DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on May 11, 2018 21:02:12 GMT -5
Anyone who went feel free to chime in.
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kghoya
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Post by kghoya on May 11, 2018 21:14:09 GMT -5
Was Derrickson in attendance?
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on May 11, 2018 22:23:07 GMT -5
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Post by iheartdurenbros on May 12, 2018 7:42:56 GMT -5
Derrickson was not there. Dickerson missed the program. Ewing said that TD was on his way and would be there later. I never saw him, but he may have showed up.
Joe Lunardo joked that he was coming back to Hoya basketball for his 53rd year so that Jessie should come back for his fourth. Not sure that will work, but it was good to see him there and still engaged with the team. It was disappointing to see Marcus gone. I know people wanted to thank him and wish him well. Having said that, his absence did not surprise me.
The only Thompson in attendance was Ronny.
There was a significant injury without explanation: Coach Ewing was on crutches and clearly in pain as he gave his (probably abbreviated)presentation. I don’t know if anyone actually talked to him about it, but you have to guess that these procedures have become a fact of life for him. (OT: how much is made of Michael Jordan’s flu game as demonstration of heart, when Ewing played throughout the 1990s with his knees.)
Ewing did say that he has a vision for the program and that he was happy with the foundation he has laid this year. He did not elaborate much except to say that there was a coach in the conference — he wasn’t going to name names — who has been very successful and won national championships and he couldn’t wait to flip the script and beat him.
It was not particularly well-attended but the people there had a lot of fun. Most had some type of staff connection to the program so that it was a nice opportunity to talk about the fan experience and suggest giveaways to Chris Grosse (who BTW says that he cannot wait to perform his magic with a winning program).
Regarding scheduling, which I expect will be shrouded in mystery for a while, the trip to Jamaica is expected and they are arranging to participate in a NYC tournament. There will be an international tour in two years.
I really hope that the event receives better publicity next year and that success leads to better attendance.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on May 12, 2018 14:11:18 GMT -5
From the picture above Coach Pat looks huge, he must have been working out. (apologies to Seinfeld).
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kghoya
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Post by kghoya on May 13, 2018 14:13:41 GMT -5
Derrickson was not there. Dickerson missed the program. Ewing said that TD was on his way and would be there later. I never saw him, but he may have showed up. Joe Lunardo joked that he was coming back to Hoya basketball for his 53rd year so that Jessie should come back for his fourth. Not sure that will work, but it was good to see him there and still engaged with the team. It was disappointing to see Marcus gone. I know people wanted to thank him and wish him well. Having said that, his absence did not surprise me. The only Thompson in attendance was Ronny. There was a significant injury without explanation: Coach Ewing was on crutches and clearly in pain as he gave his (probably abbreviated)presentation. I don’t know if anyone actually talked to him about it, but you have to guess that these procedures have become a fact of life for him. (OT: how much is made of Michael Jordan’s flu game as demonstration of heart, when Ewing played throughout the 1990s with his knees.) Ewing did say that he has a vision for the program and that he was happy with the foundation he has laid this year. He did not elaborate much except to say that there was a coach in the conference — he wasn’t going to name names — who has been very successful and won national championships and he couldn’t wait to flip the script and beat him. It was not particularly well-attended but the people there had a lot of fun. Most had some type of staff connection to the program so that it was a nice opportunity to talk about the fan experience and suggest giveaways to Chris Grosse (who BTW says that he cannot wait to perform his magic with a winning program). Regarding scheduling, which I expect will be shrouded in mystery for a while, the trip to Jamaica is expected and they are arranging to participate in a NYC tournament. There will be an international tour in two years. I really hope that the event receives better publicity next year and that success leads to better attendance. Thanks for an informative post. Too bad about Marcus not being there.
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lichoya68
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OK YOUNGINS ARE HERE AND ARE VERY VERY GOOD cant wait GO HOYAS
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Post by lichoya68 on May 13, 2018 21:21:53 GMT -5
neither marcus NOR sodom was there also sooooooooo
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lichoya68
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OK YOUNGINS ARE HERE AND ARE VERY VERY GOOD cant wait GO HOYAS
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Post by lichoya68 on May 13, 2018 21:22:39 GMT -5
Nice event sadly poorly attended soooo but kenner SOOON and looking forwared to the newbies if jesse stays we will be ok or MORE than ok yup go hoyas
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Post by professorhoya on May 14, 2018 6:27:49 GMT -5
From the picture above Coach Pat looks huge, he must have been working out. (apologies to Seinfeld). I noticed that too but it may be the camera angle and distortion.
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on May 14, 2018 6:44:24 GMT -5
From the picture above Coach Pat looks huge, he must have been working out. (apologies to Seinfeld). I noticed that too but it may be the camera angle and distortion. No, he's huge. He was on crutches and visibly in pain when he limped up the stairs to the podium to give his truncated remarks. Hope he's taking care of himself with his travel schedule.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on May 14, 2018 8:46:22 GMT -5
Nice event sadly poorly attended soooo but kenner SOOON and looking forwared to the newbies if jesse stays we will be ok or MORE than ok yup go hoyas Poor attendance goes to the heart of the problem. Hosting a Friday night event in Georgetown at 6:00 pm simply writes off the out-of-town fan base and any in-town fans that aren't within a five mile driving radius of the school. A $95 price point for what has become a "meet and greet" doesn't sell tickets either. Georgetown has lost approximately 40 percent of its fan base in the last five years. All the Twitter campaigns and millenial game promotions aren't addressing this. I salute the stalwarts of the class of 1968 and 1969 who continue to support these events and with their season tickets. That having been said, where are the GOLD classes (2008 through 2017) at these type of receptions, and where are the season ticket holders under 40 (read= grad classes of 2000 and beyond) which will carry the weight into the next decade?
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on May 14, 2018 9:27:17 GMT -5
Poor attendance goes to the heart of the problem. Hosting a Friday night event in Georgetown at 6:00 pm simply writes off the out-of-town fan base and any in-town fans that aren't within a five mile driving radius of the school. A $95 price point for what has become a "meet and greet" doesn't sell tickets either. Georgetown has lost approximately 40 percent of its fan base in the last five years. All the Twitter campaigns and millenial game promotions aren't addressing this. I salute the stalwarts of the class of 1968 and 1969 who continue to support these events and with their season tickets. That having been said, where are the GOLD classes (2008 through 2017) at these type of receptions, and where are the season ticket holders under 40 (read= grad classes of 2000 and beyond) which will carry the weight into the next decade? The one factor not stated above is that the program has had three poor seasons in a row, and four of the last five seasons. It's hard to build excitement about the program when you're not winning. I realize that a lot of fans will bristle at the thought that winning affects fandom (and I agree, in theory) - but it's the reality. If we make a Sweet 16 much of that lost fanbase will be right back (where does that figure even come from? attendance? our attendance figure doesn't = fandom, since we have always relied on opposing fans to fill our seats, too). As far as the 2000-2017 classes - these simply aren't great classes when it comes to expecting donations and/or attendance at an event like this - particularly on a Friday night. Let's take a look: Class of 2012-2017: These alumni are aged approximately 23-28. True, many people in this age group aren't yet married or have kids, so you'd think they'd be prime for this. However, some of the problems - a lot of fans in this category simply don't have a ton of money to spend on banquets. Second, these classes (especially the tail end) had very limited exposure to good basketball teams. Class of 2007-2011: These alumni are aged approximately 29-33. This is prime time for people to begin getting married/having kids. Yes, a lot of people have the financial ability to go to a banquet, but it's still not easy given other life concerns. On the contrary, these classes enjoyed the best JT3 years. So you'd think fandom would be bigger among these students. Looking forward, I think this age-range can carry the torch of fandom, but it's just not there yet. Class of 2000-2006: Count me among this group, aged approximately 34-40. In this group, you're prime for most alumni to be married with little kids. Banquets? There's not much time for anything, particularly on a Friday night. This is probably the hardest group to get involved, and for legitimate reasons. I am not trying to make excuses for anybody here - but it's the reality of life, and I think the Friday night timing is particularly awful. I realize this Sunday was Mother's Day, but why not do the banquet on another Sunday afternoon or evening? That would make it easier for people to travel from out of town. I live about 4-5 hours from Washington, DC, and Friday night is about the worst timing possible here, because it would require skipping out of work early. Again, putting a winning team on the court, and all these considerations are largely muted. (EDIT: As SSHoya pointed out, it's a reception, not a banquet, so apologies for the wrong terminology above. And I agree a reception is better than a banquet.)
