Three Players Transferring
In the largest single one day departure of the Patrick Ewing era, three varsity players have announced plans to transfer.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
First out is freshman Tyler Beard. A three star commit from Chicago, Beard opted for prep school at Hargrave Prep during the 2020-21 season and arrived to the Hilltop in the summer of 2021 as one of the top 20 point guards in the nation. A strong candidate to start at the point, Beard started just two games in 2021-22 and often found himself in the same seat in the Ewing doghouse which eventually sent Jamari Sibley to the transfer portal a year earlier. Beard led the Hoyas in scoring in two games this season, including a 23 point effort in GU's last win of the season versus Howard, but those two games accounted for 42 percent of his points for the season, as his time was increasingly restricted in Big East play. Beard concluded the season with eight points versus Seton Hall in the Big East tournament, averaging 3.0 points a game for the season and fourth on the team in assists per game. Beard was the only one of the three transfers to post a note on social media.
Next is freshman Jalin Billingsley. The 117th ranked player nationally from the Class of 2021, Billingsley chose Georgetown over Arizona, further elevating the Hoyas' promising recruiting last year. The 6-8 Billingsley struggled on both ends of the court, shooting just 33 percent from the field for an average of 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds a game, with just one field goal over the final four games of the season. His 10.9 minutes per game was the fewest of any freshman this past season. Beard and Billingsley will each have three years eligibility remaining. A surprise, perhaps, is rising senior Timothy Ighoefe. A starter in 20 games last season, Ighoefe was the leading candidate to return at the center position next season. A graduate of the NBA Academy program in central Africa, Ighoefe's 6-11, 250 pound physique was tailor-made for the pros but he had trouble in a motion offense, often struggling to assert himself in games despite his size. Ighoefe averaged 2.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24 games this season, with perhaps his best game being his last one--a five point, 13 rebound effort versus Seton Hall in the 2022 Big East Tournament. Had he stayed, Ighoefe would have become only the third player to play four seasons under Ewing. Ighoefe will have two years eligibility remaining. There was no announcement or comment at GUHoyas.com from head coach Patrick Ewing as to these transfers. The Long Road Forward
Many Georgetown fans are familiar with the story of Chris Wright (C'11) and his struggles with multiple sclerosis. From ESPN.com, an extended feature on his treatment, his comeback, and his outlook on the future.The story link can be found here. Recommended reading.Georgetown Names New Assistant Coach
Although Georgetown never publicly acknowledged the firing of assistant coaches Robert Kirby and Akbar Waheed, head coach Patrick Ewing announced the addition of Kevin Nickelberry to the men's basketball staff at a private event Thursday."I am happy to announce the addition of Kevin Nickelberry to my staff at Georgetown," Ewing said in the news release in lieu of a public press conference. "I have confidence that he will have an immediate impact in his role as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He has strong local and national ties and has showcased his ability to bring in top-level talent."Recruiting, as much as coaching, is Nickleberry's calling card as the replacement for Kirby, who handled much of the Georgetown recruiting efforts over the last five years. At 57, Nickelberry is well traveled, with a combined coaching record of 145-239 (.378) with head coaching stops at Hampton, Howard, and one game at Louisiana State. Nickleberry's hire comes with some baggage, however. In 2018, Nickelberry was named in a lawsuit by two former Howard players alleging "gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress" against Nickelberry, based on what the litigants called "egregious violations of NCAA rules regarding the safety of athletes and regarding fairness in competition." The Washington Post reported that "according to the lawsuit, Nickelberry ordered his players to participate in an impermissible practice and training schedule that violated NCAA regulations, including punitive practices after losses that took place the same day as the game. The lawsuit also states that Nickelberry forced both players to play while injured despite their protestations and warnings from the school's athletic trainers." After a 17-17 season in 2018-19, Nickelberry was forced to resign at season's end, per the Post. Nickelberry has been an assistant for the last three years at LSU, which is currently under NCAA notice for numerous Level 1 violations under head coach Will Wade, who was fired for cause this month. Nickelberry was not named in the investigation and served as the Tigers' interim coach in loss to Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. There was no quote in the release from Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed, who was cited earlier this month as saying that "We are working with [Ewing] to... make the necessary changes for him to put us back on the path to success for next year." It is not known whether Reed was involved in the recommendation to hire Nickelberry. One coaching position remains open. Roles for Louis Orr, Bill Howze, and Clinton Crouch remain unchanged. Report: Ewing Fires Two Assistants
With the growing frustration over Patrick Ewing's coaching tenure, a report from outside Georgetown circles suggests Ewing may be following an old football trick when head coaches are on the hot seat: cut an assistant coach. In this case, two.Veteran Big East columnist Adam Zagoria reported Saturday that Ewing will release two of his three assistant coaches in an attempt to restructure the team in advance of any University changes, during which GU has been avoiding comment on Ewing's contract term at Georgetown. Zagoria lists Robert Kirby and Akbar Waheed as the exit candidates.Kirby, 62, was an assistant under John Thompson III from 2020-2012, landed Otto Porter to the Hilltop, Georgetown's last All-America awardee, before moving to assistant roles at Memphis and LSU. He returned to Georgetown in 2017, focusing on his contacts in the Deep South, which brought Georgetown the likes of Kaiden Rice, Malcolm Wilson, and incoming freshman D'Ante Bass. Waheed, a holdover from the John Thompson III staff, was less successful in local recruiting, with Antwan Walker and Jamorko Pickett as the only local DCSAA high school products that came directly to the University during this period. True to form, Georgetown has not said anything about the report and the two coaches remain on the roster at GUHoyas.com, but in a Twitter message, Waheed acknowledged his departure.  Seton Hall 57, Georgetown 53
The worst season in modern Georgetown basketball ended the way many thought it would: a pair of late scoring droughts in a 57-53 loss, its 21st straight and 25th of the season.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Despite being prohibitive underdogs in the last game of the first night of the Big East Conference tournament, Georgetown played Seton Hall into the last minute, a function of better defense matched with a spotty Seton Hall offense which kept the game closer than it should.From an early 4-0 lead, the Pirates missed six consecutive shots over a five minute period, giving a more disciplined Hoyas team opportunities to string together some possessions, which they did en route to a 13-0 run midway through the first half. A key to the Hoyas' early run was the play of junior center Timothy Ighoefe, who had just 17 rebounds in his last five Big East games and stood tall for 13 in this game, eight in the first half alone. Ighoefe's prowess kept Seton Hall off the boards and cut into the second chance points which had hurt Georgetown in recent games. Ighoefe contributed two rebounds, a steal in a 12-2 run that gave the Hoyas an 12 point lead at 27-17, despite the loss of Dante Harris minutes earlier. Harris, bruised and battered by injuries all season, suffered what appeared to be a high ankle sprain at the 11:39 mark of the fist half on the far side of the court where Georgetown's bench was situated. While a media time out was in process. Harris was helped to the locker room by two Seton Hall trainers while Ewing's bench seemed completely unaware of what had happened. Late in the huddle, a manager started looking around for Harris, to which he was never in the huddle to begin with. Harris returned to the bench in the second half on crutches, but did not return to action thereafter. From a 27-17 lead at the last media time out, Georgetown did not score the remainder of the first half. The Pirates got inside baskets by Kadary Richmond and Myles Cale to close to 27-24 at the half, but connected on just three of eight down the stretch, shooting 33 percent at the break. For its part, Georgetown finished the half shooting just 30 percent but outpointed the Hall 11-0 on second chance points, many of them to result of a more aggressive Ighoefe in the pivot. The Pirates scored two quick baskets in the first two minutes of the second half to take the lead and much of the second half was spent trading a meager advantage back and forth. Neither team led by more than four when a Aminu Mohammed layup and three from Kaiden Rice put the Hoyas up four at the 7:02 mark, 46-42. An exchange of free throws followed, 47-43, before a Jamir Harris three awoke the Seton Hall crowd, 47-46, only to see Kaiden Rice return the favor to give GU a 50-46 lead with 5:03 left. But any cursory review of the games this season waits for that extended slump to crash the best laid plans of Patrick Ewing, and such a slump was upon them. A Jared Rhoden jumper closed to two, 50-48. Instead of working the clock, Kaiden Rice launched two bad three point attempts in consecutive order, answered by Miles Cale at the top of the foul line,. 50-50. Georgetown again went outside via a Donald Carey miss, and the Hall picked off a pass that sent Yetna inside for the slam, 52-50, with 2:53 remaining. Aminu Mohammed was fouled down two at the 2:34 mark, but missed the second free throw, a toss that would come back to haunt GU in the final moments. Meanwhile, a unnecessary three from Yetna missed, answered by a smart drive inside from Collin Holloway to put GU up one, 53-52, at the 1:05 mark. Two stops were all GU needed to end the streak, and they got neither. Off a Seton Hall timeout, Rhoden found Jamir Harris separated from Donald Carey, and Harris launched a three from the top of the three for a 53-52 lead with 40 seconds remaining and one of three second half threes for the Pirates where Georgetown was noticeably out of position. Down two, the Hoyas had three chances for the win. Off a time out, Holloway had an open look from the corner and missed short. However, Carey was there for the rebound, but was stuffed under the basket by SHU center Ike Obiagu. Three seconds later, Yetna missed the front half of the one and one, leaving GU the last shot of the game. With no outside options, Carey drive inside and attempted to pop the ball to Rice on the perimeter, but it sailed wide out of bounds. The Hall added two from the line in the final seconds before Kaiden Rice took the last shot of the season, which predictably sailed atop the backboard. "We still had opportunities. We just weren't able to overcome them," said Ewing in generic post-game remarks, seemingly out of adjectives to describe this fitful ending, becoming the first Big East team in 11 years to win a championship one season and not make it out of the first round the following year. Aminu Mohammed led the Hoyas with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but the Hoyas combined for three points over the final 10 minutes that ended both halves, and that's a mortal mistake for any team, much less one that hasn't won a Big East game since the conference final a year earlier. "I know we will be better next year, and that's it,", Ewing ended his comments as such. At 6-25, a long, acrimonious post-season awaits. If Ewing or the University thinks the 2021-22 can be sloughed off as mere bad luck and it moves on without significant changes, it'll be even worse next year.
The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Harris 8 0-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0
Carey 34 2-4 2-8 1-1 4 1 3 11
Mohammed 36 3-6 1-2 3-4 10 3 3 12
Holloway 39 3-10 1-5 2-3 4 3 1 11
Ighoefe 30 2-8 0-0 1-2 13 2 1 5
Reserves:
Beard 19 1-4 2-3 0-0 1 0 0 8
Billingsley 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Rice 25 0-1 2-7 0-0 3 3 0 6
Mutombo 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0
Clark 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Muresan, Bristol, Wilson
Injured: Riley
Team Rebounds 10
TOTALS 200 11-37 8-25 7-10 48 15 16 53
All-Big East Teams
Aminu Mohammed was named to the all-freshman All-Big East team announced Sunday.Mohammed was the only Georgetown selection on the news release. Ten of the 11 schools, except Butler, had one or more players listed.A cumulative list of Georgetown's All-Big East selections through the years is found at the Georgetown Basketball History Project. The honorees are as follows: First Team: R.J. Cole, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-1, 185, Union, NJ Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, So., 6-9, 240, Bamako, Mali Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So., 6-7, 245, Baltimore, MD Julian Champagnie, St. John's, G-F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, NY Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G-F, Sr., 6-6, 210, Baldwin, NY Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-3, 195, Huntingdon Valley, PA Second Team: Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic, IA Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-4, 180, Chicago, IL Jared Bynum, Providence, G, Jr., 5-10, 180, Largo, MD Nate Watson, Providence, F, Gr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, VA Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-4, 210, Ft. Washington, MD Honorable Mention: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So., 7-0, 256, St. Louis, MO Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr., 6-5, 205, Baltimore, MD Posh Alexander, St. John's, G, So., 6-0, 200, Brooklyn, NY Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, IN All-Freshman Team: Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, 6-5, 175, Gaithersburg, MD Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, 6-4, 185, Oklahoma City, OK Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, 6-0, 167, Aurora, Ontario Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, 6-5, 210, Temple Hills, MD Kam Jones, Marquette, G, 6-4, 185, Cordova, TN Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, 6-7, 220, Glendale, AZ Big East Tournament BracketsThe Big East brackets are now set:
Xavier 97, Georgetown 75
Xavier ended a five game losing streak with a 97-75 walloping of the Georgetown Hoyas, earning the 2021-22 Hoyas the indignity of the most loses in school history and the most losses in one season of any team in Big East history.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The game followed an all too common pattern in this historic streak: Georgetown is competitive for the first seven or eight minutes, and there is a sharp drop off in either scoring, defense, or both. Such was the case in this one, from an unlikely source for Xavier: three point shooting. Xavier entered the game shooting 26 percent from three point range and missed 25 attempts alone versus St. John's earlier this week. But in a three minute run midway in the first half, the X-men went to work from outside, with devastating results. From a score of 16-14 at the 13:00 mark, the first salvo came from Nate Johnson, hitting a wide open three, leading to a quick Georgetown timeout to forestall what was to come, but no use. Thirty seconds later, he hit a second. After Kaiden Rice missed a long three, up stepped reserve