Confirmed: Fans Will be Unable to Attend Hoyas Home Games

There has been no shortage of surprising and confusing news confronting us on a daily basis, but this morning’s official announcement letter from Lee Reed on behalf of Georgetown Athletics does not fall into that category.

The university confirmed that when the Hoyas host home games at McDonough Gymnasium, fans will not be able to attend due to safety considerations, local health regulations, and associated space constraints. A final decision regarding fan attendance if play were to shift to Capital One Arena in January has not been made.

It was part of a larger letter to the Georgetown hoops community, the full text of which has been copied below.

A message from Athletic Director Lee Reed

Dear Georgetown Community:

I hope you and your families are safe and well during this challenging time. I write to you today to provide an update on the 2020-21 Georgetown Men’s Basketball season.

Per the NCAA’s announcement in September, the college basketball season will begin on November 25. Coach Ewing and our student-athletes are ready to compete and excited for college basketball to return.

Georgetown Athletics is working closely with the university, peer institutions, the BIG EAST Conference, the Washington, D.C. Department of Health, and the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s office to provide a safe environment for basketball competition this season. The health and welfare of our student-athletes, staff, campus community, and fans are our top priority.

This year, the men’s basketball schedule will be announced in waves; the first portion was released today on GUHoyas.com. This season, the Hoyas will play four non-conference home games (including West Virginia in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Challenge) as well as an away game at Syracuse. Dates and times for four BIG EAST Conference games (two home and two away) have also been set. Originally, the team was scheduled to participate in the Paycom Wooden Legacy tournament in November, however, this event has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

During the months of November and December, all Georgetown Men’s Basketball home games will be played in McDonough Arena. In accordance with Washington, D.C. regulations which limit the size of in-person gatherings, fans are regrettably not permitted to attend home games at this time.

A determination has yet to be made on whether home games in January through March will be played in McDonough Arena or Capital One Arena, and whether these events will permit fans. We will continue to monitor public health guidance and make an announcement about these games at a later date.

Even though fans will be unable to attend games to start the season, your support and engagement with the team will be more important this year than ever before. Please keep an eye on your email in the coming weeks for more information on how to support your Hoyas!

We are grateful for your patience and understanding as we continue to make decisions in the best interest of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and community.

Thank you for being a season ticket holder. Your support and dedication to our men’s basketball program, especially during this difficult time, is greatly appreciated.

Hoya Saxa,

Lee Reed

Francis X. Rienzo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics