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!

As the Fall flies by and the basketball season starts I prepare for my trip tonight from the island of Manhattan back to the Hilltop. I am ready for a weekend of the Tombs, the Avalon, and Wisemiller's. I also look forward to seeing some of the new restaurants that will be opening up on 7th Street like Luke's Lobster and Wagamama's! Yes, Ted Leonsis must be smiling with the rebirth of the Verizon Center/Chinatown area. Indeed, I need to schedule my Chinatown meetings at Tony Cheng's! There is too much to do! I hope to see everyone at Verizon Center on Saturday. Please come by the Hoya Hoop Club Table by Section 120 to say hello. I cannot wait to see the new Hoya introductions! At 12:00 Noon on Saturday November 12th I will hear the sounds that I have been waiting to here: "Let's Play Ball!" "Hoya Saxa" will resound around the country from New York to Hawaii, and from Syracuse to Miami!

We are Georgetown!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Vice-President Hoya Hoop Club & Director of Communications

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!

Hoya Saxa!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Countdown to Midnight Madness Final Week: Dikembe Mutomobo & HHC on Roundball: Man to Man Defense

One of the most famous international basketball players in history came from the Institut Bobotoin Kinshasa, Congo. His name was Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo. His fans on the Hilltop and throughout the world now him as Mutombo! He graduated from Georgetown in 1991 standing 7-2 with a smile that would light up the world. I remember hearing about this project of a player who could not even dominate GU intramural basketball in Yates Field House, who would go on to legendary status in the Kenner Summer League. Indeed a young Jim Calhoun from UCONN would send many scouts to McDonough Gymnasium to see Dikembe block shots and score all of his points on dunks. Indeed Dikembe teamed with Alonzo Mourning in the years when Georgetown truly became Big Man U: Patrick Ewing to Alonzo Mourning to Dikembe Mutombo--the Legend Grew. The stories about Dikembe Mutombo throughout Georgetown University truly became the stories of legend. He hung out at the Tombs when he was not taking an early morning run to the Washington Monument and back. Even Coach John Thompson, Jr. would wear a cowboy hat to practice to take a playful jab at Dikembe's antics on campus. Mutombo will perhaps one day enter the NBA Hall of Fame. As great as his legend on the court became, he will best be remembered for his great humanitarian work in his African homeland raising money for a new hospital to care for those less fortunate. Dikembe Mutombo is a great example of the Georgetown Jesuit Ideal: Men and Women for Others--Dikembe: You have made us proud.

To see some highlights of Dikembe Mutombo go to:

http://youtu.be/Xc0HALrWrXs

Hoya Hoop Club on Roundball: Man to Man Defense

http://youtu.be/eP2nBwYdHek

We are Georgetown!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice President--Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 3 Boubacar Aw; HHC on Roundball: The Triangle Drill

Boubacar Aw

AB 1998 Hometown: Thies, Senegal High School: Waccamaw (NC) Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 225 Years on Team: 1994-98

Highlights:
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!

Triangle Drill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSihVPTm3k Dr. Thomas A. Wong Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 2 Victor Samnick; HHC on Roundball: The Overload Offense vs the 2-3 Zone

Victor Samnick was a 6 ft 8 inch forward out of the Cameroon via the Newport Prep School. I remember his long arms and active smile. My greatest memory of him was inbounding the ball to Nat Burton in the 2001 NCAA Tournament first round game against Arkansas. The play eventually let to Nat Burton scoring a wrap around layup at the buzzer to give Georgetown its first NCAA win in four years helping to launch Generation Burton in 2001. Victor would go onto play professional ball in France winning several championships. For those of you who speak French you can see the highlight film below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lQecbJqwlE

Victor Samnick

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 

Hoya Hoop Club on Roundball: The Overload offense versus the 2-3 Zone defense:

A Look at the 2-3 Zone often used by the Syracuse Orange and the Overload Offense often used to attack the 2-3 Zone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfZzmPDbrd4

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Countdown to Midnight Madness Week 1 Sead Dizdarevic & HHC on Roundball: The Ball Screen

Sead Dizdarevic has distinguished himself as a great Hoya both as an integral part of Georgetown's Final Four Team of 2007, and by his many accomplishments off the court. Sead was born in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro the son of Besim and Lidija Dizdarevic. He lived with his host family of Aaron and Rebecca Toto while at North Highland High School in California. He has two sisters Amra and Alma, and one brother Emir. In 2008 he founded the Basketball Diplomacy Project in Montenegro, where current and former Hoya players have run clinics in Montenegro. Stay tuned to our future communications that will highlight this summer's basketball clinics. Today Sead is a Senior Security Analyst at Fannie Mae, and a board member of the Hoya Hoop Club. We look forward to following Sead's future accomplishments.

Hoya Hoop Club on Roundball:

During the 2011-12 Basketball Season we will focus on various aspects and trends in the game of basketball. We will certainly look at the Princeton offense, the Four Corners & Double Stack, as well as numerous zone and man-to-man defensive strategies. We will also look at rule changes and how they have affected college basketball. In recent years the "Ball Screen" has become one of the most used and perhaps overused plays in college basketball. In the following video, Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight explains the basics of the Ball Screen:

Have a good week as the Countdown to Midnight Madness Continues! Hoya Saxa!

We are Georgetown!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing

Life Lessons From The Greatest Game Ever Invented

As a Double Hoya and an Asian-American I have lived my entire life loving the game of basketball. When I walked into Healey Circle during New Student Orientation this weekend, I experienced the same excitement that I had as an incoming freshman. Indeed former GU President Tim Healey's voice still lives on in me and my fellow Hoya classmates. As I walk to work every day through Bryant Park I think of Father Healey and his work with the NY Public Library and Bryant Park. As I visited my parents in Maryland this weekend, I went to the AFI Silver Spring Theatre to see my favorite basketball movie, Hoosiers, on the big screen. It is indeed a classic. I marvel at the passion that the residents of the small town of Hickory, Indiana have for the game of basketball. As Dennis Hopper tells Gene Hackman, he knows everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented. Moreover, the movie is about second chances, and how we as individuals are defined by our actions. The naive Barbara Hershey does not understand why every game her brother ever played was the most important thing that ever happened to her family. It is not until she sees how Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, and her pupil Jimmie Chitwood get a second chance in life does she really begin to see why she is always drawn back to her home town. Indeed basketball is the greatest game because of its emphasis on teamwork, and its rare combination of athleticism, and strategy. You can fall behind and have a chance to come back, to rally, and redefine yourself through resilience and a team emphasis.

As I saw the highlights and tried to understand what happened in the Georgetown Hoyas trip to China, I marveled at the leadership Coach JT III and our coaching staff displayed. Indeed, they put the incident behind them and concentrated on the bigger picture. There was more at stake than just a basketball game. Indeed two nations found that they had more in common than they had differences. Indeed diplomacy, and goodwill won out. The Hoyas trip to China was more than just a basketball trip. The Jesuit principles of Men and Women for Others, and Cura Personalis were what came through. Yes two cultures, and groups of people learned some valuable life lessons from the Greatest Game Ever Invented.

For some pictures of the Georgetown trip to China from Super Hoya Fan Rich Hluchan see our

Hoyas in China Trailer at:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150290238119244&oid=108495557266&comments

For the full view of pictures go to:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150290278864244&oid=108495557266&comments

We are Georgetown!

Dr. Thomas A. Wong

Hoya Hoop Club Vice-President & Director of Communications

Proud Member of Generation Ewing