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Georgetown Basketball: November 2006 News Archive

Oregon 57, Georgetown 50 11/30/06

"When a Georgetown player did move without the ball, the cuts were soft, slow and made without conviction or urgency. The result was an offense that could best be described as vintage Craig Esherick Era: one-on-five aesthetic ugliness ending in a wild shot or ill-advised pass."--Barker Davis, The Washington Times

For the second time in ten days, the Georgetown Hoyas were beaten at home. Where Old Dominion won Nov. 20 on an offensive surge, Oregon's 57-50 win at Verizon Center came from a visiting team shooting just 39% from the field and missing 17 for 22 attempts from the three point line. For its part, Georgetown scored five field goals in the final 11:20, raising questions as to the ability of the 2006-07 Hoyas to generate any offense without Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.

Oregon came out running and gunning early, taking early leads of 8-6 and 17-13. Thankfully for the Hoyas, its shooting was off in a big way. Oregon missed 13 straight shots (11 from three point range) giving the Hoyas ample opportunity to put the Ducks in a big first half deficit. Instead, the Hoyas failed to take advantage. Over the next ten minutes, Georgetown's 10-0 run gave them a 23-17 advantage, but it came at the expense of eight missed possessions, including four turnovers. Oregon countered with five offensive rebounds in the final 2:56 to close to 25-23 at the half.

The two teams slowed the ball in the second half, but Georgetown had no intensity. Jonathan Wallace (17 points) was the only player approaching a consistent game, as Georgetown missed all five three point attempts in the second half and missed five layups. Much like Old Dominion a week earlier, the Ducks took a 39-37 lead at the midpoint of the game and Georgetown never really responded.

Georgetown did close to 43-41 with 6:09 to play, but saw its next five possessions read turnover, missed three, turnover, missed layup, and turnover. Oregon connected on its next five field goals and never looked back--the five point final score does not reflect what was a one sided offensive game for most of the last seven minutes.

Jeff Green scored five points and collected five fouls. Roy Hibbert showed even less, with four points on 2 for 7 shooting, and was pushed around by Oregon's inside game. Worse yet, Georgetown's 17 turnovers and 1 for 9 three point shooting gave Oregon the opportunity to turn it around following their first half drought.

"Our offense was not good, and it hasn't been," coach John Thompson III said in the Associated Press article below. "We're not sure where we're going, what we're doing."

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. Duke follows Saturday.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Wallace   36   7-10  1-3   0-0   5  3   1   17
Egerson   24   5-9   0-2   3-3   7  0   0   13

Everyone Else:                                 
Sapp      28   1-3   0-2   0-0   2  1   5    2
Summers   19   2-5   0-1   0-1   6  0   1    4
Green     38   2-3   0-1   1-2   8  1   5    5
Hibbert   25   2-7   0-0   0-0   3  0   2    4
Macklin    7   1-1   0-0   0-0   0  0   1    2
Rivers    17   1-2   0-0   0-0   2  2   1    2
Crawford   1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Ewing      5   0-0   0-0   1-2   0  0   0    1
Team Rebounds                    1
DNP: Izzo, Spann, Dizdarevic
TOTALS   200  21-40  1-9   5-8  34  7  16   50
Fathers & Sons 11/29/06

Columnist Quin Hillyer discusses the ties that bind two famous sports families in this link at the American Spectator.

"Sometimes it happens that a son follows his father into big-time sports. Rarer is it that two sons do so, and rarer still that both sons assume the same position in the same sport as their dad," Hillyer wrote. "Give both JTIII and Ronny Thompson another year or three, and they might each be knocking on the championship door their father once kicked down."

Coach Wilk's Holiday Visit 11/29/06

Off the basketball pages, this link to GUHoyas.com tells the story of a Georgetown coach putting the University's ideals to work far beyond the gates of the campus.

For the past six years, Georgetown baseball coach Pete Wilk has volunteered his time in advance of the holiday season in the Dominican Republic, where a program called Beisbol Y Libros (Baseball and Books), brings 12 DC area coaches to the Dominican village of Consuelo to teach kids about sports as well as help with math and English.

