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Georgetown Basketball History: Historical Narrative A narrative of the season-by-season story of Georgetown University is part of this historical project. Below is a work in progress on this narrative. | |
| 1918-19 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
By the winter of 1918, the "war to end all wars" had ended, and schools such as Georgetown could attempt to resume its pre-war athletic programs. Basketball had been especially hard hit by wartime manpower needs, and by the start of the 1918-1919 season only one player remained from the original varsity of the previous year. But that man was none other than Fred Fees, Georgetown's one man scoring machine of the past two seasons. Joined by a large group of newcomers on the squad, Fees would help lead coach John O'Reilly's men in the beginning of what was undoubtedly the golden years of early Georgetown basketball. The season opener showcased three newcomers in starting roles: Baltimore's Andy Zazzali, formerly of Mt. St. Joseph's H.S., and Washingtonians John O'Brien and Joe O'Connell. The fourth newcomer to a starting role was John (Jack) Flavin, who appeared briefly at the close of the 1917-1918 season. The fifth starter, as could be expected. led the way in a 34-29 win over the Johns Hopkins Medical School quint. Fees and Flavin combined for 22 points while Flinn, the JHU star, sank 13 of 14 free throws to keep his team in the game until the final minutes. An imposing unit from Camp Humphreys, Va. arrived at Ryan the next evening, but few could have predicted that the Blue and Gray could have handled a military team so easily, given the team's performances last season against tough military teams. Humphreys, whose team was made up many former West Point cadets, offered very little in defending the G-men, as a 59-13 score by the Hilltoppers would indicate. Fees, Zazzali, O'Connell, and Flavin each hit for double figures in the game. "When Captain Fees got into [this] game, wrote the Georgetown College Journal, "the visitors did not have a chance". Such was the story in the Blue and Gray's third win of the season, as Fees, who failed to start for unknown reasons, entered late in the half with R-M leading and proceeded to outscore the Virginians en route to a 39-14 win. Despite hitting only 7 of 13 foul shots, Fees' 26 points were more than enough to ensure the victory. The annual battle with Navy was now eagerly awaited by O'Reilly and his men, as this year's team was the strongest Georgetown unit sent to Annapolis (Navy refused to play in Washington) in many years. The game was deliberate and slow paced through the early moments, as Navy owned an 11-8 lead after the first twenty minutes of play. A controversial set of decisions in the first half may have cost Georgetown the game, but accounts of this incident are difficult to confirm. With the Hilltoppers leading 5-2 midway through the half, GU stars Fred Fees and Jack Flavin were disqualified by the officials for accumulating too many personal fouls. Fees, who had not fouled out of a game in his career, joined Flavin on the bench to see Navy prevail, 22-13. The College Journal claimed Fees was "unjustly banished" in the decision, and local papers agreed. Whether Fees and Flavin had accumulated the limit on fouls or had committed an unsporting foul during the course of play is conjecture; a more biased fan of the day may have claimed Fees and Flavin were disqualified because they might have beat the Navy quint and the local officials acted in their own team's interests. Whatever the reason, Georgetown suffered its only loss of the season amidst controversy and suspicion. Fees played the entire game a week later versus George Washington, and that was too much for the Hatchetites. Georgetown rolled to a 32-15 win behind 20 from Fees, who followed up this effort with a career-high 30 points (a new school record) over Gallaudet in a 48-22 home court victory. The Washington Post's headline said it all: "Fees Scores Enough Points To Beat Gallaudet: Three days later, fans packed tiny Ryan Gym to witness a classic match of early college basketball. NYU was in town, led by future Hall of Famer Nat Holman, and fans had come to see this emerging legend in the game match skills against Georgetown's Fees. The clash showcased a great performance by both teams, as NYU held a 16-11 halftime lead that was overcome en route to a 33-26 win for the home court Hilltoppers. Fees had the better of his New York antagonist, caging 15 points to Holman's 11 that evening. The Georgetown five finished the season in convincing form, rolling past George Washington, Virginia Tech, and Camp Humphreys en route to an exceptional 9-1 mark this season. The Hatchetites fell at the downtown YMCA, 32-14, behind Fred Fees' 16; Tech went down to a 31-22 defeat behind 15 from Fees; finally, the little forward finished the season with 22 in a 47-25 rout of the military club at Ryan Gym. In retrospect, the 1918-1919 season was an outstanding one for Georgetown's basketball fortunes. The work of veteran Fred Fees and newcomer Jack Flavin, who combined for 217 of the team's 370 points, was laudable. Fees led the team with 163 points for a 16.3 points per game average, but other fine performances were registered by Jack Flavin (5.4 ppg), Joe O'Connell (4.0 ppg), Andy Zazzali (6.2 ppg) and Bill Dudack (5.0 ppg). It is entirely possible that had it not been for a mysterious set of circumstances which sent its two best players to the bench at Annapolis, John O'Reilly's Hilltoppers may have earned a perfect record this season. | |
