Hoya faithful may know before the end of Christmas break if Georgetown will be a pretender or a contender.

The league announced its 2008-09 schedule yesterday, revealing a slate that has the Hoyas playing three teams with legitimate chances to win the conference — Connecticut on Dec. 29, Pittsburgh on Jan. 3 and Notre Dame on Jan. 5 — all within the first week.

For the Georgetown defense, the 2007 season came to a close not with a triumphant fourth-down stop nor with the disappointment of surrendering a late-game touchdown. It came not with shrieks of joy nor with the cries of defeat.

A Georgetown student was allegedly verbally harassed with homophobic slurs at the intersection of S and 37th Streets early Saturday evening, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report.

The Washington City Paper devoted some 4,000 words yesterday to profiling local college newspapers. “Real newspapers are losing readers by the minute, especially those labeled ‘college-aged,’” it wrote. “Yet amid the industry death march its farm system thrives.

For freshman Charlie Buckingham, ignorance was bliss.

When he arrived at Georgetown last fall, he didn’t know his new teammates well enough to know if winning a national championship was a realistic goal or not. So he didn’t bother worrying about it.

To some, Christopher Higgins (COL '09) was “the mayor,” a man who connected with just about everyone and who could captivate any audience. To others, he was the funniest guy in the room, someone with a sharp wit and an unending repertoire of practical jokes. And to all who knew him, he was generous, warm-hearted and loyal.

Thanks to a strong final-day comeback, Georgetown has captured a sailing national title, its second in three years and third overall. This is the Hoyas' first fleet racing championship.

"We are totally thrilled about this," Head Coach Michael Callahan said in a press release. "Words can't describe how happy we are."

You can’t say the Hoyas didn’t go down swinging.

After an afternoon of inconsistent offense, Georgetown missed five shots, including two free position tries and four attempts that were stopped by the Duke goalie, in the final 1:45 of their NCAA first-round game against Duke and came out on the short end of a 10-8 final score at the Multi-Sport Facility.

Blank stares. Laughter. Confusion.

That’s what Paul Happel encountered when he first told his freshman floormates back in the winter of 2005 that he was joining a social fraternity.

Georgetown doesn’t have frats. Greek life doesn’t belong here. Do we really need to recreate “Animal House” on the Hilltop?
He heard it all.

Offseason? That's a myth.

A pickup game at Yates Field House featuring Seattle SuperSonics Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, former-Michigan State star Drew Neitzel and most of Georgetown's team from this past season attracted dozens of onlookers Monday afternoon and was not short on highlights or intensity.