guard Adam Kunkel, who was an unsightly 0 for 10 versus St. John's, for a three, 25-16. Johnson added his third on the next series, 28-16. In all, Xavier went on a 17-2 run to lead 33-16, during a period where Georgetown was a combined 1 for 11. Aided by a number of friendly calls by the officials, Georgetown picked up points at the line, but Xavier's first half offense was still humming at high gear. Center Jack Nunge spotted up for a three, 41-24, picked up two dunks down the stretch, and ended the half with a three with five seconds to play, giving Xavier a season's high 54 points at the break and a 24 point lead heading into halftime. Xavier had a perfect 17 assists in 17 field goals in the first half in GU's largest halftime deficit of the season, as the Hoyas shot just 9 for 31 and missed nine of ten from three point range. Much of the second half was not competitive, leading Fox Sports 1 play by play announcer Lane Grindle to quickly correct himself at the 11:39 mark when he called "a 21 point victory for Xavier, um...a 21 point lead." He wasn't far off. Much will be written in retrospect about the 2021-22 Hoyas, but it cannot be said they quit. What does happen, of course, is that teamwork eventually gives way to extreme individual effort. Georgetown managed only two assists in the first half, and much of the second half was dominated by either Aminu Mohammed or Dante Harris working for their numbers. Harris had 15 in the second half, overcame two bouts of cramps, but did not contribute a single assist. Mohammed had 11 rebounds after the break as Georgetown closed to 15 with 6:44 to play, but no closer, when Johnson stuck back to back threes in a 29 second period, ending any hope, however unrealistic, that the Hoyas could mount a comeback. Up 22 with 4:50 to play, that's how it ended, sparing the Musketeers of falling off the NCAA tournament bubble and giving new life to a team which had lost five straight and seven of eight down the stretch. The Hoyas were left ending the game with Tyler Beard awkwardly racing down the court for a uncovered layup to add to the scoring amidst the Xavier walk-ons. Xavier finished with 14 threes in 25 attempts (.560), tying a season record, and finished with more assists (32) than Georgetown managed field goals (27). Nate Johnson's seven threes and 25 points led all scorers. "My number one fear going into this game was that they were going to sleep on Georgetown," Xavier coach Travis Steele said in post-game remarks, noting that he gave the team a day off after the St. John's loss. "But I also knew, at the same time, if we didn't have our locker room right and our mentality right it doesn't matter who the heck we're playing." By contrast, "the things that we talked about in our game plan, what we wanted to take away, we just didn't take away," Patrick Ewing said in post-game remarks. "This is not where I expected us to be." Dante Harris (19), Collin Holloway (17) and Aminu Mohammed (15) accounted for 51 or GU's 75 points in the game and 30 of its 45 points after halftime. Xavier managed 12 layups and six dunks, with the trio of GU centers combining for four points and three rebounds between them. The 97 points is the most allowed by a Georgetown team in Big East play since the 98 points surrendered to UConn in the 2021 regular season finale. Georgetown is the 11th seed in the Big East Tournament, where they meet sixth seed Seton Hall in the late game Wednesday evening. "We're definitely disappointed in our season but it is what it is, we just have to prepare ourselves for the Big East Tournament," Ewing said. "It's a new season and anything is possible. You go through the whole regular season to get to this point. We can still salvage ourselves with a great run in the tournament." But in this historic 2022 season, lightning doesn't strike twice. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Harris 30 5-8 3-6 0-0 2 1 0 19
Carey 29 1-3 0-3 5-5 2 2 5 7
Mohammed 39 6-16 0-0 3-7 16 2 1 15
Holloway 28 5-6 1-2 4-7 4 2 3 17
Ighoefe 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Reserves:
Beard 15 2-5 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 4
Billingsley 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 0
Rice 31 2-4 1-9 2-2 4 1 1 9
Mutombo 4 1-2 0-0 2-2 1 0 1 4
Clark 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Wilson 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
DNP: Azinge, Muresan, Bristol
Injured: Riley
Team Rebounds 1
TOTALS 200 22-45 5-20 16-23 35 8 15 75
Georgetown: Wednesday's Regular Guests
Despite the vote of confidence offered from athletic director Lee Reed, Patrick Ewing's five seasons at Georgetown have continued a decade long slide in Big East wins which now places Georgetown 10th among 11 Big East schools since the reformation of the conference in 2013.Entering the season finale at Xavier, Georgetown has won only 36 percent of its Big East games since 2013 (58-102), with just 12 wins since 2019.The Hoyas' poor play since 2013-14 has also taken hold at the Big East Tournament, where Georgetown has received a first round bye just twice in the past nine years. Increasingly, reservations in the lightly attended opening round are regularly held by DePaul (nine consecutive appearances since 2014), Georgetown (eight), and St. John's (seven). Here are the nine year composite Big East records and seedings of the teams in the conference tournament, with opening round seeds in red.
All-Big East Teams
Aminu Mohammed was named to the all-freshman All-Big East team announced Sunday.Mohammed was the only Georgetown selection on the news release. Ten of the 11 schools, except Butler, had one or more players listed.A cumulative list of Georgetown's All-Big East selections through the years is found at the Georgetown Basketball History Project. The honorees are as follows: First Team: R.J. Cole, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-1, 185, Union, NJ Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, So., 6-9, 240, Bamako, Mali Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So., 6-7, 245, Baltimore, MD Julian Champagnie, St. John's, G-F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, NY Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G-F, Sr., 6-6, 210, Baldwin, NY Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-3, 195, Huntingdon Valley, PA Second Team: Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic, IA Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-4, 180, Chicago, IL Jared Bynum, Providence, G, Jr., 5-10, 180, Largo, MD Nate Watson, Providence, F, Gr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, VA Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-4, 210, Ft. Washington, MD Honorable Mention: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So., 7-0, 256, St. Louis, MO Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr., 6-5, 205, Baltimore, MD Posh Alexander, St. John's, G, So., 6-0, 200, Brooklyn, NY Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, IN All-Freshman Team: Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, 6-5, 175, Gaithersburg, MD Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, 6-4, 185, Oklahoma City, OK Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, 6-0, 167, Aurora, Ontario Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, 6-5, 210, Temple Hills, MD Kam Jones, Marquette, G, 6-4, 185, Cordova, TN Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, 6-7, 220, Glendale, AZ Big East Tournament BracketsThe Big East brackets are now set:
Ewing Discusses Departure Rumors
Head coach Patrick Ewing took to Twitter to counter reports that he is leaving his head coaching position.Ewing, who posts infrequently on the social media platform, may be responding to claims heard today on WJFK-106.7 that sources said Ewing (68-82 in five years) may be preparing to retire next week, either prior to or following the Big East Tournament.
Seton Hall 73, Georgetown 68
Fifty years to the week since Georgetown lost its record 23rd game of the 1971-72 season at Boston College, the 2021-22 Hoyas matched this infamy in a 73-68 loss at Seton Hall.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
This was a game for the taking nearly all evening. A quiet Prudential Center crowd and a sleepy Pirate team showed little of the fire that Georgetown had faced in recent road games. Opportunities abounded for head coach Patrick Ewing, and his team missed them every time.Facing early foul trouble from Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown trailed 12-7 early before Kaiden Rice went to work from outside. Back to back threes from Kaiden Rice put the Hoyas up 15-14 midway in the half, but Rice was literally the only offense Georgetown would mount in the first half, because Georgetown did not the test Pirates inside, where other opponents had shown more tenacity in cutting off the Hall inside on both ends of the floor. The 15-14 lead was Georgetown's last of the game, lost on a spotty backcourt violation that opened the door for a Pirate three, 17-15. Despite an awful night at the three point line (4 for 20), inside play proved the way, as the Hall built up a 10 point lead at 31-21, and carried a six point lead at the break, 42-36. Rice finished with 17 by halftime, setting a season record for threes with all five of GU's threes in the half. While was Rice was 5 for 6, the remainder of the team shot under 20 percent as Seton Hall shot 70 percent from two point range for a comforting if not comfortable home court lead. The second half was back and forth throughout, but the game was lost during a two minute stretch midway in the period where the Pirates scored on four consecutive plays by dunk or layup, having scored 14 points in the paint after halftime. Georgetown fought back with better defense but the deficit was never matched. Eight straight points by Collin Holloway brought the Hoyas to five, 64-59, and an improved Georgetown defense was effective, holding the Pirates without a basket for the final 4:50 of play. The teams traded possessions until a Jared Rhoden three pointer was called off for a shot clock violation at the 2:39 mark, and Donald Carey brought the Hoyas to 68-66 on free throws. The Hall failed to score a basket in the final 4:19, but three key Georgetown possessions all came up short. At the 2:21 mark, Aminu Mohammed missed a layup, down four. At the 1:35 mark, down two, Collin Holloway missed a layup. With 26 seconds left, down three, the Hoyas had the final possession put picked the wrong play once again. Instead of a quick