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Various news items posted during February 2023.
 
 

Home Attendance: 5,442 Per Game

2/27/23

Sunday's attendance of 7,085 nearly brought the 2022-23 average attendance to last year's mark, but fell just short.

Georgetown ended the season with an average of 5,442 per game, lowest in the off-campus era (1981-present). Big East games averaged 5,996 per game.

The peak for attendance was a high of 12,675 per game in the 2010-11 season.

 

NET: #222; RPI: #281

2/27/23

Courtesy of WarrenNolan.com, Georgetown's national ratings following the Providence game.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Georgetown is 222nd in the NET rankings and 281st in the RPI, each a program low. The 2021-22 team finished its season with a 194 NET ranking and a 253 RPI. Previous to last season, Georgetown's lowest RPI finish since the RPI was begun in 1993 was a 142 RPI in 2003-04, Craig Esherick's final season as head coach.

 

Providence 88, Georgetown 68

2/26/23

The worst Senior Day loss in 23 years was as painful as it was sadly predictable.

The Georgetown Hoyas gave up runs of 24-5 and 18-1 in a disturbing 88-68 loss to the Providence Friars, in the final home game for many more people at Georgetown University than we would all like to admit right now.

POST-GAME COVERAGE  
The afternoon got off to an awkward start when Qudus Wahab, in uniform for his recognition at Senior Day, did not even play. His absence was noted by the basketball office as an illness and later by head coach Patrick Ewing after the game as "being sick", but did not elaborate. "I believe in Qudus, he's had some great years here, but I'm not going to say he would have made a significant difference [in the outcome]," Ewing said.

Wahab's absence allowed Providence to dominate in the middle using not one, but two centers.

"I thought us going with Ed [Croswell] and Clifton [Moore] gave us a physicality in front of the rim," said Providence coach Ed Cooley. Early returns were not so promising, however.

It was Georgetown that took care of business, ever so briefly, to open the game. While the Friars gave up a turnover and a shot clock violation to open the game, a two pointer from Jay Heath and a three from Akok Akok opened an early 5-0 GU lead, and five points from starting center Brad Ezewiro gave Georgetown an 11-8 lead at the first media timeout, following an official's change that charged PC forward Bryce Hopkins his third personal foul in 64 seconds, sending him to the sidelines for the remainder of the first half and limiting him to 12 minutes thereafter. Hopkins entered the game leading the Friars in scoring at 16.8 points per game and 21 points per game in his last four.

What could have been a serious blow to the Friars was instead a call for the entire team to step up, and they did. Conversely, what could have been an inspiration for the Hoyas to build the case for an season's best upset was anything but, and the Hoyas visibly withered under pressure.

Providence began its run on the outside shooting of Jared Bynum. The Georgetown Prep graduate sank the second of his three first half threes to tie the score, and PC began to go inside to great effect. While the Hoyas were stuffed on a missed layup and a blocked shot, the Friars converted two second chance baskets into points, a free throw, and a layup to go up, seven, 18-11. A Bryson Mozone turnover set up Devin Carter for an open three, 21-11.

Over a four minute stretch, the Hoyas were outscored 15-2 to trail 26-13 midway through the first half, a number that grew to 30-16 before Ewing's first called time out at the 8:52 mark. By the six minute mark, Georgetown was down 17, 37-20. Each of Georgetown's three three pointers in the first half were immediately answered by its opponents and while Georgetown closed to 12 with 3:15 to halftime, PC scored the final eight points of the half to go up 19, 46-27, at the break. The Friars collected 13 second chance points and 11 by fast break to tear the game open. Of its 35 possessions in the first half, 20 resulted in points.

"[Georgetown] has lost 13 straight games against AP Top 25 teams dating back to its surprising 2021 Big East Tournament championship under coach Patrick Ewing. The Hoyas also have lost their last 11 games at home to ranked opponents, last beating then-No. 25 Creighton on Jan. 15, 2020."
--Associated Press

The Hoyas looked lifeless at intermission. Brandon Murray were a combined 3 for 11, the bench had contributed just one basket, and nine turnovers against 10 field goals. Endemic of its woes, Georgetown had a three on one break to the basket with 24 seconds remaining, and Spears threw the ball over Akok's head.

Yet, with seemingly nothing to lose, Georgetown opened the second half with a flourish.

The Hoyas opened the second half from the perimeter. Six of its first seven shots over the first three minutes were from decidedly long distance, and Georgetown hit four of them, including three consecutive threes over 1:10 that brought the 19 point deficit to a surprising 10, 49-39. However, much as the three point assault in the St. John's game gave its fans fleeting hope, the early artillery from the Hoyas would soon go quiet.

Providence answered with a 9-2 run, part of an 18-3 Friar advance that saw Croswell adn Moore combine to block three consecutive shots and force a turnover that led to a Bynum three, 56-41. Following a Murray free throw, the Friars went for broke, connecting on two consecutive threes and an alley oop dunk, 67-42. A Jay Heath three at the 10:05 mark ended a 18-1 run since the score was 51-41, Georgetown's first field goal in seven minutes.

The Hoyas never got closer than 18 thereafter. While the Friars began to embrace garbage time play and brought in reserves, Ewing maintained a tight lineup of the starting five and Bryson Mozone until the final there minutes of play, only adding Jordan Riley, Denver Anglin, and D'Ante Bass for the final minute of the half and opting not to play walk-on Victor Muresan at all. Muresan, a there year walk-on, has not stepped on the court during a game since a 40 second appearance in the final moments of the Nov. 12 game versus Green Bay.

Spears and Heath collected 30 of the Hoyas' 41 points after halftime, while Brandon Murray took only two shots and seemed largely disconnected from the offensive sets.

Croswell led the Friars with a career high 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, as the Friars shot 53 percent after halftime, added four threes to its game total of 10, and had a +26 on points in the paint: 46 to just 20 for GU.

No one led the Hoyas, really. Spears scored 26 and Heath 19, but much of it with the game well out of hand. From his five points at the start oft the game, Ezewiro was scoreless and fouled out in 21 minutes against Croswell. Akok's opening three was his only basket on the afternoon. Nineteen of its 33 second half field goal attempts were from three, a sign of desperation more than confidence.

The senior day crowd of 7,085 was subdued and largely unresponsive by game's end, having witnessed Georgetown's worst Senior Day loss since a 77-54 loss to Notre Dame in 2000 where the Hoyas shot 5 for 26 from outside the arc. But this was two decades later, and for a team to make 11 threes and still lose by 20 is even more discouraging, and an indictment of a program in apparent disarray inside the John Thompson Center as well as outside it.

Five days after that loss to Notre Dame in 2000, the Hoyas nonetheless upset #12 ranked and top-seeded Syracuse in the first round of the Big East Tournament, 76-72. No such triumph awaits this Georgetown team, whose lack of teamwork and tactics was on display like none other in this game, and whose season finale at Creighton ends the regular season at Georgetown three days before the five game season finale on Fox Sports next weekend, upon which GU will be an afterthought, if it isn't already.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       37   6-12  4-7  2-4    1  4   2   26
Murray       33   0-2   0-4  3-4    3  5   1    3 
Heath        34   2-5   5-8  0-0    3  3   1   19
Akok         26   1-3   1-3  0-0    6  0   0    5
Ezewiro      21   2-7   0-0  2-3    8  0   5    6
Reserves:  
Anglin        1   0-0   0-0  0-0    0  0   0    0
Riley         5   0-0   0-1  0-0    0  0   0    0      
Mozone       15   1-2   1-4  0-0    1  0   1    5
Mutombo       8   1-2   0-0  0-0    4  0   0    2 
Bass          1   0-0   0-0  0-0    0  0   0    0
Bristol       9   0-1   0-0  0-0    0  0   0    0
Wilson        9   1-1   0-0  0-0    5  0   1    2
Team Rebounds                       4   
DNP: Wahab, Muresan
TOTALS      200  14-35 11-28 7-11  35 12  11   68

 

Senior Day

2/24/23

A release from Georgetown has announced that four players will be honored Sunday as part of Senior Day.

Recognition will be made for the following:

  • Qudus Wahab, a fourth year senior who has played three seasons at Georgetown (2019-21, 22-23) and one season at Maryland (2021-22). He has seen action in 27 of 29 games this season, averaging 9.9 points per game.
  • Malcolm Wilson, a fourth year senior who has seen action in six games this season, averaging 0.2 points per game.
  • Akok Akok, a fourth year senior who has played this season at Georgetown and two at Connecticut (2021-22). He has seen action in 28 of 29 games this season, averaging 6.8 points per game.
  • Bryson Mozone, a graduate transfer who has played this season at Georgetown and four at South Carolina-Upstate (2018-22). He has seen action in all 29 games this season, averaging 6.5 points per game.
Owing to a NCAA waiver year for COVID in 2020-21, Wahab, Wilson, and Akok have another year of eligibility if they so chose, though a valedictory ceremony like this suggests it could be elsewhere.

Also being honored Sunday are team managers Cooper Macklin, Zachary Pine, and Zhayou Yang.

 

What's That Sound?

2/24/23

Like a old tree falling in the forest, the decline of Georgetown basketball is deceptively quiet.

In a different time, back to back 20-loss seasons and historic lows in attendance would have been the subject of opinion and outrage at the city's daily newspapers, whether print or online. Today, none of the above. The Washington Post has quietly walked off a Georgetown beat is has covered for over a century. Per its web site, reporter Kareem Copeland's last byline story on the Hoyas was January 4; of late, he is covering Maryland women's basketball. Even as a fallback for road games, the Post no longer relies on Associated Press coverage of recent games.

Over at the Washington Times, sports is almost vestigial to a newspaper consumed with grievance politics. It's been 13 years since Barker Davis was the full time Georgetown beat writer there; the Times now has as few as four writers left on its regular sports staff, so perhaps it should not be expected to give Georgetown much coverage, but the opportunity certainly is there.

More puzzling than the dailies is the absence of visible and vocal coverage of the college media. The web site of The HOYA has its last active story from the UConn game on February 4; the paper does not publish same-day coverage of games as the Georgetown Voice occasionally does. A January 20 front page article on the state of the program is found under "Features" even though it was a news story. With an editorial focus heavy on injustice and DEI, sports has not merited any extended coverage this semester.

And what about college radio? Forget about it. The WGTB web site refers questions to sports editor Stephen Yaeger, but he graduated in 2018. Once of its last Twitter posts announced the commitment of Jamorko Pickett in 2017.

Yes, there is regular coverage through this site, through Casual Hoya, and through Ron Bailey's Rivals.com site. But traditional coverage in local newspapers, radio, and TV are the means for many Washington area fans to follow teams and those voices have trailed off. Independent reporters Patrick Stevens, Bobby Bancroft, and Marcus Washington continue to put in the heavy lifting, covering games and asking the questions.

Comment from University officials during this season have been nonexistent. Outside of Lee Reed's second vote of confidence in as many seasons on January 29, the athletic department has been silent. Patrick Ewing's last external interview was held in August and he generally avoids social media: Ewing has posted once on his social media account since November 12, which was a December 16 statement upon the death of Louis Orr. In that same time period, Providence head coach Ed Cooley has sent 70 Twitter messages to his followers and 28 in the past 30 days, not including retweets.

As attention may swing back to Washington after this season, the national media will see a very different landscape for local coverage of the Hoyas that existed as few as five years ago.

 

Post-Mortem: St. John's 79, Georgetown 70

2/23/23

Years, months, or perhaps days from now, whenever the story of the Patrick Ewing Era must be written, Wednesday's free for all with the St. John's Redmen will serve as a metaphor for the program to which he was once entrusted.

POST-GAME COVERAGE  
In a game where St. John's gave up 16 turnovers, missed 12 of 14 attempts from three point range, and lost a 15 point first half lead, it never trailed. How is this? Because 20 Georgetown turnovers proved the difference in an extraordinarily sloppy and disorganized event at Capital One Arena, otherwise recorded as a 79-70 St. John's victory, its fifth straight in the series with Georgetown and the most consecutive losses by Georgetown to St. John's since a run from 1998 to 2003.