| 1919-20 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
As powerful as last season's Georgetown team appeared to be, the 1919-1920 team seemed even more promising. All of the stars of a year ago were back: Fred Fees, Andy Zazzali, Joe O'Connell, and Jack Flavin, with 1917-1918 reserve Joe Longshak beating out Johnny O'Brien for the final starting spot. Fees, who earned his LL.B from Georgetown Law School in 1919, returned to earn a Masters degree in law for 1920, and O'Reilly would have the talent of Fees for one more year. And what a year it would be. The Blue and Gray carried a five game winning streak over from the past season, and wasted little time in extending that mark to six, with a 47-19 rout of George Washington on Dec. 15, 1919 at Ryan Gym. Another impressive win followed after the Christmas holidays, as St. John's of Annapolis was nearly shut out, 40-4. The Saints failed to notch a field goal throughout the contest, so ardent was O' Reilly's defenses that evening. The military delegation from Camp Humphreys arrived at Ryan determined to avoid the routs suffered at the hands of the G-men the season before. As such, the game was a foul- plagued affair, with 25 free throws exchanged between the two teams. But foul shooting was Georgetown's secret weapon, thanks to Mr. Fees, who scored 16 to lead the Blue and Gray to a 39-21 victory. One of the most waited games on the 1919-1920 schedule was the meeting of the Hilltoppers and Delaware, winners of five straight over the likes of Navy and Lafayette. Navy, by the way, was not on the Georgetown schedule this year. The cause of this lack of scheduling is unknown, though it may have been the case that the poor officiating last year (or GU's desire to have a perfect season this year) may have contributed to the absence of the Midshipmen from the 1919-1920 schedule. Delaware was expected to give the Blue and Gray quite a fight, and they did. Illness forced Joe O'Connell to bow out just before the start of the game, so coach O'Reilly moved Jack Flavin to the pivot and persuaded Harry Sullivan, a football star of the day for the Blue and Gray, to assume a starting role at forward. Sullivan, not to be confused with GU football great Henry (Zube) Sullivan, performed well in his first and only college game, perhaps due to the roughhouse play often a part of early college basketball contests. Sullivan played in the first half and helped Georgetown earn a 19-13 halftime lead, and O'Connell returned in the second half to help lead Georgetown to an important 40-26 win over the men from the First State. Jack Flavin took scoring honors from Fred Fees this evening, scoring 16 to Fees' 12 for the Blue and Gray. The Georgetown five had now won nine in a row over the past two seasons, the longest such streak in the school's basketball history. Though the University had produced notable athletes in the past (Frank Schlosser, Fred Rice, Jim Tormey, Harry Kelly, et al.), many now realized that John O'Reilly had assembled the finest squad ever for the school. Interest and excitement mounted as the team continued a quest for a perfect season, which was certainly attainable give the skill and discipline of the team. Georgetown "traveled" to the downtown YMCA gym to meet George Washington, where the Hilltoppers defeated GW once again, 34-18. While the performance was considered rather sluggish for the mighty Blue and Gray, it was well received by the audience in attendance, for many had come to see Fred Fees in action. In spite of the score, the crowd saw a fin performance by Fees in terms of teamwork, passing, and deadly shooting accuracy. Ten free throws and 14 points overall was Fees' contribution to the contest, and it proved once again to lead the team to victory. After a tremendous performance, however, athletes often experience a "letdown", and the great Fred Fees was no exception. Four days after the GW clash, Fees turned in a most uncharacteristic effort in a 34-18 Ryan Gym win over West Virginia Wesleyan. To the exasperation of many that evening, Fees failed repeatedly in his attempts to cage a field goal; the star forward was shut out from the field that evening. Yet even as he missed many a field goal, he hit on 10 of 15 free throw attempts to score in double figures-- a worthy tribute of his contributions to the team. Scoring honors went again to Jack Flavin, with 12 points. Flavin was soon rendered ineligible by the College faculty for poor grades, but his place was ably filled by Bill Dudack, a junior who missed much of the early part of the season with an injury suffered during the 1919 GU football campaign. Dudack joined the starting lineup in a 36-22 win over