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 9, 2007 at 10:48 am
Filed under Basketball, Luke Owings, Princeton
Two corrections to Wednesday's New York Times article on Princeton basketball...
A sports article on Wednesday about Princeton’s struggling men’s basketball team misattributed a quotation by a player who supports Coach Joe Scott. It was Justin Conway — not his teammate Luke Owings — who said during a postgame news conference on Tuesday: “I respect Coach Scott a lot. He is the most passionate guy I have ever met, and his passion is directed toward making Princeton basketball as great as it possibly can be. I want to be with a guy who is doing everything he can and is pouring everything into what his goal is. Coach Scott definitely does that.” Although both players spoke during the news conference, Owings made no comments about the coaching.
The article also referred incorrectly to a former player, Scott Greenman, who was the team’s leading scorer as a senior in the 2005-6 season. He missed 4 of the team’s 27 games with a back injury, according to N.C.A.A. statistics — not “much” of that season. Because of an editing error, the article also referred incorrectly in some copies to the time of Greenman’s injury. It was last season, not this season. (He graduated last year.)
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 7, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Filed under Basketball, Luke Owings, Princeton
Somehow, it is over.
118 days.
16 states.
1,130 minutes of Princeton basketball
(just 45 of which Marcus Schroeder didn't play in).
1,410 points.
224 media time outs.
11 wins.
17 losses.
28 games.
28 postgame interviews.
28 recaps.
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to try and attend every single game in a Princeton season. To watch a year from the first weeks of practice to the final hugs in the lobby of Jadwin Gym as players and parents head out into the night one final time. In 2006-07, I was able to accomplish this goal.
Read the rest of this entry »
March 7, 2007 at 9:52 am
Filed under Basketball, Luke Owings, Photos, Princeton
Pictures courtesy of Stephen Goldsmith.
This year's version of "Senior on a Stick."
Zach Finley tries to drive.
Senior Luke Owings.
Noah Savage.
Pawel Buczak at the free throw line.
119 - 97, guy on the left.
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
March 3, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Filed under Basketball, Luke Owings, Photos, Princeton
Pictures courtesy of Stephen Goldsmith.
Marcus Schroeder with the scoop.
Who was that masked man and why can't he guard Michael Strittmatter?
Kyle Koncz collapses at the final buzzer.
Seconds later.
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