It was much more than a game of turnovers, however.

The Redmen entered the game a shaky shooting team with opportunities to excel inside, and that is exactly what they did. St. John's opened the game with inside play, leading Ewing to call a timeout seconds ahead of a media timeout at the 15:59 mark following a Joel Soriano dunk. Off the timeout, consecutive Georgetown turnovers led to two more dunks, 14-5.



A three pointer from Jay Heath and a free throw from Qudus Wahab closed to 16-9 but the Redmen were relentless inside, keying an 8-1 run with two layups and a flying alley-oop dunk to go up 24-10 with 11:57 to halftime, causing Ewing to call a second time out in lieu of the imminent media time out.

Frustrated, he called out his team for poor play:



The St. John's rally was a function of inside dominance and defensive intensity. The Redmen were 12-1 in points off turnovers and 20-2 for points in the paint midway through the first half. Following two Georgetown three pointers to close to ten, and a David Jones layup to give the Redmen a 28-16 lead, the game sank into a mire of poor play. The Hoyas missed 11 of its next 13 attempts, the Redmen missing four straight before Soriano got a dunk inside and Andre Curbelo hit the team's first and only three of the half to go up 34-21 at the 7:50 mark. Leading by as many as 15, St. John's finished the half 1 for 6 and so did Georgetown, but the Hoyas crawled back to within eight at halftime, 40-32. By then, the teams had combined for 20 turnovers in 20 minutes of play.

Poor shooting continued to open the second half, with the teams missing its first five attempts from the field to reopen play. Back to back baskets by Brandon Murray closed the margin to 42-38 with 17:16 to play, but following a hard fall from Primo Spears following a missed layup, St. John's turned up the defensive heat and Georgetown seemed woefully unprepared. On three consecutive possessions, Georgetown failed to get the ball out of the backcourt, resulting in three consecutive steals and six straight points for the Redmen: two layups and a pair of free throws, 49-42. Not to be outdone, the Redmen did it again three minutes later, with back to back steals in the backcourt and a pair of layups to go up 10, 59-49, with 11:24 to play. While these five turnovers were not the turning point, they were certainly a stunning example of late season unpreparedness and general miscommunication in the Georgetown lineup, and resulted in 10 points that became the eventual margin of defeat.

Like many games this season, however, the Hoyas weren't through. For its success inside, the Redmen were completely ineffective from outside, missing seven consecutive attempts from three since its lone field goal outside the arc at the 7:48 mark of the first half. No less troublesome was its porous perimeter defense, which Georgetown finally took advantage of midway in the second half. In a run of just three minutes and nine seconds, the Hoyas awoke the nighthawks at Capital One Arena with five consecutive baskets, four from three point range, to close to 63-61 with 8:37 left. A missed St. John's attempt from three was answered with a Murray layup to tie the score with 7:58 to play.

The teams traded baskets over the following two minutes and were tied at 67 when a play that marked the defensive futility of the 2022-23 Hoyas was on full display. Following a three point miss by AJ Storr, St. John's Andre Curbelo opted for a three but instead went inside to Storr, who dribbled untouched back to the three point line and eluded Brandon Murray for the three.



Murray returned to the free throw line but as Georgetown has shown this season, late game foul shots are no sure thing. He missed one of two, and Curbelo answered with a driving layup, 72-68. Trading turnovers over the next two minutes, the game was still very much in question but Georgetown simply could not convert. Spears missed a layup and was tagged for traveling in his next two possessions, while St. John's matched it with a Storr miss and a David Jones travel.

Two free throws by Wahab closed the score to 72-70. Consecutive misses by each team were then followed by consecutive turnovers. With 1:12 to play, still a two point margin, St. John's returned to its defensive pressure where Jay Heath was picked off by David Jones, feeding Posh Alexander for an easy layup, 74-70. Wahab missed a turnaround jumper with 39 seconds to play, and the Redmen finished the game at the line, hitting five of its final six attempts. Georgetown missed its final seven attempts of the game and committed three turnovers in the final 3:30 to hand the Redmen the win.

Brandon Murray led all Georgetown scorers with 25 points but with seven turnovers, one short of his season high. The continuing erosion of Primo Spears continued, shooting 4 for 14 with five turnovers, as opposing coaches have locked him down defensively and limited his impact upon the stat sheet. Qudus Wahab was negligible in the scoring column (1 for 4) but had a game high 12 rebounds.

Perhaps just as importantly, who did we not see in this game? The usual suspects, which in any other team would be its future: no appearances from freshmen Denver Anglin or D'Ante Bass, no minutes from sophomore Jordan Riley, three minutes from sophomore Ryan Mutombo. Three Georgetown guards played 37 minutes of more in the game and they finished with a combined 52 of the Hoyas' 70 points.

The Redmen put five players in double figures, including a combined 25 from two players off its bench: Andre Curbelo (11 points,m three assists) and David Jones. For Jones, a 14 point, 12 rebound effort was critical to keeping St. John's ahead through much of the late game turmoil.

St. John's ended the game with 54 of its 79 points in the paint, 29 fastbreak points, 17 layups, and 26 points off turnovers. St. John's moved to 12-0 on the season when taking more free throws than its opponent in a game, with Georgetown's 13 free throws its fewest in any game since a February 1 game versus Creighton.

More than any single number, play, or decision, Georgetown's inability to adjust to defensive sets cost them time and again in what was an eminently winnable game. The 20 Georgetown turnovers matched as season high in a 22 point loss to Marquette and were it any other Big East opponent, that would have been the likely outcome. For its part, St. John's struggled mightily to put this game away, shot 2 for 14 from three with 16 turnovers, and nearly handed it over on multiple occasions, but got the points late to prevail.

By contrast, no team that cannot score a basket in the final 6:35 of a game should expect to win. Few Georgetown fans expect it anymore, either.