"The first year we were down there, word got around," Wilk said, "and we saw kids coming straight out of the sugar cane fields, barefoot in some cases, jumping over the fence to join in. We went from a group of about 100 kids to about 200 in an hour. These kids just jumped in. They would even start tossing battle caps to one kid with a stick and that's how they'd learn to hit."

While the Dominican Republic is fertile ground for major league baseball talent, Wilk's effort reaches a different audience.

"This whole thing is not about the prospects who are going to go down the street to one of the [baseball] academies, it's about the little kids and showing them that there is an opportunity, whether it's athletics or books."

Recommended reading.

Jaren Jackson Feature 11/28/06

With Jaren Jackson (B'89) being featured in Tuesday's countdown of the Top 100 players in Georgetown history, a HoyaTalk reader alerted us to this Q&A with Jackson from the online newsletter of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

In the article, which recalls Jackson's college and pros days, he relays an amusing anecdote with then-college coach John Thompson.

"I can recall this one time Coach arrived to practice from a previous function wearing a nice suit. He decided that he didn't want to change so he conducted practice in his dress clothes," Jackson said. "At practice, he began pacing the floor and proceeded to slip, stumble and almost fall...We somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout practice and laughed about it afterwards when it was safe."

Hoyas 18th In AP Poll 11/27/06

Despite a win last week, Georgetown dropped from 14th to 18th in this week's Associated Press poll, and from 16th to 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Further details are found at this Associated Press article.

Georgetown 69, Ball St. 54 11/28/06

Three players scored in double figures as Georgetown pulled away early for a 69-54 win over Ball State at Verizon (MCI) Center.

Georgetown scored the first five points of the game and shot 7 for its first 11 shots to lead 18-9 midway in the half. Ball State (2-4) closed to within four at 22-18 but never got closer again. Jessie Sapp posted five first half assists as the Hoyas pulled away to a 33-19 lead, with 12 assists in its first 13 baskets. By halftime, Georgetown had a 40-28 lead, and the Cardinals never closed within single digits in the second half.

Scoring was distributed among nine players, with all 13 on the roster seeing action. Jeff Green scored 14 points, followed by Dajuan Summers with 12 and Vernon Macklin with 10. Joined by a strong effort by Jeremiah Rivers, the freshmen all saw positive action in the game.

For its part, Ball State shot 41% from the field and its 50% from three point range was a considerable step up from its 19% outside shooting to date, but the Cardinals struggled from the line, hitting only seven of 15.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   26   2-5   0-3   1-1   3  3   1    5
Sapp      31   1-5   1-3   1-2   3  8   2    6
Summers   25   2-3   1-1   5-7   0  0   2   12
Green     34   3-4   2-2   2-2   6  4   0   14
Hibbert   20   3-4   0-0   3-5   7  1   3    9
Reserves: 
Macklin   16   5-7   0-0   0-0   1  0   1   10
Izzo       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   1    0
Rivers    18   0-0   1-2   0-0   2  4   0    3
Spann      1   0-2   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Ewing      6   0-0   1-1   0-0   1  0   0    3
Egerson   21   2-2   1-3   0-0   2  0   2    7
Dizdarevic 1   0-1   0-0   0-0   0  0   1    0
Team Rebounds                    6
DNP: Crawford
TOTALS   200  18-33  7-15 12-17 31 20  13   69

Additional links follow below:

Rich Chvotkin Broadcasts 1000th Game 11/27/06

Seven radio stations and 32 years after Rich Chvotkin made his debut on Nov. 30, 1974, Monday's game marks Chvotkin's 1000th game behind the microphone as the voice of Georgetown Basketball.

Previous articles from this site, from The HOYA, and the Washington Post have detailed Chvotkin's passion and commitment to Georgetown basketball, from the extensive travel in the early years to having broadcast 16 Big East tournaments in their entirety back to Washington--whether Georgetown was playing or not.

Since the 1974-75 season, Chvotkin has broadcast:

  • 42 percent of the entire 100 year, 2,355 game history of Georgetown basketball.
  • Games in 38 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
  • A total of 94 Georgetown games from Madison Square Garden alone; including his wall-to-wall Big East coverage of Big East action in the 1980's and 1990's, he has broadcast over 200 games back to D.C. from the Garden.
  • 88 post-season games (57 NCAA, 23 NIT, and 8 ECAC)
  • Games involving 151 different Georgetown players and 47 different Big East coaches.

