Mourning Won't Play In Classic; Hoyas Recruit Opts For Dapper Dan - The Washington Post

Barring a long-shot legislative reversal of an NCAA ruling thatprohibits high school seniors from participating in more than twoall-star games, Georgetown-bound Alonzo Mourning, a 6-foot-10all-America from Chesapeake, Va., will not play in this year'sMcDonald's Capital Classic April 9 at Capital Centre.

Bob Geoghan, executive director of the Capital Classic, saidMourning expressed interest but is committed to playing the DapperDan in Pittsburgh April 8 and the All-America game in AlbuquerqueApril 17.

Geoghan also said yesterday that Mourning may have been swayed bythe fact that his coach at Indian River High School, Bill Lassiter,will coach Mourning's team in Pittsburgh. He said that Dapper Danfounder and director Sonny Vaccaro, a consultant to Nike SportingGoods, last year helped outfit Mourning's Indian River team withshoes and other equipment, which is permitted by the National HighSchool Federation, and that also may have been a factor.

'{Vaccaro} chooses to use inducements we have never used or planto use,' Geoghan said. 'I don't think it's fair to put that type ofpressure on kids where they think they owe you something. I don'twant to get to the point where I have to wheel and deal to getplayers to play here.

'Alonzo had repeatedly told me he wanted to play here because ofthe proximity for his relatives and friends to see him play andbecause he was going to Georgetown. But just lately, he said heplanned to play in the Dapper Dan instead of here.'

Vaccaro said, 'I developed a friendship with Alonzo long beforehe decided to go to Georgetown or play in any classic. As far as theinferences go about giving shoes to anyone, I give shoes to a lot ofschools and not all of the kids play in the Dapper Dan . . . And Ido get coaches who have excellent players but the coaches areexcellent coaches also and I'm rewarding them for doing a good job.The McDonald's Capital Classic uses people to steer kids to them,too.'

Mourning said he felt he owed Vaccaro for helping him and histeam.

'Sonny has been nice to me and helped me out a bit and I think byplaying in his game {it's} my way of paying him back,' Mourning said.'No one convinced me to play anywhere. I chose to play in the DapperDan. I would love to play in D.C. but it can't be worked out. Idon't think I'm disappointing anyone-they'll see me for the next fouryears. They might get tired of seeing me.'

In a last-ditch try, Geoghan appealed to the NCAA for a waiver tolet Mourning play here the day after playing the Dapper Dan.

'The main reason the limit is two is because the kids usuallymiss too much school traveling around to play in these games,'Geoghan said. 'But our game is on a Saturday afternoon. Alonzo couldfly here on Saturday morning, play that day and be home by nightfallif he had to be.'

John Leavens, director of compliance (special events) for theNCAA, said the chance of the NCAA changing the rule now would be'extremely slim, virtually nil.'

NBA players Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Mark Aguirre, DominiqueWilkins, Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan and collegiate stars J.R. Reidand Danny Manning have played in previous games and Geoghan thoughtMourning would be a natural for a game on Georgetown's home court.

Mourning said he decided to play in the Dapper Dan because of hisfriendship with Vaccaro, who is well known to high school and collegecoaches around the country, including Georgetown's John Thompson.

'Sonny is my friend but I had nothing to do with Alonzo selectingthe Dapper Dan,' Thompson said. 'It didn't matter to me where heplayed. That was Alonzo's choice.'

All That Promise Reduced to This - The Washington Post

Weren't there moments not that long ago when it seemed like theywere all headed for the NCAA tournament? Maryland, the torch bearerof local college basketball for more than a decade, would be shippedoff to its 12th straight first round. George Washington, the giant-killer that defeated the Terps and Michigan State in early December,would be in one nook and cranny of the country. Upstart Georgetownwould be in another, trying to prolong John Thompson III's surprisinginaugural season.

Just a minute ago, wasn't Gary Williams's club knocking off Duke,GW cracking the top 25 and Georgetown becoming the feel-good story ofthe season?

Today, it's almost NIT or bust, baby.

Terps vs. Hoyas, first round at the Comcast Center. Be there.

Maybe one will advance to Madison Square Garden and theconsolation final four. From College Park to Georgetown, the studentbody should be running around, yelling, 'We're Number 66!'

Really, the celebration of college basketball in this area isbeginning to ring hollow.

George Washington might need a decent week in the Atlantic 10tournament to make the NCAA tournament, and if not the Colonials canprobably fall back on their 19 wins.

But Maryland most likely needs to get by Clemson on Thursday, ateam the Terrapins have lost to twice already, and then NorthCarolina the next day. That's highly unlikely, maybe impossible. AndGeorgetown is done unless the Hoyas pull off a miracle at the Gardenduring the Big East tournament beginning Wednesday. They've lost fivestraight.

Some college hoops renaissance, huh?

Georgetown gets a major pass, because no one expected Thompson'steam to compete in the Big East. All that happened to the Hoyas wasthat they found their level. The Princeton offense can only hide somany flaws. With all due respect to Brandon Bowman and frosh JeffGreen, the team's talent level is among the big least in Division I.It's amazing the Hoyas got this far.

The Colonials fell off the map for a while, but that was to beexpected of Karl Hobbs's mostly young team. Players got a little tooexcited about their ranking and forgot that some A-10 teams couldstill play with them. Now that their heads are on straight, theColonials are on the rebound. But is it too late for their first NCAAbid since 1999?

Yet there is no excuse for what happened at Maryland, maybe thebiggest tease and disappointment of Williams's career.

Almost as disturbing seeing the body language of John Gilchrist'steammates toward the mercurial starting point guard near the end ofthe loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday that put the Terps' season onthe brink.

There is no easy way to say this, especially because you'redealing primarily with 18- to 22-year-olds: But the promise of a verygood team disintegrated each time Gilchrist dominated the ball andstopped trusting his teammates. In a year, Gilchrist somehow morphedfrom John Lennon into Yoko Ono; the leader of the band became thereason it broke up.

One of the great sporting events of the year comes to MCI Centeron Thursday, and the Terps probably won't make it to the weekend.Williams has complained over the years about the ACC tournament beingheld on Tobacco Road, thereby giving the Carolina teams a distincthome-court advantage. Now, the moment it comes to the Marylandcoach's backyard, you wonder if the hosts will even show at their ownparty.

How do you beat Duke twice and you can't beat Clemson or N.C.State once? And if you're Gilchrist, how do you go from enjoying thesignature moment of your career at last season's ACC tournament tobeing the leader of a mediocre team that has not won anything?

Gilchrist has said players are 'fighting things we can't evensee.' He said teammates, but not him, were 'dealing with personalissues that the media and fans do not know about.' What is he talkingabout? We have no idea. We only know for certain that Maryland andGilchrist have not been right since winning the ACC tournament lastseason, a triumph that Williams has got to believe was more cursethan blessing. Because that's when Gilchrist blew up, double-clutching, dribbling through nine other players until he made someincredible twisting layup that made him the MVP of a long, improbableweekend.

Every starter except Jamar Smith returned from that team. Therewere few reasons the Terps should not have been in top 10 contention,especially the way they knocked off Duke twice and nearly took outNorth Carolina, a likely No. 1 seed. The season-ending knee injury toD.J. Strawberry should not be minimized. He played defense and gothis hands in the passing lanes like no one else on that team.

But what a disappointing front court. Every time Travis Garrisonand Ekene Ibekwe appear on the verge of real development, they gobackward. Will Bowers improved, but not enough to pick up the slack.Nik Caner-Medley usually declared himself open after he crossed mid-court. He was more than a gun; you could actually see him begin tothink he belonged among some of the country's best offensive players.Yet when it mattered, he was usually like the rest, incapable ofmaking an important defensive stop.

The problem with winning the ACC tournament a year ago was, thisMaryland team always thought it could instantly resume being thatteam. In reality, the Terrapins got hot for one week last March, andthat become their identity more than their youth and inconsistency.Young and spotty is what they always were. Gilchrist had a tournamentlike Randolph Childress for Wake Forest in 1995. Like Childress, whohad two forgettable NBA seasons after college, Gilchrist has not beenthat player again.

In Maryland's loss to Virginia Tech, all the liabilities came tobear. Defensive lapses. Poor on-court chemistry. Gilchrist was at thecenter of the demise, flinging up shots near the end. He was adistraction -- almost a sideshow -- in a must-win game.

Maybe Gilchrist was right when he said earlier this season thatworrying about the NCAA tournament shouldn't be the biggest thing inthe world. Maybe kids playing college basketball should try to enjoythe game first and not treat it like a job.

Because when you view this maddening Maryland season throughGilchrist's prism, that's all you see: belaboring.

Iverson's speed driving Tech crazy.(Sports) - The Washington Times (Washington, DC)

ATLANTA - Speed kills. That was the message from Texas Tech coach James Dickey about Georgetown's All-American point guard Allen Iverson. Dickey made it clear that Iverson's speed and quickness were his greatest concerns entering tonight's East Region semifinal clash with No. 2 seed Georgetown.

'He's a great basketball player,' Dickey said during yesterday's news conference. 'He's quick, he has tremendous speed with the basketball, and he's so good defensively. He creates so many opportunities for them with his quickness.'

In part because of his dizzying speed, Iverson averages 24.9 points and 2.7 steals, the latter number securing him Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. Not given to hyperbole, Othella Harrington, the soft-spoken center for Georgetown (28-7), called Iverson the quickest player he had ever seen at any level.

The third-seeded Red Raiders will try to slow down Iverson with senior point guard Jason Martin. In directing Texas Tech to a 30-1 record, Martin has been a remarkable floor leader, sporting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 4-1, but he's not known for his defensive speed. And Dickey is afraid he won't be able to give Martin much defensive help on Iverson.

'The fact that you can't afford to help out on him because of their big people inside might be the most frightening thing about him,' said Dickey of the 6-foot sophomore from Hampton, Va. 'If you send someone out to help on Iverson, then the guy who comes to help has to leave his man. They do such a tremendous job of attacking the glass that even if Iverson misses, that loose man is going to get the rebound and dunk it home on you.'

The Red Raiders have been working out all week against six-man practice squads to prepare for the Hoyas' team speed, but Dickey isn't satisfied with the simulation.

'I don't know how you prepare for them,' Dickey said. 'We put six guys on the court and that still doesn't make you as quick or aggressive as they are. We're just going to have to try to adjust. We've told our kids to work on their offensive spacing, getting rid of the ball before their traps arrive, but I don't know how you simulate the great quickness of a guy like Iverson - he's tremendous.

TEXAS TECHNICALITIES

As the Red Raiders prepare to play in their first Sweet 16 contest since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1979, trouble is brewing back home on the range. On March 1, the NCAA sent Texas Tech a letter of preliminary inquiry of possible violations, and a formal investigation is set to begin on the Lubbock campus this spring.

The investigation was triggered by a series of stories written by the Houston Chronicle claiming that Texas Tech football and basketball players accused of criminal offenses had received free legal counsel, bail bonds and other special treatment over the past four years. The law firm which allegedly provided the free counsel includes a partner who is a member of the Texas Tech board of regents.

In one particularly nasty account, former basketball player Damon Ashley (1991-93) claims that Dickey lured him to the university during the recruiting process by arranging a job for his pregnant girlfriend.

