The Georgetown men’s and women’s basketball seasons officially got under way last Friday night at McDonough Arena. This year’s Midnight Madness, coming off the heels of a bizarre off-season, gave anxious Hoyas fans their first glimpse at the athletes competing in the school’s most notable sport.
The day of Midnight Madness I had the pleasure of overhearing a pack of first-year girls discussing the glorious Georgetown basketball tradition:
“They’ve won the championship a couple times, so they should be a good team this year,” the girls said.
Well, close enough. At least it wasn’t like two years ago when people were talking about Georgetown being a Final Four contender. I was a realist back then, and I knew a trip to the Sweet Sixteen didn’t guarantee anything the next year. And after two years of heart wrenching, mistake-filled games I no longer allow the Hoyas tradition to precede what is actually a mediocre program. Some may call me cynical, but after the losses Georgetown suffered this off-season, it looks like a rebuilding year.
It was on that note that I walked into McDonough Gymnasium to see Father Pat leading the faculty (which apparently includes weightlifting instructors from Yates) against some of Georgetown’s finest students in the annual student-faculty basketball game. With two minutes left in the game, thanks to a student run scoreboard, the student squad cut the faculty’s lead from 11 to one on a three-point basket from senior Somil Trivedi. The ten point basket wasn’t enough however, as the faculty ran out the clock. Final score: Faculty/Yates Field House, 26, Non-230-pound weightlifting students, 25.
Out next to entertain the crowd was the Hoya Kickline, looking very good in their all-black leotards. The Hoyas cheerleaders were up next, and helped fire up the crowd leading into the Hoya Break Squad. Normally I wouldn’t think a bunch of guys break dancing would be that interesting, but I was in for the shock of my life. It was like when viewers saw shots of Nina (Mrs. David) Wells on TV during the Yanks- Sox series, and everyone wondered how Boomer ever pulled that one off.
As the clock neared midnight, the crowd knew that the meat and potatoes of the evening were close at hand. First, the women’s basketball team was introduced, followed by the men’s team. Notably missing from the microphone at this year’s Midnight Madness-–-not Bubba Sparxxx-was Head Coach Craig Esherick. Apparently it’s easier to address fans coming off a Sweet Sixteen run than the year after another failed NCAA tournament berth. In all fairness, Esherick did guide the Hoyas to the brink of an NIT championship, and he probably wasn’t in the mood to relive flashbacks to last year’s Midnight Madness boos.
All in all, it was good to get a first-look at the incoming first-years and watch Brandon Bowman throw down a few dunks. The three-point contest was full of drama, as senior guard and co-captain Gerald Riley stepped up with some clutch shooting to narrowly beat junior guard Mary Lisicky. Let’s hope that Gerald Riley hitting game winning shots continues to be a major theme this season, but I grimly remember Kevin Braswell knocking down jumpers during Midnight Madness 2001.
Upon returning home that night I read espn.com’s article on varying Midnight Madnesses for basketball powerhouses across the nation. I wasn’t too dismayed when Georgetown’s didn’t make the cut. The feeling I took away from the night was that of a unified campus rallying behind their teams. But if past years are any indication that feeling is temporary. The current hoopla will fade into dejection and doubt. Perhaps the teams that were introduced on Friday night will make us forget these past failures.
