Anthony Francavilla

Sports

The Sports Sermon

Union of European Football Associations Champion’s League games are the soccer fan’s gold. For a few weeks out of the year, the obligatory perusal of television’s daytime doldrums brings the welcome surprise of the world’s greenest pitches and greatest players. The soccer-loving minority in this country has beaten the argument over the sport’s relevance in the States to death, and although I am not ready to concede to the country’s soccer apathy, I have a less conventional argument in mind.

By April 24, 2008

Sports

GUST duo guides co-ed squad to semifinals

The 420 class dinghy, a popular sailboat used in collegiate competition, is named for its length: 4.2 meters. That’s not a lot of space for one person to maneuver, let alone two, but senior Chris Behm and junior Carly Chamberlain seem to do just fine. Just keeping the boat upright and moving is a miracle to the outside observer, but the Georgetown University Sailing Team’s (GUST) top duo does a little better than that.

By April 17, 2008

Sports

Debunking Ewing

Only a few basketball players have been bigger first-ballot shoe-ins for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame than Patrick Ewing, Sr.

By April 10, 2008

Sports

Fast Break

Georgetown baseball (11-14, 3-6 BE) traded leads with cross-town rival George Washington (15-11, 4-2 A-10) for much of the afternoon on Wednesday, but a bullpen collapse in the latter innings cost the Hoyas the game and snapped their three-game win streak.

By April 3, 2008

Sports

Hoyas on a winning streak

Four wins in two days is a feat for any team, in any sport. But for Georgetown softball, a team playing just its third season on the Hilltop, it is beyond impressive. With doubleheader sweeps against LaSalle and cross-town rivals George Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hoyas (15-23) have already surpassed their win total from a season ago.

By March 27, 2008

Sports

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Hibbert guides Hoyas over Mountaineers

Roy Hibbert had the guns on display at Madison Square Garden, leaving the shirtsleeves in the locker room at the start of Friday night’s semi-final against West Virginia. It wasn’t the first game this season that Hibbert went with the look, but normally the senior center waits until halftime for the wardrobe change. But tonight, the seven-footer was all-too-eager to cast off the sleeves, and with them his abysmal scoreless performance against Villanova. Mission accomplished. Hibbert was unstoppable inside and out, scoring 25 to lead the Hoyas to the 72-55 victory and their second consecutive Big East Tournament final.

By March 13, 2008

Sports

WEB EXCLUSIVE: No doubt for Georgetown this time

The Georgetown Hoyas (26-4, 15-3 BE) showed their quicks against Villanova (20-12, 9-9 BE) and set a Big East tournament three-point shooting record to overcome senior center Roy Hibbert’s worst game of the season and overthrow the Wildcats, 82-63.

By March 13, 2008

Sports

Taming the Wildcats

The Big East Tournament, like any other bracket-based affair, is designed to give the top seed the easiest road to victory—a right that team has presumably earned throughout the season. This might have been difficult to stomach for Hoya fans when the conference tournament bracket was finalized earlier this week. Top-seeded Georgetown (25-4, 15-3 BE) would face the winner of the 8/9 game between the Syracuse Orange (19-13, 9-9 BE) and the Villanova Wildcats (20-11, 9-9 BE). Both teams step up their game against longtime conference rival Georgetown, and the Orange had already defeated the Hoyas at the Carrier Dome earlier in the season.

By March 13, 2008

Sports

Hoyas drop Louisville for Big East regular season crown

None of the 19,000 fans piled into the Verizon Center on Saturday could hold the Big East regular season championship trophy higher than seven-foot senior Roy Hibbert. At his side, fellow seniors Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr. and Tyler Crawford did their best, each taking his turn displaying the trophy for the Hoya faithful. These four, honored before the game during the Senior Day celebration, are part of the first ever Georgetown team to win back-to-back Big East regular season titles after the 11th-ranked Hoyas (25-4, 15-3 BE) defeated the Louisville Cardinals (24-7, 14-4 BE), 55-52.

By February 28, 2008

Sports

Hoyas stop the Red Storm

Georgetown (23-4, 13-3 BE) faced an unexpected handful in the St. John’s Red Storm (10-17, 4-11 BE) last night. The Hoyas couldn’t repeat the 32-point rout they enjoyed earlier this year at Madison Square Garden, but walked out with an important 64-52 victory.

By February 28, 2008