Dickey declined to comment on the possible violations after yesterday's news conference, referring all questions to Texas Tech faculty advisor Robert Sweazy, but it's not the first time Dickey has been involved in such a scandal. Dickey was an assistant coach under Eddie Sutton at Kentucky in 1988 when Sutton was implicated in a scandal involving Eric Manuel. Sutton was fired, and Dickey took a year off from coaching.

Sweazy could not be reached for comment, but as yet no current members of the Texas Tech basketball team have been named in the allegations.

HAM SLAM

Texas Tech power forward Darvin Ham captured the attention of the nation last Sunday when he shattered the backboard on a follow-up dunk during the Red Raiders' 92-73 win over North Carolina in the tournament's second round.

Ever since the monster slam, Ham has been signing pieces of souvenir glass from the Richmond Coliseum backboard.

'Oh man, I've signed so many pieces of glass over the last two days - I'd say 300,' Ham said at yesterday's news conference. 'I heard the janitor was selling pieces outside the stadium. All I know is I want a cut.'

****BOX A

TODAY'S NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES

EAST REGION

Georgia Dome, Atlanta

* Georgetown vs. Texas Tech

7:40 p.m.: Chs. 9, 13,

AM-1260, AM-1090

Georgetown favored by 7

* Massachusetts vs. Arkansas

10:10 p.m.: Ch. 9

Massachusetts favored by 9

MIDWEST REGION

Metrodome, Minneapolis

* Kentucky vs. Utah

8 p.m.

Kentucky favored by 14

* Wake Forest vs. Louisville 10:30 p.m.: Ch. 13, AM-1090

Wake Forest by 4 1/2

****BOX B

GEORGETOWN (28-7) vs. TEXAS TECH (30-1)

7:40 p.m., Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Chs. 9, 13, AM-1260, AM-1090

PITT ON TOP OF HEAP, BASKETBALL WRITERS SAY.(Sports) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Mike Waters Staff writer

While the Pittsburgh Panthers emerged as the consensus pick to win the Big East Conference this season, The Post-Standard preseason writers' poll produced a number of choices for player of the year in the Big East.

Pittsburgh received 10 out of 16 first-place votes to easily outdistance Villanova and Syracuse for the top spot in the poll. The Panthers were picked no lower than second on any of the ballots.

Villanova followed at No. 2 in the poll with Syracuse, Georgetown and West Virginia rounding out the top five.

In an unusual display of agreement, only four writers had any of the top five teams -- Pitt, Villanova, Syracuse, Georgetown and West Virginia -- picked to finish lower than fifth.

However, the player-of-the-year vote revealed a variety of opinions. Seven players received at least one vote. Georgetown's Austin Freeman was named on six ballots, making him the highest vote-getter.

'I like his size, his skill, his approach, his coach, his supporting cast and the opportunity for him to become even more of a focal point in the absence of Greg Monroe,' the Hartford Courant's Mike Anthony said of Freeman. 'It just feels like the circumstances are right for Freeman to carry a pretty good, experienced team. I think he can change a game more than any other conference player.'

Other players receiving mention included Syracuse's Kris Joseph, Villanova's Corey Fisher, Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs and Connecticut's Kemba Walker. Those four, plus Freeman, made up the writers' preseason All-Big East first-team.

West Virginia's Kevin Jones also received two player-of-the-year votes, but he wound up on the writers' second team. Similarly, Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell picked up one vote, but also was on the second team.

'Kevin Jones has all the tools to be one of the league's most dynamic players,' said Tom Noie, of the South Bend Tribune. 'Can he put it all together? For the first time in 13 years of covering Big East basketball, I've never had a tougher task of naming a preseason player of the year or all-league team. There are no clear-cut candidates.'

Joseph, Syracuse's 6-foot-7 junior, won the Big East's sixth-man-of-the-year award last season. He was the only member of the writers' first team who didn't make the All-Big East first-, second- or third-team last season.

'I think Kris Joseph is the most talented player in the Big East, and I always start with talent,' said Mike DeCourcy, college basketball columnist for The Sporting News. 'The next element would be opportunity, and with Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins gone, the opportunity is obvious. The final piece is motivation. Does the player want to be great? Can he handle the responsibility? I believe Kris will be a special player this season, but to be honest, the last part is up to him.'

Due to a tie, the second team consisted of six players: Jones, Hazell, Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis, Marquette's Jimmy Butler, Seton Hall's Herb Pope and Cincinnati's Yancy Gates.

Fabricio de Melo, Syracuse's 7-foot freshman center, won the rookie of the year vote handily. Melo was named on nine of the writers' ballots. Marquette's Vander Blue received three votes, while Syracuse freshman Dion Waiters earned two nods.

The Big East will announce the coaches' preseason picks today at the conference's annual media day in New York City.

Mike Waters can be reached at 470-3086 or mwaters@syracuse.com.

All-conference team

Corey Fisher, Villanova

Austin Freeman, Georgetown

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh

Kris Joseph, Syracuse

Kemba Walker, Connecticut

Player of the Year

Austin Freeman, Georgetown

Rookie of the Year

Fab Melo, Syracuse

CAPTION(S):

GRAPHIC: Writers' poll, now and then The Post-Standard.

Big East writers predict that Pittsburgh will win the conference championship this season (with first-place votes in parentheses). The other two columns show how accurate the writers were in last year's poll.

2010-11 predicted 2009-10 2009-10

predicted actual

1-Pittsburgh (10) 9 2

2-Villanova (3) 1 4

3-Syracuse (2) 6 1

4-Georgetown 4 8

5-West Virginia (1) 2 3

6-Marquette 12 5

7-St. John's 11 13

8-Louisville 5 6

9-Notre Dame 7 7

10-Connecticut 3 12

11-Seton Hall 10 10

12-Cincinnati 8 11

13-South Florida 14 9

14-Rutgers 13 14

15-Providence 15 15

For Hoyas, like father, so unlike son.(SPORTS) - The Washington Times (Washington, DC)

Byline: Dick Heller, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

There's probably not much point in comparing John Thompson Jr. and John Thompson III - or their basketball teams - but let's do it anyway, just for fun.

Big John, who coached Georgetown to 596 victories, one national title and three Final Four appearances from 1972 to 1999, was loud, intimidating and frequently argumentative.

Little John, the honcho of Hoyas hoops these days and nights, is soft-spoken, accessible and co-operative.

Call it a clear case of like father, not like son.

The two men have one thing in common, though. Each has moved swiftly to restore the Georgetown men's basketball program to prominence.

When Thompson pere meandered over from the District's old St. Anthony's High School, the Hoyas were coming off a 3-23 season under Jack Magee. When Thompson fils moseyed south from Princeton last season, they were reeling from a 13-15 campaign under Craig Esherick.

If we're counting - and why not? - Little John has a much better record for his first two seasons (36-18) than Dear Old Dad (25-27).

That's why members of the Hoya Hoop Club were sporting T-shirts that read, 'Respect Is Back. Fear Is Next. III' and yowling their heads off Sunday night as No. 15 Georgetown did battle against No. 9 West Virginia at wild and woolly MCI Center. A ghastly 19-point second half doomed the Hoyas to a 69-56 defeat, but that was merely a stumbling block for a team that has compiled two seven-game winning streaks and a 17-5 record. Little John's gritty and appealing gang should be there for March Madness, and who knows what ultimate triumphs lie ahead.

One thing appears certain: There will be no so-called Hoya Paranoia with his teams - a conveniently euphonious term that turned up in the early '80s when Patrick Ewing and his cohorts first achieved national notoriety by knocking opponents hither, thither and yon - legally, of course - in pursuit of basketballs, baskets and wins.

That's about the time, too, that John Thompson Jr. began avoiding pesky media types, sequestering his teams in distant, secret motels on the road and speaking out forcefully for causes he believed in, such as Proposition 48. Like it or not, Big John was what he was - no way would he let anybody forget it.

