1982–83 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1982–83 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Big East Conference Big East 20 20 22–10 11–5 John Thompson 11th Craig Esherick 1st Mike Riley 1st Gene Smith Capital Centre Wendy's Classic Champions NCAA tournament Second Round The 1982–83 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1982–83 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 11th season as head coach. They played their home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 22–10 overall, 11–5 in Big East play. They lost to Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the 1983 Big East tournament and advanced to the second round of the 1983 NCAA tournament before losing to Memphis State. Season recap The season saw the arrival of former Georgetown players Craig Esherick and Mike Riley as assistant coaches. Esherick would serve as an assistant coach for 171 2 seasons before himself becoming head coach during the 1998–99 season, while Riley would be an assistant coach for 22 seasons before leaving after the 2003–04 season. Georgetown had lost five players to graduation after the teams NCAA national runner-up performance the previous season and played a junior, three sophomores, and two freshmen most of the season, but center Patrick Ewing was returning for his sophomore year, and the team was ranked No. 2 as the season began. Pressure grew during the summer of 1982 for a game with No. 1 Virginia in the upcoming season, with arenas nationwide jockeying to host it; Georgetown insisted on hosting it at the Capital Centre. Three television networks bid on it, and Superstation TBS won the rights to it with a $550,000 bid; billed as the "Game of the Decade", it thus became the first major college sports event telecast exclusively on cable television. In the game, held on December 11, 1982, Virginias veteran team won, 68–63, but Ewing at one point slam-dunked right over highly regarded Virginia center Ralph Sampson, a play which established Ewing as a dominating "big man".http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 1. Patrick Ewing 2014-02-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064113/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm 2018-07-23 dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-02-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041705/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm 2015-09-24 dead Georgetown opened Big East play for the season on January 8, 1983, with a game against St. John's at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In both this and the second St. John's game of the season, 6-foot-3 Redmen guard Kevin Williams was given the task of harassing Ewing and goading him into retaliating, but Ewing nonetheless averaged 17 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two games combined. Harassment from the stands was a bigger problem. Ever since Ewing had committed to play at Georgetown in 1981, rumors and accusations had circulated among fans of other teams and sportswriters that Ewing was academically unworthy of Georgetown University and unable to pass his classes, and he endured cruel taunts about his intelligence and his race during Big East road games this season; opposing fans carried signs reading "EWING CAN'T READ THIS", "THINK EWING THINK", and "EWING IS AN APE", and some threw things such as banana peels at him on the court. During the game at Syracuse before a sell-out crowd in the Carrier Dome on January 10, 1983, a fan threw an orange at Ewing while he was attempting a free throw, narrowly missing him and prompting Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim to grab a microphone and tell the crowd that he would pull his team off the court and forfeit the game to Georgetown if such behavior continued; he did not have to, but Georgetown won the game, 97–92. Through it all, Ewing kept his own counsel and continued to play, with a double-double in each of his first five Big East games, 25 points and 17 rebounds against Connecticut on January 15, 1983, 19 games in which he scored in double figures, and 10 games in which he scored 20 or more points and pulled down 10 or more rebounds. For the season, he led the team in scoring, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_jackson.