Home  >  Archives


Georgetown Basketball: September 2004 News Archive

RPI Talk 9/27/04

With each of the 12 Big East schools having posted its schedules, it's time to look at the relative strength of non-conference schedules.

Georgetown has improved in strength of schedule, but it still ranks near the bottom of conference schools. Using the end of season RPI at RealTimeRPI.com, the 2004-05 schedule has been ranked as to the mean RPI of their non-conference opponents this year. Georgetown's mean RPI was 188.6, though opponents such as The Citadel (304th of 326 schools), Norfolk State (310), and Howard (321) deflated the overall average.

The RPI review does not include later round opponents in tournament play, only those identified in the first round. Georgetown still has one open date which may affect the RPI if the opponent is in Division I.

  Opponent RPI at end of 2003-04 Season
Team 1-50 51-99 100s 200s 300+ Mean 03-04
Providence 2 1 2 4 2 104.4 102.1
Rutgers* 2 2 5 0 1 120.7 184.9
Seton Hall 1 3 5 2 0 122.8 142.6
Villanova 2 0 5 3 1 155.9 137.0
St. John's 2 1 3 5 0 163.5 127.8
W. Virginia 2 1 4 4 0 169.2 184.0
Syracuse** 1 1 4 3 1 171.4 129.5
Boston Coll. 0 3 4 4 0 171.4 146.0
UConn 1 2 3 2 2 172.5 165.5
Pittsburgh 2 1 2 4 2 185.5 201.5
Georgetown 1 0 4 0 3 188.6 207.0
Notre Dame 2 1 1 2 5 216.9 137.0
*Rutgers plays one non-Div. I game, not included in RPI.
**Syracuse plays one new Div. I opponent, not included in last season's RPI.

Report: Second Verbal For Hoyas 9/24/04

The Insiders.com recruiting site is reporting a verbal commitment to Georgetown for 6-7 SF Octavius Spann, from College Park, GA.

Spann has been rated as the #29 small forward by Rivals.com and 71st across all seniors at the Hoop Alliance top 200.

Georgetown officials cannot comment on recruits until a letter of intent has been signed, which takes place no sooner than early November. Guard Josh Thornton is the only other verbal commitment to date for 2005.

Hall Of Fame Change 9/22/04

There has been a change for next week's Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, as reported at GUHoyas.com.

Because of a prior commitment, Patrick Ewing (C'85) will not be able to attend and thus will not be inducted on October 2. The release said Ewing, a three time All-American and the National Player of the Year in 1985, will be inducted at a future date.

Other inductees for 2004 include Steve Iannini (C'85, baseball), Brian McNelis (C'84, track), Justine Metz (B'88, volleyball), Pia Palladino (C'83, track), and Mark Stuart (B'60, golf). Ewing would have been just the fourth men's basketball alumnus since the class of 1972 so honored, joining Derrick Jackson (B'78), John Duren (C'80) and Eric Floyd (C'82).

The next awards ceremony will follow in 2006.

Pre-Season Injury 9/17/04

Sophomore Ray Reed is out with a broken foot, as per a release on GUHoyas.com. No timetable was reported for his return to the active roster.

Reed averaged 4.0 points per game as a freshman in 2003-04. His loss further reduces Georgetown's depth entering the 2004-05 season--as of now, the squad has just nine available scholarship players.

Schedule Update 9/16/04

The official Georgetown athletics site has filled in five more dates from the schedule under construction to the left.

The Big East schedule is now complete with the announcement of the home-and away games with Villanova and St. John's.

Georgetown continues to lose its presence in some major Big East arenas. After 20 years at arenas such as the Spectrum and Wachovia Center, Georgetown's game at Villanova will be moved to the Wildcats' 6,500 seat on-campus facility, The Pavilion, on January 15. Georgetown's last appearance on the Main Line campus was in the 1949-50 season.

The road game at St. John's on February 19 is listed on the draft as "TBD", and there is some Internet speculation that the game may be moved out of Madison Square Garden and into Alumni Hall in Queens. Last season's 65-58 denouement to the Redmen drew only 6,192 to the Garden, the smallest crowd between the schools in a quarter century.

Out of conference, Georgetown has added a Friday after Thanksgiving game against The Citadel, and a Christmas break game with Norfolk State on Dec. 28. Though the Georgetown link says the Howard game is Dec. 30, the official Howard site claims a Dec. 28 game with the Hoyas, the same day as Norfolk State.

At least one additional game, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 12, remains open.

Voice Interview With Brick 9/10/04

The September 9 Georgetown Voice has an interview with interim director Adam Brick on his goals for Georgetown athletics.

"It's the same as it's always been," Brick said. We're going to educate our student athletes both on and off the court, we're going to it with integrity and we're going to win. We're dedicated to the overall well being of the student athlete. The personnel have changed, but the philosophy hasn't."

NBA: Mutombo To Houston 9/7/04

Former NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo (SLL'91) has confirmed a trade that will send him to the Houston Rockets, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I've never had a problem, never had a question that I wanted to play in Houston this season," Mutombo told the paper while overseas in the Congo. "It was first on my list. And why not? Look at the potential with Yao Ming and (Tracy) McGrady and Jim Jackson. That is a very impressive start, and I think it is a team that is ready to take off."

Mutombo, entering his 14th NBA season, will back up Ming at center and will be reunited with Patrick Ewing (C'85), who is an assistant coach on the Rockets' staff.

Schedule Update 9/4/04

The athletic department sites at Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Boston College have announced their 2004-05 schedules, with Georgetown's game dates posted to the left.

Mourning Talks Comeback 9/1/04

A year after retiring following a kidney transplant, the thrill of the NBA is luring Alonzo Mourning back into it.

"I am feeling great and am excited about attending training camp and possibly resuming my career," said Mourning in a statement on Wednesday.

His doctor remains concerned. "There's a lot more to playing basketball than just being in great shape, especially when you're playing at a high level like he was," said Dr. Gerald Appel in this link to the New York Daily News.. "Can I predict the future? No. But I will say that because he has had a kidney transplant, there is always the possibility of rejection at any point."

Mourning retired 12 games into the 2003 season following complications from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which led to a kidney transplant on Dec. 19, 2003.

 

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