Georgetown Basketball History: Historical Narrative
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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.

The twenty year influence on Georgetown basketball by Elmer Ripley had now come to an end, but the program continued onward. With a strong core of talent from last year's squad, the University's main responsibility was to hire a coach to replace Ripley. Unlike the nationwide searches and media acclaim that exists today, the selection of a coach was decidedly low-key. As such, the University looked no further than to one of its own to become the school's tenth head coach since 1907.

The successor was Francis (Buddy) O'Grady, 29, a 1942 Georgetown graduate who starred on Ripley's talented squad of 1940-1941. After a stint in the armed services and some local coaching duties, O'Grady was asked to step in and become the new coach, albeit a part time one for salary purposes. (Georgetown did not hire a full time coach for basketball until 1966.)

With little time to recruit on his own, O'Grady relied on the veterans from last season to turn around the team from 1948-1949's disappointing 9-15 mark. Returning starters Johnny Brown, Frank Alagia, John Mazziotta, and Dick Falvey provided leadership, while senior Tom O'Keefe provided the offensive punch. O'Keefe, allowed to play a fourth year at Georgetown and a fifth year overall by approval of the NCAA, was on his way to rewriting the scoring records at the University this year. O'Keefe's 684 points in three years was third behind Andy Kostecka and Fred Fees, and both men's scoring marks appeared within reach. What was less certain, however, was how the team would fare given another strong schedule of regional and nationally-ranked foes.

After the first five games of the season, O'Grady's new club appeared ready for the challenge. Against smaller but certainly capable teams, Georgetown won its first five games of the season, something it had not done since Ripley's championship season in 1938-1939. O'Keefe paced the Hoyas past Catholic in the opener, 73-46, then survived a late rally at the hands of a upset-minded American squad, 68-63. A partisan crowd at Uline Arena watched their Eagles own a second half lead until the last four minutes, when shots by Al Ablondi and Frank Alagia prevented a considerable local upset by the small college-level Eagles.

A trip to meet the New York Athletic Club netted a 78-70 win, followed by a stirring 70-63 win over Penn State at the National Guard Armory. The Penn State game featured rallies on both sides, most notably an 18-6 Georgetown rally at the end of the first half to end the half with a comfortable 42-36 lead. The Nittany Lions opened up the second period with a 12-6 spurt of their own, but it was as close as they would get. O'Keefe and Brown combined for 40 points before only 464 fans, the smallest crowd seen at a GU game since the 1930's.

After a 58-53 win over Harvard, the Hoyas went on the road for a six game stand. Characteristically, the Hoyas dropped five of six.

A 90-58 drubbing at LaSalle left the shell-shocked Hoyas ripe for an upset at the hands of Maryland, and that is exactly what happened in a 71-67 loss. But following these shaky performances, the Hoyas turned in their best effort of the year, albeit in a losing cause. Facing #2 ranked St. John's, the twenty point underdogs from Washington were seven seconds away from overtime before a foul shot by Redmen guard Frank Mulzoff iced a 67-66 squeaker. Dick Falvey, a New York native, held all-American Frank McGuire to seven points, while caging 13 on his own. Tommy O'Keefe scored 19 points and Johnny Brown added 10, and it appeared that the Redmen (14-1) were ripe for a momentous upset. The difference in the contest was sophomore sensation Bob Zawoluk, who many still consider the greatest center in St. John's basketball history. Zawoluk scored 26 to pace St. John's to the victory, one of many outstanding performances during his college career.

The road stand featured an impressive upset over Siena on their home court, 47-42--the Indians were 15-1 entering the contest. But convincing losses to Holy Cross (77-51) and Canisius (58-41) brought spirits down to earth, and ended the journey northward with the Hoyas' overall record standing at 6-5.

Whether by plan or by accident, the 1949-1950 schedule provided the weary Blue and Gray a chance for some "home cooking" during the end of January as five of the team's next six games would be at home. O'Grady's men earned instant local attention in a 68-66 win over George Washington that deadlocked the mythical "Big Three" race at 1-1 for each club. A strong Lafayette club fell 58-50, in another upset the Hoyas stunned NYU, 71-60. Reserve guard Al Ablondi scored a career high 20 points in the game, with a masterful display of offensive might against the favored Violet. Ablondi led his teammates in a 24-4 second half run, scoring 12 points in a 16-1 spurt that gave Georgetown a 56-50 lead. 6'5" center John Mazziotta also turned in a solid performance against ex-Syracuse star Mel Seeman, keeping the pressure on the NYU shooters. The eleven point win was Georgetown's first against the team from Washington Heights in seven seasons, dating back to the NCAA quarterfinal of March, 1943.

A 75-73 road win at Rutgers keyed Georgetown's hopes for further acclaim. Mazziotta and O'Keefe each scored 23 to pace the Hoyas, winners of four in a row and 10-5 overall. From this point, however, the 1949-1950 season took a profound turn for the worse. An injury to Mazziotta seemed to diminish the Hoyas' inside game, while the end-of-season competition preyed on a smaller, less explosive GU attack. An uncharacteristic 28 point home loss to Villanova began the skid, 73-45, the worst defeat in any of GU's various "home" courts since 1914. The home finale witnessed George Washington lose three starters via personal fouls, only to win the game on a jump shot with fourteen seconds to play, 68-66.

With Uline Arena booked for many events, the Hoyas were back on the road for the remainder of the schedule. Back-to-back wins at Gettysburg and Penn were not enough to prepare the 12-7 Hoyas for a virulent five game stretch against the likes of Fordham, Seton Hall, Penn State, Villanova, and Princeton. A narrow 64-63 loss to Fordham was as close as the Hoyas would get towards securing a winning season, dropping all five contests to end the season at a disappointing 12-12. The record was a marked improvement over last year's mark, but considering the team's 10-5 mark going into the final week of play, the record remained discouraging.

One silver lining from the cloudy finish of the 1949-1950 season was the play of Tommy O'Keefe. Having passed Andy Kostecka as the school's all-time scoring leader midway through the season, O'Keefe set his sights on a feat never before accomplished at the Hilltop: a 1,000 point career. Averaging 22.0 points in his final five games, O'Keefe broke the 1,000 point barrier in his final career game, facing Princeton. His 19 point performance in a 63-49 losing effort nonetheless concluded his career at 1,018 points, a new record.

Nationally, the 1949-1950 season had its share of great stars, from Frank McGuire to Paul Arizin to Bob Cousy. Despite a lack of nominations for All-America honors, it was still viewed as a fitting tribute to O'Keefe's effort that the 6'1" playmaker from New York starred alongside Bob Cousy in the East-West College All-Star Game held after the season concluded.

O'Keefe's departure, along with seniors Al Ablondi, Dick Falvey, and Frank Alagia, formally ended the decade that was 1940's Georgetown basketball. From the great teams of 1940-1941, 1942-1943, and 1946-1947 came some of the most memorable seasons to date for Georgetown basketball. Now, the 1950's lay waiting for new heroes, and new challenges for the men of the Blue and Gray.

Buddy O'Grady's second season at the helm of the Hoya basketball program was a rebuilding year in every sense of the word. Four seniors had graduated, and the lone underclassman with significant game experience, John Mazziotta, had left school to be closer to home in New Jersey. Without the support of upperclassmen to provide leadership to the team, O'Grady looked to youth in order to raise the GU record above .500.

His solution was in the Class of 1953, arguably the most talented group to join the varsity since the Danny Kraus-led frosh of 1942. Bill Bolger, Billy Wolfer, Barry Sullivan, Hugh Beins, Dennis Murphy, Gerry Nappy, and Jack Hekker, all veterans of the 16-1 freshman team of 1950, would be seen as legitimate candidates for starting roles alongside returning letterman Tony Durmowicz, Danny Subkis, and Mike Vitale.

However unfamiliar the surroundings, the "super sophs" opened their college careers in a big way. Georgetown took its first three games of the year, defeating Geneva, St. Francis, and Mt. St. Mary's in convincing fashion.

