1996–97 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1996–97 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Big East Conference Big East 7 Division Big East 20-10 11-7 John Thompson 25th Craig Esherick 15th Mike Riley 15th Cheikh Ya-Ya Dia USAir Arena Big East 7 Division Regular Season Champions NCAA tournament first round The 1996–97 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 25th season as head coach. Their home court was USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East 7 Division of the Big East Conference, were the regular-season champions of the Big East 7 Division, and finished the season with a record of 20–10, 11–7 in Big East play. Their record earned them a bye in the first round of the 1997 Big East men's basketball tournament, and they advanced to the semifinals before losing to Boston College. They received a No. 10 seed in the West Regional of the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – Georgetowns 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 years – and lost to No. 7 seed North Carolina-Charlotte in the first round. Season recap The graduation of center Othella Harrington and forward Jerome Williams in May 1996 and the departure of guard Allen Iverson after his sophomore season the previous year left the Hoyas with an uncertain lineup for 1996-97. Thompson hoped that freshman forward Shamel Jones and junior guard-forward Jerry Nichols would fill the gaps, but they did not rise to the occasion. With Harrington and Williams gone, however, junior forward Boubacar Aw became the leader in the frontcourt, scoring in 29 of the teams 30 games. He scored in double figures 12 times.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/v_page.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 21. Victor Page 2014-04-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20130428165244/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/v_page.htm 2013-04-28 dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_aw.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 70. Boubacar Aw 2014-04-04 2015-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20150201150454/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_aw.htm dead Junior Jahidi White, meanwhile, took over at center. In an early Big East game against Seton Hall in December 1996, he scored 12 points and had 16 rebounds, and against Massachusetts two days later he scored 14 points and blocked six shots. He blocked at least one shot in 27 of the teams 30 games and finished the year averaging 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked shots per game for the season.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/j_white.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 93. Jahidi White 2014-04-04 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171230/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/j_white.htm dead Sophomore point guard Victor Page was the star of the team. He continued his high-scoring performance of the previous season, leading the team in scoring in 27 of its 30 games and scoring 20 or more points 21 times during the year and 25 or more points four times by the end of January 1997. The team opened 8-1, but despite Pages efforts, it fell to 11-7 overall and a 4-6 conference record with an 89-71 loss at USAir Arena to Pittsburgh on January 25, 1997. With 14th-ranked Villanova scheduled next and six of their remaining eight games on the road, the Hoyas hopes of making even the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), let alone the NCAA tournament, were beginning to fade.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-04-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041705/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm 2015-09-24 dead Georgetown hosted Villanova two days after the loss to Pittsburgh. The Hoyas had a tremendous first half and led by as many as 21 points before Villanova went on a 17–0 run early in the second half. The Wildcats managed to close to only a two-point deficit at 53–51, but Georgetowns defense then made a strong stand. Late in the game, the Hoyas scored seven unanswered points to secure a 78-67 upset win. The Villanova win began a February streak that turned the Hoyas season around; they won eight of their last nine regular-season games. Four days after beating Villanova, they visited St. John's at Madison Square Garden and Page, after missing his first nine shots, scored the game winner as Georgetown prevailed 71–68. After that, Page led the way in Georgetowns late-season surge, scoring 26 points against Syracuse, 26 again four days later against Providence at USAir Arena, 20 at Pittsburgh, 29 at Memphis, 25 against Rutgers, and 28 points against Providence at the Providence Civic Center in the regular-season finale. The victory over Providence gave Georgetown the Big East 7 Division championship for the second year in a row and a No. 2 seed and first-round bye in the 1997 Big East tournament. In the quarterfinals, Page scored 31 points as Georgetown defeated Miami. In the semifinals, Boston Colleges defense held Page to 18 points, and the Eagles beat the Hoyas on their way to winning the tournament championship. Georgetown was the No. 10 seed in the West Region of the 1997 NCAA tournament. In the first round, the Hoyas met No. 7 seed North Carolina-Charlotte. Aw scored a career-high 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds before fouling out, but the 49ers defense held Page to 7-for-22 (31.8%) shooting from the field, and Charlotte won 79–67 to knock Georgetown out of the tournament. Page finished the year averaging 22.7 points per game for the season and 17.1 points per game for his career. The hope that Page would emerge as the next Allen Iverson was dashed in March 1997, when he opted to follow Iversons lead of the year before and break with the Georgetown tradition of playing a full four years, leaving school to enter the NBA draft. During the summer of 1997, Shamel Jones and Jerry Nichols transferred to MemphisThe Georgetown Basketball History Project: Players: Shamel Jones and Mississippi Valley State,http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/alltime-n.htm#jerrynichols The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Players: Jerry Nichols 2014-04-04 2013-12-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20131204043121/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/alltime-n.htm#jerrynichols dead respectively, and in August 1997 guard Ed Sheffey was dismissed from the team before beginning his sophomore season and transferred to New Mexico State.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/alltime-s.htm#edsheffey The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Players: Ed Sheffey 2014-04-04 2014-04-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407081717/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/alltime-s.htm#edsheffey dead The breakdown of Georgetown tradition of graduating its players led to criticism of Thompsons recruitment practices, which some observers believed led to the pre-graduation loss of players by signing too many players with troubled backgrounds or without real academic inclination. Thompson responded that he had no apology for recruiting players from poor families if they had talent and did not take into account the likelihood that they would stay for a full four years when he recruited them, adding that he believed that Georgetown University contributed positively to their lives even if they left before graduating. Thanks to the difficult offseason, the Hoyas would have a depleted roster for the 1997–98 season. Georgetown would not return to the NCAA Tournament until the 2000–01 season. During each of the three intervening seasons, the Hoyas would appear in the National Invitation Tournament instead. Roster Sourcesports-reference.com 1996-97 Georgetown Hoyas Roster and Statshttp://hoyasaxanation.com/georgetown-basketball/roster/1996-1997 hoyasaxanation.com 1996-1997 Georgetown Basketball Roster 2013-11-24 https://archive.today/20131124030531/http://hoyasaxanation.com/georgetown-basketball/roster/1996-1997 2013-11-24 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey NumbersThe Georgetown Basketball History Project: All-Time Player Directory #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)4Joseph Touomou6'2"195GSo.Yaounde, CameroonWilliamston HS (Williamston, NC)11Daymond Jackson6'4"205G/FSo.Alexandria, VA, U.S.T. C. Williams HS12Dean Berry5'10"168GSo.Brooklyn, NY, U.S.Episcopal HS14Cheikh Ya-Ya Dia6'9"233FSr.Dakar, SenegalSt. John's Prep-Prospect Hall (Maryland)15Shernard Long6'5"190G/FFr.Tucker, GA, U.S.Tucker HS20Damien Bolden6'3"180GFr.Portland, OR, U.S.Lincoln HS22Boubacar Aw6'7"228FJr.Thiès, SenegalEast Columbus HS (Lake Waccamaw, NC)24Rhese Gibson6'8"230FFr.New York, NY, U.S.All Hallows HS25Jerry Nichols6'4"210G/FJr.Jackson, MS, U.S.Lanier HS30Ed Sheffey6'0"185GFr.Washington, DC, U.S.Oak Hill Academy (Virginia)32Godwin Owinje6'8"210FSo.Benin City, NigeriaBismarck State Junior College (North Dakota)33Jahidi White6'9"290CJr.St. Louis, MO, U.S.Cardinal Ritter College Prep HS40Jameel Watkins6'10"244CFr.Brooklyn, NY, U.S.Paul Robeson HS44Victor Page6'3"200GSo.Washington, DC, U.S.McKinley Technology HS (Washington, DC)Winchendon Prep (Winchendon, MA)50Shamel Jones6'9"220FFr.Brooklyn, NY, U.S.Paul Robeson HS Rankings 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings The team was not ranked in the Top 25 in the AP Poll at any time.sports-reference.com 1996-97 Big East Conference Season Summary It also was not ranked in the Top 25 of the final or postseason Coaches' Poll; its Coaches' Poll rankings during the rest of the season are not available.sports-reference.com 1996-97 Polls 1996–97 Schedule and results Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1990.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1990s Seasons November 24, 2013 November 12, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131112045956/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1990.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-11-24 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 65.Official Basketball Box Score Georgetown vs Syracuse 2/8/97 2:00 p.m. at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY All times are Eastern yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular Season Sat., Nov. 23, 1996 yes yes Cleveland State CSU Convocation Center Cleveland, OH 77−67 1–0 9,586 Tue., Nov. 26, 1996 yes Alabama State USAir Arena Landover, MD 75−37 2–0 7,090 Sat., Nov. 30, 1996 yes DePaul USAir Arena Landover, MD 68−41 3–0 N/A Mon., Dec. 2, 1996 Seton Hall USAir Arena Landover, MD 55−51 4–0 (1–0) 7,173 Wed., Dec. 4, 1996 yes yes Massachusetts United Center Chicago, IL Great Eight tournament 58−53 5–0 19,124 Sat., Dec. 7, 1996 yes Rutgers Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ 68−75 5–1 (1–1) 6,123 Tue., Dec. 10, 1996 yes Delaware State USAir Arena Landover, MD 87–51 6–1 N/A Wed., Dec. 18, 1996 yes Saint Leo USAir Arena Landover, MD 90–39 7–1 N/A Sat., Dec. 21, 1996 yes Morgan State USAir Arena Landover, MD 92−64 8–1 7,835 Sun., Dec. 29, 1996 yes yes Pacific Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, NV 56–73 8–2 2,000 Thu., Jan. 2, 1997 yes West Virginia WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV 70−68 9–2 (2–1) 9,652 Sat., Jan. 4, 1997 Miami USAir Arena Landover, MD 67−69 9–3 (2–2) 10,752 Tue., Jan. 7, 1997 Notre Dame USAir Arena Landover, MD 70–57 10–3 (3–2) 8,438 Sat., Jan. 11, 1997 Connecticut USAir Arena Landover, MD Rivalry 54–69 10–4 (3–3) 12,181 Mon., Jan. 13, 1997 away Boston College 19 Silvio O. Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA 74–81 10–5 (3–4) 8,606 Sat., Jan. 18, 1997 yes Miami Miami Arena Miami, FL 65–68 OT 10–6 (3–5) 10,419 Tue., Jan. 21, 1997 St. John's USAir Arena Landover, MD 62–57 11–6 (4–5) 7,864 Sat., Jan. 25, 1997 Pittsburgh USAir Arena Landover, MD 71–89 11–7 (4–6) 12,086 Mon., Jan. 27, 1997 Villanova 14 USAir Arena Landover, MD 78–67 12−7 (5–6) 11,891 Sat., Feb. 1, 1997 yes St. John's Madison Square Garden New York, NY 71–68 13−7 (6–6) 13,121 Mon., Feb. 3, 1997 yes Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT Rivalry 52–51 14–7 (7–6) 15,842 Sat., Feb. 8, 1997 2:00 p.m. yes Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Rivalry CBS 74–77 14–8 (7–7) 29,877 Wed., Feb. 12, 1997 Providence USAir Arena Landover, MD 75–69 15–8 (8–7) 9,141 Thu., Feb. 20, 1997 away Pittsburgh Civic Arena Pittsburgh, PA 76–57 16–8 (9–7) 15,127 Sat., Feb. 22, 1997 yes yes Memphis Pyramid Arena Memphis, TN 74–65 17–8 14,823 Wed., Feb. 26, 1997 Rutgers USAir Arena Landover, MD 69–59 18–8 (10–7) 11,017 Sat., Mar. 1, 1997 yes Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, RI 67–56 19–8 (11–7) 12,993 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Big East tournament Thu., Mar. 6, 1997 yes Miami Madison Square Garden New York, NY Quarterfinal 63–59 20–8 16,000 Fri., Mar. 7, 1997 yes Boston College Madison Square Garden New York, NY Semifinal 58–70 20–9 18,944 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA tournament Fri., Mar. 14, 1997 yes North Carolina-Charlotte McKale Memorial Center Tucson, AZ First Round CBS 67–79 20–10 12,958 References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team