The Hoyas came out swinging against Rutgers University on Jan. 6, at one point holding an 18-point lead in the first half.
The hot start by the Hoyas was in stark contrast to their opening run against UCLA six days prior, when they “started off terribly” in the words of Head Coach Craig Esherick. As a remedy, the coach decided to alter game routines and leave the hotel in New Jersey at 5:30 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Hoyas traditionally would leave for such games at 5 p.m.
“Every coach has little stuff like that that they do,” admitted Esherick. “I just decided to try that out, and I think it might have been a factor in our hot start.”
Much was made of the Hoyas’ winter break schedule, with predictions flying that a nice run against a stretch of nationally- ranked opponents could spell even greater post-season success for the 2001-02 men’s basketball squad.
Sadly, despite an electrifying contest at MCI vs. UVA on Dec. 20, the Hoyas completed the undergraduate winter break winless, dropping games to UVA, UCLA, Miami and Rutgers. With the Big East schedule in full swing, including a Saturday tilt against No. 11 Boston College, fans are left to wonder what happened.
“I don’t think there was any one issue that you could point to across the losing streak,” said Esherick. “During this entire run of games, I have not ever thought that the team just quit on the court. They are always fighting. We just need to turn the corner.”
During the Rutgers contest, which Georgetown lost 89-87 in overtime, the Hoyas held an 18-point lead near halftime. A series of miscues followed the benching of senior point guard Kevin Braswell after his second foul, but the Hoyas still entered the half with an eight-point advantage.
“During the Rutgers game, towards the end of the first half and during the second, our ballhandling was getting a little bit sloppy. During that game, though, I thought we played as well, or better than we had played at any time during the season,” Esherick said.
Despite an amazing 26-point, 13-rebound performance from sophomore power forward Mike Sweetney and 20 points from Braswell, the Hoyas played poorly down the stretch and let five Scarlet Knights into double figures. Rutgers also reached the line 38 times, as opposed to only 31 by the Hoyas. In a sign of improvement for Georgetown, however, they did out-rebound the Scarlet Knights, 43-38.
“This year, we’re probably a top-five team in the Big East in rebounding, but last year, we were statistically the best team in the conference at rebounding and second in the NCAA to Michigan State,” said Esherick. “I have seen some improvements in rebounding over the past few games, but we need to keep hitting the boards hard.”
Rebounding problems occurred in the UVA contest. Despite a 61-55 final, the Hoyas were massacred on the glass, 49 to 30. UVA’s zone defense often collapsed on Sweetney and center Wesley Wilson.
Unfortunately, with the Sweetney moving to the perimeter, UVA’s big men Chris Williams and Travis Watson were able to haul in 11 and 13 boards respectively. Sweetney finished with a mere seven, to lead the Hoyas.
“In the UVA game, one thing I was happy with was our defense. We caused 25 turnovers, and they only shot 40 percent despite getting a lot of putbacks and layups. However, our defense wasn’t coming through once the shot was launched,” said Esherick.
One breakthrough performance in the UVA game was first-year guard Tony Bethel, who dropped 12 points despite excellent guard defense from the Cavaliers. Bethel added 17 against the Bruins, 12 against the Hurricanes in a 79-71 loss and 11 against the Scarlet Knights.
“Tony has been playing extremely well, especially considering he missed all that time [due to mononucleosis]” said Esherick.
Bethel, and the entire backcourt, will be vital this Saturday when the Hoyas travel to Boston for a showdown with the Eagles. Bell, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, and backcourt mate Ryan Sidney comprise the best 1-2 punch from the perimeter in the conference; the Eagles rotate four men, including two first-years, between the power forward and center positions, so a decided advantage for the Hoyas could lie in the paint.
“I hope so,” Esherick added with a slight laugh. “The most important thing is, you have to make Bell work for his points. The last game they played that I saw, against Pittsburgh, I thought Pittsburgh did a very good job of making Bell work for his points, and that’s what we have to do too.”
Or, perhaps, leave the hotel only 30 minutes early.
