We at Hoya Hoops got the following email yesterday asking us for our thoughts on the Appalachian State game.

I was hoping for your thoughts on the Hoyas against App St. It seems like the Hoyas are content to let their opponents dictate the tempo. (i.e. Utah St slow half-court game, and Missouri fast up-tempo game) Do you agree with this assessment and has the coaching staff emphasized playing a particular style? I know App St plays at a very fast pace and I am wondering if you expect Georgetown to oblige and play fast with them? It seems at times the Hoyas could benefit from playing a more half-court game with their tough defense, but I guess they have not needed to. I appreciate any insight or opinion you may have on this and thanks for your time. –Scott Burrola

Thanks for your question. Firstly, I think it’s Coach Thompson’s mentality that his team can play any style of basketball, so he tries to go with whatever the flow of the game may be. We have seen this year that Georgetown is more content to run than it has been in the past, so I expect Georgetown to push the ball whenever possible. In fact, the games in which the Hoyas have struggled the most this season have been the ones against strong half-court defenses, such as Utah State and Temple.

Also, teams are now aware of the backdoor cuts that are prevalent in the Princeton offense, and have begun to block the passing lanes. And with the loss of Greg Monroe, Georgetown now lacks a dominant inside presence, which means defenses can extend to cover the Hoyas’ perimeter shooting. And while the Hoyas have the ability to shoot over zone defenses, I think the team can benefit greatly from a fast-tempoed game.

However on the other side of the ball, Georgetown certainly has a strong half-court defense, and the Hoyas can wear teams down with their aggressive style. The team has also added a wrinkle in its defenses schemes, as for the first time in his tenure, Coach Thompson has employed a full-court press sparingly but effectively, pressuring teams and creating turnovers and easy baskets.

In the end though, Georgetown will live and die by its shooting. When Chris Wright is distributing and Austin Freeman and Jason Clark are making shots, the Hoyas will be hard to beat.

Thanks to social media, we now have the chance to get to know a little bit about the players off the basketball court. After the Hoyas suffered their first loss of the season, co-captains Austin Freeman and Chris Wright took to Twitter to vent some of the frustration that all Georgetown fans were feeling. The tweets give us a little insight about the person behind the player.

Learn from the mistakes we made 2nite…come back on Sunday…and get after it

Austin Freeman’s comment shows that his mentality is similar to his game: concise, to the point, and focused. Figure out what went wrong, correct it, and perform better next time.

Ill take the blame #toughloss but ill take the heat and be a man about it #Hoyas

Like his teammate, Chris Wright’s tweet also mirrors his on-the-court demeanor. He is the team leader, the floor general, so he takes responsibility for the loss, and is intent on picking up his level of play for the next game.

This window into the lives of the players should serve as a reminder that our heroes on the floor are also just people off of it.

Today is Thanksgiving, and the 2010-11 Hoyas have already given Georgetown fans something to be thankful for this year. They have earned a trophy, and that’s something they haven’t been able to say in three years.

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At 7 PM tomorrow, the Georgetown Hoyas tip-off against the Old Dominion Monarchs in Norfolk, Virginia and the 2010-11 Georgetown Basketball season will officially be underway. Finally.

After almost eight months, the Hoyas will once again return to the hardwood, looking to start a new year on the right foot, and with it closing the door on another painful season. And, with the Hoyas’ opener on the horizon, let’s take a look at the team’s strengths, weaknesses, and question marks as we approach the start of the new season.
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With a change in the leaves and a chill in the air, you may begin to notice the local woodland creatures in your neighborhood preparing for the winter. I have often wondered what it must be like to hibernate. And while an occasional 14 hour sleep does not compare to the six month slumber that some mammals have, I know of one thing I do that comes pretty close.

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Well, folks, it’s that time of year again. Time to dust off that gray jersey that has been hanging forgotten in the corner of your closet for the past seven months. Time to load up your Smart Trip card in preparation for Metro rides on the Red Line. Time to get ready for another season of Georgetown basketball.

At midnight tonight, the 2010-11 Georgetown Hoyas will practice together for the first time. But unlike in the past, when I have been ambivalent, excited, or wary, this year, Midnight Madness describes my exact emotion. I am mad.

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At half time of one of the Big East Tournament evening games, ESPN went back to the studio with Reece Davis, Hubert Davis, and Digger Phelps for highlights of some other games. One of these games was the barn-burner between Houston and Memphis. The Cougars’ Aubrey Coleman made a basket to put his side up one with under five seconds to go. Willie Kemp of Memphis then took the inbound pass and sped down the court, trying to beat the buzzer for a win. And that’s when things got interesting.
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I woke up this morning thinking to myself, “Now that the Lakers have won the NBA Championship – and Patrick Ewing and the Magic have not – it looks like no Hoya will end up a league champion this year.”

Then I thought, “Wait a second, that’s not true. There’s still the European leagues.” And sure enough, GUHoyas posted yesterday that no less than three Georgetown players would be competing in the German Basketball Bundesliga’s championship game last night.
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Remember that episode of Seinfeld when Elaine and Jerry are talking about what Jerry likes about women? Elaine suggests that she always thought he was a ‘leg man.’ Jerry dismisses that notion by responding with, “Why would I be a leg man? I don’t need legs. I have legs!” I feel the same way when people talk about conference loyalty.
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With Louisville taking home the crown on Saturday, the Big East has finished its 30th conference tournament. Just as we did for this season’s conference awards, we at Hoya Hoops are going to be naming our all-time Big East Tournament teams and individual awards. And here they are:

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