April 20, 2006
Washington, D.C. - It was a highly successful season highlighted by an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, a run at the BIG EAST Tournament Championship, a win over the No. 1-ranked team in the country and seven-straight weeks of being ranked among the top-25 teams in the country. The Georgetown University men's basketball finished the 2005-06 season with a 23-10 overall record and were ranked No. 16 in the country when the seasons final polls were released.
On Thursday night at the Leavey Center Ballroom on the Georgetown campus, the Hoya Hoop Club and the Athletic Department will honor the team and its accomplishments at the Annual Men's Basketball Awards Banquet. The evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a dinner at 7 p.m.
Under the direction of second-year head coach John Thompson III, the Hoyas enjoyed one of the most successful years in program history backed by a solid team effort. The Hoyas started the season in challenging fashion, four of its first five games away from home. After a pair of road wins over Navy and James Madison, the team bounced back from a home loss to Vanderbilt and beat Oregon on December 3, 71-57, ending the Ducks' 35-game win streak at home over non-conference opponents. Senior guard Ashanti Cook (Inglewood, Calif./Westchester) scored a career-high 25 points in the win.
The team rebounded from a loss at No. 11 Illinois to win a season-high seven-straight games heading in to BIG EAST Conference play. During the run, the Hoyas posted a pair of wins at the Sun Bowl Tournament to win the championship. Senior guard Darrel Owens (Napoleonville, La./Assumption) connected on all five of his three-pointers in the title win over UTEP and finished with 21points as he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Owens' hot shooting continued as conference play started. The Hoyas posted a 72-62 win over Providence in the conference opener, with senior forward Brandon Bowman (Santa Monica, Calif./Westchester) scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and sophomore center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) adding 16 points and 10 boards. In the team's first road conference game, a 79-65 win at St. John's, Owens hit 6-of-8 three-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points.
A win over South Florida at home after a pair of road conference losses set up the Hoyas for a matchup with then undefeated No. 1-ranked Duke. Backed by a sellout crowd and a national television audience, Bowman's team-high 23 points led five players in double figures as the Hoyas connected on nearly 62 percent of their shots from the field in a thrilling 87-84 win that propelled the team into the national top-25.
Hibbert recorded another double-double - this time scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds - to lead five in double figures as the Hoyas continued to ride the momentum, defeating Notre Dame on the road with a heart-stopping 85-82 double overtime win. Playing three of its next four games at home, Georgetown extended its win streak to six games and improved to 17-4 overall and 8-2 in the BIG EAST with wins over Cincinnati, DePaul, Pittsburgh and St. John's. The team closed out the regular season with two wins in its final three games, beating Syracuse and Rutgers as they entered the BIG EAST Tournament with a 19-8 overall record.
The Hoyas made a run at their sixth BIG EAST Tournament Championship the following week at Madison Square Garden. Bowman scored 25 points in the opening round 67-63 win over Notre Dame and then sophomore forward Jeff Green (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) and Cook scored 16 points apiece in a 62-59 win over Marquette in the quarterfinals. The Hoyas fell to eventual BIG EAST Champion Syracuse in the league semifinals. Georgetown entered the 2006 NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed and faced No. 12 seed Northern Iowa in the first round. Backed by Hibbert, who scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, the Hoyas garnered with a 54-49 win. In the second round, the Hoyas controlled the game from the tip. Hibbert grabbed a double-double, scoring 20 points and pulling down 14 rebounds and the Hoyas topped No. 2 seed Ohio State, 70-52, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. Eventual NCAA Champion Florida ended the Hoya run in the Sweet 16 with a 57-53 decision, but Georgetown finished the season with 23 wins and were one of only four BIG EAST teams to advance to the sweet 16.
Several players earned individual honors, with Green and Hibbert being named to the All-BIG EAST second team. Green and Bowman earned all-district honors from the American Basketball Coaches Association and Green took honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association.
