At the basketball banquet commemorating the conclusion of our men’s season, Big Roy rose to the microphone, confidently commandeering our attention for one final moment. He had come to the podium to receive an award — but also to say goodbye. After four years of unyielding commitment to the Hoyas, he had earned this moment atop the summit of our Hilltop.

A few sunny Saturdays ago, I had just finished giving a campus tour when I was approached by an enormous high-school student. At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, this prospective Joe Hoya towered over me. His question was fairly straightforward: How many times a week do intramural teams practice before games?

The last time I cried after my team lost a sporting event was in early 1995. My dear Dolphins had been leading the San Diego Chargers for the vast majority of a Divisional Playoff game, but suddenly out of nowhere there was Stan Humphries throwing a touchdown pass to Mark Seay, and the Dolphins found themselves trailing by one with 35 seconds left to play.

I remember my first taste of Georgetown basketball. Four years ago, when I was a freshman, Georgetown opened the season in late November against Temple at what was then MCI Center. My friend and I discussed whether we should attend the game. We hadn’t come to Georgetown because of the basketball, but we elected to go anyway.

The first time that Dr. Wayne Knoll started talking about Georgetown basketball, I was almost tempted to tune him out. Here was this highly respected professor of English who looked like he hadn’t attempted a free throw in decades — how could he possibly tell me anything new about sports?

In a song that he helped make famous, Frank Sinatra once crooned, “It’s up to you, New York, New York.”

And with Super Bowl XLII and a titanic clash between the undefeated New England Patriots and the red-hot New York Giants looming on the horizon, never have these words rung more true.