Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘Hey, isn’t this a Georgetown website? Shouldn’t you be promoting your All-American center?’ Well, when I sat down at my computer, I had set out to write a very different post. I was going to write about all of the good things Roy can do to help a team succeed and all the upside that he brings to the table. But then I thought about it, and I realized that those things that helped Roy at the college level are not enough to earn him a spot on an NBA Roster. So without further ado, I give you the Three Reasons Not to Draft Roy

1. He Disappears

Pundits and bloggers and scouts and fans and everybody with an outlet seem to want to pick on Roy because of his college numbers. He only averaged 13.1 points a game and 6.4 boards! Now, anyone familiar with the Georgetown offense understands that those numbers are misleading, so that’s not going to be a big issue in the pros.

Hibbert’s real problem was that at times he would disappear from the game - an amazing feat for a 7-footer. Sometimes he would disappear due to foul trouble, and even with the extra personal, fouling out will be a problem for Roy in the NBA where refs make it a point of emphasis to call touch fouls on big men near midcourt and to whistle on every illegal screen.

When he didn’t foul out, Hibbert still had some trouble bringing the same intensity game in and game out. To combat that, he had a secret weapon at Georgetown: his undershirt. Whenever Roy didn’t come out with enough energy in the first half, he’d switch undershirts from a t-shirt to a cut-off to nothing at all. But in the NBA, wearing t-shirts under your jersey is against the rules, so he would have no way of refocusing himself. And in a 900 game season, every game is important, so Roy’s tendency to disappear makes him a liability for any NBA team.

2. He Can’t Match Up with NBA Centers

If you ask a complete stranger what they know about Roy Hibbert, most likely they’ll talk about the matchup from the 2007 Final Four between big Roy and future #1 draft pick Greg Oden. Despite getting into foul trouble (see #1), Roy in many ways outplayed the more highly touted Oden, shooting near 70% from the field and scoring 19 points to Greg’s 13.

But if that’s the highlight of Hibbert’s collegiate career, then he’s in big trouble because Oden now has a whole year’s experience of playing in the NBA and those 900 games will have hardened the formerly soft Buckeye to the rigors of big time basketball.

And if instead you think Roy’s game-winning three against Connecticut was his best moment as an undergrad, then I’ve got more bad news for you. The NBA three-point line is much further back than the college arc, so his 100% from downtown is not gonna work. And that should seriously limit Roy’s game since the three-point shot was a major point of his repertoire.

3. He’s Too Tall

This last argument is simple, just pure reasoning. People claim that Roy’s biggest strength is that he has a great work ethic, understands the game, and is eager to learn more to improve. However, this is nonsense. Let me explain:

1. You can’t teach height.
2. Roy is 7′2”.
3. Therefore, you can’t teach Roy.

It’s as simple as that. So basically, what you see is what you get with Roy Hibbert. And I can’t imagine any NBA franchise being interested in that.

Larranaga looks like a fun-loving guy, and I’m not sure if there is more of a fun-loving program than the one right here in Fairfax. When your pep band leader looks like this and has his very own bobblehead, you can be assured your program knows how to have a good time.

I picture the Patriots to be like the 1972 Miami Dolphins. I see them as a group of guys who love their once in a lifetime accomplishment and want to celebrate their moment in the spotlight everyday. So this is what I think happened. I bet Larranaga was with his team at some sports bar - probably a place like Buffalo Wild Wings if the commercials do them any justice - and they were watching the Elite Eight game between Kansas and Davidson. There he was rooting against the underdog to make sure the pundits would still be talking about Mason and wouldn’t start asking “Who will be this year’s Davidson?”. As Jason Richards missed his three-pointer at the buzzer, the whole bar erupted, and Coach Larranaga looked to his left to see that bobble-heady fashion wizard stoke up the band and looked to his right to see the green fuzzy monster Gunston dancing around.

Then a couple days later, he gets a call from his former school. He thinks of all the great things he could accomplish at that program and all of the clear benefits that come with being a Big East coach. But then he remembers that night with his team, and he realizes he wouldn’t be able to live with himself seeing this guy running around at timeouts. And he quickly asks for an extension at Fun Times U.

Since 1982 - the year CBS gained the rights to the NCAA Tournament - CBS has been televising the selection show in which teams are placed into brackets and first learn of their opponents and schedules. In the 27 year history of the show, Selection Sunday has never been later than this year’s March 16th telecast. And in those 27 years, Palm Sunday has never been earlier than this year’s March 16th either. In fact, it won’t be this early again for another 152 years. (I think it has something to do with full moons and equinoxes and vampires). Regardless, it looks like the stars - or moons - were aligned for this year’s special Sunday.

And when you think about it, it actually makes sense for the two days to be celebrated together. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week in the life of Jesus which started with triumph and jubilation and ended shortly after his agony in the garden. Come to think of it, that actually sounds more like last week for Georgetown. But what I’m trying to do is compare Holy Week to this upcoming week of basketball.

I know it sounds blasphemous, but let’s look into it a little bit. Holy Week is all about Jesus’ passion and resurrection. This week in college basketball is about as passionate as you can get in the world of sports, and many teams are thrilled that their seasons have just been brought back to life after losing in their conference tourneys.

In Holy Week, Thursday and Friday are pretty big days, so important that they get their own names: Holy Thursday and Good Friday. In sports, there is nothing that can compare to the thirty-two games played on Thursday and Friday, many of which will inevitably be upsets and several that will end on a last second shot. If there are any days in sports worthy of their own names, it is those two days. And after ESPN has bombarded us with “Rivalry Week,” “Judgment Week,” and “Student Spirit Week,” I don’t think it’s such a bad idea to call the first week of the tournament “Holy Week.”

So, you see, it’s not too far-fetched to combine the two Spring events. March Madness is already being pushed well into April, and Easter has been so commercialized that most people associate it with Peeps, plastic grass, and PAAS. I bet Jesus would prefer college hoops to the Easter Bunny any day.

Think way back to those sleepover parties you used to go to when you were in junior high. Do you remember what happened? Usually, you’d have some food (hopefully with cake afterwards), you’d play some silly games, you’d hang around and watch a movie you’ve seen a million times, and then you’d stay up late chit chatting about personal things. That is basically what happened a few days ago at the Verizon Center.

The Food

Of the 16 home games that Georgetown plays this season, a vast majority of them have been at mealtime. Seven games were scheduled for either noon or 1:00pm, prime time for lunching. And for the night games, there were five games that had their tipoff at 7:00 or 7:30 - dinnertime. What this means is, fans who attend the games have a hard time getting their food on. If you try to eat before the game, you’re going have to do it quick and that means super long lines at Chipotle. If you try to eat after, you’re gonna be pretty hungry by the final buzzer and then you’ll probably get into that long line at Chipotle too hungry to wait until you get home. And don’t even think about eating during the game.

But the game against St. John’s was scheduled for 9:00 PM. A 9:00 PM start gives everybody a chance to eat their dinner wherever they want and still be able to get to the game before the players. I, for one, went to Clyde’s. It took a long time to wait for a table, eat dinner (unfortunately, without cake afterwards), and then pay and leave. But I still got into the Verizon Center with plenty of time to spare. I probably should have waited in that long line at Chipotle and gotten a burrito for dessert.

The Silly Games

For some reason, the marketing people at Georgetown thought that it would be a good idea to have a costume contest during the game and the winner would get a ticket to the Big East Tournament. I still haven’t quite figured out what costumes and Georgetown Basketball have in common, but I’m sure this guy can clue me in.

Anyway, the costume idea turned out better than I expected because instead of it being a popularity contest where the contestants parade through midcourt with the ticket going to whoever earns the most cheers, it was more like a game of The Price Is Right. There were several mini contests and the winners advanced to the Hoya version of the Showcase Showdown, where it became, um, a popularity contest where the contestants parade through midcourt with the ticket going to whoever earns the most cheers.

But seeing a guy dressed like Tigger trying to put on a Georgetown uniform, I couldn’t help but think of those silly games you might play at a slumber party where you make up the rules as you go along, and it doesn’t really matter who wins. And it was good that Steve Alleva was the MC instead of the usual guy because frankly, I’d want Steve at my sleepover and I’m not sold on that other guy.

The Movie

And then there was the game itself. Much like the movies you’d see at a sleepover, this was a game where fans could tell you how it was going to end just from the title: Georgetown vs. St. John’s. Based on the rout from last time, people knew what to expect. It wasn’t going to be as easy as that game, but it also wouldn’t be as exciting.

So what do you get? A mildly entertaining game with lots of sleepy people only half watching the action but keeping themselves amused with each other’s company. Replace “game” with “movie” and you’ll see why I decided to write this article. The fans were unusually jovial at the late night contest, and it seemed that every little thing got people laughing - a common symptom of staying up past your bedtime. There was just a different atmosphere at the game and it seemed a lot more lighthearted than for most Big East contests.

And then there was the other things happening at the game that would have fit in perfectly in a teen movie. The story of the young college student who after years of wishing to be a sports commentator wins the opportunity of a lifetime, calling a game on ESPN. The story of the struggling dance team who after weeks of absence finally make their triumphant return to the spotlight. The story of the hapless blogger who can’t seem to get his computer working.

The Chit Chat

And like any good sleepover, it ended with a lot of personal questions with silly responses. In the postgame press conference, St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts talked first, but he was extraordinarily quick, staying for less than three minutes. Perhaps he was a little tired.

Then Coach Thompson spoke for a while about the team’s performance, until (and I guess I have to admit, that I was the first one starting the chit-chat) I asked him about teasing his players about his high school beating up on theirs.

Then when the players came in, it seemed like all of the questions were about DaJuan’s missed dunks. I thought I’d let everyone have a sneak peek of what was said. (I’m going to be editing and paraphrasing a bit):

 

Camille Powell: “Early in the game you had those two missed two dunks. How do you sort of respond to that?”

DaJuan Summers: “It just happens sometimes, you know? …”

Barker Davis: “Do you get any ribbing from your teammates in a situation like that?”

DaJuan Summers: “No, most of us don’t do that to each other. In practice, I don’t usually miss dunks.”

Roy Hibbert: “He makes everything. And some people have to get out of the way sometimes.”

DaJuan Summers: “Thanks Roy.”

Dedrick Love: “When that ball hit the rim, and you knew it didn’t go in, what went through your mind at that moment? This is a big crowd.”

DaJuan Summers: “‘I should have made it.’ I don’t know. ‘How did I miss it?’”

Bill Shapland: “You can admit DaJuan. You went, ‘DAMN!’”

DaJuan Summers: “Can I say that?”

Bill Shapland: “We’re all adults here.”

 

And with that - the man responsible for helping the players interact with the media in a professional manner having what could be called, ‘an unprofessional comment’ - I think a lot of us agreed it was time for bed.

He was a brand new coach, no more than four days on the job, and there were talks of playing Maryland. Having no objections to the matchup, Coach needed to see how the game would fit into his schedule and to see if it was something worthwhile for his first season. After looking into the situations some more, he was told that he owed Maryland a game at their court. Surprised, Thompson replied, “I’ve only been here four days - how can I owe you a game?”

But why does Maryland think that the Hoyas owe them a game? It all goes back to that Georgetown-Maryland game from years back. No no, not the Hilltopper’s 58-3 crushing of the Terrapins. Maryland doesn’t even count that one in their record books. It’s the game that took place on Nov. 26 1993 at USAir Arena. While that was the home court for the Hoyas for many years, on that day, there were plenty of Terps fans showing their support for the black and red. Now, that’s nothing unusual, playing at larger arenas, Georgetown teams have had a knack of drawing large crowds from the opposing teams. West Virginia and Notre Dame come to mind in recent years, but back then Syracuse and Connecticut had their fair share of travelers as well. So it’s no shock that a local team like the University of Maryland could bring a lot of fans out to Landover.

The thing is, Georgetown and Maryland split the gate that night. Georgetown season ticket holders did not get to maintain their usual seats as this was not a true home game for the Hoyas. All sources agree that after playing at USAir Arena, the two teams were supposed to meet in College Park the following season. However, Georgetown understood that they would have the same deal, allowing many Georgetown fans to attend, and Maryland understood differently. As a result, that second half of the home and home series never took place, and that’s where we stand today.

