This past Sunday, the Georgetown Hoyas Men’s basketball team decided not to play in the National Invitation Tournament, ending its streak of 27 straight postseason appearances. Head Coach Craig Esherick said that his team initially accepted an offer but eventually declined because tournament officials could not guarantee them a home game at the MCI Center?which will host part of the NCAA Tournament?or an away game close to Washington, D.C. Thus, Esherick said, Hoya players would have missed close to two and a half weeks of classes were Georgetown to have made to the NIT Final Four; it also would have been difficult for senior point guard Kevin Braswell to graduate on time. Therefore, Esherick said, he “could not accept the bid in good conscious.”
To his credit, Esherick isn’t ignoring his players’ academic interests. But Esherick himself admitted that he would have accepted an NCAA bid without regard for classes missed. To reject the NIT bid for this reason is hypocritical. Students who choose to participate in college sports recognize that they will miss some classes, particularly at Georgetown, where the team traditionally makes the postseason. Just two years ago, the Hoyas traveled to California for a second-round NIT game.
Furthermore, Georgetown’s decision not to participate in the NIT is unfair to both Hoya fans and to the many colleges were not offered any kind of postseason berth. Hoya fans, who contribute to the basketball team both in spirit and financially, through ticket purchases and merchandise, should reasonably expect that its team will participate in the postseason if it has the opportunity to do so. Esherick responded that his responsibility is “to look at the people who play for me to make a decision on what is best for them.” Although Esherick does have a large responsibility to his players, he has an equal responsibility to the greater student community
The Hoyas’ reasons for not participating in the NIT were not strong enough to end 27 years of postseason tradition. To have that streak ended voluntarily ruins much of the mystique surrounding one of the finest basketball schools in the country. Esherick said he felt strongly that he made the right decision. We entirely disagree.
