the game with their eyes wide open.

If you think about it, that's the downside with playing a low-seeded team from the same geographic area as you. It's not like UMBC is playing Tennessee. Their local papers cover the Hoyas. The Hoyas are on TV around here. And many of these kids probably grew up as Georgetown fans.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031803333.html

Another Article To Get You Pumped For The Tourney

2008-03-19T12:04:00.000-04:00

As should be expected, the last week has seen a flurry of great articles about the Hoyas. One of my favorites so far, however, is this one from the Wall Street Journal. The author, Nick Timiraos, is a Georgetown grad (C' 2006). The main thrust is, to put it succinctly, what a difference four years make. He recounts the Hoyas low point when he was an undergrad and their phoenix-like return to national prominence. Mr. Timiraos also astutely notes how fun this has been because of the quality student-athletes that have led the charge.

It is definitely worth a read.

Hoyas in Sports Illustrated

2008-03-18T19:16:00.001-04:00

This week's SI has really got me pumped for the tournament. On the cover is this outstanding shot of DaJaun Summers and inside is one of the best pieces written about JTIII I have read (and I've probably read them all!). Seriously, if you are a Hoyas fan take some time to read this.

Also recommended reading is the current AP story on Big Roy. It contains what is undoubtedly my favorite Roy Hibbert quote this side of "I am a monster. Be afraid." When asked about his interest in running for office with Jon Wallace, Hibbert quipped, "I’m nice. Jon’s a charming young chap. I’ll let him be at the top of the ticket. He can do all the work, and I’ll just go to funerals." I love Roy. He is treading into Gilbert Arenas quirkiness territory.

Tournament Comebacks

2008-03-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

Interesting top 10 on CNNSI - best tournament comebacks. # 7 on their list was last year's G'town triumph over UNC in the Regional Finals. I must say, not only because I was there and G'town won, that this was quite possibly one of the best games I can remember (although the victory over Duke in 2005 was prety nice too). Mrs Stallion can vouch for the fact that with 7 minutes to go I was whispering to her that maybe we should head out to beat the bus line. To her credit, her faith in the Hoyas never waivered. Because I listened to my wife, I witnessed the most exicting 12 minutes of basketball I've ever seen. Althoug we sat deep in Tar Heal country in the last row of the arena, the game was awesome!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0803/cbk.tournament.comebacks/content.7.html

Another Final Four Prediction

2008-03-17T10:26:00.000-04:00

I'm sure there are a lot of these out there, but I'm just noting them as I come across them. Jim O'Connell is predicting that Georgetown returns to the Final Four in a piece he wrote for the Associate Press.

* * *

GEORGETOWN (2) vs. Maryland-Baltimore County (15) — The Hoyas are
trying to return to the Final Four. The Retrievers are playing their first NCAA
tournament game.

* * *

GEORGETOWN vs. Davidson — Few teams have
the ability to shut down shooters the way the Hoyas do. Curry can ask Joe
Alexander of West Virginia.

* * *

GEORGETOWN vs. Southern Cal —
Hoyas center Roy Hibbert doesn't dominate every game, but his eyes will light up
against the Trojans who barely outrebounded their opponents this season.

* * *

Kansas vs. GEORGETOWN — The Hoyas return to the Final Four
in what has the trappings of an entertaining defensive matchup. The Jayhawks
keep looking to get there for the first time under coach Bill Self.

* * *

NORTH CAROLINA vs. Georgetown — When these teams met in the regional
final last year, the Tar Heels blew a late lead and turned it into a cause for
this season. They'll run their way to revenge to get to the Final....

A Number 2 Seed

2008-03-17T08:32:00.000-04:00

So, we couldn't get the job done against Pitt in the Big East Tourney final. I think that we were really done in by foul trouble. Roy Hibbert got into trouble, which meant that one of Georgetown's best weapons on offense and defense spent a lot of time riding pine. DaJuan Summer fouled out with lots of time left to go in the second half, which meant the Hoyas were without their most explosive offensive player. And Jeremiah Rivers fouled out during crunch time, which means we were without our best, lock-down defender as we tried to make a run down the stretch (though it also meant we didn't have to watch any of his ill-advised shots, like the shot from the corner that he took that bounced off the side of the backboard; just plain ugly).

Still the Hoyas managed to get a number two seed in the Midwest. I don't know where they rank amoung the two seeds yet, but I figure that it must be pretty high. They avoided the brutal Eastern Region, where Tennessee got punished as the two seed. And I heard the head of the NCAA Selection Committee say last night on ESPN's Bracketology that Georgetown is playing in Raleigh instead of Duke because we were a higher rated #2 than they were and it was the closest venue that we were allowed to play in.

I haven't really studied the bracket yet, but my initial reaction is that we got a good draw. Don't get me wrong, assuming that we handle UMBC, every subsequent game will be a struggle. The next game will feature the winner of Gonzaga or Davidson; two excellent mid-major teams. And then we would likely play Wisconsin, the winner of the Big Ten regular season and tournament (though it is possible we could have to play one of the freshman phenoms if Kansans State or Southern Cal pulls the upset). If we get through those teams, we have to take on the Big 12-champs, Kansas; a team that I think could very well win it all. Still, I think that the Hoyas have a chance against all of these teams.

In fact, I heard Dick Vitale on ESPN radio's Mike & Mike show this morning (he was on right before JTIII). He said that he had Georgetown beating Kanasas in the Elite Eight to return to the Final Four! You have to like that.

On to the finals

2008-03-14T23:13:00.000-04:00

Admittedly, I didn't get to see the entire game; however, from what I saw, Roy seemed to step it up big time. 25 points / 13 boards done quite efficiently & effectively in his 28 or so minutes of PT. I know that I've been critical of Roy at times during the season (& yesterday); however, tonight, I must give him due credit for a job well done. With a nearly 2 to 1 rebound advantage of the 'Neers, the paint, as well as the entire garden floor, belonged to the Hoyas. The big guy looked pumped up out there from tip-off.

No need for a recap as I'm assuming that most, if not all of my fellow VBB watched the game, but I must say that the Hoyas looked tough tonight. I have trouble thinking of anything not positive about the result of this game. Having said that, here's to a big game from the big man.

Although I witnessed the Hoyas cut down the nets at the Garden last year, I am sad to say that I will not be there to see it tomorrow night. To cite one of Jester's prior postings, I think at this point, a # 2 seed is looking quite realistic. While I am by no means looking past Pitt or Marquette (I'm typing this post as the nightcap game is on), I personally would have love to have seen a G'town / L'ville BE final matchup. 24 hours till we find out if the Hoyas cut down the nets again.

PS - I may have been asleep at the wheel when we discussed this, but I thought Chris Wright was redshirting this year?? Did I miss that message?

Down Goes Nova; Bring On The 'Neers

2008-03-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

What a bizarre game.

For the first time since his freshman year in high school, Roy Hibbert laid a doughnut. His final line was no points on 0-2 shooting with four rebounds, no blocks, and four turnovers in 14 minutes of play before fouling out. That’s horrible. And his replacement, Vernon Macklin, was almost as bad. The Big Ticket had no points on 0-1 shooting with four rebounds, three blocks, and three turnovers in 15 minutes of play before fouling out. Georgetown’s post players only took 3 shots! And some how the Hoyas still one…big…against a team that was needed a win to write their ticket to the Big Dance and who felt like we had stolen a win from the earlier in the season. Incredible.

The story of the game was, obviously, the team’s three-point shooting. The Hoyas finished with a school-record 17 three pointers, which also tied a Big East Tournament record. For the game the team shot just over 60% from Three-Point Land (17-28), but there were stretches where it seemed that we could not miss. Jon Wallace was lights out in the first half. Before the first-half buzzer sounded he had scored 19 points; 15 of which came on his 5 for 5 shooting from beyond the arc. And quite a few of them were well beyond that arc. They were solid NBA threes. Jessie Sapp shot 6 for 9 from down town on his way to a game-high 23 points. Summers was 3 for 5, and Freeman was 1 for 3.

But one of the biggest stories of the game was Chris Wright. After missing all of conference play with an injured foot, and after only returning to full practices in the last week or so, Chris stepped right in without missing a beat. He came in early in the first half to spell Wallace and within seconds he had nailed his first three-pointer. He finished the game 2 for 3 from down town, and had four assists with no turnovers in 15 minutes of play. Chris definitely added something to the Hoyas’ guard play. He looked confident handling the rock and, in my opinion, helped Georgetown push through the Villanova’s full-court press more effectively. Wright’s return adds some great depth to the team for both the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. I’m very happy that he was able to play.

The West Virginia Mountaineers beat the Connecticut Huskies yesterday in a match-up of the two other teams that Georgetown beat on crazy last second plays (a last second block by Ewing in Morgantown and a three-pointer by Roy Hibbert against UConn in DC). I think it will be a good match up tonight. Joe Alexander was fantastic for the ‘Neers yesterday and could cause trouble for Georgetown. But I think the Hoyas will find a way to contain him and will come away with the victory. That would set up a game against either Pitt or Marquette for the Big East Championship. To be honest, I’m pulling for Pitt in the other game. I’d love a chance to avenge our lost at the Peterson Events Center. Pitt is the only Big East team that we played this year without beating. Wouldn’t it be great to change that?

Let’s hope Georgetown wins tonight and we get the chance!

Other notes: Yesterday, after the game, I found some video on ESPN.com showing a post-game interview of Jonathan Wallace and Jay Bilas. I can't find it now, but let me just say it made me feel uneasy. Jay’s infatuation with Jon is scary. At one point during the interview Jay commented on how he thought other players might start wearing the protective wrap that Wallace has had on his wrist if it led to a shooting performance like Wallace had against Nova. As Bilas said this he reached out and grabbed Jon’s hand. He proceeded to turn his hand-grab into an end-of-interview handshake, but I definitely felt that Jay’s hand-hold lingered a little too long. He definitely loves J-Wall.

Speaking of Wallace, a commenter on one of the previous posts noted that ESPN analysts had been playing up the prospect of Wallace and Ewing Jr. being NBA prospects. I love those guys, but I just don’t see it. I just don’t know how they can be competitive at that next level. This is especially true of Wallace. He’s not that quick and he’s not an outstanding ball-handler or defender. He’s good at those things, but not NBA good. Ewing might be another story, but I doubt it. He just isn’t that consistent of a shooter and I have a hard time seeing him transition effectively to the NBA. He’s crazy athletic, but so are a lot of guys playing Division I ball. That being said, if he has an outstanding NCAA Tournament I might see a franchise taking a chance on him; especially given his famous dad. But right now, I’d be shocked. I’m no expert on the NBA. I like to keep focused on the Hoyas. But I just don’t get the vibe that either player has a realistic chance at a career in the Association. I think I’ll just chock this one up to ESPN’s analysts trying to hype up the game.

Big East Tournament Odds

2008-03-11T20:18:00.003-04:00

As expected, the Hoyas are favored to win the Big East tournament, with Louisville as a close second. Here are the odds currently listed on bodog - sorry Providence fans.

Georgetown 3-2
Louisville 2-1
Connecticut 5-1
Notre Dame 10-1
West Virginia 10-1
Marquette 12-1
Syracuse 12-1
Pittsburgh 12-1
Villanova 15-1
Seton Hall 30-1
Cincinnati 30-1
Providence 40-1

Odds provided for recreational purposes only

Georgetown Up To A 2 Seed?

2008-03-11T13:41:00.000-04:00

I caught a few minutes of Joe Lunardi's appearance on Tony Kornheiser's radio show this morning. Mr. Lunardi now has the Hoyas as a 2 seed in his most recent bracketology.

I think that's about right.

Cabinet Officials, And Mayors, And Owners, Oh My!

2008-03-11T13:26:00.003-04:00

The New Yorker magazine recently ran a commentary by Hendrik Hertzberg suggesting that John McCain would be well served by selecting Condoleezza Rice as his vice presidential running mate. I don't know whether or not that would be a politically expedient decision for Senator McCain, but I do know that my opinion of the Secretary of State recently improved with her decision to attend Georgetown's home finale against Louisville. Not only did Ms. Rice attend the game, but she apparently knows a fair amount about college basketball -- as the beginning of the embedded video below demonstrates.

And the Secretary of State wasn't the only DC celebrity to grace the Verizon Center this weekend. The list of luminaries included: Mayor Adrian Fenty; Washington Redskins Jason Campbell and Carlos Rogers; Capitals owner (and Georgetown alumnus) Ted Leonsis; and new Nationals owner Mark Lerner. Pat Ewing Sr. and Jeff Green's mom were also there.

Ted Leonsis was asked to explain the recent increase in interest in the Hoyas. His simple answer was: "Georgetown's back."

We are indeed.

There Are No Cinderellas

2008-03-11T13:01:00.000-04:00

This is the first of two Georgetown videos I saw on Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog over at Washingtonpost.com, which I just had to post. It's the latest ad from Nike's Jumpman 23 line and it prominently features JTIII and the Georgetown Hoyas.

Nice. Very nice.

Big East Tournament Seeds

2008-03-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

Even with the #1 seed, we have a formidable road ahead. I don't want to hear about the PAC 10 or ACC - to me, the Big East is clearly the toughest conference in college basketball.

2008 BIG EAST championship presented by Aéropostale

Wednesday, March 12 – First Round (ESPN)

Noon No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Syracuse

2:00 No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Providence

7:00 No. 7 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Cincinnati

9:00 No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Seton Hall

Thursday, March 13 – Quarterfinals (ESPN)

Noon No. 1 Georgetown vs. 8/9 winner

2:00 No. 4 Connecticut vs. 5/12 winner

7:00 No. 2 Louisville vs. 7/10 winner

9:00 No. 3 Notre Dame vs. 6/11 winner

Friday, March 14 – Semifinals (ESPN)

7:00 Thursday afternoon winners

9:00 Thursday evening winners

Saturday, March 15 – Championship (ESPN)

9:00 Semifinal winners

Out Of Great Silence

2008-03-10T09:18:00.003-04:00

Silence. Stone cold silence. For the last couple of weeks that is what you’ve gotten out of old Jester. I could have written. In fact, I had a couple of solid posts in mind. I had a “We’re Just Not That Good Post” already penned in my brain. And I had a “The MSM Gives Us No Respect” article. But I was taking a stand. My co-contributors weren’t posting, and I wasn’t going to carry the load myself. The Iceman offered to step in. But, no offense to Iceman, if he was the only one posting then it really wouldn’t be the VBB, would it?

But the Stallion came to the rescue. The guy works all day, goes to school all night, and has an infant to take care of. Yet he still found a way to post. If that isn’t inspiring I don’t know what is.

Oh wait, yes I do – The Hoyas.

What a game against Louisville! The Phone Booth was jumping on Saturday afternoon my friends. I can’t even remember a game that loud at Verizon. And despite some of the worst dunking that mankind has ever seen during the first half (DaJuan missed his third dunk in the last two games, and Macklin missed a dunk on an otherwise good move), Georgetown was playing some very good basketball. Their defense was insane. Louisville only managed 19 points in the first half. By my count they were 8 for 21 from the field (38%). And they made only one three-pointer in eight attempts. The Hoyas went into halftime up six. And after a barrage of excellent shots from Austin Freeman towards the beginning of the second half the Hoyas were up 11 and I started to day dream about how a blow-out of the Cardinals would change the public perception of Georgetown’s chances in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, I was getting ahead of myself. The Hoyas went through an eight-minute stretch where they only managed four points, and the Cardinals tied up the game at 44 all. But the Hoyas did what they’ve done well all season. Louisville took a 51-50 lead with a little over three and a half minutes remaining and Georgetown ratcheted up its defense to close out the game, limiting the Cardinals to only one more point. They worked methodically on the offensive end of the floor and found an open DaJuan Summers for an open three point shot with 40 seconds to play. It wasn’t the blow out I had dreamed of with 15 minutes to play, but it was another classic, JTIII win — a close game where the Hoyas came out on top.

Now, this is not a game that is going to prove to the MSM that they’ve been wrong about Georgetown this year. The powers-that-be have suggested that Georgetown is overrated, and have consistently picked against them in all of their big games. Against Marquette two weekends ago I couldn’t find anyone who thought the Hoyas would win. But they did. This weekend everyone expected Louisville to write the final chapter in the story of their heroic comeback from injuries to become the team everyone thought they would be at the beginning of the season. But they came up just short. But in both of these Georgetown victories, like so many Hoya victories this year, it wasn’t clear that Georgetown was going to win until that final buzzer sounded. When a shot or two falling the other way could turn a victory into a loss, people say that you are lucky. Sometimes that’s true. But when a trend develops where you are always winning those close games, you can’t call it luck. Georgetown is now 6-0 in games decided by 5 points or less.

I’m almost a believer. I used to panic down the stretch. We’d approach the final minute or two of the game, we’d be up by one, down by two, or whatever, and I would start to say to myself “we’re going to lose; I know it, we’re going to lose.” But we wouldn’t. Time and again we’d pull out a “W.” I’ve grown so use to it that in the final minutes of the Louisville game I never had that thought. Don’t get me wrong, I was still nervous as hell. I still cheered until I was horse when DaJuan’s three-pointer fell. My heart was still racing. But I didn’t expect to lose. I had faith. Just like the Hoyas’ players do.

The players, led by their corps of outstanding seniors, trust in the system and trust in each other. The Hoyas are consistently balanced in their offensive attack. All of the starters had between 6 and 15 points. Austin Freeman led the team with 15 and had one stretch where he scored eight straight points for the Hoyas. Hibbert did not score until the final seconds of the first half, but came alive in the second and finished with 12. Summers had 8, including that huge three-pointer. The point is you never know where the knock-out blow is going to come from with these Hoyas. A lot of people have faulted the team (and Roy Hibbert) because there is no “go-to guy.” But that’s the genius of what JTIII has developed on the Hilltop. All of the players are go-to guys. You just don’t know who that guy is going to be until after it happens. Georgetown doesn’t have to worry about their star having an off night. No one player is expected to carry the load.

All that being said, I still have concerns. Rebounding. It’s been one of our Achilles’ Heels all year. We out rebounded the Cardinals by 4, but I think it should have been by more. Why can’t Roy Hibbert have a 10-rebound game? He’s only had four this season and his last one was a month and a half ago against WVU. How on earth Jessie Sapp ends of the teams leading rebounder (7) is beyond me. This could be a problem come tournament time.

Of course, Achilles only had one weak heel. Georgetown has several. Turnovers are also a problem. We still had 17, against the Cardinals. Though I thought we were much more effective against the full-court press than we had been in previous games, this is still outrageous. We need to learn to take care of the ball.

The next week will be very telling. Despite getting the number one seed in the Big East Tourney, I think the Hoyas have a tough draw. They will have to play the winner of the Syracuse-Nova game, and I know that both teams believe that they can beat the Hoyas. The Orange already did once. And Nova might have had it not been for the last second (or, should I say, last fraction of a second) foul called with Jonathan Wallace 70 feet from the basket. I think either team can give Georgetown a fun for their money. Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is the Big East after all. There shouldn’t be any gimmees. If Georgetown wins that one, it’ll probably have to play West Virginia or Connecticut – two more teams that undoubtedly feel like they should have beat Georgetown. Against the ‘Neers the Hoyas survived thanks to a last-second block by Pat Ewing that some (wrongly) believed was a goal tend. Against UConn Georgetown escaped thanks to a last-minute three-pointer by Big Roy Hibbert. And who knows, if we can make it to the finals we may have to take on Louisville for a third time…this time on a neutral court. One thing is clear. If Georgetown can run the table again and win the Big East Tournament they will have proven themselves to be a formidable team going into the NCAAs.

If that doesn’t earn us at least a two-seed, there is no justice.

Seed at the Dance

2008-03-09T14:37:00.000-04:00

Following yesterday's win and becoming repeat BE regular season champs, the Hoyas look pretty tough heading to the BE Tourney & Big Dance. Very impressive defense showing yesterday holding L'ville to 52. Once again, the Hoya defense came up big. Big props to Summers for hitting the game winner. It was an open look, but it took a big pair to have the poise to drain that one w/ the game on the line.

With yesterday's win, Stallion's humble opinion is that best case scenario, Hoya's (assuming they take the BE tourney), will receive a # 2 seed in the dance. # 1 seed competitoin between UNC, Memphis, Tennessee, & UCLA with the likes of Kansas, Texas, Wisconsin, and Duke lurking for # 2 seeds would make a 2spot for the Hoyas a nice showing. In the event of an untimely early exit (i.e - Thursday) from the BE Tourney, I could see the Hoyas worst case scenario being a # 4 seed (depending upon who wins the BE tourney). According to the 3/7 edition of Bracketology, Hoyas look like a # 3 seed. Viewing the competition out there, I would say a # 3 is the likely spot for the Hoyas; but, I'd love to see what a repeat as BE regular season & tourney champs does to the bracketology folk. A # 3 if they repeat would be a slight on the Hoyas; but, we'll have to wait & see how the next week plays out.

Louisville Point Spread

2008-03-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

With the Big East regular season title on the line and today being senior day, you have to expect both sides to be pretty fired up for today's game. The early lines have Georgetown as a 3.5 point favorite. Interestingly, Louisville was favored by exactly this amount in the last matchup. No over/under yet.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

No love for Roy

2008-03-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

CNN / Sports Illustrated came out with their first, second, & third team All America. Big Roy didn't make the cut. Not that this listing is the apex of college basketball accolades, but I'd love to see this spark Roy to having a career game this Saturday. With the BE regular season title on the line, we need a big game out of the big fella.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0803/cbk.all.american.men/content.1.html

Marquette Point Spread

2008-03-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

Obviously a big game today against Marquette. Surprisingly (at least to me), Georgetown is a 3.5 point road underdog. The over/under is 129.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

St. John's Point Spread

2008-02-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

After a couple very solid wins, Georgetown is once again a heavy favorite tonight against St. John's. The spread is currently 17.5 (up from an opening line of 17) and the over/under is 120.5.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Cincinnati Point Spread

2008-02-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

Georgetown is a big 14 point favorite today at home against Cincinnati. Sorry, no over/under for this one.

Point spread provided for recreational purposes only

Monroe Makes Burger Team, Sims Gets Snubbed

2008-02-20T09:02:00.000-05:00

Greg Monroe is JTIII's fourth McDonald's All-American in three years. Henry Sims--like fellow Baltimore star before him, DaJuan Summers--gets shut out. But, boy, is it ever nice to be disappointed to get only one McDonald's All-American!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=3252976

Providence Point Spread

2008-02-18T14:28:00.000-05:00

After the disappointing loss on Saturday, the Hoyas are heading into Providence this afternoon as a 6 point favorite. The over/under is 133. This looks like a tough line to me - I'd like to think that we'll bounce back with a strong win, but this team has been anything but consistent lately.

Point spread/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Recap of 'Cuse game

2008-02-16T19:40:00.001-05:00

not much to say about this one other than the fact that it was an utter debacle. you all know my opinion of the 'cuse; however, they flat out beat g'town today. from coaching to shooting to playmaking, this one was quite forgetable. this was a lot further apart than the 7 point final score differential. based on some of the espn half-time commentary, the close win over nova, and today's game, i think road games may see the beginning the "over-rated" chant. not saying we are, but today we looked awful. my guess is that because of today's game we fall to #17 to # 19 in the rankings. there's definitely a target on our back for the rest of the season. the last game against l'ville may decide the BE.

in the first half while i applaud jt3's thought process of trying to let the hoyas play through the 'cuse spurt; but, at some point during the 'cuse outbreak, a TO was needed. hoyas looked totally confused and lost out there today. the fact that they had 3 or 4 field goals in the first 14 or so minutes was like watching the st. john's game except this time we were the johnnies.

not that i enjoy picking on hibbert, but he seems to be going in reverse. no reason he should have been in foul trouble. also no reason he should be outrebounded by a 2/1 ratio by dejuan; although that likely has much to do with the fact that roy sat out a good stretch b/c of fouls. he just seemed invisible out there. also, the bench contribution was anemic today.

unfortunately, i missed the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, so i can't comment as to the catalyst for the comeback that almost was. can one of you guys tell me what went on with that? good comeback effort, but it's sort of hard to dig yourself out of a self-created 20 point hole.

aside from wallace's 26 points, the only bright spot to today's game was seeing ewing sr named as espn's #16 on the top 25 college players of all time. also, espn classic showed the 1985 and 1995 g'town / cuse games. boeheim apparently never had hair. baby stallion & i enjoyed watching the old games.

i'm hoping that this is the game that causes everyone's heads to get screwed back on. i don't mean to be negative, but not much positive can be taken from today.

Syracuse Point Spread

2008-02-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

Georgetown is a 3 point favorite, with an over/under of 135. The line opened at 2.5, so it looks like some bettors are leaning toward the Hoyas this morning.

The DC Sports Bog on PE2's Handshakes

2008-02-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to avoid blogging. I figured that if I didn't post anything the other VBBs would sweep in to fill the void. You know, like a power vacuum; except without the power part.

Anyway, I saw this on the DC Sports Bog and I just had to post a link. Dan Steinberg interviewed Pat Ewing Jr. about the series of elaborate handshakes that he's developed for each of his teammaters. It's a pretty entertaining piece, and not only for the insights about the various handshakes (i.e. "The Ewing-Tyler Crawford shake is some sort of homage to a Dave Chappelle skit.").

My favorite part is the "[o]ther notes," which include a variety of things that Jonathan Wallace is afraid of. Included in J-Wal's lists of fears are scary movies and bridges.

Hibbert on Wallace: "Freshman year we were walking across the Key Bridge, he was afraid of walking across the key bridge. He doesn't like bridges very much."

Wallace on bridges: "I'd rather not. Heights, water, that's not me."

You know what, Jon? I don't like bridges either...or scary movies. To me this is just further proof that you're the smartest guy on the team.

Villanova Point Spread

2008-02-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

It looks like the sports books are predicting that the Hoyas will take out some frustration on Nova after Saturday night's forgettable second half. Georgetown is a 12 point favorite tonight, with an over/under of 134.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Louisville Point Spread

2008-02-09T16:15:00.000-05:00

It looks like Las Vegas isn't giving Georgetown much love vs. Louisville either. The #6 Hoyas are a 3.5 point underdog in tonight's game and the over/under is 123.5.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Hoyas Getting No Love Against Loo-ville

2008-02-08T16:13:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that the Hoyas are currently ranked #6 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, it seems that pretty much everyone is picking unranked Louisville to beat Georgetown in this Saturday's big match-up.

But I can't say that I'm surprised. The Cardinals have been on a roll. They struggled a bit at the beginning of the season because they were missing key players. But let's not forget, this is the team the coaches picked before the season to contend with Georgetown for the Big East crown. On the other hand, the Hoyas have been struggling. We've been winning, but often it's by the skin of our teeth. Going on the road against a good team is often a recipe for a loss.

That's why I think tomorrow's game at Freedom Hall is the most important we've played this season. The games against Memphis and Pitt were big, but I think those are games we were supposed to lose. Memphis is the best team in the country and Peterson Event Center is an impossible place for road teams. But this is a game we should win. If we want to be counted among the natoin's elite you have to go on the road and beat good teams.

I have to believe that JTIII knows this and will have the team prepared. So, I'm going to go against the grain and say the Hoyas will win this one.

Keep your fingers crossed.

The Hoyas Newest Fan -- John McCain

2008-02-06T09:44:00.000-05:00

Salon.com ran this fantastic story yesterday linking John McCain's political fortunes to the success of the Georgetown Hoyas. In a year when polling has been highly suspect, maybe this is the true barometer of performance that we should be following.

Hoyas for McCain?

If you want to look at the same early indicators for how the night will shape up in the GOP race that the McCain campaign will turn to, forget exit polls. Just check the score of the Georgetown University basketball game.

John McCain and his senior strategists are among the most superstitious people in politics, and over the course of this primary season, the Hoyas have become something of an omen to Mark Salter, McCain's longtime speechwriter/Senate chief of staff/intellectual alter ego. A Georgetown alum, Salter has season tickets in the front row at the Verizon Center; about the only thing that gets him more fired up than Mitt Romney is Big East basketball. (At the bar after the Super Bowl Sunday night, he cursed at the TV when the Boston Fox affiliate compared the Giants' win to Villanova's 1985 NCAA tournament upset win over Georgetown).

As it happens, the Hoyas have been a near-perfect predictor of McCain's fortunes this year. The last time Georgetown lost a game was the night before the Michigan primary, when Pitt beat them 69-60; the next day, Romney beat McCain. The day of the South Carolina primary, where McCain narrowly beat Mike Huckabee to avenge his 2000 loss to George W. Bush, the Hoyas crushed Notre Dame.

When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed McCain three days before the primary there, Salter was marooned in a ballroom without a TV to watch the Georgetown-West Virginia game. Tracking the score online while at a Rudy Giuliani speech (I'm a fan, too; my wife went to Georgetown, and we have our own tickets nowhere near as good as Salter's), I sent Salter updates by e-mail as the Hoyas prevailed on a last-second blocked shot by Patrick Ewing Jr. By then convinced the team's results were linked to his own, McCain called Salter afterward to tell him about the play. A few days later, he had won Florida and become the GOP front-runner.

So who do the Hoyas play tonight? Big East bottom-dwellers South Florida. Playing in D.C., the Bulls are probably bigger underdogs than Romney is (though his loss to Huckabee in West Virginia, orchestrated by McCain strategists at the last minute, doesn't bode well for him). If they can pull off the upset, surely Romney can, too. But if the Hoyas hang on to win, as expected, McCain might do the same. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern -- just in time for the polls to close.

― Mike Madden

Georgetown-South Florida Recap

2008-02-06T01:11:00.000-05:00

Our guest contributor "The Iceman" has come through again with a stellar, top-notch recap of tonight's game against South Florida. See below for your reading enjoyment. The IPB would like to personally extend his thanks to "The Iceman" since I wound up missing the game entirely because I got stuck at work. The Iceman's recap is the only thing I've read about the game and I'm not even sure I need to look at the Post's recap tomorrow. Thanks Iceman! On another note, the IPB would like to apologize to our readers for my absence last month. January turned out to be a very bad month for me health-wise but rest assured I am back! I have several ideas for new and interesting content, so look for that soon. And now the South Florida recap....

The Hoyas dismissed an early scare from the University of South Florida Bulls with a combination of an historic performance from recently-injured DaJuan Summers and excellent team rebounding.

Georgetown looked lethargic early, but DaJuan kept them in the mix, shooting 4 for 5 to start while the team shot a dismal 1 for 11. Meanwhile, everything was dropping for USF who leapt out to an early ten-point lead. The game’s momentum shifted, however, on a charge taken by the team’s energizer, Patrick Ewing Jr. Following the foul, Georgetown scored four straight and never looked back.

USF stuck around and made it close down the stretch, but the Hoyas never appeared to be in danger during the second half. Sapp and Summers stepped up into their leadership roles and simply played better basketball than the other team. Roy Hibbert, ineffective for most of the first half, turned it on as well, blocking a number of shots and ripping rebounds off the glass at will.

High Points:

*

DaJuan Summers. The Baltimore native was responsible for Georgetown’s first 11 points, including three straight threes. He finished the night with 24 points, a career high. Numbers aside, Summers looked like the star we all know he is capable of being, drawing a number comparisons to Jeff Green during the game.
*

Offensive rebounds. Usually a low point for Georgetown, the entire team was absolutely ferocious on the boards. At one point, the Hoyas were out rebounding USF by an 11-1 margin.
*

Confidence. Even when down, Georgetown simply played their game until it started working. They kept calm (with the exception of a Ewing tussle) and followed the offense in which they have been trained. It might seem easy or even self-explanatory to just “do what you know,” but after watching Memphis throw our scheme off-kilter in December, it’s nice to know the team still has it in them.

Low Points:

*

Early sloppy play. Hey, it’s fine against USF to come out looking like you need a nap, but in the tournament, Georgetown will get blasted in the second round if they look that de-energized.
*

Ball handling issues. Everyone from Jon Wallace to Roy Hibbert had their fair share of problems tonight. Most of the errors came when attempting Randy Moss-like grabs. Stick to the two-handed catch, Hoyas!
*

An announcer talking about Jon Wallace being from a farm and going to Georgetown Law. A required statement in the last few televised games, and now the subject of a story in the NY Times, Wallace’s story has been everywhere. Yes, he’s impressive and no, I don’t need to hear it again.

Questions That Remain

*

Are our three point attempts hurting more than helping? Typically known as a team that shot excellently from three point range, the Hoyas have been out of sync since the Pitt game, going just 4-13 in the first half of tonight’s game.
*

Why can no one shoot free throws? They don’t call it the charity stripe for nothing. Vernon Macklin has yet to take advantage of the free points, shooting an embarrassing 24% on the season. Even our hero of the night, DaJuan Summers, missed a pair during the game.
*

Should JTIII be using Hibbert and Macklin as a tandem? When put together, the 7 footers were an imposing force, helping each other on blocks and scoring points at will. It’s a combination we’ve rarely seen but it seems to work well.

It was over when…

*

DaJuan Summers emphatically dunked a USF turnover to take a 51-39 lead. The dunk also represented a career high in points for the 6’8” forward.

Player of the game…

*

See: High Points, #1

South Florida Point Spread

2008-02-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

Georgetown was an 18 point favorite tonight, with an over/under of 129. They didn't cover, moving to 8-10 against the spread this season.

Seton Hall Point Spread

2008-02-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Georgetown is a 14.5 point favorite today against Seton Hall. This line strikes me as high - it's probably a little inflated after the dominating performance against St. John's and Seton Hall is coming in having won 5 straight conference games (going 4-1 against the spread during that stretch). Another interesting fact is that Georgetown in 2-7 against the spread in their last 9 Saturday games. My guess is that Georgetown wins the game no problem, but covering the spread might be a little more difficult.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

A Report From The Hilltop: An Unpdate On DaJuan Summers' Injury

2008-02-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

The Van Buren Boys are a giving bunch. So, when we were recently approached by a Georgetown undergrad who wanted to contribute to the blog, we said, "why not?" We gave the eager young man an assignment and told him to report back. He did.

Below is a guest post from the lad, who I'll call "The Iceman." We have no way of confirming the kid's story, so for now we'll take him at his word. But who knows, if this story proves to be accurate, and if The Iceman keeps on delivering quality guest posts, maybe we'll add him to the hallowed list of Van Buren Boy contributors.

Without further adieu...

The Hoyas looked just fine without DaJuan Summers as they cruised to a record-breaking 74-42 win over the St. John's Red Storm on Wednesday night. Senior Patrick Ewing, Jr. filled in amply for the injured sophomore starter, who sprained his ankle during the waning moments of Monday's thriller against WVU.

While Ewing filled the shoes of Summers in this game, impressively controlling the tempo of the offense and being effective on both sides of the floor, his enthusiasm and athleticism won't be enough when conference rivals like Villanova and Syracuse come rolling into town. It's encouraging that the Hoyas played well without one of their stars, but let's be honest – we need the guy back.

According to a Washington Post report, Summers wasn't practicing and was listed as day-to-day. The Van Buren Boys decided to dig a little deeper, finding out that the report given by JTIII wasn't exactly complete.

Our source, a member of the men's basketball team, admitted to us that "DaJuan has been practicing on and off. He'll probably practice today."

When asked if Summers had been limping, our source admitted that "yeah, he's limping, but he's got that boot on. He'll take that off soon, though – he's a tough dude."

Finally, the Van Buren Boys pushed for what we all are dying to know – when's #3 coming back? "No idea, man."

We'll keep you updated on DaJuan's status as the injury progresses.

-- The Iceman

Brendan

2008-01-31T16:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Stallion's post yesterday, there seems to be some renewed interest in a classic former Hoya: Brendan Gaughan. A quick Google search delivered this jem.

ESPN.com's Georgetown - St. John's Video Highlights

2008-01-31T08:52:00.001-05:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3223055&n8pe6c=2

G'town / SJU Recap

2008-01-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

Probably could describe this game in 2 words - complete domination! Not sure my fellow VBB were able to catch this one on TV or not, but in my opinion, it was sort of like watching the training clips of Ivan Drago's sparring sessions from Rocky IV. I just sort of felt bad for St. Johns. Mrs. Stallion opined that the Johnnies resemebled the high school JV team that she played on many years ago. Honestly, after the first timeout, I would have put Roy on a train back to DC to get some sleep. The G'town / St. John's matchup has definitely lost some of the luster since the Sweater Game.

Before going further, Johnny Shades and I discussed the 10 point spread pre-tipoff and Johnny predicted that the Hoyas were set to unload on somebody and that somebody would be St. Johns. Props to Johnny for his bold prediction; I wonder if he bet the spread.
Aside from the solid conference victory, apparently the worst in St. John's history, here are a few of my favorite moments / thoughts of the game -

1. The "Bronx" cheer that rippled through the Garden when the Johnnies hit their second shot of the game (with 4:40 to go in the first 1/2). Incidentally, I had a side bet going w/ Mrs. Stallion as to whether the Johnnies would end the first half with more fouls than points. It was a close one.
2. St. John's Dance team - they put on an effort that was quite nice & worthy of recognition
3. Witnessing Byron Jansen knock down a 3 at the buzzer. That sent the G'town bench up in the air cheering. JT3 even seemed to join the celebration. The Garden erupted for that as well. It sort of reminded me when we witnessed dough boy Brendan's high scoring game.

An honorable mention goes to the dude in The Aeropostale Half-time Shootout who narrowly missed the half-court toss.

Aside from the above which will stick with me for quite some time, I think overall it was clear that the Hoyas needed to blow off some frustration. They played with the most intensity I've seen them exhibit all season. Based on the showing against Rutgers, I was pleaseantly surprised by the intensity they showed. The Defense looked great although it always helps when your opponent shoots 21% from the floor. St. Johns was never permitted to look comfortable and the Hoyas kept them out of sync all night. Some the St. John's shots looked like Yates desparation tosses. But, nonetheless, the defense played solid all game long; however, we did commit a number of dumb fouls.

Those with Knicks affiliation played tough. Ewing Jr threw down a couple of nice dunks & given his pointing to the crowd, appeared to dedicate them to Papa Ewing. Despite only chipping in 5 points, Jeremiah was over the court and some of his 9 boards were nice grabs. On the flip side, Mason Jr had a box score line like his dad with 9 points & 7 boards; however, he didn't rack up enough fouls to bear enough resemblace to the 'Mace in yo face' attitude that his dad brought to the mid-90s Knicks.

Roy was efficient with 11 points in 19 minutes. Had 3 fouls, but I honestly think at times he was duped into playing at the level of the Johnnies. Kudos to JT3 for using him sparingly; he got enough work in to regain his comfort for the Garden but he got a nice night off. Also, his fro is coming in quite nicely.

One area that was interesting to watch was Macklin's play tonight. Based on the various combos on the floor, it looked as if JT3 sat him down during pre-game and told him to run with the game. He looked solid and had 2 very impressive looking dunks, the second of which seemed to elicit the only life out of St. Johns. On one of the next possessions, Mason Jr threw down one of his own dunks in retaliation. Overall, Macklin had a decent night, even went 40% from the line. However, JT3 did have to sit him down for a while in the 2nd half as he picked up his 4th foul with around 8 minutes to go in the game. That makes me a bit nervous - if you nearly foul out of the St. John's game, will he be able to stick around in a closer more meaningful game (especially given the unknown & tenuous nature of Summer's injury)? I'm willing to chalk it up to just being dragged down to the level of your opponent. But, while no doubt that he has the tools, he is still very raw & needs to play smarter.

Hopefully G'town continues the level of play over the remainder of the year. It'd be quite nice to lock down the regular season Big East title.

St. John's Point Spread

2008-01-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

Georgetown is a solid 10 point favorite in the Garden tonight against St. John's, with an over/under of 123. After a couple close calls, I think it's time for the Hoyas to flex on a St. John's squad that has lost its last five in a row. As an aside, tonight's game should present a nice opportunity for Austin Freeman to get acclimated to MSG before returning for the Big East tournament run.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

Summes Has Not Practiced And Is Day-To-Day

2008-01-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

Camille Powell has an article in today's Washington Post about Patrick Ewing Jr. and what he brings to the team (and to life). It is definitely worth a read.

Powell also notes that DaJuan Summers did not practice yesterday and, according to JTIII, is day-to-day. Summers' injury is very worrisome to the Hoyas' prospects going forward. He is the team's second-leading scorer and the effects of a sprained ankle can often linger for months. Due to the importance of this story, The VBBs are trying to get a little more info for our loyal readers. Stay tuned (Oooooooooooooh, mysterious).

UPDATE: Barker Davis adds additional information about Summers' status in his piece for today's Washington Times.

"But the prognosis on DaJuan is much better than we initially expected. It
looks like minor sprain. There's nothing broken or torn, no ligament damage.
We'll make a game-time decision on him tomorrow, but he's been moving around
pretty well, and I'm pretty sure he's going to play."

The Obligatory J-Wall Grew Up On A Farm Story

2008-01-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

In preparation for tonight's game against the Johnnies, The New York times has the obligatory Jonathan-Wallace-Grew-Up-On-A-Farm-In-Alabama-And-Was-A-Walk-On-Story. It doesn't provide anything that is particularly earth-shattering, but it does have a little more detail than these stories normally do. Plus, I will admit that this has one of the better lines that I've read in a Hoyas' story in quite a while:

But Wallace, who averaged 16.5 points a game as a senior at Sparkman High School, was a bit more Old McDonald than McDonald’s all-American

Enjoy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/sports/ncaabasketball/30hoyas.html?_r=1&ref=ncaabasketball&oref=slogin

Hoyas vs. Nats

2008-01-29T17:18:00.000-05:00

This is just plain awesome. CSTV reported today that the Georgetown baseball team will be playing an exhibition match against MBL's Washington Nationals on February 28 at the National's Spring Training home, Space Coast Park.

Washington, D.C. - For the first time in its 132-season history, the Georgetown University baseball team will take on a Major League Baseball franchise. On Thursday, February 28, the Hoyas will travel to the Washington Nationals Spring Training home, Space Coast Park, in Viera, Fla. for an exhibition contest, with first pitch slated for 11:30 a.m.

"Playing a professional team is something that we have been looking forward to for a few years now," senior Matt Harrigan said. "Not only is it a great training opportunity for our team, but it is also a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of us. We can't wait until February 28th."

It will be the first home game of the spring season for the Nationals. They will begin major league competition on February 29 when they host the Florida Marlins.

Sounds like a good road trip to me.

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/stories/012908aaq.html

The Big East Rules

2008-01-29T16:36:00.000-05:00

The Big East is the best basketball conference in the country; we all know that. But now we have another reason to celebrate this alliance of institutions of higher education. Miss America. Yes, this year's Miss America is a Big East student. So, she goes to Cincinnati and not to Georgetown. The Van Buren Boys are big enough to give accoldades where accoldades are deserved.

So, what if the University of Cincinnati has never had a Rhodes Scholar (at least not that I have been able to find)? Who cares if Georgetown has had 23 Rhodes Scholars (including one who went on to be Leader of the Free World)? I don't think a Hoya has ever reigned as Miss America.
Congratulations, Bearcats. Congratulations, indeed.

Roy's 'Fro

2008-01-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

I don't know how we could have missed this. Washingtonpost.com's D.C. Sports Bog reported yesterday that Roy Hibbert told reporters Friday that he would not cut his hair the rest of the season. Hibbert explained that he's trying to grow an afro "like Josh Childress."

Are you seroius? That is fantastic! I can see it now.

P.S. - Coincidently, the Sports Bog gave The VBB a shout out in this post. Thanks for the love, Dan.

You Make The Call: The Block Heard Round The World

2008-01-28T09:39:00.000-05:00

Here are the ESPN highlights from the Georgetown - West Virginia game. They have some good slow-motion shots of Patrick Ewing Jr.'s block as time expired. I don't care which team you were cheering for, that's just a good atheletic play. Was the ball at it's apex? Had it made a slight dip down toward's the basket? I think it's impossible to tell. I don't see how an official could call goal tending in that instance. It's literally too close to call.

Update On Summers' Injury

2008-01-28T09:32:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post is reporting that DaJuan Summers suffered a high ankle sprain. JTIII told The Post that it is not broken.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/27/AR2008012702498.html

The mere fact that there was no break doesn't set my mind at ease. All sports fans know that the infamous "high ankle sprain" can affect players for a long time. Let's hope that DaJuan heals quickly.

Huge Win!

2008-01-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

The win over West Virginia is a big big win. That may be the most intense atmosphere the Hoyas will face this season. Surely, we played poorly--way way too many unforced errors. In fact, there were more inexplicable errors in that game than in any this year. Clearly, the team was somewhat rattled by the atmosphere. I wasn't pleased with DaJaun (but I hope he's okay!) or Jonathan, whose shot looks terrible. Once again, it was the gritty triumvirate of Jessie Sapp, Pat Ewing Jr., and Baby Doc, who pulled the Hoyas across the finish line. The final plays by Sapp and Ewing were just incredible. (Sapp has some stones!!!)Flipping between replays of Ewing's (clean) block and Obama's victory oratory was pure joy for me and the IPB. It turns out we were not the only ones. The Washington Post's Chris Cilliza discussed the game in his "Winners and Losers" column for The Fix regarding South Carolina:

The Fix's Heart: Already overtaxed by the stresses of serving as fan-in-chief for Catholic University's field hockey team and the ups and downs of Election 2008, The Fix's ticker can't take the sort of games Georgetown's basketball team has been playing of late. Last night's heart-attack inducing one-point win at West Virginia is just the latest example. And just for the record, that was a legitimate block -- and one heck of an athletic play -- by Patrick Ewing Jr. HOYA SAXA!

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/01/winners_and_losers_south_carol.html

West Virginia Point Spread

2008-01-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

Las Vegas is predicting a pretty tight game tonight. The Hoyas are a 3 point favorite, and the over/under is 129 (though these might move around a little bit by gametime). I have a feeling this game will play out right around the number.

Point spreads/odds provided for recreational purposes only

A Digression

2008-01-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

This post is only tangentially related to Georgetown basketball, but I cannot resist the opportunity to share this story about something that has long been a dream of mine: legalized sports betting in Atlantic City. It will probably never happen, but perhaps the advent of slots in Pennsylvania will spur some action.

Wow. Chris and Nikita Done for the Season

2008-01-25T08:48:00.000-05:00

The Post is reporting that both Chris Wright and Nikita Mescheriakov will not play again this year. Nikita, you may have noticed, has yet to play. It appears that Nikita may be redshirted. But Wright has already played too many games to qualify for a medical redshit. That is really bad news. We could use Wright's dribble penetration and shooting. Oh well.

Hoyas' Wright Is Likely Out for Season

Wright, a three-time All-Met from St. John's, broke his right foot while playing pickup basketball in late September and had surgery, but he was cleared to play by the start of the season. He then rolled his right ankle at practice on Jan. 4, an injury that Thompson initially described as "nothing major." A week later, Wright felt discomfort in the foot. He has not been practicing, though he was dribbling and shooting the ball yesterday, which Thompson was quick to point out that Wright shouldn't be doing. The 6-foot-1 guard was averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 assists in 17.9 minutes as a reserve for the ninth-ranked Hoyas (15-2, 5-1). He is ineligible for a medical redshirt because he played in 11 games, which is more than 30 percent of Georgetown's scheduled contests.
. . . .

Thompson also said the Hoyas might redshirt freshman forward Nikita Mescheriakov. Mescheriakov, who played at St. John's-Prospect Hall, was ruled ineligible for the first 10 games of the season because he briefly played for, but was not compensated by, a professional team in his native Belarus. He has yet to play this season.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012402959.html

Musing From Wilbon & Mr. Tony

2008-01-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

It's kind of a slow day for Georgetown Hoyas' news. I probably should be blogging about the Hoyas' game this Saturday against the 'Neers in Morgantown, but I'm not feeling up to it yet (for the time being I'm just going to say that I think it'll be a tight game). The best thing I've been able to find is this video of Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon from over at washingtonpost.com. It actually doesn't have that much info about the Hoyas. The discussion of the Hoyas only arises during a discussion of the Terps big win against UNC. And there is really only one point of interest: the fact that both Wilbon and Kornheiser agree that Georgetown has the talent to win the National Championship this year. That probably isn't a shocker to the Hoya Faithful who visit this blog...but affirmation is always nice.

Syracuse Point Spread - My Bad

2008-01-22T00:53:00.000-05:00

Ok - I fully concede that being late on two games in a row is extremely poor form on my part. I'll be ready for West Virginia. It was a tough night if you bet on the Hoyas. The spread was 12, which they obviously didn't cover, and the over/under was 142.5.