I have been a Georgetown men’s basketball fan my whole life.
Now when I say my whole life, I literally mean it: my parents have said I attended my first game when I was months old and had the privilege of witnessing, but obviously not remembering, Patrick Ewing and the 1984 national championship team. Many years down the road, I placed myself in a position to attend the university I grew (or was I brainwashed?) to love, which only further ingrained the fanaticism in me. What a great story it would be, if it ended there.
In 2001, the year before I came to Georgetown, the men’s basketball team made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and was preseason ranked 14th in the nation. When I came here, however, they immediately went on the decline, became a mediocre team at best and have never rendered me the privilege of watching my beloved Hoyas in the big dance.
But then a savior was sent from above in the human form of John Thompson III and, after a somewhat shaky start (with losses to Temple and Oral Roberts and an overtime win at home against Norfolk State), now the Hoyas are playing the best basketball since I arrived at this university.
After a long and unsuccessful trip to Boston College, a trek I unfortunately made myself, the Hoyas had, until last night, posted three consecutive Big East wins in a row and are starting to hear talk about the NCAA tournament. I am hoping that this year my dream will come true, and I can watch my team in the tournament as a student.
With a few big games to go, including No. 18 Connecticut in Hartford and No. 25 Villanova at home, I think,, even with three freshman starters that we have still exhibited enough poise and patience with our new hybrid, Princeton offensive style to beat these excellent teams and wreak havoc in the NCAA Tournament. So, everybody put on your shoes because its time to go dancing. Again.
