Monday, December 12, 2011
Verizon Center--Our House
Walking Tall in Maui
Maui is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have to go back when I have more time to vacation, but I really saw some great college basketball. Most basketball fans know the story of the Tennessee sheriff, Buford Pusser, immortalized by Bo Svenson in the 1970’s, and more recently by Dwayne “The Rock Johnson” in the movies and television series: “Walking Tall.” It was certainly more Hollywood than fact, but it made me think of our Georgetown Hoyas coming to this prestigious, highly competitive tournament with so many questions. After the tournament, and an opening heartbreaking loss to Kansas, the young Hoya Team indeed held their heads high and “Walked Tall” in the 50th state of Hawaii. Jason Clark really lit the arena up with his shooting, defense, and hustle. The freshmen left notice that they are here to compete. However, what really stood out to me was the standout performance of senior Henry Sims--Where are you LicHoya? Especially in the last game against Memphis, Henry Sims was a tower of strength offensively, defensively, and on the boards. The Hoya fans were very vocal as the cheers Hoya Saxa resounded throughout the Lahaina Civic Center. Memphis is indeed a power in college basketball, but on that afternoon Henry Sims would not be denied as he shot the ball in rhythm, and thwarted each Memphis run with key plays. Yes, this Hoya team made important progress as the Big East season approaches. Memphis will be a formidable foe on December 22nd at Verizon Center so please come out to the game. You will enjoy seeing the pre-game video of Henry Sims, Jason Clark and the rest of the Hoyas as they tower over Washington DC--Georgetown’s Playground. On this Thanksgiving week, the Hoyas indeed were indeed Walking Tall on the island of Maui! I certainly hope we go back again soon!
On my way home I spent some time in Honolulu and ran into Hoya fans at the Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial, and Ralph Dalton in the Sheraton Waikiki. I also got to watch the Lady Hoyas defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in Las Vegas on my way back East with former Hoya alumni Chico Church, and Greg Monroe! I cannot wait to get back to Verizon Center!
We are Georgetown!
Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice President--Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing
Maui Invitational 2011 Day 2
When you visit Maui you marvel at the beauty of nature, and you respect the great traditions of Maui, HI. It seems like almost yesterday when the Chaminade Silverswords shocked the #1 ranked college basketball team in the nation, led by player of the year Ralph Sampson, the University of Virginia aka the University of Ralph. It was the ultimate trap game for the UVA Cavaliers. I expect it to be another battle as our young Georgetown Hoyas face Chaminade in their backyard later this afternoon. Last night in losing a hard fought battle to the Kansas JayHawks I was encouraged by the great effort made by our young team. I am not fond of moral victories, but loved seeing Nate, Jason, Hollis & others dive after lose balls. I was a little concerned when I saw Henry Sims dive head first over the scorer’s table--we all admired the effort.
When yesterday started I was nervous all day as I am on most game days. I researched our history against the Kansas JayHawks on John Reagan’s Georgetown History Project and saw that we have only played Kansas once, on March 20, 1987 defeating Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen 70-57. True Georgetown basketball historians will know that this was the legendary Georgetown team known as “Reggie & the Miracles.” It seems like yesterday that I saw Reggie Williams, and Perry McDonald dominate the Derrick Coleman led Syracuse Orange and the Rick Pitino Providence Final Four team in Madison Square Garden winning another Big East Tournament Championship.
My day started as I hung out at the Westin Ono Grill by the pool enjoying my Hoya Blue drink and Maui Chili Dawg. The next thing I know is that I hear the cheer Hoya Saxa as a WAG shirt flies over my head. It was my friend Rich Chvotkin, the voice of the Georgetown Hoyas! It was great to see Rich as we were both staying in the Westin Maui which is a great hotel, but the HQ for the Kansas JayHawks. We were greatly outnumbered. Rich filled me in on his radio broadcast timetable as well as his history in Hawaii at the Maui Classic in 1999, and Georgetown’s many trips to the island of Oahu where he stayed at the Sheraton Wakiki. I will be at the Sheraton Wakiki on Thanksgiving Day for two nights before heading back East. I then took a walk to the Hyatt Regency along the beach walk hoping to find more Hoyas. I found some friends at the Hyatt Pool, and ran into Kim Curry, the GU MBB academic coordinator. Kim has that great smile, and wonderful outgoing personality that makes you want to be around her. As the afternoon was flying by I decided to take a drive to the arena so I would know my game route later that evening. TIme flew and I got to the pre-game reception meeting Steve Alleva to get my game day tickets. It was great to see the GU family including Blanton Jones, former Hoyas Unlimited Associate Director Mara Vandlik, Chris Haines (SB Nation), and many other Georgetown friends. It is always great to be surrounded by your Georgetown family. I met a few new friends, but did not get a chance to meet Jennifer Dotson from the GU Hawaii Club. I was hoping to see her but I needed to get to the arena--I need to arrive early to games for those who do not know me! Time was passing and I got a ride from my HHC Communications team member Joannah Graham and her husband Kevin. We got to the game very early and purchased some T shirts, and had some Cool Cat Cafe burgers. The Lahaina Civic Center let’s you buy and bring food in, but does not sell food in the arena. I was impressed by the organization as they brought the UCLA-Chaminade crowd out of the arena, and moved us in. There were no bad seats in the house in this tiny gym. As I mentioned we made a great effort, but the result was not what any Hoya fan wanted. Still the season is early, and I love this young Hoya team. Everyone gave a maximum effort, and I know Coach JT III will make sure his young players learn from this experience. We headed back to the Westin, and am now preparing for an 11:30 AM game against Chaminade, Hawaii Time (4:30 PM ET). As we say at Georgetown, we will live to battle another day. Chaminade will be another hard fought game. Hoya Saxa!
We are Georgetown!
Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club VP--Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing
Hoya Five O
Ni Men Hao HoyaNation or should I say Aloha! I am now here in Maui, HI for the 2011-12 Maui Invitational--Go Hoyas! Hoya Fans from the 1980’s know the Legend of Jake Kurkijian and the Georgetown Hawaii Five-O routine. When coach JT Jr. wanted to lighten the atmosphere a little in the old Capital Centre, he asked Jake to do the Hawaii Five-O routine along with the cheerleaders and the pep band. Indeed it is all Dr. LicHoya can now speak about. When we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the 1984 GU Men’s NCAA Championship Team, coach JT Jr. marveled at the slimmer Jake. Many people believe that the theme song from the original Hawaii Five-O series starring Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett is one of the greatest TV theme songs ever. I also love the new modern version of Hawaii Five O with Alex O’Loughlin playing McGarrett’s son, Steve McGarrett (a former Navy Seal)--actually named after his grandfather making him Steve McGarrett III? At Georgetown we truly love Legacies! In 2007 when Georgetown made a run to the Final Four in Atlanta, I got a call from one of the producers of the David Letterman show who was looking to find a video of the Hawaii Five-O Georgetown routine. CBS Sports had deleted all the commercials and other non-game coverage in their libraries and thus could not find any footage. After much research I ran into the same problem. Even friends who had taped every Hoya game, did not have a copy. Jake suggested that I search for coverage of the Syracuse game at Capital Centre in 1985 when the routine was shown on television. Alas, any video coverage appears to be lost, unless some Hoya fan reading this article has a copy? I think Dr. LicHoya would do anything to find a copy!
