The Chinatown Gang

Very little time passes before I think of Arnold "Red" Auerbach. In some ways I always see him linked to Georgetown Basketball through his relationship with John Thompson, Jr. Red was one of the few people who coach Thompson always listened to. I do not know of anyone knowledgeable about basketball who did not listen to Red. One of my prized possessions is an autographed copy of the book, Let Me Tell You A Story. Anything signed by Red would be special for me. I still remember my days in summer basketball camp hearing the great stories Red would tell. I doubt there was anyone who could tell the wonderful stories that came from Red Auerbach. Anyway, the book tells the story of Red and his friends who met in D.C.'s Chinatown every Tuesday for lunch at the fabled China Inn, and later at the China Doll--two of the historic D.C. Chinatown restaurants that no longer exist. Chinatown in D.C. has always been a small area of at most 2-3 blocks that is even smaller today.

As HHC Blogmaster John Hawkes and I have been working with the new Hoya Hoop Club Communications Committee I thought it would be appropriate for us to meet on a Tuesday, after the Hoyas Home Opener against Temple. Thankfully, the Hoyas escaped with a come from behind win. In the tradition of Red Auerbach and D.C. basketball I decided to have our meeting over dinner at Tony Cheng's Restaurant in Chinatown. Sitting upstairs in our group, I am hoping to start a new tradition. Tony Cheng's on the second floor is perhaps the last of the old guard in Chinatown. At Georgetown it is always about tradition. Our HHC communications group had a great meal, and talked about some serious basketball. I am hoping this will be the return of another Chinatown Gang, a group of Georgetown Hoyas who truly love basketball and are serious basketball fans.

John Thompson: "I've never been around a man who managed men in my life any better than Red Auerbach. Particularly, the egos he had to deal with, the cross cultures he had to deal with and all the variations in the kinds of people that I saw him be associated with."

We are Georgetown! Hoya Saxa! Coach Auerbach--This one is for you and D.C. Basketball!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Vice-President Hoya Hoop Club & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Georgia Road-Trip

Again the Hoyas head South for another road-trip against the Savannah State Tigers. The Tigers are coached by former Hoya guard Horace Broadnax. Horace is a former Florida High School Player of the Year who turned down many other offers to play at the Hilltop. Horace was a key member of the 1984 NCAA Championship Team. He probably would have been a starter on many other Hoya teams, but willingly accepted his role as a backup to Michael Jackson and David Wingate. Horace was a crowd favorite at Capital Centre. I still remember the day when after a jump ball, he fired a shot almost from half-court earning him the nickname: “Half-court Horace.” Horace Broadnax was also a great defender--a true Hoya!

Savannah State is currently 2-1 with a loss to North Florida. They have been led this season by the trio of Louis Arnold, Tracy Rankin, and Rashad Hassan. The Tigers finished 16-15 a year ago and are looking to test the Hoyas in their 6,000 seat arena. I have been encouraged to hear that many of my Hoya friends are attending the game tomorrow in Georgia. I know that coach JT III and the team love to see some cheering Hoya fans and some “Blue and Gray” on the road. So for any of the HoyaNation residing in Georgia who have not bought tickets, please consider attending the game. It is very important that we continue to have a good start to the 2009-10 season with our very difficult schedule. I wanted to remind all Hoya fans to make sure they join the Hoya Hoop Club. Coach JT III and our team need everyone’s support. Each and every member is important. We have some wonderful events coming up, e.g.post-game events at the Jimmy V Classic in New York, and at the Wooden Classic in California. There will also have our Annual Holiday Party prior to the Old Dominion game in McDonough on Saturday December 19th so mark your calendars.

For a last piece of good news, former Hoya coach John Thompson, Jr. was one of the three recipients of the second annual Lapchick character awards at Madison Square Garden on November 19, 2009. The award is named after former Hall of Fame coach Joe Lapchick, who coached at St. John’s and the New York Knicks. The other recipients were the late Kate Yow of N.C. State, and legendary high school coach Jack Curran of Archbishop Malloy. Congratulations to coach Thompson! Coach Thompson and Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax make us proud to be Hoyas! Let’s get out the games and support our team!

Hoya Saxa! We are Georgetown!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Vice-President Hoya Hoop Club--Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

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The Hoyas and the Big Easy

Fans of the HoyaNation know that there has been a long history of great players recruited from the state of Louisiana. The names Steve Martin, Joey Brown, Perry McDonald, Jaren Jackson, and current Hoya Greg Monroe immediately come to mind. It has been many a year since the Hoyas have travelled to New Orleans for a game. Indeed the NCAA Championship game in 1982 will forever be remembered as one of the greatest games in college basketball history.

However this game on November 13th at Fogelman Arena on the campus of Tulane University will be a different type of game. The season opener will be an important test for the Hoyas, as the Tulane Green Wave of Conference USA features an explosive backcourt in guards Kevin Sims and Kris Richards. Playing on the road is always important preparation for the Big East Conference season.

If you are in New Orleans and are attending the game please note the Georgetown Club will host two events. There will be a pre-game tailgate near Tulane's Fogelman Arena at the Monroe Quad. There will be some giveaways courtesy of the Hoya Hoop Club. The GU club asks for a $10 donation to help cover their costs. There will be post-game drinks at Bruno's Tavern at 7538 Maple Street approximately 5 blocks from the arena. The Hoya Hoop Club is working hard to collaborate with the GU alumni clubs around the country to reach out to our members and Hoya fans.

Our Hoya Communications Committee is excited about the 2009-10 season. Please join the Hoya Hoop Club to support Coach JT III and our players. We need your support that starts with becoming a member. We are working hard to improve communication with our members. We will have improved content on our HHC official Blog, our Facebook Page, and Twitter. I did a recent interview on Talking Hoyas Podcast along with Porter Grant. Prior to the Tulane Game our new WebPage will be going live. We are also looking at many other new and innovative ways to reach HHC members. Lastly, let's make sure that we have only Georgetown fans at Verizon Center. I only invite Hoya fans to come to games with me as we need to build our Home Court advantage. If you cannot attend a home game you can donate your tickets back to GU online and keep Hoya fans in the seats. Are you ready for the season to begin? Let's go Hoyas!

We are Georgetown! Hoya Saxa!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Vice-President Hoya Hoop Club--Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing