Hoyas at home, for real

The IPB and I will attend this evening's game at McDonough. I'm looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere in a sold-out McDonough. This is a real game against a real opponent, not the Latvian select team or any such pushover. I pity ODU for having to come to McDonough. In, fact I'd be nervous about it if it were in Verizon. The IPB or I will post a full recap.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/18/AR2006111800916.html

Missed This Yesterday

Some how I missed this yesterday. Barker Davis wrote an article for The Washington Times Blogs about the GU-Vandy game. The focus of his post is JTIII's concern about the team's performance in that game. Despite the typos in the post's title ("Coache oncerned about Hoyas' high-scoring performance"), it gives a pretty good summary of all the Hoyas' positives from that contest.

Despite Thompson's take, 13 of Georgetown's 18 second-half field goals came on layups or dunks -- that's a pretty decent Princeton primer for the second game of the season, particularly given the team's relatively inexperienced backcourt. Juniors Jeff Green (19 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Jon Wallace (16 points, three assists) both played spectacular on the offensive end, sprinkling in a series of two-man games (give-and-go, back cut, screen-curl-handoff) amid the team's overall attack.

But the ultimate positive from Georgetown's trip to Nashville was that Thompson was able to give extensive and invaluable playing time to youngsters Marc Egerson (33 minutes), DaJuan Summers (17), Patrick Ewing Jr. (15), Vernon Macklin (12) and Jeremiah Rivers (12).

And all of the above responded with flashes of brilliance.
Egerson did a nice defensive job on dangerous Vandy sniper Shan Foster (0-for-5 from the field), though Foster's poor night had less to do with Egerson than with Foster's gimpy right ankle.

Summers and Ewing showed their inside-outside games, as both finished in the paint for one score and buried a long jumper for another.

Macklin dropped in a nice hook shot early in the second half and showed the kind of outstanding athleticism for a 6-foot-10 player that made him a major blue-chipper.

And Rivers posted the first points of his GU career with serious panache, intercepting a pass and finishing his steal-and-score with a run-out jam.

For the rest of Davis's analysis click here.

The Next Zo?

CBSSportsline.com's college basketball section is running this as their top story:

Giant possibilities

Here's the thing about potential: It's another way to say you haven't done anything yet. So instead of hearing about it, Georgetown wants 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert to realize his right now, Gary Parrish says.


Can Roy Hibbert really be another Alonzo Mourning? (US PRESSWIRE)

Go ahead, read the whole article...you know you want to.

Something To Watch Out For

After the Hartford game a couple of us were discussing the Hoyas' pre-Big East schedule. Someone asked how good Oral Roberts was supposed to be this year (GU plays them on December 9). The answer, apparently, is they are pretty good. They took down #3 Kansas last night. For ESPN.com's report on the game, click here.

Hoyas thump Vandy.

Why don't all teams play zone against us? I just don't get it. Here are the reports from the Post and the Times.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501662.html

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20061116-123948-5968r.htm

And the NYTimes has a great article on the rise of Roy Hibbert.



http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/sports/ncaabasketball/16hoyas.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


Edit: SI weighs in on Hibbert's development. Evidently, JTIII was underwhelmed by Roy's performance last night. He is looking for bigger and better things.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9807812

The Jester's Take on the Vandy Game

Overall, I think that the game against Vandy was very good. Sure, things were very close for much of the game, and the team looked a bit sloppy at times, but I think most of that can be explained. JTIII admits that he is using these early games to test different combinations of players to see who gels, with whom. I think a lot of the miscues last night can be attributed to this--just different combinations of people who don't particularly fit well together. As the season progresses and Thompson learns who his best combinations are, expect things to go much smoother.

Highlight of the Game: By far my favorite moment last night was Pat Ewing Jr.'s drive down the lane, where he was fouled and had the opportunity for the three-point play. As Ewing walked down the baseline following his shot you could clearly hear him scream "and one." It was a perfect example of the kind of enthusiasm and intensity that Ewing brings to the court. Unlike the Hoyas' opener, I thought that Ewing did a nice job contributing. Not only did he have that great drive, but he also had a nice three pointer on the wing falling away from the basket. That being said, Ewing may be too emotional. At times he plays a bit out of control and it seems to lead to some dumb fouls.

The juniors led the way: Green, Hibbert, and Wallace all looked great. Green had some fantastic passes (as usual) and some great moves down the lane. He really looked like he wanted to be a leader out there; a great development. Hibbert was dominant during the first half. He actually threw some dunks down (which, of course, is what you're supposed to do if you're 7'2). I was a bit concerned about some of the dumb fouls he picked up early. It definitely limited his effectiveness. Plus, I thought he looked a bit sluggish down the stretch. Hopefully, his stamina improves as the season progresses. Wallace took more shots and they looked fantastic. Also, whenever Wallace as the ball in his hands at the point the entire team looks more controlled. The biggest thing I took away from the game tonight was that the Hoyas are a very good team when these three are on the court and they are a completely different team when they are not. Teams will target these three and try to get them in foul trouble (especially Jeff and Roy). It'll be really interesting to see how other players progress to pick up the slack.

The rest: Most players looked much better than they did last week. I though Sapp really stepped up. He did a good job taking the ball to the hoop and ended up getting to take a lot of shots from the charity stripe. I thought he generally looked good handling the ball and I was happy to see him get more opportunities to run the point. Still, I don't feel as "safe" when he has the ball as I do when Jonathan does...but the season's still young. Rivers looked much better. I actually saw some of the "poise" that Diamond suggested he saw in the Harford game. I definitely thing Egerson is a great asset. There was no one thing that stands out in my mind about his performance last night, but I remember thinking throughout the game that he just looked solid. Both Summers and Macklin looked like freshmen, talented freshmen, but still freshmen. They both picked up a lot of dumb fouls. Macklin actually looked a little old-school Roy-ish in the way that he seemed to have trouble controlling his long limbs at time. But you can tell both are going to be contributors real soon. Macklin barely missed a follow-up dunk that would have been huge. Look for both guys to quickly to improve.

The question: Will the Hoyas ever make an alley oop? They have tried to a bunch of times in the first two games and you would think they could be successful given all of the big bodies they have down low. Still, they have had zero luck so far. Maybe next game.

Bring on ODU!

Feature on Marc and other game day articles

JTIII and Marc's teammates seem to think Marc will be key to this season. Even the IPB has started to warm up to him after his performance against Hartford.

Hoyas Count on Egerson's Versatility

"He has that ability," Coach John Thompson III said after the game. "Marc can do a lot of things on the floor; he has a pretty good feel. A couple of times we got it in there, he was able to get to the basket, matched up with their big guy, he was able to make things happen. We're going to need that from him."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111401322.html

There are a number of other pregame articles online. This will be a huge test for the Hoyas. They need to bounce back with authority from the Hartford debacle. Roy and Jeff in particular need to step it up. And J-Wal needs to shoot more. Those are our go-to guys.

Here's a good pre-game article from Nashville:

Hoya paranoia descends on Memorial Gym

As openers go, Vanderbilt’s home showdown tonight against Georgetown couldn’t be more challenging.The No. 8 Hoyas have been tabbed by USA Today as one of eight teams capable of winning the national championship next spring and return three starters from last season.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=7&screen=news&news_id=53271

Here's the take on the game from Rivals' Vandy writers:

http://vanderbilt.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=607531

Check out the picture of Ronny Thompson, misidentified as JTIII! Fortunately, there is no discussion of Jesse Sappy or Patrick Ewing Jar.

Roy Roy Roy

Let's hope that this hitting new stands pumps Roy up in advance of Vandy. We are going to need a big game from him -- no more missing chippies -- dunk the ball!

I'm seriously concerned about the Vandy game. Last year's was awful and Shan Foster will once again come out and punish the Hoyas for not offering him a scholarship. Between Shan and Noah, I felt like the ghost of Esherick was haunting the Hoyas last year.

Oh yeah, and J-Wall need to shoot more. I'd like to see him take 8 or 9 shots from the outside per game -- but no more of those NBA threes.

GUHoyas hosts official 100th year website

Check it out! http://www.guhoyas100.com/index.cfm

There is a cool video and great vintage photos like this one of Ralph Dalton speaking with another gentleman. I'm not sure who he is. Possibly the IPB can identify him for us....

Interesting how many ties there are between the Hoyas and Celtics. In addition to JT and his friendship with Russell and Red, a string of Celtics coaches have sent their sons to Georgetown. Granted, the children of Pitino and O'Brien did not play on the team, but I'm still optimistic about the future Rivers has in blue and gray.

Georgetown-Winston Salem

There is a Georgetown game at McDonough on Saturday, December 16 @ 7:30 p.m. versus Winston-Salem St.

Yes, I know, not the most stellar opponent, but it will allow us to experience to some extent what the games of old in McDonough were like.

Is anyone interested in attending (Stallion--perhaps you can come down to DC for some post-exam relief with the Mrs. and Jeff assuming Jeff can pry himself away from the printer)?

Let me know as we should aim to get our order in in the next few weeks.

Bracketology (It's Never Too Early)

In the opening edition of Joe Lundari's Bracketology on ESPN.com, the Hoyas are listed as a three seed. Let's hope they start plahying like it.

Seth Davis, Part II

Apparently Mr. Davis heard my criticsm. After the severe tounge-lashing I offered last week on this blog he decided to reexamine his position on the Hoya's potential for success.

In his Hoop Thoughts column on SI.com today, Davis presents a piece entitled, Postcard From Georgetown: Hoyas will use smarts to overcome youth on perimeter. In this piece he recants his earlier comments that Georgetown would be this season's biggeset bust. He now draws this conclusion:

Bottom line: I frankly went to Georgetown expecting to be under whelmed, but I came away believing this team has a real chance to finish in the top two of the Big East. With this system, the Hoyas don't need to have stellar guard play -- just very good guard play. As long as the Hoyas are able to take care of the ball, I see them finishing no worse than third in the conference behind Pittsburgh and Syracuse. They'll be a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament, but unless they really improve I think they'll be hard-pressed to reach the Sweet 16.

Nice start, Mr. Davis. That's much better. I'll recall the dogs. My legions of fans will stop sending you hate mail. Now, the newfound respect for the Hoyas is great. But this was the comment from Seth's article (we're friends again, I can call him by his first name) that really got me excited:

X-factor: Summers. One thing I didn't fully realize until I watched practice was just how good a shooter Summers is. He's athletic and long and repeatedly stroked in deep jump shots with ease. He only took one shot against Hartford in 10 minutes off the bench, but if he can progress to the point where he moves into the starting lineup, then you'll know this team is ready to take a major, major step forward.

Could the freakishly athletic Summers be the shooter we've been looking for?

Update: I wanted to post this earlier, but needed to get home to Mrs. Jester. Though I'm happy with Davis's decision to pull an about face on the Hoyas, his inability to spell player's names is inexcusable. Emerson? Sappy? Well, I kind of like Sappy. But, still.

It's Good To Be Ranked

The official Georgetown Hoyas' website is reporting that this Wednesday's game at Vanderbilt will be broadcast on MASN. What a change from the past, when you had to hope and pray to see the Blue & Gray on TV.

MASN to Air Wednesday Night's Georgetown vs. Vanderbilt Men's Basketball Contest

Nov. 13, 2006

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University men's basketball road opener on Wednesday, November 15 at Vanderbilt will be televised live by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). The Hoyas and the Commodores are scheduled to tip-off at 9 p.m. (ET) at Memorial Gymnasium.

Click HERE to see the rest of the press release.

Hartford

I must admit that I thought the game against Hartford was a pre-season game which is why I wasn't concerned about the score (I didn't see / listen to the game).

For those that went, did Hartford play that tough, or did GU just not play well? Or conversely, did GU just execute the Princeton offense which doesn't tend to blow other teams out of the water?

From the Associated Press

With a Thompson and a Ewing, it's like old times for No. 8 Hoyas
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
November 9, 2006
AP - Nov 9, 12:55 pm EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An elite Georgetown squad will once again be leaning on Thompson and Ewing.

No, it's not 1984. It's 2006.

And that's coach John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing Jr. ...

Read More...

Why I Hate Seth Davis

(a.k.a. "Why I Love Luke Winn")

SI.com's hoops experts have a piece on line where they gaze into the Crystal Ball and make predictions for the upcoming NCAA season. Luke Winn currently gets my vote for greatest basketball prognosticator ever with this bold pick:

Final Four teams
Davis: Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, Pitt
Wahl: Kansas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona
Winn: North Carolina, Georgetown, Arizona, Wisconsin

Seth Davis, on the other hand, will feel my wrath for the rest of the season, as he has selected the Hoyas as his "Biggest Flop" of the season.

Davis: Georgetown
You've gotta love Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green up front, but college hoops is still a guard-oriented sport, and the Hoyas simply don't have the perimeter talent and depth to justify the lofty preseason expectations.

At least Mr. Davis is smart enough to give Green and Hibs some love.

JTIII!!!

Evidently, Monica is going through a second round of treatment. I'm sorry to hear that. Other than that, a very upbeat assessment of what he has accomplished.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/preview2006/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2654676

100 Years...And 2 Days Until The Season Starts!

This picture comes from an article in the November issue of Washington Life about 100 years of Georgetown basketball. Diamond posted a link to the article (see the post entitled "Great article"), but due to a technical snafu that post did not appear until today. Because I was worried people may not see Diamond's post burried in the recent flurry of blog postings, I decided to directly insert this fantastic graphic.

So, enjoy. And go check out the article, it's fantastic too.

Two of the Top 65 Reasons to Watch College Basketball

ESPN.com's Page 2 has an article today by Bomani Jones entitled Road to the Final Four has begun. This article lists the 65 reasons to watch college basketball during the 145 days between now and the start of the NCAA tournament. Our Hoyas give fans two of those 65 reasons.

35. Georgetown's version of the Princeton offense, which actually is fun to watch.

36. Georgetown's big men, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, who are also fun to watch.

Luke Winn on Hoyas' Recruiting Class

In honor of Signing Day for the class of 2007, SI.com's Luke Winn has worked with scout.com's Dave Telep to create a list of the top 10 classes. That list, which is posted on Luke's College Basketball Blog has the Hoyas at number 10.

10. Georgetown
Impact Players: Austin Freeman (No. 3 SG), Chris Wright (No. 6 PG)

The Hoyas' traditional recruiting strength has been in the frontcourt, securing stars such as Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and Vernon Macklin in recent years. This year's class is unusual in that it features two big-time guards. Freeman, a 6-4 scorer from prep powerhouse DeMatha Catholic, and Wright, a tough, 6-1 point who had originally committed to N.C. State, will form Georgetown's backcourt of the future. "Freeman is a multi-year college basketball player," said Telep. "I wouldn't be surprised if we're looking at a kid who might be a future Big East Player of the Year."