The Hoya Paranoia - Sports

Two Hoyas Selected in MLL Draft

In what this Hoya fan is hoping is a preview for the NBA draft in late June, two of Georgetown’s most recent graduates were selected in last week’s Major League Lacrosse Draft. While Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing Jr. are trying to improve their respective draft stocks for pro basketball, defensemen Jerry Lambe and attacker Brendan Cannon have made the jump to pro sports just weeks after their graduation.

Lambe was taken in the second round as the 19th overall selection by the Long Island Lizards, and Cannon went four picks later in the third round to the Chicago Machine.

The two will join find familiar faces when they lace it up for their respective pro teams: Scott Urick, a current Georgetown assistant and former player, plays with the New Jersey Pride, former GU first-team all-American Brodie Merrill is with the Rochester Rattlers, and Andy Corno, Georgetown’s all-time leading faceoff specialist, and former Hoya Kyle Sweeney play for the Philadelphia Barrage.

Being drafted by a pro team, however, does not mean the Lambe and Cannon will be collecting fat paychecks. The average MLL salary is around $13,000, and most rookies make closer to $6,500. Andy Corno works at the Pita Pit in College Park, Md., in the off-season.

Lambe, a fifth-year senior, was recently named to the first-team all-American squad for college players. Cannon (23 goals and 21 assists in 12 games) was on the honorable mention list. He was a third-team all-American last year and probably deserved to be there again this year, but was most likely hurt by the Hoyas not making the NCAA tournament (another decision I disagreed with). Sophomore Barney Ehrmann joined Cannon on the honorable mention list.

As for the other Hoyas looking to be drafted, Hibbert is projected to go 18th overall and stay home in D.C. with the Wizards by nbadraft.net, while draftexpress.com has him going 23rd to the Utah Jazz. Either would be a good fit for the big fella: he would be around friends and family and would play in front of a friendly crowd with the Wizards, while the Jazz are a polished team with a good point guard and offense that favors Hibbert’s half-court game.

Ewing has worked out at the pre-draft camp in Orlando, and if he is taken, it will likely be late in the second-round. However, if he isn’t drafted, he can still sign with a team for its summer camp. He is an athletic forward who could offer energy off of the bench, just as he did while donning the blue and gray. Ewing also has some added advantages that could make the difference for his pro career: his athleticism, hustle and dunking abilities will endear him with coaches and fans alike, and his famous name will put him on GM’s radars and make him a fan favorite in a lot of cities.

Who knows, maybe the Sonics will trade down and end up with both Hibbert and Ewing so us Hoya fans will have an easy time keeping tabs on our favorite sons. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

— Kevin Wessel

What’s going on at Georgetown?

Dick Hoops Weiss of the New York Daily News wonders in today’s paper, “What’s going on at Georgetown?” With two contributors transferring in as many weeks, what’s the deal?

It’s a fair question.  Do these transfers point to any larger problems, or are they just two guys who wanted a chance to crack the starting lineup?  I tend to think it is the latter, but I worry that people around the country who keep an eye on college basketball but don’t know a whole lot about Georgetown will think that players don’t like the school or Coach Thompson or something like that?  Could this negatively impact recruiting?  That would not be good, obviously.

This will probably hurt our product on the floor a bit, but I think the team can overcome these losses.  To me, the bigger worry is  the image that all of these transfers project to potential future Hoyas.  Will it push anyone away?  Now, THAT would be really bad.

– Bailey Heaps

A Rivers Runs Away From Georgetown

Transfers tend to be somewhat fun to report on — they give us a chance to break a story. But this is beginning to get absurd. Second transfer in two weeks. We’re still not sure why exactly Jeremiah is leaving, but hopefully we’ll have that for you soon.

I’m not sure what to make of this. Last year, three guys — Josh Thornton, Marc Egerson and Tay Spann — left because they weren’t getting time. Macklin and Rivers weren’t starting — although I think Macklin may have cracked the starting five next year — but they were both integral parts of how Georgetown “goes about skinning the cat” to borrow one of Coach Thompson’s expressions. It would seem, though I can’t say for sure, that being a role player isn’t enough. And that’s fair. Macklin was a McDonald’s All-American; Rivers’ father played in the NBA. Both guys have high hopes, and coming off the bench — even for a top 10 team — probably isn’t going to get you to the league.

For Macklin, you have to think that Georgetown’s style was not to his liking. Macklin is a guy that wants to run and jump and dunk, not set screens on the perimeter, find guys on a backdoor cut, and play the high post. At Florida, maybe he’ll get to run more and his numbers will take off. Still, he’s either going to have to acquire a few more skills or show people that he is so athletic that he doesn’t need to be able to shoot.

No idea where Rivers will be, though he may want to run too. Clearly, an offense where perimeter shooting is a must isn’t the best fit for Jeremiah. Maybe he can thrive in a run-and-gun set. Who knows? I must say, I will miss seeing Doc around campus. And, Jeremiah has a very talented brother who will be coming along in a few years and I’d still like to see him end up on the Hilltop.

Oh, and on update, thanks to the Van Buren Boys post for reminding me about yesterday’s news.  Julian Vaughn, a 6-foot-10 forward who went to Florida State last year, chose yesterday to transfer to Georgetown.  Vaughn, in limited minutes, averaged about 3 points and 2 boards last year.  By most accounts, the one-time five star recruit can shoot the ball and pass it, so that bodes will for his Georgetown debut in 2009-2010 (sadly, after I’ve graduated).

He’s had some injury issues and, from what I’ve read, some conditioning issues, but I must admit adding a guy who is 6-foot-10, 239 pounds sounds pretty nice.

Stay tuned over the next couple days for updates.

– Bailey Heaps

Men’s Lax Shut Out of Tourney

Saturday’s loss at Penn State was unacceptable for the Hoyas. It was the fourth time this season that Georgetown saw a lead evaporate in the final 60 seconds of a game and the second time they lost in overtime, but there were several other things that played into their exclusion from the NCAA tournament.

First, the ECAC was horrific this year. Loyola was the only semi-decent team in the conference with a 19th ranked RPI and the Hoyas lost to them. Even with a win on Saturday Georgetown was somewhat on the bubble. The loss on Saturday was the final straw, and they have no one to blame but themselves for that one, although if they had lost to a bad team in a potential Big East they would have been fine.

Second, Denver was a very suspect pick to get into the tourney. They had the 12th ranked RPI, but their only wins over quality teams were over Colgate and Notre Dame. They got destroyed 20-7 by Cornell and lost by a combined 14 goals to Ohio State in their two meetings this season. Their RPI was better than the Hoyas, but as Dave Urick said, in a 13 game season the indexes do not accurately reflect the teams. Georgetown was the only team to beat Duke, and for that matter they were the only team to give Duke a game, but their win over them factors in about the same as a win over a 12-3 Virginia team.

Third, the Hoyas beat Navy head-to-head. Some think that their loss to Maryland in the opener negates the 11-10 overtime victory since the Midshipmen beat the Terps, but Navy limped to the tournament, losing four of their last five games this season. I know along with Denver, Urick thought Navy was the other team who should not have gotten in ahead of them.

The Hoyas should have been able to hold on to an 11-9 lead with 60 seconds to play on Saturday, but even with a loss they should have been able to get into the tournament. If they are just going to use the indexes the selection committee isn’t necessary. Like Division I college football, lacrosse is letting the computers decide the field and that is unfair. If we learned anything from the BCS it is that computers don’t always make the best judge. Nonetheless, the Hoyas were a minute away from game planning for the first round and they should have been able to hold off a then-sub .500 team.

Georgetown loses Brendan Cannon, Jerry Lambe, Miles Kass, and Andrew Baird, so next year the onus is on former-No. 1 recruit Andrew Brancaccio, Ricky Mirabito and the underclassmen to step up. Some thing do need to change because a team of this caliber should not lose to Penn State, but luckily Urick and the Hoyas have the horses to pull a turnaround like Syracuse did.

– Ryan Travers

Former Lax Star’s House Damaged in Fire

According to the Washington Post, Mike Shepard, who played lax on the Hilltop and graduated in 1985, saw his house badly damaged in a fire last night. No one was hurt, thankfully.

To be quite honest, I’ve never heard of Shepard. Still, sounds like an unfortunate situation for the Washington Post editor (not sure what section).

Christian Swezey in his WaPo blog post says “anyone who wants to get in touch or send groceries, etc., can reach Mike at mikesonia@verizon.net.”

In other news, NCAA lax tournament pairings should be announced soon. Check back for full coverage of the Hoyas in the postseason.

– Bailey Heaps

Fajgenbaum Featured on Doritos Bag

We all knew that David Fajgenbaum was cool. Now, he’s featured on the back of 20 million bags of Cool Ranch Doritos.

OK, that wasn’t a great joke. But, seriously, Fajgenbaum, who became somewhat of a campus star not for his prowess on the gridiron but for starting Students of AMF, being a finalists for a Rhodes, and giving touching speeches at freshman convocation, has reached a new level of notoriety. According to a post on the NHS Web site:

Doritos launched the national campaign to support the winners of the BRICK Award, which goes to young people across the United States who make a difference in their communities. As an undergraduate, Fajgenbaum, who earned the award in February 2007, launched National Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers (AMF). He founded the support network after his mother died from brain cancer in 2004. Along with Fajgenbaum’s photo, the Doritos bag also includes information about AMF.

Great recognition for a guy who has really accomplished some remarkable things. I’m told Dave was on the Today show recently, which isn’t too shabby either.

Syracuse Lax Recruit Charged with 2nd Degree Murder

Here is a strange story out of Syracuse. The Daily Orange is reporting that a junior college recruit has been charged with second degree in the strangling death of a 21-year-old woman on the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, N.Y.

This is a really bizarre (and sad) story. It’s not good for the kid involved or for Syracuse. Good work by the Daily Orange getting the scoop.

– Bailey Heaps

Top Sports Features of the Year

The Hoya’s final issue of the academic year is set to hit stands in just hours, and the lead sports story is a feature on the relationship between the head lacrosse coach, Dave Urick, and his son and assistant coach, Scott. It got me thinking about some of my favorite sports features of the year. Since it’s 4 or so in the morning now, I’ll use a completely unscientific method of choosing… namely, whatever comes to my mind right now. Here we go…

Men’s Basketball
A Coach and A Player by Harlan Goode
Does it get any better than the story of our favorite coach and point guard? I don’t think so. Check out the entire basketball preview for some other excellent stories.

Big Man High by Bailey Heaps
When Roy Hibbert was in high school at Georgetown Prep, the Little Hoyas’ frontcourt consisted of Big Roy (7-foot-2), Davis Nwankwo (6-foot-9) and Aris Williams (6-foot-9). That’s a big trio for college — to say it’s enormous for high school may be an understatement.

At West Virginia, Mountaineering is a Full-Time Job by Harlan Goode
Okay, so technically it’s a column. But I find it hilarious how serious West Virginia is about the guy they dress up and give a gun (it’s a real one, apparently).

Men’s Lacrosse
Senior Climbs Lacrosse Mountain by Ryan Travers
Make sure to scroll through the pictures (click on them). As a backcountry ranger during the summer, Dan Vinson squats logs to stay in shape. One time while lifting at Georgetown, Vinson cracked his own head open with the bar. After he got stitches… he finished his lift.

Football
Heavy Metal and Hard Knocks by Harlan Goode (ok, last Harlan story, I promise)
Even though the football team wasn’t so hot this year, Harlan’s coverage showed up every week. In this feature, he details the rise of star Charlie Houghton.

Sailing
Light Winds Keep Georgetown Tacking to a Title by Fiore Mastroianni
Did you know the sailing team won a national title in 2006? Yeah, they’re pretty good. Fiore took a ride with Coach Mike Callahan and got the inside scoop at a sailing practice on the waters of the Washington Marina. Callahan is one of our favorite coaches at The Hoya; He likes to do interviews, he’s great at explaining the often confusing college sailing circuit, and he’s damn funny. I’m trying to think of an example of his humor, but the only ones I can think of are unfit to print. I’ll keep trying.

