March 16, 2006

New York, N.Y. - It is a trip that every college basketball player dreams of when they start school. For several members of the Georgetown men's basketball team, it's a trip they've been waiting to take for four years.

On Wednesday, under sunny skies and a clear day in the nation's Capitol, the Hoya men's basketball team boarded a bus that would take them on the first leg of that dream trip. The destination wasn't a glamorous place, but Dayton, Ohio does just fine for the Hoyas. It is in Dayton where Georgetown, seeded No. 7 in the NCAA Tournament's Minneapolis region and ranked 24th in the country, will play the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of what many people commonly refer to as March Madness. The Hoyas, 21-9 overall, will play the Panthers on Friday in a game at the UD Arena, slated to tip off at 2:45 p.m.

The Hoyas practiced at McDonough Arena on Wednesday afternoon, showered and put on their suits for the charter flight to Dayton. As television cameras from local stations taped the players as they packed their belongings and boarded the bus, Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III spoke to the local media one last time before the trip.

On Sunday, the Hoyas, with several hundred students joining them in the University's Leavey Center, found out on the CBS Selection Show who and where they would play in the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.

"We had a pretty good season, for the most part," senior forward Brandon Bowman said. "We were just prepared for wherever they sent us. I was hoping for San Diego, that's two hours from home, but I didn't get that wish. But that's okay, we're going to Dayton, Ohio and we're going to play Northern Iowa.

"They can shoot. You've got to be able to shoot. Their starting five can shoot, all of them. Other than that, I don't know much, but we'll find out."

"It's been a long time, you know?," senior Darrel Owens said. "Going out as a senior, it kind of brought a tear to my eye. The first thing our head manager (Justin Zormelo) did was grab me and I grabbed him back. Everything we did this season that was positive came down to 30 minutes ago (on Sunday night)."

That's the exciting part about this time of year, and it's something that is a new experience for the players on the team, making it that much more enjoyable. "It was a nerve-wracking experience, waiting for our name to be called. We had a pretty good feeling that we were in, so it was just a matter of finding out where we were going," senior Ryan Beal said. "We've been waiting for four years to hear our name. There were a lot of students with us (at the Leavey Center). Chanting "Hoya Saxa" and singing the fight song. It was a great experience."

"I don't know if I can put into words (how much it means to play in the NCAA Tournament)," senior Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw said. "This is why we play college basketball, to get invited to play in the NCAA Tournament and have a chance to win the national championship.. Having a chance to play in one finally, it really put my mind at ease. I know we still have work to do, but it was great to see our name up there."

Now comes the hard part. After seeing the Georgetown name on the board and enjoying the experience of Sunday night, the Hoyas got back to practice this week and readying themselves for a tough first round matchup with the Panthers, who went 11-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference and are 23-9 overall.

"It feels really good to be on the team that gets back to the NCAA Tournament," sophomore guard Jonathan Wallace said. "The team as a whole, we're satisfied with what we've done, but we're not complete, we want to accomplish more, we want to hang another (championship) banner."

The Hoyas enjoyed a strong regular season - they won 19 games and beat two teams ranked among the top-10 in the country, including a win over No. 1-ranked Duke - and have the experience of playing three teams in the tournament that earned No. 1 seeds, but know that they cannot rest just on that experience.

"It gives you comfort, but anyone can lose on any given night," Bowman said. "Of course, on a comfort level, on a maturity level, on the court, you've been in tough situations with the best teams in the country and hopefully you know how to handle them. The NCAA Tournament is like a new season."

The team will get a taste of that new season on Thursday, when they practice at UD Arena and then go through interview sessions with the local and national media assembled for the eight-team regional.

"I think the BIG EAST Tournament prepped us for the NCAA a little bit, moreso since we had to play games in a short amount of time," Wallace said. "We know the NCAA Tournament will be the same way, to play tough teams night in and night out."

They take what they hope will be a first step on Friday afternoon.

"I know they're a good shooting team," Wallace said. "They have five guys who can really shoot the ball. In the conference we've played in, we've faced teams that can shoot the ball from the arc. It's nothing we haven't faced before, but we just have to have it mind and come out focused."

Thompson, who is making his third NCAA Tournament appearance overall and first at Georgetown after guiding Princeton to two, is confident that his team is ready.

"It's exciting," he said. "Today is exciting, for them and for the campus. They understand that it is a step in the process.

"To win the championship, you have to be invited to play. Our goals, my goal does not end with just getting an invitation. We're very glad to be here, very fortunate to be here and excited about being here, but we want to keep playing."

This will be the 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Hoyas, who enter the big dance with a 21-9 overall record. Georgetown advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament with wins over Notre Dame (67-63) and Marquette (62-59), before falling to Syracuse (58-57).

Georgetown was one of a record eight BIG EAST Conference schools who were selected to play in the NCAA Tournament, joining No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Villanova, No. 5 seeds Pittsburgh and Syracuse, No. 6 seed West Virginia, No. 7 seed Marquette and No. 10 seed Seton Hall.