Generally, there are two ways of looking at this overtime win over Coppin State in the opening game: (A) the new-look Hoyas team found a way to come back and pull out a gutsy win or (B) the 20-loss Georgetown squad foreshadowed another failed season under Patrick Ewing by struggling to handle a far inferior opponent.
The media is not quite leaning to the former at this point, as even Pardon The Interruption gave a bit of a sarcastic congrats. While many detractors have spent time criticizing the program for allowing a close game, Ewing took the initial moments of the post-game press conference to thank the students who came to the game and cheered on this new Georgetown Hoyas team.
Seeing this fan support—especially from the students—is tremendous. Perhaps the crowd really did give the Hoyas the needed burst down the stretch. Perhaps the students are supporting the new additions. Perhaps the fans are showing support in spite of feeling last season’s misery. Or perhaps this was a response to the recent fan engagement efforts and done to encourage more connections with the program. Any way you cut it, it’s a positive.
Expectations for the 10th-ranked conference team are typically not very high for a fanbase, but Hoya Nation is certainly thirsting for signs of life. A decisive first win from the Hoyas would have made a powerful statement. Instead, we’re left to look for nuance to decide whether Georgetown is set up for success this year, by any measure fathomable.
The defense looked different, but still suffered from perimeter woes and fouling mistakes. The offense scored a ton, but the ball certainly didn’t move freely. The players were faster, but hardly excelled in transition. It was both frustrating and refreshing at times to see new problems. The Hoyas worst run was only 0-7 as Coppin State tied it up after half. Is this progress? Maybe, but it’s probably too early and not competitive enough to tell.
Some posit that an identity can go a long way in building a consistent, successful team. Could this be the no-big-runs squad? Could this be the rejection team (they had 9)? Maybe they become a turnover generating team, a no-second-chances team, or a backcourt trapping team. It would be great if they became the assist-on-every-possession team, but that might be asking too much after seeing game 1.
Right now, based on the linked articles below, the Georgetown Hoyas are merely…
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