Georgetown Basketball Is Back! Hoya Madness Open Thread

Georgetown's 2014-15 college basketball season kicks off tonight with Midnight Madness Basketball Tip-Off Party Hoya Madness at McDonough Gymnasium. After an offseason full of riveting games at Kenner, rampant Josh Smith speculation, recruiting news and, of course, Qasual Questions, it's time to bring the focus back to what Georgetown does best.

From GU Hoyas:

Trey Songz Appearance to Highlight Hoya Madness on October 17

WASHINGTON - Highlighted by an appearance from Grammy-nominated R&B artist Trey Songz, Georgetown University will officially start the college basketball season on campus with Hoya Madness, being held at McDonough Arena on Friday, Oct. 17.

The evening will serve as the introduction to the Georgetown men's and women's basketball teams to the student body and fans. In addition, it will include performances from several student groups, capped off by hip-hop recording artist Trey Songz.

Doors for McDonough Arena will open at 7 p.m. Upon entering this Georgetown University student -only event, guests will receive an exclusive Jordan Brand Georgetown "Glow-in-the-Dark' Basketball T-shirt, light-up thundersticks and bracelets.

There will be dance routines by the GU Dance Company, GU Jawani, and Groove Theory beginning at 8 p.m.

During the event, the professional jerseys of former men's basketball standouts Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson will be unveiled on the Georgetown NBA jersey wall.

In addition, the men's and women's basketball players will be pairing up in a shooting contest during the event and the Georgetown Pep Band and cheerleaders will perform. The women's basketball team will be introduced at approximately 8:40 p.m.

The Hoyas men's basketball team and Head Coach John Thompson III will be introduced around 9 p.m., followed by a dunk showcase and a series of drills.

As always, the night will include surprise appearances and excitement for the upcoming season.

Midnight Madness Basketball Tip-Off Party Hoya Madness has become a tradition at Georgetown, and the University smartly uses the event as a springboard to seduce recruits. Indeed, it is alleged that after seeing Patrick Ewing, Jr. teach Jerry Rice the Soulja Boy dance, Greg Monroe told Duke to shove it and started seeking out the more casual apartments in Copley.

Below is the list of recruits that will be attending tonight's festivities:

Class of 2015 Recruits:

Perry (P.J.) Dozier, 6'5" G, Spring Valley High School (SC)

Dozier is the big fish out of the recruits that will be attending Friday's festivities. As we all know, the Hoyas have a shortage of guard depth. However, Dozier, a long, athletic combo guard, would provide much more than depth for Georgetown. He has the potential to be one of the best guards of the JT3 era.

Tacko Fall, 7'6" C, Liberty Christian Academy (FL)

Make no mistake about it; Tacko is a huge project. He needs to gain weight in order to compete at the high-major level. His low-post moves are far from developed. He needs to improve his understanding of the fundamentals of basketball. However, Tacko has one massively important trait: height. At 7'6" and with decent athletic ability, he has the potential to develop into a great Hoya big man, and that would have to start with a commitment.

Kaleb Johnson, 6'6" SF, Carlisle School (VA)

Johnson is a largely unknown and unranked recruit. He has versatility and a solid skill set on the defensive end, with active hands and quick feet, but it remains to be seen whether he can play at the Big East level.

Marcus Derrickson, 6'8" PF, Paul VI High School (VA) and

Jessie Govan, 6'10" C, Wings Academy (NY)

Both of the Hoyas' 2015 commits will attend Midnight Madness, and will participate in next year's version.

Class of 2016 Recruits:

Randall Broddie, 6'2" PG, Potomac High School (MD) - maybe

Broddie is a left-handed point guard with good ball-handling ability and a developing jumpshot. He is generally regarded as a fringe top-100 recruit, and as a local DMV kid he would be a good pull for the Hoyas' guard depth down the road.

Anthony Cowan, 6'0" PG, St. John's College High School (DC) - maybe

Cowan is another local 2016 lead guard who is also regarded as a fringe top-100 recruit. However, Georgetown has a few advantages in his recruitment. Cowan grew up as a Georgetown fan, and was actually the team's ball boy as a kid. In addition, he has a relationship with current Hoya Tre Campbell, his former teammate at St. John's College. We can only hope that these connections will help in Cowan's recruitment.

Sacha Killeya-Jones, 6'10" PF, Virginia Episcopal School (VA)

Killeya-Jones is a lengthy forward with good skills for his size and age. He is very mobile and showcases solid athleticism for his position. He definitely needs to put on weight to play at the Big East level, as he is currently listed as 190 pounds, but he has a lot of potential to be a solid contributor down the road.

Markelle Fultz, 6'3" SG, DeMatha Catholic High School (MD)

Fultz played JV basketball as a sophomore at DeMatha Catholic, but has been a fast riser with a strong summer performance. He received a Georgetown offer on his recent unofficial visit, along with one of his teammates...

Class of 2017 Recruits:

DJ Harvey, 6'5" SG, DeMatha Catholic High School (MD)

Harvey, Fultz's teammate at DeMatha, is one of the highest-rated prospects in the class of 2017. ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports all rank Harvey in the top-25 2017 prospects nationally. Even though he is three years away from setting foot on a college campus as a student, we can hope that Midnight Madness gives us a head start in his recruitment.

Blake Harris, 6'3" PG, Carlisle School (VA)

Harris is a highly-regarded point guard prospect, a teammate of Kaleb Johnson's at Carlisle. 247Sports rates Harris as the #16 prospect in the Class of 2017, and bills him as a creative passer and a capable scorer at all three levels of the floor. Harris obviously has a long way to go, but he could eventually play a big role on future Hoyas teams.

But the best part of the Madness is that it truly marks one of the only times where the team is allowed to celebrate with the students before the season starts. Members of the team are encouraged to show off their best dance moves (mostly to disastrous and hilarious results), and even JT3 gets in on it.

So for students who still are lucky enough to live on campus and experience the awesome optimism that comes with the dawning of each college hoops season, get your ass to McDonough. This is your chance to let the players know in October how loud you'll be for them when the games start to really matter in late December through March and hopefully April. This is your chance to show the team that Georgetown matters.

Georgetown basketball is back.