Johns Hopkins, upping Georgetown's record to a perfect 7-0. An eighth win was earned over North Carolina, the first of a series of games between Georgetown and opponents from the Southern Conference. The Tar Heels, led by All-American and future arena namesake Bill Carmichael, quickly earned the respect of the home crowd by leading at intermission, 16-14--a rare halftime deficit for Georgetown on their own floor. The second half belonged to the G-men, however, as Joe O'Connell and Fred Fees overtook the Chapel Hill five in the 36-27 win behind 12 of 15 free throws by Fees. The team finished its home schedule in strong form, upending Davis and Elkins, 38-16, and defeating St. John's by an unexpected count of 41-23. In his last appearance at Ryan Gym, Fees scored 20 points to the appreciative applause of all in attendance. The new college newspaper at the University, The HOYA, praised Fees for his four years of work and wished the team well as they prepared to take their 10-0 mark into the New York area. The northern trip was the first in three years for the team, which was sporting a 10-0 mark and winners of 19 of their past 20 over the past two seasons. Joined by the Georgetown indoor track team (also coached by O'Reilly, dubbed the "Silver Fox"), the four game, three day trip would decide whether a 14-0 season and potential national honors awaited the team. The series opener looked promising, as the Blue and Gray rolled past New York Agricultural College, 31-18. But on February 24, 1920, with 17 straight wins behind them, the best of the South met the best of the East--with disastrous results. Even The HOYA, who had only recently praised the team's efforts this season, laid the blame for a loss to Yale University with scorn and disgust. Wrote the paper: "They saw it took Darwin thousands of years to make a man out of a monkey. It took Yale two minutes to make monkeys out of five men. These are they: Dudack, O'Connell, Fees, Zazzali, Longshak." Yale came out at the opening whistle to ambush the Hilltoppers as had never been seen before by a Georgetown team. Yale scored the first five points before a pair of field goals by Fred Fees to reduce the count to 5-2, Yale. Then, as if a burst of wind had blown the Georgetown defenses down, Yale increased the lead to 7-2, then 10-2, then 14-2, then 17-2...and when the half had ended the mighty Hilltoppers were staring into an incredible 27-5 deficit! After what the HOYA tactfully called "a few words" by O'Reilly, the G-men took to the court once more, with similar results. With second stringers in for Yale, the Elis continued to rub salt in the Georgetown wound, flagrantly roughing up Hilltoppers Bill Dudack and Andy Zazzali to the amusement of the New Haven audience. Most of GU's points on this day came from free throws, awarded as a result of Yale's arrogant and malevolent style of play. When it was all over, the streak was dead, the perfect season was dead, and a few Georgetown players probably wished they were dead, too. Final score: Yale University 46, Georgetown University 17. In two anti-climactic games, the Blue and Gray trounced two highly respected New York teams. St. John's was handled, 50-25, while Fordham fell, 46-31. Wins in New York City against the likes of Fordham and St. John's would have been a dream accomplishment for GU teams of the past, but these wins could not dampen a terrible loss to Yale. Nonetheless a 13-1 season stands as the greatest winning percentage team in Georgetown's history at .929, just edging the 35-3 season in 1984-1985 (.924) and the 34-3 championship season in 1983-1984 (.921). Aside from the loss to Yale, another loss was felt in Georgetown basketball circles. After four years, Fred Fees said goodbye. Accounting for nearly half of the team's 29 points this season with 245 points (two short of the school record) and an incredible 123 of 140 from the foul line, Fees left his mark on the Georgetown basketball story. Here was a player scoring 18, 20 and 25 points a game when a normal team score was often less than 35 points a game! Imagine Jim Barry, Eric Floyd, or Patrick Ewing averaging over 40 points a game for an entire season and the reader will then begin to comprehend the tremendous impact of Fred Fees' talents. For his era, Fees' stats suggest what may be compared to names like a Frank Selvy or Pete Maravich: that of a bona fide scoring machine. Always the team player, Fred Fees probably could have scored even more points, but like the great scorers of the game, that was not his intent. Notwithstanding, Fred Fees finished his Georgetown career with 804 points, a standard of excellence unparalleled in the early days of college basketball. Many stars of this era went on to become legends in the game, such as NYU's Nat Holman and others who formed the "Original Celtics" during the 1920's, precursor to today's professional basketball system. Yet Fred J. Fees came to Georgetown to study law, not basketball, and upon the completion of his LL.M degree in 1920, he did just that. Fees returned to his hometown of Carrolltown, Pa. to practice law, which he did through his death in 1963 at the age of 