Georgetown Basketball: 2003-04 News Archive
Last updated Janaury 5, 2004

• Georgetown 63, Rutgers 57
• Ross Out For Season
• December Schedule: Attendance Blues
• Thomas W. Matan (1939-2003)
• Georgetown 85, The Citadel 62
• Georgetown 89, Howard 58
• St. John's Fires Mike Jarvis
• St. Louis Announces New Arena
• Mourning Recovering from Transplant Surgery
• Georgetown 91, Elon 70
• Esherick: No More BC
• Georgetown 71, Davidson 53
• Georgetown 76, Norfolk State 53
• Georgetown vs. The MEAC
• Georgetown 63, Delaware State 54
• Driesell Featured In Times
• Victor Page Shot In Southeast DC
• Georgetown 81, Coastal Carolina 68
• St. John's To Renovate Alumni Hall
• Alonzo Mourning Retires From NBA
• Georgetown 79, Pennsylvania State 78
• Georgetown 83, Grambling State 36
• Washington Times Preview
• The State of Women's Basketball
• Ranking The (New) Big East
• Washington Post Preview
• Hoyas Heading West In 2004
• HOYA Basketball Preview Issue

Brandon Bowman scored 20 points as the Georgetown Hoyas held off Rutgers in its Big East opener, 63-57, before a season-high 8,194 at MCI Center.

Georgetown surprised the regional TV audience by roaring out of the blocks with a 23-4 run that gave the Hoyas an 18 point lead, 29-11. As Rutgers regrouped, the Hoyas' offensive options struggled with Gerald Riley on the bench with three fouls, and RU closed to 38-28 by halftime.

With starters Ricky Shields and Herve Lamizana each having season lows in shooting (shooting a combined 2 for 20), the Scarlet Knights relied on 26 points from reserve guards Quincy Douby and Calvin Wooten to bring them back. Rutgers closed to 52-47 with 7:57 to play on a Sean Axani basket, but the Hoyas answered to extend the lead to 57-47 with 6:40 left.

Courtland Freeman picked up his fourth foul with 5:18 to play, still up 57-47, forcing the Hoyas to focus almost exclusively on the outside shot. The outside shooting which had served the Hoyas well in the first half was gone by game's end, as the Hoyas managed only one field goal in the final 5:18 of play. For RU, Douby scored on three consecutive series to close the lead to 59-57 with 2:59 to play.

The teams traded the next five possessions without a score. Georgetown forced a held ball and a block on two of the Scarlet Knights' possession, but shot poorly and picked up an offensive foul with 1:20 to play. The Hoya defense gave the Scarlet Knights all sorts of trouble, and on its best chance at the lead, a long three by RU Marquis Webb sailed just wide, and Cook was fouled on the recovery. Although Cook shot poorly from the field (2-12), he hit both free throws to extend the lead to four and put the game out of reach. Rutgers followed with a long three which sailed short, and Brandon Bowman added two more free throws on the exchange.

The win was Craig Esherick's 100th as head coach.

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below.

          MIN  2FG    3FG   FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook       37   2-8   0-4   2-2   4   6   3    6
Bowman     36  5-12   2-3   4-6   9   2   0   20
Freeman    30  4-12   0-0   3-5   3   1   4   11
Owens      38   3-3   2-6   2-3   7   1   0   14
Riley      19   3-7   1-2   0-0   4   1   4    9
Reserves:
Reed       17   0-2   0-0   3-4   1   0   1    3
Causey     12   0-1   0-0   0-0   1   2   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw 11   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0   2    0
Team Rebounds                     8
TOTALS     200 17-45 5-15 14-20  38  13  15   63
DNP: Faulkner, Izzo, Beal, Dizdarevic
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 1.08 (13 A, 12 TO)

Post-game reports:

• GUHoyas.com
• Official RU Site
• Associated Press
• Bridgewater Courier News
• Newark Star Ledger
• Newark Star Ledger (2)
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

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):

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.)

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:

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).

"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.

• GUHoyas.com
• Official Citadel Athletics Site
• Backcountry Conservative: Game Photos
• Associated Press
• Charleston Post & Courier
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

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.

• GUHoyas.com (w/video clips)
• Official Howard Athletics Site
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

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 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.

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.

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.

• GUHoyas.com
• Official Elon Athletics Site
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

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.

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.

• GUHoyas.com
• Official Davidson Athletics Site
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

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.

• GUHoyas.com
• Associated Press
• Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
• Washington Post
• Washington Times
• Washington Times (2)

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 Times 41-1, neither of which were 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:

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.

