A Family Affair
This past Wednesday night, I had the chance to watch Georgetown's 73-60 victory over Fairfield with my favorite Hoyas fan in the world--my mother. During my freshman year in 2000-2001, my mom started watching (and recording) Georgetown games on TV in the hope of recognizing her son in one of the many camera shots of the student section. Seven years later, she still looks for me at games--in fact, she keeps asking me for a copy of last year's Duke game because she saw me and my hat (I still wear the same blue/purple Georgetown hat from my freshman year to most games) so many times during the live broadcast.
My mother quickly became a die-hard fan of the players on the court as well. As we sat in front of the family computer watching the ESPN360 feed of the Fairfield game, Mom went on about the substitution pattern in the first half of the Vanderbilt game, our "3-pointers" (she's consistently been an advocate of more 3-point shooting in our offensive system), and "that Summers kid."
Making his first collegiate start, Mom's new favorite Hoya DaJuan Summers scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field against the Stags to lead all scorers in the game.
One of the best parts about Thanksgiving is the chance to spend time with family. It so happens that spending time with mine also means spending time watching basketball.
I imagine basketball plays a slightly more significant role at Thanksgiving in the Thompson family. Tonight, as Georgetown takes on the Ball State Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon Center, Hoya fans will be part of a post-Thanksgiving family reunion of sorts for the Thompson family. Standing on the opposite end of the sideline from John Thompson III will be Ball State's first-year head coach Ronny Thompson, JT3's younger brother.
If you haven't seen it yet, Camille Powell has a feature story in Sunday's Washington Post about the Thompson brothers and their family that is a must-read for Hoya fans. You can check it out here : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/25/AR2006112500585.html
Though tonight he'll be coaching for Ball State, Ronny has always been a member of the Georgetown Basketball family. A four-year letterman for the Hoyas, Ronny averaged 2.5 points per game in 112 appearances from 1989-1992. He returned to the Hilltop in 1999 as an assistant coach in his father's final season at Georgetown, and remained on the Hoya coaching staff under Craig Esherick until 2003, when he left for an assistant position with new coach Stan Heath at the University of Arkansas.
Ronny began his head coaching career on a roll, as Ball State won their first two contests of the season, an 81-42 victory over Northern Colorado and a 65-48 decision over Prairie View A&M. The Cardinals will arrive at the Verizon Center however on a three-game losing streak; they might also be suffering from jet lag, having played on consecutive afternoons Friday and Saturday in the Las Vegas Invitational (where they dropped games to Kansas and Western Kentucky).
Viewing Information
The Georgetown-Ball State game will be carried live on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). Check out MASN's website here for availability in your area. (http://www.masn.tv/)
On the radio dial, you can listen live to the Hoyas and Cardinals on WTNT AM 570 at this link: http://www.wtntam570.com/main.html
"Don't Worry...It's Chvotkin's 1000th Game!"
I highly recommend tuning in to the radio broadcast of tonight's game if you have the means to do so, because you'll be listening to a piece of history for another member of the Georgetown Basketball family, Rich Chvotkin.
One of the common questions I field from Hoya fans who are skeptical about joining the Hoya Hoop Club is: How can I make a difference? Some fans might think they can't make much of an impact with a twenty-five dollar donation. Others worry that if they don't live near Washington, DC they won't have a chance to participate in activities. Still some wonder--what can one person really accomplish?
Three and a half decades ago, a man walked into John Thompson's office with a bunch of homemade tapes he'd made of himself broadcasting Georgetown basketball games. At the time, Hoyas games weren't broadcast on the radio, and the enterprising commentator saw a chance to make his mark on the Georgetown program. JT2 said yes, and the rest is Hoya broadcast history.
Thirty-four years later, with John Thompson's son coaching on the sidelines (and his own son Evan working the stat sheet by his side), Dr. Rich Chvotkin will call his 1,000th Georgetown basketball game tonight at the Verizon Center.
Whatever generation of Hoya fans you belong to, if you've listened to a Hoyas game on the radio in the past thirty-four years...if you've ever described an argument as a "muscle tussle" or two people going "eyeball to eyeball"...if your Facebook profile quote is the radio call of the last eight seconds of the Georgetown-Arkansas NCAA Tournament game from 2001...you're part of Generation Chvotkin.
The Hoya Hoop Club blog recently had the chance to interview Dr. Rich Chvotkin (just prior to his 999th Hoya broadcast this past Wednesday) and get his thoughts on the Big One-Zero-Zero-Zero, the greatest Georgetown players of the past 34 years, and how his style has evolved over the years, among many other topics:
The Hoop Club Blog: Monday marks your 1000th Georgetown basketball game as a broadcaster. How do you feel about reaching such a milestone in your career?
Rich Chvotkin: Well, it's been a long-standing dream to broadcast college basketball games, and to reach a coveted milestone such as this is something to which every broadcaster would aspire. I have a golden opportunity to be involved with one of the top collegiate programs in the country. I have had the honor of broadcasting some of the top collegiate games ever played, including Georgetown vs. North Carolina in 1982, the National Championship game in 1984, Georgetown vs. Villanova in 1985 for the National Championship, Georgetown vs. St. Johns in February 1985, the "The Sweater Game," and numerous NCAA Tournaments, among others. To reach 1,000 games, you have to have the support of the University's administration, the basketball program, and your family, with which thankfully I have been blessed.
HCB: Are there any memorable moments that stick out to you from the first 1,000 games? Any that might not be obvious to Georgetown fans?
RC: The first game in 1974 pitting Georgetown vs. Upsala was very exciting for me. Upsala's coach at the time was current Washington Mystics head coach Richie Adubato, and we won, 80-58. My first away game was against Syracuse in the Rochester Classic, 71-70, one of Georgetown's first big road victories. Closing out of Manley Field House in Syracuse in 1980, the six Big East Championships, and doing every game of the BIG EAST Tournament for seventeen years are also included in my favorites. One year, at the 1989 NCAA Regional in Providence, I had to contend with a kidney stone between the Princeton game on Friday night and the Notre Dame game on Sunday. Hearing the calls of the game on SportsCenter, Sportstalk 980, and other national highlight shows never gets old. Getting to spend time with my family on road game trips, broadcasting the games with my sons and daughter; those memories are some of the best.
HCB: One of your most recognizable characteristics as a broadcaster is your idiosyncratic use of phrases--"muscle tussle," "liftoff half," and the ubiquitous "OH MY!" to name a few. How do you come up with some of your catchphrases, and how have you developed your announcing style over the years?
RC: I have listened to other broadcasters such as Marv Albert call the Knicks, Caywood Ledford call Kentucky, and how they present games and what they see is important when making the presentation; how they describe offensive/defensive sets, how they present statistics. You have to present the mental and physical description for the listener; everything is purely auditory -- you must describe the emotion, the tone, the feeling of the game. You have to give time, relevance, and statistics and determine what's important for the listener. That's a process that develops over time. I still listen to other broadcasters on the radio, and consider it an ongoing process that I am still honing even today.
Catchphrases - there was an old commercial "Ajax cleans the windows..." you'd use Ajax spray to clean the window, which is the glass, the backboard, and "Ajax cleans the boards" was born. The "vesper half" reference came from vesper prayers, referring to the late afternoon prayers. Other phrases I have adopted or created as the years have gone by, and they make the broadcast a little more interesting.
HCB: As part of the 100th Anniversary celebrations this year, Hoya fans will be voting for the Georgetown All-Century Team. Who makes your list from the Chvotkin era?
RC: Ewing, Floyd, Shelton, Duren, Sweetney, Iverson, Harrington, Wingate, Reggie Williams, Mourning, Mutombo, Eric Smith, Derrick Jackson, Kevin Braswell, Mark Tillmon, Jim Barry, Merlin Wilson, Michael Jackson, Jerome Williams, Charles Smith, Johnathan Smith, Joey Brown, Don Reid, Victor Page, Bill Martin, Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Gene Smith.
HCB: Georgetown has seen a significant surge in fan support in the past two-plus seasons, buoyed in part by the hiring of John Thompson III, a home victory over Duke, and a trip to the Sweet 16 last March. As someone who has been a part of Hoya Basketball as a broadcaster for 33 years, what do you think about the atmosphere surrounding the program today?
RC: With John Thompson III helming the program, the writing is on the back of your shirts: the tradition continues. The enthusiasm from both the fans and the University is there, the future looks promising as far as recruiting top talent, season ticket sales have gone way up, the Hoyas are nationally ranked in the top 25; all of this indicates that the program is on the rise. Before the Duke game last year, in an empty arena, we could hear the students lined up outside chanting "Let's Go Hoyas" and singing the Georgetown Fight Song two hours before the arena was opened to the public. That excitement makes being a part of everything so much more fun.
HCB: During the summer, I always notice you in the crowd at Kenner League games; I've also spotted you at several Hoop Club functions over the years. How much time do you spend following the program when you're not behind the microphone?
RC: I read the newspaper and magazine articles, I have subscriptions to Eastern Basketball and Basketball Times, our sportswriter "trade" publications. I talk to friends and alumni during the off-season, and then go to the Kenner League and local AAU tournaments to rejuvenate for the upcoming season. I like catching up with the players throughout the years at alumni functions, reminiscing about the great games we've seen. Be it a Hoyas game, an NBA game, wherever on the road, it never ceases to amaze me where I will run into someone connected to the Georgetown program. It's nowhere near as intense as it is during the season, but I do like to stay connected to the program year-round.
HCB: You've become something of a celebrity among Hoya fans in recent years--there's been a song written about you ("It's Chvotkin!"), you have a MySpace page and an entry on Wikipedia. What do you think of all the attention you've been receiving from fans?
RC: It's nice that the fans are supportive of the broadcasts, and feel that I've done a professional job. It makes me feel good that people are that responsive to the broadcast, and it's all because the team is doing well. I wouldn't be where I am today without Georgetown's support as well as the team being as good as they have been to attract the local and national attention.
HCB: What does the future hold for you? Should we go ahead and buy tickets now for the Rich Chvotkin 2,000th Game celebration?
RC: [Laughs] That's in the hands of the Good Lord, and that would take me to be 94 years old. I'd love to see it.
From all of us here at the Hoya Hoop Club Blog, congratulations to Dr. Rich on his 1,000th game, and here's hoping we'll be around to blog for his 2,000th thirty four years from now!
OH MY!
John Hawkes (F' 04)
