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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. | |
| 1945-46 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
As the Second World War came to a close in August of 1945, Georgetown University yearned for a return to intercollegiate athletics. Such a return was announced on October 9th, 1945 when Director of Athletics Matthew Kane, S.J.announced the resumption of intercollegiate basketball for the 1945-46 season. The 1945-46 squad, when it finally came together, bore no resemblance to Georgetown's last team, the 1943 national finalists in the NCAA tournament. Elmer Ripley was not available to coach the squad, having signed with Columbia and later Notre Dame in 1944 when the University failed to field a team for that season. 6'9" All-American John Mahnken, considered too tall for combat, finished his studies by the spring of 1945, and was therefore ineligible for collegiate action that fall. Former co-captain Billy Hassett followed Ripley to South Bend and to eventual All-American honors, while Danny Kraus, Miggs Reilly, Lloyd Potolicchio, and Hank Hyde were all away from the Hilltop completing wartime obligations. Coaching the neophyte Hoyas was Ken Engles, a returning senior who possessed the only varsity experience on the team. A starter on the 1940-1941 and 1941-1942 squads, Engles was called into military service prior to his senior season in 1942, allowing him a final year of eligibility when he returned to Georgetown. The team, composed initially of sixteen sophomores and juniors (though the roster actually changed almost game to game), is an anomaly in Georgetown's basketball history--all sixteen played as rookies, and none of the sixteen returned to play the fol- lowing season. With thirteen games scheduled in the fall, and more to be added, Georgetown University returned to intercollegiate athletics on Nov. 29,1945, on the campus of Villanova University. There, before a crowd of 1,000, coach Al Severance's Wildcats held off a spirited second half comeback to edge the Hoyas, 40-37. Georgetown battled from a thirteen point deficit at intermission, but the home team prevailed with a free throw in the last minute after the Hoyas narrowed the count to two. Washington prep star Paul Durkin led the Blue and Gray with 13 points. Three days later, Georgetown won its first game of the postwar era, topping Loyola College, 57-46. The Hoyas weren't too welcome at the Baltimore school, after an editorial in the Loyola Greyhound noted a Georgetown proposal to form a new athletic conference to include Jesuit schools such as Georgetown, Fordham, Boston College and Holy Cross, but no mention of Loyola. Given the final score, behind Ed Drysgula's 14 Hoya tallies, maybe Loyola didn't belong, anyway. If not Loyola, well, whom? Well, Fort Meade, Md. was certainly no Jesuit institution, but the soldiers certainly outplayed their parochial foes on December 3rd, knocking off the Hoyas 39-27. Behind 6'5", 280 lb. center Al Kaufman (the former NYU star of the early 1940's), the military men led 26-10 at the half and coasted to the win. Kenny Engles added nine points in a losing cause. After splitting a pair versus the Army War College (48-25, GU) and Scranton (54-46, Scranton), the Hoyas returned to Washington for their home opener at Georgetown's latest "home court", Catholic University's Brookland Gym. The match between Georgetown and George Washington induced 1,500 townspeople to make their way to the gymnasium, where GWU survived a 13-2 Georgetown run to en route to a 45-43 decision for the Colonials. Engles' men returned to the win column in a 48-27 thumping of the Washington Naval Annex, behind the "coach"'s 14 points. A win over Peter Carlesimo's highly regarded Scranton Maroons thrilled a crowd of 3,500 at Brookland, as the Hoyas triumphed 32-29 to avenge an earlier loss this season. But a losing string was upon the horizon, as Ft. Meade and the Army War College sent the GU record well below .500 with scores of 51-41 and 50-47, respectively. As Georgetown struggled with a inexperienced team, the 1945-46 year also brought Georgetown together with some old rivals from the school's past. Catholic University, which had not faced Georgetown since Frank Schlosser captained the team in 1912, fell to the Hoyas 32-27 at Brookland Gym. Recent varsity additions Tony Beyers and Frank Aires combined for 15 Hilltop points, while Paul Durkin's eight points bested that of brother Don Durkin's seven for the Cardinals. Another old rival was Gallaudet, which had not met the Blue and Gray since Fred Fees outscored the entire Gallaudet five in a 48-22 postwar romp (post-WW I, that is). A world war later, the results were no less comforting for Gallaudet, falling 49-32 behind a 20 point effort by varsity newcomer and ex-football star Pete Baker. But in the third battle with local opponents, George Washington earned its first "sweep" in the forty-year Georgetown-GW rivalry, outpointing the Hoyas 54-36 at McKinley Tech's high school gym. The Hoyas dropped their ninth game of the season on February 15th, losing in the last minute 55-53 to LaSalle at Brookland Gym. Ed Drysgula passed Ken Engles in the scoring leadership position with an 11 free throw, 19 point performance. But in spite of a transition year of frustrating losses, Engles' Hoyas finished the season with five strong showings, four of which could be considered legitimate routs. American University was the first victim, 65-48, in the first rematch since the 105-39 massacre by the 1942-1943 NCAA championship finalists. The Eagles (13-2) fared none too well against the new G-men, despite the Eagles' best overall performance of the season. Unfortunately, behind a 43 point combined effort of Ed Drysgula, Frank Aires, and Paul Durkin, the American five found itself hopelessly outscored. A week later, the Hoyas swept past the Naval Annex, 50-31. A record 15 varsity men saw action, with Ed Drysgula leading all scorers with 16 points. Appearing at American University's own gymnasium a week later, Georgetown escaped past the newly crowned 1946 Mason-Dixon conference champs, 53-52. The Hoyas ended the season with wins over Catholic University, 49-31, and an impressive road win at LaSalle, 54-37, where four GU starters hit for double figures. Georgetown ended this unusual season 11-9, a winning if not altogether memorable record. Ed Drysgula won the scoring title over Ken Engles but, ironically, never played another game for the Blue and Gray. With the return of the "Kiddie Korps" the following autumn, Drysgula ended his career not with "string music" of a different kind, with the GU concert band, as lead saxophone. The 1945-46 varsity was not expected to carry the Hoyas back to the Final Four, simply to bring intercollegiate basketball back to the Hilltop. As Elmer Ripley prepared to return to Georgetown after a 17-4 mark at Notre Dame, Engles "retired" from coaching to graduate in May, 1946-- while the rest of the campus awaited the return of the "real" Hoyas. | |
| 1946-47 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
It was the fall of 1946, and "normalcy" returned to the campus at 37th and O. Football, long the most popular sport at the Hilltop, was completing its first post-war campaign. Hundreds of veterans, anxious to finish their studies or begin new studies under the G.I. Bill, flooded back to the campus. And four years after dazzling the basketball world with upsets of Syracuse, Temple, NYU, and the George Mikan-led DePaul Blue Demons, the "Kiddie Korps" returned home. The "Korps", of course, was the Georgetown basketball team, coached once again by the venerable Elmer Ripley after a one year proxy in Ken Engles. Ripley, after guiding Notre Dame to a stellar 17-4 mark a year ago, was besieged with offers from schools eager to learn from the old master. These schools included such luminary institutions as North Carolina, Boston College, Yale, and Columbia. But Ripley gladly returned to Georgetown, noting in an interview that his longtime Copley Hall apartment "has always been another home to me." While John Mahnken had graduated and Billy Hassett had used up his eligibility at Notre Dame, many of the stars of 1943 returned to send Georgetown back to national prominence. First on Ripley's list was 1942-1943 co-captain Danny Kraus, recipient of pre-season All-American honors by Sport magazine--the first Hoya hoopster ever to be honored before the season. Fellow veteran Lloyd Potolicchio was anxious to see court duty, as was Joe Connors, Jim Reilly, Andy Kostecka, and Eddie Brembs. New on the Hoya hit parade were two transfers Ripley brought from South Bend-- Ray (Chief) Corley and Tom O'Keefe, both former standouts in New York prep circles. Another promising newcomer was Ken "Bud" Brown, the 1942 "Mr. Basketball" award winner in Indiana, symbolic of the state's finest prep star. Brown came to Georgetown after a year as captain of the Hoosier freshman team, and at 6'4" was hoped to provide the inside game lost when John Mahnken graduated two years earlier. Ripley's schedule was expanded to welcome national colleges in addition to local teams, and it was in that spirit that the Hoyas met the Idaho University Vandals before 3,300 at Uline Arena to open the season. Jumping to leads of 23-9 and 35-20, the Hoyas appeared to have this one comfortably, yet held on in the midst of an Idaho whirlwind to earn an 59-52 win. Miggs Reilly led the Blue and Gray with 17 points in his first appearance in four years, as well as returnees Andy Kostecka and Danny Kraus combining for 23 Georgetown points. However, an upset lay waiting in the hands of an old nemesis to Hoya hoopsters, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Before 2,561 at Brookland Gym (where reports claimed almost 2,000 other fans were turned away) the Lions clawed their way to a 40-37 last minute triumph over the favored Hoyas. Returning to form, Georgetown traveled to crush Boston College, 70-56 before 6,546 at historic Boston Garden. BC was new to the college game, after only its second season in NCAA competition. Yet even a 20 point performance by Eagle center Elmore Morganthaler could not thwart the Hoya express, as veterans Kraus and Kostecka combined for 28 while a pair of newcomers, Tommy O'Keefe and Ray Corley, added a respectable 23 between them. Before 2,789 fans and a soggy Uline floor, GU continued its winning ways by thrashing Nevada, 55-47. Warm weather had caused the ice underneath the wooden floor to melt, causing considerable footing problems for all concerned. Yet even this distraction could not stop a well-balanced Georgetown attack, as . Kraus, Kostecka, O'Keefe, and Corley continued to shine. After outpointing Richmond on the road 46-38, Ripley's renegades returned to the Uline court for a seven game homestand. Small college power Davis & Elkins was unmercifully dumped, 70-31, as Hoya reserves Ed Lavin, Dick Falvey, and Lloyd Potolicchio rose to prominent roles. But the small Hoya quint met their match in the giants from Raleigh, N.C., Everett Case's North Carolina State Wolfpack. Case, blessed with a lineup that stood 6'6", 6'5", 6'6", 6'6" and 6'9", chose in the interests of fair play not to use his big men, choosing a smaller lineup of 6'3" or so. Since Georgetown's tallest man, Ken Brown, was only 6-4, the Hoyas were hardly a match for the Wolfpack, falling by eleven, 52-41. The team returned to form, with a pair of wins over Kings Point and Villanova that lifted the season mark to 9-2. But another tall aggregation proved too much for the Hoyas, in George Washington's 45-37 win. GWU fielded two freshmen over 6'4", and this height was critical in handling the Georgetown attack. Hoya scoring ace Andy Kostecka was held to 11 points overall as the Colonials made their shots count when they had to. Unfortunately for Georgetown, which missed a number of late shots due to GWU's tall trees in the middle, it was not enough. Following GWU's big men, the Hilltoppers met a real big man in all-American (Easy) Ed Macauley and the St. Louis Billikens. While a billiken is defined as a mythological sprite and is about as unusual a nickname as "hoya", there was nothing mysterious in Macauley and his Billikens. Macauley fired in 22 points in a 52-42 road win, including nine of the Bills' first fifteen points. After two tough encounters against nationally notable teams, Georgetown was not expected to prevail against Ed Diddle's famous Hilltoppers from Western Kentucky. Yet that is precisely what they did, as the Washington Hilltoppers upsetting the Kentucky Hilltoppers, 57-46, behind seasoned performances by Andy Kostecka and Dan Kraus. The win over Western Kentucky was even more notable in that WKU had just upset a Top Five team in St. John's earlier in the week. The Hoyas, now 8-4, followed this big win by surviving a wild finish at the hands of Niagara's Purple Eagles. In the contest, Andy Kostecka shattered Fred Fees' twenty-five year record for most points in a single game, caging 35 points to lead the Hoyas past the Eagles, 66-64, in overtime. Niagara's Ed Keim was the local hero late in the game, sinking a near-halfcourt toss with :05 left to send the game into overtime. Peter Carlesimo had left Scranton University, and new coach Buck Freeman was powerless against his Washington foes, holding GU to a 14-14 first half tie before being routed, 61-31. But as Ripley prepared for his tenth win in fourteen starts, Fordham embarrassed the powerful Hoya five, 58-42, handing GU its worst loss at home since 1916. The setback was dubbed as a serious damage to Georgetown's chances of an NCAA berth, as their record fell to 10-5. The up-and-down Hoyas returned "up", but lost two starters in a 58-42 brawl over Catholic University. This time, it was the "Hammering Cardinals", as CU sent both Andy Kostecka and Danny Kraus to the bench as a result of roughhouse tactics. Their absence against Maryland was the measure of difference, as the Terps recorded their first win over GU since 1940, 55-49, before 4,000 at Ritchie Coliseum. Bill Brown led the Terps to victory, as Maryland caged 25 free throws to Georgetown's seven for the evening. Then, as if like clockwork, Georgetown returned to form, upsetting LaSalle in overtime, 65-59, before a large crowd at Philadelphia's Convention Hall. The Explorers, denied of the city title by the Hoyas, erased a late Georgetown lead to send the battle into overtime, but Andy Kostecka's seventeen points and Ray Corley's fifteen were the measure of victory for the game. [A note from the box score at this contest noted the number of shots taken, the first indication in a Georgetown box score of what is today an indispensable statistic. For interests of history, though, neither team's scoring was particularly memorable. LaSalle shot 21 of 82 shots, or about 26%. Georgetown caged 24 of 96, an even 25%. The 96 shots for the Hoyas has been topped only twice since, in 1966 and 1974.] Avenging an earlier loss to its cross-town rival George Washington, the Hoyas upped their season mark to 12-5 before what was reputed to be the largest crowd in Washington basketball history. The Uline crowd of 6,126 saw a classic in every sense of the word. With the score favoring GWU 6-3, Hoya forward Eddie Brembs collided with the backboard while blocking a shot, rendering him unconscious and off to the dressing room. Replacing him, captain Dan Kraus reinjured his ankle, allowing the Colonials to build a 16-9 first half lead. Andy Kostecka then came alive, sparking a ferocious rally that sent GU past George Washington with a 32-28 halftime lead. The Colonials threatened repeatedly in the contest, but were rebuffed by the shooting of Lloyd Potolicchio and the aggressive inside play of Andy Kostecka. Kostecka's 19 points led all scorers in the 61-44 triumph, which regained Georgetown the mythical city crown. A note in a local paper claimed that the Dunkel rating for Georgetown far exceeded rivals Maryland, GW, and Catholic, thus tipping the scales to the Blue and Gray for city-wide honors. Scranton and Kings Point College were disposed of, as the Hoyas prepared to meet Duquesne's Iron Dukes, undefeated in sixteen games and a national leader in the Eastern polls. Using the crisp shooting and flawless teamwork the Dukes had built a reputation on all season, Duquesne topped the Hoyas 47-38 before a capacity crowd of 2,000 at the Dukes' home court. But the Dukes then traveled to Washington, and the Hoyas would be ready for them. Georgetown was fresh off a 50-42 revenge win at State College, Pa., over the Nittany Lions, and geared up to meet the vaunted Iron Dukes. In their finest performances of their post-war careers, the Hoyas routed the proud Dukes 57-38 at Catholic University's gym, holding ace scorers Charley Cooper and Ed Camic to a combined 14 points. The Hoyas, behind a 33 point combined effort by Andy Kostecka and Kenny Brown, excelled in every facet of the game, breaking an 19 game unbeaten streak in the same style as GU stopped NYU's great streak in the 1930's. Duquesne's warriors almost didn't let the game end without a flurry, however, as coach Chick Davies and the Dukes tried to make an example out of the Hoyas aggressive new forward, Andy Kostecka. However, the officials broke up what could have become an ugly incident, and the Hoyas went on to the win. The season ended at the Villanova Fieldhouse, where Ripley's men handled the Wildcats 63-55, behind Andy Kostecka's nineteen tallies. Villanova, winners of eight straight and a darkhorse for the NIT, hoped for a dream finish but instead got a nightmare. Kenny Brown added an impressive eighteen for the Georgetown cause, after Andy Kostecka left the game late with an injury to his ankle. The Hoyas were 18-7, but was that good enough for post-season play? No NCAA bid was offered, as Holy Cross and North Carolina State received the two Eastern bids. (Again, the NCAA tournament was only an eight team field at this time.) Without waiting for an NIT bid (which did not arrive, anyway) Georgetown met Boston College at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York, part of a doubleheader to raise funds for Jesuit missions in the war-ravaged Philippines. While Georgetown had soundly beaten BC earlier in the year, the Eagles gave the Hoyas all they could handle. Bud Brown, in place of the injured Andy Kostecka, led the Hoyas to victory, 61-54, behind an eighteen point performance. It wasn't the glory of the NCAA's, but the worthy cause that Georgetown was supporting had to leave the 19-7 Hoyas with a good feeling as the season drew to a late close, anyway. Good feeling or not, the team narrowly missed a NCAA berth as a result of early season losses that crippled the Hoyas' tournament chances. Notwithstanding, the performances of the 1946-1947 Hoyas were, for the most part, superb. Andy Kostecka's 410 season point was just five points short of John Mahnken's record year in 1943, and his absence from the post-season clash versus Boston College likely cost him the record. Other outstanding performances by Dan Kraus, Kenny Brown, Tom O'Keefe, Eddie Brembs, and Ray Corley are also noteworthy. And the best news of all that year was that all the stars would be back in 1947-1948. | |
| 1947-48 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
After a year back at Georgetown, it appeared that Elmer Ripley and the 1947-1948 Hoyas were truly destined for greatness. The 1942-1943 squad fell one game short of the national crown, and a 1943-1944 team would have been among the leading challengers for the title, had Georgetown fielded a team that year, And after last season's 19-7 record, similar expectations followed for the 1947-1948 edition of the Blue and Gray. And why not? Back were senior All-American Danny Kraus, leading scorer Andy Kostecka, as well as Ray Corley, Tommy O'Keefe, and all of "Rip"'s men. Even though the coach arranged a grueling 28 game schedule to prepare his team for tournament play, few could be heard complaining about the national publicity Georgetown would garner. While previous schedules faced only regional powers, the 1947-48 slate matched GU against the likes of Louisville, Notre Dame, Loyola of Chicago, and Western Kentucky. Yes, this was the year Georgetown was ready for the big time. Even the home opener seemed "big". After years of shuttling home games between American University, Catholic University, McKinley Tech High School and Uline Arena, the Hoyas moved their home games to the spacious new National Guard Armory, near 21st and East Capitol Streets, S.E. There, before 2,478 in attendance, the Hoyas survived a gritty Denver University quint in a 64-60 overtime decision. The Hoyas shot 36 foul shots, hitting 24, both of which were team records of the day. Another big event was in store three days later, as the Hoyas returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time in five years, meeting the nationally ranked St. John's Redmen. After disposing of a powerful Loyola of Chicago team three days earlier by the count of 54-45, the Hoyas prepared to meet one of the nation's finest teams, previous winners of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), considered at that time to be more prestigious than the NCAA tournament. Before 18,491 in attendance (the second largest crowd in the history of the "third" Garden), Georgetown turned in one of the great performances of the decade in Madison Square Garden history. Despite the loss of Harry Boykoff, the Redmen's legendary center, Frank McGuire's talented team played an exemplary game. Chief among all the Redmen was All-American Dick McGuire, pumping in 19 points and a host of rebounds. But it was Georgetown's plays that made this game, however. St. John's owned a 30-27 lead at the half, but the crisp shooting of McGuire and Georgetown's Tommy O'Keefe sent the lead to and fro. The Hoyas led 54-51 with two minutes to play, but when 6'8" Ivy Summer hit a jumper with :58 to play, the house was on its feet as the lead was cut to one. While waiting for the last shot, the Hoyas were tagged for holding the ball, allowing St. John's to send the game into overtime with a free throw. In the overtime, three free throws by Georgetown's Joe Culhane were the only tallies of the period, enabling Ripley's men a major upset in the Garden, 61-58. Following impressive victories over Virginia Tech and Richmond, the 5-0 Hoyas prepared for a nine game western road trip that would solidify their hold on a national ranking. There may have been those who chose not to have invited the Hoyas to the 1947 NIT for lack of familiarity, but this trip was to show the national basketball community that Georgetown belonged alongside the best of them. Instead, the January, 1948 road trip can now be considered a turning point downward in Georgetown's attempts at lasting national prestige. In the end, the Hoyas lost seven straight, turning a record of distinction into one of futility, frustration, and considerable embarrassment. To put it succinctly, the team didn't have the staying power against the fast-paced attacks of "western style" schools, a style of play Ripley notoriously shunned as a head coach. The results?
Notre Dame, Western Kentucky, Loyola of Chicago...the result was the same. The dreams of national glory returned home to scorn, dissension, and controversy. The controversy was over senior Andy Kostecka, the team's leading scorer. Kostecka averaged over 22 points per game prior to the road trip, but averaged less than ten points per game during the trip. Frustrated by reduced playing time during the road trip, Kostecka sounded off to a reporter to the Washington Times-Herald-and the result was his dismissal from the team. "Kostecka vs. Ripley Feud Rocks Hoyas: Scoring Ace Claims Coach Has Pets" screamed the Washington Times-Herald headline; soon after it appeared, athletic director Matthew Kane dismissed Kostecka for disciplinary reasons. Kostecka claimed he was a victim of the press, stating soon after the incident the following: "I was in my room taking a shower when this fellow came in...He didn't give his name. He said he had just come from "Rip"...one of the things I remember was his statement that Ripley said I was a prima donna. He implied that I had been blamed for losing the road games. I'll admit that I said that he has pets and I'm not one of them." "I had no idea," Kostecka told The HOYA, "he'd print anything and you can imagine how I felt when I read that story in the paper." Ripley denied belittling Kostecka. He noted that "Andy wasn't responsible [for the losses].." and that "[reporter Bob] McClean asked if Andy wasn't a bad actor. I said that he was a high strung kid...but my statement was matter of fact and not sarcastic or insulting." McClean, when contacted by The HOYA, denied twisting words. He claimed that he identified himself as a reporter and didn't change a word on either side. "I'd like to say that I did not twist any of Ripley's words when I spoke to Kostecka," McClean told the student paper. "I'm sorry the thing went as far as it did." In assessing the blame among Kostecka, Ripley, or McClean, the student newspaper was critical of the journalist's actions, but other members of the fourth estate laid the blame squarely on Kostecka. In a Cold War twist, the Washington Post called Kostecka nothing but "a temperamental Russian", and spoke of the Georgetown star and his aggressive attitude in style that a player named Michael Graham would later be subjected to. In the end, the Times-Herald got the scoop, and the Hoyas got left holding the barrel. The Hoyas returned home to meet Maryland before what was to be a large Armory crowd, but upon hearing of Kostecka's dismissal, only 1,275 fans, almost all from Maryland, saw GU outpoint the Terps, 52-40. The de facto boycott caused many to miss Ripley benching Danny Kraus, Tommy O'Keefe and Ray Corley for a starting lineup of reserves Italo Ablondi, Joe Culhane, Johnny Brown, Dick Falvey, and Frank Alagia. In the end, though, O'Keefe came off the bench to lead the Hoyas with 17 points. At this point in the season O'Keefe assumed the leadership role lost in Kostecka's absence. O'Keefe lead the team with 13 in a 40-39 loss at Canisius, then scored 20 in a 51-43 upset of George Washington at the Armory. Disposing of Texas Wesleyan, the Hoyas traveled to another big arena for another big game-versus Holy Cross, the 1947 NCAA National Champions. Had Kostecka been eligible, the Hoyas might have been able to give the Crusaders a run for their money. Without him, the Blue and Gray fell before the "Blitz Kids", 70-51, before a Boston Garden assemblage of 10.000. All-American Bob Cousy and George Kaftan combined for 45 points while guard Joe Mullaney led coach Alvin (Doggie) Julian's floormen to the victory. The next foe on this impressive but difficult schedule was North Carolina State, known in Washington as the "Red Terrors". Terrors they were, for when N.C. State (19-2) rolled past the Hoyas, 87-46, it was the largest margin of defeat for a Georgetown team since 1910. Following this debacle, the team split their final eight games of the season, none of which matched the intensity nor the excitement of the previous twenty contests for the Hoyas. Georgetown's "year of dreams" lapsed into the abyss of a 13-15 record, only the second losing season of the decade for the Hoyas. The season also marked the end of the careers of Danny Kraus and Andy Kostecka, though Kostecka's departure was quite a surprise. Together, the two seniors departed Georgetown for the new National Basketball Association, to join John Mahnken in representing the Blue and Gray. | |
| 1948-49 | Coach / Roster / Statistics / Schedule |
After the disappointment of last season's grueling schedule, changes were in order for the 1948-1949 Hoyas. The Blue and Gray returned to its provincial scheduling of the past, meeting no teams west of Pennsylvania in an attempt to rid the team of prolonged misfortunes on the road. Changes were also in order in the lineup. The loss of Dan Kraus, Andy Kostecka and Eddie Brembs were important considerations in the make-up of the 1948-1949 schedule, no doubt. Their replacements, John Mazziotta, Dan Supkis, and John Kelly, would be hard-pressed to duplicate the stellar career performances of Kraus, Kostecka, and Brembs. Mazziotta, at 6'5", was projected to add height where the Hoyas had all too little of the preceding year. Ripley expected the veteran play of Ray (Chief) Corley and third year star Tommy O'Keefe to fill in for the three departees, and return Georgetown back to the glory it had enjoyed in 1941, 1943, and 1947. A fifty point blowout of Ft. Belvoir, 91-41, opened the new season with high hopes. But the team reverted to its up and down ways in the games that followed, falling to NYU 70-59 at Madison Square Garden, then upending Penn State, 49-41; beating namesake rival John Carroll 73-53, then falling short to St. Bonaventure, 59-50. Facing the 10-2 Indians of William and Mary, the Hoyas dropped a tough 69-59 decision in Williamsburg, while earning a 69-44 win at Richmond. It appeared as if Georgetown had lost the consistency that had held together its great teams of the past. A brief glimpse of that lost consistency was in evidence in a January homestand against local rivals Maryland and George Washington. Faced with considerable foes in both games, the Hoyas relied on the crisp passing and effective shooting that was a Ripley trademark, knocking out the Terrapins 53-51, then ousting the Colonials, 53-49. Both games featured notable performances from a trio of New York-area stars who had inherited leadership roles on the team. Following in the shadow of the legendary Danny Kraus was 6'1" Vin Leddy, who gained notoriety on the same St. Francis Xavier prep team that produced All-American George Kaftan. LaSalle Academy's Dick Falvey, two-sport letterman for Georgetown, contributed to the Hoya offense mightily, though not not always like the 18 point hometown performance against NYU earlier in the season. Finally, there was third-year star Tom O'Keefe, who transferred from Notre Dame in 1945 upon learning of Coach Ripley's return to the Hilltop. O'Keefe became the dominant contributor to the team soon after the departure of Andy Kostecka the previous season, and would go on to lead the team in scoring three straight years--a feat accomplished only twice before in Georgetown basketball history and by only five men since: Brian Sheehan, Jon Smith, Eric Floyd, Patrick Ewing, and Mike Sweetney. But for all their talent, hard work, and drive, these three men, teamed with Ray Corley and John Mazziotta, lacked the greatness of previous Georgetown squads. Additionally, there were many who doubted whether coach Ripley's slow, deliberate style of play could survive the modernization of the game by teams such as Holy Cross, Kentucky, CCNY, and Kansas. Whatever the cause, the Hoyas (6-3) were walking into a disastrous stretch that would bring down the curtain on Elmer Ripley's legacy at the Hilltop. The losing ways began at Buffalo, N.Y., where a talented five from Canisius overtook the Hoyas in the second half, 53-52. A similar fate befell Rip's men at Lafayette by a 56-48. But what was so uncharacteristic about this Ripley-coached team was their performances at home, taking only one remaining encounter (Princeton, 68-60) and dropping the rest of their home schedule. Losing to Villanova and St.John's, while later falling to Seton Hall and George Washington before the close of the season's hostilities saddened many a Hilltop fan who remembered the great Ripley teams with names of Georgetown's great basketball past: Mesmer and Dutton, Schmitt and Kiernan, or Mahnken and Kraus. The Villanova encounter was marked by a sterling performance by all-American Paul Arizin, perhaps the finest player ever to play for the Main Line college. Arizin poured in 24 against the Hoyas, while set-shooter Brooks Ricca added 16. High scorer for the Hoyas was Tom O'Keefe, who added 16 points, all in the second half. From rags to riches was the tone of the Princeton game, as Johnny Brown turned in a career-high 24 tallies to topple Old Nassau. But it was back to rags against St. John's, 65-54, despite holding all-American Dick McGuire to just seven points behind the defensive prowess of Ray Corley. Georgetown's last gasp at a .500 record fell by the wayside at the hands of Pennsylvania, as the Quakers held on 56-53 despite fourteen lead changes in the game. Penn used the oft- criticized "freeze" tactic of taking time off the clock when a team is in the lead. Given the veracity of post-game reports of the game, apparently Georgetown had yet to master this tactic of the game--though they