Here are the games announced as of August 30 for teams playing Georgetown this year (home games in bold):
Nov. 15: Georgia State ¹
Nov. 21: vs. Wake Forest ²
Dec. 6: at Miami
Jan. 3: Providence
Jan. 17: at UConn
Jan. 26: Syracuse
Feb. 11: at Rutgers
Feb. 14: at DePaul ³
Feb. 17: Pittsburgh
Mar. 1: at Syracuse
Other games pending: Home: BC, ND, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia. Possible non-conference teams include Cleveland State, Memphis, and, of course, St. Leo, Morgan State, etc. Away: BC, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Villanova, and West Virginia.
Congratulations to two Hoya alumni with new head coaching positions: Horace Broadnax (Business '86) is the new head coach at Division I Bethune-Cookman, while Dwayne Bryant (College '90) has just been named coach of the program at T.C. Williams HS in Alexandria, VA. .
Four Big East schools were among the Top 15 universities in the nation in graduation rates for Division I scholarship athletes in the latest NCAA survey. Here's the Big East list (SA=Student-Athletes):
School SA All School SA All Notre Dame (#3) 93 93 Seton Hall 70 65 Boston Coll. (#7) 90 86 Syracuse 65 70 Georgetown (#11) 88 90 Miami 58 58 Providence (#14) 86 93 Nat'l Avg. 58 56 Villanova 77 84 Rutgers 54 75 St. John's 75 63 West Va. 52 56 Connecticut 70 68 Pittsburgh 49 62
| USA Today Lists Georgetown Signings | 8/17/97 |
USA Today's June 18 list of Division I signings listed Georgetown's recruits as 6-11 Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, 6-3 Anthony Perry, 6-7 Trez Kilpatrick, and 5-9 Kenny Brunner . No official announcement on any of these recruits has been made, and there has been no word on the eligibility status of Perry or Brunner. Brunner had expressed to his coach an intention to come to Georgetown after being released from a previous commitment to attend Fresno State this fall. It is unclear whether Brunner will have to sit out a year for breaking his national letter of intent or be eligible this fall. With the transfer of Jerry Nichols and Shamel Jones, one scholarship would be available for another recruit,or the scholarship may be held for the 1998-1999 recruiting cycle.
| MCI Center Ticket Information | 8/16/97 |
Ticket prices have been announced for the 1997-98 season at the new MCI Center. Top price for individual game seats will be $22.50, up from $18 last year. The next price level is $15, and the third price level is $5 per ticket. No word yet on the location of these seats, though common sense dictates that one shouldn't expect the $5 seats anywhere near the $22.50 seats.
The MCI Center will also offer "Club Seating", which is a separate concourse of approximately 3,000 seats providing wait service, lounge and restaurant amenities accessible only to seat holders on the club concourse. The club seats are priced at $35 per game and $490 for a season ticket per seat. These seats are not part of the priority ticket plans offered through the Hoya Hoop Club--Georgetown has no special priority on the availability of these seats that are also being sold by MCI Center. Availability is on a first come, first served basis.
Further ticket information should be available later in the summer. For further information on Club Seating, you may write to: Club Seating c/o Ticket Office, Department of Athletics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
The rumor mill in the off-season moves faster than we can post it, sometimes. Link to College Hoop Insider's new Georgetown message board for the latest.
Aug. 10: A newspaper in Syracuse is reporting Kenny Brunner is eligible.
Response: Unlike the Post story below which quotes Brunner's coach, the Post-Standard story specifically said the Collegiate Commissioners Association
(which administers the National letter of Intent program) cleared Brunner this past week. No word from Georgetown, though.
Aug. 2: The Washington Post is reporting Kenny Brunner is eligible.
Response: Not quite. The Post reported that Brunner's high school coach said he's eligible. Actually, a committee that oversees the National Letter of Intent process has the one and only word
on Brunner's request for immediate eligibility or whether a one year wait on eligibility will,be upheld for Brunner breaking his commitment to Fresno State. They will rule on his case shortly. Until then, it's all speculation.
July 14: Is Anthony Perry eligible or not eligible to play this upcoming season?
Response: The basketball office isn't going to say anything regardless of the situation. Since there are no credible sources suggesting
otherwise, consider that "no news is good news" until there is something more definite.
July 12: True or false? Ed Sheffey is out for next season with a broken leg.
Response: False. Sheffey has been recovering from some leg problems suffered during the 1996-1997 season, but there are no credible reports
that he will be lost for the season. He is listed on a Kenner (summer) league roster, although he has not seen appreciable time to date.
June 30: Georgetown will/has signed guard Nathaniel Burton from Washington, DC.
Response: Burton is an unsigned 6-4 senior from McKinley Tech HS (Victor Page's former high school) but he has not committed to GU to our best knowledge.
These rumors are likely surfacing because of the absence of information on the eligibility of Anthony Perry and/or Kenny Brunner. Georgetown has two scholarships open from transfers, one
of which would likely go to Brunner if the NCAA allows him to rescind his letter of intent to Fresno State.
The Hoyas may hold the second scholarship until 1998, where a number of top prep players have expressed interest but there are only two scholarships available.
June 29: Georgetown opens its season Nov. 22 vs. Kansas.
Response: November 22 seems very unlikely, as Kansas will be playing in the preseason NIT that weekend. There has been talk of Kansas or Wake Forest
in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic around November 15, and Georgetown's name is in the mix on that one. However, KU is already committed to the NIT and
the Great Eight series, so three early season tests might be one too many. As an earlier post below suggested, however, perhaps Wake Forest will make it
on to the schedule after all--the Hoyas and Deacons have not met since 1971.
June 5: USA Today is reporting Kenny Brunner is coming to Georgetown.
Response: It's been discussed across the Internet that Brunner wants to come to Georgetown if and when his letter of intent to Fresno State is settled, but nothing will be announced until there is something official.
May 7: Georgetown may be interested in 5-10 point guard Kenny Brunner from Compton CA who may be shying away from Fresno State after all the bad recent publicity there and may seek to be released from his letter of intent.
Response: Nothing more than speculation, although 'Net talk is building that Brunner wants to be released from his letter of intent due to the talk of possible NCAA sanctions against
the Fresno State program. Former schools of interest to Brunner (UCLA, Pepperdine, Kansas, and Georgetown) are among possible schools mentioned, but this would necessitate an available Georgetown
scholarship. Right now, there does not appear to be any, unless final exams prove otherwise. If Brunner is released from his National Letter of Intent, he may have to sit out a year under NCAA rules.
April 21: Georgetown is trying to sign a a 5-10 guard named Khalid Al-Amin from Minnesota.
Response: El-Amin was recruited but Georgetown chose not to offer him a scholarship and El-Amin signed with Connecticut.
April 18: Georgetown signed 6-6 F Trez Kilpatrick from Johnson County (KS) JC,
who averaged 19.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game last season
Response: This was reported a few weeks earlier by a recruiting service but was cited in the Washington Post on April 25 after Georgetown passed on Khalid el-Amin (see above). Nothing official, of course. Read more about Kilpatrick below.
April 11: Georgetown is being approached to play Wake Forest in the Tip-Off Classic in November.
Response: Haven't heard about it, but we'll keep our eyes open on that one. Not sure how Wake will be next year without Tim Duncan, but it would be interesting.
Update: It's now been confirmed as of August 15. Thanks for the early scoop!
April 8: Georgetown offered its last scholarship to 6-4 guard Marques Maybin from Clarksville, TN.
Response: This was reported by a recruiting service but was incorrect. He will sign with Louisville, according to reports the week of April 17.
Well, now that Victor Page will take his chances in the pros, is there any hope for the 1997-1998 Hoyas? Of course there is. A lot of "experts" predicted the Hoyas for the middle of the pack (or worse) after Allen Iverson's departure, and similar "experts " will assume the same ignominy next fall. A closer look at the roster might seem otherwise.:
Graduating Seniors: (3)
6-9 center Cheikh Dia (8.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg) had more points and rebounds his senior
year than his first three years combined. The Big East Scholar-Athlete titleist and Daly MVP Award winner, "Ya-Ya" has earned a special place in the hearts
of Hoya fans for his hard work on and off the court. 6-8 forward Godwin Owinje (0.5 ppg) came to Georgetown averaging 25 ppg in junior college but scored only 35 points
in a 30 game career. 5-9 guard Brendan Gaughan (0.1 ppg) scored 39 points as a kicker for the Hoya football team his freshman year,
but only 5 points in his three year walk-on basketball career.
Transfers: (2)
The Basketball Office announced on June 12 the transfer of 6-4 junior guard Jerry Nichols to allow him to pursue more playing time in his fourth and final year of eligibility. Nichols
averaged 2.9 points per game and played in a total of 71 contests as a Hoya.
What was not expected was the transfer of 6-8 forward Shamel Jones.
He averaged a disappointing 1.1 points a game
but was expected to improve in his sophomore season.
Other Departures: (1)
6-3 guard Victor Page (22.7 ppg) left this spring to apply for the NBA. Page's pro future is a big question mark, but
his contributions to Georgetown were noticeable and not easily replaced.
Returning Guards: (4)
Three main contributors return to the team next fall to provide a stable backcourt for the 1997-1998 Hoyas.
6-0 playmaker Ed Sheffey (8.7 ppg) will be called upon for backcourt scoring, but his development as a freshman was promising. Sheffey led the team in assists with 104
and shot 75% from the foul line. Sheffey shot poorly from the field (35%), but everyone shot poorly this year. A pair of 6-4 guards, sophomore Daymond Jackson
(5.3 ppg) and Shernard Long (4.5 ppg) will be called upon to play the 2-guard and one (or both) should be able to increase his average to about 8 points a game.
Joe Touomou (0.3 ppg) was hampered by injuries this season but is a fearsome defender
that can also play the point. Touomou averaged 2.5 ppg as a freshman and, with time, could score at least that next year.
Returning Forwards: (2)
If fans should be concerned about the Hoyas, the concerns lie in the frontcourt, not in the backcourt.
6-7 Boubacar Aw (7.4 ppg) returns as a forward, one of the best defensive forwards Georgetown has had in quite a while. As a senior, his point and rebound production will
increase in Page's absence.
Aside from Aw, though, there's really no other help in this area right now. 6-7 Rhese Gibson (1.1 ppg) was a non-factor during the season, and little is known outside the coaching staff on his long-term potential.
The loss of 6-8 Shamel Jones does little in terms of lost production but keeps the bench thin in forward help.
If the season started tomorrow, the Hoyas might be forced employ a three guard rotation in the absence of a power forward to assist Aw.
Returning Centers: (2)
After three years, 6-9 Jahidi White's (7.3 ppg) moment of decision is at hand. Consistently in foul trouble and sometimes tentative with the ball,
White's shooting totals (51%) are deceptive, since almost all of his shots were either dunks or at close range. His three year averages of 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds are about where Don Reid was after three years, but
White will need much more if he is to seriously contend for a NBA opportunity in the fall of 1998. The tallest Hoya on the roster,
6-10 Jameel Watkins (2.6 ppg) still appears to be looking at a backup role. In his first year, Watkins averaged only six minutes of play per game.
Walk-Ons: (2)
A pair of practice squad players, 5-10 guard Dean Berry (4 points, 4 games) and 6-2 guard Demian Bolden (no points, 1 game) did not show the ability
to make significant on-court contributions this past season. A walk-on at forward might help, but there has not been a walk-on forward at Georgetown in 25 years, perhaps longer.
Recruits: (4)
If 6-3 guard Anthony Perry's verbal commitment to Georgetown becomes a written one, this
high school standout (judged the best guard in the East and a #9 recruit nationally) raises Georgetown's backcourt presence instantly. The arrival of 6-11
Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje may give Jahidi White a run for his starting job. Boumtje-Boumtje comes with strong credentials and at 6-11, is taller and more mobile than White was at this stage of his
development. It is likely that both might come off the bench at first to return some structure to Georgetown's defensive efforts.
On April 25, the Washington Post (not GU) announced the signing of Trez Kilpatrick, a 6-6 forward from Chanute, KS with the final available scholarship. Kilpatrick was a relative unknown who came on strong at the end of his junior college tenure, averaging 20.8 ppg and 9.2 rpg. A strong inside presence is essential to Georgetown's growth next year, so this appears to be a solid addition to the team.
The final recruit, pending approval for his release from Fresno State, is 5-9 guard Kenny Brunner from Compton, CA. Brunner is a quick, penetrating guard generally ranked below Perry but still among the top 30 players in the final 1997 rankings. Brunner signed early with Fresno State but asked out of his commitment with the pending NCAA investigations at that school. He has chosen instead to go to Georgetown, and must wait until the fall to learn if he will be eligible this season, or will sit out one year as a penalty for breaking the letter of intent.
Anthony Perry and Kenny Brunner would provide great guard support and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje is an outstanding addition in the pivot. With a strong addition at forward, the 1997-1998 Hoyas might just surprise the experts again. And if someone could consistently hit three pointers...look out!
Available Scholarships as of August 1: (1)
So who are the Hoyas playing next season? While there's no telling what the entire schedule until it is released, we can get a rough idea of the conference schedule based on the Big East's reorganized conference scheduling system.
The system was begun in the 1995-1996 season to schedule 18 conference games each for the 13 schools. Basically, it provides three home games and three road games every four years against conference opponents. This is why, for instance, the Hoyas played Syracuse away in but not at home this past season. The four year cycle is listed below. 1997-1998 will be the third year of the cycle and barring additional changes (from teams which want less than 18 conference games), it would be in place through the 1998-1999 season.
1995-96 through 1998-99 | |||
| 1995-1996 | 1996-1997 | 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 |
| Boston College (Home, Away) |
Boston College (Away) |
Boston College (Home, Away) |
Boston College (Home) |
| Connecticut (Home) |
Connecticut (Home, Away) |
Connecticut (Away) |
Connecticut (Home, Away) |
| Miami (Home) |
Miami (Home, Away) |
Miami (Away) |
Miami (Home, Away) |
| Notre Dame (Home, Away) |
Notre Dame (Home) |
Notre Dame (Home, Away) |
Notre Dame (Away) |
| Pittsburgh (Away) |
Pittsburgh (Home, Away) |
Pittsburgh (Home) |
Pittsburgh (Home, Away) |
| Providence (Away) |
Providence (Home, Away) |
Providence (Home) |
Providence (Home, Away) |
| Rutgers (Home) |
Rutgers (Home, Away) |
Rutgers (Away) |
Rutgers (Home, Away) |
| St. John's (Away) |
St. John's (Home, Away) |
St. John's (Home) |
St. John's (Home, Away) |
| Seton Hall (Home, Away) |
Seton Hall (Home) |
Seton Hall (Home, Away) |
Seton Hall (Away) |
| Syracuse (Home, Away) |
Syracuse (Away) |
Syracuse (Home, Away) |
Syracuse (Home) |
| Villanova (Home, Away) |
Villanova (Home) |
Villanova (Home, Away) |
Villanova (Away) |
| West Virginia (Home, Away) | West Virginia (Away) | West Virginia (Home, Away) | West Virginia (Home) |