1978–79 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 basketball 1978-79 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Independent 12 24–5 John Thompson 7th Bill Stein 7th Bob Grier 2nd Steve Martin Tom Scates McDonough Gymnasium ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament champions NCAA tournament Second Round The 1978–79 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his seventh season as head coach. An independent, Georgetown played its home games at McDonough Gymnasium on the Georgetown campus in Washington, D.C., and finished the season with a record of 24–5. The team won the ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament championship, earning its first NCAA tournament bid since 1976. The Hoyas received a first-round bye and lost in the second round to Rutgers. Season recap The Hoyas began the year with an exhibition game against the Chinese national team, a game made possible by co-sponsorship by the National Committee on United States–China Relations of a five-game tour of the United States by the Chinese men's and women's teams. Georgetown was the Chinese men's team fourth stop on their tour, and they defeated the Hoyas behind the play of center Mu Tieh-chu, conservatively estimated at 7 ft 2 in cm in height and nicknamed "The Great Wall of China" by the U.S. players he faced.Georgetown University Library: "Georgetown Men's Basketball, 1906-1907 to 2006-2007: A Spotlight on Ten Coaches, Ten Players, and Ten Decades of Hoops"Georgetown University Library: "The 1970s at Georgetown: An Exhibition from the Georgetown University Archives" Back from a summer playing overseas with an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star team, junior guard John Duren took the lead on the court as point guard again this season. He averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 35.3 minutes played per game during the season and played eight complete games, setting a single-season school record of 1,024 minutes played, and shot nearly 50 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line. In the final game of the regular season on February 24, 1979, he scored 22 points and had six assists against Holy Cross.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/j_duren.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 6. John Duren 2014-02-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20100413153618/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/j_duren.htm 2010-04-13 dead Junior forward Craig "Big Sky" Shelton led the team in rebounds and shooting percentage, shooting 60% from the field for the season. Against Oral Roberts on January 31, 1979, he had a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/c_shelton.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 7. Craig Shelton 2014-02-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20120214175742/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/c_shelton.htm 2012-02-14 dead Freshman guard Eric "Sleepy" Floyd did not start in the first two games of the season, but he scored 28 points against Maryland on November 28, 1978, in the second game. He started the seasons third game, against St. Bonaventure on December 2, the first of 128 consecutive starts he made for the Hoyas. Against Holy Cross in the regular-season finale, he grabbed 14 rebounds, a record for a Georgetown guard, later matched by Perry McDonald but never exceeded. During the season, he scored in double figures 26 times, shot 81.3 percent from the free throw line, and ended the season with a 15-for-15 free throw streak. He finished the season as the teams leading scorer, and set a freshman record of 480 points scored. Floyd was destined to become one of the great players in Georgetown history, leading the team in scoring in each of his four seasons.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 2. Eric Floyd 2014-01-31 2015-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150224190913/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm dead Senior forward and team co-captain Steve Martin provided experienced leadership to the team. He scored 20 points against St. Bonaventure and 20 against Indiana, had 14 points and shot 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the free-throw line against Boston College, scored 20 points against George Washington, and scored in double figures in each of the teams last six games before its appearance in the 1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/s_martin.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 64. Steve Martin 2014-02-08 2013-01-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20130109014006/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/s_martin.htm dead Although retaining its status as an independent, Georgetown was in its fifth season as a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation that held three regional post-season Division I basketball tournaments in 1979 for independent Eastern colleges and universities similar to the end-of-season conference tournaments held by conventional college basketball conferences, with each tournament winner receiving an at-large bid to the 1979 NCAA basketball tournament. The Hoyas had won their regional tournament in 1975 and 1976 to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, but had been knocked out of their ECAC tournament in the semifinals the past two years and had to settle for a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. This season, they played in the ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament. After defeating Old Dominion in the semifinal, they met No.6-ranked Syracuse in the final. John Duren had 17 points, six assists, and seven steals and the Hoyas scored on 30 free throws to Syracuses six. The Hoyas upset Syracuse to win their third ECAC regional tournament championship in five years and earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1976. In the first of 14 consecutive Georgetown NCAA Tournament appearances, the Hoyas were the No. 3 seed in the East Region of the 1979 NCAA Tournament. They received a first-round bye, but were upset in the second round by the regions No. 6 seed, 18th-ranked Rutgers. It was the second straight year that the Scarlet Knights had defeated the Hoyas in a postseason tournament. As a team, the Hoyas shot 51 percent from the field during the season. They finished the season unranked in the Associated Press Poll but ranked 12th in the final Coaches' Poll. This was Georgetowns 38th and final season of play as an independent after the dissolution of the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference at the end of the 1938–39 season, and it also saw Georgetowns final appearance in an ECAC tournament. In the following season, the Hoyas would play as one of the seven founding members of the new Big East Conference, which held its own end-of-season tournament. Roster Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 37. Eric Smith 2014-02-27 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171046/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 96. Mike Hancock 2014-02-27 2015-03-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20150331010504/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_spriggs.