As in life, success in sports is based upon the bedrock principles of accountability and results. If you don’t get results, then you are always held accountable. Whether you are Phil Jackson or Michael Jordan, Craig Esherick or Kevin Braswell, sports fans want victories, and there will be hell to pay if they feel their team does not play up to their potential.
While many were excited, including myself, at Georgetown’s 75-60 victory over Syracuse on Monday night, that excitement did not come without anguish and annoyance. If our team can come out and play such a great game against one of the NCAA’s premier teams, then why did we lose to a mediocre team like Rutgers or twice to a strong but beatable Pittsburgh team? The answer is simple: coaching.
When we can come out and beat a supposedly great team, but yet are easily defeated by mediocre squads, then there is a problem with motivation and game plan. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that Craig Esherick’s coaching has been a disappointment so far this season. Esherick’s demeanor is not gritty enough to light a fire under the behinds of the Georgetown players. His style is erratic and inconsistent. He has Georgetown play zone against good shooting teams (i.e. UCLA, who killed us from three-point range), and lets the squad go long stretches where it cannot score and doesn’t call a timeout to calm the team down. As a result, he allows opponents to build large leads, like at the start of the second half in the most recent game against Pitt.
Granted, Esherick has not had a team nearly as talented as his predecessor, Georgetown coaching legend John Thompson, had. However, at times this season it seems that Esherick could do much more with the team that he does have. Offensively, Georgetown should be more of a force down low, dominating the glass and pounding the ball into the post for easy lay-ups and dunks. However, the only player that seems to have any consistency on the blocks is sophomore power forward Mike Sweetney, who is still inconsistent at times. Against Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Georgetown team posted its second lowest point total of the season, 56, showing that the Hoyas are not creating enough offense inside, where we should dominate because of our size. This problem is only heightened when players such as Sweetney get into foul trouble and can’t effectively attack the basket.
Let me make it clear, this piece is not an attempt to take cheap shots at the Georgetown squad or to blame Esherick alone for the team’s problems, but too often the Georgetown team seems lost out on the court. If anyone needs to step up and take charge, it is the coaching staff. There is no excuse for the inability to get a pass into the post to the Hoyas’ big men, junior center Wesley Wilson or Sweetney. Neither is there an excuse for the large number of turnovers amassed in games against weaker opponents such as the 25 turnovers against Rutgers. These are things that can be corrected with better strategy, practice and true leadership on the court. Now is the moment when the Hoyas as a team need to step up; there is no better time to take a little criticism then off a big win. At least now there is something positive off which to build. At 13-7, the Hoyas hold the keys to their own destiny. With another few losses, this could be one of those seasons in which Georgetown lets itself slip into an NIT berth and is left playing the “should have” game in the off season. With another few wins, this could be an amazing season in which the Hoyas go strong into the NCAAs as a force. Either way, for coaches, players and fans, the time for excuses is over.
