19 Georgetown

As a graduate of Georgetown Law School and a member of the Washington, D.C., bar, Hoyas coach Craig Esherick understands the importance of a good closing argument. So a few hours after Georgetown's season ended with a listless loss to Princeton in the first round of the NIT tournament last March, Esherick assembled his players and delivered an hourlong summation of their 15-16 season. He was one angry man.

"He went straight down the line and gave every one of us a reality check," recalls 6'11" senior Jameel Watkins, the team's leading rebounder (72 per game). Esherick voiced particular displeasure at the players' lack of cohesion in tense moments; the Hoyas had dropped six Big East games by three points or less. In case the message failed to get through, he didn't give out a Most Valuable Player award at the postseason banquet a few weeks later.

With the dawning of a new season, however, a credible case can be made for Georgetown as the Big East's sleeper. Last season's rookie backcourt of Anthony Perry and Kevin Braswell—the leading scorers with 14.0 and 13.5 points per game, respectively—is a year older and, presumably, a year wiser. The Hoyas return a budding star in the middle in 6'11" junior Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, a Cameroon native who averaged 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. And former coach John Thompson, who unexpectedly resigned on Jan. 8, bequeathed to Esherick, his assistant for 19 years, a very strong recruiting class.

Georgetown's most heralded newcomer, 6'11" junior college transfer Lee Scruggs, must complete his course work at Daytona Beach Community College but could join the team as early as Dec. 26. But the Hoyas' success will hinge mostly on Boumtje Boumtje, whose confidence—not to mention his stats—swelled noticeably in the second half of last season, a trend he attributes partly to Esherick's kinder, gentler mode of communication. " Coach Thompson would curse first, then talk. Coach Esherick talks more," Boumtje Boumtje says. As long as Esherick gets his points across, Georgetown should enjoy a few more favorable verdicts this season.

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