I’m not going to go into who is right or who is wrong. That debate has been going on for over a decade. The fact is that fans of both teams want it to happen, and if it works for both teams and can fit into their schedules, then a 14 year old grievance shouldn’t get in the way. Look at this way: the 14 year old grievance is only six years younger than the 20 year old Grievis.

So to end this mess, I suggest that Georgetown University takes responsibility, regardless of who’s to blame, and brings back the local rivalry that so many in the nation’s capital crave. The Hoyas should play a game at Maryland to settle the score, and then the two sides can work out a schedule to play in years to come. But to make sure that this match really makes the Terrapins - and Gary Williams - happy, we should look into exactly what this rematch would entail.

First, it’s got to be Georgetown vs. Maryland, and it’s got to be at College Park. Check. Also, Maryland needs to be able to sell tickets to whomever they want, and Georgetown fans will just have to deal with it. That seems like a fair sacrifice from the oldest Jesuit University in the United States. And besides, think of all the karma points and good juju the Hoyas will be getting out of this.

But when I look at it, playing at Maryland with UMD keeping the gate is not good enough. If the Hoyas are really going to make up for the game that never happened, they need to do it right. The game was supposed to have taken place the year after Maryland played at Georgetown, meaning it would have taken place at the beginning of the 1994-95 season. Back then, the Terps were still at their old home, Cole Field House. So it only makes sense that this debt-settling match takes place at what is now known as the Cole Student Activities Building. It shouldn’t be too hard to kick out the indoor soccer players and bring back a couple of hoops.

But we can’t stop there either. If Maryland thinks Georgetown owes them a game. Then give them that game. It shouldn’t be too hard to find players from the 1994-95 season. Give them a call, bring them to Cole Field House, and do this thing right. Fans have been asking for a Georgetown-Maryland game for years. It’s only fitting that the first scheduled game between the two universities in over a decade should involve Exree Hipp.

Take a look at the rosters, and see what you think:

Besides the good karma, it looks like the Hoyas might get a victory out of this rematch.

1. Spin

William and Mary are known as the Tribe, and their logo used to be a W (for William), an M (for Mary), and two feathers (I’m assuming for Tribe, but you can never be too sure). As of this season, the Tribe have gotten rid of those feathers because the NCAA ruled that they could be viewed “hostile and abusive” to Native Americans. Why am I going into this, you may ask? Well, if you look at their new logo upside down, guess what you’ll see: a W and an M. It’s practically the same thing when you spin it upside down as it is when it is rightside up. See?

Now I looked at the logo of every Division I college basketball team, and I could only find eight teams that could make that claim: William and Mary, Hawaii, Illinois, Nebraska, Northeastern, Oregon, Syracuse, and Xavier. And the Georgetown Hoyas play two of those teams - W&M and Syracuse - in the upcoming season. That’s borderline amazing. (It’s also borderline boring.)

But get this: throw in the past two seasons, and the Hoyas have played two more of those teams - Illinois and Oregon. Based on the recent surge of logo-spinnable teams in the Hoyas’ scheduling, it would appear that Coach Thompson is on a mission to play all such teams. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hoyas were in Lincoln and Honolulu next season. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if Thompson let Jonathan Wallace jump for the opening tip, so don’t book your flights just yet.

2. William Gaston

#00 for William and Mary is a sophomore forward named Steven Hess. Hess is by no means a superstar, but he provided the Tribe with about a point and a rebound a game last season with his limited playing time. But what I was more interested in was his hometown. Hess went to Gaston Day School in Gastonia, NC.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Could Gaston Day and Gastonia both be named after the same person? And could that person be the tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute from Beauty and the Beast?” Well yes and no.

Gastonia, Gaston County, Lake Gaston, and yes Gaston Day, are all named after one William Gaston, a Congressman from North Carolina. But more importantly to Hoyas fans, William Gaston was also the first ever student at Georgetown University. Maybe after the game, Steven Hess can head over to campus and check out Gaston Hall.

3. 3-23

And for the last tidbit about the upcoming Georgetown - William and Mary game, I looked back at what happened the last times the two teams met up. On January 27, 1972, the Hoyas hosted the William and Mary Indians, as they were then called, at McDonough Gymnasium.

The good news: The Hoyas won 85-78 in overtime.

The bad news: That was one of three victories in a 3-23 season in which the team went 0-16 on the road.

The really good news: After the worst season in Hoya History, the Athletic Department decided to change directions and hire a new head coach - a certain John Thompson.

So those are my three things to keep everybody entertained until Saturday. Let’s see if the Hoyas can get more than three victories this season.

Now before everyone starts throwing out their own suggestions - like Hibbert (”He’s 7-2 for crying out loud! He should have been jumping since he committed to the Hoyas in the 6th Grade.”), Summers (He’s Green’s protégé and can jump like 20 feet.”), or Ewing (”Just seeing a #33 jumping it up for the Blue and Gray will make the opposing center cower in fear.) - let me first tell you a little story:

In the two seasons after Patrick Ewing and Ralph Dalton graduated and before Mutombo or Mourning arrived at the Hilltop, Georgetown had one lone center. His name was Ben Gillery. Gillery had a pretty un-phenomenal career with the Hoyas, averaging only 2 points a game - by far the lowest numbers for a Georgetown 7-footer. After a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings, the biggest news Gillery made was an appearance on “Cristina’s Court” - no that’s not a celebrity hoops show hosted by the Latina Oprah, that’s a reality TV show where Judge Cristina is “as likely to hug the plaintiff as she is to pound her gavel.” And yet, despite his unimpressive numbers in the Blue and Gray, Gillery had one job that he did fairly well for the Hoyas. Big Ben would routinely start the games, win the jump ball, and take a seat on the bench after the first whistle.

Looking back at what Coach Thompson did in those seasons, it seems pretty silly that he would put so much effort into the opening tip. So instead, I propose that today’s Hoyas try something a little different. Here’s my suggestion: Let Jonathan Wallace take the jump.

Think of the message that would send: “We’re so confident that we’re gonna win, that we’re willing to put out the smallest player on our team to take the jump ball. You can have it. You still can’t beat us.” And then think how disheartening it would be when Roy, waiting underneath the basket, rejects their first attempt. That might be a more emphatic start than those times when the Hoyas caught their opponents sleeping and Brandon Bowman would get a dunk 3 seconds into the game.

And what’s the risk? The worst that happens is the Hoyas lose the jump. When Dr. James Naismith invented the game, he envisioned the jump ball playing as big a role as face-offs do in hockey. If he had his way, there would be a jump ball to start each half, after every held ball, after every basket, whenever the ball went out of bounds, and for all we know, to settle a tie instead of overtime. Luckily, the game did not evolve as the good doctor planned, and in college ball today, the opening tip has only two implications: who gets the first possession and who gets the possession arrow.

Getting the first defensive stop of the game and having the ball to start the second half seem like two good reasons to me to let Little Buddy take the jump.

For the Hoyas, this meant most of the eyes were focused on Austin Freeman’s game and Chris Wright’s foot (which was doing well enough for him to shoot some free throws while the rest of the team practiced).

Some Hoop Club members were checking out Nikita Mescheriakov, the 6-8 forward out of Belarus, to see if he could earn himself any more playing time than his Eastern European comrades, Vladimir Bosanac (’94) and Sead Dizdarevic (’07).

Still others were watching Bryon Jansen, the junior walk-on, trying to spot what he did to impress the coaches this time around and to see how well he would rank up against the last Hoya to wear #11, four-year walk-on Trenton Hillier.

But me, I had my eye on Omar Wattad. No it wasn’t his three-point range or his toughness or his basketball IQ that perked my interest in the 6-5 swingman. It wasn’t his 2191 points at Science Hill or any of his impressive numbers from high school. Rather, it was his impressive college numbers that caught my attention. What college numbers you may ask? The ones on the back of his practice jersey.

Omar Wattad is the first #31 to wear the Blue and Gray since Bernard White in 1968. And actually, White only wore a blue #31: in those days, they wore even numbers at home and odd numbers away. You’d have to go all the way back to 1950 and Dick Falvey to find a pure, year round #31. But even Falvey only wore the illusive jersey for one season: he was #13 his Freshman through Junior years.

So why am I going through the history of a fairly irrelevant jersey number? Because Omar Wattad has the potential to be the first player in Georgetown’s 101 year history to wear #31 throughout his Hoya career. And those are impressive numbers.