In what has become a knee-jerk reaction for Terps fans, any negative attention given to the Maryland basketball program will immediately result in whines and cries exclaiming, "What about Georgetown?"
After absolutely ripping into Gary Williams this year in a three part series on the fall of Maryland basketball and an investigation into the recruitment of Lance Stephenson, Washington Post writers Eric Prisbell and Steve Yanda answered an angry question from a Terps fans last week, nearly two months after the original articles were written. Below is the excerpt from the Q&A session:
Manassas, Va.: Do you guys only cover Maryland basketball or all college basketball in the area?
I think its funny that various stories on MD basketball came out but nothing documenting the fall of Georgetown from a top 10 title contender to an embarrassing finish.
If you're going to take the time to write up a 4-part series knocking Maryland why not take the time to write up a story on the Georgetown's puzzling season?
Eric Prisbell: Steve is the Maryland beat writer. I am the national writer with an emphasis on regional cover. I also help out on larger pieces with area schools, particularly Maryland.
Regarding Georgetown, I don't feel one bad year is worthy of a four-part series. In all honesty, it would be tough to dedicate 11,000 words to one season at Georgetown. I would be all for examining the recruiting at several big name schools across the country, including Georgetown.
Regarding Maryland, it was interesting to see how well the series was received among college basketball folks across the country. I thank everyone for their kind words about the reporting of that project. It certainly motivated the team.
Steve Yanda: I only cover Maryland basketball, but even if I did cover Georgetown, I will echo Eric's sentiments in saying one bad season would not warrant a three-part series. The series we wrote on Maryland examined trends over an extended period of time. Georgetown's dramatic fall from top 10 title contender to NIT participant was documented well by Liz Clarke, the Post's superb Hoyas beat writer. Should the Hoyas continue to struggle over the next few seasons, then you can expect an in-depth look into why and how that transpired.
The criticism of Gary Williams probably went too far, and Gary and the Terps were the last ones laughing as they were the only local team to advance to the NCAA Tournament, but this is still very entertaining for Hoyas fans. As for the questions about why the Post never writes scathing critiques on the Georgetown program, the answer is simple. The majority of Post readers are Maryland fans so the writers cater to their readers, which is positive when the Terps are doing well, and negative when the Terps are faltering. As for Georgetown, I look forward to finding out more about the team in the Daily News and New York Post than either The Washington Times and The Washington Post. For more entertaining and less reserved anti-Georgetown remarks by Terps fans, read the comments sections of the articles.
Guess the only highlight of this season was crushing the Terps. By 27 points. On a neutral court. On national television. Here's to waiting another fifteen years before having the chance to do it again during the regular season.
Good talk.