Home  >  Archives


Georgetown Basketball: August 2005 News Archive

Schedule Update 8/30/05

One of the two remaining non-conference games has been filled, as Stetson University has announced a Dec. 17 game at Georgetown, with a time to be announced. The Hatters were 10-17 last season.

Associate AD's Named 8/31/05

Director of Athletics Bernard Muir has named two new associate athletic directors for the department, according to a release at GUHoyas.com.

Brian Battle joins the department as associate director for NCAA compliance, while Jennifer Heppel is the new associate director for administration.

"Their experience and ability will be vital additions to the department," Muir said in the release. "We're fortunate to add such talented people to the staff. "

Editorial: Doing Our Part 8/31/05

So much work lies ahead for the citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The hurricane spared the city the wholesale destruction of its buildings, but the flooding did not. The work ahead will be long and arduous.

In the midst of these setbacks, let us not forget the thousands of students in the city's six major universities: Tulane, Loyola, Xavier, Dillard, Southern, and the University of New Orleans. Combined, these universities enroll over 42,000 students, none of which will be back in school anytime soon.

In times of need, Jesuit schools reach out to its brethren. One would hope that Georgetown University takes the lead in this regard by publicly reaching out to the Loyola University community of New Orleans to pledge whatever can be done for the students' education and well-being during this time of uncertainty and tragedy. (Loyola's president, Kevin Wildes, S.J., taught at Georgetown, as did the past two presidents of the school.)

The ties that bind Georgetown to the Crescent City go back nearly two centuries. The first student from Louisiana enrolled at Georgetown as far back as 1812, and nearly two thousand Georgetown alumni have roots in the area. Of course, the city will always have a special place in the hearts of Georgetown fans during the 1982 Final Four run. The Hoya basketball program carries a 40 year heritage of players with ties to that area: names like Pete Michell, Steve Martin, Perry McDonald, Jaren Jackson, Johnathan Edwards, Dwayne Bryant, Chip Simms, Joey Brown, Duane Spencer, Eric Myles, and Darrel Owens.

The water will be removed eventually, and when it does, the needs will be even greater.

Granted, this is only a basketball web site, but basketball can help, too. With perhaps one game remaining on the schedule to the left, adding a Loyola (or neighboring Tulane) to the schedule in December could allow for a major fundraiser where all proceeds from that game would be donated towards the school's renewal efforts. Who wouldn't want to see MCI Center filled to show their support for one of America's most treasured cities?

In its time of need, let's all be ready to help New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region.

Third Recruit For 2006 8/25/05

A third recruit has verbally committed to Georgetown for the Class of 2006, providing Georgetown its highest ranked recruit in nearly a decade.

6-9 forward Vernon Macklin announced he would commit to the Hoyas, ending months of recruiting for the highest ranked Tidewater product since Allen Iverson in 1994. Macklin joins two other Georgetown verbal commitments to date, including 6-4 guard Jeremiah Rivers and 6-8 forward DeJuan Summers.

Macklin averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots as a junior at Portsmouth (VA)'s Norcom HS as a junior. According to reports, Macklin will transfer to Hargrave Military Academy in Danville, VA.

Macklin enters his senior year ranked #12 nationally by Rivals.com and #9 in the RSCI composite index. Georgetown has not signed a top 10 recruit since guard Anthony Perry did so in 1997.

Georgetown officials cannot comment on any recruits until letters of intent are signed, which will not be until at least November. Unofficially, Georgetown has one scholarship remaining for the Class of 2006.

Additional links follow below:

Lindy's: #18 8/25/05

Some kind words for the 2005-06 Hoyas will appear in next month's Lindy's Annual, a pre-season college basketball magazine.

The Tucson Citizen reports that Lindy's rates Georgetown as #18 in its pre-season poll. The Hoyas will be "back in Top 25 status for the foreseeable future," writes the annual.

The complete top 25 of the poll is linked here.

NBA: Bulls Sign Harrington 8/25/05

The Chicago Bulls have signed Othella Harrington (C'96), a free agent after having been acquired by the Bulls in a trade with New York last season. Harrington begins his 10th NBA season this fall averaging 8.1 points and just under five rebounds a game.

Terms were not disclosed on the signing.

Guibunda To American U. 8/23/05

Former Georgetown center Cornelio Guibunda, who announced his transfer in May, will enroll at American University this fall, reports the Eagles' official web site.

Guibunda averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds in high school but scored only six points in four games for the Hoyas last season. He will have three years of eligibility at American beginning with the 2006-07 season.

Schedule Updates 8/22/05

Some brief schedule updates:

  • Navy has announced a 7:30 start date to its season opener with the Hoyas, which will be telecast nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV). "I love the fact that we are opening the season with Georgetown," said Navy coach Billy Lange. "It's an opportunity to create a local rivalry and I think it will generate a lot of interest with the Hoyas coming to play in Alumni Hall."
  • The Duke Basketball Report web site has an item that lists the game time for the Jan. 21 game vs. the Blue Devils will be 1:30pm at MCI Center.
  • Norfolk State has confirmed its 2005-06 schedule but it does not include Georgetown. The Spartans and Hoyas had met in each of the past four seasons, all in Washington. Norfolk State will play a Dec. 26 game at George Washington.
  • As noted last week, Michigan has announced its 2005-06 schedule and Georgetown is not included. A Michigan-Georgetown series was announced in the Ann Arbor News in March 2004, and coach Thompson alluded to the series as late as an April interview with The HOYA. With the change, two games remain open on the 27 game slate.
US News: Georgetown #23 8/19/05

Off the sports pages, US News has released its annual America's Best Colleges list, with Georgetown University listed at a tie for 23rd with the University of Virginia. The University had dropped to #25 in 2004 and the methodology used in the ranking raised concerns that GU could fall off the top 25 in this year's rankings.

Here's the top 25 (actually 26 with the tie between Michigan and UCLA). Athletically speaking, ten are Division I-A, nine I-AA (Georgetown is the only I-AA entry outside the Ivy League), with none from Division II and seven from Division III. All 26 play men's basketball, while all 19 Division I schools and five of the seven D-III schools also play college football. By Division I conference, eight are from the Ivy League, three Pac-10, two Big 10, two Big East, two ACC, one SEC, and one from Conference USA.

Big East schools ranked in the national Top 120 included Notre Dame and GU (below), along with Syracuse (50), Pitt (58), Rutgers (60), Connecticut (68), and Marquette (85). Villanova and Providence finished 1-2 in the regional rankings for northern universities.

 
1. Harvard 5. Stanford 11. Northwestern 15. Chicago 21. California
1. Princeton 7. CalTech 11. Wash. (MO) 17. Rice 22. Carnegie-Mellon
3. Yale 7. MIT 13. Cornell 18. Notre Dame 23. Georgetown
4. Penn 9. Columbia 13.Johns Hopkins 18. Vanderbilt 23. Virginia
5. Duke 9. Dartmouth 15. Brown 20. Emory 25. Michigan, UCLA
 
NBA: Mourning Returns For 2005-06 8/18/05

Alonzo Mourning (C'92) will return for a 15th NBA season, reports the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel and other sources.

"I'm very excited about returning to the Heat this season and I remain more committed than ever to bring a championship to Miami," Mourning said in a statement. Though his playing time was limited, Mourning averaged 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37 games last season.

Williams Announces Retirement 8/18/05

Two days after being released by the New York Knicks, Jerome Williams has announced his retirement from the NBA.

I thought this was an opportunity for me to go ahead and hang up the shoes," Williams said, "and get involved in a lot of the things that I'm already involved with, in terms of giving back to the community. I'm blessed to be able to continue with the Knicks." Williams, 32, is also considering a broadcasting opportunity with the MSG network.

Links are available to Williams' stats from college and the NBA. Additional Links follow below.

NCAA To Buy Out NIT Updated 8/17/05

The lawsuit between the NIT and the NCAA ended suddenly Tuesday after word of a negotiated settlement being offered between the parties. ESPN.com reported that a NCAA buyout of the NIT has been finalized, with $56 million to be paid to the five schools which administered the NIT for the buyout and to pay legal fees.

St. John's, Fordham, Manhattan, Wagner and NYU (which dropped from Division I in 1971) will each receive $8 million over a ten year period.

Additional coverage follows in this link to the Indianapolis Star.

Hoyas Cited In ESPN Summer Poll 8/17/05

A summer pre-season article from ESPN.com places Georgetown #39 on its top 50 list.

"Georgetown was back to being a good watch last season," writes ESPN's Andy Katz. "The Hoyas found ways to score and defended hard, especially inside. Watching Green develop was one of the stories of the year in the Big East."

Georgetown: The Online Tour 8/15/05

Over the weekend, one of our readers shared some recent photos of the University which has been compiled for a new feature at HoyaSaxa.com, an online tour of the University. Take a few moments for a review of the latest sights of Georgetown, including McDonough Gymnasium and the Multi-Sport Facility.

For information on these and other campus photos available for digital prints, contact us and we will put you in touch with the photographer.

NBA: Williams Cut From Knicks 8/16/05

The New York Knicks announced the release of Jerome Williams (C'96) from its roster Monday. Williams, who averaged 4.5 points per game last season, can sign with any club and the Knicks are obligated to pay out the three remaining years of his contract. Williams signed a seven year, $40 million contract in 2001 that takes him through the 2008 season.

Jerome was a big asset in our rebuilding program, and he was great with our young players," team said Knicks president Isiah Thomas. "But this was a tremendous opportunity to save more than $21 million."

The Breakup Of A Conference 8/15/05

It's been widely assumed that Penn State's move to the Big Ten began the tectonic changes affecting college sports conferences. But in fact, the real changes began 15 years ago with Arkansas' move to the Southeastern Conference. The San Antonio Express News has an extensive series on the issues which broke up the venerable Southwest Conference and the issues that have affected other conferences (including the Big East) ever since.

Bowman Receives Pre-Season Honor 8/9/05

Senior forward Brandon Bowman was named to the preseason list of 50 candidates for the John R. Wooden award, as announced August 8.

Nine Big East players were nominated among the fifty, including two from Connecticut and one each from Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, Marquette, West Virginia and Villanova.

Big East Recruiting Classes Reviewed 8/8/05

The Big East Basketball Report blog has posted this review of recruiting classes for the upcoming year. Georgetown does not rank highly, but until they play, it's impossible to tell how each school's freshman class will ultimately fare.

Schedule Update 8/3/05

A release from GUHoyas.com has added one opponent, announced a date for a second, and confirmed a date for a third opponent, all at home.

Just announced: a Nov. 26 game at MCI Center versus Vanderbilt (20-14 in 2005). The two schools have met only once to date, a first round meeting during the 1991 NCAA Tournament.

Next, a Jan. 21 date has been confirmed with Duke, after the Durham Herald-Sun announced the game last month. A third game previously discussed for Dec. 11 versus Fairfield was also confirmed in the release.

Hoya Blue Launches Web Site 8/2/05

The Hoya Blue organization has debuted a new web site which will be more fully developed for the 2005-06 academic year. Future enhancements will include orders for the popular HoyaBlue t-shirts as well as contact information for the group.

Check out the new site at http://hoyablue.tripod.com.

Ross Joins Overseas Outreach Program 8/2/05

Following in the footsteps of fellow alumni Omari Faulkner and Courtland Freeman, RaMell Ross (C'05) is traveling this summer as part of a State Department outreach program. The Jamaica Observer has a feature on Ross' travels.

NIT v. NCAA Updated 8/2/05

The Indianapolis Star has a story with some major implications for the sport of college basketball.

At issue is a lawsuit by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) citing anti-competitive practices by the NCAA. Since 1982, the NCAA has mandated that member schools must accept an NCAA bid, if offered, over any rival post-season tournament. The growth in the NCAA tournament field (adding 40 additional schools between 1974 and 1985) has put the NIT at risk and has precluded other promoters from staging post-season events which could lure top teams out of the NCAA event, which accounts for 90 percent of the association's annual revenues.

A number of high profile witnesses could be involved in the case, according to Tuesday's paper, including NCAA president Myles Brand, CBS analyst Billy Packer, and coaches Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Tubby Smith, and Tom Izzo, among others.

 
 

HoyaSaxa.com: The One-Stop Web Site For Hoya Basketball™
An independent web site not affiliated with Georgetown University. All rights reserved.