Heading into the off-season, Georgetown basketball looked stronger than it had been in some time. A quick turnaround engineered by John Thompson III netted the Hoyas a 19-13 overall record and a third round National Invitation Tournament loss to South Carolina. The team’s seventh place finish in the Big East was a big improvement over the 13-15 season endured a year before under Craig Esherick.
Thompson’s second season leading the Hoyas, however, will be much more difficult with the facelift the Big East has undergone. The addition of Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida may make the Big East the toughest conference in the country.
Still, the Hoyas had a productive summer and seem more than ready to continue their resurgence. The team has 10 lettermen returning, including all five starters from a year ago. Senior forward Brandon Bowman entered last June’s NBA Draft, but did not hire an agent and is returning for his fourth year at Georgetown.
Bowman was an All-Big East Third Team selection last season. He led the Hoyas in scoring, with 15.1 points per game, and steals with 42. He was second in rebounds with 6.1 per contest. Bowman has also been selected as a top 50 candidate for college basketball’s most coveted individual honor, the Men’s 2005-2006 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team.
Georgetown also secured the transfer of Patrick Ewing Jr. from Indiana, who will be eligible to play in the 2006-2007 season, consistent with NCAA regulations. Ewing, the son of Georgetown great Patrick Ewing, averaged 3.4 points and 3.7 boards per game in two years under Hoosiers coach Mike Davis.
This summer, the Hoyas also landed a prized recruiting class for that same year. The team has received verbal commits from 6-4 guard Jeremiah Rivers, son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, top-25 forward DaJuan Summers from Baltimore, and most recently Vernon “Big Ticket” Macklin. Macklin, from Virginia’s Norcom High School, enters his senior season ranked No. 12 nationally by Rivals.com. The Hoyas have not had a top 10 recruit since guard Anthony Perry committed in 1997, making this the best recruiting class since Jahidi White and Allen Iverson came to Georgetown in 1994.
Verbal commits cannot sign letters of intent until November and the Hoyas have one scholarship remaining for the 2006-2007 season.
