Leave it to a Voice writer to write a short, definitive history of the men’s basketball program under John Thompson, Jr. Mike DeBonis, an old Editor-in-Chief of this fine publication, now writes for the City Paper and as you will see, occasionally for Slate Magazine. Yesterday, he put up this article, entitled, “The World’s Most Dangerous Basketball Team.” Check it out.

Posted by Austin Richardson, Blog Editor

As Georgetown students prepare to enjoy the game John Thompson III brought them, someone “close to Thompson” is saying he’s looking at a move to the NBA. Terrible news if it were true. But fortunately, it probably isn’t going down for a while, if at all.

The Washington Times reported that the Charlotte Bobcats are making overtures to Thompson, but he said he’s not immediately interested. A blogger on AOL’s campus sports blog points out that it’s a bad idea, for two reasons: JTIII’s best players, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, still have another year of playing; and Charlotte’s an awful team.

Here’s another reason for JTIII to stay: the Charlotte logo is terrible. I feel like I’m looking at a Pokemon card, not a reputable team insignia.

Posted by Will Sommer, Staff Writer

While every other U.S. newspaper has been printing feel-good pieces about all the father-son connections at G’town, leave it to the Times to be critical. Friday’s sports section has an excellent and surprising piece about GU Assistant Coach Kevin Broadus’ (recently hired to coach Binghampton) recruiting of Marc Egerson. Egerson withdrew from G’town in December, in the middle of his sophomore season. According to the piece, he got 12 ‘F’s in high school and became a father in February. Egerson’s recruitment is a glaring contradiction to what Georgetown basketball says it stands for, and makes me and my friends on the Ed Board look bad for writing that the Hoyas are all business and focused on the classroom.

However, the article is unfair to Broadus—he bears the blame while his boss, JT III comes out largely unscathed. Broadus and Thompson should have never recruited Egerson, but the article may go a bit far by questioning Broadus’ qualifications for the Binghampton job. I’m sure plenty of assistant coaches have made poor recruiting decisions.

Posted by Keenan Steiner, Editorial Board Chair

While most of us were still caught up in the emotion of the Men’s Basketball team’s backdoor comeback over UNC, 2007 Recruit Chris Wright won the three-point contest at the McDonald’s All-American game in Louisville (Austin Freeman nearly won the dunk contest).

Perhaps the best moment came, however, when the All-American’s gathered to watch the Georgetown-UNC game. All I’m going to say is that there might have been a little trash talk directed toward Ohio State’s recruit Kosta Koufos. With a name like that, though, what’s not to make fun of?

A study carrel in Lauinger is the Mercedes of studying. Carrels have locks, privacy, and windows. If you had one, you wouldn’t have to carry your laptop with you everywhere for fear of theft, or ask someone near you to watch your stuff. You wouldn’t even have to walk back to your room because you could probably fit a cot inside. A carrel combines the best aspects of a personal office, a monk’s cell and a bachelor pad.

Unfortunately, they’re only available to professors and graduate students. Still, I wanted one, so I I called the library’s bluff. I applied here, listing myself as a grad student taking at least 9 credit hours. They only asked for my GoCard number and name, so I thought I was in.
Even though carrels have to be shared, I had big plans. I would keep drinks there, and some of my textbooks. Perhaps I could finally take my shoes off in the library without feeling guilty.

Unfortunately, more than a month on I haven’t heard anything from the library. Maybe all the carrel spots are filled, or my GoCard number betrayed my undergrad status. Still, I’ll apply again next year, because a lock and a view of Healy lawn aren’t things to give up easily.
-Posted by Will Sommer

DCist reports that Metro police might actually start enforcing DC’s often-ignored jaywalking rules. Their evidence is circumstantial (some people said they got ticketed), but with the nice weather encouraging cops to get some exercise and a city-wide campaign to make pedestrians follow the law, it’s not unlikely.

It also won’t hurt Mayor Fenty’s budget. Enforcing small laws like jaywalking restrictions can be a boon for a city’s treasury, and he does have the school overhaul coming up.

Judging from my experience during another city’s jaywalking crackdown, cops pick off whomever they think looks like they have time to spare and won’t yell. A similar process is used when a Voice reporter picks people to interview for student quotes. In both cases, as long as you look gruff, you’ll get away.

Posted by Will Sommer

The National Zoo is one of only five zoos in the country with giant pandas, but the zoo is a bus ride and a Metro stop away. Normally, people who just want a quick panda fix, or don’t like pretending that they’re interested in gazelles would be out of luck. Fortunately, the National Zoo website has the Panda Cam, a continuous feed of those beasts are up to.

As of lunchtime Monday, Tai Shan was pressing his panda face into a rock, asleep. But then a weird mist floated by for a while. Fortunately, the panda seemed unharmed.

The pandas cost a bundle, so the least we can do is get our money’s worth by monitoring them constantly.

Posted by Will Sommer

A new Georgetown seminar will investigate the murder of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was beheaded in Pakistan in 2002. Called the Pearl Project, it will be available to graduate students in Georgetown’s journalism program, as well as undergrad English majors in the college.

It’s an interesting idea for a class, and if it succeeds in helping Pearl’s family find answers it’s an even better idea. Maybe it’ll be as compelling in the unsolved true crime genre as the unexpectedly excellent Zodiac. But don’t we already know what happened?

Posted by Will Sommer

Austin touched on a few good articles about our victories below, but he neglected to mention the excellent work of our own Sports Editor Tony Francavilla—see his takes on the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight. Also, Clare Malone, our features editor, has been contributing to Sports Illustrated.com—here is her re-working of a recent Voice feature on the Hoyas’ male cheerleader and her contribution to SI’s Campus Report.

Posted by Tim Fernholz, Managing Editor

Writing this now, my throat is hoarse and my ears are ringing. If you didn’t make it to New Jersey this weekend, you missed out. Hopefully, though, you made up for it while closing down M St.

There are a ton of articles out there on last night’s game, but I’ll give you the cream of the crop: Andy Katz’s article at ESPN, Tom Knott’s at the Washington Times, and the Post’s most recent piece on Jon Wallace.

All will try and tell you why the Hoyas won, but I’ll tell you the truth right now: it was the face paint my friend Christa put on JTIV’s face (and yes, I mean 4) at the Hilton before the game. Sure, he might still be in elementary school, and he might have wiped the “III” she put on his forehead into a silver smear before he even boarded the bus, but those splotches put the spirit quotient over the top.

We Are!

Posted by Austin Richardson, Blog Editor