Casual Awards

The Casual Awards: Snow Day Soiree

By NYHoya and SwordOfBrunner Feb 19, 2015, 9:06am EST

While you were celebrating Chevy Chase’s midsection and wondering why Eddie Murphy refuses to tell jokes anymore, we were enjoying a pink frosted doughnut (with sprinkles!) while drafting a Fat Tuesday Snow Day edition of the Casual Awards. In advance of a Saturday night showdown against the Blue Demons, we once again celebrate and vilify all of those most deserving. Away we go….

[SwordofBrunner note: Eddie Murphy, apparently, was asked to impersonate Bill Cosby on Celebrity Jeopardy. http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/norm-macdonald-eddie-murphy-was-to-be-cosby-in-celebri-1686686768. I can't believe the world was deprived of this.]

Chris Wright Heart of a Champion Award:

JTIII.

When six players on the same team score 11 or 12 points apiece in the same game, it’s hard to pick just one hero. I mean, we could easily have given the nod to DSR or General Ike, but that would do a disservice to Jabril and our frontcourt studs, Mikael and Josh. Let’s just keep it cool and give the hardware to Coach.

Prior to our week off, JTIII said he intended to "overhaul" a couple of things. Having already replaced Hop with Cope in the starting lineup, we were all curious about what he meant. Would we start running a 1-3-1? Would we start flopping and drawing more charges? Would our pets’ heads start falling off?

To be honest, we really only noticed a few (subtle) changes on Tuesday night: we used a little more full-court pressure; we attacked the glass with much more vigor (hooray 43 rebounds!); we pushed the tempo a bit more and took more shots earlier in the shot clock; and we played defense like a boss. Were any of these changes the result of THE OVERHAUL, or can they be explained away by, I don’t know, PLAYING ST. JOHN’S? The world may never know, unless of course we continue to dominate teams and play like the 1998 New York Yankees.

For now, let’s credit JTIII with making whatever adjustments he made during the long week off. Even if there was only some tinkering here and there, we looked good on Tuesday night. And most importantly, our defense started looking like the defenses we’ve grown accustomed to in the JTIII era. Seven steals and seven blocks? Yes please. 46 points in the second half? I love the spread offense.

The Ollie Award for Shooting Free Throws:

The Georgetown Hoyas.

The one thing that clearly WASN’T overhauled was our atrocious free throw shooting. It’s hard to complain about a 22 point victory, but it’s easy to complain when your team shoots 16 for 27 (59%) from the free throw line.

On second thought, let’s just give this award to Joshington. He missed five of seven free throws. He single-handedly brought down our average. Everyone else was pretty decent. Joshua- please, please, please work on your throws.

Toyota Peak Performer Award:

Isaac Muthaf*cking Copeland.

His stat line was beautiful: 12 points, a career-high ten rebounds, three blocks, two assists, zero turnovers, and one earth-shattering, jaw-dropping one-handed dunk from the Big East logo. Remember when he was the fourth best freshman on the team? My goodness. Watching The General’s improvement over the course of one season reminds me of watching Henry Sims’ progress over the course of FOUR YEARS.

More than anything else, we loved his intensity on the glass. He took good shots and then followed up any misses like a gazelle. He would very often jump high over defenders to snag rebounds before patiently resetting the offense. Length!

And that dunk. Oh, that dunk. The reactions of Tyler Adams (standing and shouting and even getting some sweat on his tasty threads) and Reggie Cameron (high-kicking the air) should tell you everything you need to know. And the best part about that dunk wasn’t even the dunk itself (okay, maybe it was). The best part was when he calmly nailed a three from the top of the key on the next offensive possession. Cope with it, America.

The Jay Wright Award for Dressing for Success:

Not Steve Lavin.

Wear a tie, Stevie! Kudos to the young Georgetown scholar who literally offered to give him a tie at the start of the second half. Precious.

I mean, maybe if Lavin wore a tie, his team would play more organized and less chaotic, erratic basketball. The St. John’s style of play has come to resemble their coach’s wardrobe.

The Whole Foods Healthy Recipe Award for Kale:

Mikael Hopkins.

For whatever reason, Gus Johnson kept referring to Comrade as MY KALE. Hey, I like green veggies as much as the next guy, but don’t you dare confuse a cabbage-like, beta karotene-filled side with a bloodthirsty Russian soldier who will tear your face off if he ever sees you eating kale. We’ll let it slide this time, Gus J; but don’t let it happen again.

The Hmmm Award:

Joshua Smith has not attempted more than nine free throws in any game this season. And he hasn’t hit more than six free throws in a single game.

Isaac Copeland has pulled down at least six boards in eight of the last nine games.

Against St. John’s, the Hoyas had a ten point halftime lead despite shooting just 36 percent and missing all nine of their three-point attempts.

The DSR Award for Just Bringing it Every Damn Night:

DSR.

If the Chris Wright award were given to a player, it would go to my man D. He had 12 points, ten rebounds and six assists, and HE DIDN’T EVEN SHOOT WELL. He missed five of six shots from beyond the arc and probably had a couple of rushed looks, but who cares? He did everything this team needed him to do to get the W.

Is DSR still in contention for Big East MVP? Why the hell wouldn’t he be? No one is exactly running away with it. D’Angelo Harrison scores a lot of points, but well, D’Angelo Harrison. LaDontae Henton isn’t even the best player on his team. Kris Dunn is the most NBA-ready guy, but has he put together the best season? Roosevelt Jones? Darrun Hilliard? Maybe. DSR is right there. He’s definitely an all-conference player. If he keeps it up, he has an outside chance to win the award.

The Jai Ho Award for Crazy Entertaining Indian Dance Routines Award:

GU Jawani. For those of you who couldn’t attend the game, you missed a tremendous South Asian high-stepping display of dancing genius. Those kids were awesome. We’re really sorry we missed Bhangra Night earlier this year. The GU Step Team has some competition. I think it’s time for a dance off.

The Howard University Award for Winning the 1984 NCAA Championship Award:

If you attended Tuesday night’s game (it’s likely you did not, because of the strange white dust falling from the sky), you missed Gus Johnson's end-of-game conversation about how the biggest draw for young men to attend Georgetown is the school’s proximity to Howard University’s girls.

After saying he went to school with Alonzo Mourning’s wife (a Howard alum), Johnson said that the Hoyas should credit Howard for the key role it has played in helping Georgetown become such a dominant basketball powerhouse over the last few de4cades. It was hilarious, but he was right. Any hard feelings he may have about our program are probably negated by the assistance Big John provided in finding him his first real broadcasting gig many years ago. Love Gus Johnson.

The Round Mound of Rebound Award:

Mikael Hopkins.

While all of you haters were criticizing MY KALE for his most recent missed layup, he was giving you the finger as he coasted his way to 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in ONLY 20 MINUTES. He hit all five of his field goals, played exceptional defense against the Johnnies and even made a couple of free throws. He doesn’t care that Isaac Copeland is now starting. With better spacing and more opportunities in the paint, Hop is thriving. Lay off of Comrade and let him complete his season-long war of attrition.

Three more things about Hop:

(1) Good for him for not whining about losing his starting spot. Shows a lot of class and leadership. He plays better when Smith is not on the court, so here’s hoping his numbers improve and our team keeps winning.

(2) Hop has always been undersized at the 5 position, but he’s been stuck at the 5 for most of his career. Spacing issues aside, I just feel like Hop is more comfortable at the 5.

(3) Remember when we used to scream at the TV, pleading for Nate Lubick not to take an ill-advised jumper? That never happens with Hop because he never takes perimeter shots. Would it be nice if he could hit those shots? Yes. Should we give him more credit for not forcing those shots when nothing else is there? Absolutely.

The Inaugural Bob Ross Award for Artistic Genius:

The Stonewalls.

Big props to the Stonewalls for designing the most amazing Tifo of all time – a gigantic picture of Pops Thompson revealing his Carnesecca sweater in the infamous Sweater Game from 1985. That thing was beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MghiBW3r65M

The Kerri Strug Award for Having Tremendous Balance:

Your Georgetown Hoyas. Six players in double figures? Yes please. And Paul White dropped in a cool little six points of his own. This is the second time the Hoyas have had six guys score in double figures, and the sixth (?) time they’ve had at least five guys in double figures. When we have this much balance on the court, how can we possibly be stopped? That was a rhetorical question. YOU CANNOT STOP US. Kerri Strug, FTW:

https://screen.yahoo.com/weekend-kerri-kippy-strug-000000638.html.

The Perspectives Award:

I’m glad we beat up on Seton Hall and St. John’s. We’re definitely improving. But are we any good? Will we know anything about this team until the game at Butler? My gut is telling me we’re about to win the national championship, but my brain is telling me we’re about to lose a close one at home to DePaul. Hold on to your butts, everyone.

The Yogi Ferrell Award for Being Almost as Good as DSR Award:

D’Angelo Harrison.

I’m sorry, my dude, but you missed all nine of your field goal attempts. I think DSR was slightly better. But only slightly.

By the way, in case you missed it, back in October D’Angelo Harrison had this to say about DSR being chosen as the Big East’s preseason player of the year: "They got the wrong guy. They got the wrong picture." Maybe they did, D’Angelo. Maybe they did. But it ain’t gonna be you who deserves the honor either. We’ll continue to monitor this little duel next week. For now, of all the players with names beginning with a "D" and an apostrophe, D’Vauntes is clearly the best.

The Verve Pipe "We Were Only Freshmen" Award:

L.J. Peak and Paul White.

Not to be outdone by the General, our guys L.J. and PW looked pretty good too. Peak had a solid 12 points, three rebounds and two steals, while The Natural chipped in with six points, four rebounds and two assists in only 15 minutes of action. If we can get this kind of production from these two guys every game, we’ll be pretty tough to beat. Love seeing Paul do all of the little things. Love seeing L.J. hit a three. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. These freshmen are all growns up and they’re all growns up and they’re all growns up.

The Yakov Smirnoff Award for Unintentional Slavic Comedy Award:

Amar Alibegovic.

Where should we begin with this guy? How about right here….

Make way! Here he comes! Ring bells! Bang the drums! Are you gonna love this guy! Prince Ali! Fabulous he!

Alibegovic….

The lanky freshman forward from Corvallis, Rome and Bosnia was all over the place on Tuesday. But his hair was the real star of the night. Nicknamed the "Flop of Seagulls", it dazzled even more than Isaac Copeland’s leaping skills. Would it be inappropriate to say that Gene Keady’s hair ran (and ran so far away) and landed on Alibegovic’s head? Love that song:

Is there any doubt that Steve Lavin took one look at the kid and said "I’ve gotta have that hair!"

The only thing missing from that ‘do was a Jonathan Knight-style mullet. Then we would have been witness to perfection. OMG, I CAN’T BELIEVE WE STILL HAVE THREE MORE YEARS OF THIS HAIR.

The More You Know Award:

When Mikael Hopkins scores six or more points, we are undefeated.

When Jabril Trawick scores ten or more points, we are undefeated.

When David Allen scores at least one point, we are undefeated.

The "Aaron Bowen is a F*cking Pterodactyl" Award:

Aaron Bowen. He’s a f*cking pterodactyl.

In case you missed it, our little end-of-the-first-half run was sparked by our defense. And you can’t spell BASH BROTHER without AB. The combination of Bowen, Jabril and Hop is always fun to watch on defense. Unless we pick up 14 fouls in two minutes, that is.

Bowen’s not-really-a-dislocated-elbow had us all scared for a little bit. Glad to see he’s okay. But then again, I never really thought a bruised elbow would keep a f*cking pterodactyl off the court. He has wings, people. He can fly.

The Diabetes Award for Weekend Gluttony:

Check out Sakuramen in Adams Morgan. People who know things about food say it’s one of the best little ramen noodle joints in The District. It’s where Frank Underwood goes when he needs to satisfy his craving for bulgogi buns and spicy miso. And he eats the egg because he’s not a little bitch.

Brian Williams Award for In-Game Commentary and Hyperbole:

Here are a few casual nuggets from the last game thread. Upset that your witty posts didn’t make the cut? Write something funny or insightful next time, jerks. And when all else fails, just make some sh*t up.

(Apparently we’d be happy with a long-running dialogue between Casual Hoya and Hoya Annoya. And we’re fine with that.)

IF YOU WANT SOME DSR

don’t forget to DVR.

"we just tryin win this shit" -- @JT55ive

by GT8MD on Feb 17, 2015 | 4:27 PM

Snow

Is a joke. I don’t see how this should change anybodys plans.

by Hoya Argentino. VAMOS CARAJO! on Feb 17, 2015 | 5:51 PM

I think my grandmother had a case of Balamou about fifteen years ago

by Hoya Annoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 6:59 PM

Things that are awkward

Introducing Isaac but having Hopkins’s promo video for it.

by kevinperlow on Feb 17, 2015 | 6:59 PM

Steve Lavin sounds eerily like Sgt. Slaughter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHw_qj9Z4FY

by Hoya Annoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:21 PM

That hair belongs in Brooklyn, not Queens.

by Hoya Saxual on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:24 PM

we are playing like St. John's

Casually.

by CasualHoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:24 PM

hopkins just blew our chance to be on sportscenter

Casually.

by CasualHoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:30 PM

A simpler variant of the standard polo neck is the mock polo neck (or mock turtleneck), that resembles the polo neck with the soft fold at its top and the way it stands up around the neck, but both ends of the tube forming the collar are sewn to the neckline. This is mainly used to achieve the appearance of a polo neck where the fabric would fray, roll, or otherwise behave badly unless sewn. The mock polo neck clings to the neck smoothly, is easy to manufacture, and works well with a zip closure.

Casually.

by CasualHoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:39 PM

I still think it's a thermal baselayer

by Hoya Annoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:40 PM

My-kael, Gus?

Come on

by Hoya Annoya on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:44 PM

It is backwards day

Mikael is dunking and Casual is eating burgers and buns and everything

Hoya Saxa Forever

by hoyaben on Feb 17, 2015 | 7:55 PM

One of the students