Interviewing him in the fall of 1980 for a season preview story, a reporter for the late and lamented Washington Star was astonished to hear a string of eight-letter expletives emerging from Thompson's mouth. A short time later the unnerved scribe asked assistant coach Billy Stein, 'What's happened to John? I never heard him say anything stronger than 'darn' before.'

Stein laughed. 'Oh, that's just John's new personality,' he sort of explained.

Was it calculated? Sure. Obviously, Thompson had decided to be as intimidating as he wanted his team to be - and succeeded.

Little John obviously patterns his clubs after those of the legendary Pete Carril, his coach and mentor at Princeton. The current Hoyas rely more on finesse than muscle, though they did a pretty good job of pounding the boards against West Virginia.

Georgetown's motion offense calls for patience, few turnovers and fewer bad shots. They will pass the ball four or five times seeking an open look and can backdoor you to death if big men Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bowman and Jeff Green shake loose underneath. Plus, five of the six top players can shoot the 3.

Does this style work? Well, going into Sunday night's game, the Hoyas were ranked second nationally in offensive efficiency (points per field goal attempts). Unfortunately, the motion offense doesn't do much good when a team needs points in a hurry, as Georgetown did in the closing minutes against West Virginia.

'John's dad emphasized multidefenses and pressure,' said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who has matched wits with both Thompsons. 'John the Third's teams play very good defense out of their matchup zone, and his halfcourt offense is good. Both styles have worked very well.'

Rich Chvotkin, who has been the Hoyas' radio broadcaster for 32 years, literally seconds the motion.

'This team uses more of a finesse style, a take-care-of-the-ball style, and takes more time off the clock as opposed to just grinding it out,' he said. 'But [to compete at the top level], it pretty much has to bring its 'A' game every night.'

That has always been the case for Georgetown, a private school with a relatively small undergraduate enrollment of 6,164 and without a suitable on-campus arena or much hope of getting one. When Big John started coaching, the Hoyas played at ancient McDonough Arena, a 2,000-seat bandbox that now hardly seems adequate for scrimmages. MCI is fine for big games - and the Hoyas soon will be playing lots of them - but Little John's program is at a distinct disadvantage against Big East rivals with impressive buildings that aid the recruiting process.

Otherwise, things are looking up on the Hilltop. Can a school strike it rich twice, more than three decades apart, with coaches bearing the same name but different ways of winning games? Right now it sure looks that way.

CAPTION(S):

Blood Is Thicker Than Alma Mater - The Washington Post

The Ball State player surveyed the baseball cap worn by JohnThompson Jr. last night. 'You were looking to see if it saidGeorgetown or Ball State, weren't you?' Big John said, playfullychiding the young man.

The cap had only an embroidered 'T' -- for Thompson.

Neutrality in a surname. Nice.

'Name-branding,' he explained. 'I've been doing it for a fewyears.'

Same goes for John III and Ronny, the two Division I basketballcoaches Big John Thompson fathered, mentored and who faced offagainst one another at Verizon Center. Proud but a little pained,their pops had to feel like a member of the Barber family whenTiki's Giants and Ronde's Buccaneers collide on a Sunday.

John III's Hoyas were supposed to win by 20. But no one in theThompson family wanted to see Ronny's Cardinals get beat down in hisfirst year; that just wouldn't be brotherly.

'You win either way,' Big John was told before Georgetown won, 69-54.

'I lose either way, too,' he said, letting out a bear of a laugh.

This is a tale of two little boys who one day were being escortedby their father to the top of War Memorial Arena in Rochester, N.Y.,after Georgetown knocked off Syracuse in 1974 and the next werewearing immaculately tailored black blazers and resplendent ties,working the same sidelines they grew up watching Pops work.

