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18 Georgetown
Team Page | 2001-2002 Schedule | Roster

An upgraded early schedule could pay off late in the season

By Seth Davis

Braswell and the Hoyas are coming off a stellar year, but they haven't forgotten the sting of a loss to Maryland in the NCAA West Regional.  John W. McDonough

Senior point guard Kevin Braswell worked out frequently over the summer with his best friend, Juan Dixon, the Maryland guard he grew up with in Baltimore. In the heat of numerous one-on-one battles, Dixon didn't dare tease Braswell about the Terps' 76-66 win over the Hoyas in the NCAA West Regional semifinals last March. "We're so competitive that if he ever brought up that game, we'd never leave the gym," says Braswell.

	THE TOP 20
1	Duke
2	Illinois
3	Kentucky
4	Kansas
5	Maryland
6	UCLA
7	Florida
8	St. Joseph's
9	Missouri
10	Iowa
11	Memphis
12	Stanford
13	Virginia
14	USC
15	Kent State
16	Oklahoma St.
17	Temple
18	Georgetown
19	Arizona
20	Western Ky.
REST OF THE BEST

Once Georgetown practice started last month, however, Braswell and his teammates heard more about that game than they cared to -- from their coach, Craig Esherick. That's because the Hoyas, who led the Big East in rebounding last season (44.9 per game), were outmuscled by the Terps 51-41 on the boards. "I'm sure they're sick of hearing about it," Esherick says, "but it's going to be awhile before I stop reminding them." It's not that Esherick wants his players to think that last season wasn't a success. Georgetown's 25-8 record and second-place finish in the West Division of the Big East was its best performance in five years. He just wants the Hoyas to push themselves to do better.

The player with the most potential is Mike Sweetney, a 6'8", 260-pound sophomore who started every game as a freshman last season and led the team in scoring (12.8 points a game) and rebounding (7.4). Sweetney is a tough power forward who plays with quiet confidence.

Shooting 43.4% from the field in conference games last season, Georgetown was hurt further by the loss of 6'2" sophomore guard Demetrius Hunter, the Hoyas' best three-point shooter (38.9%), who transferred to UNLV this summer to be closer to his daughter. Esherick again plans to generate points primarily as a result of defensive pressure applied by versatile wingmen Gerald Riley, a 6'6" sophomore, and Victor Samnick, a 6'8" junior. Providing a boost off the bench are 6'9" junior Courtland Freeman and 6'8" freshman Harvey Thomas, who has shown impressive shooting range.

Even before the loss to Maryland, Esherick was unhappy that his team had received a No. 10 seed in last year's NCAAs. After the tournament he met with two selection committee members who were, says Esherick, "very blunt about how weak they thought our schedule was." The coach beefed up the 2001-02 slate by adding Georgia, South Carolina, UCLA and Virginia. Braswell couldn't be happier. "It's easier to prepare when you know you have to do battle right away," he says. If the improved schedule toughens the Hoyas, this season should have a happier ending.

Issue date: November 19, 2001

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