Walker Loetscher
Hoyas follow the Doctrine
Coming into the basketball season, the question on the minds of many nervous fans was how the Hoyas would replace Roy Hibbert. Time and again, Coach John Thompson III deflected the question, emphasizing that every year is a fresh start.
By Walker Loetscher November 20, 2008
DaJuan Summers enjoys a summer of growth
Junior forward DaJuan Summers always shows up when it matters. When the Hoyas needed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the program to beat North Carolina in a 2007 NCAA Regional Final, he answered the call, scoring a then career-high 20 points. When they needed a late three-pointer to beat Louisville and clinch a second straight Big East title last year, he was there, nailing a game-winning twenty-five footer with 40 seconds left. So when Summers didn’t show up this June for Kenner League—Georgetown basketball’s unofficial summer school—people took notice.
By Walker Loetscher November 13, 2008
Welcome to the NBA’s new era
While you were sleeping, or studying, or scrambling to find a last minute Halloween costume last week, the NBA kicked off its 2008-2009 season. It will inevitably play second fiddle to college and pro football for the next three to four months. For many, the NBA is a shell of its former self, a sloppy, me-first league that pales compared to the heyday of Jordan, Bird, and Magic
By Walker Loetscher November 6, 2008
Nasty turf burn
If you’ve played soccer or flag football on Kehoe Field lately, you know about the landmines. You’ll be in the midst of a great run down the left wing, or backpedaling toward the end zone to break up a game-winning touchdown pass, when one of them sneaks out of nowhere, grabs your leg, and twists. You’ll writhe on the ground for a minute, stand up, and try to walk the injury off. No such luck. Whether it’s a sprained ankle, pulled hammy, or twisted knee, you’ve been bested again by one of those tricky Kehoe specials—the bumpy irregularities that litter Georgetown’s only recreation field for student use.
By Walker Loetscher October 23, 2008
It’s not so bad
Trojans, Gators, Buckeyes, and Bulldogs, fear not: Although your teams have already marred their records with the dreaded “one loss” that has plagued national championship hopefuls in recent years, your title hopes are still alive and kicking. Gone are the days when undefeated teams could be left out of the BCS title game, as was the case with Auburn in 2004. Not long ago, BCS detractors pointed out that the greatest flaw in the now ten-year-old system was its inability to accommodate more than two unbeaten teams. But after 11-2 LSU took home the trophy last year, more complicated problems have surfaced: what does the committee do when three teams, even four, are tied atop the rankings with one or two losses?
By Walker Loetscher October 9, 2008
The NFC: No Fluke Conference
J.V. B-side. Rec league. Semi-pro. The No Fun Conference. These are just a few of the names that football pundits have called the NFC in recent years, and, until now, they’ve had good reason.
By Walker Loetscher September 25, 2008
Roger’s back
When he bowed out to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, they attributed it to mononucleosis. When he lost to Rafael Nadal in three dismal sets at the French Open, they said he wasn’t the same anymore. When Nadal conquered him again on his own turf—the fabled lawns of Wimbledon—they said he was done. Washed up. A month ago, on the eve of the U.S. Open, Roger Federer relinquished his number one ranking to Nadal, and it looked as though the sun had set on his tennis empire.
By Walker Loetscher September 11, 2008
Little big league
While Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony led fans in a chant of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” after Sunday’s gold medal game in Beijing, a far more unlikely group of heroes were treated to the same cheer half a world away. After flirting with elimination a day earlier in the semifinals of this year’s Little League World Series, the team of seventh-graders from Waipahu, Hawaii emerged triumphant in the title game, beating the opposing squad from Matamoros, Mexico, 12-3. Hours after China sent off the world’s athletes with an ambitious closing ceremony, the fans in Williamsport, Pennyslvania—most of them face-painted parents or sunburned little sisters—departed as well. There were no fireworks or lip-synching nine-year-olds, only tired dads loading poster-boards bearing messages of good luck and empty coolers into their RVs.
By Walker Loetscher August 28, 2008