March 23, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown, Sean Gregory
box score
audio - coach john thompson, jeff green, jonathan wallace & dajuan summers
audio - roy hibbert : audio - jonathan wallace
audio - coach john thompson (second interview)
Trailing by one point against Vanderbilt with seventeen seconds to play, Coach John Thompson went into the playbook and came up with a scheme that had worked before in a similar situation.
The play is called "Center/Forward."
Princeton ran it to knock off UCLA in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
Last night Georgetown used it to defeat Vanderbilt 66-65 and advance to the NCAA East Regional Final on Sunday.
The Hoyas had executed the play out of a time out at the end of the first half and would have had an easy basket for Patrick Ewing Jr. if Ewing did not slip on the hardwood while driving to the iron.
It was Jeff Green, not Steve Goodrich, getting the ball on the right elbow with nine seconds left.
It was Patrick Ewing Jr,, not Gabe Lewullis, slashing to the basket before moving out on the arc, instructed by his coach to camp in the corner instead of cutting a second time on the baseline.
When Green could not find space to hit Ewing with a bounce pass, it was time to turn and go.
Green split a double team of oncoming Commodores and exploded above both men to kiss a shot high off the glass for the winning basket with two seconds remaining. Despite having two time outs in their pocket Vanderbilt rushed the ball inbounds and a desperation heave never made it to the rim.
The Hoyas poured onto the court, but it was Coach Thompson walking to the sidelines after doing an interview with CBS Sports to kiss his wife and wish his oldest daughter Morgan a happy ninth birthday.
I spent the game sitting next to former Princeton basketball player and current Time Magazine writer Sean “Bones” Gregory ‘98. When Georgetown called time down 65-64, Gregory turned to me and said with a knowing grin - “Center/Forward.”
After the game, as Gregory and I caught up with Coach Thompson for a brief interview in the hallway outside of the Georgetown locker room, his first words to us were: “Bones, didn’t you think Center/Forward was going to work?”
Did 1996 have something to do with this call? “If you want me to say that, I’ll say it for you” Thompson responded slyly.
See the highlights on YouTube: Select plays. Green's final basket.
March 23, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown, Princeton
There's a lot of rumor and speculation being tossed around about the open head coaching job at Princeton, but this early in the search for Joe Scott's replacement there is not an equal amount of concrete information.
The best I can offer up is a few lines from the transcript of yesterday's Georgetown interviews at the Meadowlands:
Q: The Princeton job just came open. Your assistant Sydney Johnson has been talked about as a candidate. Talk about is he ready for a Division I coaching job?
Coach John Thompson III: Who has talked about him being a candidate for that job?
Q: Published reports last couple of days in the wake of Joe going to Denver?
Coach John Thompson III: Has Gary [Walters] said it?
Q: Gary has not said it.
Coach John Thompson III: You know, all of my staff, my entire staff, I think one day they will all be very good head coaches. Obviously Sydney at Princeton is home for him, and one day sooner or later he's going to be a very good coach. Whether it's there or somewhere else, time will tell.
March 11, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown
Small moments, in nonsequential order, collected over three days and nights at Madison Square Garden:
-Coach Thompson walking down the line and giving a fist pound to every one of his players, the student managers and even the Georgetown mascot before the playing of the national anthem.
-The drunk Georgetown fan in the Jeff Green jersey who was whisked past me by security for trying to run on the court immediately after the Hoyas won the Big East Tournament championship.
-This same fan showing up in my life a second time an hour later, surprised to discover shortly after being released that the same man who arrested him was in his train car as both made their way back to New Jersey.
-The drunk fan's friend trying to buy my media credential, thinking it would get him in to the NCAA Tournament.
-A sign that read "Roy Hibbert got my cat out of a tree."
-Jonathan Wallace's head shake of bemusement after banking in his first three point shot on Saturday.
-Villanova booing the Georgetown's commercial and Georgetown booing Villanova's commercial when each played on the jumbotron during a media time out.
-Waiting three days for anyone to sit in the two press row seats next to mine reserved for the NY Times style section. Is Paul Lukas branching out?
-A sign that read "Only one man can stop Jeff Green...and Levon Kendall is not Jack Bauer."
-Spotting three different former Princeton players in the stands behind the Georgetown basket.
-Celtics coach and former New York Knick Doc Rivers trying to talk his way past two MSG security guards to use the media bathroom, eventually explaining that the reason he knew the guard who sent him their way in the first place was because he used to play basketball in the building.
March 11, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown
East region - Thursday in Winston Salem, NC
(15) Belmont vs. (2) Georgetown - 2:55 pm ET
South region - Thursday in Lexington, KY
(14) Penn vs. (3) Texas A&M - 3:10 pm ET
Full bracket here.
March 11, 2007 at 12:08 am
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
box score
audio - coach john thompson, jeff green & roy hibbert
audio - coach john thompson (second interview)
The only other time Georgetown coach John Thompson III had the good fortune to cut down the nets after a championship victory, he did not get to take the net home with him. It was 2001 and his Princeton team had defeated Penn by 17 points at Jadwin Gym to secure the first Ivy League title of Thompson's coaching career.
"His" net ended up locked behind glass in the lobby of Princeton's Jadwin Gym.
This time, Coach Thompson wasn't going to let the net get away from him.
He gave it to his wife for safekeeping.
Mixing efficient offense with smothering, constantly switching defense, Georgetown defeated Pittsburgh 65-42 to win the 2007 Big East Tournament championship game. Pittsburgh's 42 points were the lowest total in championship game history. Their 26.2% shooting percentage was also the lowest number in the history of this tournament's final.
According to another member of Coach Thompson's family - his father John - a good memory is shared with a hug.
There were a lot of good memories for Hoya fans late Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, but the best may have come with 1:28 left in regulation. The championship was far decided, the Hoyas out in front of Pittsburgh by 23. With tournament Most Outstanding Player Jeff Green at the free throw line, it started to set in on Coach Thompson that victory was secure. Thompson began to clear his bench, first removing center Roy Hibbert and point guard Jonathan Wallace. Each player had the wide arms of Thompson greeting them as the crowd gave them well-deserved waves of applause, a bear hug the final stop from the court to the sidelines.
As Green converted the second of his two free throws, fellow co-captain Tyler Crawford replaced him in the lineup. The loudest ovation of the night was followed by the biggest of these hugs, Thompson standing smiling with arms extended as far as they could go and a grin on his face nearly as wide, waiting in front of his bench for Green to share his embrace.
Jeff Green had a game-high 21 points for the Hoyas. Roy Hibbert dominated this rubber game inside against the Panthers, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hibbert's counterpart, Aaron Gray, was 1-13 from the field and missed his first nine field goal attempts including many at point-blank range.
An 13-0 Georgetown run starting with eight minutes to go in first half turned a 15-13 Hoya lead into a 15 point advantage. Roy Hibbert dunked around Levon Kendall to cap this spurt. When Grey was on the bench it was surprising that Pitt did not double Hibbert in the post as he was able to score at will over smaller, weaker defenders.
The Hoyas went into the break up 15 as Hibbert stuffed an offensive rebound after Jessie Saap's three point shot right before the shot clock buzzer bounded high off the iron.
Back-to-back three point shots from Jonathan Wallace made the score 51-32 Georgetown with 9:32 to go in regulation and the Panthers did not ever make the push everyone felt was still to come.
When time ran out, Coach Thompson and his father had become the first father-son pairing to each win a Big East title. Another good memory, with a hug sure to follow.
March 9, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
box score
audio - coach john thompson, jeff green, dajuan summers & patrick ewing jr
audio - jonathan wallace
Jonathan Wallace tracked down the loose ball as it was heading out-of-bounds and hurled it towards the rafters. By the time gravity brought it back down near center court the final buzzer had sounded and Georgetown was advancing to the Big East Tournament championship game. The Hoyas and Notre Dame gave a sold out Saturday night Madison Square Garden crowd a treat, Georgetown coming out on top 84-82.
Behind Jeff Green's critic-silencing 30 points and 12 rebounds, Georgetown rallied from a 14 point first half deficit. Green scored on a hook shot and was fouled with thirteen seconds to play, providing the Hoyas with a lead that would survive an open three point shot by Notre Dame's Russell Carter with six ticks on the clock.
The Hoyas did a good job of sticking with their stuff as Notre Dame tossed in eight three point shots in the first half. Georgetown never lost composure, making defensive adjustments and knowing that the law of averages would not allow the Fighting Irish to shoot this well all game. Notre Dame was 2-14 from behind the arc after starting 8-12.
Patrick Ewing Jr. had 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench, including six straight to open the second half as the Hoyas took their first lead of the night, a short-lived 50-49 advantage. Freshman DaJuan Summers tallied 18 and Jon Wallace recorded 10 points along with a game-high 5 assists.
Notre Dame grabbed a remarkable 24 offensive rebounds in defeat.
For the second consecutive postgame press conference Coach John Thompson's opening statement was not a word but the same sound - "whew."
princetonbasketball.com will be back courtside at MSG later tonight as Georgetown goes for their first Big East Tournament title in 18 years and we'll be in the locker rooms after the game for more exclusive postgame interview audio.
March 8, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
box score : audio - coach john thompson, roy hibbert & jeff green
Georgetown scored the first 14 points of their Big East Tournament quarterfinal game and raced out to a incredible 26-2 lead versus Villanova. The points were coming too easy for his team and Coach John Thompson III knew it. With thoughts of last season's semifinal comeback by Syracuse in the back of their minds, the Hoyas needed every bit of their lead down the stretch. Nova rallied in the game's final 25 minutes and closed within five on a three point shot at the final buzzer. Roy Hibbert, who was unable to get touches matched up against smaller and quicker defenders in the teams' first two meetings, led Georgetown with a team-high 14 points. With four starters in double figures, the Hoyas advanced to the Big East Tournament semis against Notre Dame tonight. princetonbasketball.com will be live courtside with bonus coverage.
"World's Most Famous Arena" does not mean the same thing as "World's Best Arena."
I sat next to the official Big East stenographer. Neat.
March 4, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
princetonbasketball.com editor and former "The John Thompson Show" host Jon Solomon will be live at the Big East Tournament this week, following Coach Thompson and the Georgetown Hoyas.
Just like we've done after select Georgetown basketball games this season, we'll be making audio of postgame interviews with Hoya coaches and players available for subscribers after each Big East Tournament game.
If you would like a one week subscription to the donor-only portion of our site, it is now available at the discounted rate of $10.00.
For information on subscribing through PayPal, click here. A login and password will be emailed to you before Wednesday evening. The latest version of RealPlayer is required to listen to these exclusive recordings.
Should Georgetown be eliminated on Thursday, you will receive a $5.00 refund.
Should Georgetown reach the Big East Tournament finals, the third game will be included for free.
We've worked hard this season to include coverage of the Hoyas when we've been able to make it to their games and I hope to be able to do more work on Georgetown in 2007-08.
See you at the Garden!
Jon Solomon
princetonbasketball.com
February 2, 2007 at 12:32 am
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
box score : audio - coach john thompson, jonathan wallace & jeff green
Took the elevator into Madison Square Garden with Lou Carnesecca. I was surprised by how exciting I found this to be, but I was equally sorry I did not get a chance to ask him about the time he faced off against Coach Bressler in a postseason all-star game.
January 20, 2007 at 12:05 am
Filed under Audio, Basketball, Georgetown
box score : audio - coach john thompson
audio - jonathan wallace
Thirteen observations from The Meadowlands:
1. Coach Carril wearing a Georgetown baseball cap is something that takes getting used to. Tried to sneak a picture of this, took a photo of my lap instead.
2. I don't think I've ever seen one Big East team outrebound another 39-11. DaJuan Summers had one fewer board than the entire Seton Hall team.
3. Jeff Green's one-handed fast break alley-oop dunk was so sick most of northern New Jersey should be under quarantine.
4. Is there another Division I basketball coach who makes their entrance to the floor slapping hands with eager undergraduates before running directly into the center of the student section, screaming? I'm thinking Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez is alone in this regard. Thankfully.
5. Should officials review a shot at the halftime buzzer and confirm that the ball was still in the shooter's hand after time ran out, it does not give you the luxury to keep yelling "THAT WAS A BAD CALL!!," especially if you're sitting across the aisle from me.
6. If every halftime is going to feature a karate demonstration *and* a basketball scrimmage between PAL squads from Trenton and Newark, the length of this break needs to be doubled, perhaps tripled.
7. At one point Trenton PAL has all ten of their players on the court, while Newark had but five. Somewhere, David Klatsky just got a chill.
8. Wondering what it would have been like for the Ivy League had Jonathan Wallace gone to Princeton like he originally planned is something I probably shouldn't do any more of.
9. When Wallace tugs on his jersey and motions to the bench midway through the second half to say "take me out, I'm tired" he also means "I will rest for fifty seconds then score 12 points in the last ten minutes of play."
10. If your student section is being out-cheered by a busload of Georgetown fans at the top of the arena, silence and two middle fingers in their direction is not the appropriate response, especially when it is the option simultaneously chosen by a good number of people.
11. The theme from Star Wars mixed with "jock jam" techno is not the best player introduction music a team could have, yet I'm strangely curious about trying to remember the name of the second song in this ersatz mash-up.
12. Georgetown spent Tuesday night having pizza at Conte's in Princeton. This = awesome.
13. I hope on the 29th I park on the right side of the arena. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.
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