Georgetown Basketball: September 2003 News Archive

• More Expansion Talk
  
• Sweetney Signs Converse Deal
  
• Big East: Expansion Talk Still Premature
  
• NBA: Iverson To Sign Extension
  
• Esherick Talks About Transfers, Schedule
  
• Photos From SW Quadrangle
  
• 2003-04 Non-Conference RPI
  
• Esherick Talks About Transfers, Schedule
  
• 2003-04 Schedule Announced
  
• More Conference Meetings
  

More Expansion Talk

9/26/03

Notre Dame officials have denied published reports that it will join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that a deal was set that would allow Notre Dame to join as early as next fall, with an agreement to full membership in football over the next few years. Not so, say ND officials.

"The suggestion that we would bring our football program into any conference is inaccurate," said ND spokesman John Heisler in this link to ESPN.com. "We're not looking to bring our football team into any league with a full-fledged membership. I have no idea where that is coming from. Maybe people in the ACC are promoting that agenda. That isn't something that we're now prepared to do."

ACC officials have backtracked, with one college president telling the Washington Post that informal talks are underway instead.

The expansion talk was revived when efforts by the Atlantic Coast Conference to reduce the minimum number of teams for a football playoff game from 12 to 11 failed, as reported in the Anderson (SC) Independent-Mail.

And in this continuing game of "musical chairs", CBS Sportsline reports that a source says that Tulsa and Central Florida have conditionally accepted bids to Conference USA, with Southern Methodist and Rice also being sought.

Sweetney Signs Converse Deal

9/26/03

NBA rookie Mike Sweetney has signed a shoe agreement with Converse, according to a company press release. Sweetney will join four other first round picks in promoting its new "Converse Loaded Weapon" merchandise line.

The product name has already sparked controversy, according to the Associated Press.

"You're taking a violent theme and trying to sell it to kids," said Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. "I'm sure these people are well-meaning, but I think it's a bad message in today's environment, a bad statement for the time in which we live."

Big East: Expansion Talk Still Premature

9/25/03

Two athletic directors at Big East schools tell the Newark Star Ledger that previous reports of Big East expansion are not a fait accompli.

Citing various unnamed sources, the Boston Globe reported Tuesday on what could be the blueprints for Big East expansion after 2005.

"I think it's awfully premature," said Seton Hall AD Jeff Fogelson. "Those four schools have been speculated on for a while, and I think at this stage, that's essentially what it is, speculation."

"The problem with the AP story is that no one in the conference has voted on anything yet," said Rutgers AD Robert Mulcahy. "There have been discussions, but no votes have been taken. We haven't even gone out and done due diligence yet."

NBA: Iverson To Sign Extension

9/24/03

Former Georgetown guard Allen Iverson (ex'98) is scheduled to sign a multi-million contract extension, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer and other media sources.

The extension, listed at four years and $76.7 million, will keep Iverson and the 76ers together through the 2009 season.

"It's important to make sure I am inked in and know where my career is going and where I am going to be and where my family is going to be," Iverson told the Inquirer. "I always said, from the beginning, that I wanted to be a Sixer until my career is over."

Boston Globe On Big East Expansion

9/23/03

Citing various sources, the Boston Globe reports on what could be the blueprints for Big East expansion after 2005.

Key features in the report include the following:

• Adding four Conference USA schools: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, and Marquette, with one Florida team (Central Florida or South Florida) as a possible football-only member. Notre Dame would remain a I-A football independent.
• Creating divisions on geography, not a football/basketball split. In the Globe's report, the original seven Big East schools plus Rutgers would be in an eastern division, with Villanova, Pitt, West Virginia, Notre Dame and the four new schools in a western division.
• Six teams from each eight team division would advance to the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The Globe report expects an announcement by Thanksgiving.

Photos From SW Quadrangle

9/22/03

A number of fans and alumni will be visiting Georgetown later this fall for the Athletic Recognition Dinner and Homecoming activities. They are bound to see the newest showplace on campus, the Southwest Quadrangle, but strangely, there are no pictures of the complex on the Georgetown.edu web site.

Thanks to a Georgetown parent, here are some snapshots of the new buildings, adjacent to the site of the future Multi-Sport facility.

And a reminder that if you will be in the Washington area Oct. 3-4, consider making plans to join over 200 fellow Hoyas at this showcase event for Georgetown Athletics. The awards dinner honors team captains, MVP's, volunteer leaders from all 25 Georgetown team sports, and the Robert A. Duffey Scholar Athlete of the Year. For more information, visit the Hoyas Unlimited pages.

2003-04 Non-Conference RPI

Updated 9/24/03

With four weeks to go until the opening of practice, most Division I schools have finalized their schedules. Some brief statistics to report:

In reviewing end of season RPI's heading into 2003-04, Georgetown's non-conference opponents posted an average RPI of 207, off from last season's 171.2. Where the Hoyas had four opponents in 2002-03 coming off an RPI under 100, this year's schedule has only one, as series with Virginia, South Carolina, and UCLA all expired after last season.

Here's how the end of season RPI's for Georgetown's out of conference schedule compares against other Big East teams. Some schools play in tournaments where second round opponents could affect the overall rating:

 

Esherick Talks About Transfers, Schedule

9/12/03

Head coach Craig Esherick sat down for an extensive talk with The HOYA on a wide range of issues concerning the many changes in the program over the summer. Friday's issue features an interview with Esherick discussing these points.

Among the items discussed: Georgetown's future participation at two in-season tournaments in Hawaii, and possible scheduling arrangements with Michigan and San Francisco in upcoming years.

2003-04 Schedule Announced

9/10/03

The official Georgetown athletics site has announced the 2003-04 schedule, filling in the remaining gaps on the unofficial schedule listings seen on this site over the past eight weeks.

Of particular interest to fans is the reduction in television appearances for the Hoyas. From 11 nationally televised games in 2001-02 and eight in 2002-03, the 2003-04 Hoyas will be seen nationally only three times, with games against Duke, Temple and Syracuse.

Much of this decline is not only a function of Georgetown's NIT berths in recent years, but due to a reduction in Big East appearances for the league on ESPN (which is seeking to increase its NBA and NHL offerings on the network). In addition, the networks will emphasize its focus on four schools--Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pitt, and Syracuse--which will receive the majority of Big East TV appearances this season. (For example, UConn has 10 ESPN/ESPN2 appearances, Syracuse nine, but BC has announced only one ESPN game to date.)

The Hoyas will play only one exhibition game, a November 1 game against an as-yet unnamed international team. Georgetown will also schedule a scrimmage with Princeton that will count against the two game limit for pre-season competition, but will be closed to the public.

More Conference Meetings

9/4/03

The Big East continues to move forward towards a reconfiguration of its membership, reports the New York Post and other media outlets.

A conference meeting was held in Newark Wednesday with the goal of a November resolution, according to the article. Previous reports have centered around adding two I-A football schools (Cincinnati, Louisville) and two non-football schools (DePaul, Marquette) to create two eight team leagues with limited crossover games, both under the Big East name. Of course, things can change, as the Atlantic Coast Conference found out this summer.

As for the ACC, the Washington Post reports that Miami and Virginia Tech will be at their fall conference meetings. One topic on the agenda is whether to continue home and away scheduling for all teams, which would mean 20 conference games.

 

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