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Georgetown Basketball: November 2004 News Archive

Georgetown 76, Davidson 51 11/30/04

Freshman Jonathan Wallace became the first Georgetown walk-on in 58 years to lead his team in scoring, pacing the Hoyas to a record 16 three pointers in a 76-51 win at Davidson. The win snapped the Wildcats' 15 game home win streak.

"That John Thompson could get his guys to execute the way they executed is a great statement about his discipline and coaching ability," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop. "The more they made shots and stayed within their system, the more successful they became. There was no deviation whatsoever from his style or from his game plan."

Davidson (2-3) opened the game strong and held a 12-11 lead with 11:45 to play. Wallace's hot hand and a concurrent scoring drought from Davidson forward Logan Kosmalski (who shot only 2 for 8 for the game) helped the Hoyas open a 16-12 lead with 8:03 to play, extended to eight with 4:34 to play and 11 at the break. Wallace and Brandon Bowman combined for 24 first half points, as the Hoyas shot 50% from the field and 41% (7-17) from three point range, holding the Wildcats ten points below their scoring average at 38%.

The Georgetown aerial assault continued in the second half. An Ashanti Cook three gave the Hoyas its biggest lead to date at 18, 47-29, before the Wildcats answered with three pointers on three consecutive series to narrow the lead to 47-38. At 49-40, a Wallace three pointer began a run in which the G-men outscored Davidson 17-4, pulling away to a 66-44 lead with 4:29 to play.

Wallace, who had scored on just 3 of 11 field goals in the prior two games this season, led all scorers with 20 points. On March 9, 1946, sophomore Ed Drysgula (one of 14 walk-ons on Georgetown's first post-WWII team) scored a game high 16 points in a 54-37 season finale over LaSalle. No walk-on in the Georgetown record books had apparently scored as many until Tuesday night. Wallace's career high was remarkably accurate, going 7-9 from the field overall and 6-8 from three point range.

There other Hoyas joined Wallace in double figures: Ashanti Cook (17 points, all in the second half), Brandon Bowman (16) and Jeff Green (13). All five starters had at least one three pointer. For its part, the Wildcats shot 41% but simply could not keep pace with the Hoyas from the arc, shooting 40% (9-22) from three point range.

Georgetown shot 57% for the game, including 68% (11-16) from two point range, and 67% (14-21) from the field in the second half. Of Georgetown's 27 field goals, 21 came via the assist, against only 11 turnovers. All in all, a tremendous effort for this young Hoya team.

The 16 threes shatters a team record that had stood since Feb. 27, 1996 and which was tied just last week. Wallace's six threes was one short of the individual record set by Mark Tillmon in 1990 versus Seton Hall.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score, with the full box score linked from the score to the left.

          MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A   PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace    33   1-1   6-8   0-0   4  4    3   20
Cook       32   2-4   3-6   4-4   1  3    0   17
Owens      32   0-0   2-5   0-0   3  4    3    6
Bowman     38   3-3   3-8   1-1   6  1    3   16
Green      37   3-4   2-4   1-3   7  7    3   13
Reserves:
Ross       17   2-3   0-0   0-0   2  1    4    4
Hibbert    11   0-1   0-0   0-0   3  1    1    0
DNP: Izzo, Reed, Guibunda, Crawford, Beal,
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
TOTALS    200 11-16  16-31  6-8  26 21   17   76

Post-game coverage follows below. As of early Wednesday morning, the GUHoyas.com and Washington Post accounts used the Associated Press story linked below.

St. John's Awaits Big East Vote 11/30/04

Big East presidents will decide by week's end whether to allow St. John's University to participate in the 2005 conference tournament, according to the New York Daily News.

St. John's announced a self-imposed two year post-season ban and the loss of two scholarships after admitting that a former player was paid $300 a month by an as-yet-unnamed member of the SJU basketball staff, as per various media reports.

If St. John's does not compete, two scenarios emerge: 1) 11 teams will advance to the tournament, with the fifth seed likely receiving a bye into the quarterfinals with only three first round games, or 2) only three teams will receive byes and the four first round games will remain.

The school will also be returning monies earned from the 2002 NCAA tournament and $70,000 in revenues from its 2003 NIT title win over Georgetown, but the NIT has no current plans to strip St. John's of the championship, a 70-67 NIT win over Georgetown on April 3, 2003.

Georgetown Alumnus Dies 11/30/04

Thursday's Washington Post notes the passing of a well known Georgetown alumnus, William (Billy) Martin (C'47). While no relation to the 80's basketball player of the same name, he was the son of Georgetown football and basketball hall of famer Billy Martin (C'1914), and was the third of four generations of Billy Martins that have run its namesake's tavern and restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue. While at Georgetown, Martin was 44-0 as a Golden Gloves boxer.

Finally, a reader pointed out this link from the Sports Network which errrantly wrote that the "Georgetown Bulldogs" had defeated Davidson.

Hoya History: Nov. 30, 1996 11/30/04

From time to time, a look back on today in Georgetown basketball history.

Here's the GU media guide recap of the November 30, 1996 game against DePaul, where the Hoyas held the Blue Demons to only 20% shooting for the entire game:

"The Hoyas continued their winning ways at home with their 20th consecutive victory at the USAir Arena, defeating DePaul, 68-41. Victor Page paced all scorers with 26 points. He also had 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 30 minutes of playing time. Ed Sheffey scored 10 points and had 4 assists and 2 steals. Jahidi White had 10 rebounds and seven points in his 20 minutes of playing time. Both teams were paced in rebounding by Ya Ya Dia who set new career highs in boards with 12 and in assists with 4.

The Hoyas leaped out to an early lead with runs of 8-0 and 17-1 in the opening stanza. At intermission, the Hoyas had a 20 point bulge, 40-20. In the second half, the Blue Demons' newness (three freshman starters) and lack of depth (only 8 players with more than a minute of playing time) took its toll. For the game the Hoyas shot .373 and held DePaul to .204, forced 26 turnovers while giving up 10 and outrebounded DePaul 52-48."

Georgetown 69, The Citadel 34 11/27/04

Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook combined for 37 points, enough on their own to outpoint a under manned Citadel team that managed only 34 points in a 69-34 Georgetown win at MCI Center Friday. The lowest point total by an opponent since Columbia lost 38-26 in December 1981, Friday's game is one of only four times since 1947 when a Georgetown opponent has failed to score at least 35 points.

Georgetown took command early with little resistance from Citadel. Georgetown opened the game 8-0 and the Bulldogs (2-1) did not score until 17:10 in the half. Hitting seven of its first ten shots, the Hoyas (1-1) led 18-2 and were never threatened thereafter.

Bowman's 16 points outscored the entire Citadel lineup in the first half, with the Cadets scoring on just 3 of 19 attempts in a 34-16 deficit.

A comfortable win notwithstanding, Bowman and Cook's efforts were not matched by the rest of the team. The rest of the lineup was only 9 of 30 from the field and 3 of 11 from three. The team did manage to tie the school record for most three pointers in a game, 12, last matched Feb. 27, 1996 at Providence.

The win, the first for coach John Thompson III at Georgetown, ends the longest losing streak in Georgetown basketball history at ten. Prior to Friday, the Hoyas had not won since Feb. 7, 2004 against Miami.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score-see the link to the left for the full box score from the game.

          MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A   PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace    30   1-3   1-3   0-0   3   3   1    5
Cook       22   1-2   4-7   0-0   2   3   2   14
Owens      24   1-1   2-4   0-0   1   2   1    8
Bowman     30   3-4   5-10  2-5  13   3   1   23
Green      31   2-5   0-0   1-2   6   3   1    5
Reserves:
Izzo        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Reed       22   0-1   0-1   0-0   2   2   3    0
Ross       12   1-2   0-1   0-0   3   1   0    2
Guibunda    1   0-0   0-0   0-2   0   0   0    0
Crawford    4   1-1   0-1   0-0   1   0   1    2
Beal        2   0-1   0-1   0-0   0   0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw  7   0-1   0-2   3-4   3   0   0    3
Dizdarevic  2   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0   0    0
Hibbert    12   1-4   0-0   5-6   6   0   4    7
TOTALS    200 11-25  12-28 11-19  41  17  14  69

Post-game coverage follows below. The Washington Times did not post its coverage online.

Crawford Makes His Debut 11/26/04

The Staunton News-Leader has a Thanksgiving feature on freshman Tyler Crawford's debut in the Temple game.

"It's hard to believe that a 7-year-old who kept saying he was going to play basketball at Georgetown, and here he is," said Tyler's mother, Angela Crawford. "What a blessing for this family to be thankful for."

No Opening Win 11/23/04

Following the Temple game, John Thompson III was not able to continue a streak of opening wins by Georgetown coaches. Each of the past seven coaches in Hoya basketball history (and 14 of the 16) had opened their careers with wins:


Coach Date Opponent Site   Score
Maurice Joyce 2/9/07 Virginia Wash. Armory W, 22-11
James Colliflower 12/18/11 Balt. Med. Arcade Rink W, 28-12
John O'Reilly 12/9/14 Mt.St.Joseph Ryan Gym W, 38-14
Jackie Maloney 1/13/22 Quantico Ryan Gym W, 22-17
Elmer Ripley 1/13/28 Rutgers Arcade Rink W, 42-31
Bill Dudack 12/7/29 Gettysburg Tech Gym L, 26-33
John Colrick 12/12/30 Gettysburg Tech Gym W, 35-27
Fred Mesmer 12/15/31 Mt. St. Mary's Tech Gym W, 32-23
Ken Engles 11/28/45 Villanova Villanova F.H. L, 37-40
Buddy O'Grady 12/2/49 Catholic Brookland Gym W, 73-46
Buddy Jeannette 12/9/52 Rand.-Macon McDonough Gym W, 86-45
Tom Nolan 12/1/56 Gettysburg McDonough Gym W, 85-44
Tom O'Keefe 12/3/60 Loyola McDonough Gym W, 112-71
Jack Magee 12/1/66 American Ft. Myer, VA W, 82-70
John Thompson Jr. 11/27/72 St. Francis McDonough Gym W, 61-60
Craig Esherick 1/9/99 Providence MCI Center W, 75-70
John Thompson III 11/22/04 Temple MCI Center L, 57-75
 
Temple 73, Georgetown 57 11/22/04

Mardy Collins' 22 points paced Temple to a 75-57 win over Georgetown before 6,320 at MCI Center Monday. The game was the Georgetown debut for head coach John Thompson III and his staff, and marked the first opening game loss since 1998, when Thompson's father lost 65-49 to Temple in his last season as coach.

The Hoyas opened the season with two freshmen in the lineup, including walk-on guard Jonathan Wallace, the first time in decades that a walk-on started a season-opening game. Georgetown opened the game with a Darrel Owens three and stayed close in the first four minutes, but Temple's combination of inside height and outside shooting pulled away early. Temple led 25-18 with 8:47 in the half before the Hoyas made their best run of the night, closing the gap to 27-25 with just under three minutes in the half. The Owls (1-1) answered with an 11-0 run to end the half, 38-25, and the Hoyas got no closer the rest of the game.

The second half opened with Temple extending its lead to as much as 23, with the lead staying over 20 for much of the half. Brandon Bowman, Ashanti Cook, and Darrel Owens combined for 27 points, but on 5 for 24 shooting. Freshman Jeff Green struggled early, finishing 2-8 and nine points inside.

The effort of center Roy Hibbert was a encouraging development. The 7-2 freshman scored 12 points, added 10 rebounds, and was 4-4 from the free throw line in a reserve role.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

          MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A   PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace   23   0-1   1-4   0-0   1   2   2    3
Cook      29   2-4   2-6   1-1   2   4   2   11
Owens     13   0-0   1-2   1-2   2   0   2    4
Bowman    30   1-4   3-8   1-2   3   2   1   12
Green     36   2-7   0-1  5-10  10   3   2    9
Reserves:
Reed      24   0-2   0-1   0-0   2   1   3    0
Ross      15   3-4   0-0   0-1   4   0   2    6
Crawford   3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0
Dizdarevic 3   0-0   0-1   0-0   1   0   1    0
Hibbert   24   4-8   0-0   4-4  10   0   2   12
DNP: Beal, Guibunda, Izzo, Kilkenny-Diaw
TOTALS       12-30 7-23 12-20   35  12  18   57

Post-game coverage follows below. The Washington Times game report had not been posted as of early Tuesday morning, so a link to the sports page is provided instead.

Shapland Talks To Voice 11/18/04

The Georgetown Voice has a preview article in Thursday's issue, talking to Coach Thompson about the upcoming year. Also in the Voice: an interview with Bill Shapland (C'77), who joined the athletic department in 1980 and has served as the sports information director for men's basketball since 1984.

"I make the basketball team run the way the custodial service makes the University run," Shapland told the Voice. "It's something that needs to be done consistently and with little visibility. Sports Information is a service organization."

New Director at Hoyas Unlimited 11/17/04

Hoyas Unlimited, Georgetown's official athletic fundraising organization, welcomes a new director Wednesday.

An e-mail from the University announced that Jennifer Montgomery (G'03) has been named director of Hoyas Unlimited, succeeding Dan Cohen (C'98), who left Georgetown this summer to attend law school.

A member of the department staff since 2000, Montgomery served three years as the associate director of Hoyas Unlimited and eight months in the athletic development office.

Founded in 1970, Hoyas Unlimited did not employ a director until 1979. Past directors include the following:

1979: Steve Bitter
1980: Joe Castiglione
1981-83: Pat McArdle
1983-84: Jeff Craven
1984-89: Greg Carroll 		1990-93: Don Hasseltine
1993-96: David Sears
1996-98: Leah Moorefield
1998-99: Beth Johnson
1999-04: Dan Cohen
 
Hoyas Unlimited: Then & Now 11/17/04

The roots of Hoyas Unlimited date to the late 1960's, when men's basketball at Georgetown existed on a shoestring budget. The University did not employ a full time head coach until 1966 and The HOYA reported operating expenses for men's basketball of only $43,000 in the 1968-69 season.

In the spring of 1970, a group of students and alumni began efforts to raise funds for athletics, helping to support those items the University budget could not provide. Over 1,000 students and alumni joined Hoyas Unlimited in its first year, giving $10.00 a year. In 2004, Hoyas Unlimited now raises over $2 million a year for 25 sports across 4,000 donors.

There is still more work to be done, however. While the Hoya Hoop Club remains the largest of Hoyas Unlimited's 19 support clubs, its share of the donor base has declined. Where once nearly every gift went for basketball, a large majority of today's donors now give to sports other than men's basketball. Very few students are members, a sharp contrast to earlier years.

Please take a moment and consider an online gift to Hoyas Unlimited and the Hoop Club. Be sure to select "Hoyas Unlimited/Athletics" on the designation portion of the online form. All gifts receive credit towards the Annual Fund, Parents Fund, and/or reunion giving.

HOYA Basketball Preview 11/16/04

The HOYA's extensive basketball preview is online. An annual fixture in the paper since 1981 and with various preview issues stretching back to the mid-50's, it's a great resource on the season to come. Here are links to the articles:

  • Interview: John Thompson
  • The Freshmen
  • Players Discuss The Season
  • 2003-04 In Review
  • Mike Sweetney Profile
  • 1985 Final Four Recalled
  • Assistant Coaches
  • Top Games In 2004-05
  • National Top 25
  • Big East Briefs
  • Home Attendance
  • Hoya Blue
  • Getting Excited About Hoops
  • Editorial: Buy Season Tickets

    • The women's team is also represented in the preview, with articles below. The Hoyas lost an exhibition game Monday against a Russian team from UMMC Ekaterinburg. The team opens its season Friday at McDonough Gymnasium versus George Washington.

  • Interview: Terri Flournoy
  • The Freshmen
  • Players Discuss The Season
  • 2003-04 In Review
  • Assistant Coaches
  • Top Games In 2004-05
  • Big East Briefs
    •  
    Washington Times Feature 11/16/04

    The Washington Times' Barker Davis has an interview with Coach Thompson in Tuesday's issue.

    Like many articles this fall, it seems that office renovations at McDonough continues to be a topic of some interest for reporters. "The space which once screamed, "Sell, sell, sell" to recruits and outsiders taking stock of the situation is now a selling point for the Hoyas," the Times writes.

    Big East: 2006 Scheduling 11/16/04

    The Big East conference has confirmed its scheduling arrangements for the 2005-06.

    Men's basketball teams will play three teams home and home, ten teams once, and two none at all under a 16 team, 16 game schedule. The home and home games will be decided by the conference offices on an annual basis. Only 12 of 16 teams will be invited to the league tournament.

    The women's teams will play 14 schools once and one home and away for a 16 game schedule.

    Blood Brothers 11/15/04

    The New York Daily News has a feature story in Monday's issue on Jason Cooper, the second cousin who donated a kidney to Alonzo Mourning.

    "There will always be a piece of me with him, God-willing," Cooper says. "If Alonzo goes to the Hall of Fame, I'm in the Hall of Fame. If Alonzo is on the court, I am on the court. Just like everybody else in my family, there will always be a special place in my heart for him."

    Recommended reading.

    Also in the Daily News: a commentary by Roger Rubin that suggests that 2004-05 may be the "last chance" for teams like Seton Hall, Providence, Villanova and Rutgers to establish themselves as consistent contenders in the league before it expands to 16.

    Bethel Talks About Transfer 11/15/04

    Former Georgetown guard Tony Bethel is featured in a report at ESPN.com and discusses his reasons for transferring to North Carolina State. Among the reasons? McDonough Gym's closing time.

    "There was no access at Georgetown. It wasn't open 24 hours," Bethel said. "Here [at N.C. State] you can get your workout 24 hours a day."

    Bethel suggests that the transfer of Drew Hall and the departure of Mike Sweetney also influenced his decision.

    "It was predicted that it [was] going to happen and that was one of my reasons for leaving. I didn't feel like the program was making people better," Bethel said.

    Newsday Preview 11/15/04

    Here's a article from Newsday previewing the Big East.

    Newsday picks the Hoyas last in the race. "They've got to get back," said Villanova coach Jay Wright. "I think that is important to the league."

    Giving Back 11/12/04

    Here's a story that didn't make the local press but is well worth the read: Georgetown senior Alex Wayman is profiled in the Concord (MA) Journal for his efforts to help disabled Iraq War veterans recuperating at nearby Walter Reed Medical Center.

    "You've got to get your emotions in check big-time because it's not easy to walk in there with two arms and two legs and play a Division I sport and see some of the kids who are pretty hurt," Wayman, an outfielder on the Georgetown baseball team, told the paper. "It's a very humbling experience because you can raise as much money and write as many letters and bring as many gifts over there as you want, but until you go over there and listen to their stories, you don't understand."

    Wayman hopes to enlist the men's basketball team to visit the hospital and perhaps hold a three point or slam dunk contest for the veterans.

    "This has nothing to do with politics or who you voted for," Wayman said. "It has nothing to do with what race you are, what religion you are, the color of your skin. They're heroes and we're here to help them now because they helped us."

    Post's College Previews 11/12/04

    The Washington Post has its Big East college basketball section online Friday, including a feature on Coach Thompson.

