1998-99 – Record: 8-6 (Conference: 3-6)
Senior Class: Dean Berry, Demian Bolden, Daymond Jackson, Trez Kilpatrick, Joe Touomou

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