This past weekend Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Henry Sims, and Jason Clark found themselves on the same team for the first time since their unceremonious exit from the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Georgetown reunion was made possible by the Basketball Alumni Legends League (The-BALL).

The fledgling professional league held its inaugural games this weekend, with the four Hoyas suiting up for Washington, D.C., against a group of former college standouts from the Philadelphia area. The-BALL, which plans to fully launch next summer, also unveiled a few rule quirks, like a four-point line from 25 feet out.

“It was cool,” Clark said after the first game in D.C. on Saturday. “It added some fun to the game, some excitement. I couldn’t hit one, but I’ll try tomorrow.”

The D.C. team won both exhibitions, with Clark leading the way with 20 and 21 points. Freeman displayed his familiar shooting touch, while Wright took over down the stretch in Sunday’s game. Sims fouled out in both contests, but he was a formidable presence in the paint (and on the solo fast break) when he did play.

For Sims and Clark, the games represented the next step in their transition from their time at Georgetown to their professional careers. Both played in the NBA Summer League last month, with Clark suiting up for the Miami Heat and Sims receiving playing time with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. Neither player has parlayed the experience into an NBA contract as of yet.

“It was good to get out there and learn from those older guys, gave me a chance to show what I got,” Clark said. “It was a really fun trip.”

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Former Georgetown basketball star Austin Freeman has been charged with seven traffic offenses, including driving under the influence of alcohol, the Washington Times reported today.

On June 25 at 4:05 a.m., Maryland State Police in Prince George’s County stopped former Georgetown basketball star Austin Freeman, who was going 71 mph in a 50-mph zone. He was cited for DUI, reckless driving, negligent driving, failure to obey a traffic control device, and not displaying the vehicle registration card when asked by the officer.

Two days before the incident, Freeman learned that he had gone undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 2010-2011 Big East Preseason Player of the Year had high hopes, especially after working out for several NBA teams and reportedly dropping 20 pounds since Georgetown’s season ended. But no team came calling and the shooting guard was left to ponder his next move.

Freeman finished his career on the Hilltop with 1,761 points, the seventh most in Georgetown history. He also ranks third all-time in three pointers made with 187 and second all-time in free throw percentage, making 82.6 percent of his shots from the charity stripe. In his senior season, Freeman averaged a team-leading and career-best 17.6 points per game.

Driving under the influence of alcohol carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, and a 45-day license suspension.

h/t Washington Times

Earlier today, senior guard Austin Freeman was named to the Naismith mid-season Top 30.

Freeman, who averages 18.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game this season, has been key to Georgetown’s seven-game winning streak in conference play.

The Naismith Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top college basketball player, will be awarded during the NCAA Final Four in Houston.

Freeman and the Hoyas will face off at home against Marquette on Sunday at 1 p.m. Last season, Georgetown split its pair of games against the Golden Eagles.

h/t Jeff Goodman (via Casual Hoya)

Just like last year, we’re giving you three reasons to hate each of Georgetown’s Big East opponents. First up, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Joyce Center

Georgetown played more games on the road than it did at home during its nonconference schedule. That’s unheard of for a top-25 team; Syracuse usually doesn’t leave the state of New York until January. So of course, John Thompson III’s reward for building a challenging schedule is opening up Big East play on the road. And of all places, it’s at the Joyce Center (or more irritatingly, the Purnell Pavilion at the Joyce Center), against No. 15 Notre Dame. At least Georgetown will be well-prepared.

Despite being better known for their football team, the Golden Domers turn out strong for hoops as well. The Joyce Center offers one of the better home court advantages in the Big East, inspiring the Fighting Irish to separate streaks of 51 and 45 wins at home in the past decade.

The Hoyas have won at Notre Dame just once since 2002, and even then, in 2006, it took two overtimes to prevail. The only time any current Hoya has ventured to South Bend was two seasons ago, when Luke Harangody led the Irish to a 73-67 victory. Now, Georgetown’s seniors have one last chance to win in a building whose Wikipedia page has a section devoted to all the upsets it has hosted.

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It was a bittersweet weekend for Georgetown Athletics this past weekend, including euphoric highs and painful lows. Both basketball teams took the court and the women’s soccer team looked to continue their improbable postseason run.

In the Verizon Center, the men’s basketball team sunk UNC-Asheville 87-72 with a barrage of three pointers from senior Austin Freeman, who tied the Georgetown record for three’s (7) in a game. Freeman also had his third four-point play of the season. The Hoyas begin a tough stretch on Tuesday against No. 12 Missouri in Kansas City.

The women’s basketball team ended their weekend in the U.S. Virgin Islands with a victory against No. 4 Tennessee during Saturday’s Paradise Jam finals. The Hoyas’ (5-1) took home the hardware after leading the entire game on its way to a 69-58 win. It was the team’s second win over a ranked opponent this season. Looks like the men have competition for Georgetown’s basketball crown.

The women’s soccer team’s season ended in heartbreak on Friday after the squad lost 2-0 to Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas surprising run included wins over Siena, No. 38 Minnesota and No. 6 Maryland, the first postseason wins in program history.

Photo: AP (Mic Smith), via Casual Hoya

After a nail biter of a win to start their season last Friday against Old Dominion, Georgetown’s men’s basketball team returned to the Verizon Center. Hoya fans could breathe easier tonight as the Hoyas (2-0) beat Tulane (1-1) 69-53 in their home opener.

Once again, it was a story of the guards, as seniors Austin Freeman and Chris Wright along with junior Jason Clark led the way with 47 of the team’s 69 points. They had to carry more of the load since the Hoyas’ front court was thinner than usual, with senior big man Julian Vaughn missing the game due to an illness.