I am presently on a flight from Oakland, CA to Maui to see Georgetown play in the Maui Classic. What an outstanding field! The Hoyas will face the Kansas JayHawks on Monday night. Kansas is another legendary college basketball program boasting alumni such as Dean Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, and Danny Manning. Hawaii has always been a dream trip for me, and to share it with my Georgetown family over the Thanksgiving Holiday will be very special. My road trip started on Friday of this week when I travelled from my home in New York City to San Francisco. I flew from JFK on Virgin America--the party airline and got a free Google Chrome Netbook with free WIFI to use during the flight. I had a wonderful two days in the CIty by the Bay staying at my favorite SF hotel, the Westin St. Francis where much of the movie the Maltese Falcon was filmed. The clock and the memorabilia around the hotel are all very impressive. Whenever, I am there I can almost feel the presence of the many former US Presidents, Mary Astor, and Humphrey Bogart who played Sam Spade. Two days brought back wonderful memories of one of the great Georgetown John Carroll weekends that I attended just six months ago. I had little time though, and went to some of my favorite SF restaurants: Sears Fine Foods, Tartine’s Bakery, Zachary’s Pizza, Koi Palace, and R&G Lounge. Every time that I go to R&G Lounge I enjoy my Salt N Pepper Dungeness Crab chatting with the day managers about Georgetown basketball. However, this past Friday night they were more interested in talking about their “Big Game,” the Stanford--CAL Berkeley football game. In fact it seemed like a Stanford/Silicon Valley/ Asian Society NIght at R&G Lounge. As SF Chinatown evolves there is a dramatic contrast between the old school Chinatown and restaurants like R&G which had put in some new fancy interactive video screens. As I chatted with the manager, and the owner who have become friends, the cheer: “NOT OUR RIVALS,” kept running in my head. Oh how I love this restaurant. I hope Anthony Bourdain is a Hoya fan! I wonder where Mr. Bourdain dines while in Maui? The other great Asian restaurant I visited was Koi Palace in Daly City dim sum there on Saturday afternoon. The dim sum is the freshest and best I have ever had anywhere in the world. I was running late though, and I needed to get back to my hotel before having dinner with my GU classmate Chris Huppert in Piedmont, CA. The traffic and the holiday shoppers made driving in downtown SF near Union Square a real adventure. With an order of har gao just arriving I pointed and instructed my waitress: “Da Bao.” I watched the Stanford-CAL game enjoying some Zachary’s Chicago-style pizza, and Tartine’s lemon tarts. It was a great game, but my mind was on the Maui Classic and Georgetown’s game with Kansas. I cannot wait to see our young Hoya freshman play against Kansas‘ massive front line--The Big East & Georgetown comes to the West!
On my flight to Maui, I was seated with an Asian family from SF with a bunch of nice kids that remind me of my niece and nephew, Hoya Kids Club members Sophia (Miss Disney) and Alex (All-Madden) Wong. They turned me on to my new addiction--dried wasabi seaweed! It is even healthy! It is amazing how good these kids are with the iPAD and IPOD games.
Stay tuned from my coverage (HHC Blog, Fadebook & Twitter) of the Maui Classic and the Hawaiian Islands! I look forward to meeting many new Georgetown fans and alumni in Maui! Please come and say Aloha!
Here is an update for GU fans in Maui:
Pre-Game Reception
Monday, November 21 at 5 p.m.
Umalu Bar at Hyatt Regency
Before Georgetown's opening game against #11 Kansas on Monday night, join your fellow Hoya fans for a pre-game reception at the Umalu Bar at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa (200 Nohea Kai Drive, Lahaina, HI 96761). The pre-game reception will begin at 5 p.m. The game tips-off at 7 p.m. The Hyatt is only 1.8 miles from the Lahaina Civic Center (1840 Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, HI 96761).
Georgetown's games on Tuesday and Wednesday will be determined by the outcome of the team's previous games. For the Maui Invitational bracket, please visit http://www.mauiinvitational.com/sites/default/files/2011%20EA%20SPORTS%20Maui%20Invitational%20Bracket_0.pdf. More information will be sent out by e-mail about pre- and/or post-game receptions once times/opponents have been determined.
For updates follow the Hoya Hoop Club on Facebook and Twitter at:
www.facebook.com/HoyaHoopClub & @HoyaHoopClub.
Mahalo & Hoya Saxa!
We are Georgetown!
Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President--Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Getting Ready for the Maui Invitational
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Meet Me at Verizon Center--Hoya Saxa!!!
It seems like an eternity since the end of the Nike Pro City League aka Kenner League at McDonough Gymnasium. It is no secret that I have had severe basketball withdrawals since then. I cannot wait to see the new freshmen--Otto Porter, Jabril Trawick, Tyler Adams, Greg Whittington, and Mikael Adams. I believe this is a freshman class that will really surprise people. I really look forward to seeing the Seniors: Jason Clark and Henry Sims. They are two of the nicest young men that you will ever meet. They both are very talented and I am hoping they will have great senior years. Henry is from Baltimore, and Jason from O'Connell high school in Virginia right across the Key Bridge and up I-66. Good luck to Jason, Henry, et al. I have to see if Henry can hear the cheers from LicHoya his biggest fan!
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Modern Era of College Basketball & Georgetown: The Beast of the East
Let the Madness Begin: I would contend that if you created all-star teams from each school during the modern era, there have been 3 programs at the top of the list including the Georgetown Hoyas. The other two schools do not include UCONN or Syracuse. They do not even include Duke University. Without naming names the other schools reside in Westwood, and the other is the alma mater of his Airness. When you think about Hoya basketball you think of the players: Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo, Iverson, McDonald, Spriggs, Harrington, Williams, Jackson, Wingate, Floyd, Smith, Tagliabue, Barry, Duren, Shelton, Green, Hibbert, Monroe, Graham, and Sweetney. Georgetown has been the leader and through its innovation, and pressure defense has changed the way basketball is played. Georgetown helped found the Big East conference. I am concerned as everyone else is about the future of the Big East conference. Nobody can predict what will happen next for the Big East. JT III, Lee Reed and the athletic department believe it is key for Georgetown to remain a top program in college basketball. Georgetown University is one of the schools that made the Big East conference what it is. Let's keep the faith and remember that: We are Georgetown!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Countdown to Midnight Madness Final Week: Dikembe Mutomobo & HHC on Roundball: Man to Man Defense
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 3 Boubacar Aw; HHC on Roundball: The Triangle Drill
| AB 1998 Hometown: Thies, Senegal High School: Waccamaw (NC) Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 225 Years on Team: 1994-98 |
Career Scoring By Decade, #9
Career Rebounds, #26
Career Points, #48
Team Captain, 1998
Boubacar Aw came to GU as an athletic defensive specialist who became quite an offensive threat. He teamed with Jerome Williams giving the Hoyas a tremendous rebounding team. If he was not overshadowed offensively by Allen Iverson and Victor Page, he would be way up the line in the scoring records. His performance against #1 UCONN at US Air Arena allowed Allen Iverson to dominate Ray Allen and the Huskies. Boubacar was a typical physical presence that was a signature of the JT Jr era. Thanks for the memories--Hoya Saxa! |
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSihVPTm3k Dr. Thomas A. Wong Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications Proud Member of Generation Ewing |
Monday, September 12, 2011
Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 2 Victor Samnick; HHC on Roundball: The Overload Offense vs the 2-3 Zone
BSBA 2003
Home Town/High School: Doala, Cameroon via Newport (MD) Prep
Lettered: 2000,01,02,03
Jersey Number: 13
Position: Forward
Height: 6-8
Year G FG FT REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG. 1999-00 29 52-144 22-49 129 25 19 21 126 4.3 2000-01 33 49-121 25-39 113 23 16 13 125 3.8 2001-02 17 37-88 23-30 78 21 17 17 98 5.8 2002-03 32 71-165 57-77 127 24 37 20 174 5.4 Totals 111 209-518 127-195 447 93 89 71 523 4.7
Monday, September 5, 2011
Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 1 Sead Dizdarevic & HHC on Roundball: The Ball Screen
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Life Lessons From The Greatest Game Ever Invented
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Weathering the Storm--Hurricanes & Mother Nature.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
A Double Hoya's All-Time Kenner League Team
The league is now officially called the Nike Pro City League, but I am going to use the Kenner League name when picking my personal all-time team. I have actually attended games every year since the Kenner League started in McDonough gymnasium. Some years I have been able to attend more games than in other years. Please take note that these are my own picks for an all-time team. I am making these choices based on their performance for an entire summer, and these are only players I have seen play in the summer league in person. To be fair there are a few players I have not seen--a very small number. Anyway, here are my picks for the greatest players in the history of the Kenner League:
