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Georgetown Basketball: August 2000 News Archive

Hoyas Open In Hawaii Against Central Florida 8/29/00

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Central Florida will be the Hoyas' first opponent in the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic at 5:00 pm on November 24. The winner would then face either Duquesne or the College of Charleston in the second round. Across the bracket, the other teams in the three day event are Minnesota vs. Hawaii-Pacific and Texas Christian vs. Siena.

Report: Local Forward Chooses Georgetown 8/29/00

The recruiting web site High Major Hoops is reporting that Harvey Thomas, a 6-9 forward has given a verbal commitment to Georgetown for the Class of 2005. Thomas, carrying a 3.5 GPA, chose Georgetown over Maryland, UCLA, and N.C. State, according to reports.

"I love their history, their tradition and their style of play,” Thomas told the Fredericksburg (VA) Free Lance-Star. "[Coach Esherick] told me he was not going to give me anything. I’m just going to go in there and let my work ethic prove to him I want to play. I’m going to bust my butt on the court. In class, it’s going to be the same thing.”

Schools cannot comment on verbal commitments until a letter of intent is signed, which is not until at least November.

Mushnick Counterpoint 8/27/00

There's been plenty of Internet talk on the Phil Mushnick column in Friday's New York Post berating Patrick Ewing and John Thompson. An eloquent defense of Ewing can be found in this link to the New York Daily News and columnist Michael O'Keeffe. Recommended reading.
Martin Out, Ross In 8/27/00

GUHoyas.com has announced that 5-10 point guard Luke Martin, who signed a letter of intent to play at Georgetown this spring, will not be enrolling at the University.

The release did not indicate whether Martin was ineligible, not admitted, or chose not to attend. Coach Esherick stated that "since he is not a Georgetown student, it's not appropriate for me to say anything more than that Luke is not enrolling at Georgetown."

Immediately following Martin was the announcement that 6-4 guard RaMell Ross, expected to join the Hoyas after a year in prep school, will join this year's roster.

"I like RaMell's versatility", said Esherick in the release. "He played 3 positions in high school and has the flexibility to do the same at the college level. He's a good passer with good athleticism."

Blast From The Past 8/26/00

Well, here's a bizarre column link. Better known for his local crusade against the likes of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation, the New York Post's Phil Mushnick comes out of left field with a rant blaming John Thompson for Patrick Ewing's career. (Huh?)

Mushnick appears to have largely dusted off a circa-1984 column decrying Hoya Paranoia and touched it up for a Friday column--after all, how many of today's Post readers know or care about Michael Graham, 16 years after he last played in New York?

Non-Conference Games Announcedt 8/25/00

It's late August, but no Big East team has yet released its full schedules, with Georgetown often the last to do so. The non-conference portion of Georgetown's 2000-01 schedule appears to be coming into focus, though.

The University of Louisville has announced its game versus Georgetown will be Tuesday, December 5 at Freedom Hall. It was not yet determined if a television network will carry the game. Here is a link to the full schedule with details.

Georgetown will also be on the road against Houston. The Cougars' official site posted its schedule with a New Year's Eve game versus the Hoyas. The game will be played on campus at UH's Hoffheinz Pavilion and not at the Summit (aka "Compaq Center").

Morgan State, a familiar opponent over the years (with GU holding a 13-0 record) will play the Hoyas, but a date has not been announced according to the official MSU schedule.

At least one school that was on the Hoyas' 1999-2000 schedule will not be renewing its series this season. The Coastal Carolina schedule does not include Georgetown, according to the school's published schedule. In addition, MaristHoops.com reports that Georgetown will not be on the Red Foxes' 2000-01 schedule, although this has not been posted on the college's official site.

Two other opponents from last year, James Madison and Southern, have not posted an official schedule to date.

Brunner Denied Admission at Georgia 8/24/00

Former Georgetown guard Kenny Brunner has been denied late admission to the University of Georgia, according to a statement issued on the University's web site.

"After carefully considering the many aspects related to the proposed admission of Mr. Kenny Brunner, I have decided not to admit this student to UGA for this fall term," said Georgia president Michael F. Adams. "(Tuesday) was the final day for the drop-add process for classes, and our Admissions Office does not have the official transcripts it needs to process Mr. Brunner's application."

"The transcripts are here, but they're not official," coach Jim Harrick told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "They wanted official transcripts, which would take a day or so. We got everything, but it was a little late."

According to the release, "Should he choose to apply for spring semester... I will ask a three-member faculty committee to review Mr. Brunner's application and meet personally with him to become familiar with his case. I will want this committee's recommendation as to whether Mr. Brunner should be given an opportunity to become a member of the UGA community."

"I feel extremely disappointed right now, but especially for Kenny Brunner", said Harrick. The young man had shown to me a very strong desire to join our basketball program and be a part of the University community. We, in turn, had made a commitment to Kenny and his family and had done everything we could, in as timely a manner as we possibly could, to fulfill our commitment...In the meantime, we accept and respect Dr. Adams' decision not to admit Kenny and move forward in preparation for the coming season."

