Cincinnati vs. Georgetown
Before a rundown of this game against one of the ex-great basketball powers, I have two items of interest:
1. The Hoya Hoop Club is hosting its annual Open Membership Meeting, 10:30 am in the Coca-Cola Theater at Verizon Center. It will be a great opportunity to make suggestions, offer help, and chat about the state of the program. Enter through the administrative entrance on 7th street near 7th and G. You must have a ticket to the game to enter.
2. If you have a Hoyas bumper sticker, USE IT! In our television market, those bumper stickers are worth $240 of advertising. Think of the time you spend stuck in traffic on the Beltway; now think of increasing your HHC donation (informally) by $240. Pretty significant, right?
This is another way you can make a difference and directly assist the program; remember, WE ARE GEORGETOWN!
Now, on to the game...
They tell me I must choose a "Generation" to be part of the blogging club. I grew up rooting for teams featuring Iverson, Harrington, Williams, Dia, White, Page. I always felt like those were some of the most memorable times of my college years. I hoped that the current GU students would get that kind of experience (and they now have). Because he always showed up in big games and represented us in the best way, I'll go with Generation Othella. A hard-hat guy like me.
Cincinnati will not be the toughest team we'll face this year. After Coach Huggins left, he took the lion's share of the talent from yesteryear with him. But it is a BIG EAST game, and there are no guarantees in this conference.
If ODU taught us anything-and I hope it taught us plenty, including the value of Pepto Bismol-it is that we cannot underestimate any team. While we are one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the BIG EAST-a conference with much parity this year-we cannot let our guard down. Not at all.
The only team from among the ex-CUSA teams we do not play this year is South Florida. But the new teams bring important history, gravitas,and geographical exposure with them. And Cincinnati, a school with a storied hoops program, is still the sort of game people here and in the Midwest perk up to hear. And will tune in to see.
Cincinnatians are passionate sports fans but are also very loyal through lean years. How do I know this? My Dad still lives in Cincinnati. Though I never lived there, I did inherit being a Bengals fan from him. After 15 years and no winning seasons, you learn to have a hard sports heart. And Cincinnatians only really have two major college hoops teams-UC and Xavier. It's as much a part of Cinci as Skyline chili and riverboats. It's like Army-Navy, in that even when one has a down year it's still a game worth watching.
Yes, Cincinnatians love their college hoops. This was the home of Oscar Robertson. And they don't let you forget it.
I hope to see everyone there at VC on Saturday, cup of coffee in hand and ready to cheer for our streaking Hoyas. 10 of 12 is no small feat; it's clear that our young Hoyas are really starting to learn and come together. And let's face it, we'd pay to see them play a Yates pickup team. We love our Hoyas too.
Let's "remind" Cinci that Big Oscar no longer plays there with a resounding victory. 15-5 heading into the toughest part of our schedule would be great- let's help get 'em there.
See you Saturday, Hoya faithful!
Steve Thomas, (F'97, G'01)
Generation Othella