Saturday, July 30, 2011
48 Hours--A Tale of Two Cities & a Rivalry for the Ages
48 Hours until I move my residence from my birthplace city of Washington, D.C. to my second home New York City. I will continue to rack up the Guest Rewards miles on Amtrak. Thank Goodness for summer league basketball. I have to ask everyone at the Nike Pro City League to be patient with me, because it is hard for me not to refer to their league as the Kenner League! Anyway, I will see my Hoya Hoop Club communications group in a few hours in nicely air conditioned McDonough gymnasium. I did some shopping yesterday at the Georgetown bookstore making sure my new Manhattan apartment is properly decorated in Blue and Gray. Anyway, as I chat with my buddy Rich Chvotkin during games this weekend, we often talk about the great rivalries in the Big East and college basketball at large. There has been much publicity about the Georgetown--Syracuse rivalry over the last few years. However, with the arrival of Steve Lavin and the rise of St. John's (I still call them the Redmen sometimes because the Red Storm has no meaning for me), I will remind the HoyaNation of the great history of the Georgetown--St. John's rivalry. We have several athletic department staff who have come from St. John's like former AD Joe Lang. I will argue that the Georgetown--St. John's rivalry in the mid 1980's was the fiercest rivalry I have ever seen. When the players from John Duren, Craig Shelton, Gene Smith, Fred Brown, David Wingate, and Reggie Williams battled Billy Goodwin, Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Billy Wennington, and Mark Jackson it was truly DC basketball vs. New York city basketball. A game between Georgetown and St. John's from 1983-1986 was really like going to a Heavyweight Championship Fight. It was like seeing Ali-Frazier!
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Greatest Game Ever Invented III
Da jia hao! Oh how McDonough Gymnasium has given many a basketball fan welcome relief from the Heat Wave of 2011, and some memorable basketball moments. I once again saw my favorite basketball movie Hoosiers the other night on Verizon FIOS as I am about to change to Time Warner in my new Manhattan apartment. I love the scenes where Dennis Hopper says, "I know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented!" Also, when Barbara Hershey tells Gene Hackman who plays Coach Norman Dale, "Every game my brother played was the most important thing that ever happened to this family. I just don't get it!" As true basketball junkies who live to see the next game we all understand why this is such a naive question! Please follow our HHC Blogmaster's extensive coverage of the Nike Pro City League at McDonough arena this summer. It is hard to believe there are only two weekends left. This past Saturday night the Tombs rocketed out to a huge lead behind impressive freshmen performances, especially the performance of Michael Hopkins who had 17+ points in the first half. However former Hoya and current Boston Celtic star Jeff Green schooled the young Tombs team at the end of the game. Indeed it has been a great summer of basketball on the Hilltop--the Epicenter of College Basketball in the known world. We are only a little over two weeks from Georgetown Basketball's China trip. Make sure you join our Hoya Hoop Club Fan Page for the most comprehensive information on our basketball program. You can join the Fan Page at: www.facebook.com/HoyaHoopClub
Saturday, April 23, 2011
A Look at Hardship Status
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Capital Classic
Monday, April 11, 2011
Time For Rule Changes?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Hoya Bracketology
The NCAA Tournament is the heart of March Madness, and is what every college basketball team in America plays for. The office NCAA pools have evolved to the science of Bracketology? My Georgetown psychology professor would cringe if he heard me even speaking about Bracketology being a science. Indeed Bracketology is even more absurd than the college basketball polls that start in the preseason. However, they are fun and give us Georgetown alumni & fans a chance to relive our years on the Hilltop. It seems like only yesterday that I lived in Village A and spent many days and evenings in Yates Field House playing pick up basketball. Every Hoya basketball gym rat in those days dreamed of playing with John Duren, Craig Shelton, and Gene Smith. We dreamed of dishing the rock to Sleepy Floyd for a rainbow jumper, and serving up an alley-oop pass to Patrick Ewing! Yes, Bracketology gives us a chance to live our dreams, and fight for alma mater! Hoya Saxa!