Two generations of Georgetown fans have followed the radio coverage over the years, and have grown to appreciate Chvotkin's nuances in the broadcasts (such as the 'liftoff' and 'vesper' halves of play, a break in the action as 'the scoreboard clock arrests', as well as in-game phrases such as 'the hoop and the harm', the 'muscle tussle', the 'snowbird', et al.) With the arrival of online broadcasts, Georgetown fans as distant as Beijing and Dar Es Salaam have awaited Chvotkin's signature call..."Hoyas Win!"

Chvotkin will be joined along press row by another veteran of college broadcasts, Ball State announcer Morrie Mannies. Mannies is in his 51st year of covering Ball State basketball.

Georgetown 73, Fairfield 60 11/22/06

Dajuan Summers scored a career high 17 points as Georgetown overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Fairfield 73-60 in Bridgeport, CT.

Georgetown opened the first half much as they finished the second half against Old Dominion--sluggish and a little disoriented. The Stags (1-6) scored the first six points of the game and held a lead for much of the half, as Georgetown's interior defense continued to give Fairfield second chance points. Marc Egerson keyed a 18-6 run that gave the Hoyas a ten point lead with 1:31 left in the half, but the lead was eroded by two turnovers in the last 16 seconds which led to Fairfield cutting the 10 point lead to four at the half, 34-30.

Georgetown opened the second half with renewed effort, outscoring the Stags 17-2 in the first six minutes of the half. Fairfield closed to 12 at 51-39 before Jessie Sapp hit a three pointer to put the Hoyas up 15, followed on the next series by a Roy Hibbert basket and free throw, and the Hoyas were never threatened thereafter. Hibbert only had one shot attempt in ten minutes in the first half, but was more aggressive in the second half, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, and six blocks.

Freshmen Dajuan Summers, Jeremiah Rivers, and Vernon Macklin all saw significant time and helped steady the Hoyas, which was important because Jeff Green had another rough evening, held without a field goal at intermission and finishing 1 for 4 from the field and four points overall.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   27   0-1   3-5   2-3   0  1   3    9
Sapp      31   3-6   2-5   2-3   3  2   3   14
Summers   31   5-6   1-4   4-7   3  1   5   17
Green     26   0-2   1-2   5-6   6  5   4    8
Hibbert   21   4-5   0-0   1-1   4  1   0    9
Reserves: 
Macklin   15   1-1   0-0   3-4   1  0   1    5
Rivers    18   2-2   0-1   0-0   3  1   0    4
Spann      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   1  0   1    0
Ewing      4   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Egerson   26   1-1   1-2   2-2   2  1   3    7
Team Rebounds                    1
DNP: Crawford, Izzo, Dizdarevic
TOTALS   200  16-24  8-19 19-26 24 12  20   73

Post game links follow below.

Georgetown 14th In Poll 11/21/06

Following the Old Dominion loss, Georgetown dropped from 8th to 14th in this week's Associated Press poll. Further details are found at this Associated Press link.

Old Dominion 75, Georgetown 62 11/18/06 8:00 pm

"I think our group has a long way to go in spite of what people write... We have questions that need to be answered, you guys have heard me say it. I’ve always been pretty honest with you guys in saying what I think, and we’ve got some stuff we need to work out. --John Thompson III

A 21-3 second half run spurred the Old Dominion Monarchs in a 75-62 upset win over the #8 ranked Hoyas Sunday at McDonough Gymnasium.

The loss is the first such defeat suffered on the Georgetown home court in 23 games since 1982, and Old Dominion's first win over a ranked opponent since 1995. In fact, the 13 point margin of defeat is the most in any McDonough game since March 4, 1977.

The opponent in that game? Old Dominion, which served an 80-58 rout in its last visit to the Hilltop, nearly 30 years ago.

The #8-ranked Hoyas looked to have this one in hand early, forcing ODU (4-1) to 25% shooting at 5 for 20 while maintaining an 8 for 15 shooting mark. A turning point was when Jeff Green was tagged with his second foul with 9:08 to play. As Green took a seat, so did the Hoyas, which saw a seven point lead dwindle to four at the half, aided by an Old Dominion basket at the buzzer, 31-27.

Old Dominion's poor shooting allowed the Hoyas to maintain its lead early in the second half, and even when Green picked up his third foul at the 15:37 mark, the Hoyas led 40-34. A Roy Hibbert dunk and foul extended the lead to 44-37, but Hibbert's missed free throw was the beginning of a slippery slope. Consecutive ODU three pointers narrowed the lead to one, 44-43, and off a GU miss, ODU took the lead for good at the 12:39 mark, 45-44. Fouled in the bonus, Roy Hibbert missed another free throw, whereupon the Monarchs stuck another three, 48-44. For the next five possessions, Georgetown offered little resistance as ODU extended the lead to 11 points, 58-47, outscoring the Hoyas 21-3.

With less than four minutes to play, a Jessie Sapp three closed the lead to 60-53, and a defensive stop looked to key the expected Hoya rally, but on consecutive possessions Jonathan Wallace missed a three and Patrick Ewing was whistled for goaltending. Down 62-54, a Wallace basket was nullified on an offensive foul, and Green picked up his 5th foul on the next series. Green's exit with 1:37 to play signaled to the increasingly agitated student crowd that the end was near, as ODU went to work at the free throw line and put the game away. Georgetown never closed within eight the rest of the way.

The outcome exposed what are to be recurring themes for the Hoyas for much of the early half of the season--foul trouble and a bench which has not yet responded to the challenges at hand.

For a second straight game Jeff Green's early foul trouble eliminated him as a scoring threat. His two point, five foul effort was a career low. In Green's absence, Vernon Macklin, and Dajuan Summers were a combined 1 for 3 in 11 minutes of play. Patrick Ewing Jr. missed all three shots from outside and picked up four fouls in 18 minutes of play, failing to score.

The Hoyas' three point shooting, once reliable with Ashanti Cook and Darrel Owens, was 6 for 19 Sunday and stands for the season at a uncharacteristic 16 for 54 (.296), a statistic redolent of the days when Kevin Braswell and Anthony Perry were manning the Georgetown artillery.

Team defense is also in need of some scrutiny. Four ODU starters had totaled 14 points at halftime, but the same four combined for 55 by game's end. The Monarchs shot 58% in the second half, 6 for 9 from three point range, compared to just 3 of 10 for the Hoyas. Georgetown was outrebounded 35-28 despite ODU having only two men taller than 6-8.

Old Dominion was never a pushover. A 21-9 team in 2005-06, the Monarchs are the kind of opponent Georgetown once routinely ignored for the MEAC rout du jour in earlier years. Coach Thompson made no apologies in post game comments for the early season test, despite the result.

"Can it help in the long run? I sure hope so, and that's why you schedule these games," said Thompson. "A lot of games on our schedule are like this against difficult opponents, against veteran teams and we put our schedule in place to hopefully put us in this position where it helps us down the line.”

The Hoyas travel on the road to Fairfield on Wednesday.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   38   1-3   3-6   2-2   1  5   5   13
Sapp      32   4-6   2-5   2-3   1  3   2   16
Egerson   38   4-8   0-1   3-4  10  0   1   11
Green     25   1-1   0-1   0-1   3  2   5    2
Hibbert   27   7-8   0-0   3-6   8  1   1   17
Reserves: 
Macklin    4   0-1   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Summers    7   0-0   1-2   0-0   2  0   1    3
Rivers    10   0-1   0-0   0-0   1  1   0    0
Ewing     18   0-0   0-3   0-0   3  0   4    0
Dizdarevic 1   0-0   0-1   0-0   0  0   0    0
DNP: Crawford, Izzo, Spann
TOTALS   200  17-28  6-19 10-16 28 13  19   62

Post game links follow below.

Georgetown 86, Vanderbilt 70 11/16/06

Four players scored in double figures as Georgetown overcame a tough Vanderbilt squad in an 86-70 road win at Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday.

Georgetown was short-handed from the start, as starting guard Tyler Crawford was sidelined by the flu. Nonetheless, the Hoyas forced four turnovers in each of Vanderbilt's first four possessions, and led early thanks to a man to man defense that opened up the lane to Roy Hibbert, who scored 14 points in the first half. Georgetown built a lead of up to 11 at 15-4 when Jeff Green picked up his second foul at the 12:29 mark, signaling the start of a rough first half for the Hoyas.

Changes in the Vanderbilt defensive set and the introduction of a number of reserves which saw their first significant game experience took its total on the Georgetown offense, as the Hoyas picked up a number of fouls and generally lacked the precision of the starting five. With Green out, the offense started to struggle, with freshman mistakes giving Vanderbilt a chance to get back in the game. A 12 point Georgetown lead was whittled to four at halftime, 39-35, as the Hoyas went 5:42 without a basket and allowed 10 Vandy free throws to keep the score close.

The Commodores (0-1) could get no closer than six in the second half, as Georgetown began to work Jeff Green back into the offense while shutting down Vanderbilt from outside. Shan Foster, who scored 20 on the Hoyas last season in Washington, was held without a field goal for the game thanks to strong defense from Marc Egerson. As Foster was a non-factor, Vandy took more and more outside shots, with decreasing accuracy, finishing 5 for 21 from outside the three point line. Effective passing from Jonathan Wallace and some improving moves from each of the freshman helped build a Georgetown lead that Vanderbilt could not touch, as the Hoyas broke into double digits with 7:00 to play and never looked back.

The loss put Vanderbilt in some unfamiliar territory. The game was the first opening game loss at Memorial Gym since 1990, and only the 12th non-conference loss at home suffered in Vanderbilt's last 143 games. Still, it's something to build on a for a team with only two returning starters.

"Playing the No. 8 team gives us a gauge as to where we are right now. It's better than playing Unknown State University A&M," said Vanderbilt forward Derrick Byars. "This is better for us in the long run. We played one of the top five front courts in America."

"We made a few bonehead plays at the end of the first half. We'll work on it and work through it," said coach Thompson in post-game comments. "In the second half, we kind of tightened things up and were able to hold on and were able to extend as the game went on. This group over here has to have those experiences. That's a very good [Vanderbilt] team over there, so for us to come away with the win the way we did, that's good.”

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   29   4-6   2-4   2-2   3  3   4   16
Sapp      34   3-7   0-2   5-6   3  3   1   11
Egerson   33   3-3   0-2   1-2   3  2   1    7
Green     23   4-11  1-2   8-9   8  6   3   19
Hibbert   22   8-11  0-0   2-5  10  1   3   18
Reserves: 
Macklin   12   1-2   0-0   0-0   3  0   3    2
Summers   17   2-4   0-1   0-1   2  0   3    4
Izzo       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Rivers    12   1-2   0-0   0-1   1  0   3    2
Spann      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Ewing     15   2-3   1-1   0-1   2  0   4    7
Dizdarevic 1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
DNP: Crawford
TOTALS   200  28-49  4-12 18-27 35 15  25   86

Post-game links follow below.

Hibbert Feature In NY Times 11/16/06

"When Roy Hibbert was in elementary school, he followed the Georgetown men's basketball team the way other children followed ice cream trucks." So begins a feature in Thursday's New York Times on the Hoyas' junior center, who was born in the Astoria section of Queens, NY.

"He'll tell me he hasn't done anything yet.” said Dwayne Bryant (B'90), Hibbert's high school coach at Georgetown Prep. “I think in his mind he'll never be satisfied with where he is, because he knows what he's capable of."

Hibbert On Sports Illustrated Cover 11/15/06

With the season starting a few days earlier than usual, Sports Illustrated's annual preview issue is a step behind, but Georgetown fans will forgive SI for the delay--in a move towards regional cover editions, Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace are on the cover for the Eastern region.

The Hoyas are picked seventh in the issue which arrives at newsstands later this week.

Memorial Gym: Home Court Advantage 11/15/06

Dedicated a year after McDonough Gym, Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium remains one of the unique home courts in college basketball.

Television viewers will notice one feature from the start--the team benches are not along the sidelines, but on the baseline, as the floor is elevated above the first few rows of the fans. The gym is built up vertically, not horizontally, so the seats are literally surrounding the court.

Georgetown fans may also be interested to know that Memorial Gym is about twice the size of its original configuration. Built with an attendance of only 6,583, it was twice expanded, literally upward, to maintain on-campus basketball at Vanderbilt, reaching a current capacity of 14,100. In 2002, the school added a practice court and facilities adjacent to Memorial at a cost of $25 million.

While Nashville now has a downtown arena capable of larger crowds for pro sports and concerts, Memorial remains the home of the Commodores, who have won 78 percent of its home games in 55 seasons and a record of 132-11 in non-conference games since 1990.

Hibbert, Nwankwo Reunited 11/15/06

Former Georgetown Prep teammates Roy Hibbert and Davis Nwankwo will meet again Wednesday night on different sides of the Memorial Gym floor, but the two will not play head to head. While Hibbert's career has reached national attention, Nwankwo's career ended abruptly last season.

The 6-8 redshirt freshman collapsed during a March 6 practice session prior to the SEC tournament. An alert response by Vanderbilt trainers using a automated external defibrillator (AED) revived Nwankwo, ultimately saving his life. Follow up tests revealed an enlarged heart, and Nwankwo was advised not to return to intercollegiate competition.

"Davis would not be alive today had it not been for the quick action of trainer Mike Meyer, and the fact that an AED was readily available,” said Dr. Dan Roden said in this link to an article from the Vanderbilt Reporter. “His case is a great example of the importance of widespread use of AEDs in public places.”

Nwankwo remains enrolled at Vanderbilt and will be on the bench with his team Wednesday.

Game Watching 11/14/06

The Hoya Hoop Club has posted a link to all announced game watch activities, both in Washington as well as with regional clubs. (A permanent link has been posted above for the season.) If your club or group is hosting an event and would like to join the list, contact the Hoop Club via Hoyas Unlimited.

AP: Still #8 11/14/06

Georgetown remains as #8 in this week's Associated Press poll--here's the link to the story.

Chvotkin To Broadcast 1000th Game 11/13/06

In the fall of 1974, Georgetown had no radio home for its basketball games. WGTB-FM had dropped the contract, holding men's basketball to be, by one history of the station, "sexist and gladiatorial". By the Nov. 30 opener with Upsala, the University had contracted with Silver Spring-based WOOK-AM to broadcast its games, with a 29 year old Army psychologist making his professional debut on the microphone.

994 games later, Rich Chvotkin is the unquestioned radio voice of the Hoyas. The Scranton Times- Tribune has a feature on its native son, who will be honored later this week by his induction to the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

"I went down to a Georgetown game and saw they had no commercial radio,” said Chvotkin. A college broadcaster at the University of Scranton, Chvotkin remembered that "I made up some tapes and presented them to John Thompson.”

According to the Times-Tribune, his 1000th game behind the microphone will be Monday, Nov. 27 vs. Ball State.

Georgetown 69, Hartford 59 11/11/06

"What's supposed to be a special season for Georgetown," wrote the Associated Press, "sure got off to a slow start."

A sluggish Georgetown team steered past Hartford, 69-59, to open the 2006-07 season Saturday before 9,654 at Verizon (MCI) Center Saturday.Weak guard play and a lack of intensity dogged the eighth ranked Hoyas all afternoon, as evidenced by the fact that Hartford, predicted to finish last in its conference, trailed by as few as four points entering the final three minutes of the game.

The Hawks, which had lost 14 of 16 opening games on the road since joining Division I in 1984, began the game with a three pointer, a tactic that served them well in the game to keep things close. A 10-0 Georgetown run in the first half appeared to open up distance between the two teams, but the Hoyas failed to score in the last 2:13 of the half and led by only four at intermission, 31-27.

With the Hoyas shooting as low as 36% from the field, Hartford took brief leads midway in the half. Jessie Sapp spurred a Hoya run with 6:43 to play to give the G-men the lead, followed by a basket and a foul by Roy Hibbert to extend the lead to five, 59-54. It was the closest Hartford would get, as Georgetown managed only two double digit leads thereafter.

