1975–76 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 basketball 1975-76 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Independent 21–7 John Thompson 4th Bill Stein 4th Dwight Datcher 2nd Jonathan Smith Merlin Wilson McDonough Gymnasium ECAC South Region tournament champions NCAA tournament First Round The 1975–76 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1975–76 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his fourth 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 21–7. The team won the 1976 ECAC South Region tournament and appeared in the 1976 NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year, losing in the first round to Arizona. Season recap Sophomore center Ed Hopkins had required surgery for a serious leg injury during the summer of 1975, and his recovery hampered him this season, although he appeared in 26 of Georgetowns 28 games.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_hopkins.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 75. Ed Hopkins 2014-02-26 2015-03-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20150331010431/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_hopkins.htm dead With Hopkins limited, and despite suffering from back problems, senior center and team co-captain Merlin Wilson started all 28 games, shot 57 percent from the field, and averaged 11.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He had a 22-point, 20-rebound performance against Upsala in the season opener, the last of eight 20-rebound games during his collegiate career, by far a school record no one has come close to since.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_wilson.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 17. Merlin Wilson 2014-02-07 2013-02-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20130218070032/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_wilson.htm dead Although he averaged only 13 shots per game, sophomore guard Derrick Jackson became the team's leading scorer this season, the first of three seasons he achieved this. He averaged 17 points per game and scored a career-high 28 points against Penn State. Over the season as a whole, he shot 195-for-399 (48.9%) from the field and scored 406 points; he would post almost identical statistics the following season.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_jackson.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 9. Derrick Jackson 2014-02-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20181005053409/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_jackson.htm 2018-10-05 dead Freshman forward Al Dutch started all 28 games and had a strong season, scoring 20 or more points in six games. He scored 27 points in Georgetowns overtime upset of No. 12-ranked St. John's and 28 points against Navy.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/a_dutch.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 55. Al Dutch 2014-02-07 2015-09-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031440/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/a_dutch.htm dead Freshman guard Steve Martin gave a glimpse of his future potential when he shot 6-for-6 from the field and scored 14 points in a game against Southern Connecticut State.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/s_martin.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 64. Steve Martin 2014-02-07 2013-01-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20130109014006/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/s_martin.htm dead Senior forward Bill Lynn, meanwhile, scored 22 points against Southern Connecticut State and shot 53 percent from the field for the season, specializing in outside jump shots.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_lynn.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 61. Bill Lynn 2014-02-07 2015-03-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330025956/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/b_lynn.htm dead Junior forward Larry Long missed the first 11 games of the season because of academic issues, but returned to the team to shoot 42% from the field and average 7.4 points per game for the year.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/l_long.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 97. Larry Long 2014-02-26 2015-03-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330030043/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/l_long.htm dead Although retaining its status as an independent, Georgetown was in its second season as a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation that held four regional post-season Division I basketball tournaments in 1976 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 1976 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. For the second straight year, the Hoyas competed in the ECAC South Region tournament, which they had won the previous year. Derrick Jackson scored 22 points as Georgetown defeated Villanova in the semifinal. In the final on March 6, 1976, the Hoyas faced George Washington, which was on the brink of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1961.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-01-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041705/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm 2015-09-24 dead George Washington had defeated Georgetown in eight of the last 11 meetings between the schools, including a regular-season game only nine days earlier.Reagan, John, "Forgotten Rivals," The Georgetown Basketball History Project, June 4, 2018 Accessed 26 June 2021 Georgetown's starters scored only 21 points, but the Hoyas' bench scored 44 and the Hoyas won 68–63 to take the ECAC South Region championship for the second consecutive season and secure a second-straight NCAA Tournament bid. The Colonials did not come as close to an NCAA Tournament appearance again until they received a bid to the 1993 tournament. Georgetown senior guard and team co-captain Jonathan Smith, a former team scoring leader whose numbers had declined this season and who had averaged only 5.6 points per game during the regular season, scored 20 points against Villanova and 16 against George Washington during the ECAC South Region Tournament.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_jackson.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 32. Jonathan Smith 2014-02-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20181005053409/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_jackson.htm 2018-10-05 dead Playing in the NCAA Tournament's West Region, Georgetown lost in the first round to 15th-ranked Arizona. Derrick Jackson again scored 22 points during the game, while Jonathan Smith scored 20. The team was not ranked in the Top 20 in the Associated Press Poll or Coaches' Poll at any time.sports-reference.com 1975-76 Independent Season Summarysports-reference.com 1975-76 Polls Roster Sourcehttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-70s.htm#1976 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1970–71 to 1979–1980 2013-12-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081949/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-70s.htm#1976 2013-12-13 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers Sophomore guard Craig Esherick would later serve as an assistant coach for the Hoyas from 1982 to 1999 and as head coach from 1999 to 2004. Sophomore guard Mike Riley would later serve as a Hoya assistant coach from 1982 to 2004. #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious team(s)10Craig Esherick6'3"N/AGSo.Silver Spring, MD, U.S.Springbrook HS12Mike Riley5'8"N/AGSo.Washington, DC, U.S.United States Navy14Bill Lynn6'9"185FSr.Washington, DC, U.S.Spingarn HS20Steve Martin6'4"175FFr.New Orleans, LA, U.S.St. Augustine HS22Derrick Jackson6'0"180GSo.Wheaton, IL, U.S.Wheaton Central HS24Bill Thomas6'4"N/AFSr.Dallas, TX, U.S.Lake Highlands HSNorthampton Community College (Pa.)25Al Dutch6'7"190FFr.Washington, DC, U.S.Archbishop Carroll HS30Jonathan Smith6'1"185GSr.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS32Larry Long6'7"200FJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Mackin HS33Gary Wilson6'7"N/ACFr.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS34Mike MacDermott6'4"N/AGJr.Saratoga Springs, NY, U.S.St. Peter HS40Greg Brooks6'6"N/AGSr.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS42Felix Yeoman6'7"N/AF/CSo.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS44Merlin Wilson6'9"215CSr.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS50Mark Gallagher6'5"N/AFSr.Lynbrook, NY, U.S.Archbishop Molloy HS52Ed Hopkins6'9"225CSo.Baltimore, MD, U.S.Edmondson-Westside HS55Tom Scates6'11"N/ACFr.Alexandria, VA, U.S.St. Anthony's HS, (Washington, DC) 1975–76 schedule and results Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1970.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1970s Seasons 2013-12-12 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 2013-12-12 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead sports-reference.com 1975-76 Georgetown Hoyas Schedule and Results2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, pp. 62-63.http://jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1976_ECAC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournaments jonfmorse.com 1976 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments 2013-12-12 2013-12-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20131214162620/http://jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1976_ECAC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournaments dead All times are Eastern no yes no no no |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular season Sat., Nov. 29, 1975 no w Upsala McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 69–50 1-0 Wed., Dec. 3, 1975 no w Saint Leo McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 94–72 2-0 Sat., Dec. 6, 1975 no l yes St. Bonaventure Reilly Center Olean, NY no 59–63 OT 2-1 Tue., Dec. 9, 1975 no w Maryland Eastern Shore McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 97–67 3-1 Sat., Dec. 20, 1975 no w Rider McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 83–68 4-1 Tue., Dec. 23, 1975 no w Southern Connecticut State McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 94–57 5-1 Sun., Dec. 28, 1975 no w yes Colgate Gannon Auditorium Erie, PA Porreco Cup no 51–49 6-1 Mon., Dec. 29, 1975 no l yes Gannon Gannon Auditorium Erie, PA Porreco Cup no 56–57 6-2 Sat., Jan. 3, 1976 no w Stonehill McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 117–84 7-2 Wed., Jan. 7, 1976 no w yes St. Joseph's Palestra Philadelphia, PA no 72–61 8-2 Sat., Jan. 10, 1976 no w Fairfield McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 81–50 9-2 Wed., Jan. 14, 1976 no w Navy McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 73–65 10-2 Sat., Jan. 17, 1976 no w Dickinson McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 93–75 11-2 Wed., Jan. 21, 1976 no w American McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 78–69 12-2 Sat., Jan. 24, 1976 no l yes Seton Hall Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, NJ no 91–102 12-3 Tue., Jan. 27, 1976 no w Penn State McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 71–63 13-3 Sat., Jan. 31, 1976 no w Holy Cross McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 95–74 14-3 Wed., Feb. 4, 1976 no w St. John's 12 McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 74–73 OT 15-3 Wed., Feb. 11, 1976 no w Fairleigh Dickinson McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 60–52 16-3 Sat., Feb. 14, 1976 no l St. Peter's McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 61–63 16-4 Wed., Feb. 18, 1976 no l yes Maryland 7 Capital Centre Landover, MD no 63–72 16-5 Sat., Feb. 21, 1976 no w yes Boston College Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA no 70–64 17-5 Wed., Feb. 25, 1976 no l George Washington McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC no 79–81 OT 17-6 Sat., Feb. 28, 1976 no w yes Fordham Rose Hill Gymnasium Bronx, NY no 73–66 18-6 Tue., Mar. 2, 1976 no w yes Iona John A. Mulcahy Campus Events Center New Rochelle, NY no 76–68 19-6 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| ECAC South Region tournament Fri., Mar. 5, 1976 no w yes Villanova WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV Semifinal no 72–59 20-6 Sat., Mar. 6, 1976 no w yes George Washington WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV Final no 68–63 21-6 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA tournament Sat., Mar. 13, 1976 no l yes Arizona 15 Arizona State University Activity Center Tempe, AZ West Region First Round no 76–83 21-7 AP Poll References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team