A second half defensive stand powered the Georgetown Hoyas to its first 3-0 start in four years Saturday, a 79-68 win over the College of Charleston in the second round of the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic.

The Cougars (3-1) are often underrated, but their record over the past seven years (seven straight seasons of 23 or more wins) makes them a tough team in any early season tournament. The hoyas found this out early, trailing by as many as eight in the first half. A late Georgetown run brought the deficit to 33-32 at half, but the Hoyas poor free throw shooting 4 for 10) and eight early turnovers put the "C of C" in front at the break.

Charleston's lead grew back to nine points midway in the second half, but the Georgetown guard play improved as the Cougars struggled from the field. Charleston went nearly nine minutes without a field goal late in the game as the Hoyas crawled back, helped by improved play from Kevin Braswell (16 points) and Demetrius Hunter (10 points). The Cougars were also hurt by foul-outs to two key Charleston players, further deflating their upset hopes.

The Hoyas also turned things around when it counted from the foul line--from a 4 for 10 first half, the G-men sank 14 of their final 17 free throws when it counted the most.For the third consecutive game, Mike Sweetney scored 19 points--if that's not a record for consecutive point totals by one player, it must be pretty close. Other fine performances were turned in by Kevin Braswell, Gerald Riley (14 points), and Wesley Wilson 912 points), filling in for Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, who was saddled with early foul problems and played only 12 minutes.

"The College of Charleston is a very good team, I feel they are an NCAA tournament team and they had us sweating, "said Coach Esherick. "We may not get a lot of credit for this win, but among coaches this is the kind of game that tells a lot about a team."

Here are additional links to the game:

• GUHoyas.com
• USA Today
• Washington Post
• Charleston Post and Courier

Georgetown advanced in the first round of the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic with a 77-65 win over Central Florida Friday in Honolulu.

The Hoyas relied on a front court effort of Sweetney, Gerald Riley (14 points), and Wesley Wilson (12 points, 6 rebounds) to maintain the advantage up front. Joined by Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (7 points in limited action), the Hoyas blocked 13 shots and held the Knights to 38 percent shooting for the game. The Hoya defense was particularly effective in stopping UCF from outside shooting, holding the Knights to 1 for 14 shooting from three point range. Despite the shooting futility, Central Florida was down only 31-26 at half, buoyed by 14 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Georgetown opened the lead to nine early in the second half and never trailed thereafter. "Our new people played quite well," Coach Esherick said. "Mike [Sweetney] and Gerald [Riley] played with good intensity and Wesley [Wilson] gave us some good minutes off the bench." The reliance on the inside game allowed GU to shoot nearly 47 percent from the field, which helped compensate for poor three point shooting (2 for 9) and a combined 4 for 21 shooting by Kevin Braswell and Demetrius Hunter. UCF's rebounding was largely shut down in the second half, allowing the G-men to build a 19 point lead in the final minutes before UCF added some late baskets.

Here are some links to the game:

• GUHoyas.com
• ESPN
• USA Today
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• AP Game Photos

An NCAA study of graduation rates notes Georgetown among a select group of schools in high graduation rates, according to the Washington Post.

Georgetown, Northwestern, Holy Cross, and Lafayette were each cited as the only Division I schools having graduated every entering student-athlete who completed their eligibility over a 10-year period from the freshman classes of 1984 to 1993, as reported in the 2000 survey. (For survey purposes, athletes have up to seven years to complete their studies and/or eligibility).

The overall graduation rate among Division I athletes in the survey is 58 percent.

For reasons not quite understood, the Washington Times only posts a small number of daily sports articles online, few of them college related. It's a real plus, therefore, when we can link to Barker Davis' articles in the Times, such as this one talking with coach Craig Esherick.

Recruiting and scheduling (including three high profile opponents under discussion) are cited, as well as Coach Esherick's thoughts on renovations to 49 year old McDonough Gymnasium, a cause which Esherick has been prominent in his support.

"It's on the 10-year plan now. And what we have to do is get it built sooner than five years," he said.

Recommended reading.

The Georgetown frontcourt helped the Hoyas steer past Bethune Cookman 85-75 Friday night at McDonough Gymnasium.

Senior Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (28 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman Mike Sweetney (19 points, 9 rebounds) led the Hoyas, holding off a Wildcat team that shot 50 percent (10 for 20) from three point range to stay close throughout. By contrast, Georgetown's three point shooting was in usual form, with a 2 for 13 showing, and the G-men were only 25-39 from the line.

Here are links to the game coverage. Due to office moves at the online division of the Washington Post, no online recap was posted at their site.

• GUHoyas.com
• DC Metro Hoops
• Audio from Coach Esherick's press conference

No game recap was posted at the Daytona News Journal.

The Washington Post has an interview with senior Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje heading into the season. Although he has an extra year of eligibility, Coach Esherick is quoted as saying he wouldn't expect to see Boumtje-Boumtje use it.

"He and I had a conversation about that this summer," Esherick told the Post. "He'll have his degree [pre-med and mathematics]. And I don't think he needs any more college basketball. Unless the roof caves in, he'll be a first-round draft choice. He's ready."

The New York Post featured an interview with Hall of Famer Bill Russell. Check the link for his thoughts about recent headlines about Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Allen Iverson.

When we first heard about a tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas called the "Thompson Foundation Challenge Classic", without any mention of the Hall of Fame Coach, it sounded like something named in honor of a local Arkansas businessman rather than the Georgetown coach. In fact, this weekend's tournament at the University of Arkansas is a fundraiser for the John Thompson Foundation, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The newspaper notes that Arkansas, Georgetown, Temple and UMass were once sought for the four team tournament, but instead it will be Arkansas, Tennessee State, Southern Mississippi and Louisiana Tech.

The tournament is expected to rotate annually across the country, according to sports promoter Russ Potts.

Kevin Braswell's 16 points led Georgetown to a 87-72 win over the Latvia Select Team at McDonough Gymnasium last Friday night. Game reports can be found at links to GUHoyas.com, The HOYA, and the Washington Post, along with the box score.

Senior forward Lee Scruggs was declared academically ineligible for the fall, as first reported last week on The HOYA's web site.

"Lee allowed himself to be distracted from academic concerns last spring by both his late season play and by the possibilities of the NBA draft," Coach Esherick said in a press release. "This was reflected in his schoolwork."

"I've spoken with Lee at length and I believe he has recommitted himself to concentrating on his scholastic responsibilities," Esherick continued. "I feel confident he will be back in good academic standing by the end of the semester."

Scruggs will not suit up with the team but will be allowed to practice. The earliest possible game Scruggs could return would be the Maryland-Eastern Shore game on Dec. 22.

The Washington D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment has given conditional approval to Georgetown's 10-year comprehensive master plan for campus construction, according to The HOYA.

The project can't start right away due primarily to funding, as well as the current dormitory construction projects. However, a significant hurdle has been cleared towards better athletic facilities for the University.

“We’ve done a feasibility study. We know we can do this,” said athletic director Joseph Lang. “The attempt is to establish a sense of place [for on-campus athletics].”

Last week marked the beginning of the fall signing period for recruits for the 2001-02 season. The Washington Post and various recruiting web sites have tabbed four recruits, including three from Montrose (MD) Christian Academy, as likely signees for Georgetown. The University posted its official release Friday confirming the four signees for the class of 2005.