certainly would in the future. Seton Hall next raced past the Hilltoppers, 70-53, behind a 23 point performance by Frank Saul. The final stretch, seven of eight on the road, was difficult for the Hoyas to bear. Bob Cousy continued his dominance of Georgetown in a 74-56 valedictory at Worcester, Mass. Further losses at the hands of Siena, Penn State, and Villanova were even more disheartening. But perhaps the season could have been summed up in the performance versus George Washington in the home finale. Before 2,007 in attendance in the battle for the mythical city championship, the two teams battled through a contest in which 55 fouls were recorded within the forty minute frame. The score was tied early in the half, but it was as close as the Hoyas would come all evening. Despite gritty last-game performances by seniors Ray Corley and Tom O'Keefe, the Hoyas fell to GWU 52-47, relinquishing the mythical District title to George Washington for the first time in ten years. O'Keefe's eligibility was a major story in Georgetown circles during February, 1949. O'Keefe had transferred to Georgetown in 1946, as had Ray Corley upon Elmer Ripley's move from South Bend to Washington. Both were designated as Notre Dame varsitymen, but O'Keefe failed to play for the Irish that year, while Corley, on the other hand, was an important part of Notre Dame's 17-4 squad. By the end of the 1945-46 season, NCAA rules discontinued the freshman eligibility of the wartime years. Upon entering Georgetown in the fall of 1946, Corley was listed as a sophomore, O'Keefe a freshman. In February of 1949, William McCarter, Dartmouth athletic director and chairman of the NCAA eligibility committee, announced that O'Keefe, a junior, had used up his college eligibility through one varsity season at ND and two at Georgetown. A few weeks later after the end of the 1948-1949 season, however, McCarter reinstated O'Keefe, noting that the NCAA rules had been "misinterpreted" by the committee in its earlier finding. But the O'Keefe story paled as to the April announcement that the venerable Elmer Ripley was stepping down as head coach. Ripley, now at the age of 57, felt it was time to move on, and left the Hilltop to assume a coaching position with John Carroll University in Cleveland. Feelings were mixed among Georgetown basketball fans of his departure. Ripley was the school's winningnest coach, having directed Georgetown to national prominence in the 1927- 1928, 1940-1941, and 1946-1947 seasons, as well as the NCAA honors in 1942-1943. Ten former players for Ripley at Georgetown had or would go on to NBA basketball careers, including three All-Americans. Yet many felt that Ripley had failed to keep up with the emerging trends of the sport, preferring the 1920's-style of the game instead of the move to taller athletes and so-called "fast break" basketball. Joe Carroll, sports editor at the HOYA student newspaper, expressed many of these feelings in a 1949 column on Ripley's contributions at the Hilltop. This contemporary look at one of basketball's true legends expresses the Ripley era far better than a review from forty years hence. Wrote Carroll: "The veteran court mentor started his career in Dr. Naismith's [game] as a player. Soon he found himself playing with the fabulous "Original Celtics", of whom much has been written about in recent years. He became a capable and constant reserve, well known for his amazing set-shot ability, but he was never quite able to crash the starting lineup which consisted of such greats as Joe Lapchick, Horse Haggerty, Dutch Dehnert, and Nat Holman. Following his departure, Elmer Ripley served two years at John Carroll, two seasons at Army, a year at Regis University, two years with the Harlem Globetrotters, coached the 1960 Israeli Olympic team, then reappeared briefly a year later to coach the Washington Tapers, an entrant in Abe Saperstein's ill-fated American Basketball League. The Tapers moved to New York a year later with a new coach and the league folded in 1964. The ABL job was his last known coaching stint, but Elmer Ripley was not forgotten by the college basketball community. being elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972. Ripley died in 1982 at the age of 90, scarcely a month before another Georgetown team would return to the summit of college basketball where Ripley had once stood. Elmer Ripley may not have been there in person to see John Thompson's team take the court before 61,612 at the Louisiana Superdome, but he was undoubtedly there in spirit. And, as John Thompson has done, Elmer Ripley brought nothing but respect and admiration to Georgetown University, of which all Hoyas, then, now, and in the future, can justly be proud of.
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