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on May 14, 2018 9:33:41 GMT -5
Poor attendance goes to the heart of the problem. Hosting a Friday night event in Georgetown at 6:00 pm simply writes off the out-of-town fan base and any in-town fans that aren't within a five mile driving radius of the school. A $95 price point for what has become a "meet and greet" doesn't sell tickets either. Georgetown has lost approximately 40 percent of its fan base in the last five years. All the Twitter campaigns and millenial game promotions aren't addressing this. I salute the stalwarts of the class of 1968 and 1969 who continue to support these events and with their season tickets. That having been said, where are the GOLD classes (2008 through 2017) at these type of receptions, and where are the season ticket holders under 40 (read= grad classes of 2000 and beyond) which will carry the weight into the next decade? The one factor not stated above is that the program has had three poor seasons in a row, and four of the last five seasons. It's hard to build excitement about the program when you're not winning. I realize that a lot of fans will bristle at the thought that winning affects fandom (and I agree, in theory) - but it's the reality. If we make a Sweet 16 much of that lost fanbase will be right back (where does that figure even come from? attendance? our attendance figure doesn't = fandom, since we have always relied on opposing fans to fill our seats, too). As far as the 2000-2017 classes - these simply aren't great classes when it comes to expecting donations and/or attendance at an event like this - particularly on a Friday night. Let's take a look: Class of 2012-2017: These alumni are aged approximately 23-28. True, many people in this age group aren't yet married or have kids, so you'd think they'd be prime for this. However, some of the problems - a lot of fans in this category simply don't have a ton of money to spend on banquets. Second, these classes (especially the tail end) had very limited exposure to good basketball teams. Class of 2007-2011: These alumni are aged approximately 29-33. This is prime time for people to begin getting married/having kids. Yes, a lot of people have the financial ability to go to a banquet, but it's still not easy given other life concerns. On the contrary, these classes enjoyed the best JT3 years. So you'd think fandom would be bigger among these students. Looking forward, I think this age-range can carry the torch of fandom, but it's just not there yet. Class of 2000-2006: Count me among this group, aged approximately 34-40. In this group, you're prime for most alumni to be married with little kids. Banquets? There's not much time for anything, particularly on a Friday night. This is probably the hardest group to get involved, and for legitimate reasons. I am not trying to make excuses for anybody here - but it's the reality of life, and I think the Friday night timing is particularly awful. I realize this Sunday was Mother's Day, but why not do the banquet on another Sunday afternoon or evening? That would make it easier for people to travel from out of town. I live about 4-5 hours from Washington, DC, and Friday night is about the worst timing possible here, because it would require skipping out of work early. Again, putting a winning team on the court, and all these considerations are largely muted. Point of clarification and probably just semantics: it hasn't been a banquet for years. It's a reception with an open bar (with hard liquor!) and a decent spread of food. Personally, I know lots of folks who like this format better. I agree that winning is the solution. I'm class of '77, retired, and can afford to drive in from out-of-state to attend these type of functions.
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TC
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Post by TC on May 14, 2018 9:38:33 GMT -5
Georgetown has lost approximately 40 percent of its fan base in the last five years. All the Twitter campaigns and millenial game promotions aren't addressing this. I salute the stalwarts of the class of 1968 and 1969 who continue to support these events and with their season tickets. That having been said, where are the GOLD classes (2008 through 2017) at these type of receptions, and where are the season ticket holders under 40 (read= grad classes of 2000 and beyond) which will carry the weight into the next decade? Can't you ever make this point without crapping on Chris Grosse? Hoya Hoop Club / marketing of non-season tickets are two different things. I feel like you continually attack one of the only things that this program does right just because there's whimsy and creativity in it. Chris Grosse is a national treasure.
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LCPolo18
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Post by LCPolo18 on May 14, 2018 10:34:48 GMT -5
Poor attendance goes to the heart of the problem. Hosting a Friday night event in Georgetown at 6:00 pm simply writes off the out-of-town fan base and any in-town fans that aren't within a five mile driving radius of the school. A $95 price point for what has become a "meet and greet" doesn't sell tickets either. Georgetown has lost approximately 40 percent of its fan base in the last five years. All the Twitter campaigns and millenial game promotions aren't addressing this. I salute the stalwarts of the class of 1968 and 1969 who continue to support these events and with their season tickets. That having been said, where are the GOLD classes (2008 through 2017) at these type of receptions, and where are the season ticket holders under 40 (read= grad classes of 2000 and beyond) which will carry the weight into the next decade? The one factor not stated above is that the program has had three poor seasons in a row, and four of the last five seasons. It's hard to build excitement about the program when you're not winning. I realize that a lot of fans will bristle at the thought that winning affects fandom (and I agree, in theory) - but it's the reality. If we make a Sweet 16 much of that lost fanbase will be right back (where does that figure even come from? attendance? our attendance figure doesn't = fandom, since we have always relied on opposing fans to fill our seats, too). As far as the 2000-2017 classes - these simply aren't great classes when it comes to expecting donations and/or attendance at an event like this - particularly on a Friday night. Let's take a look: Class of 2012-2017: These alumni are aged approximately 23-28. True, many people in this age group aren't yet married or have kids, so you'd think they'd be prime for this. However, some of the problems - a lot of fans in this category simply don't have a ton of money to spend on banquets. Second, these classes (especially the tail end) had very limited exposure to good basketball teams. Class of 2007-2011: These alumni are aged approximately 29-33. This is prime time for people to begin getting married/having kids. Yes, a lot of people have the financial ability to go to a banquet, but it's still not easy given other life concerns. On the contrary, these classes enjoyed the best JT3 years. So you'd think fandom would be bigger among these students. Looking forward, I think this age-range can carry the torch of fandom, but it's just not there yet. Class of 2000-2006: Count me among this group, aged approximately 34-40. In this group, you're prime for most alumni to be married with little kids. Banquets? There's not much time for anything, particularly on a Friday night. This is probably the hardest group to get involved, and for legitimate reasons. I am not trying to make excuses for anybody here - but it's the reality of life, and I think the Friday night timing is particularly awful. I realize this Sunday was Mother's Day, but why not do the banquet on another Sunday afternoon or evening? That would make it easier for people to travel from out of town. I live about 4-5 hours from Washington, DC, and Friday night is about the worst timing possible here, because it would require skipping out of work early. Again, putting a winning team on the court, and all these considerations are largely muted. (EDIT: As SSHoya pointed out, it's a reception, not a banquet, so apologies for the wrong terminology above. And I agree a reception is better than a banquet.) Totally agree with all of this. I mean, just look at the Stonewalls. They were members of those young alumni classes and tried to build a group that supported the program. But continued disappointing seasons, building personal commitments, and a lack of recent graduates that were passionate fans to step in made the Stonewalls a much lower priority for everyone to the point where they dissolved. Count me also as being part of the class of 2000-2006 group. I briefly considered attending the reception since I'm local, but was out of town for Mother's Day weekend. I'm not surprised that attendance was low, considering that: - The team is coming off of three straight below expectation seasons.
- There were no impact seniors graduating (no disrespect to Dickerson and Mulmore, but being on campus for 1-2 years doesn't create much of a following).
- As was mentioned before, the timing wasn't great.
I feel like even an NCAA tournament berth at this point will help to generate excitement around the program. Outside of rejuvenating the fan base, if the school wants better attendance at an event like this they'll have to be more creative, like changing timing to make it a family event, having the reception closer to the end of the season, having a guest speaker like a former popular player, or scaling the ticket pricing to favor young alumni/students/season ticket holders.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on May 14, 2018 12:41:02 GMT -5
I feel like you continually attack one of the only things that this program does right just because there's whimsy and creativity in it. Chris Grosse is a national treasure. I've not met him so I can't speak to a national treasure, but I would suspect even he would admit that attendance isn't where it should be. Totally agree with all of this. I mean, just look at the Stonewalls. They were members of those young alumni classes and tried to build a group that supported the program. But continued disappointing seasons, building personal commitments, and a lack of recent graduates that were passionate fans to step in made the Stonewalls a much lower priority for everyone to the point where they dissolved. A far larger question, perhaps, but where is the next passionate fan base? The classes of 1965-72 still show up in representative numbers despite a seven year record of 99-97 and not a single NCAA invite. Joe Lonardo will be back for his 54th season but a lot of grads aren't coming back for their 5th or 6th. We can blame the millenials or that Washington is a poor sports town but that's a dodge. Georgetown has let far too many passionate fans wander away and a lot of them aren't coming back--not because of the NCAA's or JT III, but that the collective experience is no longer worth their effort. Where are all those kids who rushed the court against Duke in 2006, who walked through the snow to beat Villanova in 2010, or filled Verizon the Hoyas to its last great Big East game in 2013? How did we lose them?