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 14. Michael Jackson 2014-02-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20120213071619/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_jackson.htm 2012-02-13 dead Freshman guard Michael Jackson joined the team this season. A starter from the first game, he quickly became an offensive standout who showed an ability to play both point guard and shooting guard. In the game at Syracuse in which someone threw an orange at Ewing, Jackson shot 9-for-13 from the field and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line to score 31 points and lead the Hoyas to the win. Against Boston College, he scored 21 points. Over the course of the season, he shot 46% from the field and 82% from the free-throw line, led the team in scoring in five games, averaged 14.1 points per game in Big East conference play, and finished behind only Ewing as the teams second-highest scorer. Another newcomer was freshman guard-forward David Wingate, who displayed a defensive ability that allowed him to shut down many opponents. He played in all 32 games, shot 44% from the field, and scored in double figures 24 times, including a season-high 24-point performance against American.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 11. David Wingate 2014-02-25 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329170847/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm dead Sophomore forward Bill Martin had been a reserve the previous season, but he became a starter this year, playing in all 32 games. He had 30 points and seven rebounds against Alabama State and 24 points and seven rebounds against Alabama. In Big East play, he reliably scored 10 points a game and shot 37-for-43 (86%) from the free-throw line. He finished the season averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, second only to Ewing.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_martin.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 19. Bill Martin 2014-02-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20101022131019/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_martin.htm 2010-10-22 dead Junior guard-forward Fred Brown had undergone knee surgery before the season began and recovering from it limited his playing time. He came off the bench to play in one game in December 1982, started 14 games in mid-season, then played in only two more games, both as a reserve, after the February 9, 1983, game against St. John's.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 48. Fred Brown 2014-02-25 2015-09-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031510/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm dead Junior guard and team captain Gene Smith, a defensive specialist, played a critical role in leading the young team, especially with Fred Brown limited for much of the year. He led the Hoyas in steals and assists and finished the season with nearly a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 68. Gene Smith 2014-02-25 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171301/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm dead The Hoyas finished in fourth place in the Big East, their 11–-5 conference record earning them a bye in the first round of the 1983 Big East men's basketball tournament, but they lost their first game of the tournament to Syracuse in the quarterfinals. They were the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region of the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – the fifth of 14 consecutive Georgetown NCAA tournament appearances – and advanced to the second round before losing to the Midwest Regions No. 4 seed, 17th-ranked Memphis State. The least successful of the four teams of the Ewing era and the only one not to reach the NCAA national championship game, the 1982–83 Hoyas nonetheless had performed well, especially given their youth and inexperience. They were ranked No. 20 in the seasons final Associated Press Poll and Coaches' Poll, and the average attendance at their home games for the season was 14th-highest in the country. Roster Sophomore center Patrick Ewing returned to Georgetown as head coach from 2017Wang, Gene, "Georgetown University hires star alumnus Patrick Ewing to replace John Thompson III as men’s basketball coach," washingtonpost.com, April 3, 2017, 7:32 p.m. EDT. to 2023. 1982 Georgetown Hoyas men y y David Blue 42 F 6 7 Sr Frederick, MD Prospect Hall Horace Broadnax y 32 G 6 0 190 Fr Plant City, FL Plant City Fred Brown 20 G 6 5 190 Jr Bronx, NY Adlai E. Stevenson Ralph Dalton 52 C 6 9 So Suitland, MD Fishburne Military School David Dunn 25 F 6 7 Fr Mableton, GA Pebblebrook Patrick Ewing y 33 C 7 0 240 So Cambridge, MA Cambridge Rindge and Latin Michael Jackson basketball y 30 G 6 2 175 Fr Reston, VA South Lakes Anthony Jones y basketball, born 1962 11 F 6 6 So Washington, D.C. Dunbar Kurt Kaull 10 G 6 3 Sr Wheaton, IL Wheaton Warrenville South Bill Martin basketball y 24 F 6 7 215 So Washington, D.C. McKinley Tech Victor Morris 55 F 6 9 Fr Houston, TX Kashmere Elvado Smith 12 G 6 2 So Harwood, MD South River Gene Smith 22 G 6 2 170 Jr Washington, D.C. McKinley Tech C David Wingate basketball y 40 F 6 5 185 Fr Baltimore, MD Dunbar *John Thompson *Craig Esherick Mike Riley Rankings 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings Source1982-83 Big East Conference Season Summarysports-reference.com 1982-83 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 2 2 3 5 11 10 17 19 15 14 14 14 18 16 15 20 Coaches 3 –No Coaches' Poll this week. 3 7 12 13 17 16 15 16 13 14 18 16 14 20 Schedule and results Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1980s Seasons December 4, 2013 February 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212070905/http://hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-12-04 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead sports-reference.com 1982-83 Big East Conference Schedule and Results2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 63.Waters, Mike, "A look back at the 13 times Syracuse basketball has set the attendance record at the Carrier Dome," syracuse.com, 31 January 2014, 12:30 p.m. ESTGeorgetown vs. Syracuse Official Scorer's Report Date: 1/10/83Syracuse vs. Georgetown Official Scorer's Report Date: 3/7/83Syracuse vs. Georgetown Official Scorer's Report Date: 3/10/83 All times are Eastern yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular Season Fri., Nov. 26, 1982 yes yes 2 Brigham Young-Hawaii George Q. Cannon Activities Center Laie, HI 72−52 1–0 2,690 Sat., Nov. 27, 1982 yes yes 2 Hawaii-Hilo Civic Auditorium Hilo, HI 67−37 2–0 3,000 Tue., Nov. 30, 1982 yes 2 Morgan State Capital Centre Landover, MD 91−58 3–0 9,226 Fri., Dec. 3, 1982 yes yes 2 Saint Francis E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY Wendy's Classic 75−40 4–0 8,300 Sat., Dec. 4, 1982 yes yes 2 Western Kentucky E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY Wendy's Classic 70–66 OT 5–0 10,400 Wed., Dec. 8, 1982 yes 3 Alabama State Capital Centre Landover, MD 99–76 6–0 9,666 Sat., Dec. 11, 1982 yes 3 Virginia 1 Capital Centre Landover, MD TBS 63–68 6–1 19,035 Wed., Dec. 15, 1982 yes 5 American Capital Centre Landover, MD 61-62 6–2 9,902 Wed., Dec. 22, 1982 yes 11 Southern Capital Centre Landover, MD 80–65 7–2 8,280 Tue., Dec. 28, 1982 yes yes 11 Wisconsin Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA Winston Tire Classic 71−43 8–2 9,161 Wed., Dec. 29, 1982 yes yes 10 Alabama 6 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA Winston Tire Classic 73−94 8–3 10,940 Wed., Jan. 5, 1983 yes 10 Monmouth Capital Centre Landover, MD 82–59 9−3 8,868 Sat., Jan. 8, 1983 yes 17 St. John's 7 Madison Square Garden New York, NY 67–76 9–4 0–1 19,591 Mon., Jan. 10, 1983 yes 17 Syracuse 9 Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Rivalry 97–92 10–4 1–1 31,327 Sat., Jan. 15, 1983 Connecticut Capital Centre Landover, MD Rivalry 74–53 11–4 2–1 8,665 Wed., Jan. 19, 1983 19 Pittsburgh Capital Centre Landover, MD 62–54 12–4 3–1 9,955 Sat., Jan. 22, 1983 yes 15 Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, RI 78–70 13–4 4–1 12,247 Wed., Jan. 26, 1983 15 Seton Hall Capital Centre Landover, MD 71–48 14–4 5–1 10,316 Sat., Jan. 29, 1983 15 Boston College Capital Centre Landover, MD 69–67 15–4 6–1 13,872 Mon., Jan 31, 1983 yes 15 Villanova 11 Palestra Philadelphia, PA 67–68 15–5 6–2 9,208 Sun., Feb. 6, 1983 yes 14 DePaul Capital Centre Landover, MD 71–65 16–5 N/A Wed., Feb. 9, 1983 14 St. John's 7 Capital Centre Landover, MD 69–75 16−6 6–3 17,166 Mon., Feb. 14, 1983 yes 14 Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT Rivalry 77–60 17–6 7–3 14,454 Sat., Feb. 19, 1983 yes 14 Pittsburgh Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, PA 63–65 17–7 7–4 6,180 Wed., Feb 23, 1983 18 Providence Capital Centre Landover, MD 86–62 18–7 8–4 9,749 Sat., Feb. 26, 1983 yes 18 Seton Hall Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, NJ 71–60 19–7 9–4 7,818 Wed., Mar. 2, 1983 yes 16 Boston College 15 Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA 85–87 OT 19–8 9–5 14,141 Sat., Mar. 5, 1983 16 Villanova 4 Capital Centre Landover, MD 87–51 20–8 10–5 16,770 Mon., Mar. 7, 1983 16 Syracuse 18 Capital Centre Landover, MD Rivalry 80–75 21–8 11–5 13,162 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Big East tournament Thu., Mar. 10, 1983 yes 15 Syracuse 18 Madison Square Garden New York, NY Quarterfinal/Rivalry 72–79 21–9 19,591 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA Tournament Thu., Mar. 17, 1983 yes 20 5 MW Alcorn State 12 MW Freedom Hall Louisville, KY Midwest Region First Round 68–63 22–9 12,745 Sat., Mar. 19, 1983 yes 20 5 MW Memphis State 17 4 MW Freedom Hall Louisville, KY Midwest Region Second Round 57–66 22–10 16,105 Notes note References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team