I don’t know about you, but I take my sports very seriously. I watch every Hoya game with extreme intensity, living and dying with each possession. It makes the wins so much more satisfying, but the loses all the more devastating. And while there may be no joy that can match the triumphs, there also can be little solace after a heart-breaking loss. And, last season’s end was just that.

When the Hoyas were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, it was a horrible feeling. That team had so much potential, and to see them fall short was a bitter pill to swallow. But, perhaps even worse than the actual loss was the realization that the season was over. For the next six months, this would be the taste in my mouth. This would be the lasting memory of Georgetown basketball until the next season.

Remember, this is coming from a fan. The feelings that I have cannot even compare with how the members of last year’s team must be feeling. It would not surprise me if every morning Jessie Sapp woke up thinking about the last loss, wondering what he could have done to change the result. Or if Austin Freeman sometimes loses sleep over the final game of his freshman season. Or if every time DaJuan Summers picks up a basketball, he still feels the sting of that defeat.

The good news is the end is near. For six months, the Georgetown players, coaches, and fans have had to deal with that loss. But now, there is a new beginning, a chance to change history, to erase the pain of losing and replace it with the thrill of victory. Once the new season starts, all the heartache of last year will be forgotten and there will be a sense of hope, that anything can be achieved this time. And I, for one, can’t wait. Even if it is just a few hours away.