77. Ironically, it was Fees' absence from the basketball spotlight that may have led to his being overlooked in the University's basketball annals. There is no record that Fees kept in contact with the University or the basketball program following his departure from Georgetown in 1920, and he was never listed as a participant in any of the Alumni-Varsity games which began after World War II, in which such alumni-players as James Colliflower, Ben Zola, and Tom O'Keefe were honored over the years. Fees was not elected to the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame upon its creation in 1953, most likely because the organizers of the Hall were unfamiliar with his name and his accomplishments. His records for free throw shooting and points per game average were not included in any University records prior to the beginning of research for this history of the program. Few college fans from Georgetown University or anywhere else will probably ever hear of the man nor his collegiate career, but Fred Fees' contribution to Georgetown basketball should never be forgotten. | |
| 1920-21 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
Over the past two seasons of intercollegiate play, Georgetown University had clearly established itself as one of the finest teams in the East. Victorious in 22 of 24 contests over the past two seasons, coach John O'Reilly returned a team rich in experience and talent. While team captain and scoring leaders Fred Fees had graduated, four returning starters and a promising newcomer clearly possessed the talent capable of continuing the success enjoyed by past Georgetown teams. The starting five of senior Bill Dudack, juniors Joe O'Connell and Jack Flavin, and sophomores Andy Zazzali and Paul Florence, opened the season in convincing fashion, defeating Carnegie Tech 37-27 at Ryan Gym followed by a 26-19 victory over George Washington, continuing a home court streak that had seen Georgetown fail to lose a home game in almost three years. Though their opponents were slight underdogs, the Hilltoppers had to go the extra mile in this contest, as a slowdown strategy by GW coach Bryan Morse allowed the Hatchetites to earn a 12-8 halftime decision and elicit dreams of the downtown school defeating Georgetown for the first time since 1907. Only a late surge by Andy Zazzali and Jack Flavin, who shared the scoring honors that day, averted a painful upset. On Jan. 21, 1921, the G-men opened the new year with a convincing rout of tiny Davis and Elkins College, 54-26. The Senators were down early in this one, 12-, and were soundly thrashed before an approving assemblage at Ryan Gym. Joe O'Connell, Jack Flavin, and Andy Zazzali earned double figures for the Hilltoppers with 16, 12, and 10 points, respectively. A most unusual sidelight in this contest was the personal foul situation--or lack of one. In an era when fouls were dispensed with great regularity, only two infractions were called the entire game, only one of which required a free throw shot. For the sake of history, let it be known that Jack Flavin missed the shot, but of course it had little bearing on the outcome. Flavin, however, was distinguishing himself in other ways for the Blue and Gray. He caged 23 of the team's 35 points in a 35-20 decision over the revenge-minded unit from Camp Humphreys, and followed this with 18 more in a 38-30 win over Brooklyn Polytechnic. It was in the Brooklyn contest that fans witnessed the emergence of Paul Florence and Andy Zazzali as defensive stars. They halted a late rally by Tech that might have threatened Georgetown's lead, and the teamwork engendered in this contest would grow well into the season. For the next five games, the tenacity of these two sophomores would hold Georgetown opponents under an average of six first half points per game! The defensive blanket thrown over GU opponents was in evidence on February 4th, as Georgetown met North Carolina in the second of a series of games against noted "Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association" teams. Now known as the Southern Conference, it was the original home to what is now the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences. A damaging fire to the University's hallowed (Old) North Building the day before had attracted much attention the day before, but this evening all eyes were on the red-hot Hilltoppers and their backcourt defensive stars. North Carolina (5-2) fell behind early, and with the duo of "Flo" and "Zazz" in close pursuit, the Chapel Hill five found themselves down by an embarrassing count of 22-6 at the end of the first half. The last shot of the half caused a gasp, then a roar, from the crowd jammed into antiquated Ryan Gymnasium, after witnessing a new and unbelievable shot that sailed through the nets as the gong sounded to end the first half (remember, electronic buzzers were many years away). Predating the efforts of Russell, Alcindor, and even a fellow named Ewing, Georgetown's Joe O'Connell connected on a 1920's style "sky hook" described by The HOYA as follows: "One of the prettiest shots of the evening [came] when O'Connell, following a long toss, grabbed the