'It was my first away game in Rochester,' remembered RichChvotkin, who called his 1,000th Georgetown game last night. 'I canstill see Coach bringing both of them all the way up there to thetop, all tired out by the time he got there. 'I'm not doin' thisagain,' he said.'

The boys were both there the night their father lost an emotionalthriller to Dean Smith in the 1982 national title game, the nightMichael Jordan hit the shot and Fred Brown turned the ball over toJames Worthy in the final seconds. Big John likened the hug he gotthat night from Dean Smith, his very good friend, to the hug Ronnywould get from John III last night.

'I never had a brother, so that's the closest thing I can thinkof,' he said. 'If you look at Dean and the expression on his facewhen he came to hug me, it wasn't an expression of joy. He washappy, but he knew he'd beaten a good friend and I think it took alittle bit of that feeling of euphoria away.'

If Georgetown-Ball State was indeed about family ties, it wasalso about two programs at the moment traveling in disparatedirections.

The Hoyas were too big and polished for Ball State. In a collegehoops world full of reckless chuckers from beyond the arc, the Hoyasare the rare, skilled interior passing team. It was nothing for JeffGreen to trade in a five-foot jumper for Jessie Sapp's two-footlayup. Twenty of the Hoyas' 25 field goals were assisted.

They kept re-posting 7-foot Roy Hibbert until he got inches fromthe rim. Early on, Georgetown back-doored Ball State like Princeton,John III's alma mater, once back-doored UCLA out of the NCAAtournament.

Ronny's team did not go down easily, coming within 22-18 withseven minutes left in the first half and furiously trying to staywithin 20 in the second half. They threw full- and half-court trapsat the Hoyas and waited for Georgetown's big men to put the ball onthe floor to swipe it away. On the occasions they forced a turnover,their guards went into hyper-drive, flying down the lane without acare for their bodies.

The personalities of the teams were distilled as much as the menwho guide them. John III's crew: patient, mostly precise, unshakablewith flailing arms and chests in their faces. Ronny's group:relentless, full of kinetic energy and unbowed against the 21st-ranked team in the nation.

'Ronny was always the impulsive one, acting on his emotions,' BigJohn said. 'He's more like me on the sideline, going on what hefeels sometimes more than what he thinks. John is the thinker,always weighing things before he makes a decision what to do.'

That theme carried over to the postgame news conference, whereRonny went for the laughs before answering thoughtfully and JohnIII, wiping his brow with a white towel like his father used to, wasmore measured and calculating. He took no great pleasure in beatingRonny, actually inquiring whether he could persuade Ball State'sathletic director to cancel next year's game. 'I'm glad it's over,'he said.

'You all like to write about Pops and Coach Carril,' he added,referring to Big John and former Princeton coach Pete Carril, thetwo men often credited with influencing John III most as a coach.'But Ronny is my biggest resource in this business. I don't know ifhe would say that about me, but he's mine.'

In the middle of the first half, Ronny floated up and down theVerizon Center sideline. In his jet-black ensemble, red-sheen tieand white silk handkerchief peeking from his lapel, he looked lesslike a D-I coach and more like a Neiman Marcus catalog model. Heoften gives his brother grief about his wardrobe over the telephone,but John III also came well-dressed last night, sporting a smart,gray-blue striped tie. If Ronny was Vanity Fair last night, John IIIwas definitely Brooks Brothers.

Early yesterday morning, John III stopped by Big John's house.Ronny's children were staying there and Uncle John wanted to makesure he got to see his niece and nephew before they left town afterthe game.

'He gave Ronny's son Dylan a great, big hug and told him, 'I loveyou,' ' Big John said.

'Then I said, 'Yeah, he's saying that now. But he's going to tryand beat the hell out of your father tonight.' '

No one got knocked out of their bracket or upset or ridiculouslyblown out. Ball State-Georgetown was competitive, even though JohnIII's team was larger and better. And with all the cameras moving infor the love-thy-brother shot at the final buzzer, it felt like lessof a ballgame than an awkward family reunion.

