Dec. 16, 2011

Selective Memories

"Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember." --Chumbawamba, "Amnesia"

11 years ago today, I attended my first Georgetown game on the corner of 7^th and F street, at what was then called the MCI Center. Those were the days: most GU dorms had a landline phone, most Chinatown restaurants served Chinese food, and most basketball plays were called with either or both of one's fists.

Between my first downtown game in December 2000 and my one hundred forty-third tomorrow afternoon, much has changed: phones became sentient beings, Chinatown became gentrified, and the Hoyas developed into an annual NCAA Tournament participant.

(Things Francis Fukuyama failed to account for in a post-Cold War globe: Matchbox and the transferability of the Princeton offense to the Big East. On the plus side, "The End of History" is probably the only similarity left between the Georgetown of my freshman year and that of 2011, although Tyler Adams has drawn comparisons to Mike Sweetney.)

I feel like I've developed a lot as a fan over 11 years and 143 trips to the Phone Booth…

…which is to say, if we're being honest, that I've taken a lot of strange approaches to following Georgetown basketball over the years.

I've tried any number of good luck charms: a lucky Vermont state quarter I found in the student section during a big victory, a series of neckties I wore over my shirt, even a lottery ticket I bought during the 2007 NCAA Tournament. I'm done with those: good luck charms, I once wrote, are good luck…until the one time that they aren't.

When luck ran out, I took the approach and waxed philosophical about the Hoyas' fortunes: the "Why Not Us" optimism of a pre-dawn campout in 2006, the defiant "small-town girl/lonely world" optimism of a 2009 roadtrip to Syracuse, and the…something optimism of 2010 Midnight Madness.

For 2011, I've taken the zen approach (if you substitute a bonsai tree for a Coke machine) and embraced the "found money" optimism of rooting for a bunch of fresh-faced and freshly-reinvigorated players.

(Eleven years later, the only thing that hasn't changed is that I'm still relentlessly optimistic.)

But maybe I was right to feel confident that my 12^th season would be more happy than accident. Nine games in, the Blue and Gray are an impressive 8-1, including an overtime victory in Maui over Memphis and a last-second triumph on the road in Tuscaloosa. The young Hoyas sport a surprising #16 ranking heading into tomorrow afternoon's clash against cross-town foe American University.

What's more: they're unbelievably fun to watch, and unlike any Georgetown team I've seen before: Games 138-142 for me might as well have been Game 1 back in December 2000…

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It was Georgetown vs. Howard, and if memory serves, when compared to last weekend's Hoyas-Bison matchup, the game was more exciting, but for less stressful reasons.

The Hoyas had broken into the Top 25 for the first time that week, on the strength of a perfect 8-0 start. They celebrated with an offensive explosion in a 123-90 victory-no Hoyas team has come within a dozen points of it since, and even that took four overtimes. Five Hoyas finished in double figures, including 20+ point performances from the twin powers Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Wesley Wilson.

Most impressive though was Howard guard Ron Williamson, who gave a shooting exhibition not duplicated since at MCI/Verizon, to the tune of 41 points on 11 for 17 three point shooting. A game that otherwise would have been long since forgotten after 142 more behind it, if not for that memorable individual effort.

Even in this season of serendipity, mixed in with those happy accidents, found money, and unexpected occurrences have been some memorable individual efforts and moments. A few of my favorites:

Hollis Thompson's game-winning shot

You could watch it over and over again (and trust me, I have). It's just the tops, isn't it? A great read on a well-designed play, finished off with flawless execution. That shot deserves all the headlines, but the reality is it's only one of a bevy of treys this year for Hollis, who has rapidly become one of the most deadly three point shooters in the land.

Henry Sims' reverse dunk

For goodness sake, that is frightening

Otto Porter and Jabril Trawick's final possession defense against Memphis

The Maui Invitational 5^th place game had been a high-paced affair, but the two Hoya freshmen iced it with a superb defensive stand. Down three and with nine seconds to work for a tying shot, Memphis managed only a contested three that grazed the front iron, as Porter and Trawick shut down the Tigers' designed motion on the perimeter, and sealed the biggest win (for a week, anyway) of the season.

Who's to say if these moments will last a lifetime, or even stay in our memory banks for another 142 games? That Hollis' shot won a game in the final seconds certainly works in his favor, although even that isn't a sure road to immortality (let me tell you about Courtland Freeman's buzzer beating dunk against St. John's in 2004, #hipsterhilltop indeed).

Truth be told, I looked up almost all of the pertinent information in the paragraph about the Howard game: the score, how many Hoyas scored in double figures, who "that guy from Howard who scored like 40 points" was, etc. I have only the foggiest of memories a decade-plus later of what went down that afternoon. Probably not surprising: we remember games in broad strokes, and some plays like Hollis' shot (or Jeff Green's, or Roy Hibbert's) are painted in brighter colors, but for the most part it's all abstract when it comes to stats or individual plays in games long ago.

So what do I actually remember about the Georgetown-Howard game eleven years ago today?

It actually starts the night before the game. I sustained a fairly severe sprained ankle playing ultimate Frisbee at Midnight on Copley Lawn. By morning my right ankle had ballooned to impressive proportions and had become a bit of drag on semi-critical basketball watching tasks such as "standing up on two feet" and "walking up and/or down stairs."

I called my parents to let them know I was heading to the hospital to get it checked out. As I debated which type of citrus fruit (we're from Florida, after all) best characterized the current size of my ankle, my mother interrupted: "You're not missing the game, are you?"

It seemed kind of silly to Mom that her son would miss a non-conference game against a MEAC opponent over a silly matter like needing medical attention. So I put on a thick sock and a sandal-none of my shoes fit-and gingerly hopscotched my way onto a bus and into the MCI Center. Standing was out of the question, so I watched from back of the student section, my leg iced and propped on a railing.

Stats are great for box scores and trivia, but over time our impressionistic memories are what linger, and those often have little to do at all with the game itself. We fill in the blanks of who scored what and who beat whom with the experience of attending a game and the entertainment value we derive from watching our favorite players with our closest friends and colleagues...on one good leg.

This works especially well when the game isn't as meaningful. I could practically narrate the 2006 Georgetown-Duke game shot for shot. The Georgetown-USF game that preceded it? Let me get back to you on that one.

Thus, the December 2000 Georgetown-Howard game isn't a 123-90 shootout or a 41 point afternoon from Ron Williamson; it's a sprained ankle and an ice pack. The 2006 Georgetown-St. John's game will forever be known as the "WG" game, an ill-fated arena invasion that led to an even more ill-fated campus invasion.

Even the important games are tough. Shoot, I can't tell you much about how the 2007 Georgetown-Pittsburgh game progressed-it only gave us sole possession of first-place in the Big East in late February-but I know my lucky necktie at the time was a street map of Washington DC.

A decade from now, will we remember the happy accidents of November and December 2011? It's unclear: you'd think Hollis Thompson's clutch shot would resonate for years. But then, if dagger threes on the road to beat SEC opponents are your cup of tea, may I introduce you to Kevin Braswell in Columbia, South Carolina?

Of course, the liftoff half of the 2011-12 season has been supremely entertaining off the court as well.

Lest we forget, this Georgetown team was the subject of two documentaries before Thanksgiving. The freshman class has proven both engaging and fascinating. Aaaaaaaaaaaand the Athletic Department is still encouraging Henry Sims to do All-Access videos.

What's keeping me entertained so far this season?

Pilgrim Pete

Never mind that Georgetown purportedly borrowed the idea for a t-shirt Gatling Gun from Marquette. As John Thompson III has adapted the Princeton offense to Big East talent, Sports Promotions molded a machine from Milwaukee into eight barrels of awesomeness.

It's enough that we own a massive pressurized PVC pipe machine that shoots t-shirts into the 200 level. But then, there's Pilgrim Pete. Or, if you prefer, Woody from Toy Story. And…well, geez I don't know what in the heck he's doing in this picture. What I do know is that at every game this season, the loudest cheers haven't been for Jason Clark or Henry Sims…they've been for a guy in a spandex costume doing the do-si-do in between shooting t-shirts out an air cannon.

Even better-Pilgrim Pete's season tickets are in the seat behind mine. I haven't had this much fun in years.

Nando's Angry Birds

I love inspired promos, but I ADORE promos that are just a little bit off somehow.

There's nothing wrong with the Nando's Peri Peri Angry Birds promotion per se: it's hip to what the kids these days are watching on the Interwebz, has a pleasantly DIY-vibe about it with the cheerleaders holding up Hula Hoops, and I do like Nando's chicken.

What puts this contest over the top is the occupational hazard: sling-shooting large stuffed birds in the general direction of a host of Verizon Center staff, game officials, and the visitor's bench. Already this season, contestants have nailed two cheerleaders, and come within a whisker of veteran Big East referee Bob Donato.

Tyler Adams

We all hope that the big fella gets better soon after his recent precautionary trip to the hospital and can play a role in the season going forward.

But even if Tyler doesn't play another minute this season, he's already my pick for Most Entertaining Player.

Nobody brings more energy to the Georgetown sideline than the gregarious dancing machine from Brandon, Mississippi. Moves Like Jagger? Maybe not. But better than Moves Like Sweetney for sure. Tyler's body of work in Maui was the stuff of a First Team All-Reaction squad, and the picture of he and Mikael Hopkins joyfully running off the bench after the Hoyas defeated Memphis is my favorite of the season thus far (because I'm still frightened of that Henry Sims dunk).

And if that wasn't enough, Tyler is the clubhouse leader for the best quote of the season:

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Yeah, Otto Porter may record a triple-double before he graduates, but I like Tyler's potential the most.

So about Saturday's game…

Is there a memorable moment in store at tomorrow's contest between the Hoyas and the American University Eagles? Perhaps a breakout game from the steady, reliable Markel Starks? Or a return to form by lunch pail forward Nate Lubick? More playing time for a Fresh Five lineup?

Anything's possible…although I'd almost hope against Saturday being the source of any lasting memories: generally non-conference games against mid-majors become memorable for all the wrong reasons.

But then, there's always the stuff outside of the game. Perhaps Verizon Center is due a visit from the AU Blue Crew (a personal favorite). Maybe somebody will sink a halftime shot to win a contest-the 2002 Georgetown-UConn game is otherwise known as "the one where the student won a car" (so helllllllooooo Lasik surgery).

Or Pilgrim Pete could dress up as Frosty the Snowman. Better yet, Jack Frost.

Memorable or not, I'll be there as always, for the 143^rd time, in front of the same railing on which I propped my sprained ankle 11 years ago (talk about serendipity).

If you're having trouble locating me, look for the guy in the Pilgrim costume.

Georgetown vs. American University

Saturday, noon

Verizon Center

TV: MASN

Radio: ESPN980

John Hawkes (SFS '04)

Proud Member of Generation Burton