ball and shot it backwards, over his head." No one is claiming that Mr. O'Connell invented the shot, as was the case when Hilltop football fans claimed for years that Georgetown quarterback (and later Maryland athletic director) H.C. (Curly) Byrd invented the forward pass when he attended Georgetown. But it does bear note that in Georgetown's 37-20 victory over North Carolina, a little history was being made in a shot of that type. The next meeting between these two esteemed universities, of course, would make history of a different kind. A week after the upset of UNC, Georgetown routed St. John's for the second time in as many years, 51-15, at Ryan Gym. The Indians, bearing an unusually mediocre record at 7-5, were held to only seven points in the first twenty minutes thanks to the Florence-Zazzali duo; yet, their eight second half points were hardly cause to celebrate, either. The dynamic duo of defense for GU, Florence and Zazzali combined for 31 points to lead the team in scoring for the undefeated Blue and Gray. As the basketball team continued to garner the attention of local sports enthusiasts, another group at the University pressed an idea to boost support of the team in particular and the sport in general. The Georgetown college paper, The HOYA, published a front-page editorial on February 10, 1921, calling for the construction of a indoor athletic arena in downtown Washington. A number of sites had accommodated college games up to this time, but most if not all were ill-suited to the new game. The new arena, reasoned the editors, would benefit local sports teams of all schools in terms of facilities and room for crowds to see the teams in action. Additionally, local businesses would also benefit by the "traffic" surrounding athletic events of this kind. "The hotels, the stores, the railroads will all benefit by out of town patrons," claimed the paper. Reaction to the paper's call for action was tremendous. Many local colleges endorsed the proposal, as did the Chamber of Commerce, the downtown merchants group, and at least two dozen members of Congress. Massachusetts senator David Walsh went so far as to claim "There has been no suggestion for the advancement of the city of Washington and its people that has more favorably impressed me than the suggestion first made by the Georgetown University HOYA of an indoor athletic auditorium [in downtown Washington]." In hindsight, the proposal was years, even decades ahead of its time. An arena built at this time would not only encouraged the growth of basketball in the city, but helped to nurture rivalries between the major colleges in the area. To this day, Washington college basketball suffers from a lack of a suitable neutral court which would be necessary in intra-city games, such as the Philadelphia Palestra for "Big Five" games, or Madison Square Garden for New York college clashes of the 1940's and 1950's. Why the idea was never pursued remains a mystery, what is known is that the lack of action on a proposal of this kind left Washington basketball the lesser for decades to come. The Hilltoppers had more than a downtown arena on their minds on February 15th, as they prepared to welcome one of the finest teams in the South, the "Golden Tornado" of Georgia Tech. Expected by many to bring down Georgetown's home court reign, the Engineers were shocked by a ferocious GU rally to begin play that held Tech scoreless after the first five minutes of play. Coach Alexander's boys would find themselves down by an unbelievable sixteen point margin, 22-6, at the end of the half. The second half was of little solace, as Tech connected on but one field goal the rest of the game, so dominating was the Georgetown defense of the Gold and Black. When it was all over, the Hilltoppers had won their third straight from a Southern powerhouse, 37-14, prompting Alexander to call O'Reilly's men the best team he had seen all year. Marietta College fell in the home finale, 29-21, and George Washington was conquered across town 25-18 in the Blue and Gray's last local appearance before a critical four game road campaign through western Pennsylvania that would complete the 1920-1921 season. At 10-0, winner of 32 of their last 34 games, Georgetown opened up the trip against the Pitt Panthers. The showdown fulfilled every expectation of a classic basketball confrontation. The two teams were each other's equal, and the crowd at Pitt's Trees Gymnasium saw the Hilltoppers earn a meager 14-13 halftime lead. In the final period, Georgetown exploded to a 28-20 lead over the panthers, only to see Pitt outscore 10-2 in the final six minutes of play, tying the contest at 30-all. In the last minute Pitt's Herb McCracken connected on a set shot to give Pitt a 32-30 lead. Then, in an anxious moment, Pitt's Red Byers fouled Jack Flavin, and immediately after was assessed a technical foul for disagreeing with the call. With two free throws, Flavin sank both shots to tie the score. In a last-gasp attempt, McCracken sent up a long range shot, but as McCracken prepared to shoot the ball, the timer signaled "no goal", meaning that time was up and that the game was in overtime. The ball went in, but time had been called at 32-all. But wait! The anonymous umpire of this contest, whose name has been lost to history, declared the basket good in spite of the "no goal" call by the timer. Overruling the timer, he declared Pitt the winner amidst a screaming Andy Zazzali, who had to be restrained from the nefarious referee. Any attempt at an appeal failed, and another Georgetown perfect season had disappeared. Zazzali, administering the team in the absence of coach O'Reilly, had even more of the same to contend with in the team's game the next evening against Geneva College. Geneva officials insisted that the scheduled officiating crew be replaced by, imagine this, one official, the very same official responsible for the loss to Pittsburgh the night before. Zazzali could not have been pleased at this obvious ploy by Geneva, and considered pulling the team off the court right there. In the interests of the spectators who attended the game, however, Zazzali consented to play. As the game progressed, the official permitted constant fouling of GU players and declared during the contest that all personal foul calls would be waived, and that only what he called "flagrant fouls" would be called. Disturbed, Zazzali called time out and was promptly ejected from the game by the official for doing so. It was at this point that the team forfeited the contest in the team's first and only meeting against Geneva. The final two games of the road trip concluded with little success. With the loss of Paul Florence to the flu, and the loss of Jack Flavin's shooting touch, the Hilltoppers lost to Grove City, 33-22. The next evening, Georgetown tried a little Pitt magic of their own, with a late rally in the closing moments against Carnegie Tech that fell two points short, 32-30. Perhaps Georgetown should have brought their own official to that game! As in the 1919-1920 season, the Hilltoppers lost only one starter in Bill Dudack. Four starters would return next season, as Dudack left a team rich in talent and capable once more of challenging for an undefeated season. | |
| 1921-22 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
A serious blow was dealt to Georgetown athletic fortunes in the fall of 1921 when it was learned that John O' Reilly would not be able to coach the basketball, track, or baseball teams this year due to a serious illness. This left the basketball team without a coach nearing the start of the 1921-1922 season. However, it was announced that the venerable James Colliflower, a former player, coach, and referee for the Blue and Gray, would assume Mr. O'Reilly's coaching duties in basketball for the University. (He did so, by the way, without asking for any renumeration by the University.) The stars of 1921 returned again, ensuring another talent-filled season for the Blue and Gray. Jack Flavin, Paul Florence, Joe O'Connell, and Paul Florence were once again on the court, joined by three newcomers who rotated in the fifth starting spot at left guard: Al Schmitt, Paul Byrne, and Jim Sweeney. Byrne, who saw limited action in the final games of the 1920-1921 season due to the illness of Paul Florence, was awarded a roster spot in recognition of his contributions in those two games. Once again, the schedule heavily favored the home court strength of the Blue and Gray, as the team had not lost a game at Ryan Gym in the past four seasons. Ten of the team's first eleven games were at the tiny gym, a sign of another fast start for the area's dominant college team. The opener against St. Joseph's extended that home court streak in a 53-15 rout. Paul Florence, in place of an ailing Jack Flavin, led the Hilltoppers with 18 points, while Andy Zazzali (11 points) received local praise for his excellent ball control and swift passing techniques. Joe O'Connell grabbed the scoring mantle Florence took the lead in the Blue and Gray's next win, a 27-14 triumph over George Washington in a "road" game at the Washington Central Coliseum. A new and unfamiliar foe next awaited the Blue and Gray on Jan. 18, 1922, where they met the team from Villanova University for the first time. Despite a rare disqualification of team captain Andy Zazzali for personal fouls, O'Connell and Florence held off a late rally by the Wildcats to earn GU a 39-33 win at Ryan Gym. As would be the case throughout the rivalry between these two schools, the game was hard fought and each team rose to the occasion with hard fought competition. The Hilltoppers continued their good fortune against Pennsylvania teams with two more home court victories. St. Francis College, the former alma mater of Fred Fees, was routed 48-12, but even Mr. Fees himself could not have prevented a rout of his own school behind a potent Georgetown offensive attack. Ten varsity and reserve players saw action, with Paul Florence's 12 points leading all scorers. A closer decision was reached with Lebanon Valley College, 41-36. In this game the "Iron Men" of Lebanon Valley were led by a pair of well skilled collegians, Billy Wolfe and Joe (Chief) Matoxin, an American Indian with considerable skill in the indoor game. The tandem combined for 28 of Lebanon's 36 tallies, and the Ryan crowd was in due praise of these Pennsylvanians' scoring ability that evening. After a difficult win over Lebanon Valley, the G-men cruised past George Washington, 42-19; Dickinson, 24-19; and West Virginia, 27-15. While these games were important to the overall schedule, they paled in comparison with the Feb. 12, 1922 showdown with the "Champions of the South", the University of Kentucky. The Wildcats had captured the 1921 SIAA championship and were the first in a long line of championship quints from Lexington. While their 7-5 record indicated that this was not the same team that won the Southern title, but to Georgetown the chance of meeting a championship quint on its home court. An overflow crowd at the gym, which may very well have been the largest crowd ever to witness a game at the gym, saw one of the most memorable games ever played in the early years of Georgetown basketball. Kentucky took an early lead and held it much of the game. Though UK led into the final minutes of the game, the tenacious GU defense kept the score close throughout the final period. The score was Kentucky 20, Georgetown 19 with less than two minutes to go when the Hilltoppers made their move. After scoring a foul shot to tie the score, Georgetown's Andy Zazzali took down a rebound from the Kentucky goal, raced down the floor through each and every UK player, and hit a set shot "on the dead run" to send the Ryan gallery into exultation and Georgetown into the lead, 22-20. Following the score, a UK pass was promptly intercepted by the Blue and Gray's Joe O'Connell, who turned the Wildcat miscue into a two pointer and a 24-20 lead. Two more Georgetown shots as a result of fouls followed, and at the final whistle, Georgetown had dethroned the "Champions of the South", at least for one night, 28-23. In the final two games of the home schedule, Marietta and Bucknell were overtaken in slow, foul-plagued contests by scores of 33-22 and 28-22, respectively. Now sporting an 11-0 mark, coach Colliflower's team faced a series of road games as all that stood in the way of a perfect season. A year earlier, with a record of 10-0, the Blue and Gray lost a heart breaker in the road opener, then slumped to finish out the season. The 1922 Hilltoppers saw their season with nearly the same script. On Feb. 20, 1922, the Blue and Gray battled a veteran squad from the Crescent Athletic Club of New York. As in the Pitt game of a year ago, both teams battled for the last shot, and Georgetown once again fell short at the whistle. Last year, the fault rested squarely on the shoulders of the official refereeing the game. This year, it was GU's own fault. With the score at 24-all, the G-men decided to hold the ball for one last shot, but were tagged with a "holding" violation. Crescent was awarded two free throws which proved to be the measure of victory, 26- 24. Things continued to slide for the G-men as they were easily beaten by NYU, 33-17; and Rutgers, 44-27. In the Rutgers game, the Knights (7-2) lured three GU starters to the bench via personal fouls, and completely dominated the reserve who took the place of Zazzali, Florence, and O'Connell. For O'Connell, in his last collegiate game for the Blue and Gray, he fouled out without a point for the evening. Another impeccable home record, another disastrous road trip. Such was the story of the 1921-1922 Georgetown basketball team, a team that could not cross the line that leads "good" teams towards teams of lasting greatness. | |
| 1922-23 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
Though John O'Reilly had returned in March of 1922 to lead Georgetown to the undisputed Intercollegiate baseball title (Georgetown's only national championship in the pre-NCAA era), illness forced him once again to miss the upcoming basketball season. Instead of choosing James Colliflower as coach this season. the University John H. (Jackie) Maloney as interim coach for the season. Maloney, a 1919 Georgetown graduate, was freshman football coach at the University following a distinguished career as quarterback for Georgetown football teams in 1915, 1916, and 1918, with a year in the World War as the lone interruption in his football years. In retrospect, one might ask why the University would select a football coach with no experience in coaching or playing varsity basketball to coach a college basketball team. Yet it must be reemphasized that the "coach" of early college basketball was little more than an advisor to the team with the Athletic Department and left the day-to-day practices to the team captain. Many schools employed football coaches for another reason: the fact that many schools used football players in basketball as a kind of off-season conditioning program, and the presence of a football coach would ensure that the players attended the practices and games. At Georgetown, though, few football players ever played basketball, so the choice of Maloney was not one of "babysitting" the school's gridiron men. Due to the coach O'Reilly's absence for the past two seasons, the caliber of new talent coming to the team was not as it was in the past. Quite simply, any "recruiting" that GU did for basketball players was not being done by the school in O'Reilly's absence. However, with the return of seniors Andy Zazzali and Paul Florence, plus fifth year senior Jack Flavin (eligible while completing his degree requirements), the 1922-1923 Hilltoppers were still quite competitive. Juniors Paul Byrne and George Carney completed the starting five. The Blue and Gray opened the new season strong, notching three quick wins to begin the season. A victory over the Marine base at Quantico, Va. began the season, 22-17, amidst a number of fouls distributed between the two teams. Andy Zazzali's 10 free throws was the difference in the Quantico game, while six field goals by rookie center John O'Keefe led the G- men past Lafayette, 34-30. In a road game that many had picked as an upset, the Hilltoppers held off the undefeated Hatchetites of George Washington in a 21-17 win to extend the Georgetown's mastery over GW basketball teams. A similar mastery was held over Georgetown by the U.S. Naval Academy, winners of ten straight games dating back to 1909. The last match between the two schools was the most painful for GU fans, a 22-15 loss to Navy that spoiled a perfect 1918-1919 season. It was likely more than coincidental that Georgetown had failed to schedule Navy the past four seasons, since Navy had yet to play a game versus Georgetown away from Annapolis. This year, Annapolis or no, the Blue and Gray prepared to do battle with the Midshipmen. In previous meetings between the two schools, Georgetown had suffered from poor first half play that the team never recovered from the rest of the game. In this game, before a crowd at Dahlgren Hall, the Midshipmen were stunned by a ferocious first half by the Blue and Gray. Georgetown built leads of 6-0, 12-5, and 16-6 but a Navy rally cut the lead to two at the half, 18-16. Still, a halftime lead was cause for rejoicing to the small number of GU partisans in attendance, it would ultimately prove to be a small bit of consolation. Navy surged past the Blue and Gray, 31-28 late in the contest, but the Hilltoppers refused to give up. A pair of free throws by Jack Flavin narrowed the count to 33-32, and there was hope that GU might be able to overtake the Midshipmen. But, alas, Navy pulled ahead with two field goals to none for GU in the final minutes, in a 37-33 win. Once again, dreams of an undefeated season ran aground on the banks of the Severn River. While a loss to the talented Navy team was not altogether unexpected, the Blue and Gray had to regroup quickly, as the team began a three game road swing through upstate New York. Previous trips to the Empire State had spelled disaster for Georgetown basketball teams, but Maloney's men reversed this trend with a stirring 27-26 comeback victory over the University of Rochester. Unfortunately, the team returned to its traditional road results with losses to Buffalo University, 2722; and Canisius, 34-23. Andy Zazzali and John O'Keefe led the Blue and Gray with a combined 32 points in these two disappointing outings. After returning home to complete the season, the Hilltoppers (4-3) finished its season with four exciting wins. The G-men returned to winning form in a convincing 36-19 win over Lebanon Valley. Andy Zazzali led the home team with 12 points while another stellar performance was turned in by Lebanon's Joe Matoxin, with 13 of the team's 19 points. South Carolina, representing the Southern Association, was Georgetown's next victim, 31-14, the fifth victory in a row against Southern powerhouse teams. The season concluded with wins over Carnegie Tech, 41-25; and St. Joseph's, 44-30. Paul Florence completed his collegiate career with 36 points between the two games. The 1922-1923 season marked the passing of three giants from the early days of Georgetown basketball: Jack Flavin, Paul Florence, and Andy Zazzali. Flavin, Florence, and Zazzali had a rather unusual amount of eligibility because of the post-war academic schedule-- the three had combined for 14 years of varsity play between them, owing to the declaration that the war-shortened 1918 season was a "non-varsity" year for eligibility purposes. Whatever the circumstances of their eligibility, it is certain that over their years in the uniform of the Blue and Gray, these three student athletes helped the University build an impressive record of 51 wins against only 12 losses, with wins over such highly regarded teams as St. John's, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky. Even more amazing was that during their years at the Hilltop, the Blue and Gray won 44 games at Ryan Gym, surrendering not one. They are, to this day, the only three men to have played their entire career at Georgetown University undefeated at home. In many ways, the passing of these three stars of the early game concluded the first "Golden Age" of basketball at the University. While other great teams would follow, the seasons 1918-1919 through 1922-1923 left a standard of excellence few teams in Georgetown basketball history have achieved, then or now.
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