Well, that sucked. While we attempt to pick ourselves off the ground after that national embarrassment at the hands of South Florida, we're handing out hardware to those most (least) deserving.
Jack DeGioia Casual In-Game Experience Award:
The Presidential Box. "Hey, let me just drop my coat off here in the coat closet and grab a quick snack. Oh yes, one Newcastle please, thank you. Is the buffet over there? No, I do not donate $10,000/year, but I know someone who does. Boy these seats are comfortable. I prefer a little diced onion on my hot dog. Sure, I'll have another Newcastle. Have you tried the brownies? They are great. Hand me another bowl of popcorn. A Newcastle? Don't mind if I do. I like these chicken nuggets better with a little bit of the hot sauce. No thanks, I'll have a Bud Light. I could probably take a nap on this couch. By the way, what is the sc-- OH SWEET JESUS GOD HAVE MERCY WE ARE F-CKING LOSING TO SOUTH FLORIDA?!?!?!?!?!?!"
Craig Esherick Award:
John Thompson III. So many reasons he wins this award - for not having his team ready to play, for not demanding the ball go to Monroe in the post every possession in the second half, but most of all, for playing anything other than man-to-man defense. This team has absolutely no clue how to play zone, it always ends up in an open three for the opposition. Also, would it kill you to pick a method of defending a ball screen and sticking with it. Either the players should always switch or they should always fight through picks, but at this point it has gotten embarrassing that we can't defend a ball screen any better than a 6th grade CYO team.
The Katy Perry Award for Most Entertaining Game-Thread Post:
Katy Perry may be making a huge mistake by marrying the absurdly awful Russell Brand, but she gets high marks for her appearance as a judge on American Idol last week, bringing a refreshing candor to the panel and trashing the in-over-her-head Kara Dioguardi. Hoya Vey takes the prize for his post during the USF game for the below, for having the balls to speak his mind about the horrible effort by the Georgetown student body:
Dear
Students of Georgetown: you should be ashamed at the student attendance. Support your team regardless of who we play. Its 2 hours of your life. I don’t care what the weather is on Saturday. Get your ass to the Verizon Center.
by Hoya Vey on Feb 3, 2010 9:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs
More 'Awards' after The Jump:
The Diddley-Poo Award:
Former Saints and Colts coach Jim Mora. Mora's tirade below took place in a different decade and an entirely different sport, yet it perfectly sums up last night's performance by the Hoyas in the 2nd half. Check it out:
The Rant So True It's Worth Repeating Award:
Intrepid blogger Jeff Green's Dad, who while not getting hammered and tossed from The Irish Channel, came out firing with this rant on the pathetic student turnout after yesterday's game:
Now for the students. I made this abundantly clear in the game thread, but as fans of the #7 team in the country, you should be ashamed of yourselves. If we are going to be an elite team, we need an elite fanbase. For you to not show up to one of our last five home games is laughable. You are not a fan if you only show up for games against ranked teams, you are a front running douche bag. And the you I am referring to is every single student that has season tickets and couldn't take two hours out of a Wednesday night to support your college basketball team. It's not finals time, it's not midterm time, it's a random Wednesday night. I've been to college, it's not that hard. The reason these games turn into trap games is because not only the players are resting on their laurels, but the fans are as well. 3 of the 4 classes on Georgetown's campus lived through last year, know how much it sucked, and still couldn't show up for one of the last 5 games they could see in person. You pay approximately $10 dollars a game to see one of the top 10 (not tonight) teams in the country from 15 rows away. Alumni like myself pay $50 for one game to have the last seat in the house. And if you want to say you aren't that big of a fan and that basketball isn't that big of a deal, go to an Ivy League school or one of the NESCAC schools.
Ryan Atwood Award for Being Out of Place in High Class Society:
The Georgetown Hoyas - both the team and the fans. Elite teams have nights off, look at Syracuse vs. Depaul on Saturday and Kansas vs. Colorado last night. The difference is that elite teams find a way to win. An elite team finds an extra gear to win last night, and the Hoyas didn't do it. Elite fans show up to support their teams at EVERY home game, not just the ones against ranked teams. The Carrier Dome was packed for Providence on Tuesday night. The Dean Dome, even with that crappy team, is still selling out. So is Cameron Indoor. So is Michigan State. Don't act like you are a diehard fan of a great program, then fail to show up for one of the last 5 home games of the year.
Jersey Shore Award for Outstanding Use of Ink:
USF. The media guide should list what the USF players weigh without 20 pounds of ink in their skin. Obviously that didn't stop Mike Mercer from elevating for a reverse dunk at the buzzer.
Make Mine a Miller Lite Award for Strange Choice of Beverage:
The Presidential Box. All of the concession stands serve Miller Lite. The arena is ringed with Miller advertisements. But in the Presidential Box they serve Bud Light and Newcastle? Weird.
Rich Chvotkin Award for Biased Announcing:
The MASN announcers. They were openly rooting for South Florida to win. Rich is the voice of the Georgetown Hoyas, these guys are supposed to be unbiased observers of Big East basketball. They also didn't know jack about the game of basketball, which is surprising considering that is their profession and all. Twice in the second half they said "Georgetown really giving South Florida different looks on defense" when South Florida scored on back to back uncontested layups.
Guacamole Award for Most Overrated Claim During the Season:
This award usually goes to a casual condiment, but today it goes to nemesis referee John Cahill. Sure, everyone at Gtown hates him but let's be honest, Cahill and his henchmen had little to no impact on this game. Gtown shot 60% in the first half and then settled into the 30s for the second half and "leaders" like Monroe, Wright, and Freeman were non-existent for good chunks of the game. Clark did an outstanding job on Jones during the first half but Gtown hit their normal skid and allowed USF back into the game.
A Man Could Really Get Some Thinking Done Award For Bathroom Upside:
The Presidential Box. Forget the snacks and the chairs and the free beer and the snacks and the couch. Wait for a (brief) break in the action and head to the private bathroom. So relaxing. A little bit of Wizards/Bullets paraphernalia on the wall; it's like being over at Abe Pollin's house (RIP). Know this: the rich are very different from you and me in many ways, but it is most striking in the casual dignity they can hold onto when they use the john.
Austin Freeman Twitter Award:
Chris Wright. He posted "I be high and i be low, i be low and i be high..Its like bringin a battle knife to a gunfight..But i be cool its the story of my life! HOYAS". Are you happy that when you play well we play well and when you play poorly we play poorly? Also, are you sandwiching a Jay-Z lyric between two nonsensical rhymes you came up with yourself? Why would you want to bring a knife to a gunfight? Explain yourself young man.
Deja Vu Award:
We got outscored 46-29 in the second half yesterday. Our largest lead against Stephen Curry and Davidson was 46-29. Coincidence? I think not. A hot scorer (Dominique Jones / Stephen Curry) was held in check for the first half, exploded in the second half while our prized big man toiled away in foul trouble (Roy Hibbert / Greg Monroe). Did one loss just turn Casual Hoya into Casual Hoyatalk? I think so.
The Ivan Drago Award:
Dominique Jones. You want to openly taunt the Georgetown fans after a win in early February? We'll see what happens if we see you again in March. Having said that, the GLOBAL PHENOMENON wholeheartedly endorses taunting by the opposition when the player actually walks the walk. Jones is pretty good.
The Ralphie Award:
South Florida. Given in honor of our favorite little kid from A Christmas Story who, after shooting his eye out, fell asleep while dreaming of a world in which good triumphs over evil and innocence and hope ring eternal, this award is given to USF for giving us a big fat reality check. Big East champs? 2-seed in the Dance? YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT! ONE GAME AT A TIME.
Entitlement Spending As a Part of the Federal Budget Award for a Problem that is Not Going Away:
Turnovers. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. They are relentless and they are destroying us. We shot our way out of the problem against Duke, but they killed us against South Florida. And for the life of the team, we can't see any improvement on this front. I don't know how to solve this problem, I am just a Caveman Lawyer, but isn't there some funny 90210 scene we could re-enact here with the team having to carry a basketball around at all times? If they drop it they have to do windsprints or push-ups? Hijinks would ensure when playful classmates try to pop the ball out of Chris Wright's hands, but then Brenda would think she is pregnant and the episode would end on a down note with Dylan saying he is going to leave LA and live with his reclusive father. Sigh. Nevermind. It probably makes more sense as a "Saved by the Bell" episode, anyways.
Washington, DC, Is the Seventh Circle of Hell Award for Worst Award Title Ever:
See above.
Groundhog Day Award:
Georgetown's losses. It's very redundant at this point. When Chris Wright shoots poorly and Greg Monroe gets in foul trouble / falls asleep, we will lose. Depth and turnovers are a problem, but they are a problem in every game. We rely on three players for our offense, if Wright can't play consistently and Monroe can't stay out of foul trouble or stay awake for 40 minutes, we will lose to anyone we play. It's that simple.
The Presidential Box Award for Most Awards in a Single Post-Game Awards Thread:
The Presidential Box.
Message in a Bottle Award:
To Current Georgetown Students.
We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS. We're sending out an SOS.
The Georgetown Hoyas are (still) a nationally ranked powerhouse.
Scottie Reynolds is NeXt.