Countdown to MM Week 10: Georgetown-Tar Heels in the Superdome

March 30, 1982 was the date when the Georgetown-UNC Championship game began the modern era of college basketball. Why am I picking a loss for my last Heart Attack Hoya Classic? I hate to even discuss one of our most heart-breaking losses. However, I was impressed recently when '97 Georgetown alumnus & movie star, Bradley Cooper addressed the Georgetown students in Gaston Hall. In his address he told the students that he felt sorry for those who never fail at something, because only really in failure do we grow. As disappointing as the 62-63 loss was in the national championship game it was what allowed the Hoyas to learn, and usher in the greatest 10 years of basketball in Georgetown history including the 1984 NCAA championship. I remember watching the game on TV before a record crowd at the New Orleans Superdome. It was close throughout. Patrick Ewing as instructed by coach John Thompson, Jr. had several goaltending calls early as he did not allow any baskets by the Tar Heels in the first few minutes. Coach Thompson wanted to create a defensive presence early in the game. There were numerous lead changes as Georgetown and Carolina battled most of the game. Many college basketball historians often point to this game as a showcase for the new athleticism in the game of basketball. There were many underlying themes to this game. There was the friendship of John Thompson and Dean Smith. There was the battle between the Big East and ACC. Most people remember it as the game when Michael Jordan made the shot, and Fred Brown threw the ball to James Worthy. Who can forget Coach Thompson hugging Fred Brown and assuring him that his mistake did not cost the Hoyas the game. Certainly Fred had won the Hoyas many games during his Georgetown career. It seemed as if the next two years flew by, and Thompson was hugging Fred Brown when Georgetown defeated Houston for the NCAA championship. I am not one who likes moral victories, but I do not think anyone could watch this game and not be proud of the Georgetown Hoyas. Indeed it was a classic--the largest crowd ever to see a game, and at the very beginning of ESPN, and the modern era of college basketball. Indeed it was not Michael Jordan against Patrick Ewing, or John Thompson against Dean Smith, but it was Georgetown against North Carolina. Indeed I believe it is only a matter of time before these two schools play for another national championship. It is now only one week before Midnight Madness--I cannot wait!

We are Georgetown! Hoya Saxa!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Countdown to MM Week 9: Hail to the Georgetown Generations

Hail the Georgetown Generations was the name of the article written for the New York Daily News on March 26, 2007. It seems like yesterday when I walked the halls of the Meadowlands running into Danny Ainge the GM of the Celtics, and sportswriter Mike Lupica. In what has been the defining game of the JT III era, the Hoyas trailed by a few points most of the game. They played well throughout, but could not contain the massive front line of the UNC Tar Heels. In what proved to be a much faster paced game than Georgetown was usually comfortable in, DaJuan Summers played the best game of his Hoya career scoring 21 points against a true national championship contender. It was indeed a game of Homeric proportions as the two heavyweights went after each other. I remember my friend Dennis Lucey coming down and asking me to give a pep talk to my friends in the upper deck who were very depressed with Georgetown trailing. To my surprise my friends were as down as I have ever seen them. When I realized this we stood in the hallways talking about the game during halftime. I told them that this was our time, and that we would slowly take control of the game. They needed to keep the faith. After halftime, the Tar Heels came out on fire, and I began to really worry. However, the Heart Attack Hoyas had done this to me before. They slowly pulled to within 3 points, as they matched the speed of UNC point guard Ty Lawson. Then Jonathan Wallace made the shot! In the remaining time, and overtime the Hoya defense shut down the UNC Tar Heels as the Hoyas ran away with the game 96-84. What a night in New Jersey--Georgetown Alumni Central!

Happy 2007--Georgetown Basketball had returned. The Duke game in 2006 was wonderful, but not like this one. I was fortunate to sit in this game next to celebrities Alfred Bozzo, Pat Riley, and Patrick Ewing. Jeff Green had told the press that Georgetown was now back to where it belongs--the Final Four. As Mike Lupica states in his article, "If this is the last game to be played in this arena, this one will do!" Almost 25 years to the day when UNC and Michael Jordan made the shots to defeat Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Championship, it was Georgetown that made the big shots. Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, Jonathan Wallace, and DaJuan Summers came up big. As I rode with my brother and other friends back home, I was overcome by a sense of happiness. Getting to the arena 4 hours early was well worth it as we rode the bus from the Port Authority. I must have gotten a hundred calls that night as I obviously could not sleep. I ordered my Final Four tickets and made my travel arrangements. Happy 2007--Nest Stop the Final Four. Georgetown was back!

We are Georgetown! Hoya Saxa!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President--Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing