Georgetown Basketball History: History Feature
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Chapter 8: Othella, Jerome, and "The Answer"

As a group, each of them came from different backgrounds and different expectations. Together, they were the three pillars of Georgetown's exciting 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Othella Harrington was a high school All-America at center, and his choice of Georgetown over Mississippi State and Kentucky was to herald the new successor to the Ewing, Mutombo, and Mourning line of Hoya domination. In his first two seasons, Harrington was Big East Rookie of the year and a second team all-conference center, leading the team in scoring and rebounding each year. Over his four years, Harrington's growth was steady but not spectacular. Nonetheless, he finished as Georgetown's fifth all-time scorer and fourth all-time rebounder.

Harrington could not do it alone, however. With no seniors on the 1992-1993 roster, the Hoyas saw their streak of fourteen straight NCAA bids end after a first round loss in the Big East Tournament and a 16-12 mark. Despite a tremendous surge in the NIT which left the young team one point from an NIT title, observers were beginning to say that Georgetown's best days were behind them. Even as the 1993-1994 Hoyas returned to the NCAA's under Harrington, another second round NCAA loss led skeptics to send Georgetown back to the Big East's second tier.

By 1995, help was on the way in Jerome Williams and Allen Iverson. Williams was a small 6-2 forward at Magruder HS when he signed a letter of intent to play at American. Opting instead for junior college, Williams grew seven inches in two years, averaging 26 points and 17 rebounds at Montgomery (Md.) Junior College. Now at 6-9, Williams passed on AU and came to Georgetown, giving John Thompson his best power forward prospect in nearly a decade.

Allen Iverson had become well known in basketball circles, but for all the wrong reasons. As a junior, Iverson was the Virginia player of the year in two sports (football and basketball), yet opted for basketball.

"Had he not made that statement," said a Virginia tech football coach, "he would have been the most highly recruited kind in the country (for football)....He was just as good in football as he was in basketball, which I know sounds absolutely amazing, but it's true. He was a franchise player in either sport."

That franchise almost came to an end as a result of a fight in a Hampton, Va. bowling alley on Feb. 13, 1993. What actually happened has never been pinned down. Iverson was accused of throwing a chair during a fight and hitting two people, a charge he denied and backed up by other witnesses. While no one was seriously injured and none of the other parties were ever prosecuted, the opportunity to send a statement about athletes was pursued by the authorities. Despite no criminal record, Iverson was quickly convicted of felony "malicious wounding by mob" and sent to a five year prison sentence.

Iverson spent four months of his senior year in the city's prison farm. Recruiters dropped away from him, believing that he would never play college ball. Following a pardon by Gov. Douglas Wilder based on insufficient evidence, Iverson's mother pleased with Thompson to give her son a chance at Georgetown. Despite the fact that Georgetown had never recruited Iverson per se, and would not sign him until he completed high school work at an accelerated program that summer, Iverson joined the Hoyas in the fall of 1995. (By 1996, the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction and cleared his record. Iverson might or might not have been involved, the court determined, but evidence did not show that he acted as part of a mob.)

Fans were captivated from the start with the flashy 6-0 guard from his first game as a Hoya. Known irreverently as "Bubbachuck" to his friends in high school, the tattoo on Iverson's forearm said it all--a bulldog with the title "The Answer". As a freshman, he was the Hoyas' answer, quicker than any guard in the nation and scoring threat at any point of the game. His court sense made him not only an assist leader, but among the nation's leaders in steals. After years of inconsistent lineups, the trio of Harrington, Williams and Iverson began leading the Hoyas back to the national stage.

With a 19-9 record, the 1994-1995 Hoyas returned to the NCAA's, where they escaped past Xavier and avoided a meeting with #4 Michigan State following their upset loss to Weber State. In the game, the three combined for 39 points, but it was a tip-in by Don Reid that broke the Hoyas' second round jinx and brought the Hoyas to the NCAA "Sweet 16" for the first time in six years. Even a 74-64 loss to North Carolina failed to dampen the spirits of Hoya fans who saw the return of these three and an exciting 1995-1996 season to come.

As it was a decade earlier, the Big East was at the summit of college basketball, with four top teams and the three consensus All-America selections--the first time three had ever come from one conference. Battling with UConn's Ray Allen and Villanova's Kerry Kittles was Allen Iverson, who broke eight team records in scoring during 1995-1996.

His teammates were also key components of an exciting year. While no longer the elite center he was projected to be, Harrington still anchored the Hoyas' middle, while Williams' rebounding skill was earning raves from fans and scouts alike. "He's (Dennis) Rodman without the attitude" said one NBA scout. The three combined for 57% of the team's scoring, 44% of the rebounding, and 51% each of its steals and assists.

The trio's greatest game might have been on Feb. 19, 1996, a battle between the Hoyas and the #3-ranked UConn Huskies. Connecticut had defeated Georgetown five straight times and had recently tied the all-time record of 14 consecutive league wins held by the 1984-1985 Hoya team. Before a national TV audience, the Hoyas held Ray Allen to two first half points and 5-18 shooting, while Iverson had 26 points, 8 steals and six assists in a 77-65 upset. Iverson's cascading dunk over Allen was a highlight of the season, while Williams and Harrington combined for 20 points and 15 rebounds between them.

During the month of March, 1996, Iverson was a man without peer. He scored 37 in a 106-68 point rout of the 24-5 Villanova Wildcats, then averaged 27.3 points in the Big East Tournament despite foul trouble. A #2 seed in the NCAA's, the Hoyas defeated Mississippi Valley, New Mexico, and Texas Tech before falling to #1-ranked UMass in the regional final.

The Hoyas ended the season 29-8, ranked #4 in the nation, its highest ranking of the 1990's. And while Harrington and Williams were heading toward the NBA, the expectation was that Iverson had as many as two years left to break what remaining records there were at Georgetown and become a three time All-America guard.

That was not to be. Tempted by the lure of being the #1 pick in the NBA, Iverson's family could not afford medical treatment for her sister's seizures. For the first time, Allen Iverson could make a difference when his family needed him.

" My baby sister was having medical problems, and I think that really pushed me out the door," he said, withdrawing from school and declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft.

"It's a frustrating thing," said coach Thompson. "Even though we might have the best hospital around (at Georgetown), you can't do anything (to help Iverson's family because of NCAA regulations)."

He was taken as the #1 pick of the Philadelphia 76ers and became a millionaire soon thereafter, the first Georgetown underclassman ever to leave school early under Thompson's tenure. But Thompson sounded a word of apprehension, borne of the experiences of a man who once was himself a college star and NBA veteran, someone who knew first-hand the life and demands of a professional athlete.

"I have concerns about Allen's ability emotionally and psychologically to deal with the things the NBA relates to," Thompson said. "In his basketball ability, I have the ultimate amount of confidence. I'm scared...about the other 22 hours (in his day)."

Today, Allen Iverson starts for the 76ers, while Othella Harrington and Jerome Williams are learning the ropes for the Vancouver Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, respectively. Iverson continues to amaze and frustrate fans at the same time, displaying flashes of brilliance on the court and touches of immaturity off it. Harrington has been a quiet workhorse in the NBA, a valuable contributor without the attention or publicity. Williams, a important member of the Detroit Pistons, has worked to become a true role model in his community and to the fans who grew up watching him in the Blue and Gray.

While their time on Georgetown's campus now seems fleeting, their contributions endure. Like the men who have gone before them, they have added another exciting chapter to the history that is Georgetown University basketball.

The Quiet Man

You won't find his name in Georgetown's "1,000 Point Club". He never led his team in scoring or rebounding. He scored 94 points in his first 60 games. Yet Don Reid's journey at Georgetown and his dogged persistence to excel has earned him a special place among the school's basketball elite.

Reid played sparingly in his first two years at Georgetown. averaging about eight minutes a game. By his junior year, he started every game, scoring 144 more points than his first two years combined. By his senior year, Reid's 223 points was fourth best on a team that included Allen Iverson, Othella Harrington, and Jerome Williams. His field goal shooting improved from 41% as a sophomore to nearly 60% as a senior. He blocked nearly as many shots as a senior (60) as he had in his first three years (62).

Don Reid played 122 games and scored 555 points, only an average of 4.6 per game. Two of those points, however, are a part of Georgetown history.

On March 20, 1995, Georgetown stood at the precipice of another 2nd round exit from the NCAA's. #13th seeded Weber State stood at the foul line and a 51-all score. The foul shot missed, and Allen Iverson's desperation shot at game's end was short. Reid alertly grabbed the shot as it sank below the rim and banked it off the backboard as time expired. Georgetown advanced to the Sweet 16, Reid was mobbed on the court, and John Thompson's impromptu dance into the locker room was a memorable moment.

Reid graduated in 1995 and surprised many when he as taken as the last pick in the NBA draft, selected by the Detroit Pistons. No one expected anything but an early cut in training camp, but Reid's hard work began to get some attention.

"This kid is a find, And I'm telling you this after three days of training camp!" said veteran Joe Dumars. "He's the kind of guy you want on your team", added Allan Houston.

"The rumor was heard around draft time that the kid couldn't score, but he led the camps in rebounding and blocked shots, so we said 'That's the guy we want'," said assistant coach Brian James. Don Reid won't get the headlines of some of his Hoya alumni in the NBA. But his hard work serves as an inspiration to anyone who strives to be the best. Doug Collins, His NBA coach summed it up as follows:

"For a 6-8 rookie to start at center in the NBA, you have to be a special player. It's more than physical size and skills, its mental makeup and attitude. Don certainly has it.

From the moment I saw him at pre-draft camp, I knew I wanted him to be a Piston...Nobody outworks Don Reid or gets more out of himself than Don does."