First it was Maryland AD Kevin Anderson clamoring for a piece of Hoyas action, and now, incoming George Washington AD Patrick Nero wants the Hoyas to face off against our friendly yet not as intelligent neighbor in Foggy Bottom.
According to the DC Sports Bog, GW would like Georgetown to get involved in the BB&T Classic Basketball Tournament so that DC could have its own version of the "Big 5"" in Philadelphia.
"Georgetown is a terrific university and a great basketball program," Nero said. "We would love for them to play us. We would love to play them. And hopefully we can convince them that they would get a lot out of playing GW. The BB&T certainly has a reputation as a great basketball tournament. We're committed to playing in it every year. I think it would be great for college basketball in this area if every local team committed to playing that tournament, but we can only control GW."
Frankly, I think he's right. The Maryland issue is one thing, but Georgetown-George Washington relations don't have a similar strained history and at minimum a local rivalry for DC supremacy would be beneficial to all fans of local college hoops. With relatively new Athletic Directors at all three schools and Gary Williams now enjoying boat drinks on a beach somewhere, hopefully Georgetown, Maryland, and GW can get together and make this a reality. Sprinkle in a drop of George Mason and a dollop of VCU, and all of a sudden you've got a local tournament that would rival any other.