McDonough Games

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Does anyone know how the tickets to the San Jose State game are to be allotted? Are they part of the standard season tickets package and will walk up tickets be sold?

I am curious because I would hope we will sell this one out and I would like to attend. I am assuming it would be general admission. Thanks!

[GUHoya07]

If we don't sell this one out we are in very, very serious trouble. I mean, if we can't get 2,500 (or whatever it is exactly) people to a Georgetown Basketball game then this program is really going to struggle to survive. We should sell this out in students alone but that isn't gonna happen at this point. That place better be so completely packed that you can't even get through the doors once the game starts. I want to see standing room only and a gym full of wild college students creating a very hostile environment for the opponents.

[CAHoya07]

If Midnight Madness is any indication, filling up McDonough for this game shouldn't be a problem.

I just submitted my student season ticket order form to the McDonough ticket office today, and they told me they'd send me a an e-mail once the tix come in. My best guess is that the San Jose State game will be part of the season tix, and that you should be able to buy walk-up tix until they sell out. Whether that will be day of the game sales I do not know.

My only frame of reference is the exhibition game against the Israeli All-Stars in early November last year. For that game, students were admitted free if they had bought season tix. It was $2 otherwise for students. Not sure about non-students.

Which brings me to my next point: Is the athletic department going to set off a section of bleacher seats for students only? They did not do this at the exhibition game last year. It would be stupid if they didn't, because I'm sure a lot of students will want to go nuts at this one.

[FLHoya]

A few things I remember about McDonough games:

1. If you buy student season tickets, the McDonough games are included. The tickets look different than the ones for MCI games and they aren't in the same sheet, just dropped in the envelope loose. I don't know about non-student season tickets.

2. McD games are general admission, there's one ticket price and it's cheaper than the MCI one--at least it was 3-4 years ago. I want to say $5 or something like that, my old ticket stubs are in FL.

3. There is not a defined, roped-off, corraled-in student section. That's left up to the creativity of the students themselves to find a spot and get everyone in there.

4. Here's the stats, since you're wondering about how many we can get in 007, from the last five non-vacation break regular season games at McDonough. I think I got the right five from memory. By date, opponent, attendance:

11/17/00 vs. Bethune Cookman 1,863
12/02/00 vs. Nicholls State 2,176
12/09/00 vs. Grambling State 1,931
12/12/00 vs. Coastal Carolina 1,665
11/16/01 vs. Marymount 3,179

A few notes and observations on these:

--The Bethune Cookman and Marymount games were season openers. Marymount is a Division III program that replaced Houston late in the summer on our schedule due to a mixup. They were coached at the time by Chuck Driesell, now of Bishop Ireton H.S. in Alexandria and somewhere else in between.

--The Bethune Cookman game was on a Friday night. The Nicholls and Grambling games were Sat. afternoons. CC was a weekday night. Marymount I cannot remember. The San Jose State game I believe is a late Saturday afternoon. None of the earlier ones, btw, were done as doubleheaders with the women's team.

--Of the games, Coastal Carolina was the only one affected by exam week. By that point, GU's exam period had started that year (it ran until 12/20), likely accounting for the comparatively small student section that night. I assume some students were either studying or already home.

--My best guess as to why the attendance went as it did--excitement and expectations. Despite starting the year out 16-0, there wasn't a whole lot of advance hype for that season, save Hoya Blue doing a very good job pumping kids up. If we received votes in the polls to start the year, it was only a couple. The Coastal Carolina game box score has us listed at #24; that would've been the first game we were ranked (we chanted "Top 25" at the end of the game). The interest from the student body really did build gradually from November through January when it was really nuts.

The Marymount attendance has to in large part be attributable to the expectations for the 2001-2 season. Coming off a Sweet 16 bid and being pre-season ranked (weren't we?), there was considerably more interest. Marymount brought some fans, but no more than 150-200.

--As this relates to this year, we are clearly dealing with lowered expectations in terms of performance by record. We are also, however, dealing with increased interest because of Coach Thompson. Whether that will make an impact remains to be seen.

--An important point here: # of kids at Midnight Madness does NOT equal # of kids at games or # of kids with season tickets. MM is a special case that encompasses more than the team itself in drawing students in. What you do to plug the team after MM is what gets butts in the seats.

So plug away promoting the SJSU game as a big, special, campus event. Be pleasantly surprised if the arena is bursting at the seams with fans. But don't be disappointed if it isn't, because the historical record predicts otherwise.

[lichoya68]

ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

Does anyone know how the tickets to the San Jose State game are to be allotted? Are they part of the standard season tickets package and will walk up tickets be sold?

I am curious because I would hope we will sell this one out and I would like to attend. I am assuming it would be general admission. Thanks!

[CAHoya07]

Well, I, for one, will try to do everything possible to get students motivated and get there early to designate a student section for this event. I hate how the athletic department runs things. It's as if they function without a brain.

[lichoya68]

i think im where i should be as i understand the mcdonough game is not part of the season tix for regular season tix not sure about the student packages.. first come first serve for hoop and season tix holders and then open to everyone should sell the place out for jeff greens on campus explosion go hoyas but tix early

[GUHoya07]

Someone I know is actually planning a camp out outside McDonough for the San Jose State game. He is one of the 9 people I camped out with outside the MCI Center overnight in preparation for the Duke game last year. That was an amazing experience for us 10 die-hards and it was really hardcore staying outside MCI on the sidewalk on probably the coldest night of the winter last year. I won't ever forget that incredible experience. Anyway, he wants this to be a more mainstream thing and involve a bunch of groups on campus so it sounds like a great idea and hopefully it will create some more buzz.

[lichoya68]

jt11 village sounds like a great idea when tix go on sale talk to kim franks and see if she can suggest how to setit up newspeople hot dogs whatever its a great idea a great idea ps kim franks is the tix person for bball

[GUHoya07]

I know who Kim Frank is. I've been working with her on my t-shirt plan for this season to create a sea of gray in the student section at MCI. By the way, 3,000 t-shirts should be in any day now.

Im gonna set some aside for alumni and other fan sales so that we can raise money to buy more in the future so that we can keep the students united and hopefully unite the MCI Center as a whole. Place your orders!!! $15 if I have to mail it out, $10 in person at MCI. Does that sound good as a minimum donation for the shirts?

[CAHoya07]

GUHoya2007 said:

Someone I know is actually planning a camp out outside McDonough for the San Jose State game. He is one of the 9 people I camped out with outside the MCI Center overnight in preparation for the Duke game last year. That was an amazing experience for us 10 die-hards and it was really hardcore staying outside MCI on the sidewalk on probably the coldest night of the winter last year. I won't ever forget that incredible experience. Anyway, he wants this to be a more mainstream thing and involve a bunch of groups on campus so it sounds like a great idea and hopefully it will create some more buzz.

Sounds awesome. I'd love to see this.

[GUHoya07]

Someone told me today that for the San Jose State game they are planning on only having 1,000 student tickets and 1,000 other tickets or something like that. That can't be for real, and if it is that is ridiculous. Maybe his numbers were a bit off because McDonough must hold at least 2,500 but if they limit the attendance like that I will be seriously Editeded. They should try to pack as many people in there as humanly possible and there should be at least 2,000 screaming students going nuts in there. If the ad screws this one up I will not be happy. This game is on campus!!!! We need a ton of students at this thing!!

[DFW HOYA]

GUHoya2007 said:

If the ad screws this one up I will not be happy. This game is on campus!!!! We need a ton of students at this thing!!

The athletic director is not the first contact on ticketing arrangements. Check with the ticket manager first.

Traditionally, Georgetown's been more than fair with student allotments but students have to hold up their end of the bargain too. The worst thing is to feature a game like this, assume students will buy up all the tickets, and only 1,200 show up because of exams.

If students buy up their share early and petition for more seating along the baselines, then there's room to talk. (And as some of us are prone to say, you can fit a lot more than 2,500 in McD.)

[CAHoya07]

GUHoya2007 said:

They should try to pack as many people in there as humanly possible and there should be at least 2,000 screaming students going nuts in there.

2,000 students would be very optimistic. Not impossible, but optimistic. We'll see what happens.

[GUHoya07]

By ad I meant athletic department as a whole, not athletic director.

I guess you guys are right about the student attendance and being realistic about how many will really show up. It's just that when I think about the fact that we can't get 1 out of every 3 students to attend a real game at McDonough it is really annoying, frustrating, painful, and hard to believe. You are probably right that 2,000 would be a bit much to expect at Georgetown at this point in time, but I guess Im still trying to fight that subconsciously.

[FLHoya]

GUHoya2007 said:

You are probably right that 2,000 would be a bit much to expect at Georgetown at this point in time, but I guess Im still trying to fight that subconsciously.

And I for one am glad you are. And that you and others are fighting the good fight consciously every day.

Look, as I said above, the historical trends don't favor a 2,000 student game at McD. In the 2000-1 season that I constantly speak of so reverently, only one of the four McD games got more than 2,000 fans total. I'd venture there were some games where a 200 person student section was the reality (exams and all). Saying we ever got 1,000 students would be pushing it in my mind. We're clearly behind the eight ball when it comes to expectations in terms of what the average non-basketball following student thinks our record is going to be this year. And that's what drives big attendance absent any promotions, etc.

But honestly, screw the history. You want to go for something big? Go for it. I'm confident you and your cronies can pull it off.

[lichoya68]

whoever is thinking about a tent city to buy tix or before the san jose game go for it talk with kim frank and allison rubin or jen shaheen montgomery about your idea itd be great and you can certainly ask the hoop club for help great pr great student motivator.. go for it and go hoyas

[tboy]

Mcdonough ticket order was included in the season ticket package. price $20 per. i suppose general adm.

[jerseyhoya34]

I saw a sign today for the doubleheader, so they are getting the word out early. I think if done well, you could get 2000 students to show because it makes for a good hour and a half diversion during study days.

Maybe CAHoya can use his spot in the HOYA to promote the doubleheader when the time rolls around. Students need to know what kind of statement they could send by (a) showing up and (b) turning it into a raucous environment.

My hope is that the eyes of Healy 2 will be watching and the ears of the Board of Directors will be listening. They can have their business building and their underfunded science building, but I suspect that the money is there today for a $30 million renovation of McDonough (or demolishment+reconstruction of McDonough). Why not raise the money and do what we can? At the very least, it might help our bond rating.

[SaxaCD]

Somebody should find a tape of the GU Mizzou game from 1982 (?). Show that somewhere on campus to enlighten students about what a game at McDonogh COULD be like (granted, the difference in opponents -- bad team vs. #2 in the country -- is huge).