2002–03 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

The 2002–03 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 2002–2003 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Hoyas were coached by Craig Esherick and played their home games at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas were members of the West Division of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 19-15, 6-10 in Big East play. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2003 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament before losing to Syracuse. After declining to participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) the previous season, they accepted an invitation to play in the 2003 NIT after failing to receive an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bid. Making Georgetown's fourth NIT appearance in six years, they became the second Georgetown men's basketball team in history to reach the NIT final and the first to do since the 1992-93 season, losing it to Big East rival St. John's.

2002–03 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball
ConferenceBig East
DivisionWest Division
2002–03 record19-15 (6-10 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Mike Riley (21st season)
  • Ronny Thompson (5th season)
  • Chip Simms (4th season)
Captains
  • Courtland Freeman (2nd year)
  • Victor Samnick (1st year)
  • Michael Sweetney (1st year)
Home arenaMCI Center
2002–03 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
East
Boston College106 .625  1912  .613
No. 23 Connecticut106 .625  2310  .697
Providence88 .500  1814  .563
Villanova88 .500  1516  .484
St. John's79 .438  2113  .618
Miami412 .250  1117  .393
Virginia Tech*412 .250  1118  .379
West
No. 13 Syracuse133 .813  305  .857
No. 4 Pittsburgh133 .813  285  .848
Seton Hall106 .625  1713  .567
No. 22 Notre Dame106 .625  2410  .706
Georgetown610 .375  1915  .559
West Virginia511 .313  1415  .483
Rutgers*412 .250  1216  .429
† 2003 Big East Tournament winner
As of March 31, 2003[1]; Rankings from AP Poll
*Did not qualify for 2003 Big East Tournament

Season recap

With forward Harvey Thomas having transferred to Daytona Beach Community College over the offseason after his freshman year, the Hoyas began the season with only senior center Wesley Wilson and junior power forward Mike Sweetney returning from the previous season's frontcourt. Wilson opted to leave the team at midseason although he remained in school and graduated on time in May 2003 and as a result Sweetney, a team co-captain, carried the scoring load for the team during the year, responsible for a third of its offense. Starting all 34 games, he scored in double figures in all of them and had double-figure rebound performances 16 times, and he led the team in scoring 25 times and in rebounding in 29 games. His best performances were 38 points and 15 rebounds against Notre Dame, 32 points and 13 rebounds at Syracuse, 28 points and eight rebounds against Pittsburgh, and 31 points and 19 rebounds in a game at the MCI Center against Syracuse. He led the team in scoring in 13 of its final 15 games and in every one of its last seven games. For the season, he shot 54.7 percent from the field and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line. His average of 25.1 points per game was the second-highest in school history, behind only Allen Iverson, and his 776 points were the third highest in a single season in Georgetown history.[2]

Junior forward Gerald Riley started all 34 games, as he would all 125 games of his collegiate career. Opposing defenses focused on stopping Sweetney, giving Riley more scoring opportunities than he had had during his first two seasons. He took advantage of those opportunities, scoring in double figures 26 times, shooting 42.2 percent overall from the field, 42.7 percent in two-pointers, and 41.5 percent from three-point range. In free throws, he shot 84.3 percent, including a perfect 43-for-43 from the line in 14 games combined, and he missed only a combined seven free throws in 16 Big East games.[3]

Freshman forward Brandon Bowman joined the team this season and started all 34 games, averaging 24 minutes, 7.6 points, and 4.5 rebounds per game. He shot 95-for-248 (38.3%) from the field, but only 10-for-55 (18.2%) from three-point range and only 3-for-19 (15.8%) in three-pointers during Big East games. His scoring improved as the season wore on, however, and he finished fourth in scoring on the team.[4]

Freshman guard Ashanti Cook, a high-school teammate of Bowman's, was another newcomer to the team. He was averaging 8.2 points per game and showing great promise when he suffered an ankle injury in the game against top-ranked Duke on January 8, 2003. The injury cost him a month of play, and when he returned to action it hobbled him for another month, and he scored a total of only 20 points over the final nine weeks of the regular season.[5] Also debuting with the varsity team was sophomore forward Darrel Owens, who had sat out his freshman year in 2001-02. He saw limited time during the season, although he played in 32 of the 34 games and started one of them. His 11-point, four-rebound game at Duke was his best effort.[6]

The team opened the season 7-0, but went 7-13 the rest of the way to finish the regular season with a 14-13 overall record, 6-10 in the Big East, and a fifth-place finish in the conference's West Division. In the 2003 Big East Tournament, the Hoyas defeated Villanova in the first round. In the quarterfinals, they lost to Syracuse despite an 18-point game by Bowman.[4]

The team's Big East Tournament result left it with a 15-14 overall record, and it missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six years. Instead, it received an invitation to the 2003 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), its fifth NIT invitation and fourth NIT appearance in the previous six years.[note 1] Cook finally began to return to form, scoring a season-high 16 points at Tennessee in the first round of the NIT,[5] and Bowman shot 10-for-18 (55.6%) from the field in two NIT games.[4] The Hoyas defeated Tennessee, then won at Providence and at North Carolina to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, their deepest run in a postseason tournament since they advanced to the East Region final in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. In the semifinals they defeated Minnesota the team that had beaten them in the final game of the 1993 NIT and advanced to the second NIT final in school history and first since 1993. As in 1993, they lost the final, succumbing to Big East rival St. John's, although the NCAA later vacated the 2003 NIT title when it was discovered that St. John's had used an ineligible player.

At the end of the season, Georgetown extended head coach Craig Esherick′s contract through 2009.[7] However, he was destined to last only one more season with the team.[7]

In June 2003, Mike Sweetney opted to forgo his senior year of college eligibility and enter the NBA Draft, the third player – after Allen Iverson in 1996 and Victor Page in 1997 – to break with the John Thompson, Jr.-Craig Esherick era′s tradition of basketball players staying a full four years and graduating.[2]

This was the last of three seasons in which Georgetown played as a member of the Big East's West Division. For the following season, the Big East scrapped its divisions and returned to a unified structure.

Roster

Source[2][3][4][5][6][8][9][10][11][12][13]

# Name Height Weight (lbs.) Position Class Hometown Previous Team(s)
1 Brandon Bowman 6'9" 223 F Fr. Santa Monica, CA, U.S. Westchester HS
2 Courtland Freeman 6'9" 228 F/C Sr. Myrtle Beach, SC, U.S. Socastee HS
3 Omari Faulkner 6'6" 205 F Jr. Memphis, TN, U.S. Hamilton HS
5 Drew Hall 6'2" 185 G So. Silver Spring, MD, U.S. Montrose Christian School
10 RaMell Ross 6'6" 205 G/F Jr. Fairfax, VA, U.S. Lake Braddock Secondary
11 Trenton Hillier 5'9" 165 G Sr. Chagrin Falls, OH, U.S. Kenston HS
13 Victor Samnick 6'8" 208 F Sr. Douala, Cameroon Newport Prep (Md)
20 Darrell Owens 6'7" 215 F/G So. Napoleonville, LA, U.S. Assumption HS
21 Ashanti Cook 6'2" 185 G Fr. Inglewood, CA, U.S. Westchester HS
22 Tony Bethel 6'1" 185 G So. Fort Washington, MD, U.S. Montrose Christian School
25 Ryan Beal 6'5" 210 G Fr. Coral Gables, FL, U.S. Ransom Everglades School
32 Gerald Riley 6'6" 217 G Jr. Milledgeville, GA, U.S. Baldwin HS
34 Mike Sweetney 6'8" 260 F/C Jr. Oxon Hill, MD, U.S. Oxon Hill HS
50 Wesley Wilson 6'11" 235 C Sr. Vallejo, CA, U.S. Maine Central Institute

