- NCAA Reforms
- Search Process Detailed
- Assistant Coaching Changes
- HOYA Commentaries On Coaching Search
- Thompson Discusses Timetable
- The Next Generation
- Thompson Selected As Coach
- Hoop Club Banquet Recap
- Capital Classic Recap
- Paul Tagliabue Feature
- Assistant Coaches Checking Options
- Possible Change For Rainbow Classic
- Brunson Awaits WNBA Draft Day
- GW Students: We Want Georgetown
- Baylor's Thomas To Go Pro
- Aboya Decommits From GU Verbal
- Post Weighs In On Search
- The Three Year Plan
- Kanach To Randolph-Macon
- NY Daily News On Coaching Search
| NCAA Reforms | 4/30/04 |
A major set of NCAA reforms passed Thursday, the cornerstone being a link between academic progress and NCAA participation.
Two metrics, the "Academic Progress Rate" (APR) and "Graduation Success Rate" (GSR) will now measure student performance and could be used to reduce scholarships or restrict post season participation for repeat offenders.
"With these proposals, institutions, teams and coaches will know exactly what they need to accomplish to ensure their student-athletes are progressing in a timely fashion toward completing a degree. If they do not meet the requirements, they will suffer consequences," said Robert Hemenway, chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and chancellor of the University of Kansas, in the link above.
Another change: the end of the so-called "5/8" rule, limiting teams to no more than five recruits in a year or eight recruits in two. Teams may not recruit as many as needed, but under the caveat that players who drop out of school or transfer put the school in peril per the NCAA guidelines above. If s student leaves school in poor academic standing, schools could lose that scholarship for one year as early as the 2005-06 season.
Also out: exhibition games against foreign squads and non-collegiate teams. The non-collegiate issue was prominent last year when Connecticut scheduled an exhibition game against an AAU team called the Beltway Ballerz, which was the club team for one of its leading recruits.
Here is a sample of articles on the subject:
| Search Process Detailed | 4/29/04 |
A link to GUHoyas.com details the process undertaken in the search that led to selecting John Thompson III as Georgetown's new head coach. Recommended reading.
| Assistant Coaching Changes | 4/28/04 |
A couple of assistant coaching items in the news this week.
A reader points out that the roster page at GUHoyas.com has replaced the previous listing of Georgetown assistants, and now lists Princeton assistant Rob Burke, but there has been no press release to that effect.
A press release has been issued at Wake Forest, however, where Georgetown women's assistant Natasha Adair will be leaving Georgetown to join head coach Mike Peterson's staff. Adair had coached at Georgetown since 1998.
| HOYA Commentaries On Coaching Search | 4/23/04 |
The HOYA has a pair of interesting columns in its April 23 issue.
Alumnus David Kopech has a commentary in Friday's HOYA expressing the need for fans to have faith in Coach Thompson.
"You are to be commended, Little John, for taking the risk and believing in Georgetown. We are Georgetown and so are you," said Kopech. "Welcome to the family."
The newspaper's staff editorial also sends a hopeful tone.
"We believe that Thompson III, by utilizing the tools he currently possesses, will be able to rebuild school spirit, broaden the base of support for the program, and build team morale — all recently lacking factors necessary to the continued success of the program," said the editorial. "It will, however, take time for Thompson III to craft his team into a consistently winning and well-performing team. But we, as fans and members of the Georgetown community, must be willing to give him the time and resources necessary to create a lasting program at Georgetown. "
| Thompson Discusses Timetable | 4/23/04 |
Coach John Thompson is looking for "steady improvement" with his Georgetown team, as the coach sat down for an interview with the Princeton Packet.
"I sat down right away with the team," Thompson said. "I outlined my thoughts and feelings and what I'm going to demand. First thing (Wednesday) morning we had a set of workouts so they could start getting used to hearing and being coached and taught by me. We have a good group of guys. We just have to all get better."
Thompson also discussed the negative factors used against Georgetown in recruiting, including the lack of campus facilities.
"A lot of those are accurate," Thompson said. "We don't have an on-campus athletic facility. Every job has positives and negatives...When you take a job, you know what you have to overcome."
| The Next Generation | 4/22/04 |
Articles from the Washington Times and ESPN.com examine the difficulties of a second generation coach living up to the expectations level set by his father's coaching legacy.
In recent years, head coaches Joey Meyer, Scott Drew, and Murry Bartow also coached at the same school where their father did. "It was real hard for me," Meyer told the Times, but noted that "I think my situation was different from the Thompson situation because there was a body of work in between, and that makes it a lot easier. But he will still be in [his father's] shadow."
| Thompson Selected As Coach | 4/21/04 |
John Thompson III was named as the 17th men's basketball coach of Georgetown University Tuesday, ending 34 days of secrecy regarding the future course of the program.
"He has a demonstrated record of success as a head coach and is committed to the values that have defined our tradition for a long time,” said University president Jack DeGioia (C'79) at a Riggs Library press conference.
"I grew up on this campus, I grew up in McDonough Gym, It's a part of who I am in as much as Princeton is,” Thompson said. But growing up … [there] was a chant that was, ‘We are Georgetown', and when you say that, it's the institution, it's the administration, it's the community, it's Washington, D.C., it's the other teams, the other members of the athletic department, it's our program.
"And that's what we have, a program, not a team. We are Georgetown. And a few people have forgotten that we're Georgetown, and we're going to work our tails off to remind them.”
Full coverage follows from The HOYA and the following links.
History: Georgetown Coaches Since 1907
| Hoop Club Banquet Recap | 4/20/04 |
A release at GUHoyas.com recaps the Hoya Hoop Club awards banquet on Friday. Award winners included the following:
Francis Daly Memorial Award (Most Valuable Player): Gerald Riley
Most Outstanding Player: Brandon Bowman
Raymond Medley Award: Courtland Freeman
Mary Fenlon Scholar-Athlete Award: Omari Faulkner
Captain's Award: Courtland Freeman
Manager of the Year: Justin Zormelo
| Capital Classic Recap | Updated 4/20/04 |
Two Georgetown recruits were in action Saturday at the Capital Classic at the University of Maryland.
Jeff Green scored 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the opening game of the doubleheader. Fellow recruit Roy Hibbert also saw action in the game.
Do the recruits have any inside word on the coaching search?
"I don't have any idea," Hibbert said. "I'm just waiting to find out like everyone else," Green told the Washington Times.
Additional comments from players follow in this link to The HOYA.
| Paul Tagliabue Feature | 4/19/04 |
By any measurement, the last 15 years of the National Football League has become the most profitable organization in pro sports history, much of it due to the efforts of Georgetown alumnus Paul Tagliabue (C'62).
A feature story on Tagliabue's efforts in strengthening the league is found in this link from NFL.com.
You can look at [former commissioner Pete Rozelle] as a public relations man and look at me as a lawyer," Tagliabue said. "But we share two attributes: We both love sports, and we realized that the team is more important than the individual. It's more about 'we' than it is about 'I.' "
| Assistant Coaches Checking Options | 4/16/04 |
Georgetown assistant coach Chuck Driesell has inquired about the coaching opening at Towson, reports the Baltimore Sun.
"I've been a head coach for six years, recruited all over the Baltimore area and had one year's experience in the Big East since I last applied for the job [in 1997]," Driesell told the Sun.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Jaren Jackson (B'89) still wants to remain at Georgetown.
"I would want to be part of this program, whoever comes in,” Jackson told The HOYA. “I've been with Georgetown for a long time, and I feel like my day is going to come when I become a coach.”
| Possible Change For Rainbow Classic | 4/16/04 |
A possible schedule change looms for Georgetown, as the directors of the Rainbow Classic are looking to change the dates of the December tournament.
The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the series may be moved up to December 20 to avoid scheduling problems with the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl.
The tournament features Alabama-Birmingham, Clemson, Georgetown, Hawaii, Indiana State, Long Beach State, LSU and Southern California.
| Brunson Awaits WNBA Draft Day | 4/15/04 |
It's a big weekend for all-American Rebekkah Brunson, as the Georgetown senior hopes to become the first Hoya chosen in the first round of the WNBA Draft, held this weekend in New York. A review of Brunson's numerous accomplishments over her Georgetown career can be found in this link to GUHoyas.com.
Brunson's player profile can be found on the WNBA web site. In addition, Brunson participated in a recent Q&A session posted at WNBA.com and will be at the draft as a potential first round selection.
| New Crew Web Site | 4/15/04 |
A new web site has been launched to support Georgetown athletics--visit the Georgetown Rowing Association site at www.georgetowncrew.org for full details on the men's and women's programs.
| GW Students: We Want Georgetown | 4/15/04 |
The student government at George Washington University is considering a resolution to get Georgetown and GW back together on the basketball court, according to this link cited at the GWHoops.com message board.
"Therefore be it resolved," notes the proposed resolution, "that the Student Association requests that the University schedule games against more Washington teams, especially Georgetown University. It is recommended that the possibility of a tournament be looked into between the four Washington teams to determine the best team in the city."
Georgetown and George Washington, located 1.5 miles apart, have played 95 times since February 1907, but not since December 1981.
| Baylor's Thomas To Go Pro | 4/9/04 |
A name from Georgetown's past is in the news, as Harvey Thomas has announced he will leave Baylor to pursue a pro career.
"I sat down with my family and discussed a lot of things about the future and came to the conclusion that going pro this year was the best option for me and my family," Thomas said in the release.
Thomas transferred from Georgetown after the 2001-02 season to Daytona Beach CC, then transferred soon thereafter to Northeast Oklahoma A&M in 2002-03. Arriving at Baylor in the spring of 2003, Thomas played in 21 games for the Bears and received third team all-conference honors.
| Aboya Decommits From GU Verbal | 4/8/04 |
The recruiting web site Insiders.com is reporting that high school junior Alfred Aboya has reopened his recruitment in the wake of the Georgetown coaching vacancy.
Aboya, a native of Cameroon playing in Tilton, NH, verbally committed to the Hoyas last month prior to the coaching change.
And no change on the coaching search, at least from John Thompson III's perspective. "Nothing has changed since the last time we spoke," the Princeton head coach told the Trenton Times, referring to Tuesday's article cited below.
| Post Weighs In On Search | 4/8/04 |
After a relative three weeks of calm, the Washington Post weighs in on the coaching search, citing "sources" who say Georgetown has interest in Princeton coach John Thompson III to replace Craig Esherick.
Thompson, who has been associated with Princeton for 20 years as a student and coach, is 68-42 in four years at Princeton. Princeton has not announced permission for Georgetown to interview candidates.
| The Three Year Plan | 4/7/04 |
So how does Duke do it?
Many fans have asked about Duke's ability to graduate players within three years of eligibility, thus allowing a recruit make themselves available early for the NBA draft and still graduate. This link to the Duke Basketball Report (middle of page) helps explains the process.
Key points: players take four classes each summer, including four in the summer before the fall semester of freshman year. Duke requires only 34 courses for graduation, based on the four hour credit system; by contrast, Georgetown generally requires 40 courses for graduation, based on three hour credits.
| Kanach To Randolph-Macon | 3/4/04 |
The Hanover (VA) Herald-Progress is reporting that Georgetown senior associate athletic director Denis Kanach will be named athletic director at Randolph-Macon College at a Thursday press conference. An additional article is found in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
A 1969 graduate of Manhattan College, Kanach has served at Georgetown for 30 years in various roles including associate track and field coach, the director of the Yates Field House, and the chief operating officer of the athletic department. He has been a key contact in navigating the labyrinth of University and District red tape to move the boathouse and Multi-Sport facility projects forward, and was directly involved with the football program's move to the Patriot League in 2001.
"It is important to understand the competitiveness of an athletic program within the context of the educational mission of the college," said Kanach in a R-MC release. "It is my hope to be able to challenge our students outside the classroom, the same way they are challenged inside the classroom and to be as good as they can be."
| NY Daily News On Coaching Search | 4/6/04 |
The Georgetown coaching search continues behind the scenes, quietly. The guessing game is out there, though.
The search is mentioned in this link to the New York Daily News, though columnist Dick Weiss actually cites "Hoop Scoop", a Louisville-based recruiting web site, for a "Georgetown wish list". Caveat emptor.
Bear in mind, however, that the Georgetown search committee numbers only two and neither is talking to the press. No interviews have been announced to date and no schools have announced permission for Georgetown to interview candidates from their schools.
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