Voices

Who let the girls out? Why women’s basketball matters


Most people assumed that the 2008-2009 Hoya basketball season ended with a disappointing defeat in Waco two weeks ago. That couldn’t be further from the truth. With suffocating defense and hot three-point shooting, the Hoyas stuffed the Richmond Spiders 65-49 for their first ever trip to the Elite Eight.
That   was the Hoya’s women’s team celebrating on the court was clearly irrelevant to the fans joining the excitement in the stands. However, this celebration didn’t culminate with a horde of Georgetown students running to the White House.
It should have.
When 3,000-plus Hoyas fill the stands in the Verizon Center and make noise for the men’s basketball team, ours can be one of the best home-court atmospheres in the Big East, if not the country. Georgetown students love basketball, and no one should graduate from this university without experiencing at least one epic men’s basketball victory.
You can add another item that checklist: a women’s basketball playoff victory.
Unfortunately, the Hoyas’ season ended last Sunday when they narrowly lost to Boston College in the tournament’s quarterfinal, but this year’s playoff run was anything but disappointing. The team’s selection to compete in the WNIT marked the Hoyas’ first postseason appearance since 2003, and their opening round blowout over Winthrop at home was their first postseason victory since 2001. With Thursday’s win over Richmond, this year’s team became the school record-holders for most playoff wins in a season.
So it’s confusing, and a little bit disappointing, that a measly crowd made the short trip across campus to support the Hoya women. Our female players work just as hard as the guys without the promise of celebrity treatment, Sports Illustrated cover photos, or NBA paychecks. These athletes leave their sweat on the court every week to the cheers of just a handful of dedicated fans.
We’ve heard the usual excuses: “I would, but there’s a men’s game on TV I have to watch”; “I’d go if they played someone good”; or most problematic of all, “Women’s basketball is just too boring.”
As most of these statements come from people who most likely did not attend a game this year, we’re happy to set the record straight: this team is anything but boring.
Since instituting a new pressure defense and fast-break transition game in practice during the last two weeks of the season, Coach Flo had the Hoyas running the opposition off the court. Combined with deadly accuracy from behind the arc, the team could and did put up a lot of points in a hurry.
With almost the entire team returning next season and a second consecutive recruiting class that is ranked among the best of the country, the Hoyas have a great opportunity to build on this season’s WNIT Elite Eight run. Next season could very likely be the first time in 17 years that the Hoyas make the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Hoyas make a big step forward and challenge the Big East powerhouses like UConn and Rutgers for the top of the conference standings.
Given DaJuan Summers’ recent decision to leave Georgetown to enter the NBA draft, the men’s basketball team’s prospects aren’t exactly rock solid. Why not let the girls fill at least part of that gap in your heart?



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