Hibbert muscles Hoyas to victory.(SPORTS) - The Washington Times (Washington, DC)

Byline: Barker Davis, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Georgetown concluded its exam period last night with the easiest test of the week, routing overmatched Stetson 70-50 at McDonough Arena.

The Hoyas (5-2) enjoy yet another virtual bye Wednesday when Savannah State, a winless team ranked 330th in the latest mock RPI, comes calling at MCI Center.

Last night's game against the hapless Hatters (0-8) was over less than five minutes into the action, as the Hoyas sprinted out to a 15-0 lead - behind the inside dominance of sophomore center Roy Hibbert - and never looked back.

'We intend to do that every game,' joked Georgetown coach John Thompson III of his team's absurdly dominating start. 'Every win is a good win.'

Despite Stetson's lowly status, the Hatters do feature the nation's most colorfully named player, 7-foot-1, 245-pound sophomore center Chief Kickingstallionsims. And while nobody would ever accuse him of resembling a future lottery pick, his stature certainly provided the 7-2 Hibbert with an interesting foil of resistance - for about 10 possessions.

According to the Stetson media guide, Kickingstallionsims means 'Strength of the Fallen Rocks' and his Snoop-style nickname is 'Dizzle Fizzle.' Well, one can certainly understand the fizzle part.

Hibbert proved that 283 pounds of muscle is a bit stronger than 19 letter's worth of last name, abusing Kickingstallionsims early and often en route to a 13-point, nine-rebound, two-block first half that saw the Hoyas stroll to the locker room with a 45-20 lead.

'I don't get to play against too many guys my size, so I did enjoy that,' said Hibbert, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes. 'I was just trying to establish myself inside and kick it out to open guys for some easy looks. But my man wasn't guarding me really closely, so it ended up that I took it at him early for some points.'

The only negative on the night for Hibbert was a missed free throw early in the second half which snapped a string of 25 successful conversions for the supersoph, a record among Georgetown big men.

'Hopefully, I can check off some other stuff before I leave here after my senior year,' said Hibbert, who has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to be regarded among the school's all-time pivot pounders.

Aside from Hibbert's dominance, the entire offense functioned seamlessly in the first half. Sophomore Jonathan Wallace (eight points, three assists) was typically solid at the point, making two of his three triples and committing no turnovers. Sophomore forward Jeff Green showcased his unselfish skills, scoring only seven points but adding six assists and six rebounds. Senior forward Brandon Bowman (12 points), who scored on a handful of slashing cuts, was the recipient of several of those passes.

And freshman forward Marc Egerson (12 points) recorded the first double-digit outing of his career as the team's sixth man, pulling minutes fifth-year senior Darrel Owens, who was held out of the game as a precaution after rolling his ankle in practice earlier this week.

The only disappointment for the Hoyas was some ragged second-half play. Using a series of reserve-heavy rotations, Georgetown allowed the Hatters to shoot 59.1 percent in the second half, resulting in a final score that hardly did justice to the sound first-half thrashing.

'With conference play creeping closer, we've got to get some young guys ready to play,' said Thompson. 'So, I left some guys out there a little longer than I normally would in the second half to see if they could figure it out for themselves. It's a learning process, so I wasn't upset with the second half. But obviously, I wasn't as pleased with it as I was with our first-half play.'

+++++

Hoyas report

Last night at McDonough Gymnasium

SEEN AND HEARD

The Georgetown student section harangued Stetson coach Derek Waugh with chants of 'Wear a tie.' The head Hatter was sporting an extremely unflattering black long sleeve polo buttoned to the top.

BY THE NUMBERS

1981

The last time Georgetown lost a game at McDonough Gymnasium. The Hoyas have won 26 straight at their tiny on-campus facility since a 60-58 loss to Penn in January 1981.

PLAY OF THE GAME