Let’s face it, basketball is the engine that drives school spirit on this campus.
Not to knock the recent success of the men’s soccer team and other programs, but Hoya Basketball has an unrivaled aura of importance surrounding it. For a while though, the future of Georgetown Basketball looked pretty bleak.
The Hoyas failed to make the NCAA Tournament from 2015-2020, and a decent portion of fans understandably lost interest and faith in the direction of the program. Student interest plummeted to an embarrassing low, and the scene at Cap One would’ve made you think that you were watching a high school team, not a former National Championship program less than 10 years removed from a Final Four appearance.
For a majority of last year, Georgetown’s descent towards irrelavance seemed destined to continue. A mass exodus of transfers and COVID protocols put the team in a disadvantageous position going into the season, and Georgetown finished near the bottom of the conference yet again. We all know what happened next.
The Hoyas’ improbable decimation of Big East competition at Madison Square Garden injected a much needed boost of energy into the program both internally and externally, and Georgetown was subject to an immediate burst of media attention in anticipation of their return to the Big Dance. The surprise run even inspired a contingent of fans, myself and my homies included, to make the nine-hour trek up to Indiana for the game in full force (chirps in the comments are warranted, I know). Regardless of the result, which was admittedly a tough one to swallow, the hype surrounding Georgetown basketball coming into this season could not be higher.
The buzz on campus is already ubiquitous. Despite the general malaise at early season non-conference tuneups most years, students still remember the special atmosphere at big games.
Juliana Yablans ‘22 described the environment at the last game she was at before the pandemic, a 2019 home victory versus Syracuse, as “electric,” and said that she was expecting a vast majority of the student body to show out in support of the Hoyas this upcoming season.
Thomas Baer ‘22 echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing the sense of “unity” cultivated by the Georgetown basketball experience. He made sure to emphasize the importance of post-game socialization. “When the game is over, everyone goes to Rocket Bar and has a great time together. It brings together many groups of people, and Rocket Bar is perfect for cheap drinks and good conversation.”
After a year and a half of Zoom lectures and silent breakout rooms, students are itching for the chance to resume the true Georgetown experience. A good portion of the students have been reliant on only second hand tales of overpriced tallboys and mid-game shenanigans, and are especially deserving of the chance to make some memories with their friends in the stands and be a part of something that is Georgetown.
With the season only a few days away, the Georgetown student body, half of which has never had the opportunity to see a Hoyas game live, will be rolling en masse to Capital One Arena. We’re potentially entering a new era of Georgetown Basketball, and a dominant showing Saturday afternoon would go a long way in drawing strong showings for the duration of the non-conference slate.