Following the game, CBS Sports Network analyst Chris Walker did his level best to up-sell the Hoyas, telling the panel that Ewing could still do it again, just like 2021, and they could get on a run in the Big East tournament. As the standings were displayed on the screen, a voice could be heard asking, "So which of these teams are they going to beat?" Off camera, the sound of laughter could be heard.

And that's where this program is right now.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       37   3-10  1-4   2-2   0  3   3   11    
Murray       38   7-11  3-6   2-3   5  2   3   25
Heath        37   2-4   4-6   0-0   3  7   1   16
Akok         15   1-3   0-2   0-0   3  1   1    2
Ezewiro       9   1-2   0-0   1-2   5  0   0    3
Reserves:   
Mozone        7   2-5   1-3   0-0   3  0   3    7
Mutombo       3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Bristol      11   0-0   0-1   0-0   2  2   0    0
Wahab        27   1-4   0-0   4-6  12  2   3    6
Team Rebounds                       2
DNP: Anglin, Riley, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS      200  17-39 9-22  9-13  35 17  14   70

 

Post-Game Press Conference

2/23/23

Head coach Ewing held his post-game press conference after Wednesday's game. Three reporters offered the bulk of questions.



 

Attendance: 3,076

2/23/23

The lasting images of the Patrick Ewing era come with empty seats.

Wednesday's game with St. John's drew an announced crowd of 3,076, the smallest turnout for a Big East game off campus in school history:

Date Opponent Location Attendance
11/28/2017 Maine Capital One Arena 4,020
12/3/2018 Liberty Capital One Arena 4,011
11/30/2016 Coppin St. Verizon Center 3,996
1/24/2023 DePaul Capital One Arena 3,762
12/7/2022 Siena Capital One Arena 3,526
2/1/2022 Seton Hall Capital One Arena 3,462
12/23/2022 American Capital One Arena 3,267
12/5/1984 St. Leo Capital Centre 3,084
2/22/2023 St. John's Capital One Arena 3,076
12/8/2021 UMBC Capital One Arena 3,021
12/21/1983 Western Kentucky Capital Centre 2,958
11/30/2021 Longwood Capital One Arena 2,732
 
 
 

Georgetown 68, Butler 62

2/19/23

The return of Qudus Wahab was a timely one, as the Georgetown Hoyas ended a 22 game road losing streak in a 68-62 win over Butler in Indianapolis, IN.

POST-GAME ARTICLES
That this would be an unusual game seemed preordained. Since the teams began regular conference play in the 2013-14 season, Butler is 7-3 in games in Washington while Georgetown was 6-3 in Indianapolis. The game also featured a wild card, as Butler's starting center, Manny Bates, was held out due to injury. Bates had 15 points and six rebounds in Butler's 80-51 win over Georgetown on January 1. Instead, backup Jalen Thomas would carry the load inside against a Georgetown team with Wahab in the lineup for the first time in three games.

From an early 3-2 lead, Georgetown went cold early in this one, shooting 1 for 10 to open the first half as Butler picked up two early threes and took a 19-6 lead seven minutes into the first half. For its part, Georgetown picked up the defense and took advantage of its mettle inside to climb back in contention.

Over its next nine possessions, Georgetown connected on six field goals while the Bulldogs responded with an 0 for 7 run that brought the Hoyas to 29-28 at the 4:25 mark of the first half. Taking the lead proved difficult, however. In five possessions over a 10 minute run late in the first and early in the second half, Georgetown closed to within one possession and Butler answered with baskets on each ensuing possession.

Led by eight points and four rebounds from from Wahab, Georgetown closed to 32-30 before the Bulldogs ended the half on a 7-2 run, 37-32. The Hoyas' backcourt shot poorly (Brandon Murray and Primo Spears were a combined 4 for 18) but Georgetown stayed close with a decided advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Bulldogs 25-16 and 8-2 in second chance points.

"We had three-on-ones, four-on-twos and we weren't converting. Our pace was not good. Our activity on defense was not good and they got comfortable. They got some momentum and we allowed them to do that."--Thad Matta, Butler coach

The second half was uderwhelming for both teams. Georgetown closed to 41-39 before a three pointer from Ali Ali extended the lead back to five, 44-39. After six threes for Butler in the first half, this would be the first and only three for the the Bulldogs in the second half, beginning a run of futility which would hamper the homestanding Bulldogs the remainder of the game.

The Hoyas continued to stay close but a 0 for 6 shooting run midway in the second half opened the door for Butler to build back its lead. Four straight points by Jaden Taylor and a jumper from Ali put the Bulldogs up seven, 54-47 at the 11:11 mark.

What could have been the beginning of the end of Georgetown was instead the end for the Bulldogs. Butler scored only eight points the remainder of the game, giving Georgetown ample opportunity to climb back in. Baskets by Brandon Murray and Bryson Mozone closed the margin to two, 54-52, with nine minutes remaining, while a Jay Heath three put the Hoyas up 55-54 with 7:49 to play. The Hoyas led by four with four minutes to play, 62-58, but simply could not put the game away as both teams sank into a morass of poor shooting and poor decision making.

The rest of the game was a exercise in futility, as the teams combined to shoot 2 for 15 from the field, with the Hoyas making its final six free throw attempts to complete the margin of victory.

"I got on them at halftime," said head coach Patrick Ewing in post game remarks. "To a man everybody did some positive things to come away with the win."

A total of 17 points from Brandon Murray led the Hoyas, but the backcourt tandem of Murray and Spears combined for a dismal 8 for 28 from the field; adding in Jay Heath's 4 for 12, the backcourt starters were a combined 12 for 40. Wahab's 14 points on 5 for 6 shooting and eight rebounds proved decisive for a Georgetown offense that shot just 39 percent for the game and 5 of 15 from the three point line, but held a 45-29 edge on rebounds in the absence of Bates.

Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with 21 points, but with just four points after halftime and none thereafter in the final 12:45 of play. Butler finished the second half 1 for 13 from three point range, a number it simply could not overcome.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       36   2-11  0-2   3-4   4  4   2    7
Murray       36   5-11  1-4   4-5   6  2   1   17
Heath        34   3-7   1-5   3-4   7  1   2   12
Akok         14   1-1   1-1   0-0   2  0   0    5  
Ezewiro      13   0-3   0-0   1-2   4  0   1    1
Reserves:  
Mozone       27   1-3   1-1   2-2   8  0   3    7
Bristol      13   1-2   1-2   0-0   3  1   0    5
Wahab        26   5-6   0-0   4-5   8  2   2   14
Team Rebounds                       3
DNP: Anglin, Riley, Bass, Mutombo, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS      200  18-44 3-15  17-22 45 10  11   68

 

McClung Wins NBA Slam Dunk Contest

2/19/23

Former Georgetown guard Mac McClung was the talk of the NBA Saturday night, winning its slam dunk competition at All-Star Weekend.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE  
"It's great, man, I'm truly blessed and grateful to the NBA for giving me this opportunity," McClung told the TNT broadcast. "I don't get surprised by things like this, but I'm very appreciative."

Per the Georgetown Basketball History Project, the 6-2 McClung played two seasons at Georgetown from 2018-2020, averaging 14.2 points per game. In March 2020 he declared for the NBA draft but maintained his eligibility to return; that return was strained, however, during an interview where head coach Patrick Ewing declared that McClung was returning to the team for his junior season, only to have McClung's agent deny it. A week later, McClung opted to transfer to Texas Tech in lieu of the NBA draft, the fifth transfer in a tumultuous 2019-20 season. McClung averaged 15.5 points in one season before moving on to the NBA G League, where he was named its Rookie of the Year in 2022.

Following brief call ups by the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, McClung was signed to a two-way contract by the Philadelphia 76ers this week after averaging 19.1 points per game with their G League farm club in Delaware, including a 57 percent shooting percentage from the field. He was the first entrant to the annual contest from the G League.



"He saved the dunk contest," remarked NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

The event even received coverage in the Washington Post, which has not covered Georgetown games in the past month.

 

GU 10th In Big East Attendance

2/16/23

With two home games remaining this season, here are the Big East attendance averages by school:

School 2022-23 2021-22 Chg
1. Creighton 17,108 16,611 +2.9%
2. Marquette 13,847 13,495 +2.6%
3. Connecticut 11,335 10,314 +9.8%
4. Xavier 10,266 10,204 +0.6%
5. Providence 10,263 9,523 +7.7%
6. Villanova 8,805 9,201 -4.4%
7. Seton Hall 8,720 8,577 1.66%
8. Butler 7,897 7,608 +3.7%
9. St. John's 5,516 4,987 +10.6%
10. Georgetown 5,491 5,525 -0.7%
11. DePaul 3,985 3,256 +22.3%
 
 
 

Seton Hall 76, Georgetown 68

2/14/23

A late Georgetown comeback was not enough as the Seton Hall Pirates swept its season series with the Hoyas, sending Georgetown to a school record 22nd consecutive road loss.

POST-GAME COVERAGE  
To call this a rock fight was an insult to rock fights. Georgetown gave up its first turnover 29 seconds into the game and thus began a run of poor basketball for both teams. While Georgetown never led in the game, it was tied 10-10 before back to back threes from guard Al-Amir Dawes, the only three pointers of the half for either team, gave the Pirates a 16-10 lead which would carry them throughout much of the game.

Much of the first half was a war of attrition for both teams. Trailing by one, 17-16, Georgetown went 1 for 9 from the field, while the Pirates did not score another field goal for over five minutes and hit just one field goal in the final 5:38 of the half. Amazingly, it led 27-20 at the break, thanks to 8 for 28 shooting by the Hoyas (0 for 7 from three), along with 10 turnovers and 10 fouls which led to seven Pirate points at the line...the margin at the break.

"I thought that for the most part we got good shots, they just didn't drop."--Patrick Ewing

With Qudus Wahab still missing from the lineup, the Hoyas got a good effort from sophomore Brad Ezewiro until he got into foul trouble early in the second half, allowing the Pirates to begin to drive the paint and built a 38-28 lead with 14:35 remaining. With Georgetown continuing to shoot poorly, it opened the half 0 for 5 from three point range, now 0 for 12 for the game, allowing a Seton Hall team playing with little urgency to lead by 15 at the midway point of the half. Were it any other Big East team tonight, the lead would have been well over 20.

A three from Georgetown guard Jay Heath broke the run of three point misses, only to be answered by a three from Dawes to go back up 15, 50-35, part of a seven point run by Dawes over the previous three minutes and 20 points overall to lead all Pirate scorers. The Hoyas began to show some renewed accuracy in the intervening minutes as Seton Hall reverted to bad shots and poor clock management, opening ever so slightly a door for the Hoyas that seemed unlikely earlier in the game. A pair of threes from forward Bryson Mozone book-ended a Georgetown run which closed the deficit to 57-50 with 5:17 left and a three from forward Akok Akok brought the Hoyas to within six, 61-55, with 3:30 left, a 9 for 12 run for the Hoyas to climb back in.

Georgetown's hopes caught a decided break with a Seton Hall offensive foul on its next possession, but GU returned to the perimeter well once too often. A three from Heath was way off and the Pirates' Kadary Richmond fed KC Ndefo for a driving layup, 63-55. A mid range two from Primo Spears was answered by Ndefo with another easy layup, 65-57. An exchange of free throws maintained the margin with 1:42 left, but Spears missed wide on a three and Ndefo added two at the line, 69-59. Spears drove the lane and picked up two free throws, 69-61, but Richmond lost the ball in the SHU backcourt entering the final minute. Brandon Murray and Wayne Bristol each missed three pointers, but Akok Akok picked up an offensive rebound and brought the Hoyas to 69-63 with 48 seconds left.

The Pirates split on its next visit to the foul line, whereupon Jay Heath hit a three to close to four, 70-66, with 34 seconds remaining. The Hall went 6 for 6 down the stretch at the foul line, while Spears missed on a layup and a three in its final possessions for Georgetown. The Hoyas finished the game shooting 2 for 8 from the field in the final 1:33 of the game.

The Hoyas shot 42 percent for the second half with six threes and 12 for 12 from the line, but 15 personal fouls in the second half opened the door for the Pirates to prevail. From a shaky 1 for 5 start at the line for the homestanding Hall, the Pirates went 21 for 25 in the second half and 28 for 37 overall, allowing free throws to cover for an otherwise uninspired second half showing. The teams combined for 42 fouls and 30 turnovers in the game, with Seton Hall scoring a net +13 in points off turnovers.

Shooting 6 for 19 on the evening, Primo Spears led all Georgetown scorers with 16, followed by 12 from Jay Heath and 10 from Brad Ezewiro. Brandon Murray continues a protracted slump, shooting 2 for 13 in this game and 10 for 37 in his last three. As a duo, Spears and Murray finished this game a combined 8 for 32 and 0 for 11 from three point range, playing 75 of the combined 80 minutes of the game. By contrast, freshmen Denver Anglin and D'Ante Bass remain firmly tethered to the bench, with neither player having seen time on the court since the January 21 game versus Xavier.

Per the Asbury Park Press, "Georgetown now leads the all-time series 60-58, but the Hall has won 15 of the past 19 matchups, eight straight at the Prudential Center and five straight overall," a sign of how much the Georgetown program has fallen in the past decade. With three weeks to the Big East tournament, a third meeting is appearing likely as Seton Hall is a favorite for the #6 seed, which would see the Pirates play Georgetown in the third game that evening, the same matchup that ended the Hoyas' 2021-22 season.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       37   6-15  0-4   4-4   4  5   2   16
Murray       38   2-6   0-7   0-0   8  2   3    4
Heath        31   1-3   2-6   4-4   3  1   4   12
Akok         36   3-4   1-1   0-0   8  3   0    9
Ezewiro      15   4-5   0-0   2-4   5  0   4   10
Reserves:   
Riley        12   0-1   0-1   2-2   3  0   2    2
Mozone       18   0-2   3-5   0-0   4  1   5    9
Mutombo      10   1-2   0-0   4-4   1  0   3    6
Bristol       3   0-0   0-1   0-0   0  0   2    0
Team Rebounds                       4
DNP: Anglin, Bass, Wilson, Wahab, Muresan
TOTALS      200  17-38 6-25  16-18 40 12  25   68

 

Marquette 89, Georgetown 75

2/11/23

Fifteen three pointers from the #10-ranked Marquette Warriors ran over the Georgetown Hoyas, 89-75, before 7,111 at Capital One Arena Saturday.

POST-GAME COVERAGE  
 
The Hoyas opened the game with two changes in its starting lineup, with Jay Heath replacing Jordan Riley at guard and Bradley Ezewiro making its first start at center, after senior Qudus Wahab was held out for what head coach Patrick Ewing cryptically referred as "some personal family issues" but did not elaborate further. The comment prompted at least two social media accounts to claim Wahab had left the team and/or school, but these were debunked.

The Warriors started the game 0 for 3 but connected on six of its next seven and led by ten at the 16:04 mark, 14-4. For its part, the Hoyas started the game 3 for 12 and never mounted a serious run, as Marquette's offense was ably assisted by 15 first half assists on its 19 field goals, and seven three pointers compared to just two for Georgetown.

From its early struggles, the Hoyas played better in the first half, closing to five midway in the first half before consecutive threes by MU's Kam Jones and David Joplin quickly pushed the lead to 11, 29-18, and the Warriors carried a 45-33 lead at the break. MU shot 50 percent in the first half against Georgetown lineups which continued to struggle in perimeter defense, particularly guards who were visibly out of position on a number of Marquette sets.

As was the case in the loss at Providence, Georgetown got very little out of leading scorers Primo Spears and Brandon Murray in the first half of this game. With firm defensive pressure on them, the two Hoyas shot a combined 1 for 10 at the break.

Georgetown opened the second half cold and went almost three minutes without a field goal to begin the period; however, by then the Warriors were pulling ahead for good. By the time Ezewiro picked up his second and third fouls in short order, the Hoyas trailed by 17, 56-39.

Had Marquette really sought to run away, they had the means. Eight straight from guard Tyler Kolek brought the lead to 23, 76-53 at the 8:16 mark, but head coach Shaka Smart went to his bench and the reserves played sloppily down the stretch, giving the Hoyas ample opportunities to narrow the final margin without further effect. The Hoyas outscored the Warriors 14-3 in the final 3:25, with the game out of reach.

Three pointers were the story of this game, with MU shooting 15 to just six for Georgetown. No less impactful was its inside game, with 38 points in the paint for Marquette, including 13 layups and five dunks. As a result, the Warriors collected just six points in mid range shooting, maximizing its efficiency inside and outside.

The Georgetown game plan was ineffective time and time again. Murray and Spears finished the game 5 for 22 from the floor, giving Georgetown no offensive spark and leading players to overcommit, resulting in 16 turnovers. Georgetown shot 44 percent in both halves but continued to provide no serious threat in the games given the poor ball handling which has been common all season.

Jay Heath led all Georgetown scorers with 18 points, with Akok Akok adding 10 points and five blocks. Bradley Ezewiro scored seven points and nine rebounds in his first start while Ryan Mutombo saw his first sustained game time in almost three months in reserve. As has been the case in recent games Georgetown led handily at the free throw line, but its perimeter defense continues to fail this team like few others



With the win, Marquette (20-6) takes a half game lead in the regular season race, while Georgetown continues to dig itself into the basement, with no signs of change, figuratively or literally.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       37   2-12  0-0   4-4   1  8   0    8
Heath        35   5-9   2-7   2-2   4  2   1   18  
Murray       28   2-6   1-4   0-0   2  6   0    7
Akok         25   3-4   1-2   1-1   4  0   1   10
Ezewiro      23   2-2   0-0   3-7   9  0   3    7
Reserves:   
Riley        14   1-1   0-1   3-4   4  1   2    5
Mozone       17   2-4   2-2   1-2   1  0   1   11
Mutombo       8   3-3   0-0   1-1   4  0   1    7
Bristol      10   0-1   0-0   2-2   3  1   1    2
Team Rebounds                       1                
DNP: Anglin, Bass, Wilson, Wahab, Muresan
TOTALS      200  20-42 6-16  17-23 33 18  10   75

 

Fanta: GU Needs to "Look In The Mirror"

2/10/23

Broadcasts on Fox Sports have been resolute in not calling attention to the struggles at Georgetown and St. John's this season. FS1 announcer John Fanta offered some personal comments at the Big East Barroom podcast.

"I think that both programs are trending towards making a change, as they should be, because the standards aren't being met," Fanta said at the 18 minute mark of the podcast.

"This is nothing personal; in candor, Patrick Ewing is a friend of mine, he really is, and has been nothing but good to me. But both programs are in a state where they need a change in leadership because the respective leaders have been given enough opportunities. It's hard to believe Mike Anderson won Big East Coach Of The Year in 2021."

"It's time for St. John's and Georgetown to look in the mirror and say it's no longer 1985. It's 2023, and we've got to make forward looking moves."

Meanwhile, Anderson got a vote of confidence, sort of, from St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg on Friday.


A source at St. John's told columnist Adam Zagoria that "Mike Anderson is owed [more than $10 million] over four years, and St. John's doesn't have that type of money."

 

Providence 74, Georgetown 62

2/8/23

The Georgetown Hoyas tied a school record with its 21st consecutive road loss following a 74-62 Providence win at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Wednesday.

POST-GAME COVERAGE


The early minutes of the game were largely even between the teams, with Georgetown and Providence each shooting 50 percent from the field. Up two, 16-14, the Hoyas gave up two turnovers and two fouls over its next four possessions midway in the first half, opening the door for the homestanding Friars to go on a 16-1 run that formed the bulk of its lead for the remainder of the first half.

Trailing by as many as 13, threes by Primo Spears and Brandon Murray closed to seven with 4:53 to halftime but could not make a field goal for the remainder of the period, trailing 39-30 at the half. Georgetown was been outworked in the paint, with PC scoring 22 of its 39 points at the break from inside the paint and another 12 from three, while Qudus Wahab was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes of play and the tandem of Brandon Murray and Primo Spears combined to shoot 5 for 14.

Despite second half foul trouble for Jared Bynum and Ed Croswell, the Hoyas never seriously threatened in the second half. A thee pointer at the 19:00 mark capped a 7-2 PC run to open the half, and the Friars led by 17 at the 13:04 mark before reserve Bradley Ezewiro went to work inside. Ezewiro scored eight of the Hoyas' next 10 as Georgetown closed to 58-51 at the 8:04 mark, but no closer. Off a Providence timeout, the Friars answered with back to back open threes and a dunk to go up 16, 66-51, and coasted to the win.

After shooting 3 for 6 from three point range, the Hoyas flat lined after halftime, shooting 0 for 9.

Ezewiro led all Georgetown scorers with a career high 19 points, followed by Spears with 18 and Murray with 16. Spears and Murray shot a combined 36 percent, accounting for over half the shots taken by the team for the evening. Statistically, the Hoyas matched up well with the Friars, but were exposed inside, as the Friars scored on numerous dunks and a +7 on points off turnovers (16-9).

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       39   5-13  1-3  5-6    2  7   2   18
Murray       38   3-10  2-4  4-5    7  4   1   16
Riley        13   0-0   0-1  0-0    3  0   2    0   
Akok         27   2-2   0-2  0-0    5  0   1    4
Wahab        17   0-2   0-0  1-2    3  1   3    1
Reserves:  
Heath        16   1-4   0-2  0-0    2  0   0    2  
Mozone        9   0-0   0-2  2-2    0  0   0    2
Ezewiro      22   8-9   0-0  3-3    3  0   4   19
Bristol      20   0-0   0-1  0-0    4  1   0    0
Team Rebounds                       3   
DNP: Anglin, Mutombo, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS      200  19-40 3-15 15-18  33  13 13   62

 

Connecticut 68, Georgetown 62

2/5/23

The names may change but the song remains the same.

Alex Karaban sank two three pointers in the final 3:03 of play to give Connecticut a come from behind 68-62 win over Georgetown today before a season's best 10,621 at Capital One Arena.

POST-GAME COVERAGE

With Georgetown held to just 62 points, initial assumptions might be that the Hoyas played poorly or shot inconsistently, which was not the case. The Hoyas owned the opening of the game with a 7-5 lead off baskets by Brandon Murray and Jordan Riley and established a good defensive tone early against the Huskies, who had won the first meeting between the schools in December. A 10-3 run midway in te first half earned UConn its first sustained lead at 17-10, a lead they held for much of the game.

Trailing by five with 4:07 to halftime, Georgetown made a late run to tie the score at halftime. Layups by Jay Heath and Brandon Murray bracketed a three pointer from Akok Akok as the Hoyas held the Huskies to just two free throws down the stretch and earned a 31-31 score at the break, with GU shooting 45% from the field and 3 for 6 from three point range.

Connecticut led by as many as seven in the second half but could not shake the Hoyas, a product of both teams playing a slower pace and Georgetown successfully defending the Huskies on the perimeter and inside. The Hoyas closed to three at the 12:18 mark and two at the 11:03 mark before the Huskies extended the lead again, a function of good offensive rebounding and a number of second chance opportunities. Still, the Hoyas were not done.

Trailing 58-50 with 7:43 to play, Georgetown began to whittle down the deficit. Baskets by Qudus Wahab and Jay Heath closed the margin to 58-55, but in a series that defined the Huskies' resilience, UConn collected three consecutive offensive rebounds in a single possession and extended the score to 60-55 with 5:53 to play. A three pointer from Bryson Mozone brought Georgetown to 60-58, awakening a crowd which had been unusually quiet the entire game. On Georgetown's next possession, Murray drove for a layup and a foul, a three point play which gave Georgetown its first lead since early in the game, 61-60 and offered a real chance for GU's first win over a Top 25 opponent in two years.