Brandon Bowman scored a career high 30 points as the Georgetown Hoyas struggled past Delaware State, 63-54, before 5,003 at MCI Center Saturday.

The game started awkwardly for both teams. Even though it is in the midst of a six game road trip, DSU (0-2) failed to show up in its road uniforms. As a result, DSU wore home white and Georgetown settled for its "Carolina Blue" road jerseys. As such, DSU played like the home team for much of the first half, leading by as many as seven due to poor shooting by the Hoyas. Outside a 3-3 first half effort by Courtland Freeman, the rest of the team shot 2 for 11 at one point. A 9-0 run gave GU a brief lead at 25-23, but Del State scored on a late three to take back the lead at intermission, 26-25.

Georgetown gained back the lead early in the second half but found it hard to shake the Hornets. While Delaware State did its part, thanks to 27 turnovers, Georgetown's half-court execution suffered and its three point shooting (1 for 9) kept the score close. The Hornets were within six, 55-49, with 3:25 to play when Brandon Bowman sank a three pointer to give the Hoyas breathing room, and Bowman added free throws to help maintain the lead late. Bowman narrowly missed a school record for free throw shooting--after hitting his first 11, he missed his 12th in the final two minutes. A 12 for 12 effort would have eclipsed an 11-11 free throw mark set by Eric Floyd 23 years ago.

Bowman led all scorers with 30, with 20 in the second half and 16 of the Hoyas' final 28 points. Courtland Freeman added 13 and Gerald Riley 11. The most troubling statistic, as noted to the right, is rebounding. The fact that Delaware State, a team ranked 241st of 325 Division I teams in rebound margin in 2002-03, was able to out muscle the Hoyas on its home court does not bode well for future Big East games where inside play will be crucial.

Another worrisome statistic? Bench scoring--only one field goal in 27 minutes from the bench.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook        35  1-3  0-3    0-0   3  3   1    2
Bowman      37  8-13 1-2    11-12 4  1   4   30
Owens       35  2-3  0-0    0-0   3  3   2    4
Riley       38  3-9  0-2    5-6   3  0   2   11
Freeman     28  5-8  0-0    3-6   6  0   3   13
Reserves:
Reed        13  1-3  0-1    1-2   0  1   1    3
Causey       2  0-1  0-0    0-0   0  0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw   3  0-1  0-0    0-0   1  0   0    0
Dizdarevic   9  0-0  0-1    0-0   0  0   2    0
Team Rebounds                     2 
Totals     200 20-41 1-9   20-26 22  8  15   63
DNP: Faulkner, Izzo, Ross, Beal
Assist to Turnover Ratio: 0.67: 8 ast, 12 to

Post-game reports follow below.

• GUHoyas.com
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• Washington Times
• Wilmington News Journal

On the eve of Saturday's game with Delaware State, assistant coach Chuck Driesell was featured in this link to the Washington Times.

The Times asked former Maryland coach Charles [Lefty] Driesell about the idea of a Driesell coaching at Georgetown.

"I think it's great," Lefty said. "Georgetown is one of the top academic schools, it has a great basketball tradition and it's in a wonderful location. It's a great opportunity for Chuck."

No additional word has been posted in the media on the condition of former All-American guard Victor Page (ex'99), who was listed in critical condition Wednesday after being shot in an apparent drive-by shooting in southeast Washington.

According to media reports posted below, Page was shot three times on Tuesday while sitting in a car in the 2600 block of Birney Place, S.E., near the intersection of Interstate 295 and the Suitland Parkway, in the Barry Farms neighborhood of southeast Washington. He was transported by Medivac helicopter to Washington Hospital Center. Police have no suspects announced to date. A photo published on the WRC-TV web site shows multiple shots fired into the car.

Page left Georgetown after his sophomore season to pursue the NBA, but was not drafted. He spent four years in the CBA and most recently has been a member of a traveling exhibition team known as the DC Legends.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Page and his family at this time.

News links are provided below:

• Washington Post
• Washington Times

The Pre-Game Report for Coastal Carolina warned Hoya fans that there were some land mines on this schedule...and Georgetown may have just steered past one.

An 11-0 run in the last five minutes turned a one point lead into a lead the Hoyas would not relinquish, via a 81-68 win over Coastal Carolina Tuesday before 4,189 at MCI Center.

Whether a result of fatigue (its third game in five days), focus, or a veteran CCU squad, Georgetown appeared sluggish throughout much of the game. The Hoyas missed 12 of its first 17 shots as Coastal (1-2) took an early 14-12 lead. Georgetown led by as many as five in the half, but settled for a 33-30 lead at intermission.

Georgetown opened early in the half with a 15-4 run that built a 12 point lead, but the Chanticleers weren't going away so quickly. The Chanticleers fought back on a 16-5 run of its own to close the lead to 53-52, and was within one at 60-59 with 4:52 left.

The Hoyas took control thanks to guard Ashanti Cook. Cook's bucket and a foul shot increased the lead to 63-59, and added another two and a foul a minute and a half later to increase the lead to 70-59. Georgetown connected on eight of nine free throws down the stretch to cement the win.

The Hoyas featured balanced scoring, with four players in double figures, including freshman Ray Reed, with his second straight game in double figures off the bench. Georgetown shot 41% for the game, but only 3-14 from three point range. For the game, GU was 28-35 from the line compared to only 7 of 11 from the line for Coastal.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook        36  4-10  0-2   4-4   6  3   0   16
Bowman      27   2-8  0-3   4-6   3  3   2    8
Freeman     29   4-7  0-0   1-4   6  0   1    9
Riley       24   6-12 0-3   4-4   6  3   4   16
Owens       32   2-6  2-4   3-4  10  3   4   13
Reserves:
Reed        21   2-3  0-1  10-11  4  1   0   14
Causey       8   0-1  0-0   2-2   1  0   0    2
Kilk.-Diaw   1   0-0  0-0   0-0   0  0   0    0
Dizdarevic   4   0-0  1-1   0-0   3  0   1    3
DNP: Faulkner, Izzo, Ross, Beal
TOTALS     200 20-45 3-14 28-35  39 13  12   81

Post-game reports:

• GUHoyas.com
• Coastal Carolina Athletics Site
• Myrtle Beach Sun News
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

The New York Post is reporting in Wednesday's editions that St. John's University will announce a major renovation to Alumni Hall, its on-campus gym, to make it competitive with on-campus facilities at other Big East schools.

Sources tell the Post that the upgrades will provide not only renovated home court seating, but practice courts, locker rooms, offices, and a weight training facility. "It is considered to be the most ambitious undertaking by a university that does not play Division I-A football since Connecticut built Gampel Pavilion in 1990," writes the Post.

St. John's coach Mike Jarvis has publicly prodded the school to get moving on improvements, saying that St. John's is struggling to remain competitive with recruits and other Big East schools due to its facilities. The Red Storm are 0-2 to date this year with losses to Marquette and Fairfield.

Alumni Hall was built in 1961 and lists an capacity of 6,008 seats. By contrast, Georgetown's McDonough Gym was built in 1951 and now seats only 2,200, the smallest capacity of any conference basketball facility.

"We talk so glibly about athletes who leave it all on the field; who sacrifice blood, sweat and tears; who give that admirable, if hyperbolic, 110 percent, that, when we finally meet a man who has actually given the last drop of his talent and will to a game, we have no words to describe what he’s done. So let a name stand for the idea. And in the future, when someone asks what it means to really give everything, tell them “Alonzo Mourning.” That will say it all."--Mike Celizic, MSNBC.com

The NBA career of Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (C'92) ended abruptly Monday when it was announced that Mourning's ongoing kidney illness has forced his retirement from the game.

"It is with great sadness that I make this announcement,” said New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn in an official release. “Alonzo is a true champion and a very courageous athlete who attempted to defy the odds with his comeback to the NBA. Unfortunately, his medical condition will not allow him to continue his basketball career. Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he continues his fight against this disease.”

"In recent weeks, his kidney function has rapidly deteriorated. I, in consultation with team physicians, have concluded that it is no longer medically safe for him to play basketball," said Columbia University specialist Dr. Gerald Appel. "Alonzo will need a kidney transplant in the near future to correct his progressive renal failure, and a nationwide search is currently underway to find a prospective donor," said Dr. Appel.

"I spoke with Alonzo last night regarding his situation," said Patrick Ewing (C'85) in this link to CBS Sportsline.com. "I feel for him and his family during what is a very difficult time for them. Alonzo has always been a strong person and I know he will find a way to overcome this setback. What is important now is that Alonzo focus his energies on getting healthy and living the rest of his life."

Mourning was diagnosed with a kidney disorder following the 2000 Olympics, where he helped lead the United States to a gold medal. He was sidelined during the 2002-03 season in an attempt to heal his kidneys and to make one more run at an NBA title, this time with the New Jersey Nets.

A 1992 Georgetown graduate, Mourning ranks fourth all-time in scoring and third all-time in rebounding at Georgetown, where he earned two years of All-America honors. In the NBA, his accomplishments speak loudly: seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and two time winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, among many accomplishments.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Alonzo and his family for a successful transplant and a healthy recovery to follow.

A sample of news links follows below:

Somewhere, Paul Robinson and Ron Lyons are smiling.

On Feb. 5, 1972, a full court pass that sailed past these two Hoya forwards allowed Penn State an improbable last-second victory, 63-62, sending the 71-72 Hoyas to its 15th loss in 17 games. A generation later, Georgetown returned the favor with a stunning finish of its own, defeating Penn State 79-78 before 8,874 at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA.

Things started poorly for the Hoyas. Georgetown missed 12 of its first 14 shots as the Lions (7-21 in 2002-03) jumped out to a 13-0 lead. With five three pointers in the first half and a considerable edge on the boards (Penn State outrebounded the Hoyas 23-17), the Nittany Lions held a surprising nine point lead at the half, 42-33, in the debut of new coach Ed DeChellis.

The second half showed considerable improvement for the Hoyas. Georgetown opened the half with a 13-4 run, and a Brandon Bowman three pointer tied the score at 46-all with 16:44 to play. Penn State took back the lead thereafter, but Georgetown stayed close and took its first lead on a Bowman free throw with 7:22 left, 62-61.

With the Hoyas leading 68-67 with 3:22 to play, center Courtland Freeman picked up his fifth foul and the Hoyas went to a smaller lineup. Penn State's 6-11 center Jan Jagla went to work, scoring six straight points to give Penn State a 73-70 lead with 1:19 to play. Ashanti Cook answered with a basket, 73-72, but then fouled forward Ndu Egekeze for a big three point play, 76-72.

Hoya fans know all too well this team's propensity for last minute misfortune....but maybe not this time. Cook answered with a three pointer of his own seven seconds later, 76-75, and after PSU's Marlon Smith made one of two free throws, Darrel Owens tied the score at 77-all 11.2 seconds to go.

But on Penn State's next possession, Gerald Riley was called for a blocking foul on PSU's Brandon Cameron as he was driving to the basket with only 2.2 seconds to play. Another collective groan rose from Hoya fans everywhere.

Cameron missed the first free throw, but made the second, 78-77. On the Hoyas' final hope, Brandon Bowman rolled the ball towards Ashanti Cook to save time before the clock started. Seeing this, Cameron dove for the ball and collided with Ashanti Cook with 1.1 seconds left, and a foul was called. Cook calmly made both free throws, and Penn State's final shot was deflected and fell short, 79-78.

Brandon Bowman scored 19 points, 17 in the second half. Bowman's effort was especially critical due to a prolonged shooting slump by Gerald Riley, who missed 10 of his first 11 shots and ended up 3 for 14. Freshman Ray Reed scored 10 points in the first half which helped keep the Hoyas close, while for the game Cook scored 17 and Owens 10. After a 30% shooting effort in the first half, Georgetown recovered to shoot 56% in the second half, 5 of 10 from three point range, and committed only four second half turnovers.

For its part, Penn State struggled in the second half through 13 second half turnovers and 20 overall. The Nittany Lions made 20 of 28 free throws but missed two in the final 23 seconds. For Penn State, Jagla finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Egekeze with 13 points and six rebounds. The Hoyas were outrebounded 39-30, which will be a statistic to follow throughout much of the season due to Georgetown's smaller lineups.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of the way our guys came back, Coach Esherick told the Associated Press. "I'm not sure we would've won that game last year."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook        36   3-6  2-4   5-8   2  4   2   17
Bowman      27   5-8  2-4   3-5   7  1   4   19
Owens       32   1-4  2-4   2-4   6  4   0   10
Riley       24   3-9  0-5   6-6   3  1   4   12
Freeman     23   4-7  0-0   1-1   5  0   5    9
Reserves:
Reed        18   0-3  2-2   4-4   1  1   3   10
Causey       7   1-1  0-0   0-0   1  1   1    2
Kilk.-Diaw  10   0-0  0-0   0-0   1  1   3    0
Dizdarevic  13   0-2  0-0   0-0   2  0   1    0
DNP: Faulkner, Izzo, Ross, Beal
TOTALS     200 17-40 8-19 21-28  28 13  23   79

Post-game reports:

• GUHoyas.com
• Penn State Athletics Site
• Penn State Hoops.com
• Penn State Daily Collegian
• Associated Press
• Blue White Illustrated
• Centre Daily Times
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

With its "fun and gun" look in full swing, the Georgetown Hoyas walked over Grambling State in the 2003 season opener, 83-36 at MCI Center Friday.

Georgetown roared out from the start, scoring the first 20 points of the game. Gerald Riley led the charge with 5 for 5 from three point range, and finished with 21 first half points. Grambling never got closer than 14 at 22-8, then stumbled again as the Hoyas picked up the pace. The Hoyas went on a 17-2 run to increase the lead to 45-10, and a Ray Reed jumper at the buzzer closed the half at 58-16.

The second period settled in at a 40-point lead, give or take a possession, for much of the half. Georgetown slowed the tempo and Grambling improved upon its 5-30 first half shooting. The half allowed the Georgetown coaching staff to try a number of variations which what expects to be a nine-man rotation this season: starters Cook, Owens, Riley, Bowman, and Freeman, plus reserves Dizdarevic, Causey, Reed, and Kilkenny-Diaw.

Riley led all scorers with 24, with 21 coming in the first half. Brion Rush led the Tigers with 14 points.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Cook        26   0-2  0-2   4-4   3  5   0    4
Bowman      28   4-7  1-2   1-2   8  2   3   12
Owens       32   3-4  1-1   1-2   8  3   1   10
Riley       24   3-7  5-5   3-4   6  1   2   24
Freeman     17   3-5  0-0   2-3   2  1   0    8
Reserves:
Faulkner     7   0-0  0-0   0-0   1  0   0    0
Reed        21   3-5  0-2   1-4   3  1   2    7
Causey      19   0-1  0-1   4-4   1  2   2    4
Beal         2   0-0  0-0   0-2   0  0   0    0
Kilk.-Diaw  12   3-4  0-0   0-0   0  0   2    6
Dizdarevic  12   1-1  0-1   6-8   5  0   0    8
DNP: Ross, Izzo 
TOTALS     200 20-36 7-14 22-33  37 15  12   83

Post-game reports:

• GUHoyas.com
• Shreveport Times
• Washington Post
• Washington Times

Thursday's Washington Times has posted its college basketball preview. As of Thursday morning, the sole article posted online was this feature on the Big East.

Thursday's Washington Post talks to area coaches about the lack of national presence for the area's top Division I women's programs when compared to teams like Tennessee and Connecticut.

"Kids do look at the size of a locker room, the newness of an arena," said Georgetown coach Pat Knapp. "We tell kids right off the bat, this is where we are going to play. If you want a 10,000-seat arena...we don't have it."

"I'm not going to sit here and say to you that we compare with Tennessee, UConn, or the commitments that some other programs have made, because we don't," Knapp said. "But we're getting where we're getting. We want to take a couple more steps. We're never giving up on that."

In a related women's basketball note, the University of Connecticut announced it will offer live streaming video of 18 women's games to fans across the Internet.

At the onset of the 2003-04 season, there are a lot of questions on where the Georgetown team stands in the conference, and where it will stand relative to the arrival of five new schools in 2005.

From some basic statistical categories to rank the various Big East teams, this site compiled a ranking of the programs based on ten factors, with a weighted average to produce a list of the programs on ten criteria:

1. Conference wins
2. RPI ratings
3. Number of weeks in AP poll
4. Post season performance
5. Wins in the conference tournament
6. Average home attendance
7. Number of national TV appearances
8. Number of Top 100 recruits
9. Number of alumni in NBA
10. Annual revenues attributed to men's basketball

As the Big East approaches expansion, there's some real work ahead for schools like Georgetown to compete in what promises to be the nation's most closely watched basketball conference. And some of that work starts Friday.

Tuesday's Washington Post has posted preview articles on the Hoyas and the 2003-04 Big East:

• Georgetown Preview
• Big East Feature
• Big East Notebook

Georgetown will be among an eight team field in the 2004 Rainbow Classic, per a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

In an upgrade from the 2003 classic field (American, Bowling Green, East Tennessee State, Fairfield, Hawaii, IUPU-Indianapolis, Lamar, and Pepperdine), host school Hawaii will welcome Georgetown, UAB, Clemson, LSU, Southern California, Indiana State, and Long Beach State for the 2004 event.

The annual basketball preview of The HOYA has been posted at its web site. Fans can review any of 17 articles on the 2003-04 men's and women's teams.

Basketball preview issues for The HOYA date back to the early 1950's. The paper has annually published a special section for basketball in all but one year since 1981.