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Georgetown Basketball: June 2012 News Archive

No Hoyas Selected In NBA Draft 6/29/12

None of Georgetown's three entrants to the NBA Draft were selected Thursday, the second consecutive year the Hoyas failed to place a draft pick in the two round event.

Forward Hollis Thompson and center Henry Sims were variously projected as mid-2nd round picks, but a run of European players not expected to make an NBA team moved their draft status down, and eventually off, the second round list. Senior guard Jason Clark was not projected as a draft pick and was expected to consider free agent opportunities.

Thompson, who had forgone his senior season to enter the draft early, becomes the first Georgetown early entrant not selected since Victor Page in 1997.

Other Big East selections included:

  • 4. Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
  • 9. Andre Drummond (Connecticut)
  • 12. Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
  • 15. Maurice Harkless (St. John's)
  • 22. Fabricio Melo (Syracuse)
  • 34. Jae Crowder (Marquette)
  • 51. Kris Joseph (Syracuse)
  • 55. Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
NACDA Directors Cup Standings 6/28/12

From a 55th place standing in 2011, Georgetown University finished 63rd in the 2012 NACDA Directors Cup, a national measure of post-season competitiveness across NCAA intercollegiate sports for all Division I institutions.

Georgetown scored well in fall and winter sports, but picked up points in only one spring sport (women's track and field). Overall, Georgetown finished third nationally among Division I-AA (FCS) schools, trailing only Princeton and Harvard.

The Big East rundown is as follows. Seton Hall did not earn points as it had no post-season appearances across its sports in 2012.

2012 Place
1. Notre Dame 17
2. Louisville 36
3. West Virginia 43
4. Syracuse 49
5. Connecticut 61
6. Georgetown 63
7. South Florida 71
8. Cincinnati 81
9. St. John's 91
10. Villanova 94
11. Marquette 108
12. Rutgers 110
13. Pittsburgh 125
14. Providence 145
15. DePaul 177
 

How did the incoming Big East members in 2013 fare this year?

Central Florida 59
Southern Methodist 97
Temple 102
Memphis 118
Houston 119

 

Here's a recap of Georgetown's past finishes per the NACDA web site:

Year Finish Among Big
East Schools
1994 47 3rd
1995 44 3rd
1996 55 2nd
1997 63 5th
1998 62 6th
1999 45 3rd
2000 55 4th
2001 42 3rd
2002 51 3rd
2003 61 5th
2004 53 3rd
2005 74 6th
2006 68 5th
2007 76 7th
2008 77 5th
2009 84 7th
2010 70 8th
2011 55 5th
2012 63 6th
 
Better Late Than Never 6/26/12 

A generation ago, Don Reid (C'95) was a Georgetown big man who averaged just 1.6 points a game and 2.1 rebounds over his first two seasons before improving his game and earning a late second round pick in the 1995 NBA draft and a seven year pro career. Henry Sims (C'12), whose NBA hopes seemed unlikely after his junior year, is seeking that same upward trajectory, reports the Washington Times.

"I transformed, my mind transformed, and I’m able to [focus] without a problem now,” Sims said. “I enjoy putting in the hard work. That’s one of the best parts about this game: You can get better every day.”

When Hoya Paranoia Visited Natick 6/26/12 

Columnist Tim Dumas at the MetroWest Daily News takes a look back at the spring of 1985, when the Hoyas came to Natick, MA to practice for the 1985 NCAA regionals. Hopes of an open practice were not to be, but memories of meeting the team remain vibrant even as the old high school was recently demolished.

NCAA Releases APR Figures 6/20/12

The NCAA has released its annual Academic Progress Rate, with men's basketball climbing from a 937 to a 958 rating.

