HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. He was in attendance Saturday afternoon for the Hoyas’ opener at Capital 1 Arena and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Fairfield.
I always prefer a hot pregame meal but cannot complain about sandwiches/chips/cookies from Jetties. Last year I got to sit right behind the basket, but this year the media seating is in the corner of the lower bowl so you might not get as many photos as before. Before the game there was a moment of silence to remember 3 members of the Georgetown family who passed away in September: Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo, former Mutombo teammate Anthony Allen, and longtime trainer Lorry Michel. Let’s tip it off:
Fairfield JR G Braden Sparks had a horrible season opener last Monday with 0 PTS/0 REB in 19 minutes, but he bounced back in a big way in the 1st half with a pair of threes and a couple of layups to keep his team close (although he finished with a game-high 6 turnovers). The Georgetown mascot tried to get the crowd into it but needed some help from players both young and old:
Georgetown has no seniors on its roster, but grad transfer Micah Peavy knocked down 2 shots from behind the arc and FR big man Thomas Sorber converted a couple of layups in the lane to tie the game at 33-all right before the half. JR G Jayden Epps only made 1 shot in the opening stanza…but it was the most important 1: a corner 3 at the buzzer to give the Hoyas a 3-PT lead heading into halftime.
After a quiet 1st half Fairfield G Jamie Bergens made a couple of jumpers in the lane in the 2nd half to finish with 12 PTS, but it would not be enough because Sorber was unstoppable. After scoring 20 PTS in his college debut last Wednesday, he took it up a few notches thanks to some put-backs, a 3-PT shot, and an old-fashioned 3-PT play to finish with 25 PTS/11-16 FG in just 31 minutes as the Hoyas won it 69-57. I cannot quickly determine whether Georgetown has ever had a freshman with back-to-back 20-PT games to start their career, but I assume it is rather rare air:
In the postgame press conference, I asked Fairfield coach Chris Casey whether Sparks’ performance from Game 1 or Game 2 is the real 1. He said that Sparks is a very good player who will keep getting better. The way that players become consistent is by playing in games so as his team gains experience they will all play better:
I wondered how impressed Georgetown coach Ed Cooley was with Peavy’s sensational 10 STL this week. He admitted that while he has coached some outstanding defenders in the past, he would put Peavy up there with the best defenders he has ever had, and even thinks he is the best on-ball defender in the country. Peavy has the will and the want, and his drive to defend allows him to succeed:
That is a wrap for now but check back next weekend when Notre Dame comes to DC!