The Hoyas' scoring was off across the board. Roy Hibbert was 5-11 despite a six inch height advantage, while Tyler Crawford opened the game with a pair of baskets and finished 3-12. His nine rebounds were a team high, but the Hoyas had only nine assists all afternoon. Outside of Sapp, the bench took one shot in a combined 38 minutes of play.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   37   1-2   3-6   2-2   3  3   3   13
Crawford  20   2-4   1-8   1-1   9  0   2    8
Egerson   29   1-3   1-2   2-4   3  0   0    7
Green     37   5-6   0-2   7-8   7  4   3   17
Hibbert   28   5-11  0-0   6-7   5  0   2   16
Reserves: 
Summers   10   0-1   0-0   0-0   0  0   1    0
Rivers    11   0-0   0-0   0-0   2  1   0    0
Sapp      20   2-3   1-5   1-2   4  1   2    8
Ewing      8   0-0   0-0   0-0   1  0   2    0
Team Rebounds                    5
DNP: Macklin, Izzo, Spann, Dizdarevic
TOTALS   200  16-30 6-23  19-24 39  9  15   68

Post-game links follow below.

Openers Through the Years 11/11/06

With the win, Georgetown is an impressive 85-14 in season openers since 1907. The breakdown by decade:

1907-10 4-0 1961-70 8-2
1911-20 10-0 1971-80 9-1
1921-30 9-1 1981-90 9-1
1931-40 8-2 1991-00 7-3
1941-50 6-2 2001-06 6-1
1951-60 9-1 Overall Totals 85-14
 
 
Two Generations 11/11/06

From Saturday's Washington Post, a feature on two generations of Ewings at the Hilltop, and Jonathan Wallace's outlook on guard play.

More Pre-Season Praise 11/10/06

A sample of some recent pre-season articles on the Hoyas:

The Associated Press writes that "With a Thompson and a Ewing, It's Like Old Times for No. 8 Hoyas."

"Ever since I was little, my dad told me, 'If Coach Thompson is still the coach, you're going to go to Georgetown,"' said Patrick Ewing Jr., making his debut in the jersey number his father wore 22 seasons ago. "And it's funny that a Coach Thompson is the coach, it's just a different Coach Thompson... and now I'm here."

At ESPN.com, Andy Katz talks with a pair of second generation coaches in John Thompson III and Oklahoma State's Sean Sutton.

Pointing to a photo of the Duke game from last year, Thompson points out that "I'd like to get to the point where we don't have to put a photo like that up there. That was a great, great game, our biggest game, but our goal is to get where we're not storming the court at home when we win. Hopefully in another few years, we can put up another big picture there where we win and everyone is just walking off the court."

Area Seniors Sign Letters of Intent 11/9/06

Wednesday marked the beginning of the one week early signing period for national letters of intent. Georgetown cannot comment on recruits until the letter has been received, but DeMatha senior Austin Freeman talked to USA Today upon his commitment to Georgetown for next fall.

"I want to be part of history," Freeman said. "After I made a decision, I never gave it a second thought."

Updates At GUHoyas.com 11/8/06

In anticipation of the upcoming basketball season, GUHoyas.com has updated its site's look and feel, and has also announced the debut of special web content in advance of the 100th anniversary of Georgetown basketball on Feb. 9-10.

Washington Post Basketball Preview 11/8/06

Georgetown is the feature team for preview coverage in Wednesday's Washington Post. Links to its stories follow below:

Third Year's The Charm
Resurgent Hoyas Again Attract Area's Top Recruits
Coaches Poll

Georgetown Voice Basketball Preview 11/8/06

The Georgetown Voice has released its basketball preview a day ahead of its normal Thursday publishing date. Links to its stories follow below:

Men's Preview Articles:
Stuntin’ With Their Daddies
2005-06: Hoyas Back On Basketball Map
Georgetown Looks To Take Next Step Under JTIII
Big East Diaper Dandies
Point-Counterpoint
Rest Of Big East Chases GU
Voice Ladiez Pick GU’s Starting Five Of Hotness
Voice Top 25 Goes Back To 1995

Women's Preview Articles:
Lady Hoyas Locked And Loaded For Season
Small Roster Hampers Women In 2005-06 Season
Kate Carlin Hopes For Her First Winning Season On The Hilltop

Students Going Metro To Games 11/7/06

Taking a proactive step to reduce the gridlock of up to 60 school buses en route to Verizon (MCI) Center each game, the Georgetown athletic department has arranged with Metrorail to provide Metro cards to students using public transportation to the game, per a link from GUHoyas.com. Shuttle buses will take students to Metro stops at Dupont Circle and Rosslyn, where fans can connect to the arena at Gallery Place.