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Post by HometownHoya on May 14, 2018 12:49:57 GMT -5
I feel like you continually attack one of the only things that this program does right just because there's whimsy and creativity in it. Chris Grosse is a national treasure. I've not met him so I can't speak to a national treasure, but I would suspect even he would admit that attendance isn't where it should be. Totally agree with all of this. I mean, just look at the Stonewalls. They were members of those young alumni classes and tried to build a group that supported the program. But continued disappointing seasons, building personal commitments, and a lack of recent graduates that were passionate fans to step in made the Stonewalls a much lower priority for everyone to the point where they dissolved. A far larger question, perhaps, but where is the next passionate fan base? The classes of 1965-72 still show up in representative numbers despite a seven year record of 99-97 and not a single NCAA invite. Joe Lonardo will be back for his 54th season but a lot of grads aren't coming back for their 5th or 6th. We can blame the millenials or that Washington is a poor sports town but that's a dodge. Georgetown has let far too many passionate fans wander away and a lot of them aren't coming back--not because of the NCAA's or JT III, but that the collective experience is no longer worth their effort. Where are all those kids who rushed the court against Duke in 2006, who walked through the snow to beat Villanova in 2010, or filled Verizon the Hoyas to its last great Big East game in 2013? How did we lose them? I was class of 2010 and at all 3 of those games you mentioned but life has taken priority for me. I still watch every Hoya game and make it to a few per year in person. This year I'm shooting for the Jamaica tournament. That said, a $95 reception on a Friday night with transfer graduates does not move the needle for me attendance wise, even if I could also use it as an excuse to get home to see family. If I was in the DC area it would be on my list of activities to go to but at that price, I'd probably spend my night elsewhere. Like others have said, a Saturday or Sunday afternoon would be better for the younger alumni (both local and remote).
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MCIGuy
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Anyone here? What am I supposed to update?
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Post by MCIGuy on May 14, 2018 12:59:17 GMT -5
Is there any more information regarding what was said at the reception?
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on May 14, 2018 14:15:44 GMT -5
We can blame the millenials or that Washington is a poor sports town but that's a dodge. Georgetown has let far too many passionate fans wander away and a lot of them aren't coming back--not because of the NCAA's or JT III, but that the collective experience is no longer worth their effort. Where are all those kids who rushed the court against Duke in 2006, who walked through the snow to beat Villanova in 2010, or filled Verizon the Hoyas to its last great Big East game in 2013? How did we lose them? How has Georgetown let passionate fans "wander away"? If your answer is that we aren't winning, and these fans aren't coming to games as much, then you are right. I disagree that "a lot of them" aren't coming back - I am not sure what makes you come to this conclusion, or how we could even know at this point. I am not among them, but for the students who attended Georgetown in the 2007 era, the team surely had a lot of meaning to some them. But, as time goes on, and life situations change, priorities become different. It makes sense that some people who went to games in that era (because we were winning), wouldn't stick it out when times got tougher. But, it's this way with all sports - winning teams draw, losing teams generally fare more poorly. The kids rushing the court against Duke in 2006? Again, those are people who are now in the 31-35 age range. They are raising families, working hard to establish themselves in their careers, etc. I think a very large percentage are also outside of the DC area - very few of my immediate friends from my time at Georgetown are in the DC area. This is also a generation that got thrown into the workforce basically as the recession was happening, which means in some cases, their professional development didn't quite progress as quickly as in normal times. When you combine that with all the negativity that had surrounded the program leading up to JT3's demise, plus the struggles, it's easy to see why people would step away. As far as older generations - it's very laudable that those folks are still involved, but let's face it - not only was Georgetown a different school in the 1950s/1960s, but basketball was a campus experience, it wasn't nearly as big a deal as it is now, and there were far fewer distractions for these alumni (in other words, fewer things to do other than basketball). Being on campus is actually a big deal here - it's easy to see how students could develop a closer bond with the program if games were played on campus. But, it's a pipe dream that that will happen today.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2018 15:32:15 GMT -5
Joe Lonardo will be back for his 54th season but a lot of grads aren't coming back for their 5th or 6th. HOT TAKE ALERT This is not meant as a knock on Joe Lonardo, nor on his contributions and commitment to Hoya Hoops. Joe has probably forgotten more about Georgetown Basketball than I'll ever know. But if you're trying to get more young people to come to something (anything), you might want to change up the emcee more than once every couple decades. Don't @ me.
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