Academic Progress Rate, or APR, is a benchmark of each men's and women's sports team at NCAA member schools over the last three years. A 1,000 score connotes a 100% graduation rate. The rate consists of one point for each eligible student-athlete and one point for each graduated student-athlete, an index that penalize schools with students that either are ineligible or who leave school early.   "The APR is calculated by allocating points for eligibility and retention -- the two factors that research identifies as the best indicators of graduation," wrote the NCAA in 2005. "Each player on a given roster earns a maximum of two points per term, one for being academically eligible and one for staying with the institution. A team's APR is the total points of a team's roster at a given time divided by the total points...Thus, a raw APR score of .925 translates into the 925 that will become the standard terminology." Since 2010, teams below a multiyear rating of 925 are subject to penalties.

The single-season APR results for men's basketball are below.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Basketball (Men's) 952 981 875 958 929 937 958
 

The multi-year weighted average APR for Georgetown is 7th among the current 15 Big East schools. The table below compares the men's basketball APR's at the conference schools. As a  result of its most recent scores, the University of Connecticut is ineligible for the men's Big East and NCAA tournaments.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Notre Dame 977 977 971 982 983 989 1000
Pittsburgh 905 907 935 965 962 985 990
DePaul 865 893 918 940 987 1000 984
Villanova 1000 993 990 985 980 974 978
Marquette 918 927 954 970 975 980 970
Louisville 908 920 941 965 951 965 965
Georgetown 963 970 945 942 937 937 960
St. John's 884 909 918 959 961 968 959
Cincinnati 872 838 872 902 945 992 956
Rutgers 933 943 953 968 963 948 952
Seton Hall 930 921 924 918 936 935 951
South Florida 893 898 904 818 915 937 948
Syracuse 967 948 955 932 912 928 936
Providence 936 938 938 939 935 925 925
Connecticut 889 934 946 939 930 893 899

The annual Georgetown results are below. 16 teams, including every women's intercollegiate team, scored a 1000 on the rating.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Baseball 955 966 975 978 992 996 985
Basketball (Men's) 963 970 945 942 937 937 958
Basketball (Women's) 957 970 969 975 982 983 1000
Cross Country (Men's) 985 991 994 1000 1000 1000 100
Cross Country (Women's) 987 991 993 986 988 992 1000
Field Hockey 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Football 971 955 961 966 968 979 986
Golf (Men's) 1000 1000 1000 1000 993 1000 1000
Golf (Women's) 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Lacrosse (Men's) 989 989 985 982 987 991 967
Lacrosse (Women's) 990 990 989 989 994 996 1000
Rowing (Men's, not an NCAA sport) * * * * * * *
Rowing (Women's) 1000 1000 1000 1000 980 968 1000
Sailing (not an NCAA sport) * * * * * * *
Soccer (Men's) 988 1000 989 991 977 966 988
Soccer (Women's) 993 996 994 991 992 992 1000
Softball * * * 1000 1000 1000 1000
Swimming (Men's) 938 958 969 1000 1000 1000 Note 1
Swimming (Women's) 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Tennis (Men's) NA 923 952 957 1000 1000 Note 1
Tennis (Women's) 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Track (Men's Indoor) 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Track (Women's Indoor) 989 993 1000 989 992 997 1000
Track (Men's Outdoor) 1000 1000 994 1000 1000 1000 1000
Track (Women's Outdoor) 988 992 1000 989 992 994 1000
Volleyball 986 991 987 986 993 993 1000
 Note 1: Did not report; fewer than three student athletes in recruiting class.
 
Back On Board Updated 6/16/12 

When Georgetown turned down an opportunity to play on a retired aircraft carrier in San Diego to begin the 2012-13 season, many fans were disappointed, figuring it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But it seems Georgetown had other ideas, and have announced a season opener on an active carrier in Jacksonville, FL, versus the University of Florida.

The path to scheduling the game features three elements increasingly found in college basketball scheduling: TV, promoters, and politics.

Last November, on Veterans Day, North Carolina and Michigan State competed in the Carrier Classic before the First Family and 8,000 on the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class carrier in San Diego Bay. Georgetown was sought for the second game this season, to be broadcast on ESPN, but the Carrier Classic changed sponsors, the game was moved to the smaller USS Midway, a retired carrier, and Georgetown eventually backed out, replaced by Syracuse. The game was thought to be a one-time deal given the unique situation, but in fact at least two other cities were each planning similar events.

Earlier this spring, the city of Charleston, SC announced it would host a game on the deck of the USS Yorktown, a retired World War II carrier. Connecticut was sought for that game but backed out, and were eventually replaced by Marquette and Ohio State. In the interim, the mayor's office in Jacksonville began talks with the Department of the Navy about procuring a ship for its Veterans Day festivities, as its port does not house a retired or active carrier of its own. Sponsorship came back into the picture, TV (presumably ESPN) showed interest, and representatives from Florida and Georgetown were contacted about the game.

The Jacksonville event has active support at the highest levels of the military.

"The Navy is excited to work with the city of Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport to bring the Navy-Marine Corps Classic to the First Coast,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “The Navy is America’s Away Team; when we are on the job, we operate forward around the globe and often out of sight of the American people. This is a unique opportunity to showcase the Navy, and to join together to honor our veterans and active duty military." As a result, all proceeds from the game will be directed to veterans causes.

Still to be determined: the identity of the ship to host the game. There are five active carrier class ships on the Eastern Seaboard, either at its home base in Norfolk or sailing somewhere on the open seas as circumstances warrant. The Navy has given its support to providing a vessel, but weather and/or any military action that month could play a role. Also in the mix is weather, as the teams would need a backup plan if rain is an issue. This would be the first outdoor game played in Georgetown's history, though the Hoyas did play outdoors during one of its exhibition games in China last summer.

Florida enters the matchup as the favorite, returning three starters from a 26-11 team that advanced to the NCAA round of eight last season. The two schools last met in 2006 in the NCAA round of 16, with Florida advancing 57-53 en route to the NCAA title.

A game time has not been announced--if TV is involved with these games it is likely that some sort of doubleheader or triple header among the three games might be sought.

Additional coverage follows below.

SportStream App Debuts 6/15/12 

Trying to follow the Hoyas on social media during the season? Well, now there's an app for that.

Georgetown alumnus Will Hunsinger (F'91) has launched a new app for the iPad that allows sports fans access to concurrent Twitter and social media threads around a game (or games) of their choice. The app, SportStream, was launched Thursday by Hunsinger's firm, Evri, with $3.5 million in funding from a group headed by former Microsoft executive Paul Allen.

The company's announcement describes it as follows: "SportStream also connects through Facebook to help you quickly find the games your friends are watching and join them. It also identifies the favorite teams and players you’ve ‘liked’ and provides a customized experience by automatically following the games you are most likely to be interested in. SportStream users get the information they crave, as the app shows only relevant social content to the selected game. Users can chat with fellow fans in rooms for each game or easily start Twitter and Facebook conversations specific to each game."

The concept is to enhance the live sports viewing experience rather than replace it," Hunsinger said in this link from Newsday. "Sports are inherently social. We want to connect friends, fans and foes, if you will, around the game action and enhance the viewing experience by allowing people to connect on whatever and socialize and consume the game conversation at whatever level that they're comfortable with."

Ranking Big East Recruits 6/13/12 

From CBS Sports.com: a review of the Big East's recruiting classes. Georgetown is ninth (of 15) on the list.

NBA: Heisley To Sell Grizzlies 6/12/12 

The ranks of NBA owners with Georgetown ties drops by one as Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley (C'60) has reached a deal to sell the majority interest in the club for $350 million.

Heisley, 75, purchased 70 percent of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 for $160 million and moved the club to Memphis a year later. He had tried to sell his interest for $252 million in 2007 to a group that included Duke alumni Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, but their financing fell through.

Such will not be a problem with the new owner, Robert Pera. A former Apple software engineer, the 34 year old Pera founded a WiFi amplification system on a $30,000 investment. When the company, Ubiquiti Networks, went public, he was worth $1.5 billion and today his assets are valued at just over $980 million.