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 90. Ed Spriggs 2014-02-27 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329170927/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_spriggs.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-70s.htm#1980 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1970-71 to 1979-1980 2013-04-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081949/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-70s.htm#1980 2013-12-13 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious team(s)11John Irwin6'0"N/AGJr.Larchmont, NY, U.S.Mamaroneck HS20Steve Martin6'4"175FSr.New Orleans, LA, U.S.St. Augustine HS21Eric "Sleepy" Floyd6'3"170GFr.Gastonia, NC, U.S.Hunter Huss HS24Lonnie Duren6'1"N/AGJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Augusta Military Academy (Fort Defiance, VA)30Ron Blaylock6'3"N/AGFr.Winston-Salem, NC, U.S.East Forsyth HS32Eric Smith6'5"185FFr.Potomac, MD, U.S.Winston Churchill HS33Craig "Big Sky" Shelton6'7"210FJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Dunbar HS34Terry Fenlon6'2"N/AGJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Mount St. Mary's University40Mike Hancock6'7"180F/CFr.Washington, DC, U.S.Roosevelt Senior HS41Jeff Bullis6'7"205FFr.Forest Hill, MD, U.S.Bel Air HS44John Duren6'3"150GJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Dunbar HS50Ed Spriggs6'9"240C/FFr.North Brentwood, MD, U.S.Northwestern HS55Tom Scates6'11"N/ACSr.Alexandria, VA, U.S.St. Anthony's HS, (Washington, DC) Rankings 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings Sourcesports-reference.com 1978-79 Independent Season Summarysports-reference.com 1978-79 Polls + Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Final AP 20 16 14 15 12 14 10 11 9 18 16 1716 11 Coaches –No Coaches' Poll this week. – 15 14 12 18 16 14 12 10 19 16 16 15 12 – 1978–79 schedule and results Sources.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1970.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1970s Seasons 2012-11-14 2020-07-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20200704090730/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1970.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-12-10 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead 2012-13 Georgetown men's basketball media guide.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1970.htm HoyaBasketball.com 2012-11-14 2020-07-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20200704090730/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1970.htm dead 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 63.http://jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1979_ECAC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournaments jonfmorse.com 1979 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments December 10, 2013 December 24, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224113537/http://jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1979_ECAC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournaments dead All times are Eastern no yes no no yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Exhibition Thu., Nov. 16, 1978 no l Chinese National Team McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 69–75 — |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular season Sat., Nov. 25, 1978 no w Bowie State McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 79–54 2,130 1-0 Tue., Nov. 28, 1978 no w yes Maryland 19 Capital Centre Landover, MD no 68–65 8,100 2-0 Sat., Dec. 2, 1978 no w St. Bonaventure McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 71–59 4,000 3-0 Wed., Dec. 6, 1978 no w 20 Indiana Capital Centre Landover, MD no 60–54 7,800 4-0 Sat., Dec. 9, 1978 no w yes 20 St. John's Alumni Hall Queens, NY no 77–71 4,394 5-0 Sat., Dec. 16, 1978 no w 16 St. Mary's (MD) McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 96–58 N/A 6-0 Wed., Dec. 20, 1978 no w yes 14 Fresno State Centennial Coliseum Reno, NV Wolf Pack Tournament no 49–42 5,662 7-0 Thu., Dec. 21, 1978 no l yes 14 Nevada Centennial Coliseum Reno, NV Wolf Pack Tournament no 77–87 6,077 7-1 Wed., Dec. 27, 1978 no w 15 Southern McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 97–58 2,438 8-1 Sat., Dec. 30, 1978 no w 15 District of Columbia McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 86–56 N/A 9-1 Tue., Jan. 2, 1979 no l 15 Saint Joseph's McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 36–37 2,470 9-2 Sat., Jan. 6, 1979 no w 12 Samford McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 73–50 1,475 10-2 Wed., Jan. 10, 1979 no w 14 North Carolina Central McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 107–72 1,075 11-2 Sat., Jan. 13, 1979 no w 14 Manhattan McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 78–64 3,120 12-2 Thu., Jan. 18, 1979 no w 10 Fordham McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 75–65 4,000 13-2 Sat., Jan. 20, 1979 no w yes 10 Penn The Palestra Philadelphia, PA no 78–76 9,208 14-2 Tue., Jan. 23, 1979 no w 11 Saint Francis (PA) McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. no 74–62 3,280 15-2 Sat., Jan. 27, 1979 no w yes 11 American Fort Myer Gymnasium Arlington, VA no 88–80 4,000 16-2 Wed., Jan. 31, 1979 no l 9 Oral Roberts McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 74–75 3,879 16-3 Sat., Feb. 3, 1979 no l yes 9 Detroit Memorial Hall Detroit, MI no 71–91 N/A 16-4 Wed., Feb. 7, 1979 no w yes 18 Saint Peter's Yanitelli Center Jersey City, NJ no 62–60 N/A 17-4 Sat., Feb. 10, 1979 no w 18 Seton Hall McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 87–62 4,500 18-4 wed., Feb. 14, 1979 no w 16 Stonehill McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 69–59 N/A 19-4 Sat., Feb. 17, 1979 no w 16 Boston College McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 84–81 4,500 20-4 Wed., Feb. 21, 1979 no w yes 16 George Washington Charles E. Smith Athletic Center Washington, DC no 73–71 5,000 21-4 Sat., Feb. 24, 1979 no w yes 17 Holy Cross Hart Center Worcester, MA no 63–54 4,000 22-4 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament Sat., Mar. 3, 1979 no w yes 16 Old Dominion Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA ECAC South-Upstate Semifinal no 73–52 6,150 23-4 Mon., Mar. 5, 1979 no w yes 16 Syracuse 6 Cole Field House College Park, MD ECAC South-Upstate Final/Rivalry no 66–58 N/A 24-4 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA tournament Sat., Mar. 10, 1979 no l yes 11 Rutgers 18 Providence Civic Center Providence, RI East Region Second Round no 58–64 12,150 24-5 AP Poll Notes note References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown