Home  >  Archives


Georgetown Basketball: October 2000 News Archive

HOYA Columns On Midnight Madness 10/19/00

"It’s been said before, but I will say it again. Georgetown needs an on-campus basketball arena. I know it, the university knows it and Head Coach Craig Esherick knows it."

So says columnist Mike Hume. Here's the link to his HOYA column following Midnight Madness.

Sean Gormley's column in The HOYA reviews Midnight Madness and suggests a lineup of Braswell, Hunter, Boumtje-Boumtje, Scruggs, and a small forward (TBA) are the current leaders for starting positions as the season nears.

Mutombo Recovers From Malaria 10/18/00

Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo (SLL' 91) will be out of the lineup for 2-4 weeks after contracting malaria while visiting the Congo, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

"It's not life threatening; it's not career threatening," said Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. "It sounds terrible, but it's really like a bad case of the flu." Babcock also added that "we know that malaria is not contagious...and there is no concern that the malaria will recur or that it will have an effect on his ability to play once he returns."

Mourning Out For Season 10/17/00

Faced with an ongoing kidney ailment, Alonzo Mourning (C' 92) announced Monday he will not play this season in the NBA.

"I feel great right now. We've pretty much got a hold on it, the whole situation right now," Mourning said at a news conference. "The main objective is to get me healthy so I can live my life normally, so I can see my babies grow up, and so I can enjoy my family."

The doctor's report noted that Mourning's condition is actually more common that many people think, especially among younger African Americans.

Our prayers continue to be with Alonzo and his family for a full recovery.

Kenny Brunner, Three Years Later 10/16/00

Nearly three years after leaving Georgetown, Kenny Brunner's basketball odyssey continues. The Atlanta Journal Constitution features an interview with Brunner and his thoughts following being rejected for admission to the University of Georgia this fall.

Kenny Brunner, Three Years Later 10/16/00

Congratulations to Hoya Blue for a big success at this weekend's Midnight Madness, held before 2,500 at McDonough Gymnasium this weekend.

The event featured the entire men's team, save for the three walk-ons who were en route to the Georgetown football game the following day versus Duquesne. The two hour event featured student contests, performances by the band, cheerleaders, dance and step teams, and a local DJ from WPGC-FM to raise the roof. The men's and women's teams each made brief appearances, highlighted by Dani Illic defeating Kevin Braswell in a three point shooting contest between the two teams.

Coach Esherick announced that a basketball autographed by the team will be awarded after each home game to the fan of the game. He opened the tradition by awarding a basketball to Ryan Dubose, chairman of Hoya Blue.

McDonough has a great legacy of basketball, even if today's freshmen class was not even born when the Hoyas last played a full season there (1980-81). The non-conference games this December will begin to bring back the on-campus spirit of Hoya basketball, now and for the future.

Mourning Sidelined 10/16/00

Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning (C '92) will hold a press conference Monday to discuss the prognosis of a kidney ailment discovered after the Olympic Games two weeks ago.

The Washington Post reports that a source says Mourning has a "serious" kidney disease, while the Miami Herald reports in Wednesday's editions that Mourning may suffer from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare disorder that is neither career threatening nor life threatening.

"In another couple days, he'll be very thorough in what they're doing and he'll be very comfortable in making an announcement..." Miami Heat coach Pat Riley said in this link to the New York Post. "Don't try to stretch it and make it more than what it is right now."

Dr. David Roth, chief of the division of nephrology at the University of Miami, told the Miami Herald that "It's a loss of the normal architecture in the kidney tissue, a silent disease. You don't feel it, and may not know you have it." Dr. Roth added that if initial treatment is not successful, "a substantial number of people with the condition go on to develop kidney failure and are candidates for transplant or dialysis."

According to Tuesday's Palm Beach Post, Mourning's foster mother told the paper that Mourning disclosed that the ailment might require a transplant.

Mourning did not disclose further details to her on the condition. "He just said, 'Oh, it is bad, Mom. It is bad,' " she told the paper.

"We just hope he gets healthy soon," forward Dan Majerle told the Herald. "Everybody's prayers are with Zo."

Walk-On Featured 10/7/00

The HOYA has an extensive feature on senior WR Gharun Hester.

“Gharun is the only I-A scholarship [caliber] player playing I-AA non-scholarship football," said football coach Bob Benson. "He is undoubtedly one of the reasons Georgetown is moving on to the Patriot League. He is a classy individual, a wonderful human being.”

Recommended reading.

Pre-Season Picks 10/7/00

The pre-season picks continue to arrive. Previously announced on its web site , The Sporting News has issued its basketball annual, picking Georgetown #30 and predicting an NCAA finish. Another preview can be found at HoopsTV and their preview of the 2000-01 Hoyas.

And although its preview is still a few weeks away, The HOYA's Sean Gormley has a column in Tuesday's edition with his outlook on the 2000-01 Hoyas.

More NBA Notes: White Looks Forward To Upcoming Season 10/5/00

Around the NBA, the Washington Post talks with Washington Wizards center Jahidi White, who signed a new contract with the club over the summer and is expected to start for the Wizards this year.

"I know I have so much more to learn, and that I have so much more potential to fulfill," said White. "I'm really focused on playing my role according to [coach Leonard Hamilton's] game plan. My natural game is being physical, doing the dirty work and build my game from there."

Iverson Album Causes Controversy 10/4/00

Allen Iverson's new hardcore rap album is getting plenty of media attention, but the Washington Post's Michael Wilbon has a pointed column suggesting if Iverson's tough-guy attitude is wearing thin with fans who have not seen his on-court leadership grow with his off-court celebrity.

John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News takes another view. "For those who keep saying he just needs to grow up, here's a secret: He is grown up. Allen Iverson is who he is. It's who he choses to be. It's who he was yesterday. It's probably who he's going to be tomorrow. The day after that, who knows?"

On Thursday, Iverson apologized for lyrics on the album, and Sixers owner Pat Croce says he has no plans to suspend Iverson for the content of the album.

"I've told you I don't condone the lyrics. I'm not qualified to evaluate the lyrics," Croce said. "I don't know if what John Rocker did was different but in no way am I going to suspend Allen Iverson."

Watkins Signs With NBA's Bucks 10/2/00

Former Georgetown center Jameel Watkins has been signed as a free agent by the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Watkins is among 17 players seeking one of the 12 available positions.

 

HoyaSaxa.com: The One-Stop Web Site For Hoya Basketball™
An independent web site not affiliated with Georgetown University. All rights reserved.