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Georgetown Basketball: December 2005 News Archive

1936 Georgetown Game Remembered 12/30/05 

Friday's New York Times looks back at a Dec. 29, 1936 doubleheader at Madison Square Garden featuring Georgetown and NYU, but highlights the first view of the one handed jump shot in Eastern basketball circles, as Hank Luisetti and Stanford upset LIU in the second half of the doubleheader.

The 17,623 in attendance that evening set a Georgetown road attendance record for its time, and was the Hoyas' first game ever at the Garden.

Georgetown 76, Texas-El Paso 64 12/29/05 

"I found myself in a slump the last couple of games. I wanted to match the intensity of my teammates. Coach Thompson always says if teams go under screens, make 'em pay.--Darrel Owens

Paid in full.

Darrel Owens turned in a command performance in the finals of the 45th Sun Bowl basketball tournament, scoring 21 points off the bench to lead the Georgetown Hoyas to a 76-64 win over Texas-El Paso on the Miners' home court. Owens' performance led a truly team effort that guided the Hoyas past a strong UTEP team and set the stage for a grueling conference race to begin next week.

Following the Hoyas' earlier win over Colgate, UTEP set out to contain Roy Hibbert, and succeeded. Hibbert got into early foul and UTEP took an early lead. The two teams matched baskets for much of the first half, but when Roy Hibbert sat with fouls, Jeff Green moved inside and Owens moved from the bench to the lineup, and the Hoyas went to work. Leading 23-19, owens sank three three pointers in a 2:05 stretch to key a 12-0 Georgetown run that quieted the loud and supportive Miner fan base, allowing Georgetown to take a surprising 36-23 halftime lead. Georgetown shot 52% in the half and sank a season-high eight threes in the first half.

UTEP spent much of the second half trying to cut into the Georgetown lead. Three times the Miners closed within single digits only to be cut short with alert Georgetown responses--long threes, back door plays, or inside moves. With Jason Williams struggling from the field (4-12) and strong GU defense shutting down center Will Kimble inside (0 pts in 22 mins.), UTEP relied in John Tofi and Kevin Henderson, who combined for 38 points and five of the team's six threes. The Miners continued to hurry their shots, and the Hoyas were effective in controlling tempo and making the big shots when needed. UTEP shot about the same from the field in the second half (45 percent) but only three of eleven from three, most in the final two minutes of play.

A late run from UTEP narrowed a 15 point lead to seven late in the game, but three consecutive UTEP fouls away from the ball to stop play were called as intentional fouls, giving Georgetown additional breathing room in the final moments.

Hibbert was held to one shot in 13 minutes of action, but the rest of the starting five were outstanding. Georgetown shot 8 for 11 from inside the arc in the second half and 12 for 18 overall (67%). Four starters joined Owens in double figures, while the Hoyas also saw a pair of key baskets from senior walk-on Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw, two points short of his career high.

"In the first half, [Kilkenny-Diaw] gave us a huge boost," said Coach Thompson in the Washington Post link below. "When we put him in there, our defense tightened up and I think that's when we started to inch out and spread it apart. That's the kind of team we have. We have guys that are going to be called upon and they have been so far and they're going to be ready to help and contribute."

Owens' final stat totals included 6-6 from the field, 4-5 from the line, 3 assists, and two steals. Owens was named as the tournament MVP, joining Brandon Bowman on the all-tournament team.

The win was especially impressive given UTEP's strengths in defense. The Miners had held its opponents to date to just 38 percent shooting, and the Hoyas put up 58 percent. The Miners are 27-1 in the past two seasons when scoring 70 or more, but were held to 64. In a home arena where the Miners have won 78% of its games since 1977, the Hoyas' effort was even more impressive.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   35   1-3   3-5   2-3   4   4  3   13
Cook      35   2-5   2-3   1-2   5   2  0   11
Bowman    38   5-10  0-3   5-8   9   6  2   15 
Green     24   2-3   2-2   0-1   2   2  4   10
Hibbert   13   1-1   0-0   0-0   2   0  2    2
Reserves:
Owens     33   1-1   5-5   4-5   1   3  3   21 
Sapp       9   0-0   0-2   0-0   1   0  1    0
Crawford   1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Kilk.-Diaw12   2-2   0-0   0-0   1   2  3    4
DNP: Izzo, Thornton, Spann, Egerson, Beal,
Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                    1
TOTALS   200  14-25 12-20 12-19 26  19 18   76

Post-game links follow below.

Tournament Champs 12/29/05 

Georgetown's win in the Sun Bowl Tournament marks the first in-season tournament trophy since December 2000, where the Hoyas captured the Hawaii Pacific Tournament with wins over Central Florida, College of Charleston, and Minnesota, part of a run of 16 straight wins to open the 2000-01 season.

The Sun Belt trophy is the 18th in-season tournament won by Georgetown, but only the second since 1995. The list below is for elimination-style tournaments only, and would not include pre-arranged pairings such as the Hispanic College Fund Classic or most of Georgetown's yearly forays with Hawaii-Loa and Hawaii Pacific in the 1980's and early 1990's.

Season Tournament Location Finals Opponent
1952-53 Boston Arena Tourn. Boston, MA Rhode Island
1960-61 Gulf South Classic Shreveport, LA Louisiana Tech
1961-62 Richmond Invit. Richmond, VA VMI
1964-65 Georgetown Invit. Washington, DC Lehigh
1966-67 Kodak Classic Rochester, NY Dartmouth
1969-70 Kodak Classic Rochester, NY Stanford
1976-77 ECAC Holiday Festival New York, NY Pennsylvania
1977-78 Hoya Invit. Washington, DC Georgia
1977-78 ECAC Holiday Festival New York, NY Alabama
1979-80 Nike Classic Albuquerque, NM Houston
1981-82 Rochester Classic Rochester, NY Niagara
1982-83 Wendy's Classic Bowling Green, KY W. Kentucky
1983-84 Las Vegas Classic Las Vegas, NV UNLV
1986-87 Hawaii-Hilo Classic Hilo, HI Washburn (KS)
1992-93 Freedom Bowl Invit. Irvine, CA Cal-Irvine
1994-95 Holiday Classic Sacramento, CA Fairfield
2000-01 Hawaii-Pacific Classic Honolulu, HI Minnesota
2005-06 Sun Bowl Invit. El Paso, TX UTEP
 
Georgetown 61, Colgate 45 12/29/05 

Survive and advance.

In a tournament opener where neither of the favored teams played particularly well, Georgetown pulled away late from Colgate 61-45 in the second game of the opener to the 45th Sun Belt Tournament in El Paso, TX. In the opener, UTEP steered past winless Mississippi Valley State, 74-58.

The Hoyas entered the game with a significant height advantage but nonetheless allowed Colgate (5-7) to stay close through much of the first half. Despite a 10 point Georgetown lead early in the half, Colgate climbed back in the game with its outside play. The (Red) Raiders managed just 4 of 15 shots from inside the two point arc but 5 for 12 from outside it in the first half, trailing by two at the break, 25-23. Roy Hibbert had little opposition inside, but Georgetown missed eight of 11 three point attempts in the half.

A pair of Jonathan Wallace threes to open the second half set a different tone for the "vesper half". As the Georgetown defense made halftime adjustments Colgate's three point shooting sagged while the Hoyas took off, connecting on seven of ten threes in the half to pull away and shooting 67% for the half. Nonetheless, Colgate outrebounded the taller Hoyas, 27-25, keeping the (Red) Raiders within distance in the late stretches.

For Georgetown, Brandon Bowman was the only other player to join Hibbert in double figures, but Bowman struggled from outside (1-5) and was not as effective. Jeff Green had a down night, with five points and two rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Darrel Owens (six points) and Tyler Crawford (five points) were the Hoyas lone bench points of the evening, but Wallace's nine point, five assist effort turned the tide for the Hoyas.

One strong stat for Georgetown: assists on 19 of 23 scoring possessions.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   33   0-2   3-3   0-0   3  5  1    9
Cook      31   1-1   2-4   0-0   3  2  4    8
Bowman    29   3-4   1-5   1-4   5  3  3   10 
Green     25   0-5   1-1   2-2   2  5  0    5
Hibbert   31   8-8   0-0   2-2   5  0  1   18
Reserves:
Owens     29   0-1   2-6   0-0   2  4  2    6 
Sapp      16   0-0   0-1   0-0   2  0  0    0
Crawford   6   1-1   1-1   0-0   1  0  0    5
DNP: Izzo, Thornton, Spann, Egerson, Beal,
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                    2
TOTALS    200 13-33 10-21  5-8  25 19  11  61

Post-game links follow below.

Features On Roy Hibbert 12/27/05 

Following a Washington Times article last week, Tuesday's Washington Post has a feature on sophomore Roy Hibbert entering this week's Sun Bowl Tournament.

"I think he's moving in the right direction," said coach Thompson. "Does he have some tools? Some God-given ability? Yes. Does he have the aptitude and commitment? Yes. The stars still need to align properly, but they're falling into place."

Georgetown 78, Savannah State 49 12/22/05 

Roy Hibbert scored 16 points and 11 rebounds as Georgetown thoroughly dominated Savannah State, 78-49, before 4,875 at MCI Center Wednesday.

The 7-2 Hibbert owned an 8" height advantage in the paint and the Hoyas put it too good use early, as scored 14 of his 16 points in a first half that was closer than many would have predicted. Thanks to some good outside shooting early, Savannah (1-12) was within seven at 21-14, but began to wear down as Georgetown build a 41-22 lead at the half on 50% shooting from the field, 75% from the line (12-16), and a lack of fouls which kept the Tigers off the free throw line. For the first half, Georgetown posted just two fouls compared to ten for the visiting Tigers.

The Hoyas pulled away in the second and held a comfortable 20+ lead thereafter allowing freshmen and reserves to get some playing time. Freshman guard Jessie Sapp was 5-6 from the floor and led all reserves with 11 points, while Darrel Owens added seven.

The Hoyas' struggle with three point shooting was in evidence in the game. The Hoyas shot just 1-8 from the three point line in the second half and 4-16 overall, but improved upon their defense by shutting out Savannah from outside in the second half (0-6).

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score. Additional recaps follows Thursday morning.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   21   2-3    2-3  0-0   1   3   1   10 
Cook      19   0-3    0-0  0-0   1   2   0    0
Bowman    14   3-3    0-1  2-2   2   1   0    8
Green     27   4-7    1-4  3-4   8   4   0   14
Hibbert   26   4-8    0-0  8-12 11   1   2   16
Reserves:
Izzo       1   0-0    0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
Owens     15   2-2    1-2  0-0   1   0   0    7 
Sapp      26   5-6    0-1  1-1   2   4   2   11
Crawford  10   0-1    0-1  1-3   2   1   1    1
Thornton   4   0-0    0-0  0-0   1   0   0    0
Spann      8   2-2    0-2  2-3   1   0   3    6
Egerson   13   0-1    0-1  1-2   4   2   1    1
Beal       2   0-0    0-1  0-0   0   0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw 9   1-2    0-0  0-1   1   0   1    2
Dizdarevic 5   1-1    0-0  0-0   2   1   1    2
Team Rebounds                    3
TOTALS   200  24-39  4-16 18-28 41  19  12   78

Post game coverage follows below.

Graduation Rates Reviewed 12/20/05 

Graduation rates face additional scrutiny in an new NCAA report that measures the graduation rates of transfers, according to a study published Monday for the freshmen classes which enrolled from 1995 to 1998.

The NCAA report uses a new metric known as the Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which measures the graduation rates of students who stayed or transferred to other schools. A 76% average GSR is the overall average in Division I, though football (63-65%) and basketball (58%) were lower.

Graduation rates for Georgetown were uniformly strong, with the exception of men's and women's basketball, which did not meet the standards set by other Georgetown sports.

The sport by sport data is below. Only NCAA recognized sports at the time of the study are included, so sports like sailing and rowing are not included.

Men's Sports GSR Women's Sports GSR
Baseball 95 Basketball 80
Basketball 50 CC/Track 100
CC/Track 100 Field Hockey 96
Football 99 Lacrosse 100
Golf 100 Soccer 91
Lacrosse 100 Swimming 95
Soccer 100 Tennis 100
Swimming 100 Volleyball 100
Tennis 100    
 

Among Big East schools, it ranks in the bottom half of the conference totals.

School GSR
1. Villanova 100
2. Notre Dame 90
3. Marquette 86
4. St. John's 86
5. Syracuse 75
6. West Virginia 67
7. Seton Hall 55
8. Providence 54
9. Connecticut 50
9. DePaul 50
9.Georgetown 50
12. Rutgers 42
13. Louisville 38
14. Cincinnati 31
14. South Florida 31
16. Pittsburgh 29
 

An article from the Washington Times discussed other area programs.

Georgetown 70, Stetson 50 12/17/05 10:15 pm 

To no surprise, Georgetown dismissed an undermanned Stetson team 70-50 Saturday at McDonough Gymnasium, the 13th straight loss for Stetson (dating back to last season) and Georgetown's 22nd straight non-conference win at McDonough since games were officially moved off-campus in 1981.

The Hoyas pulled away from the start, outscoring the Hatters 15-0. The Hatters (0-8) managed only one assist and eight turnovers in the first half, and its 25% first half shooting didn't help, either. For its part, Georgetown shot 57% from the field and 92% from the line (12-13), taking a 45-20 win into intermission. The Hoyas owned a 24-8 first half advantage on the boards, giving Stetson little chance to fight back.

In the second half, Georgetown led by as many as 32 at 62-30 midway in the second half before the Hoyas lost focus, allowing Stetson a 18-2 run through the 2:51 mark. The cold stretch in the second half was largely a result of Georgetown fouls and better rebounding by the Hatters. Georgetown took only six shots in a 8:23 stretch, missing all six.

The bench was not emptied until the last minute, with Georgetown leading by 20, 68-48. Ken Izzo's layup ended the Georgetown scoring, which marked Izzo's first field goal of his walk-on career. (Izzo's only other points were scored at last year's McDonough game vs. San Jose State.)

Roy Hibbert led all Georgetown scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds, most in the first half. Among the freshmen, Marc Egerson (12 points) and Jesse Sapp (seven points) accounted for all but four of the bench points.

Attendance for the game was listed at 2,146, 54 short of a sellout. A generation ago, McDonough once sat as many as 4,620, but now holds only 2,200.

Georgetown winds up exam week with a Wednesday night game against Savannah State, currently ranked among the bottom three of the Division I RPI.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   23   0-1   2-3   2-2   1   3   0    8
Cook      18   0-2   1-1   0-0   0   2   2    3
Bowman    22   6-7   0-4   0-1   4   0   2   12
Green     30   2-4   1-2   0-0   6   6   2    7
Hibbert   26   5-9   0-0   7-9  10   2   1   17
Reserves:
Izzo       1   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   0   0    2
Sapp      24   2-4   1-3   0-0   1   0   3    7
Crawford  10   0-1   0-0   0-2   0   0   3    0
Thornton   3   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   0   0    0
Spann      4   0-1   0-0   0-0   2   0   0    0
Egerson   23   2-3   1-2   5-5   4   2   0   12
Beal       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw12   1-3   0-0   0-0   1   0   2    2 
Dizdarevic 3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   1   0    0
DNP: Owens
Team Rebounds                    3
TOTALS        19-37  6-15 14-19 32  16  16   70

Post game coverage follows below.

CBS Sportsline: Bring Back The Terps 12/16/05

After coach John Thompson III expressed an interest in renewing the dormant series against the University of Maryland, the media has taken notice. But as Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis points out in an article titled "A Capital Idea", Maryland is not exactly in a reciprocating mood.

"Oh yeah, it'd be a lot of fun for everybody, except the basketball programs at Maryland and Georgetown," responds Maryland coach Gary Williams.

Williams oft-repeated mantra about Georgetown not wanting to play Maryland is refuted by Davis, citing Maryland's refusal of a possible matchup of the two teams in the BB&T Classic this season.

"Because of history people have said there's no way you're going to play Maryland, but I've never said that," said coach Thompson. "If it makes sense, we'll do it." Counters Williams: "We don't need Georgetown to make our schedule complete just because they're 12 miles down the road."

After years of buying the College Park side of the story, it appears the media is looking at both sides to step up to the table.

Georgetown 76, Fairfield 51 12/11/05

Georgetown returned home from its road trip with a comfortable 76-51 win over Fairfield Sunday at MCI center.

Fairfield (1-6) did not start a player over 6-4 and it showed, leaving the Hoyas ample room for easy shots. Georgetown opened the game 8-2, went on a 10-0 run midway in the first half, and led by 19 at halftime. For the game, Georgetown was 54% from two point range and connected on six three point shots, which was also matched by six in the second half.

With the game well in hand, Coach Thompson opened up the bench to action. Five players had not seen the court to date this season, and four of them scored. Among the freshmen, Jessie Sapp (22 minutes) and Octavius Spann (15 minutes) saw the most action.

Though Sapp's statistics don't look particularly notable (4 pts., 2 assists), his efforts at running the offense were certainly noticed by the Georgetown coaching staff. "I think he did a very good job of keeping the group together when he was running the show," Coach Thompson said. He kept them very focused and running the proper plays, and that’s what today was about."

The team takes a week long break for final exams before a Saturday game at McDonough Gym versus winless Stetson (0-7).

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   19   1-1   3-6   0-0   2   6  1   11 
Cook      19   2-2   2-3   0-0   3   1  0   10
Bowman    20   2-2   4-6   0-1   4   1  0   16
Green     23   1-3   0-2   0-0   7   4  1    2
Hibbert   17   3-5   0-0   3-3   3   1  3    9
Reserves:
Izzo       2   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  0    0
Owens     17   1-1   1-2   0-0   3   2  0    5
Sapp      22   0-0   1-4   1-2   0   2  1    4
Crawford  10   0-0   0-3   0-0   0   0  0    0
Thornton   6   1-1   1-2   2-2   1   0  1    7
Spann     15   1-1   0-2   3-4   2   1  1    5
Egerson   10   0-0   0-2   1-2   2   0  1    1
Beal       2   0-0   0-0   2-2   0   0  0    2
Kilk.-Diaw 6   1-1   0-0   0-0   1   1  1    2
Dizdarevic 8   1-1   0-1   0-0   2   1  0    2
Team Rebounds                    5
TOTALS   200  14-18 12-34 12-16 35  20 10   76

Post game coverage follows below.

Sweetney Featured In Chicago Tribune 12/11/05

Sunday's Chicago Tribune has a feature story on Mike Sweetney (ex '04) and his growth in college and pro basketball since his days growing up in Oxon Hill, MD. Sweetney scored 10 points in the Bulls' 118-111 win over Washington at MCI Center Saturday night.

College Merchandising & Georgetown 12/11/05

Also in the news: an article from the Austin American-Statesman about the influx of merchandising royalties coming to the University of Texas, ranked #2 in both football and men's basketball.

Texas' rise up the merchandising charts is compared to Georgetown, but the paper warily notes that "poor on-field performance can hurt merchandise sales. Georgetown basketball has dropped from the ranks of top programs, and its place among Collegiate Licensing's clients last year was No. 49."

(Access to the article may be restricted, so check http://www.bugmenot.com for assistance.)

Illinois 58, Georgetown 48 12/8/05 11:00 pm

"There probably are a handful of teams that can win it all. Obviously, it's early, but they're one of those teams."--John Thompson III, discussing Illinois' effort to date.

Twenty minutes of basketball was not enough for Georgetown, which endured a bad first half slump and never challenged Illinois thereafter in a 58-48 loss at Champaign, IL. It was the ninth win in 18 days for an Illinois team which lost three starters from its 2005 NCAA finalist team, but already appears ready for another strong run in the tournament.

Illinois (9-0) scored the first ten points of the game, with the Hoyas unable to post a score until the 14:31 mark. Still, Georgetown narrowed the lead to 12-7 before Illinois went on an 13-2 run to put the game out of reach. Georgetown went 9:01 between scores, due as much to Illinois' man to man defense as the Hoyas' poor shooting. By half's end, Georgetown had missed 17 of its 22 shots (6-7 from three), and trailed by 15, 28-13. The Illini had picked up 13 offensive rebounds in the half, which were key to its early lead.

