Tuesday, November 30, 2010

45 Minutes of Action!

What a game! I wish I could have made the trip to Kansas City! The Georgetown Hoyas shot a sizzling 71% from the field in the first half, and yet the Tigers rode their crowd cutting a one-time 18-point deficit to only 7 points at half. Austin Freeman led the way in the first half and made some great plays to keep Georgetown close in the second half. Chris Wright made one of the great shots in recent memory to put Georgetown into the OT. In the overtime, Jason Clark's 3 3-ptrs iced the game for GTown. It was a great road win for the Hoyas. Nate Lubick logged some valuable minutes and made some great defensive plays and rebounds. However, I want to point out two of the unsung heroes: Vee Sanford, and Henry Sims. Vee Sanford played some great defense, and made a key 3-ptr in the second half to keep the Missouri Tigers from pulling into a larger lead. He was great. I really enjoyed watching the game of Henry Sims who played with great confidence. He finished well on two power dunks, and made some shots to total 10 points. However, what really impressed me was the little things he did: blocking shots, good positioning, and altering countless shots inside. Henry Sims--you made us proud! The Hoya Nation loves you!
A great team effort for the Hoyas--Georgetown Forever! We will see you at Verizon Center on Saturday!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice President--Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The DC Hoya Triplets


It is very rare that you will see a trio of guards on a college basketball team like Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, and Jason Clark. It is even rarer that they come from a single high school conference like the WCAC. Austin from DeMatha in Hyattsville, Maryland; Chris Wright from St. John's in D.C.; and Jason Clark from O'Connell in Falls Church, Virginia. It has been a difficult road for these three with the additional pressures of playing in front of their hometown friends, families, and the local press. Expectations were indeed unreasonable. Still these three have had stellar college careers and are now truly coming together as one of the top backcourts in the nation. Chris Wright has been the MVP of the Charleston Classic & his 3-point shooting outburst helped prevent an opening game loss to Old Dominion on the road. Jason Clark has been our most consistent outside shooter. His NBA 3-point shot in traffic against Old Dominion helped seal that win. Austin Freeman has been quietly spectacular in the early season. He threw down some monster dunks in the second half against NC State in the finals of the Charleston Classic. Today against UNC-Asheville he put on a sizzling performance with 32 points sitting out much of the game. His 7 three pointers set a Georgetown single game record. In fact I think the best is yet to come. Hoya Saxa!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice President-Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Thursday, November 4, 2010

When Pride Still Mattered--The Jesuit Way


My first contact with the Jesuits was Father Theodore Brady, S.J. I was a nervous 8th grader sitting for my admissions interview at the North Bethesda campus with my parents. I remember how important it was for me to get in. I wanted to be part of the tradition, and to learn Latin from Father Brady. After being admitted, Father Brady had taken two years off for health reasons, and I had Mr. Joyce and Father Byrne as my Latin teachers. Both were wonderful mentors for me in the classroom and in life. I had a wonderful algebra teach in Father Galvin, and had Father Brady for English upon his return to Prep during my Junior year. The years flew by, and Georgetown University President Tim Healey, S.J. was our graduation speaker leading to another four years as a Georgetown undergraduate on the Hilltop.

As I get ready to attend my Georgetown Prep Homecoming this weekend, I will think about my recent trip to New York where I saw the Broadway play "Lombardi." There was a star filled audience that gathered after for questions with Steve Sabol and Merrill Hogue from NFL films. Also, Redskins owner Dan Snyder brought GM Bruce Allen, Sonny Jurgensen, and Sam Huff. The play was very interesting, and based on the book, "When Pride Still Mattered," by David Maraniss who was still in the audience. The play, like the book was a wonderful insight into Mr. Lombardi, and how the Jesuit ideals of discipline and precision permeated everything he did in life and on the football field. Indeed Lombardi loved the "Jesuit Way." On this weekend with the Homecoming events at Georgetown Prep, and the Gala for the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital we celebrate Coach Lombardi reflecting on the Jesuit Way and "When Pride Still Mattered."

Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice President--Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing