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Georgetown Basketball: December 2003 News Archive

Ross Out For Season 12/31/03

Senior guard RaMell Ross will miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery, according to the official Georgetown web site. Ross will return as a fifth-year senior in 2004-05.

The 6-5 Ross has played on only one game this season, failing to score. Ross has averaged 1.6 points per game for his career to date, and has lost three seasons to injury in the last five. In 1999-2000, he missed his senior year of high school with shoulder problems, and missed the 2001-02 season for foot surgery.

There is no word on any walk-on prospects to replace Ross on the roster, which contains only nine scholarship players. A depth chart with average points per game for the Hoyas looks like this (walk-ons in light blue):

Guard Guard Forward Forward Center
Cook (9.2) Riley (19.0) Owens (10.6) Bowman (16.2) Freeman(10.0)
Causey (3.3) Reed (6.0) Faulkner (1.3) Dizdarevic (2.3) Kilk.-Diaw (1.6)
Beal (1.0) Izzo (0.0)
 
December Schedule: Attendance Blues 12/29/03

If recent attendance figures are any indication, fans may have voted with their wallets over Georgetown's soft early season schedule.

Georgetown's first seven home games drew an average of only 4,956 a game to 20,500 seat MCI Center, down 22% from a year earlier, according to official statistics. In 2002-03, against similar opponents, the Hoyas averaged 6,613 a game.

Heading into the 2003-04 conference season, Georgetown ranks no better than 11th of 14 Big East teams in average attendance. (Note: St. John's attendance to date only counts three games at Alumni Hall. Games at Madison Square Garden with Marquette and Penn, averaging 8,801 per game, are considered neutral site games.)

1. Syracuse: 17,746 8. W. Virginia: 6,144
2. UConn: 12,736 9. Virginia Tech: 5,539
3. Notre Dame: 10,008 10. Rutgers: 5,310
4. Providence: 8,129 11: Georgetown: 4,956
5. Pitt: 7,997 12. St. John's: 4,171
6. Seton Hall: 7,034 13. BC: 3,648
7. Villanova: 6,500 14. Miami: 2,123
 

When compared to the 16 schools that will comprise the Big East conference by 2005, GU's attendance to date is 14th of 16 schools:

1. Louisville: 19,181 9. Pitt: 7,997
2. Syracuse: 17,746 10. Seton Hall: 7,034
3. UConn: 12,736 11. Villanova: 6,500
4. Marquette: 14,955 12. W. Virginia: 6,144
5. Cincinnati: 11,579 13. Rutgers: 5,310
6. Notre Dame: 10,008 14. Georgetown: 4,956
7. DePaul: 8,666 15. St. John's: 4,171
8. Providence: 8,129 16. South Florida: 2,829
 
Thomas W. Matan (1939-2003) 12/29/03

Georgetown alumnus Tom Matan (C'61), a three year letterman on the Georgetown basketball teams of the late 1950's and early 1960's, died last week at the age of 64, according to an obituary in the Washington Post.

Matan was an all-Met forward from Gonzaga in 1957 who joined another local standout, St. John's Brian Sheehan, in accepting scholarship offers to attend Georgetown. In his sophomore year, Matan posted five 20+ scoring games, including a career high 30 points in a 103-93 upset at Loyola-Chicago in January, 1959.

Matan finished the 1958-59 season averaging 14.3 points per game, second only to Sheehan's 18.7. Slowed by late season injuries in each of his final two years, Matan's 10.6 average still ranks among the top 50 scoring averages in Hoya basketball history.

According to the Post obituary, Matan served three years in the U.S. Navy before beginning a 38 year career in Washington-area real estate. Matan was pictured as one of the attendees at a 2002 reception for Georgetown basketball lettermen hosted by Gen. James Jones (F'66).

Georgetown 85, The Citadel 62 12/22/03

"Three-point shooting? At Georgetown? What's next, Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier keeping it on the ground?"
--Pete Iacobelli, Associated Press

Eleven three point goals paced the Georgetown Hoyas to its ninth win of the non-conference schedule, an 85-62 win at The Citadel before 2,431 at McAllister Field House Monday night.

The Bulldogs (3-7) opened the game with an alley-oop dunk, but it was their only lead of the game. Georgetown went on a 16-2 run to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs closed to 27-18 and 35-23 when Courtland Freeman picked up his 3rd foul, but that was about it. Georgetown extended the lead at the end of the half, with a coast to coast drive by Matt Causey at the buzzer to increase the lead to 48-24. For the half, Georgetown shot 64 percent from the field, and 6-9 from behind the three point line. By contrast, leading Citadel scorers Dante Terry and Max Mombollet were a combined 2 for 12.

The second half was much the same for the Hoyas. Georgetown opened with a 10-5 run, and its defense forced numerous Citadel turnovers and kept the Bulldogs' leading scorers in check until the end of the game. Georgetown led by as much as 39, 77-38, with 6:03 left, before moving to an all-freshman lineup (plus sophomore walk-on Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw), whereupon the Bulldogs narrowed the lead to 23 by game's end.

The Hoyas were led by 15 first half points by Gerald Riley, who finished with 23, followed by Darrel Owens with 14 and Ashanti Cook with 12. The Hoyas' 11 threes were the third most in school history, but its free throws were disappointing, hitting only 10 of 25. Freshman Ray Reed, who entered the game shooting 64 percent from the line, was an uncharacteristic 1-7 for the game.

Much was made about the reason and rationale behind Georgetown's non-conference schedule. The win gives Georgetown a perfect 9-0 mark heading into the holidays, something that was far from sure just a few months ago. Nonetheless, the Hoyas entered Monday's game with a combined strength of schedule of 325...of 326 teams.

The schedule is what it is, a basic training of sorts. Passing the final test in Charleston is a part of that training. But make no mistake--the battles are just around the corner.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

          MIN  2FG    3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Bowman     11   0-1   0-2   3-4   3   1   4    3
Owens      23   4-4   2-3   0-1   2   2   1   14
Freeman    23   3-7   0-0   1-3   7   0   3    7
Cook       30   3-5   2-3   0-0   7   7   1   12
Riley      30   3-5   4-6   5-8   3   2   1   23
Reserves:
Faulkner    9   1-1   0-0   0-0   2   0   0    2
Izzo        2   0-2   0-0   0-0   0   1   1    0
Reed       16   1-1   1-2   1-7   3   0   2    6
Causey     29   1-3   1-2   0-0   4   7   4    5
Beal        3   1-1   0-1   0-2   0   0   0    2
Kilk.-Diaw 14   2-6   0-0   0-0   4   0   3    4
Dizdarevic 10   2-3   1-2   0-0   2   0   1    7
DNP: Ross
TOTALS    200 21-39 11-21 10-25 37  20  21   85
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.42 (20 A, 14 TO)

Post-game reports follow below.

Georgetown 89, Howard 58 12/20/03

Courtland Freeman scored a career high 21 points as the Georgetown Hoyas extended their non-conference record to 8-0 with an 89-58 over Howard before 4,412 at MCI Center.

Howard (2-6) scored the opening basket but it was the only lead they would enjoy all day. The Hoyas followed with a 14-3 run in the first four minutes of play. Leading by 15 midway through the half, Georgetown put on the afterburners with offense and defense, shooting 64% from the floor while forcing 11 Howard turnovers. With Gerald Riley and Darrel Owens combining to go 10 for 12 from the field, the G-men raced into intermission with a 29 point lead, 50-21.

The Bison closed the gap early in the second half. Forward James (Mac) Wilkinson, held to just one field goal in the first half, scored 21 in the second, and powered the Bison on a run that narrowed the Georgetown lead to 63-47, but no further. Courtland Freeman took over and combined not only his offense, but six rebounds and six blocks to halt any further Howard runs. The Hoyas were also able to give additional time to the bench in the second half, providing some good experience for the younger players.

The Hoyas' box score featured balanced scoring with 21 from Freeman, 17 from Gerald Riley, 16 from Brandon Bowman and 14 from Darrel Owens. Georgetown outrebounded Howard 41-28, and its three point shooting was over .500 for the first time since last February versus Notre Dame.

Given the Hoyas' strength of schedule in December, it is too soon to make much, if anything, about an 8-0 start. As noted in Sunday's Washington Post, fast starts are nothing new for recent Hoya teams against soft competition (winning 32 of 33 early season games since 2000-01), but Georgetown has managed only one NCAA bid to show for it.

Next for the Hoyas, a road game at The Citadel. A preview of the Bulldogs follows Monday.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

          MIN  2FG    3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook       26   2-5   0-1   2-2  7   5   2    6
Bowman     29   3-5   2-3   4-5  7   2   3   16
Freeman    22   6-8   0-0  9-11  6   1   3   21
Owens      25   5-7   1-1   1-1  1   4   0   14
Riley      33  5-11   1-2   4-5  3   2   1   17
Reserves:
Izzo        1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Reed       19   0-3   1-2   2-2   1   4   2    5
Causey     23   2-2   0-0   0-0   2   2   0    4
Beal        2   1-1   0-0   1-2   2   0   0    3
Kilk.-Diaw  9   0-2   0-0   0-0   2   0   3    0
Dizdarevic 11   1-3   0-0   1-2   3   0   2    3
TOTALS    200 25-47   5-9 24-30  34  20  16   89
DNP: Faulkner, Ross
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.05 (20 A, 19 TO)

Post-game reports follow below.

St. John's Fires Mike Jarvis Updated 12/22/03

St. John's University has fired head coach Mike Jarvis and his son, assistant coach Mike Jarvis II, making Jarvis the first coach in the history of the Big East ever to be fired during the season.

Jarvis, a former coach at George Washington from 1989 to 1998, was 110-61 with the Redmen, including three NCAA berths and the 2003 NIT championship. The 2-4 start by the Redmen, coupled with two player arrests and Jarvis' public disagreements with the St. John's administration over facilities, budget, and a contract extension ultimately led to the early exit.

Extensive coverage follows in the New York Post, New York Daily News, and Newsday.

Players told the New York Post that no one from the administration consulted or kept them informed on the change. "Searches for coaches or decisions on coaching changes are done best when you take the student interest in mind, but not necessarily solicit direct opinions or input," said athletic director David Wegrzyn.

St. Louis Announces New Arena 12/19/03

St. Louis University is the third Jesuit university in the past three years to announce a new on-campus arena project, following similar efforts at Marquette and Gonzaga.

"The selection of this location is a milestone in this landmark project,” said SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., who received two graduate degrees at Georgetown. “We must stay focused, however, toward our fundraising goals. I have faith in the community and our supporters. Together, this dream can soon become a reality,” Rev. Biondi said.

"Building this arena makes a statement that our administration, our president, our basketball people, are serious about elevating our basketball program," Billiken coach Brad Soderberg told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

St. Louis' older on-campus facility, West Pine Gym, seats only 2,200 and is not used for men's basketball games. "When we show them around, the last stop is West Pine, and I always hold my breath," Soderberg said in this earlier link to the Post-Dispatch. "It takes the wind out of the visit. I'm excited because during future campus visits, I'd be proud to show off our facilities," he said.

The as-yet unnamed facility will seat 13,000, and will begin construction when $40 million of the $70 million is raised. The arena is scheduled to open within 18 months of groundbreaking. A online promotion for the arena is posted on the St. Louis web site.

Other major universities cited in recent arena construction or renovation articles include Virginia, Stanford, Illinois, Oregon, and St. John's.

Mourning Recovering from Surgery Updated 12/20/03

Doctors in New York are reporting that Alonzo Mourning (C'92) is in good condition following a kidney transplant on Friday.

"Alonzo asks that all those who offered to donate a kidney to him extend that generosity to others who are waiting for transplant," said his agent, Jeff Wechsler, in this link to the Miami Herald. "He appreciates all the well-wishes and encouragements he has received from fans all around the world and asks that the public respects his privacy during the recovery process."

Mourning retired from the league following complications from focal glomerulosclerosis, a deterioration of his kidney that was first diagnosed three years ago.

"Mourning has received several offers from potential donors in the past month, and it is believed that Mourning is receiving a kidney from one of those donors," wrote the Herald. A later report indicates that Mourning's cousin is the likely donor.

An article from the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel also notes of the increased awareness of kidney transplant issues raised since Mourning's story became public.

Georgetown 91, Elon 70 12/13/03 2:30 pm

Gerald Riley scored 28 points as the Georgetown Hoyas continued their soft non-conference schedule with a 91-70 win over Elon before 5,683 at MCI Center.

The Phoenix (3-4) made two early runs at Georgetown but three pointers by Brandon Bowman put each run out of reach. Elon closed to 16-11 after eight minutes of play, but Bowman scored 10 straight points to extend the lead to 26-11. Elon then closed to 33-29, but a Bowman three and a 17-5 run to end the half and end the chances for an upset.

Georgetown led by as many as 30 in the second half before the game was turned over to the reserves. The Phoenix were their own worst enemy, committing 18 first half turnovers and 32 for the game, despite shooting 50% from the field and 50% from three point range. The 32 turnovers ties an unofficial record set by Towson against Georgetown in the 2002-03 season.

Four Hoyas scored in double figures, including Riley, Bowman (19), Courtland Freeman (13) and Matt Causey (11). All 13 players saw action, with senior Omari Faulkner earning his first points in a game since Feb. 19, 2002. Faulkner did not score in five games last season.

The win improves Georgetown's record to 7-0, but its seven opponents to date have combined for just eight wins against Division I competition this season.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

          MIN  2FG    3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook       26   1-5   1-3  1-2   3   1   1    6
Bowman     23  5-11   3-7  0-0  10   6   2   19
Freeman    30   5-8   0-0  3-6   5   2   1   13
Owens      12   0-0   1-2  0-0   0   0   2    3
Riley      33  5-12   3-4 9-11   4   5   1   28
Reserves:
Faulkner    2   1-1   0-0  1-1   1   0   2    3
Izzo        1   0-0   0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
Reed       24   2-4   0-2  2-6   2   2   1    6
Ross        4   0-0   0-0  0-0   1   0   1    0
Causey     22   2-2   1-2  4-4   2   3   3   11
Beal        1   0-0   0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw 10   1-3   0-0  0-0   1   0   1    2
Dizdarevic 12   0-4   0-0  0-0   3   0   1    0
Team Rebounds:                   6
TOTALS    200 22-50  9-20 20-30 38  19  16   91
Asst to Turnover Ratio: 1.26

Post-game reports follow below.

Esherick: No More BC 12/12/03

Georgetown head coach Craig Esherick has joined a growing number of Big East coaches in publicly expressing his interest not to schedule Boston College as a non-conference opponent when it leaves for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"Boston College has indicated that their goals, priorities and methods do not coincide with those of the Big East. Without common goals, priorities and methods, there is no reason to schedule them for competition," Esherick said in this Q&A article at GUHoyas.com.

BC and Georgetown first met in basketball in the 1946-47 season when the BC basketball program was revived. The two teams played consecutively for 41 years from 1959 through 2000, whereupon the Big East introduced an unbalanced schedule. This year's Jan. 6 meeting is the Hoyas' first home game against the Eagles in five years.

Georgetown 71, Davidson 53 12/08/03

Gerald Riley and Brandon Bowman combined for 39 points as the Georgetown Hoyas held off Davidson, 71-53 Saturday at MCI Center.

A crowd of 5,657 saw a slow start by both teams. In the first three minutes, Georgetown missed on seven consecutive shots before a three pointer by Darrel Owens got the Hoyas on the board. It took Davidson even longer, missing on eight shots and committing five turnovers before scoring with 13:43 in the first half. However, by that point, Georgetown still only led by seven, 10-3.

Davidson closed to 29-25 and 32-28 in the first quarter, but no closer. The Wildcats committed three turnovers in the final 1:50 which could have tightened the score, and a Ray Reed three at the buzzer gave the Hoyas a slightly more comfortable lead at 37-28.

The Georgetown coaching staff has done a good job this year of halftime adjustments and such was the case Saturday. In the first four minutes of the half, the Hoyas connected on four of its first six shots and doubled the lead to 14, 44-30, and led by as many as 24 heading into the final four minutes. The Wildcats were ineffective against the Georgetown defense and committed 26 turnovers which led to 37 Georgetown points.

In addition to Riley and Bowman's effort, junior Darrel Owens turned in another solid effort, with 13 points. Sophomore Ashanti Cook scored 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Despite the win, there are a lot of things to work on following the game for the Hoyas. Georgetown was outrebounded for the third time in six games, with Courtland Freeman collecting only two points and two rebounds in 25 minutes. (Despite being the tallest player on the team, Freeman trails each of the four starters in rebounding to date.) The contributions of the bench also remains a work in progress, with only two FG's in 36 minutes of bench time. In fact, despite a lead which was in double digits most of the second half, the bench saw only 10 minutes combined in the entire half.

The Hoyas 6-0 record is an encouraging sign for a young and not very deep team, but a little perspective is in order. Georgetown's six wins have come to a group whose combined record against Division I competition to date is 7-20. Penn State, the toughest opponent faced to date, was held to just 37 points in a 27 point loss to Pitt.