two and an inbound press or quick foul, Kaiden Rice air-balled a three point attempt, and the Pirates closed the game out at the line. "We had some miscommunications on switches," said coach Ewing in post-game remarks. "It's something that we are continuing to work on and we're only going to get better as we go on," despite all indications that the season ends one week from tonight. "Consistent effort, consistent attitude, consistent work ethic," said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard in post-game remarks. "I never had an issue with these guys from the standpoint of they all came in when the program was really starting to take off and they took a lot of pride in keeping it where the program is. "I think that's what I love about this group. They took a lot of pride in keeping the program to where the guys before them had gotten it. They took a lot of pride in that." Georgetown cannot say the same. Emblematic of his excessively hot and cold season, Rice led the Hoyas with 17 in the first half and nothing thereafter, missing on just two attempts after the break. Aminu Mohammed was held to 2 for 10 shooting and was not a factor in a game where Seton Hall shot just 33 percent after halftime and never trailed. Outside of Rice, Ewing failed to use the bench, as three reserves accounted for 11 total minutes, taking just three shots between them. Overall, the Hoyas were embarrassed on the boards, as the Pirates held a 45-29 advantage (25-14 after halftime) and enjoyed a 21-8 advantage on second chance points. Those second chance points provided the cushion that kept the Pirates ahead on the scoreboard en route to its seventh consecutive win over Georgetown in Newark and 12th of its last 16. "Keep on believing," Ewing added. "Because I'm not going to stop believing." Ewing dodged a question on his contract status, only noting that "I'll let the other stuff work itself out." Georgetown joins the 1993-94 Miami Hurricanes and the 2008-09 DePaul Blue Demons as the only Big East schools ever to go 0-18 in a season. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Harris 37 6-10 0-0 0-0 1 6 2 12
Carey 37 2-5 1-5 4-4 8 0 3 11
Mohammed 24 1-6 1-4 0-0 2 1 3 5
Holloway 37 4-7 0-3 8-8 3 0 1 16
Ighoefe 22 1-5 0-0 2-4 9 1 2 4
Reserves:
Billingsley 8 1-2 0-1 1-1 0 0 1 3
Rice 30 1-1 5-8 0-0 1 0 4 17
Mutombo 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 0
Clark 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
DNP: Beard, Azinge, Muresan, Bristol, Wilson
Injured: Riley
Team Rebounds 3
TOTALS 200 16-36 7-21 15-17 29 8 18 68
Ewing Gets AD's Vote Of Confidence
Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed has issued a public vote of confidence for head coach Patrick Ewing.In a statement released but not published on social media or on GUHoyas.com, Reed said the following:"As a university with high standards and expectations for both academic and athletic excellence, we all share the disappointment of a difficult season. In this ever evolving landscape of college athletics we are committed to Coach Ewing, and we are working with him to evaluate every aspect of the men's basketball program and to make the necessary changes for him to put us back on the path to success for next year." Coach Ewing's dedication as well as his success in last year's BIG EAST Tournament is a testament to his leadership. This gives us confidence that he can strengthen our program going forward. I wish to thank all of our supporters and season ticket holders for their ongoing commitment and express my appreciation to the members of our team for their hard work." The release was awkwardly published as "Tuesday, March 2." Further inquiries were directed to Barbara Barnes, Associate Athletics Director for Communications. Georgetown's last two public votes for a coach are not confidence builders. On March 3, 2017, a statement from Reed said the following: "We remain confident in Coach Thompson's ability to lead a team comprised of student athletes who achieve academically, are prepared for a future beyond Georgetown and will be competitive on a national level. Our history of success in men's basketball at Georgetown has created high expectations that we continue to embrace. We appreciate the passion of our fans and their tremendous support." Thompson was fired by Jack DeGioia 21 days later. On March 4, 2004, a statement from University president Jack DeGioia read as follows: "As someone who has a 29-year affiliation with Georgetown University and its athletic department, I take special pride in our tradition of athletic and academic excellence. I am very committed to continuing our tradition, especially in men's basketball, by fielding competitive teams, ensuring that our students get the very best educations, and setting a standard for integrity. I believe that this season's men's basketball team, and our new class of recruits, hold a great deal of promise. I have confidence that Craig Esherick - who helped to build our tradition of excellence in men's basketball - is the right person to strengthen and lead our program." Esherick was fired by DeGioia 12 days later. |