If you’re looking in Monday’s season opener for sure fire signs that Georgetown will be returning to the Final Four, don’t hold your breath.

For each of the past two seasons, the Hoyas have started with more of a whimper than a roar. To begin the 2006-07 campaign, Georgetown defeated Hartford by a measly 10 points, in a game which saw Tyler Crawford (COL ’08) and Marc Egerson in the starting lineup.

Last season, the Hoyas led William and Mary by just five at half and just three with 10 minutes remaining, before pulling away to a 68-53 win.

Of course, each season ended far better than it began. The Hoyas won the Big East regular season each year and advanced to the Final Four in 2006-07. Georgetown has shown itself adept at shaking off a sluggish start.

Head Coach John Thompson III and the Hoyas will look to turn in a more complete effort Monday night.

In addition to returning starters Jessie Sapp, DaJuan Summers and Austin Freeman, sophomore guard Chris Wright and freshman forward Greg Monroe will round out the starting lineup. All eyes will likely focus on Wright and Monroe.

A year ago, Wright was hampered by a foot injury and appeared in just 16 games, missing the entire Big East regular season. But this year, because of his tremendous speed and play-making potential, there are high expectations former McDonald’s All-American.

“He has been extremely focused on helping his teammate, with the understanding that he is a young guy and he missed the Big East last year,” Thompson said. “He needs to get experience.”

As for Monroe, the former No. 1 recruit is essentially filling Roy Hibbert’s (COL ’08) place in the starting lineup. Though a very different player, Monroe will be expected to make nearly as significant an impact.

“He has to contribute in every facet of the game immediately,” Thompson said. “His strength is he is a facilitator.”

eanwhile, Jacksonville is a team on the rise. In 2005-06, in Head Coach Cliff Warren’s first season, the Dolphins finished a pathetic 1-26. A year later, they took a quantum leap and jumped to 15-14. Last season, they finished 18-13.

One of those 13 losses came last Dec. 9 against the Hoyas. Then-freshman guard Austin Freeman led Georgetown with 15 points, while Wright and Summers added 14. The Dolphins did not have a single player score in double figures.

“They beat us pretty bad,” Warren said Thursday. “All of their players were good, all of the coaches were good, fans were good. Great crowd. Really good basketball team.”

Thompson said, “They are a much different team now, they were a much different team at the end of last year, from when we played them.”

Warren’s squad is predicted by both league coaches and beat writers to finish second in the league this season.

The Dolphins boast a balanced attack. Junior guard Ben Smith, who stands just 5-foot-10, led the team with 15.8 points per game. Senior forward Marcus Allen was second at 13.6 and junior forward Lehmon Colbert was a close third at 13.1. In all, Jacksonville returns its top seven scorers.

Jacksonville’s team is not tall. The Dolphins’ only player over 6-foot-7, sophomore center Szymon Lukasiak, played just 12 minutes a year ago.

Jacksonville opens its season tomorrow against Florida State, and Warren said he will not turn his attention specifically to Georgetown until then.

So what can Hoyas fans expect Monday evening?

“Hopefully, we’re just going to play as hard as we can for as long as we can,” Warren said.

Note: Transportation Changes

For the second time in three years, the athletic department has changed its procedure for facilitating student transportation to and from the Verizon Center. The university will once again offer shuttle buses to the Rosslyn Metro stop, but will no longer provide students with Metro cards.

The principle reason for the change, according to Sports Information Director Mex Carey, is cost. The number of students with season tickets has approached 3,500 and providing each with round trip Metro cards would be prohibitively expensive.

Even if the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority were to give the university a significant discount, 3,500 students spending $2.50 per game, 15 times a season would cost over $130,000 – and that is before the price of the shuttles is factored in.

Having so many season ticket holders, Carey said, “is a good problem to have, but with that good problem come other financial decisions that have to be made.”

The previous system, Carey said, was “part of [a] transition to help increase student participation.” The number of student season ticket holders has nearly doubled since the 2005-06 season, when Georgetown provided buses from campus straight to then-MCI Center. Since that season, overall average attendance has increased by more than 2,000 fans.

Bridget Geraghty (COL ’09), president of Hoya Blue, said that her organization has expressed its concern to the athletic department that the new policy may decrease student attendance, especially to midweek games against lesser opponents. She said that dialogue with the administration has been “good and productive.”

Geraghty added that Hoya Blue is working with other student organizations and even outside donors to potentially make a change for second semester.

“We are certainly open to any suggestions,” she said.

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