The schedule scales back somewhat during the upcoming exam period, with only two games in the next two weeks. Next up is Elon on December 13. Elon (3-3),a member of the Southern Conference, defeated American 85-82 Saturday and has won three straight.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

          MIN  2FG    3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook       35  4-13   1-5   1-2  8   5   2   12
Bowman     40  5-11   1-3   7-9  7   2   3   20
Freeman    25   1-2   0-0   0-0  2   1   2    2
Owens      31   2-3   3-4   0-0  2   3   2   13
Riley      33  5-10   1-4   6-7  9   2   3   19
Reserves:
Reed       16   0-1   1-1   0-0  2   1   0    3
Causey      5   0-0   0-1   0-0  0   0   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw 10   1-1   0-0   0-0  1   0   1    2
Dizdarevic  5   0-0   0-0   0-0  0   0   0    0
Team Rebounds:                  2  
TOTALS   200 18-41  7-18 14-18 33  14  14   71
DNP: Faulkner, Izzo, Ross, Beal
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.0 (14 ast, 14 to)

Post-game reports follow below.

Georgetown 76, Norfolk State 53 12/3/03 9:30 pm

Gerald Riley scored 25 points as the Georgetown Hoyas overcame a first half struggle to steer past Norfolk State, 76-53.

For the third time in as many games, the Hoyas struggled in the first half to hold a lead against outmatched opponents. Despite an early 11-4 lead, Georgetown led by only two at the half, 32-30, thanks to 11 first half turnovers and sub-.500 (5-11) free throw shooting. Norfolk State (0-4) connected on 5 of 9 three point shots in the first half, and opened the second half with a three to lead 33-32.

At that point, the alarm bell woke up the Hoyas, whereupon Gerald Riley and Brandon Bowman went to work. Riley scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, keying a 20-3 run over seven minutes that put the game out of reach. Both Riley and Bowman had sat midway in the first half with fouls, but played extensively in the second half, helping the Hoyas in all statistical categories. Georgetown shot 60 percent in the half, connected on 10 of 12 free throws, cut its turnovers in half, and forced Norfolk State into 26 turnovers for the game. Riley and Bowman accounted for 27 of Georgetown's 44 second half points, while Darrel Owens had another strong game, adding 14.

Rebounding was a puzzling statistic in Wednesday's game. The Hoyas outrebounded the Spartans 23-11 in the first half when struggling, but were outrebounded in the second half. Guard Ashanti Cook collected 10 rebounds to center Courtland Freeman's one.

The Hoyas' bench did not put points on the board. In 45 combined minutes of play, the bench was a combined 1-9 from the field and 0-6 from three point range

At this point, the 5-0 record is more a reflection of Georgetown's soft competition than its performance to date. GU's five previous opponents have a combined record of 6-13 and an average Sagarin rating of #233 entering Wednesday's game. A tougher test awaits the Hoyas against Davidson, Saturday at MCI Center.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

         MIN  2FG  3FG     FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook      29  1-5  2-2    0-0  10   6   2    8
Bowman    36  7-13 0-1    5-8   8   2   2   19
Freeman   27  2-4  0-0    4-6   1   0   3    8
Owens     33  4-6  2-2    0-1   4   3   2   14
Riley     30  8-12 1-4    6-6   5   4   4   25
Reserves:
Faulkner   1  0-0  0-0    0-0   0   0   2    0
Izzo       2  0-0  0-0    0-0   0   0   1    0
Reed      17  0-1  0-3    0-2   3   1   0    0
Causey    12  1-1  0-2    0-0   1   0   2    2
Beal       1  0-0  0-1    0-0   0   0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw 6  0-0  0-0    0-0   1   0   1    0
Dizdarevic 6  0-1  0-0    0-0   1   0   1    0
Team Rebounds                   2 
Totals   200 23-43 5-15 15-23  36  16   20  76
DNP: Ross
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 0.94

Post-game reports follow below.

Georgetown vs. The MEAC Updated 12/04/03

There seems to be some confusion over just what Georgetown's record is against schools currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Washington Times account Saturday listed it as 31-1, the Washington Post 41-1, neither of which are correct. Both cite a game previously misidentified in the media guide--a 1942-43 loss to a military team from the Norfolk Navy Base is listed under the heading of Norfolk State. (Norfolk State began playing basketball in 1954, according to the NCAA record book.) The Washington Post account said 41-0, which was correct.

Following the Norfolk State game, the current record is as follows:

Bethune Cookman: 6-0 Md.-Eastern Shore: 6-0
Coppin State: 0-0 Morgan State: 15-0
Delaware State: 3-0 Norfolk State: 3-0
Florida A&M: 2-0 N.C. A&T State: 1-0
Hampton: 1-0 S.C. State: 1-0
Howard: 4-0 Total: 42-0

In addition to 42-0 against the MEAC, Georgetown is a combined 79-0 against historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's), including the MEAC, SWAC, and various teams below Division I following Wednesday's game.

 

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