Hoya Hoops: The Verizon Center is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this season; one of the great moments of your career was the dunk against St. John’s in the final seconds to win that game. That was the first Hoya victory over St. John’s in the Verizon Center. What do you remember about that play - it was probably the most critical play that you ever made?

Courtland Freeman: Yeah it was; it was a great feeling. At that point we were desperate for wins, so any win was great. And then to be against St. John’s, somebody who for some reason we were struggling to beat, it was great.

HH: Your final season at Georgetown was a very difficult one for everybody, really. Does that leave you with a negative overall feeling when you look back at your time as a Hoya?

CF: Not at all. Of course it was frustrating and disappointing to lose so many games, but I look back at the experience here - my five years at Georgetown since I red-shirted one - it turned me into a better person. It helped me grow into a man. It’s awarded me a lot of opportunities, which I would have never gotten if I had gone somewhere else. I look back on it with fond memories, and I’m very proud that I went to Georgetown.

HH: There are a lot of former Hoyas in the coaching ranks - NBA, College and High School - are you interested in coaching and getting back into the game?

CF: At some point, definitely. I spent a summer out in Amman, Jordan. I was an assistant coach for the [Jordan] Under-17 national team out there. It was a great experience; I definitely want to get back into coaching at some point. I’ve still got the little travel bug in me; I want to travel around the world as much as possible, but I do think at some point, when I’m ready to settle down I want to get back into coaching.

HH: So tell us a little about the experience with the Jordanian team and what else you’ve been doing with basketball.

CF: It was a great experience. I got to play with a great bunch of guys. Basketball is a very popular sport there; it’s growing throughout the world. I spent a year with the state department where we traveled around the world in 36 countries and I put on basketball clinics for kids, so I got a taste of coaching then. It was just a tremendous experience, I really got the bug and I got bit by it.

That’s all we’ve got for you from Courtland Freeman. He’s at a lot of the games at Verizon Center, so if you see him, don’t hesitate to say hello. He’s always happy to talk with fellow Hoya fans.

Hoya Hoops: It’s always so nice to see the former players still supporting the Hoyas. What did you think of this team’s performance today against Cincinnati?

Courtland Freeman: I think we did pretty well. Cincinnati did a good job of trapping us, which hurt is a little bit, but for the most part - you can see the score - we did pretty well. We won the game which is the most important thing at this point of the year.

HH: I know you still follow the Hoyas very closely; what do you think about the way that the team has been able to win so many close games in the final moments?

CF: I think it shows the respect that everybody has for Coach Thompson. He’s done a good job getting the players focused. When you get into close situations at the end of the game, everybody stays focused, concentrates on what they need to do, and they’re able to pull out big victories.

HH: What was it like for you last year as the Hoyas won the Big East tournament and made that run to the Final Four?

CF: Man, it was great - I mean I was walking around with my chest up high. It was a great feeling just to know that I used to play for the Hoyas and they were doing so well. I really admire those guys and all the effort that they put in, and they had a lot of success last year and I was very proud of them.

HH: Let’s talk about when you played. The Hoyas had so much size at that time: you at 6′9″, you had Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Mike Sweetney, Wesley Wilson, Lee Scruggs, just a lot of good bigs. When you look at the current Hoyas, only Vernon Macklin and Big Roy are taller than 6′ 8″, is that something that could be a problem down the road?

CF: I don’t think so, just because their guards are so strong. Whenever you have a Jon Wallace out there leading the team, he’s such a wise player, he’s such a strong leader. You have [Jessie] Sapp who’s very savvy with a lot of moxie, and [Jeremiah] Rivers who showed me tremendous heart - he’s a tough little guy, he goes out there, he straps up and plays extremely hard every night. In college basketball I don’t think it will hurt you as much. I think as long as you have really good strong, guard play you’ll be okay; you’ll have a chance to win.

HH: When you were a senior at Georgetown, Roy Hibbert was a senior in high school. What do you remember about playing with him when he was younger and what do you think about how far he has come?

CF: Man, Roy should get the “Most Improved Player of the Universe” Award. I remember Roy when he was a 14-year old kid. He used to come up and play with us all the time. He’d run down the court one or two times, and he’d be done. But he worked so hard, he’s such a good person, and I’m so proud of him, because he’s a down to earth, great person, he works so hard, and now he’s become the great player that he is. I wouldn’t come close to wanting to play against Roy right now; he’s a beast.

Be sure to check back tomorrow, when Courtland talks about his days as a Hoya as well as his coaching experience and aspirations.