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1976–77 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

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1976–77 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball
ConferenceIndependent
Record19–9
Head coach
Assistant coachBill Stein (5th season)
Captains
  • Larry Long (1st year)
  • Mike MacDermott (1st year)
Home arenaMcDonough Gymnasium
Seasons
1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 UNLV   29 3   .906
No. 6 Syracuse   26 4   .867
No. 12 Detroit   25 4   .862
Old Dominion   25 4   .862
Providence   24 5   .828
Holy Cross   23 6   .793
St. Bonaventure   23 6   .793
No. 7 Marquette   25 7   .781
North Texas State   21 6   .778
Illinois State   22 7   .759
No. 10 Notre Dame   22 7   .759
Oral Roberts   21 7   .750
Army   20 8   .714
St. John's   22 9   .710
Milwaukee   19 8   .704
Georgetown   19 9   .679
Virginia Tech   19 10   .655
James Madison   17 9   .654
Northwestern State   17 9   .654
Texas–Pan American   17 9   .654
Connecticut   17 10   .630
Seton Hall   18 11   .621
UNC Wilmington   16 10   .615
Portland State   16 10   .615
Iona   15 10   .600
Dayton   16 11   .593
Fairfield   16 11   .593
Georgia Southern   16 11   .593
Richmond   15 11   .577
Saint Francis (PA)   15 11   .577
DePaul   15 12   .556
Northeast Louisiana   15 12   .556
Stetson   15 12   .556
Utah State   15 12   .556
Colgate   13 11   .542
Navy   13 11   .542
Oklahoma City   14 12   .538
South Carolina   14 12   .538
Valparaiso   13 12   .520
Catholic   13 13   .500
Fairleigh Dickinson   13 13   .500
Loyola (IL)   13 13   .500
Maine   13 13   .500
Niagara   13 13   .500
Rhode Island   13 13   .500
Saint Peter's   13 13   .500
VCU   13 13   .500
Butler   13 14   .481
Manhattan   13 14   .481
New Hampshire   12 14   .462
Northeastern   12 14   .462
St. Francis (NY)   12 14   .462
Air Force   12 15   .444
Denver   12 15   .444
Southern Mississippi   11 16   .407
Siena   9 15   .375
Cleveland State   10 17   .370
Xavier   10 17   .370
Centenary (LA)   11 19   .367
Long Island   9 16   .360
Hawaii   9 18   .333
Vermont   8 17   .320
Boston College   8 18   .308
Baptist   8 19   .296
Boston University   7 19   .269
Robert Morris   7 19   .269
Samford   7 19   .269
Mercer   6 19   .240
Hardin–Simmons   6 21   .222
Houston Baptist   6 23   .207
Buffalo   5 21   .192
Fordham   5 21   .192
Wagner   3 21   .125
Canisius   3 22   .120
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976–77 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1976–77 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his fifth 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 19-9. Knocked out of the ECAC South Region tournament for the first time in the semifinals, the team missed an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 1974. The Hoyas instead appeared in the 1977 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), their first NIT appearance since 1970, and lost in the first round to Virginia Tech.

Season recap

[edit]

Junior guard and perennial high scorer Derrick Jackson shot 198-for-404 (49.0%) from the field during the season and scored 400 points, virtually duplicating his performance from the previous season, when he had shot 195-for-399 (48.9%) from the field and scored 406 points. This season, he scored in double figures in 27 of 28 games and finished first in five scoring categories for the team.[1]

Promising freshman forward Craig "Big Sky" Shelton missed all but seven games because of a knee injury and would not emerge as one of the team's stars until the following season.[2] His high school teammate, freshman guard John Duren, however, became a starter by mid-season and showed his talent as a point guard and shooter. His ability to lead the team as point guard and pass the ball contributed to Georgetown's team shooting percentage rising from 46% to 50% during the year. He scored a season-high 19 points against Boston College and averaged 15 points per game after becoming a starter.[3]

With the arrival of Duren, there was little need for sophomore Steve Martin to play as a guard – his position in high school and during his freshman year – so Thompson played him off the bench as a small forward this season. Martin made the most of the transition, scoring 15 against Purdue, 17 against Pennsylvania, and a season-high 20 against Seton Hall. He also came off the bench for an eight-point, six-steal game against Holy Cross.[4]

Although retaining its status as an independent, Georgetown was in its third 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 1977 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 1977 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Hoyas participated in the ECAC South Region tournament, which they had won in 1975 and 1976, facing Old Dominion in the semifinal. Junior Georgetown center Ed Hopkins, a key defensive presence also making a major offensive contribution by averaging 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and leading the team in shooting percentage from the field at 57%, missed the game because of an ankle injury. The Hoyas struggled without Hopkins and lost to Old Dominion 80-58.[5] They therefore missed an NCAA tournament berth for the first time since the 1973-74 season.

Invited to the 1977 National Invitation Tournament instead, the Hoyas faced Virginia Tech in the first round. Sophomore forward Al Dutch, averaging 13.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the season, had to sit out the game with an ankle injury. Georgetown missed Dutch's scoring[6] and lost to the Hokies 83-79 despite Derrick Jackson's 28-point performance, which tied his career-high 28 points scored against Penn State during the 1975-76 season.[1] Senior forward Larry Long, often limited by injuries during his four years with the Hoyas, put in an impressive performance in the last two collegiate games of his career with a combined 28 rebounds in the Old Dominion and Virginia Tech games.[7]

Roster

[edit]

Junior 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. Junior guard Mike Riley would later serve as a Hoya assistant coach from 1982 to 2004.

Source[1][2][3][4][5][6][8][9]

# Name Height Weight (lbs.) Position Class Hometown Previous team(s)
10 Craig Esherick 6'3" N/A G Jr. Silver Spring, MD, U.S. Springbrook HS
12 Mike Riley 5'8" N/A G Jr. Washington, DC, U.S. United States Navy
20 Steve Martin 6'4" 175 F So. New Orleans, LA, U.S. St. Augustine HS
22 Derrick Jackson 6'0" 180 G Jr. Wheaton, IL, U.S. Wheaton Central HS
24 Lonnie Duren 6'1" N/A G Fr. Washington, DC, U.S. Augusta Military Academy (Fort Defiance, VA)
25 Al Dutch 6'7" 190 F So. Washington, DC, U.S. Archbishop Carroll HS
32 Larry Long 6'7" 200 F Sr. Washington, DC, U.S. Mackin HS
33 Gary Wilson 6'7" N/A C So. Washington, DC, U.S. St. Anthony's HS
34 Mike MacDermott 6'4" N/A G Sr. Saratoga Springs, NY, U.S. St. Peter HS
42 Felix Yeoman 6'7" N/A F/C Jr. Washington, DC, U.S. St. Anthony's HS
44 John Duren 6'3" 150 G Fr. Washington, DC, U.S. Dunbar HS
50 Craig "Big Sky" Shelton 6'7" 210 F So. Washington, DC, U.S. Dunbar HS
51 Mike Frazier 6'7" N/A F Fr. Cleveland, OH, U.S. University School
52 Ed Hopkins 6'9" 225 C Jr. Baltimore, MD, U.S. Edmondson-Westside HS
55 Tom Scates 6'11" N/A C So. Alexandria, VA, U.S. St. Anthony's HS, (Washington, DC)

Rankings

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Sources[10][11]

The team was not ranked in the Top 20 of the Associated Press Poll at any time, but it was ranked in the Top 20 in the Coaches' Poll during two weeks. This was only the second national ranking in Georgetown men's basketball history, and the first since the 1952-53 team spent a week at No. 20 in the AP Poll in January 1953.[12]

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll 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 Wk 16 Final
AP
Coaches 17 20

1976–77 schedule and results

[edit]

Sources[13][14][15][16][17]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Tue., Nov. 30, 1976
no, no
Upsala W 66–46  1-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Dec. 4, 1976
no, no
St. Bonaventure W 76–60  2-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Tue., Dec. 7, 1976
no, no
North Carolina Central W 95–69  3-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Dec. 18, 1976
no, no
Chicago State W 106–65  4-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Dec. 22, 1976
no, no
vs. No. 5 Alabama
Carolina Classic
L 64–66  4-1
Carolina Coliseum 
Columbia, SC
Thu., Dec. 23, 1976
no, no
vs. Harvard
Carolina Classic
W 60–40  5-1
Carolina Coliseum 
Columbia, SC
Mon., Dec. 27, 1976
no, no
vs. Fairfield
ECAC Holiday Festival
W 79–69  6-1
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Tue., Dec. 28, 1976
no, no
vs. Purdue
ECAC Holiday Festival
L 65–83  6-2
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Thu., Dec. 30, 1976
no, no
vs. Pennsylvania
ECAC Holiday Festival
W 66–61  7-2
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Tue., Jan. 4, 1977
no, no
Boston University W 53–49  8-2
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Jan. 8, 1977
no, no
Stonehill W 81–57  9-2
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Jan. 12, 1977
no, no
at Navy L 55–56  9-3
Halsey Field House 
Annapolis, MD
Sat., Jan. 15, 1977
no, no
Iona W 81–67  10-3
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Tue., Jan. 18, 1977
no, no
at Holy Cross W 69–65  11-3
Hart Center 
Worcester, MA
Sat., Jan. 22, 1977
no, no
Seton Hall L 82–94  11-4
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Jan. 26, 1977
no, no
St. Joseph's W 76–64  12-4
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Jan. 29, 1977
no, no
at American W 78–64  13-4
Fort Myer Gymnasium 
Fort Myer, VA
Wed., Feb. 2, 1977
no, no
at St. John's L 66–82  13-5
Alumni Hall 
Queens, NY
Sat., Feb. 5, 1977
no, no
Loyola (Illinois) W 80–70  14-5
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Thu., Feb. 10, 1977
no, no
Fordham W 66–47  15-5
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 12, 1977
no, no
Southern Connecticut State W 95–65  16-5
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Tue., Feb. 15, 1977
no, no
at St. Peter's W 73–71 OT 17-5
Yanitelli Center 
Jersey City, NJ
Sat., Feb. 19, 1977
no, no
Boston College W 87–69  18-5
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Feb. 23, 1977
no, no
at George Washington L 71–72  18-6
Charles E. Smith Athletic Center 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 26, 1977
no, no
Manhattan W 79–71  19-6
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Mar. 2, 1977
no, no
at Saint Francis L 87–94  19-7
Physical Education Center 
Loretto, PA
ECAC South Region tournament
Fri., Mar. 4, 1977
no, no
Old Dominion
Semifinal
L 58–80  19-8
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
National Invitation tournament
Fri., Mar. 11, 1977
no, no
at Virginia Tech
First Round
L 79–83  19-9
Cassell Coliseum 
Blacksburg, VA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 9. Derrick Jackson". Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 7. Craig Shelton". Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 6. John Duren". Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 64. Steve Martin". Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 75. Ed Hopkins". Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 55. Al Dutch". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  7. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 97. Larry long". Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  8. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1970-71 to 1979-1980". Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  9. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers
  10. ^ sports-reference.com 1976-77 Independent Season Summary
  11. ^ sports-reference.com 1976-77 Polls
  12. ^ sports-reference.com 1952-53 Polls
  13. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1970s Seasons". Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  15. ^ sports-reference.com 1976-77 Georgetown Hoyas Schedule and Results
  16. ^ 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 63.
  17. ^ "jonfmorse.com 1977 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.