Rankings

The team was not ranked in the Top 25 in either the AP Poll or the Coaches' Poll at any time, but was among other teams receiving votes in both polls during some weeks.[14][15] [16]

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16WK 17Wk 18Wk 19Final
AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV no poll
Coaches RV N/A RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV

2002–03 Schedule and results

Source[17][18][19][20][21]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Preseason
Fri., Nov. 1, 2002
7:30 p.m., none
Latvia Select W 132-58[22]  exhibition
McDonough Gymnasium (N/A)
Washington, DC
Sun., Nov. 10, 2002
N/A, none
at Princeton scrimmage[note 2] Jadwin Gymnasium (N/A)
Princeton, NJ
Regular season
Fri., Nov. 22, 2002*
7:30 p.m.
Grambling State W 99-46  1–0
MCI Center (8,204)
Washington, DC
Mon., Nov. 25, 2002*
7:30pm
James Madison W 80-60  2–0
MCI Center (7,180)
Washington, DC
Sat., Nov. 30, 2002*
1:00pm
Towson W 81-52  3–0
MCI Center (6,107)
Washington, DC
Mon., Dec. 2, 2002*
7:30pm
Coastal Carolina W 87-60  4–0
MCI Center (4,366)
Washington, DC
Thu., Dec. 5, 2002*
7:30pm
South Carolina W 67-59  5–0
MCI Center (5,469)
Washington, DC
Mon., Dec. 16, 2002*
7:30pm
Norfolk State W 84–48  6–0
MCI Center (5,447)
Washington, DC
Fri., Dec. 20, 2002*
7:30pm
Howard W 91–66  7–0
MCI Center (7,102[23])
Washington, DC
Sat., Dec. 28, 2002*
2:00pm, CBS
at Virginia L 75-79  7–1
University Hall (8,251)
Charlottesville, VA
Tue., Dec. 31, 2002*
1:00pm
VMI W 85–48  8–1
MCI Center (6,631)
Washington, DC
Wed., Jan. 8, 2003*
7:00pm, ESPN
at No. 1 Duke L 86-93  8–2
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun., Jan. 12, 2003
2:00pm
West Virginia W 84-82 OT 9–2 (1–0)
MCI Center (8,945)
Washington, DC
Mon., Jan. 14, 2003
7:30pm
at Seton Hall L 54–68  9–3 (1–1)
Continental Airlines Arena (7,114)
East Rutherford, NJ
Sat., Jan. 18, 2003
12:00 noon
St. John's L 72–77  9–4 (1–2)
MCI Center (11,777)
Washington, DC
Mon., Jan. 20, 2003
8:00pm
Rutgers W 76–66  10–4 (2–2)
MCI Center (7,644)
Washington, DC
Sat., Jan. 25, 2003
12:00 noon
at No. 2 Pittsburgh L 64–65  10–5 (2–3)
Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed., Jan. 29, 2003
7:30pm
Seton Hall L 82–93 OT 10–6 (2–4)
MCI Center (7,242)
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 1, 2003
12:00 noon
at No. 11 Notre Dame L 92–93 2OT 10–7 (2–5)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (11,418)
Notre Dame, IN
Mon., Feb. 3, 2003
7:00pm, ESPN
at No. 24 Syracuse L 80–88  10-8 (2–6)
Carrier Dome (20,702)
Syracuse, NY
Sat., Feb. 8, 2003*
1:00pm, CBS
UCLA L 70–71  10–9
MCI Center (14,227)
Washington, DC
Tue., Feb. 11, 2003
7:00pm
at Rutgers L 59–66  10–10 (2–7)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,831)
Piscataway, NJ
Sat., Feb. 15, 2003
4:00pm
at Virginia Tech W 85–73  11–10 (3–7)
Cassell Coliseum (4,857)
Blacksburg, VA
Tue., Feb. 18, 2003
7:00pm, ESPN
No. 9 Pittsburgh L 67–82  11–11 (3–8)
MCI Center (7,242)
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 22, 2003
12:00 noon, ESPN
at Miami W 74–72  12–11 (4–8)
Convocation Center (3,314)
Coral Gables, FL
Tue., Feb. 25, 2003
7:30pm
Providence W 71–56  13–11 (5–8)
MCI Center (6,716)
Washington, DC
Sat., Mar. 1, 2003
1:00pm, ABC
No. 15 Syracuse L 84–93  13–12 (5–9)
MCI Center (17,352)
Washington, DC
Mon., Mar. 3, 2003
7:00pm
at West Virginia W 69–67  14–12 (6–9)
WVU Coliseum (7,568)
Morgantown, WV
Sat., Mar. 9, 2003
7:00pm, CBS
No. 16 Notre Dame W 86–80  14–13 (6–10)
MCI Center (17,875)
Washington, DC
Big East Tournament
Wed., Mar. 12, 2003
7:00pm, ESPN/ESPN2
vs. Villanova
First Round
W 46–41  15–13
Madison Square Garden (19,528)
New York, NY
Wed., Mar. 13, 2003
7:00pm, ESPN/ESPN2
vs. No. 11 Syracuse
Quarterfinal
L 57–68  15–14
Madison Square Garden (19,173)
New York, NY
National Invitation Tournament
Tue., Mar. 18, 2003
7:00pm
at Tennessee
First Round
W 70–60  16–14
Thompson-Boling Arena (3,011)
Knoxville, TN
Mon., Mar. 24, 2003
7:30pm
at Providence
Second round
W 67–58  17–14
Dunkin Donuts Center (7,340)
Providence, RI
Wed., Mar. 26, 2003
7:00pm
at North Carolina
Quarterfinal
W 79–74  18–14
Dean Smith Center (15,043)
Chapel Hill, NC
Tue., Apr. 1, 2003
7:00pm
vs. Minnesota
Semifinal
W 88–74  19–14
Madison Square Garden (10,880[24])
New York, NY
Thu., Apr. 3, 2003
8:00pm
vs. St. John's
Final
L 67–70  19–15
Madison Square Garden (12,406)
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Notes