Riley Eligible for 2000-01 8/21/00

The recruiting web site Fast Break Recruiting is reporting that Georgetown freshman Gerald Riley will be eligible for play this fall. Riley, who did not play in the Kenner League this summer and skipped a Georgia all-star game last month, completed a qualifying score on his standardized test and will be eligible for this season.

No comment has been posted on the official Georgetown site, which generally does not report on eligibility issues.

He "Made It Up"... 8/16/00

And this item from the Syracuse Post-Standard on the retirement of college referee Dick Paparo.

Paparo officiated the 1984 Big East Final between Georgetown and Syracuse where a altercation between Georgetown forward Michael Graham and Syracuse forward Andre Hawkins provided one of the game's turning moments. There are still some Syracuse fans that argue that Graham was supposed to have been ejected, and if so, Syracuse would have won the title and deny Georgetown the #1 seed that led to the NCAA title.

Not so, says Paparo.

"It should have been two shots and the ball," Paparo said. "I called four shots and the ball, two unsportsmanlikes. I made up my own rule. Syracuse had the lead, shots, ball ... and still lost the game."

Hawaii Pairings Announced 8/16/00

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has posted the pairings for the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic in November.

Georgetown will be paired with Central Florida, College of Charleston, and Duquesne in one four team bracket, with Minnesota vs. Hawaii-Pacific and Texas Christian vs. Siena in the other. A time for Georgetown's opening game was not posted in the article.

Former Hoya Brunner Now Heading To Georgia 8/16/00

Two and one-half years after his abrupt departure from Georgetown, Kenny Brunner has a home in Division I basketball.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Brunner will enroll at the University of Georgia next week. Brunner played only 19 games at GU before transferring to Fresno State, but never played there. He has since attended the College of Southern Idaho and Santa Monica Junior College.

Brunner's legal troubles after leaving Georgetown, referenced in the article, did not go unnoticed. "I had expressed some concern to coach Harrick, but he spoke very strongly about the kid because he knows him," athletics director Vince Dooley told the paper.

NBA: Reid Traded To Orlando 8/156/00

The Washington Wizards have lost Don Reid (C '95) to the Orlando Magic, according to media reports in Washington and Orlando.

Reid signed for the veteran minimum ($611,000) to join the Magic, which are quickly becoming contenders for the league crown next season. Reid, a former member of the Detroit Pistons, joins another former Piston in Grant Hill in making the move south.

"I think it`s going to happen for me," Reid told the Orlando Sentinel."I`ve been shopping around, looking at a lot of different situations. Grant [Hill] is a great guy to play with. He opens up a lot for everyone with the way he plays. This can be a good team. I`d like to be part of it."

Alumni Web Sites 8/10/00

The recent repeat broadcast of CBS's 60 Minutes reported on the efforts of Dikembe Mutombo (SLL' 91) to raise funds for a hospital in Kinshasa, Congo. Here is a link to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation web site with more details.

Here's a look at some other alumni web sites:

  • www.dadog.com is the web site for Jerome Williams (C '96), including a biography, photo gallery, and news on his role as national spokesman for Positive Shades of Black, Inc., which provides educational incentive programs for Detroit-area schools.
  • www.zsg.com is the home of Alonzo Mourning (C '92) and "Zo's Summer Groove", a charitable event held this past weekend in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
  • www.brendangaughan.com is the personal site of Brendan Gaughan (B '97), who is now a professional race driver in the NASCAR ranks.

If you're aware of other Hoya basketball alumni sites, send us an e-mail. (Thanks to "Esh72" from the message board with the links.)

Derrick Payne Update 8/9/00

Here's an update on Derrick Payne, the Washington high school recruit who had previously considered Georgetown. Payne had signed a letter of intent with Southern last but then failed to complete high school and the letter was invalidated. Payne went back to school and according to the Washington Post, will head to San Jacinto (CA) Junior College this fall.

Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic Update 8/9/00

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has posted the pairings for the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic in November.

Georgetown will be paired with Central Florida, College of Charleston, and Duquesne in one four team bracket, with Minnesota vs. Hawaii-Pacific and Texas Christian vs. Siena in the other. A time for Georgetown's opening game was not posted in the article.

UNLV Game Set 8/2/00

The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that UNLV will travel to Georgetown on Thursday, January 25. This is the second non-conference game released so far, with GU vs. Howard reported for Dec. 16.

With the official release of the schedules for the NBA and NHL, Big East schools are finalizing their schedules for the 2000-01 season. As was the case last year, the pro teams have generally scheduled evening games on the weekends, giving Georgetown the flexibility to schedule Saturday afternoon games in January and February.

Old Friends, New Teams 8/2/00

The Washington Post has a feature on a pair of Georgetown alumni and their roles as coaches in the National Rookie League. Reggie Williams (C '87) and Charles Smith (C '89) are friends, but as coach Williams put it, "I don't have any friends until after the game."

Williams' team, the Washington Justice, defeated Smith's Baltimore Blaze, 106-91.

 

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