Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Indianapolis, IN–
This will mark the first year in over 20 years that we have not been there in person to follow the Hoyas on their journey to the NCAA Tournament. This season and the past year have been trying for all of us and the Patrick Ewing led Hoyas are no different. Count them out… Well count them In. No more doubts about where they need to be, they are there.
Forget those who wrote off Georgetown, they will be the No. 12 seed in the East Region and face No. 5 Colorado in the first round Saturday as the team plays in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015. Times and venue have yet to be announced, but one thing is for sure, they are in Indy with 64 for other teams and will definitely not go out without another battle like the had the past week in New York.
Some have asked what is different then the first few weeks of the season? Confidence! Gone from the players minds is that they are hold overs from a program that no one wanted to be a part of. A coach that didn’t know how to make it happen when it really mattered. If you can’t see this Georgetown team is different then the one we saw in February, then some will just never see it.
“I’m here where a lot of people didn’t think that I had the ability to do,” Hoyas Head Coach Patrick Ewing said. “And I’m proving everyone wrong. I worked at this craft 15 years in the NBA, [then was] given the opportunity here at Georgetown. And we’ve been through some trials and tribulations — kids leaving, guys stepping up and playing to exhaustion last year. This year started off slow with all the new faces. But everyone has done their part to get us to this point.”
One of the big defining moments this week we saw from this team, was the attitude towards winning that Ewing has had. From his post game comments of saying “This is My House” to the Ric Flair “Wooooo” in the post game interview. The energy is just different.
I have watched this team since I was a small kid in the 80’s and had my dad, a University employee, drop the Blue and Grey in my blood. From all the of alum like myself to the others who are just fans of this program, the ups and downs have been enough to put someone on a pacemaker and age them 20 years in life, but those days are behind us and what we have is a team that is chasing dreams and players that are focused on one goal… winning!