On my way to New York City and Madison Square Garden last week, I thought about how my return trip to D.C., and Leo O’Donovan Hall for the NCAA Selection show on Sunday has become part of my yearly ritual. I look forward to the pizza, salsa & chips, and the discussion of road trip sites. When our selection to play the VCU/USC winner in Chicago came, a big cheer resounded on the Hilltop! Chicago is an easy trip from DC, and is a city with a large alumni base. Now that we know we are playing a very talented VCU team we can focus on our opponent. As Gene Hackman states so well in the movie “Hoosiers,” it is important to only speak about the immediate opponent, and not to discuss potential future opponents. Indeed all Georgetown basketball fans are somewhat superstitious by nature and can understand this. The day after our men’s basketball selection show I I attended our Hoya women’s basketball selection show at the Faculty Club in the Leavey Center. There was a great crowd, and everyone was enjoying some tacos and fajitas. Once again the Lady Hoyas opponent was announced at the very end of the show like the men’s team. The Lady Hoyas would face the Princeton Tigers in College Park this Sunday at 2:30 PM. For all Hoya fans in the D.C. area this will be a great game to attend. My immediate reaction was being thankful that the women were playing Princeton and not the men. Coach JT III I am sure would not be happy if he had to play his former team Princeton, led by former Hoya assistant coach Sidney Johnson.
If you are in Chicago for the men’s game on Friday at 9:45 PM, please attend our NCAA Kickoff Party at the Swissotel (Hoya Headquarters at 323 East Wacker Drive) from 4-6 PM before heading to the United Center.
If you have not seen my picture albums for the Men’s & Women’s NCAA Selection Shows on the Hoya Hoop Club Facebook Page please go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=108495557266&aid=283523
Remember to join our Hoya Hoop Club Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/HoyaHoopClub and our HHC Twitter Feed at @HoyaHoopClub for the most comprehensive coverage of Georgetown Men’s Basketball and the Hoya Hoop Club.
Let the Madness Begin! We are Georgetown! Hoya Saxa!
Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications
Proud Member of Generation Ewing
Monday, March 7, 2011
Madison Square Garden IV--The World's Most Famous Arena
The Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden (the current Garden is often referred to as MSG IV or the 4th incarnation of MSG) is one of the highlights of the college basketball season. A week's worth of basketball in the world's greatest City is an event every great basketball fan needs to experience. Indeed Madison Square Garden has always been Georgetown's home away from home. As I think about Chris Wright's unfortunate injury, I remember the 1993-94 season when Georgetown shocked everyone with a run to the Big East Final. I remember Hoya fans rocking the old Blue seats in Madison Square Garden. In fact whenever I enter the Garden I can still hear that fan behind me screaming at the top of his lungs: "Joey Brown--Morgan City, Louisiana!" That is a cheer I will never forget. Indeed Joey Brown is one of my all-time favorite Hoyas! At only 5'9" Joey was a ferocious defender who was always a clutch shooter with the game on the line.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Georgetown Beats Syracuse
Monday, February 7, 2011
Not Our Rivals--We are Georgetown--Crush the Orange!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Happy Chinese New Year--The Year of the Rabbit
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Return to South Philadelphia
Georgetown against Villanova: Need I say more. There is nowhere in the county I can go without seeing T shirts saying how much Villanova fans hate Georgetown. As we know envy can be a dangerous emotion. Anyway, I would not miss the short drive up I-95 to see this Big East battle. It seemed like only yesterday, the Hoyas had lost a tough ball game with Temple on Broad Street. As soon as I entered sky box 16 at Wells Fargo Arena I knew this would be a different day. I ran into my good friend Ashley Darcy and her fiancee Kevin Mahoney. Ashley was wearing the jersey of one of my favorite Hoyas #33 Alonzo Mourning! The mood in the box was electric. I saw my good Philly friends Rich Hluchan, Jack McNamara and their families. The game was your typical Villanova--Georgetown war.