Have the Georgetown Hoyas Disappeared?
I have three words for you: The Georgetown Hoyas.
My, oh my, how I miss the Hoyas. The Big East just won’t seem the same unless the boys in gray get back on the map.
I remember the days when I couldn’t wait for that Big East matchup between the Syracuse Orange and the Georgetown Hoyas. Saturday, on CBS we could see that bright Orange against those dull gray uniforms. The difference was that you could see the sweat easier in the gray jerseys, which always gave them the appearance that they were playing just a little bit harder.
I couldn’t wait to see big John Thompson on that sideline barking orders and commanding respect from kids that would run through a brick wall for him. We couldn’t wait to see those skinny kids diving on the floor for loose balls, sprinting and trapping all over the court. I couldn’t wait to see that towel draped over Coach Thompson’s shoulder.
Where are the Georgetown Hoyas?
It just seems like over the years, “The Cuse” and the UConn Huskies have just passed them by. And with the new expansion of the Big East, it could now get ugly. It is a possibility that Louisville could take their place, and become part of the new face of the Big East.
The Hoyas have not been to the NCAA tournament since 2001. Before that appearance the last one was in 1997, when Victor Page tried to carry the team after the loss of Allen Iverson.
So many players, so much tradition. Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson.
You never had to ask. The Hoyas were always a lock to make the tournament. There was no guessing. There was no confusion. There was no wondering.
But now I am wondering. Where are the Georgetown Hoyas?
I could always find them before. Just turn on the tube – CBS or ESPN, it didn’t matter. You knew they were on, pressuring, fast breaking, making their opponent’s hopes for victory vanish into thin air. Those gray jerseys were traumatizing for some, a nightmare for others.
When you showed up at the old US Air Arena, you just knew you were in for a long day. You knew whoever it was, the visiting team, just wouldn’t be comfortable. They wouldn’t allow you to be comfortable. The Hoyas just weren’t very good hosts.
You knew every year they were restocking with new players. Whoever they pursued, talented or not, you knew one thing: they were going to play defense, they were going to play hard, and they were going to represent the Georgetown Hoyas.
I almost cried when I didn’t get a recruiting letter from Georgetown. I don’t even know if I would have attended. I just know it would have been an honor to even be considered. As a player at Villanova, when we played them, I would catch myself sometimes just staring at their jerseys in awe. Those big letters across the chest: GEORGETOWN.
Even when they weren’t highly ranked, which was rare, nobody wanted to see the Hoyas. Nobody wanted to be paired off with the boys from D.C. I can hear opposing coaches now, “No, not them! Anyone but them! Not the Hoyas!”
That was then, and this is now. When I pick up a sports page, I always check for the rankings. The top 20. I always see the usual. Duke, Connecticut, North Carolina, Syracuse. There always seems to be one missing, and I find myself asking the same question, time and time again.
Where are the Georgetown Hoyas?
