Everybody knew going into the 2003-04 season that it would probably be a long one for the Hoyas, but no one could have imagined how bad it would get. The final year of Coach Esherick was the worst in nearly forty years. There were some enjoyable moments at Verizon center, like the St. John’s game when Courtland Freeman scored the game-winning dunk with 2 seconds left. But the happy times were few and far between.

The Good: Georgetown beat Miami 80-64 on February 7th in the Hurricanes’ final Big East visit to the Verizon Center. It was a historic evening as senior Gerald Riley scored a career-high 37 points. It was an excellent all-around offensive display from Riley, who shot 12-18 FG, 3-6 3PT, and 10-10 FT. Riley’s 37 points performance also marks the highest single-game scoring record for a Hoya at the Verizon Center.

The Bad: The Hoyas’ season was spiraling out of control when Syracuse came to town. Despite the struggles the team had been facing, the Hoyas battled the Orange down to the wire. Georgetown managed to tie the game on an offensive rebound tip from Freeman with eight seconds left. After a timeout, Syracuse raced down the court and Gerry McNamara made a long three-pointer as time expired.

The Ugly: In the final home game of the season, the Hoyas hosted Virginia Tech. Both teams were 13-13 at that time, so there were post-season ramifications on the line. Also, the Hoyas needed a win to ensure themselves a spot in the Big East Tournament. Georgetown was defeated at home 70-65. Once again the Hoyas couldn’t find the firepower needed to come up with the necessary plays to win the game. With their season on the line, Georgetown came up short. It was the last game for Coach Esherick at the Verizon Center.

 
Ten Years in Ten Days:
1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07

In the 1999-2000 season, Hoya fans could begin to see that things were turning around. Craig Esherick began his first full season as head coach, and Sophomore Kevin Braswell took over as the team’s true leader. Georgetown gained momentum during the season but never recovered from an 0-3 conference start. In March, the Hoyas made some noise in the Big East Tournament with a last-second win over West Virginia, and a major upset over the top seed, Syracuse. It was the first time in Big East Tournament History that the #9 seed defeated the #1 seed.

The Good: In early January against Miami, Georgetown had a breakout game from a newcomer – Lee Scruggs. Scruggs had just recently become eligible after transferring from Junior College, and in this game he finally showed what he could do, coming off the bench to score a team-high 16 points. From that moment on, Lee was a fan favorite. Thanks to Scruggs, the Hoyas defeated Miami 65-61 for their first conference win of the season.

The Bad: The Hoyas were playing Villanova with a chance to win their third game in a row. In a wild game of runs, the Hoyas led 10-0, trailed by 12 at halftime, were behind by 15 in the second half, and then took the lead by one in the final six minutes. The game came down to Villanova making two late three-pointers, and Kevin Braswell missing a much contested three at the buzzer that would’ve forced overtime. Villanova continued their success at Verizon Center.

The Ugly: It was senior day for Jameel Watkins and Rhese Gibson. Georgetown was hosting Notre Dame and trying to build some momentum for the Big East Tournament. This game was over after about 3 possessions. Notre Dame was on fire from the outset and they led by 19 points at halftime and cruised to a 77-54 win. The 23-point margin of defeat remains the worst conference loss for the Hoyas in the history of the Verizon Center.

 
Ten Years in Ten Days:
1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07

This was a historic year for Georgetown Basketball as about one third of the way through the season, Coach John Thompson retired, and Craig Esherick became the Hoyas’ new head coach. This team had a number of older players but no real veteran leaders. The young players weren’t quite ready to take over the team, and consequently, the Hoyas struggled mightily all season. To make matters worse, the team never seemed to catch a break, as the team lost six games by three points or less.

The Good: It’s hard to remember after the public uprising a few years ago, but Craig Esherick was involved in one very happy Hoya Moment that will live in history. On January 9, 1999 he earned a victory in his first game as Georgetown’s head coach. The Hoyas defeated Providence 75-70 behind 20 points a piece from Kevin Braswell and Nathaniel Burton. Anyone who was in attendance will remember the moment after the final horn when Esherick and the players were waving up to a darkened sky suite at the MCI Center. Coach Thompson appeared to roaring applause and the torch was officially passed.

The Bad: One of the many close losses for the Hoyas came early in the season to Miami. The Hurricanes scored in the final seconds on a jumper from Johnny Hemsley, giving him 35 points and putting Miami up by one. Freshman Kevin Braswell got a decent look at a three-pointer for the win at the buzzer, but the shot rattled around the rim and fell out. Georgetown lost 64-63.

The Ugly: Georgetown had just lost back-to-back games by two points, their record was 8-9 (1-7 in the conference), and things were going from bad to worse. The good news was that the Hoyas were hosting a beatable team in West Virginia. The two teams were tied in the final seconds, with the Mountaineers playing for the final shot. Georgetown was playing excellent defense, and West Virginia passed the ball into the corner with time winding down. There was less than one second remaining, and West Virginia’s Elton Scott was trapped, with no chance to even get a shot to the basket. Nathaniel Burton was a one-man double team on defense, but instead of holding his ground, Burton flopped backwards hoping to draw an offensive foul. Referee Jeff Plunkett called a foul on Burton with 0.2 seconds left. Overtime was a sure thing until Mr. Plunkett blew his whistle, making one of the worst calls in the history of Big East basketball.

 
Ten Years in Ten Days:
1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07

First, he was a good player and a very good shooter for the Hoyas. He is famous for making a half court shot in McDonough to force overtime in his senior season, but I know that he took much more pride in another buzzer-beater he had a few weeks later. In the NIT semifinals, the Hoyas were rallying from behind against North Carolina State. Georgetown trailed by two in the final seconds of regulation when Esherick received a pass on the baseline. He knocked down a turnaround jumper from about 18-feet to force overtime. Craig was happiest that no one could call that one lucky.

Turning to his coaching career, don’t forget that Esherick was a 17-year assistant to John Thompson, including during the National Championship season in 1984. And there are also a lot of fun memories from when he was the head coach. His first game ever was a very memorable day, as the Hoyas beat Providence at the MCI Center. After the game, amidst a standing ovation from the fans, Esherick was smiling and waving to one of the luxury boxes, where John Thompson was watching with delight. The Hoyas defeated Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the 2000 Big East tournament, becoming the first #9 seed to ever defeat the #1 seed in tournament history. A week later, Georgetown won a classic triple-overtime game at the University of Virginia. And of course, arguably the acme of his coaching career was the NCAA Tournament victory over Arkansas, courtesy of the last second shot by Nathaniel Burton.

In January of 1999, at the press conference when he was named head coach of the Hoyas, Esherick said, “I consider myself a great fool to follow in [John Thompson’s] footsteps … no matter what happens, I know I was a very good assistant coach.” It seems like he was right on both counts.