2006-07 Media Guide 11/7/06

Debuting this week: an online link to the new 2006-07 men's basketball media guide (cover shown above), complete with a series of features on the 100th anniversary season. Recommended reading.

Hoyas #8 In AP Poll 11/7/06

Georgetown has reached the Associated Press pre-season Top 25 poll for the first time in five years, with a #8 ranking in the first poll of the 2006-07 season. The ranking is the highest pre-season mark since the 1995-96 season, where the Hoyas were picked number five.

Another high ranking was afforded by the Philadelphia Daily News, listing the Hoyas sixth in a pre-season article.

HOYA Basketball Preview 11/7/06

The HOYA basketball preview issue debuts Tuesday. Here are links to the men's and women's preview stories:

Men's Preview Articles:
The Next Step
Ewing's Return Signals Start of Historic Season
All-American Frosh Headline Class
2005-06 Puts Hilltop Back on Map
A Crowded Field
Elite '08
For Love of Court and Country
Rich Hoya History Before Thompson Era
Tips for Georgetown’s Rookie Fans
No More Lazy Saturdays
Scouting the Hoyas: Men
Men's Big East Briefs

Women's Preview Articles:
Hoyas Struggle With Losing ’05-’06 Season
Women's Big East Briefs
Starting From Scratch
Sengalese Star Just Heating Up
Scouting the Hoyas: Women
Magical March Run of ’93 Keeps Dream of Postseason Play Alive
Freshmen Rejuvenate Hoya Squad
Women’s Games To Watch This Year

NY Daily News Discusses Hoya Hoops 11/6/06

Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News has a feature in Saturday's edition on the Hoyas' growth in stature over the last few years.

"Most of the kids we're recruiting now weren't born when [Patrick Ewing] was playing," Thompson said. "I think a lot of their parents had an understanding of the history of the program. We're hoping we get to a point where they want to come because of what we're doing."

The article also discusses who talked Jeff Green into committing to Georgetown over Maryland. Turns out if was his future teammate, Roy Hibbert.

"I was sitting next to him and he was asking [whether] was I looking to go to Georgetown," Green said. "I didn't know he had already committed. He talked me into going."

Tagliabue Honored By NCAA 11/3/06

Former team captain Paul Tagliabue (C'62) will be honored by the NCAA with its highest honor in ceremonies next January, per a release at GUHoyas.com.

The NCAA will honor Tagliabue with the Theodore Roosevelt Award in ceremonies January 7 at its annual convention.The award, "presented to a former NCAA student-athlete who has led distinguished career of national significance and achievement", counts among its past awardees four U.S. presidents and numerous private and public sector leaders. Tagliabue retired this season as National Football League commissioner after 18 years of service.

Bowman Selected In NBDL Draft 11/3/06

Brandon Bowman (C'06) was selected by Bakersfield as the 11th pick of the 2006 NBA Developmental League draft, held Thursday. Bowman was invited to the New Jersey Nets' training camp but was not selected to the final roster.

Bakersfield is one of four new teams in the 12 team circuit for 2006-07. Thirteen players from the eight team circuit were called up to NBA rosters last season.

Game Watching Party Information 11/2/06

The following information was received from Hoyas Unlimited in advance of the 2006-07 season for out of town fans and their regional clubs seeking to host game watching events:

"In order for us to support your club, we will need the relevant information regarding your “Game Watch” 20 days before the event. This will include:
  1. How many people you are expecting
  2. The location of the viewing along with an address and phone number for that location
  3. The Georgetown event rep and their contact info (e-mail and phone number) for questions
  4. A “mail to” address for the party package
  5. Any pertinent information you would like to include (i.e. 'we've secured a private room', 'there are drink specials', or any special announcements, etc.)
Once we receive this information, Hoyas Unlimited and the Hoya Hoop Club will follow up with:
  1. A “Party Pack” for each game watch your club hosts.
  2. Advertising your game watch party on the Hoyas Unlimited Web Page and in the Hoya Hoop Club E-Blast.
We are very excited to have your support and looking forward to a great year! Please let us know if you have any ideas or questions. We're here to help and want to make your event a success!"

 
 

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