The narrative of Georgetown's annus horribilis has been an inability to finish games and for the third consecutive game, the late game struggles were in evidence.

Leading by one, the Hoyas forced a miss on UConn's next possession, but Murray missed a layup on the next possession. Wahab was fouled on the offensive rebound but missed the front and of a one and one. UConn's Tristen Newton missed a jumper with 3:45 to play, but Wahab missed another layup 28 seconds later. On UConn's next possession, Akok missed a key defensive assignment and left Karaban open on the wing which regained the lead, 63-61, at the 3:03 mark.



Murray and Wahab each missed on Georgetown's next possession, where the Huskies added to the lead with a second chance putback by Adama Sanogo at the 2:08 mark, 65-61.

Each team then whiffed on three point opportunities heading into the final minute. Murray was fouled with 51 seconds remaining but split his free throws, 65-62. On the next possession, the Hoyas went all-in on Newton under the basket, leaving Karaban open yet again for the three pointer which put the game away.



Georgetown ended the game shooting 0 for its last seven 7, allowing the Huskies to close on an 8-1 run. For the game, Georgetown had just 59 possessions in the game, and the last eight hurt all the more.

Connecticut shot 42 percent for the game and 12 of 24 from three point range, but won this game on the boards, with 19 offensive rebounds and a 23-8 advantage on second chance points. Despite 43 percent shooting, Georgetown could not defend the boards, and lost touch on the perimeter where opponents have punished them all season.

Brandon Murray led the Hoyas with 21 points but accounted for seven of Georgetown's 10 turnovers for the game. UConn successfully contained Primo Spears, who took only one shot on the afternoon and finished scoreless for the first time. The backcourt was assisted from 13 points off the bench from Jay Heath, but starter Jordan Riley was jut 1 for 6 on the afternoon.

Two more Top 25 opponents await this week on the Hoyas' schedule, with the specter of a 20th loss on the season coming as early as Saturday. First up is #17 Providence on Wednesday, where the Hoyas have dropped seven of its last eight at what is now known as the Amica Mutual Pavilion, late the Dunkin' Donuts Center and formerly the Providence Civic Center. The Friars are 12-0 at home and 28-1 over the last two seasons.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       36   0-1   0-0   0-0   2  5   0    0  
Murray       35  6-13   2-5   3-5   4  2   5   21
Riley        18   1-4   0-2   0-0   1  0   1    2   
Akok         27   0-2   1-2   0-0   5  1   0    3  
Wahab        27   5-9   0-0   0-1   6  1   2   10
Reserves:  
Heath        26   2-6   3-5   0-0   3  1   1   13
Mozone       13   1-1   1-2   0-0   0  0   2    5  
Ezewiro      15   1-1   0-0   4-6   5  0   1    6
Bristol       3   0-0   0-0   2-2   0  0   0    2  
Team Rebounds                       5
DNP: Anglin, Mutombo, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS      200  16-37 7-16  9-14  31 10  12   62

 

Creighton 63, Georgetown 53

2/1/23

The Georgetown Hoyas scored one field goal in the final 8:28 of the first half and never contended thereafter in a 63-53 loss to Creighton.

POST-GAME COVERAGE  
As the final score would indicate, this was a slow and plodding game. The two teams opened the first half a combined 1 for 9 and were a combined 5 for 19 at the first media timeout. Georgetown got an early boost from the return of guard Jay Heath, who scored on eight of the Hoyas' first 15 points as Georgetown took a lead midway through the first half. Qudus Wahab added a basket and split a pair of foul shots to give GU an 18-17 lead with 8:28 to halftime and promptly ground to a halt.

With the Bluejays successfully leveraging the inside play of center Ryan Kalkbrenner (5 for 5, 10 pts) and its outside duo of Ryan Nembhard and Baylor Scheierman (four three pointers between them), Creighton ended the half on an 18 to 3 to end the first half and take a 35-21 lead at the break. Georgetown shot 1 for 15 to end the half, with its guard tandem of Primo Spears and Brandon Murray shooting a combined 0 for 14 in the first half.

"One team passes, the other team doesn't," remarked CBS Sports Network analyst Chris Walker.

Creighton shot poorly in the second half (9 for 27) and with little energy, allowing the Hoyas to hang around but never seriously challenge. A there from Murray at the 12:17 mark closed the deficit to seven, 44-37, and a drive from Spears closed the margin to five, 48-43, with 8:23 in the second. But as like clockwork, the Hoyas went back into the deep freeze.

Georgetown's next five possessions seemed lethargic: four misses and a shot clock violation. A basket by Spears closed to 11, 56-45, with 4:02 left but GU never mounted a rally and the announced crowd of 4,042 seemed unconvinced that Georgetown was ready to make a run.

Then again, neither was Creighton. Both teams missed shots over the next five possessions, and by the time Murray hit the next jumper, there was just 1:40 left and the game was well out of reach.

Qudus Wahab led all Georgetown scorers with 14 points and seven rebounds, but the Hoyas ended the game shooting just 35 percent. Five Creighton starters accounted for all its points.

"We held them to 63 points, they are a team that scores 70 something points. So we did a good job defensively," said head coach Patrick Ewing.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:    
Spears       35   5-16  0-2   0-0   1  4   0   10  
Murray       36   3-11  1-3   2-3   8  3   2   11
Riley        18   1-6   0-0   0-0   4  1   1    2
Akok         27   1-2   0-1   0-0   5  0   2    2
Wahab        25   6-9   0-0   2-3   7  0   3   14
Reserves:
Heath        19   2-4   1-2   0-0   1  1   4    7
Mozone       18   1-3   1-3   0-0   4  0   1    5
Mutombo       2   0-0   0-0   0-0   0  0   1    0
Ezewiro       7   0-2   0-0   0-0   2  0   1    0
Bristol      12   1-1   0-0   0-0   1  0   0    2
Team Rebounds                       1
DNP: Anglin, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS      200  20-54 3-11   4-6  34  9  15   53