RIP Bill Shapland

[hoyaLS05]

HoopClub/Mex/BigEast reporting on Twitter that longterm SID (and alum) Bill Shapland has passed away. RIP. Want to say he was 58ish.

Shap never made things easy on me or the other student reporters, but everything he did was clearly out of a love for Georgetown. He loved JT II and JT II loved him. Had an incredible recall of just about every game and every player from the last several decades. Was a fairly prolific sci-fi writer (under a pseudonym) in his spare time.

I'm sure he'll be missed on the Hilltop.

[DFW HOYA]

"Bill Shapland (C'77), the longest serving sports information director in the Big East conference, passed away Friday morning at the age of 57. The announcement was provided via a Twitter post from the athletic department.

As Georgetown's sports information director for basketball (later titled as senior sports communications director), Shapland was a part of 945 intercollegiate games for the Hoyas since 1984, helping to organize Georgetown's media participation in 29 Big East tournaments, 20 NCAA tournaments, and overseas trips to Israel in 1993 and China in 2011."

Full story on front page:

www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/bball.htm

[Nevada Hoya]

Sorry to hear this. He went much too young. May he rest in peace.

[Hilltopper]

R.I.P. to an important part of the Hoya family and our basketball tradition.

[Elvado]

Godspeed and RIP to a loyal and dedicated Hoya.

[This Just In]

The family has my condolences

[nashvillehoyas]

Had the opportunity to meet and chat with Shapland at Hoya away games about basketball and Hoyas. Very friendly man.

[DanMcQ]

RIP

Wash Post - Liz Clarke: Bill Shapland, longtime Georgetown sports information director, dies at 57

“Bill really was very special to me because of the time that we spent during tough times, as well as good times,” said Thompson, the Hall of Fame coach, in a telephone interview. “A lot of time he took the blame and responsibility for a lot of things to buffer me. That meant a lot to me. Bill was not just somebody who worked with me; he was my friend, and he protected me.”

Coach John Thompson III, under whom Shapland served these last nine years, offered praise and gratitude, as well,

“You go through life, you go through this job, and you come across unfortunately few people that you know, by their word and actions, unequivocally through good and bad, are going to be there for you—who are going to support you, have your back and throw themselves under the bus if necessary to protect our institution and to protect our program,” Thompson III said.

“Bill, beyond a shadow of a doubt, has been that for as long as I can remember. He has been at the forefront of Georgetown basketball. And we love him for that.”

But Shapland’s favorite adult role was Defender of Georgetown basketball, which explains why John Thompson Jr. called him his “wartime consigliere.”

“Based on how our program was, it was not an easy job that he had,” the elder Thompson said. “I wasn’t the most social person in the world to work with. And he had to deal with that.”

Often, Shapland’s approach to media relations meant circling the wagons rather than spinning a narrative. He could be gruff and intractable, offering no explanation for denying interview requests beyond, “That’s how we do things.”

But a kind, caring man lurked just beneath the surface.

“Our rooms were situated across the hallway and I can remember hearing his loud, booming laugh,” recalled Lorry Michel, the Hoyas’ longtime athletic trainer. “You wouldn’t even know what he was laughing about, but it would make me laugh, too. I always felt he was somebody who had my back. He knew I didn’t like to do interviews, so he would filter every request. He would probably laugh right now because I’m doing this interview for him. He was a special person, a compassionate person.”

[haydenmac]

From my dad, Rich Chvotkin, who wished to share his thoughts with the HoyaTalk community:

I was saddened yesterday to hear that Bill Shapland was very sick and in the hospital. We celebrated another year of Georgetown basketball last night, and how fortunate most of us were to be part of a special University.

It was the first time Bill had missed a basketball banquet, and his absence was palpable. You see, Bill Shapland never sought fame, never took the spotlight, and never made himself bigger than Georgetown basketball. At the end of the day, he had his priorities clearly set: God, Family, and Georgetown.

Fittingly, last night was not about Bill, even though our thoughts and prayers were with him. He would rather us focus on what Father McFadden would always describe in his banquet benedictions as "good company." Georgetown basketball wasn't about winning or losing, but the long-standing tradition of the maturation of boys to young men.

We heard beautifully delivered speeches from Pat Kenny, Chris Harvey, and Otto Porter, Jr, who spoke about their time at the Hilltop, and you could tell their lives were forever changed for the better.