Track and Field
GU Jumps Out to Lead in Sprints by Dave Baran
Dave’s been doing a great job with the track and field beat this year. (He even traveled to Philadelphia this past weekend to cover the Penn Relays.) This may not be his best feature (like I said, it’s late and my method of choosing isn’t the best), but it’s about how the sprinters have finally become a force at Georgetown. Just a week later, the group of four he wrote about won the 4X100m at the Penn Relays. Yeah, Dave knows his track.

So that’s my list… at least until I think of any I’ve forgotten. What do you guys think? Are any of these busts? Did I leave off a great read?

— Kevin Wessel

Macklin to Transfer

Vernon Macklin will leave Georgetown, the university confirmed today.

The story was first posted yesterday evening by FoxSports. The report cited sources closes to the situation and attempts last night to contact Macklin and his family were unsuccessful.

Today, the university released a statement confirming Macklin’s decision.

The Hoya adds some context today, but once again attempts to contact the Big Ticket were unsuccessful.

My personal thoughts? I’m upset. I’ve been an outspoken critic of Macklin over the last two years, but I really thought next year was going to be different. With the departure of Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing Jr., I figured Macklin would move into the starting lineup. We needed him to be our starting five, so that super frosh Greg Monroe could play the four and DaJuan Summers could play his natural three. Now, more than likely, Summers will be forced to play the four for the second consecutive year.

Barker Davis in his report alluded to rumors that Macklin was unhappy with his playing time. I won’t take a position on the rumors, but I will agree with Davis that even if those were true, the situation was about to resolve itself with the graduation of the class of 2008.

It is hard to deny, however, that Macklin was never a great fit for the Georgetown system. His strength lies in his athleticism, not his ability to operate in a complicated half-court offense. If he can go somewhere that will let him run and jump and dunk all over people, maybe he’ll thrive. It was generally agreed upon a few years ago that if the NBA had not adjusted its age limit, Macklin would have at least tested the water out of high school. He was that highly-touted. Assuming the league is still near the top of his priority list, he does need to start showing people that he’ll cut it at the next level.

Maybe he has to go somewhere else to do that.

– Bailey Heaps, Editor in Chief

Patrick Ewing Selected to Hall of Fame

Well it wasn’t quite the good news Georgetown fans had hoped for on the first Monday in April, but it’s something. Patrick Ewing’s election to the Hall of Fame was a mere formality, however, as he was a dominant in both the college and pro game.

Since I grew up in Chicago in the 90’s, it was a given that I was a Michael Jordan fan. This meant that Ewing and his Knicks were the enemy in my eyes for many years, but it was easy for me to become a fan as soon as I arrived at Georgetown. Having him around the last two years (he was around more so last season than this one) was good for relatively new fans like myself (read: those of us who still weren’t born when Ewing was dominating the Big East and making the NCAA tournament Georgetown’s personal showcase). He represented the storied tradition of the program and allowed new fans to connect the last few seasons to Georgetown’s previous glory.

And now for a few links on the matter…

SI Photos — Sports Illustrated has 13 photos of Ewing throughout the years. The first two are from when he was at Georgetown, and the last one has PE Jr. at his dad’s jersey retirement ceremony. My personal favorites, however, are eight and nine (maybe since they both have Bulls in them). Eight is the Dream Team with Patrick in the middle, and nine is a sweet block in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

Stats and Accomplishments — Our favorite sports information department compiles Ewing’s stats and accomplishment throughout the year.

AP Story — As Bailey Heaps pointed out to me, the first three paragraphs of the AP story are about Dick Vitale. I know some people enjoy his commentary and all, but I think Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon are just a bit more important to the game than Mr. Vitale. (Maybe Ewing should have cried like Vitale when he was voted in.)

And on the Ewing Jr. front…

PE Jr. Slam — Junior’s awesome dunk from the college dunk contest held last week. It’s an amazing dunk, and probably looks even better for people who didn’t know what he was capable of. But this dunk seems like typical Patrick for those of you who saw the jams he threw down in McDonough during Midnight Madness (or at Indiana — click the second video in “Related Videos” for a similar dunk from Indiana’s Midnight Madness in 2003).

— Kevin Wessel