"I have enjoyed my ownership of the Grizzlies and the support for professional basketball in Memphis,” Heisley said in this link from the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I am confident that the franchise will continue its development toward being a perennial championship contender and an important member of the Memphis community. I am particularly gratified that we have put together a team which is poised to continue its improvement. We have an outstanding team of players, coaching staff, and basketball and business management. In Robert, we have a new owner who has expressed a total commitment to build on our success in Memphis.”

Georgetown Sailing Wins ICSA National Championship 6/11/12 

Congratulations to the Georgetown sailing team, the 2012 national champions at the ICSA championship regatta last Friday. The Hoyas received the Henry A. Morss Trophy for its win in the Gill coed dinghy race.

Although sailing is not a recognized NCAA sport, sailing joins women's cross country as Georgetown's national championship teams from 2011-12. Well done!

Francis J. McNamara (1927-2012) 6/11/12 

Frank McNamara (C'49, L'51), a member of the 1945-46 Georgetown basketball team that built back the team after the end of World War II, died Friday at the age of 84.

McNamara grew up in Norwalk, CT before his family moved to Washington during World War II, graduating from Gonzaga College HS in 1945. With its scholarship athletes still in wartime service, Georgetown opted to restart basketball in the fall of 1945 with a call-up from the general student body, from which McNamara, then a freshman, made the team. McNamara was on the bench throughout the season, but was never called into an intercollegiate game, as he relayed to this site when the Georgetown Basketball History Project was being constructed.

The 1945-46 team was an anomaly in Georgetown basketball, for when coach Elmer Ripley and the scholarship players returned to the Hilltop a year later, none of the 18 man roster was retained, leaving McNamara's career over before it started. McNamara returned to the intramural ranks and graduated from the College in 1949 and the Law Center in 1951 before serving two years in the military.

An obituary in the Stamford (CT) Patch reflects a life well lived: a 35 year career in litigation, with numerous honors ranging from Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut to a former State Chairman of the American College of Trial Lawyers. One of the first lay members of the Fairfield University Board of Trustees, he received an honorary doctorate from Fairfield in 1983. McNamara also served as the CEO of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, whose namesake bought the rights to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York for $160,000 in 1917 and left his estate to the foundation in 1940.

"During over three decades in active charge of the philanthropy of the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, [McNamara] had a major role in the disbursement of over $120 million in charitable funds to worthy beneficiaries," writes the article. "These beneficiaries have included undergraduate institutions of higher learning as well as hospitals, medical centers and medical schools, arts and culture activities, and legal programs. During the period of his leadership of the Foundation its assets grew from $8 million in 1968 to over $200 million when he retired."

Away from work, McNamara was an avid skier and golfer, and an owner and breeder of thoroughbred horses. This site's brief experience with Frank McNamara came from an e-mail which asked why he wasn't listed on the 1945-46 team. A phone call soon followed and when I told him that season information from 1945-46 was incomplete, he did not hesitate to overnight mail a number of articles he had kept from those years. Though he never played in a varsity game, he always took great pride in being a member of the Hoya basketball family.

A member of the Knights of Malta and Knights of St. Gregory, Mr. McNamara is survived by his wife, nine children, and 20 grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, in New Canaan, CT on Thursday, June 14 at 10 a.m.

NBA Draft Combine 6/11/12 

With the NBA Draft mere weeks away, former Georgetown players Henry Sims (C'12), and Hollis Thompson are doing their part to sell their skills to NBA scouts at last week's NBA Draft Combine.

"This past year has contained some big changes for Sims. He went from being a seldom-used reserve to a major part of the rotation at Georgetown. Now he’s firmly on the draft radar, being looked at as one of the most versatile big men in the class," writes the HoopsWorld blog. "It’s Sims’ versatility, combined with his prototypical size for a center, that has his stock on the rise."

"The ESPN crew devoted a solid few minutes analyzing [Hollis] Thompson, the Hoyas' all-time leading 3-point field percentage leader," reports CSN Washington. "ESPN’s draft analyst Chad Ford said during a previous workout he was “blown away” watching the 6-foot-8 forward knock down shot after shot from long range."

In official combine measurements, Thompson stood 6-8, while Sims was measured at 6-11 3/4.

Top 100 Reviewed 6/5/12 

Last season, the web site Basketball Prospectus ranked three Georgetown freshmen in its top 100. How do the Hoya sophomores fare this season?

Mikael Hopkins moved from number 78 to number 61. "While not trusted with rotation minutes, Hopkins showed four impressive skills in limited time: offensive rebounding, blocking shots, getting to the line, and shooting 75 percent on his free throws. On the flip side, he turned the ball over too much, shot just 42 percent on his twos, fouled constantly, and rarely got a defensive board," it writes.

Jabril Trawick also moved up the list, from 80 to 57. "Trawick was the only Hoya last year who saw any amount of playing time while being listed between 6-2 and 6-8. His best skill was getting to the line, and he hit his shots once there."

Otto Porter moved from 42 to 13 on the list. "He rebounded, protected the ball, played defense, and hit 61 percent of his two-point attempts. Porter did shoot just 23 percent from three-point range on 53 attempts, but that was his only clear flaw. He's back this season, and this time we're ready."

Greg Whittington and Tyler Adams were not listed in the previous year's ratings.

Back In Court 6/5/12 

The Big East is back in court, as the University of Pittsburgh is suing to leave one season earlier than scheduled in 2013, despite the fact that most expect Pitt and Syracuse to leave in 2013, anyway.

In the suit, now moved to a U.S. District Court and noted in this link to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pitt is asking for an additional $250,000 it paid to cancel a 2012 game in order to schedule TCU; TCU never joined the Big East and moved to the Big 12 instead.

Big East-SEC Challenge 6/2/12 

One team wanted a game and didn't get one. One team got a game and didn't want them. Such are the headlines from the pairings announced for the third Big East-SEC challenge, with Georgetown hosting Tennessee on Nov. 30,a rare Friday night game at Verizon Center.

The three day, 12 game series will omit two SEC schools (newcomers Texas A&M and Missouri) and three Big East teams (UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh). Pittsburgh officials are angry that the Panthers, expected to leave the Big East after the 2012-13 season, was not given a game.

"I’m disappointed for our players because we were clearly under the impression from numerous conversations that we were in it and we were going to play a home game,” said athletic director Steve Pederson in this quote from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “[We have] been holding a spot on the schedule, and somebody could have told us three months ago."

Meanwhile, the short-timers at Syracuse got a game, but don't want one, being scheduled by ESPN to travel to Arkansas. An e-mail sent by Syracuse athletic director Darryl Gross to Big East officials and copied to ESPN states, in part: "This is premature as we are over committed and can't play at this point. I wish we could have agreement as you have put us all in what could be an embarrassing situation. We are not confirmed. I find it amazing that there is no discussion to make a better plan."

Skeptics point to Syracuse's comfortable reliance on home games throughout the non-conference as a factor in being "over committed"--in the past five seasons, Syracuse has played in just two non-tournament road games, (Memphis, North Carolina State). During that same five year period, Georgetown has played 14 road games outside Washington DC, not including tournament play.

Gross later confirmed that the Orangemen will play in the game on Nov. 30.

The overall schedule follows below.

Thursday, Nov. 29
Marquette at Florida
Seton Hall at Louisiana State
Kentucky at Notre Dame
South Carolina at St. John’s

Friday, Nov. 30
Syracuse at Arkansas
DePaul at Auburn
Tennessee at Georgetown
Georgia at South Florida

Saturday, Dec. 1
Alabama at Cincinnati
Rutgers at Mississippi
Mississippi State at Providence
Villanova at Vanderbilt

 

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