Georgetown scored on its first three possessions of the second half but could not close within single digits until the 14:19 mark of the second half, 33-24. The teams traded baskets for the next four minutes, but a pair of Dee Brown baskets extended the lead back to 14, 42-28. Still, for Georgetown's 35% shooting for the game, Illinois fared no better at 31%, but held a sizable advantage on rebounds (a +13 for the game).

Georgetown closed to nine with 5:55 to play, but a Jamar Smith three and an offensive put-back on consecutive possessions sent the count back to 14, 47-33. Still, Georgetown kept coming back, closing to 8 at 2:29 left, 48-40, but missed an Owens three on a next possession, while Jeff Green missed two of three free throws with 1:57 left. Illinois went up 11 with 1:19 to play, answered by a Cook three pointer nine seconds later, 52-44.

In the end, Georgetown missed three pointers on its next three possessions, and Illinois connected on free throws after each to extend the lead to 58-44 with 0:27 left.

Jeff Green led Georgetown scorers with 21 points, 19 in the second half. Dee Brown led Illinois with 16 and James Augustine (10 points, 13 rebounds) also turned in another strong effort .

With four road games in its first five, Georgetown ends this unusual start to the season at 3-2, but the caliber of competition was a valuable test for the Hoyas and its needs heading into conference play. Much less will be seen out of its next three opponents, with a combined record of 2-17 (.105).

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   22   0-1   1-2   0-0   1   3  2    3
Cook      39   2-3   2-7   0-0   1   3  2   10
Bowman    21   1-4   0-2   1-2   4   0  2    3
Green     38   6-8   2-4   3-7   7   1  3   21
Hibbert   33   2-9   0-0   0-0   7   2  1    4
Reserves:
Owens     29   3-6   0-2   0-0   5   2  3    6
Sapp       7   0-0   0-1   1-2   0   0  0    1 
Crawford  12   0-1   0-0   0-0   4   0  1    0
DNP: Izzo, Spann, Egerson, Beal, Thornton
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                    2
TOTALS   200  14-32  5-18  5-11 31   11 14  48

Additional articles follow below:

Hoyas Struggle Vs. Ranked Teams 12/8/05 

Georgetown has fared poorly in recent years against nationally ranked opponents, especially out of conference. Since the 2000-2001 season, Georgetown has won only three games against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

The only remaining non-conference opponent expected to be in the Top 25 is #1 Duke, which meets Texas on Saturday.

Date Score Opponent
Craig Esherick
12/20/2001 L 55-61 #5 Virginia
12/29/2001 L 91-98 #15 UCLA
1/2/2002 L 71-79 #21 Miami
1/12/2002 W 70-43 #16 Boston Coll.
1/28/2002 W 75-60 #14 Syracuse
3/7/2002 L 76-84 #20 Miami
1/8/2003 L 86-93 #1 Duke
1/25/2003 L 64-65 #2 Pittsburgh
2/3/2003 L 80-93 #19 Syracuse
2/18/2003 L 67-82 #9 Pittsburgh
3/1/2003 L 84-93/OT #15 Syracuse
3/8/2003 L 80-86 #16 Notre Dame
3/13/2003 L 69-74 #11 Syracuse
1/14/2004 L 70-94 #1 Connecticut
1/24/2004 L 66-85 #1 Duke
1/26/2004 L 50-65 #24 Providence
2/21/2004 L 54-57 #24 Syracuse
2/24/2004 L 58-68 #3 Pittsburgh
John Thompson III
12/9/2004 L 59-74 #1 Illinois
1/5/2005 W 67-64 #16 Pittsburgh
1/8/2005 L 59-66 #10 Connecticut
1/18/2005 L 73-78 #7 Syracuse
1/29/2005 L 49-64 #7 Boston College
3/2/2005 L 64-83 #15 Connecticut
3/10/2005 L 62-66 #12 Connecticut
12/8/2005 L 48-58 #11 Illinois
 
More Headlines For The Krush 12/8/05 

As noted last season, the Illinois spirit group Orange Krush remains a formidable presence inside and outside of Assembly Hall.

While Dick Vitale heaps untold praise on the wit of Duke fans, Illinois students have aimed a little higher, having passed the $1 million mark in charitable donations collected since its founding. At tonight's game, representatives of 1,115 Orange Krush students will present a check for $50,000 to the The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Past efforts have also benefited Illinois athletics. The group has fully endowed a $250,000 scholarship for an Illinois basketball player.

How do they do it? According to the link above, "the Orange Krush is almost entirely student run and is based on the 3-point program. Students must solicit pledges from the alumni and community in order to gain entry into the Orange Krush cheering section."

Students & Attendance 12/8/05 

Illinois isn't the only school with an active student section. In this link from the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, Old Dominion University has hired a full time staffer with the title "Director of Game Atmosphere and Student Attendance" to build up crowds. Nearly 1,200 students are active ticket holders.

Mourning, Mutombo Featured 12/8/05 

Former teammates Alonzo Mourning (C'92) and Dikembe Mutombo (SLL '91) are featured in a recent Fox Sports feature on the respective charitable activities of ten pro sports athletes.

"I'm really proud that two guys I coached were among this group," said John Thompson, Jr. in a link to GUHoyas.com. "At this time of year, it's good to hear about people being recognized for things that are positive in the community."

BB&T: No Room For Georgetown (Again) 12/5/05

Monday's Washington Post revisits the decade-plus long snub of Georgetown in the BB&T Classic, which has been reduced to a one day triple header featuring six local Division I teams Monday at MCI Center.

Game one features Howard (0-3) and Navy (0-4), then American (0-5) versus George Mason (3-2), and the third game features George Washington (4-0) vs. Maryland (5-1). Georgetown's absence is apparent--it was the only local Division I school not invited and remains the only area school never invited in the tournament's 11 year history.

The GW Hatchet also covers the situation, where a George Washington athletic official would only say that "They are constantly in the mix and all of that but it's something that hasn't worked out."

Attendance for the event has declined in recent years and it will be interesting to see how the one day format draws. The Post article cites a return to a four team event in 2006 with Notre Dame as one of two national teams, but returning to a format with only two local teams would limit future local participation to Maryland an GW, effectively closing the door to Georgetown yet again.

The BB&T Roadblock? Commentary, 12/5/05

The article link above never answers the ongoing question that has bedeviled this tournament since its inception--what exactly is keeping Georgetown out of this event?

The Post recounts past disinterest by Georgetown and cites potential 2005 games declined by GU, though none of the potential opponents is actually playing in the event. Tournament founder John Feinstein has been fiercely protective of George Washington's participation in the tournament, which has been seen locally as a checkmate to keep Georgetown out of the event.

Georgetown's interest in recent years has largely been rebuffed by BB&T officials, many of which have strong ties to the Maryland program. And therein lies a considerable roadblock: Maryland coach Gary Williams.

"Thompson [III] was willing to play Maryland, but tournament officials honor Maryland's refusal to face Georgetown at MCI Center," according to the article. Williams maintains Maryland will never play Georgetown again unless the game is played at College Park. (The objection is based on a long standing objection by Williams to a 1993 neutral site game at Capital Centre that Williams contends was a Georgetown home game, though the Post article fails to note that each side split the arena tickets in half and GU wore the road jerseys that day.)

In a 2004 article, Williams opposed a local-only format, stating that "It's tough playing local teams when you're supposed to be the best team, to be honest with you."

"That's why they should play, to see who's the best team in the area," said DeMatha junior Austin Freeman, who committed to Georgetown over Maryland last month.

And maybe that's the point. Perhaps Williams simply wants no part of a game which would feature an up and coming Georgetown program, mindful how Georgetown's wins over Lefty Driesell's teams of the late 1970's shifted local interest away from Maryland, or conversely, that Maryland's win in the 1993 game began a decade of ascent for the Terps' local support.

The BB&T Classic has been dubbed the "John Feinstein Invitational" in the past. Perhaps a better label would be the Gary Williams Invitational.

Georgetown 71, Oregon 57 12/4/05

Ashanti Cook scored a career high 25 points as the Georgetown Hoyas posted one of its best early season showings in a number of years, a 71-57 road win at Oregon.

The game figured to be a test of two closely matched teams, and Oregon went to work early, raising the roof at historic McArthur Court with a 12-4 start, forcing six Georgetown turnovers in the first eight minutes of play. The Hoyas got back into the game thanks to Cook, who connected on four straight three pointers and awakened the Georgetown defense, which outscored the Ducks 13-1 to retake the lead.

