Feb. 19, 2009

Georgetown's Patrick Ewing and Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon, the nation's two most celebrated centers, faced off against each other as the Hoyas and Cougars fought in the Seattle Kingdome for the national title. "Phi Slamma Jamma" had missed their opportunity the year previously, falling to NC State by two points on a buzzer beating put-back, while the Hoyas had been downed by a single point two years earlier when North Carolina's James Worthy caught Fred Brown's errant pass. Each team resolved there would be no flukes in this contest.

Co-captain and defensive catalyst Gene Smith, sidelined by a foot injury sustained in the semifinal victory over Kentucky, watched his team take a lead with 32 minutes to play which they would never relinquish. Making extensive use of his team's depth, coach John Thompson Jr. kept sending in waves of fresh Hoyas until Houston succumbed to the pressure.

Five Hoyas scored in double figures in the 84-75 victory. Reggie Williams scored 19, David Wingate added 16, Michael Graham had 14, Michael Jackson contributed 11 and Patrick Ewing dropped in 10 points and led the team in rebounding with nine boards. For the Cougars, Alvin Franklin scored 21, Olajuwon had 15 points and nine boards and Michael Young added 18 tallies.

The impact of winning the National Championship can never fully be assessed. It is not only a pinnacle of college basketball that only a handful of schools has reached, but it is also a vindication of all of the suffering and sacrifice that precedes it as well. For Georgetown that image is indelibly marked by the hug that Thompson Jr. gave Fred Brown after the victory, this time in celebration rather than consolation.