  1. Georgetown declined its invitation to the 2002 National Invitation Tournament, choosing to forgo postseason play and keep its players in class after the 2001-02 season.
  2. Beginning in 2000, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began to permit member colleges and universities to hold scrimmages with one another in lieu of scheduling exhibition games against non-collegiate opponents. A scrimmage included referees and a clock, but NCAA rules prohibited the keeping of a score. The NCAA also prohibited advertising scrimmages or selling tickets to them. See guhoyas.com "Hoyas, Princeton Happy to Help Each Other Out," November 11, 2002.

References

  1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-east/2003.html
  2. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 10. Mike Sweetney
  3. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 39. Gerald Riley
  4. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 27. Brandon Bowman
  5. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 51. Ashanti Cook
  6. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 71. Darrel Owens
  7. "Esherick Is Out at Georgetown". Los Angeles Times. 17 March 2004.
  8. sports-reference.com 2002-03 Georgetown Hoyas Roster and Stats
  9. "hoyasaxanation.com 2002-2003 Georgetown Basketball Roster". Archived from the original on 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  10. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers
  11. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: H
  12. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: S
  13. "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: W". Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  14. 2002-03 Big East Conference Season Summary
  15. 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - USA Today Coaches Poll
  16. espn.go.com 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings
  17. GU Athletics Calendar
  18. "The Georgetown Basketball History Projects: 2000s Schedules". Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
  19. 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 66.
  20. guhoyas.com "Men's Basketball Announces 2002-2003 Schedule"
  21. guhoyas.com "Hoyas, Princeton Happy to Help Each Other Out," November 11, 2002.
  22. guhoyas.com "Hoyas Rout Latvia Select Team in Exhibition," November 1, 2002
  23. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. Opponents — H: Howard
  24. The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. Opponents — M: Minnesota
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