“Yesterday, at practice, Julian Vaughn complained he wasn’t feeling well,” Coach John Thompson III said. “The doctors have not cleared him to play and until they do he will not be suiting up. We do not know when this will happen and at this point we do not have enough data to speculate.”

Vaughn’s absence didn’t hurt the team though, as the rest of the squad stepped up, especially Jason Clark. Clark had 17 points, a career high 11 rebounds and five steals, which was even more impressive with the passing of his grandmother Janetta Clarke earlier today. Clark knew it was the right decision to play.

“I think the biggest decision was speaking to her the last couple of weeks she wanted [me] to stay at school…she wanted me to keep playing basketball,” Clark said. “She said when this day comes, she wanted me to continue this and she wanted me to succeed, so I knew she would want me to play today.”

Playing with a heavy heart, Clark seemed to be everywhere on the floor, chasing every loose ball. Wright, who tied a career high with eight assists, knew it was important to get Clark the ball early on.

“My role is bigger than just scoring the ball. I have to get people involved and Jason was shooting the ball really well,” Wright said.

With the win, the Hoyas improve to 2-0 before they head to Charleston, S.C. this weekend for the Charleston Classic. Georgetown will face Coastal Carolina Thursday afternoon in the first game of a three game round robin.

Photo: Jackson Perry

This morning, senior guard Austin Freeman was named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year at the conference’s media day in New York City.

Freeman, who averaged 16.5 points per game last season, was chosen through a vote of Big East men’s basketball coaches. Senior point guard Chris Wright was also selected to the preseason All-Big East second team.

This is the sixth time a Georgetown basketball player has earned the preseason award; Roy Hibbert and Alonzo Mourning each won it once, while Patrick Ewing won it three times in the mid-1980s.

Georgetown was picked to finish fourth in the Big East by a vote of conference coaches. Syracuse, Villanova, and Pittsburgh are expected to finish above the Hoyas. The men’s team will kick off its 2010-2011 season on November 12 at Old Dominion. (The first home game will be November 15 against Tulane at 7 p.m.)

We’ll check in with the women’s basketball team tomorrow during part two of Big East media day.

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The annual Kenner Summer League is an early opportunity to see Georgetown basketball. While we shared our thoughts about some of Georgetown’s lesser-known players on Monday, today we tackle the big names (except for Jason Clark, who didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday).

Chris Wright

Wright, who is possibly the streakiest shooter on JTIII’s squad, put on a show last Saturday to the tune of 40 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. What surprised me—aside from the eye-popping stats—was how Wright used his size and strength to get to the rim when his jump shot wouldn’t fall. (And, I have to add, without pulling his goofy, oft-used “spin, then crash into the paint” move.) While Kenner League is historically a poor barometer for Big East performance, one thing was clear: Wright was easily the best player on the court.

Although he played on Sunday, Wright essentially took the day off. And I can’t blame him—he was matched up against a guard that shares my dimensions. Wright didn’t take the scrimmage too seriously, but you know what? As long as he stays healthy, I don’t mind.

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Georgetown closed out the regular season with a 74-47 rout of Cincinnati yesterday and starts the postseason in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. But before moving onto what head coach John Thompson III called ‘phase two’ of the season, the Big East gave the Hoyas reason to look back one more time, naming Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman to the All-Big East First and Second Teams, respectively.

Monroe’s selection comes as no surprise. The sophomore center was named to the preseason all-conference first team, and improved his scoring, rebounding, and assist numbers from a freshman campaign that earned him Big East Rookie of the Year honors. Monroe averaged a near double-double this season, posting 16.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

Being named to the first team makes Monroe one of six candidates to be named conference player of the year, although he’s probably a long-shot to win the award. Monroe is certainly deserving, but the Hoyas’s eighth place finish will likely hurt the sophomore in comparison to nominees like Syracuse’s Wes Johnson and Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds.

Unlike Monroe, Freeman received no preseason Big East accolades. The junior guard made a major leap after a solid, if not spectacular, sophomore season, emerging as one of the best shooters in the country. Freeman converted 54.2 percent of his field goals, and based on true shooting percentage (which adjusts for three-pointers and free throws) he ranks 12th in the country. That efficiency made Freeman the Hoyas’ leading scorer with 17.3 points per game.

Freeman’s season was also notable for his song-inspiring second half heroics against Connecticut and Louisville. Of course, this honor comes at the end of an already eventful week for Freeman, which included his hospitalization, diagnosis with diabetes, and 24-point-scoring return in yesterday’s game.

Georgetown tips off the Big East Tournament at noon on Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday’s South Florida-DePaul match-up. Vox will be in New York bringing you coverage of all the Hoyas’ games.

After news broke last night that Austin Freeman had been diagnosed with diabetes, the Hoyas’ leading scorer spoke with the media this afternoon to address his health and its impact on his basketball career.

The junior guard, sitting alongside head coach John Thompson III, professed he was feeling fine after spending the early part of the week in the hospital. While both player and coach acknowledged that there was still a lot to learn about the situation, it sounded like the return to normalcy had already begun.

“When I first found out I was just like, ‘I’m going to have to deal with it,’” Freeman said. “But it’s just going to be a few adjustments I’m going to have to do in my life now. To hear that, it was tough at first, but I know that with me, I can deal with something like this.”

Freeman first showed signs of the disease last Saturday before an afternoon game against Notre Dame, symptoms that at that time were attributed to a stomach virus. He traveled with the team to West Virginia for a Monday night game, but took a turn for the worse Saturday night and was sent back to campus and Georgetown University Hospital.

On Monday, Freeman was diagnosed with diabetes, a disease he said he shares with his paternal grandmother. It is not yet known whether Freeman has the Type I or the less serious Type II form of the disease.

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