12/8/2024
The Hoyas started the week off at Capital One Arena on Monday night as they faced the UMBC Golden Retrievers. The Hoyas found their groove midway through the first half, securing the lead and not relinquishing it for the remainder of the game. Big East Player of the Week Thomas Sorber led all scorers with 23 points and eight rebounds. Malik Mack contributed 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Peavy added 16 points. The Hoyas defeated the Golden Retrievers 86-62.
Now for the game we have all been waiting for: the Hoyas traveled to Morgantown, W.Va., on Friday night to face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big 12–Big East battle. The entire first half was a back-and-forth affair, with Georgetown leading 32-30 heading into the second half. The Hoyas' physical presence was key to holding the lead against the Mountaineers, but the tide began to change as the Mountaineers tied the game 43-43. The lid was off the rim as the Mountaineers began pouring in threes, and Georgetown’s perimeter defense was not enough to stop the barrage. The Mountaineers ended up running away with the game, going on a 16-0 run before finally defeating the Hoyas 73-60.
Aside from Sorber, whose play was limited in the second half due to foul trouble, Jayden Epps came alive, contributing 17 points. This game was the second biggest test they had all season, but they looked far from terrible—they showed promise. Growth is all head coach Ed Cooley can ask for as the season is still young, and the more experience the young Hoyas get, the more dangerous they will become and improve their chances of coming out on top in big games.
On an even brighter note, I don’t have to send a video of me singing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to Dave anymore. The Hoyas will face their storied rival, the Syracuse Orange, next Saturday. It will be another road test that the Hoyas are more than capable of pulling off a win in the Carrier Dome.
12/1/2024
The Hoyas gave the Georgetown faithful a pre-Thanksgiving treat as they defeated Wagner in convincing fashion at McDonough Arena, winning the game 66-41. The young Hoyas are beginning to show grit on defense, thwarting the Wagner offense from scoring in the first eight minutes of the second half while also going on an 18-0 scoring run themselves. Hoya guard Malik Mack and forward Micah Peavy combined for 31 points on the evening. The Hoyas were also the only Big East team to win that day, with No. 2-ranked UConn going down in the Maui Invitational and No. 21-ranked Creighton losing in the Players Era Festival.
The Hoyas were licking their chops all Thanksgiving but didn’t get too fat, as they had to face the University of Albany at Capital One Arena on Saturday. It was the Peavy show in the first half, with him scoring 17 of his 24 points. He finished the game with eight assists, four steals, and three blocks on the day. His young teammates Mack contributed 16 points, and Hoya forward Thomas Sorber delivered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Hoyas are now 6-1 on the season, which has been their best start in a long time. Now, you may be wondering, the Hoyas are not playing any worthy opponents, they are supposed to win these games. I would combat that claim with how the Hoyas play versus those teams. These are not five- or 10-point leads; these are 20- to 30-point victories, which shows that the Hoyas are much better than their opponents. When the Hoyas play their conference and better non-conference opponents, their habits, mannerisms, and confidence will translate—especially next Friday when they face a particularly good opponent in West Virginia. If the Hoyas win that game, I might just send a video to Dave of me singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” because the Hoyas are coming, and it is only a matter of time before the Hoya namesake will breach the college basketball airwaves again. In Cooley, we trust!
11/24/2024
Hoyas Handle The Mount, St. Francis (PA), and Cooley’s Post-Game Comments
The Hoyas got back on track Wednesday as they faced local foe Mt. St. Mary’s, decisively climbing "The Mount" with a 79-51 victory. Four out of five Georgetown starters secured double figures, with the bench also contributing significantly.
Saturday's game against St. Francis saw the Hoyas starting strong, aided by the Red Flash's poor shooting. However, Red Flash guard Bobby Rosenberger III ignited a comeback, pouring in 20 points. Senior guard Jayden Epps halted the Red Flash’s momentum, chipping in 23 points, nearly half from behind the arc. Micah Peavy added 24 points and six assists. With a 4-1 season record, the Hoyas face Wagner next. The million-dollar question: How will the Hoyas fare against a team in the top 100 of the KenPom rankings?
In a post-game conference following the 82-65 win against St. Francis (PA), Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley stirred the pot with comments about Epps' former school, the University of Illinois. When asked about Epps' defensive progression, Cooley remarked:
“It’s almost like he’s a new player. It’s something I saw in him his freshman year when he played for that other bullsh*t school.”
Those sound like fighting words, but unfortunately, the Hoyas and the Fighting Illini won’t be facing off this season, leaving us with only social media shenanigans to savor. Just an hour after making those comments, Cooley took to X to apologize:
“My comment today was said in jest with one of my players, but I admit it was a poor choice of words. I have the utmost respect for the University of Illinois, its men’s basketball program, coaches, and players.”
While Cooley’s remarks may have struck a nerve in another conference, his fiery spirit could spread to the Hoyas, encouraging them to play with pride and perform well in the Big East during conference play.
11/18/2024
The sentiment was clear: "Georgetown, Georgetown, Georgetown," as the Hoyas fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 84-63, Saturday at Capital One Arena. Despite playing in their home arena, the Hoyas appeared out of place. The Irish came out firing from three in the first half, making it seem like they had been leasing the arena for the past week. Irish guard Matt Alloco was ‘loco’ from three in the first half, contributing to a sizable deficit that the Hoyas couldn’t overcome.
The game drew a crowd of 8,819. Even though the Hoya student section made their way to Capital One to support their fellow students, at some points it felt like everyone was at Mass, with the PA announcer playing the role of the priest. The Hoyas seem to rely heavily on their starting five, and with little to no production from their bench, they could be in a whirl of trouble as the season continues. Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley will need someone from the bench to step up and add that spark if the Hoyas are to be competitive in non-conference play and the challenging Big East.
The Hoyas expect to find some respite when they play Mount St. Mary’s next week. This matchup should provide more room for the team to grow and work out the kinks in their rotation.
11/9/2024
The Georgetown Hoyas kicked off their season against Lehigh University on Wednesday night at McDonough Arena. The gym was filled with excited Georgetown students, alumni, and supporters of the former national powerhouse. Perhaps they should hold all their games at McDonough, considering that last season at Capital One Arena, it often felt eerily quiet. Under the leadership of Ed Cooley, the Hoyas aim for better results this season with a revamped roster.
Only junior guard Jayden Epps and sophomore forward Drew Fielder remain from the previous season. It's almost as if Thanos snapped his fingers once the season ended, leaving Fielder and Epps as the only two standing. One notable new addition is former Harvard standout and Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Malik Mack, who averaged 17.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Another key player is Thomas Sorber, a top 100 recruit from the 2024 class, who could be the next BIG man on campus, following in the footsteps of legends Patrick Ewing and Roy Hibbert.
TCU grad transfer Micah Peavy is also expected to play a significant role this season and will be one of the leaders the younger Hoyas look up to throughout the four-month season.
So, look forward to counting how many times a game Cooley is up in arms over silly mistakes made by the young roster--but that comes with growing pains and cultivating a culture of
excellence.
In their opening game, the newly formed Hoyas managed to fend off Lehigh, with 76 of their 85 points coming from the starting five, defeating the Mountain Hawks 85-77. Sorber and Peavy each led the team with 20 points, while Mack contributed a team-high five assists. In their second game against Fairfield, the Hoyas won 69-57, with Sorber shining again by scoring 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds, shooting an efficient 11-for-16 from the field.
These early victories should instill confidence in the Hoyas as they look to chase the end of the rainbow in their matchup against the Note Dame Fighting Irish next Tuesday. This game will be one of their first big tests and a valuable opportunity to measure how they compare against higher-profile teams from other Power 5 conferences.
Comments