Wednesday Morning Musings

March 8, 2006

I am sitting in my hotel room in New York City on the morning of the opening round of the Big East tourney. When the tournament concludes on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, the sporting world will have to take note that college basketball these days doesn't come any bigger than the Big East. The four-day twelve-team showdown is practically a Sweet Sixteen field. Well, almost. The quality match-ups that used to take place here on Thursday are now taking place on Wednesday. Enjoy. Go Hoyas!

New blue and gray track awaits all comers

New indoor jumping pit at the west end of Yates

Be sure to check out Yates Field House next time you are on campus. I wandered in this week and found improvements galore. And it looks awesome: a newly configured track has been resurfaced in blue and gray, solid navy curtains now drape the perimeter of the tennis courts, and a better use of space provides a less cluttered look. Congrats to AD Bernard Muir and to field house director Jim Gilroy '72 and his hard-working staff for their commitment to continuous improvement.

Speaking of improvements, the "donkey" that now sits on the lacrosse field at the campus Yard is not the new Hoya mascot. The elevated scorer's table sits at the midfield line overlooking the substitution area and penalty box. As the scorekeeper for the men's games, I have put the donkey through its paces twice already and it came through with flying colors!

Hee Haw. New aluminum donkey will serve as scorer's table for Hoya lacrosse games at the Yard

The rowing teams are spending their spring break training on the Potomac River and enjoying the warming weather this week in DC. Last weekend, the team gathered for team dinners in McDonough Gymnasium. The men's and women's squads will open on March 18th at the Jesuit Invite in Camden, NJ.

Follow the food! Rowers make a rare appearance in McDonough

Coach Jimmy King and rowers at the buffet line in McDonough

What a week! My picks for most interesting contests coming up:

> Men's Basketball: It's that time of year. Win or go home. The #5-seeded Hoyas (19-8) face #12-seeded Notre Dame (15-12) on Wednesday at 2:00 pm at MSG. ESPN will air the game.

> Track & Field: It's what these student-athletes point to all year long: the NCAA national championships. Women's and men's qualifiers travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for competition all day on Friday and Saturday.

> Women's Lacrosse: On Saturday, Georgetown's women's team will play its first Big East game against of the year against the #13-ranked Syracuse Orange (3-1) at 1 pm at the Carrier Dome. The #11-ranked Hoyas (2-0) just returned from a 16-6 victory on the west coast versus Oregon.

> Men's Lacrosse: The #10-ranked Hoyas (1-1) will make the first of seven road trips this year to play #7-ranked Syracuse (1-1) on Friday evening at 7 pm at the Carrier Dome.

Last week, the Hoya athletic teams posted an overall win-loss record of 4-7 and earned two 1st, a 3rd, and a 5th place finishes in standings competition.

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