Bill had an eye for life's big picture, and always knew the right time to share a lesson. Leaving Columbus, Ohio, last year, he counseled my son Evan as we departed Nationwide Arena. "Rich," he asked, "how many times did you end the college basketball season on a high note in your 30something years?" Only once, I replied. His lesson was that in life, we might encounter disappointment more often than not, but we could choose to either focus on that, or on the greater good that was the fun we had experienced during the season.

Bill valued loyalty, honesty, and wasn't afraid to stand up for the team or his players. Those of us who knew him knew on a personal level knew how much he valued his role as a protector of the team and took it seriously. He was a wealth of knowledge, and trying to argue with Bill would more often than not be an exercise in futility. He had done his research, and his convictions were steadfast.

We will miss his game-day stories. We will miss his signature laughter. We will miss the wit, the wisdom, and the wise-cracks. He'll still be watching over us, just from a slightly different seat.

[Just Cos]

Great words and thanks for sharing. Thoughts and prayers.

[DanMcQ]

Evan, thanks to you (and your Dad) for that.

[SirSaxa]

Shap was a key part of GU basketball for a very long time - longer than many board members have been on this earth. Thanks for all you did for Hoya Hoops Shap. RIP

[lichoya68]

Very nice article by Liz Clarke and wonderful warm words from Rich. Very sad day. Truly a great Hoya. God now has a great SID up there. RIP and condolences to his family and his Hoya family too. Wont be the same on the Hilltop.

[Nevada Hoya]

Evan, beautiful words by your dad on Bill.

[DanMcQ]

ajerseyguy.com/?p=6763

But in the world of college athletics, in the even smaller world of college basketball, time stopped for an instant with the announcement of the death of long time Georgetown Sports Information Director Bill Shapland.

Shap was 57 and the news of his passing was more of a surprise than a shock. He had been battling health problems for the past few years and had been hospitalized with a series of ailments.

Shapland was a Jersey guy before he was a Georgetown guy, which dates back almost 40 years. While the world lived through the Georgetown era of John Thompson and Allen Iverson, both the good and the bad, which prompted the term “Hoya Paranoia” , it was Shap who carried the message–both good and bad to the media.

At his peak, John Thompson could be a pain in the butt to deal with….unless you knew the man and the men behind the gruffness.

And while Shap would say No as often as he said Yes, it was never said without a sense of courtesy and respect.

I remember one instance when I was doing a story for the Boston Globe and I needed to talk to Iverson AND John Thompson. I place the call to Shap, not expecting a whole lot since this was the height of the Hoya Paranoia era when there was appeared to be more secrecy at Georgetown than across the river at the CIA Headquarters.

“Let me see what I can do,” said Shapland, who I knew only casually, mainly through my good friend Associated Press national basketball writer Jim O’Connell.

By the end of the afternoon, Thompson AND Iverson had both called back.

That was Shap. He did what he could do when he could do it. But if he couldn’t do it, he would simply say No.

In a world which has been filled with lots of gloom and doom the past few weeks, Shap was one of the good guys-even though lots of people didn’t see it or take time to see it or look for it.

He will be missed.

[DanMcQ]

Jay Bilas

RIP, longtime Georgetown SID Bill Shapland. Always affable and truly loved the Hoya players. I'll miss him.

Steve Lavin

Sad to hear news of #Hoyas' Bill Shapland passing. Took care of things on The Hilltop for a long time. Rest in Peace. #stjbb

Syracuse Basketball

Thoughts and prayers to the folks at Georgetown where longtime SID Bill Shapland has passed on. A great guy. He'll be missed.

Dick Weiss

sad to hear about passing of long tiem geortgetown swid, friend bill shapland

(Hoops must have been tweeting from his smartphone)

[DanMcQ]

www.guhoyas.com/genrel/042913aaa.html

A memorial service for Bill will be held at Gawler's Funeral Home (5130 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20016) at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1.

There will be a memorial service on campus at Georgetown, but arrangements are still being made on that and that information will be announced as soon as they are finalized. A memorial mass will be held on the Georgetown campus at Dahlgren Chapel on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. A reception will be held in Riggs Library immediately following. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a donation be made to Academy 360, a health & wellness focused charter school in Denver, Colo. being founded by his sister, Dorothy Shapland. All donations will go toward an Athletic Facility that will be dedicated in Bill's name. Academy 360 accepts donations through PayPal and more information can be found at www.academy-360.org/get-involved/donate

[DanMcQ]

georgetown.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1500055