We are just two days away from the start of the season! In this newsletter, we share a few reflections from our preseason events, look ahead to some highlights on our schedule, and preview some of the fun events the Hoya Hoop Club has in store for this season, including in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Hoya Madness and the Hoya Hoop Club Open Practice
We start with some highlights from Hoya Madness and the Hoya Hoop Club’s Open Practice.
• The official start of the season kicked off with Hoya Madness on October 17 in front of a packed house at McDonough Gym. Highlights included the unveiling of Henry Sims’ and Hollis Thompson’s NBA jerseys, the introduction of the 2014-2015 men’s and women’s basketball teams, and a performance by Grammy-nominated artist, Trey Songz. The BIG EAST’s pre-season player of the year, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera got the crowd into it:
• On October 25, Coach Thompson and the Hoya Hoop Club hosted the annual Open Practice for Hoya Hoop Club members. The event started with an autograph session with the team in O’Donovan Hall, followed by a question and answer session with Coach. The 400+ fans in attendance then headed to McDonough to watch the Hoyas practice — the buzz in the gym was palpable as we got a glimpse of our seasoned veterans and talented underclassmen.
The Schedule
The season officially begins on November 15 with the home opener against the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn. The Hoyas will play two more home games in November before heading to beautiful Paradise Island for the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Hoyas face the Florida Gators in the tournament opener. The Battle 4 Atlantis is loaded with college basketball powers including Wisconsin, UNC, UCLA, Butler, Oklahoma, and UAB. Information on Hoya Hoop Club events for Hoya fans who will be spending Thanksgiving with the Hoyas in the Bahamas is in the events section below.
The December highlights include a December 10 home match up against the Kansas Jayhawks and a December 27 trip to Madison Square Garden where Georgetown will battle the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoya Hoop Club is happy to announce that, given the popularity of last year’s bus trip to the Garden for the Michigan State game, we will be running a bus trip to the Garden for the Indiana game this year. For more details on the bus trip and to reserve your space, click here.
The Hoyas will ring in the New Year with a New Year’s Eve BIG EAST battle in Cincinnati against the Xavier Musketeers. As the weather gets cold in January, the BIG EAST schedule will be heating up with road trips to Providence, DePaul, Marquette and Creighton. The Hoyas home slate includes the annual Gray Out game against Butler on January 17, followed by a battle against rival Villanova at Verizon Center on January 19. The month of February will prepare Georgetown for the BIG EAST Tournament at MSG — the Hoyas will face BIG EAST rivals St. John’s, Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul at the Verizon Center and will hit the road to play St. John’s, Villanova, Seton Hall and Butler. Stay tuned for more information on a possible bus trip to one of these road games!
Hoya Hoop Club Events
• Atlantis: For all Hoya fans heading to Paradise Island for the Battle 4 Atlantis, please join us for an informal gathering at the Coral Towers Lobby Bar before the Florida game! As the name suggests, the bar is located in the lobby of the Coral Towers and is just a short distance from the arena. The Florida game is scheduled to tip-off at 9:30 p.m., so we will be gathering starting at 8:00 p.m. Watch your email for more information on other events in store for Hoya fans in the Bahamas.
• Bus Trip for Indiana Game: The Hoya Hoop Club will be on the road again with a bus trip to Madison Square Garden for the holiday classic against the Indiana Hoosiers on December 27 at noon. To reserve your spot on the bus, click here. Game tickets must be purchased separately.
• Gray Out: The annual Gray Out game will be on January 17, 2015, when the Hoyas host the Butler Bulldogs at Verizon Center (5:00 p.m. tip-off).
• Donor Appreciation Event: The Hoya Hoop Club’s annual Donor Appreciation Event will be held at Clyde’s Gallery Place before the DePaul game on February 21 (8:00 p.m. tip-off).
• Men’s Basketball Alumni Weekend: For all former players, the annual Men’s Basketball Alumni Weekend will be held during the weekend of the DePaul game (February 20-21). More information coming soon!
• Pre- and Post-Game Happy Hours: The Hoya Hoop Club will once again sponsor pre- and post-game gatherings for every home game. We are working on specials at different venues, so please watch your emails and check the Hoya Hoop Club’s Facebook or Twitter accounts before each home game for information on where we will be heading. For the first three home games, we will be meeting at Gordon Biersch immediately after each game. Show your server your MY HOYAS Ticket Card or a printed or mobile ticket to the game to receive a 10% discount off your bill! We look forward to seeing you there.
Your Opportunity To Support The Hoyas!
In all, the Hoyas will play 29 regular season games this year, including 16 at Verizon Center. Our one request to all of you is that you go to as many games as you can. At Verizon Center. And on the road. Get out and be loud in support of our Hoyas.
To order season tickets, mini-plans and single game tickets for home games at Verizon Center, click here.
Finally, for those of you who live outside the DC area, the Hoyas will need your support when they are playing on the road. A special pre-sale of away game tickets will be coming soon for current Georgetown Athletics donors, so please watch your email for further information.
Let’s Go Hoyas!
Mark P. Guerrera (C’91)
President, Hoya Hoop Club
Dr. Thomas A. Wong
Vice President, Communications, Hoya Hoop Club