The Hoyas also got back into the game on defense. Following Oregon's 12-4 run, the Ducks were held to under 30% shooting the rest of the half, scoring only 11 points in the final 12 minutes of the half. Oregon didn't help themselves at the line, however, failing to capitalize with a 7 for 17 effort and only 1 for 7 in the second.

The Hoyas made their move late in the first half and early in the second. Leading 25-23 in the final seconds of the half, a key steal from Jeff Green led to a three point play and a 28-23 lead at the half. Georgetown opened the second half with a 7-0 run to lead by 12, 35-23, and the Ducks never got closer than nine thereafter.

Cook's shooting led a balanced Georgetown effort throughout the second half. The Hoyas shot 54% in the second half and never let Oregon back in by going 17-21 from the free throw line. The Ducks, who had trailed by as many as 18, connected on five threes in the final three minutes, but gained little ground against the Hoyas' free throw efforts.

Roy Hibbert rebounded from a tough game against vanderbilt for a 16 point, 10 rebound effort. Hibbert's defensive efforts were also in evidence, as Oregon inside men Ray Schafer and Marty Leunen, were held to a combined five points and five rebounds after averaging 15.6 points and 13.6 rebounds in the previous four games.

The second half effort was all the more remarkable given the hostile surroundings of McArthur Court, the second oldest Division I facility and considered among the loudest arenas in the nation. yet, as Georgetown exercised clock management, good free throw shooting and defense, Oregon's fans never had a chance to rally their team back into it.

"That’s a very good win against a very good team, and that’s an understatement," said Coach Thompson. This is one of those games where you’re playing against a terrific team in a building where they play well."

The win ended a run of 35 straight wins at McArthur Court against non-conference opponents dating to 1999. At game's end, the Hoyas had earned the home team's respect, and Oregon graciously acknowledged it. "Congratulations to the Georgetown University Hoyas for a fine game," said the McArthur Court public address announcer at game's end. "They are a class act and we wish them well in the upcoming Big East conference."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.



         MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Wallace   28   1-5   0-1   2-3   3   2  1    4
Cook      39   4-5   4-5   5-6   2   0  3   25
Bowman    24   2-5   1-3   6-6   3   0  3   13
Green     31   3-6   0-1   2-5   9   4  2    8
Hibbert   29   5-6   0-0   6-6  10   0  1   16
Reserves:
Owens     33   0-2   1-2   0-0   3   5  3    3
Sapp      13   1-2   0-1   0-0   3   0  3    2 
Egerson    6   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   1  1    0
DNP: Izzo,Thornton, Crawford, Spann, Beal,
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                    4
TOTALS   200  16-30  6-13 21-26 37   12 17  71

Post game coverage follows below.

Thompson Discusses Oregon 12/1/05

In a coaches teleconference Thursday, Coach Thompson talked about the challenge this weekend.

"Oregon poses a very big test, and that's an understatement," he said. "They're a veteran team and they play well at home. We're just hoping to get better as we go along."

Home Court Advantage 12/1/05

The Oregon preview provides some detail as to the site of Saturday's game, historic McArthur Court on the Oregon campus. it's the second oldest active gymnasium in Division I. Below is a list of the oldest Division I facilities:

Team Arena Built
Fordham Rose Hill Gymnasium 1925
Oregon MacArthur Court 1927
Harvard Lavietes Pavilion 1927
Pennsylvania The Palestra 1927
Butler Hinkle Fieldhouse 1928
Washington Bank of America Center 1928
Minnesota Williams Arena 1928
Yale Payne Whitney Gym 1932
Oklahoma St. Gallagher-Iba Arena 1938
Duke Cameron Indoor Stadium 1939
The Citadel McAllister Field House 1939
Seton Hall Walsh Gymnasium 1939
St. Joseph's Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse 1949
Elon Alumni Gymnasium 1949
Oregon State Gill Coliseum 1950
Georgetown McDonough Gymnasium 1951
Rice Autry Court 1951
Idaho St. Reed Gym 1951
Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium 1952
 
 
 

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