Georgetown has a long history of keeping its former players very close to the current team. It’s a tradition we like to call “The Hoya Family”. We caught up with one member of the Hoya Family at the Verizon Center after the Cincinnati game this weekend: Courtland Freeman. Courtland was a power forward from the early part of this decade who was a solid rebounder and defender. At 6’9″, he had very good athleticism and had a number of memorable follow dunks. We spoke with Courtland about the current squad and last season’s accomplishments.

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.