When Nerlens tweeted he was “gon shock the world,” it gave us hope. Up to— and including that moment, really— Noel coming to Georgetown was little more than a pipe dream for most who bleed the Blue and Gray. In the moments leading up to Noel’s “decision” (seriously, whoever told him to start his announcement with “I’m taking my talents to…” is one of the worst PR people ever) it seemed like the momentum was firmly in Georgetown’s favor, as basketball insiders everywhere seemed confident that JTIII had the Hoyas in a great position to make the flattop coming to the hilltop more of a reality and less of a hashtag. It wasn’t to be, though. Coach Cal won again (I’ll leave all the Calipari/recruiting/couch burning jokes to you guys. And twitter.), and he has the best recruiting class in the country for what seems like the 10th year in a row. Continue reading
Posted by Lawson Ferguson …
Your Nerlens Noel Decision Breakdown
I don’t know if you’ve heard by now, but prized recruit Nerlens Noel is going to make ONLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION IN WORLD HISTORY at 8:45 tonight. And by that I mean he’s going to decide where he’s going to be playing next year. Georgetown is competing with Kentucky and some random school in upstate New York for Noel’s commitment, although Scott Boras has apparently infiltrated the college basketball recruiting process as well as there are rumors of a “mystery team” making a late push for Noel floating around.
Originally, this post was going to be about any recent news on Nerlens’ decision. But I changed my mind for a couple reasons. A. You’re probably googling “Nerlens Noel” at least as often as I am B. Nobody really knows anything and C. You’re probably searching Twitter for Nerlens Noel news at least as often as I am.
With that in mind, read on after the jump for a breakdown of Nerlens’ three possible/likely decisions and the appropriate reactions to each one. Remember, the longer it takes you to read this the closer to 8:45 it will be when you finish. Continue reading
Final Four Preview: When Kentucky and Louisville Play, Nobody Wins
As a basketball fan, NCAA-basher and frequent proponent of common sense, I can’t root for John Calipari and Kentucky. Between John Calipari’s well-documented NCAA violations, annoying and definitely related ability to recruit five of the top 10 recruits in the country every year (don’t do it, Nerlens) and the entitlement of the Wildcat fan base I can’t help rooting for every team they play. Yet Rick Pitino inspires a level of sports hate in my heart that is generally reserved for Eric Devendorf, Bucky bleeping Dent, Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant. You see, I’m from Boston. And what Pitino did to my beloved Celtics is unforgivable. On a personal level, I’ll be stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place on Saturday when the Cards and Wildcats clash since a big chasm opening up under the stadium is both implausible and seems wildly unfair the spectators. Then again, I’m not sure I dislike either team as much as the fanbases hate each other. When dialysis patients are fighting each other, you know something is up. But the previews must go on, so here I am. Continue reading
Hollis Thompson Declares for NBA Draft
Cue the Billy Joel: Say goodbye to Hollywood.
Junior forward Hollis Thompson has declared for the NBA draft, according to a university press release (text below). Thompson was the Hoyas’ second-leading scorer this year, and departs the Hilltop as the most accurate three-point shooter in Georgetown history. Barring any unexpected transfers in, Thompson’s decision to declare for the draft means that next year’s roster won’t feature any seniors after classmates Vee Sanford and Jerrelle Benimon both transferred before this year. The junior’s departure means that next year’s team will be shorn of its three leading scorers, as seniors Henry Sims and Jason Clark are set to graduate this May. Thompson, who skipped the spring of his senior year in high school to enroll early at Georgetown in spring of 2009, has accumulated enough credits to graduate in May if he so chooses.
Thompson has yet to sign with an agent, but after his decision to test the draft waters last year, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of returning to school next year as NCAA regulations stipulate a player can only declare for the draft twice while retaining eligibility. Last year he was a mid-to-late second-round pick at best and, while he might have improved (that’s more a question for NBA scouts and less for us), this year’s draft class is one of the best and deepest in recent memory and it doesn’t seem like Hollis has improved so drastically that he’s worked his way out of that range. As it stands right now, Thompson is probably going to have to impress teams in private workouts and/or the NBA combine to work himself firmly into the second round.
More updates to come, but for now the full text of Georgetown’s press release — which does an admirable job of playing up Thompson’s accomplishments — is after jump.
Midwest Sweet 16 Preview: Feat. UNC, Ohio State and NC State
Well, that went well. I’ve dragged myself out of the doldrums of post-Hoya-loss disappointment just for you, dear readers. There should be some pretty compelling basketball on TV as two double-digit seeds have made it to the semifinals of the Midwest bracket, and look to make a run so deep into the tournament that every ESPN anchor runs out of glass slipper jokes. The first double-digit seed is NC State who, oddly enough, I harbor no animosity towards for unceremoniously dumping the Hoyas out of the tournament. These things happen when you don’t box out. The other double-digit seed is a school whose name I will endeavor to not use because I’m a bitter, bitter man and hold really long grudges. Oh and as if that weren’t interesting enough, UNC’s injury list is getting rather ridiculous while Kansas barely escaped a Robbie-Hummel led — but otherwise uninspiring — Purdue squad in the second round.
Predictions after the jump… Continue reading
Men’s Basketball: Searching for Silver Linings Edition
As you may have noticed, Georgetown lost to NC State in the second round of the NCAA tournament today. After embarrassing losses to Ohio and VCU in the past two years, the Hoya faithful can look forward to 11 more months of “LOL GEORGETOWN LOSES TO BAD TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT” jokes from your friendly neighborhood chapter of people who oversimplify everything and beat jokes into the ground and/or Syracuse fans. But hey, it’s not all bad… right? Right? Join me after the jump as I attempt to find the bright side of life and figure out other ways to waste time not doing schoolwork that don’t involve obsessing over the basketball team’s tournament chances. Continue reading