Schedule Talk: More Soft Opponents Ahead?
The release of the 2018-19 men's basketball schedule is less than two weeks away, with the likelihood that Georgetown's remaining schedule will elicit more groans then cheers.
First on today's list: a Dec. 22 game versus the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, returning just six lettermen from a 7-25 team that finished 308th in last year's RPI. The Trojans are coached by first year coach Darrell Walker, who played with Ewing on the New York Knicks in his rookie season. Walker comes to UALR from Division II Clark-Atlanta, going 45-18 in two seasons for the Panthers.This is the first meeting between the schools.
Ten of Georgetown's 11 non-conference opponents from 2017-18 have not announced its upcoming schedules to date, so Georgetown may still be in the running for games with further low-RPI opponents such as Howard, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Coppin State.
Georgetown Transfer On The Move
Less than three months after announcing a transfer from Georgetown to George Washington, and on the day before students return to that campus, former center Chris Sodom has announced he will leave that school as well.
"I would like to thank everyone at the George Washington University for their efforts in providing me the opportunity to pursue my education and basketball career here," said Sodom in a GW press release. "Unfortunately due to significant family matters, I've made the difficult decision to leave the program."There was no comment from the GW staff in the release and Sodom's next destination was not disclosed. The 7-3 Sodom scored four points in six games before being kicked off the Georgetown team in December for what the University called "a violation of team rules".
Sports Illustrated's Big East Rankings
The Rundown
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1. Villanova
2. Marquette
3. Providence
4. St. John's
5. Butler
6. Georgetown
7. Xavier
8. Seton Hall
9. Creighton
10. DePaul
Summer rankings from Sports Illustrated underscore that as Jessie Govan goes, so go the Hoyas.
"Georgetown will still be fairly young overall and there should be stretches where it leans heavily on Govan's all-league talent and seniority," it writes."Govan was one of many Hoyas who hit a wall early in Big East play last season but he finished strong, including a 30-point showing at Villanova in early March. Patrick Ewing & Co. will need more of that late-season form if they're going to avoid repeating last season's course of dominating a soft non-conference slate before struggling in the Big East."
Govan Interview Broadcast On Twitter
Another sign of the tectonic changes in sports media: a pre-season interview with senior Jessie Govan was held not from a newspaper or a radio station, but from Twitter.
Twitter is more than a 280 character universe, and the Big East has taken the lead on diversifying its overage onto platforms that may well affect the rights negotiations when the next media contract comes up. For Monday, it was Govan, speaking on the outlook for 2018-19. Check it out.Wait, Did ESPN Miss This?
Highest Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Average Session Attendance, 2017-18 Season
— Rob Anderson (@_robanderson) August 10, 2018
18,790 BIG EAST
17,850 Big 12
15,167 Big Ten
14,819 Southeastern
13,425 Pac-12
11,770 Atlantic Coast
8,377 American Athletic
7,499 West Coast
7,113 Mountain West
7,102 Atlantic 10 pic.twitter.com/M2jNLXTTNH
Big East All-Academic Team
Congratulations to Jagan Mosely, Kaleb Johnson, and Trey Mourning, named to the Big East All-Academic Team Tuesday.
Nominees must maintain a 3.00 GPA in the preceding academic year.Greg Monroe To Toronto
Former Georgetown center Greg Monroe has signed a one year, $2.2 million contract with the Toronto Raptors, reports ESPN.
A dependable starter during his five years with the Detroit Pistons, Monroe was traded twice last season and now joins his fourth team in the last two seasons. Monroe averaged 10.2 points in 26 games with the Boston Celtics last season.Jamaica Classic Back To Eight Schools
Eight is enough.
After removing Central Connecticut and Florida A&M from its web site two weeks ago, the two schools are back on the site without comment. The field also includes Austin Peay State, Campbell, Georgetown, Loyola Marymount, Ohio, and South Florida.A schedule has not been released for this year's event, which runs from November 16-18.