Feb. 25, 2011
A Busy Basketball Weekend!
Where to begin on a weekend that features Alonzo Mourning’s (C’92) induction into the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame, the second annual Gray-out at Verizon Center, Senior Day for a memorable quartet, the Hoya Hoop Club’s 10th Annual Basketball Alumni Recognition Weekend, and, yes, of course, the final home game of the season against arch-rival Syracuse!
On Friday night in Leavey Center, Georgetown Athletics and Hoyas Unlimited will host the 20th Hall of Fame Induction Event. Included among the honorees is Alonzo Mourning (C’92), who ranks as the second biggest recruit in Hoya history after Patrick Ewing.
Coming out of Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, as national player of the year, he was a “manchild” and Georgetown was his promised land. At Georgetown, he and Dikembe Mutombo, C’91, generated “rejection row,” where Georgetown students kept track of the Hoyas’ blocked shots with silhouetted black hands. Alonzo finished his collegiate career as a three-time All Big East and All American selection, including consensus First Team All American status following his senior year. He was the first player to win Big East Conference Player of the Year, Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the Big East Tournament in a single season. Alonzo remains the Hoyas’ No. 4 leading scorer, No. 3 leading rebounder, and No. 2 leading shot blocker. He was the second player selected in the 1992 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets behind Shaquille O’Neal. His NBA career spanned 13 seasons and was capped by his key role on the 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat. Alonzo’s career was interrupted by a serious kidney disorder following the 2000 Olympics where he helped lead the United States to a Gold Medal as part of Dream Team II.
After missing the 2002-03 season, he announced his retirement from the game of basketball. Thereafter, he received a kidney transplant and ultimately returned to the game he loved for the 2004-05 season with the New Jersey Nets. He was named to the NBA All Star Team seven times and was twice selected NBA defensive player of the year. He has always engaged in a wide-range of socially philanthropic endeavors, including “Zo’s Summer Groove” in Overton, Florida and earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. He and his wife, Traci, also have endowed a scholarship at Georgetown for student-athletes engaged in medical and scientific research. Alonzo also published his compelling autobiography, Resilience, in 2008, recounting the story of his struggles to overcome personal adversity. He was featured in an ESPN special Homecoming with Rick Reilly, which was filmed in Gaston Hall during August 2009. During the past year, he was named to the Georgetown University Board of Directors, chaired by another former Hoya basketball captain Paul Tagliabue (C’62). Congratulations to Alonzo for this well-deserved honor as he enters the Georgetown Hall of Fame!! He personifies the Jesuit ideal of “men and women in service to others.” And congratulations to the other former Hoya athletic greats, who will be inducted along with Alonzo.
This Saturday marks the second annual Gray-Out game and the traditional Senior Day activities as the Hoyas take on the Syracuse Orange in the latest event in this epic college rivalry. So be sure to wear your Gray and cheer on the Hoyas! This Saturday the Hoyas will honor four very special Seniors, Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Julian Vaughn, and Ryan Dougherty. These four exemplify the aptness of Georgetown’s “DC is Our Playground” branding, as each hails from the DC Metropolitan Area.
Co-Captain Freeman, a De Matha product, was Metro Player of the Year as a Senior and has started for the Hoyas since his Freshman year. Austin seems to do so many things so effortlessly that he could be overlooked. But in crunch time throughout his career, he has come through in a big way for the Hoyas.
Co-Captain Chris Wright, our point guard from St. John’s College High School, was the first D.C. Metro schoolboy player since Adrian Dantley to earn first-team All Met Honors three years in a row. Although a foot injury sidelined him for much of his Freshman year, he entered the starting line-up in November 2008 against Jacksonville and has started every game since. While his broken hand will preclude his playing this Saturday, this “heart and soul” of the team will be on the floor in spirit through his teammates. During his career on the Hilltop, Chris has shown that he can do it all. Let’s hope that he recovers fully and quickly from his broken hand so that his career on the court for the Hoyas will not have ended so prematurely. According to “hoyasaxa.com,” Chris currently ranks sixth overall in assists with 439, 17th in scoring with 1363 points, and 13th among all guards in shooting percentage with a 46.1% mark.
Senior Julian Vaughn from Herndon out of Oak Hill Academy was Virginia’s Mr. Basketball as a high school Senior. Beginning his collegiate career at Florida State, he received a “hardship transfer” to Georgetown following his freshman year and has been a key participant ever since particularly in this his Senior season. He has a sweet hook shot and currently ranks 10th in blocked shots with 140. He has worked very hard throughout his Hoya career and reminds me of former Hoya Don Reid.
Finally, Co-captain Ryan Dougherty graduated from St. Albans in D.C. as an honorable mention All- Met and transferred to Georgetown after a year at the University of Rochester. According to “hoyasaxa.com,” Ryan has the distinction of being the first walk-on player to be named as a Co-captain since the 1945-46 season. Ryan’s quiet leadership and perseverance are greatly appreciated. Congratulations and thanks to all four of these fine Hoyas as well as to Senior members of the band and cheerleading squads for their respective careers at Georgetown.
This weekend also marks the 10th Anniversary of Basketball Alumni Weekend at Georgetown as former players and managers come to the Hilltop to be acknowledged for their roles in developing the Georgetown Basketball Program. The program began 10 years ago with recognition for the 1950-51 Hoya basketball team, which was the first team to play in McDonough Gym. Thereafter, individual teams such as the first Big East Tournament Championship team in 1979-80, the 1942-43 NCAA finalists, and the 1969-70 NIT team were honored. With the 2006 season, Coach Thompson broadened the scope of the weekend to include all former players and the tradition of inviting all former players back has evolved since that time. It is a great way for the players to reconnect with one another and with Georgetown and to recall that Georgetown basketball has a storied tradition dating back to 1906-07. The Hoop Club is sponsoring a pre-game reception beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Dewars 12 Clubhouse on the second floor of the Verizon Center, which will acknowledge the former players. Come out this weekend and see some of your old classmates and former basketball legends from the Hilltop.
Finally, this Saturday’s Gray-out game matches the Hoyas against arch-rival Syracuse. To tell you the truth, nothing more needs to be said! Crush the Orange!!
WE ARE GEORGETOWN!!
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Karam, F’72, L’76, L’82
Proud Member of Generation Laughna