    More preview articles this morning: the Boston Globe has posted its Big East preview article, but the two page article spends all of one sentence discussing Georgetown. The Boston Herald also pays the Hoyas a brief look.

    The Hoyas get a little more attention in a preview at AllSports.com.

    Early Signing Period 11/11/04

    Last Wednesday marked the beginning of the one week early signing period in men's basketball, where prospects may sign letter of intent for Division I programs. The first of Georgetown's three verbal commitments, Josh Thornton, signed his letter Wednesday, according to the Delaware State News .

    "The thing I'm most proud of is that he's starting to become a man," said Thornton's high school coach. "His reasons behind going to Georgetown had nothing to do with basketball. He basically said, 'It's because they're going to give me the best opportunity'."

    Two other verbal commitments, Octavius Spann and Marc Egerson are expected to sign letters of intent at some point within the next week. Georgetown cannot comment on any of its prospects until a letter of intent has been signed.

    Fallen Giants 11/11/04

    Even though ESPN is keeping Georgetown and St. John's off its Big East broadcasts this season, the ESPN web site has posted a feature on the two programs.

    "I can't worry about [ESPN games], but we do have a good product to sell," said coach Thompson. "We're one of the elite academic institutions in the country and in the world. We are in one of the best basketball conferences and we have a rich tradition. We are Georgetown and we have to improve and we have to get better."

    The article also notes that "While St. John's is finishing a new practice facility and coaching offices that will be ready by next season, nothing is changing at Georgetown's on-campus McDonough Gym. 'When I walked in here, they were the same offices I remember since I was six," Thompson said.

    HOYA Articles 11/9/04

    Tuesday's HOYA has a feature article on of the difficulties faced by men's basketball and other athletic teams in securing a place to play.

    Also in the issue: a commentary by Matt Kamenski urging students to do a better job of supporting the team at home games this season.

    Tickets Now On Sale 11/9/04

    A follow-up to Monday's note about the Notre Dame Club of Washington's effort to pick up lower level seats for its Jan. 23 game at MCI: the club secured 246 lower level seats in the first day tickets were available, in two sections adjacent to the Georgetown bench.

    Single game tickets for all home games except Connecticut are now available via TicketMaster.

    Hoyas In NBDL Draft 11/6/04

    Former Georgetown center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (C'01), who was cut from the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers last month, was the third player chosen in Friday's NBDL Draft, the NBA's developmental league. Boumtje-Boumtje was selected by the Fayetteville Patriots, one of eight Southeastern teams that comprise the league.

    Also selected: Nat Burton (C'01), an 8th round pick of Asheville, and Kevin Braswell (C'02), a 10th round pick of Florida.

    Another Scrimmage? 11/6/04

    The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that LaSalle scrimmaged Georgetown this past weekend, but offered no further details.

    Virginia Tech To Scrimmage Georgetown 11/4/04

    The Roanoke Times reports Virginia Tech will scrimmage at Georgetown on November 13. The scrimmage will be closed to the public.

    With the change in rules regarding pre-season games, Georgetown has not announced any exhibition or scrimmages to date. Most Big east schools will play one or two exhibition games against local teams below Division I.

    CBS Sportsline: Hoyas 12th 11/2/04

    CBS Sportsline has weighted in with its Big East preview, picking Georgetown last.

    Author Tony Mejia writes that recent Hoya teams had been "wasting time playing the Morgan States of the world". Perhaps, but a bad analogy: Georgetown hasn't played the school in question since 2001.

    Lang To Receive Healy Award 11/1/04

    Congratulations to former athletic director Joseph Lang, who will be presented with the Patrick Healy Award at the John Carroll Awards weekend next spring in Chicago.

    The award, named for Georgetown's president from 1873-1882, honors one non-alumnus each year for lifetime service to Georgetown University. Lang, a 1963 graduate of St. John's, was an adjunct professor, track coach and athletic administrator from 1972 through his retirement this summer.

     

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