Facing Geneva, the sophomore quintet of Bolger, Wolfer, Sullivan, Beins, and Hekker combined for 59 points in the 92-61 rout, with Sullivan scoring a game-high 22 points. The 6-4 tandem of Sullivan and Bill Bolger continued their winning ways in leading the Hoyas past St. Francis, 80-59, and Mt.St. Mary's, 87-62, but these schools were hardly the most difficult competition GU would face this year, as Long Island University showed in a 75-66 win over Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.

Clair Bee's Blackbirds, ranked seventh in the nation, gave the young Hoyas all they could handle, but in spite of the talented LIU squad O'Grady's men performed exceptionally well. Barry Sullivan and Dennis Murphy shocked the partisan crowd with an 18-8 Georgetown spurt to open the game, and GU held on to a 42-41 lead at the intermission. The two teams battled until LIU grabbed a 67-64 lead and proceeded to freeze the ball en route to the win, 75-66. Despite the loss, the play of Barry Sullivan (25 points) and Bill Bolger (14 points) were exemplary for the Hoya offense. Less exemplary was Georgetown's rebound margin, as LIU and its 6-11 center Ray Felix grabbed 56 rebounds to Georgetown's 30.

Despite this performance, which earned O'Grady's team deserved acclaim from sportswriters and fans, the team returned to Washington to get on a roller coaster of sorts for their next eight games. Returning home, Barry Sullivan averted a major upset at the hands of the American Eagles in a 65-62 win at Uline Arena. The Eagles led midway into the second half before Sullivan, leading all scorers with 25 points, sent the Hoyas to the win. Sullivan was ineffective two weeks later on January 9th, as the team returned from the holiday season to lose in overtime to George Washington, 90-80. Sullivan was held to only nine points while the Colonial tandem of Art Cerra (23 points) and Bud Goglin (16 points) drove GWU to the intra-city win.

As Barry Sullivan went, so went the Hoyas . Sullivan was decidedly "off" in losses to Maryland (58-47) and Penn (92-76), but was "on" against Navy, enough to pour in 23 to lead GU past the Midshipmen for only the second time in twenty years, 58-55. As if like clockwork, he was "off" again, as the Hoyas suffered a unexpected loss to one of the school's most obscure opponents, tiny Gannon College, 66-62. Amazingly, Gannon has defeated Georgetown in each of the two schools' meetings, including a win over the 1975-1976 ECAC South championship squad.

Two road wins at Loyola and Canisius lifted the Georgetown record to 7-5, with seven of the next eight games of February scheduled at home. While Georgetown's record at Uline Arena had not been outstanding the last few years, it seemed that the Blue and Gray should fare no worse than .500 during the eight game string. Instead, the Hoyas watched as an unprecedented eight game losing streak sent the 1951 varsity season plummeting towards a season ending 8-14 record.

The skid began at the hands of Penn State, which upset the Hoyas 76-70 despite the scoring leadership of Barry Sullivan and Bill Bolger, who soon became the only consistent scorers on the squad. The traveling Chieftains of Oklahoma City were the next upset victors, escaping Uline Arena with a 51-45 decision.

The Oklahoma City game, like many in the college world in February, 1951, began to be overshadowed by the greatest scandal yet to hit the college game: the point-fixing scandals. Over the weeks prior to this game, allegations of widespread cheating and "point shaving" were alleged to have transpired at Madison Square Garden over the years, particularly in the prior season. By the time Georgetown had completed its season, six players from Manhattan College and Long Island University were arrested for fixing games, with players from City College of New York (the 1950 NCAA and NIT champions) and later Seton Hall and Kentucky being implicated. While Georgetown had only played a handful of games at the Garden over the last few years, talk turned to the Hilltop--as a possible fixer may have set his sights on a Georgetown player as the next catch in an ever-growing web of scandal upon the game of college basketball.

That player was high-flying Barry Sullivan, the team's leading scorer and one of the East's up and coming players. According to local reports of Feb.23,1951, Sullivan was contacted by an unidentified man by telephone a day before the Oklahoma City game expressing his desire to provide Sullivan with some "easy money" if Georgetown lost by a certain number of points the next day.

The caller promised $1,000 to Sullivan and upwards of $10,000 by season's end. Sullivan, mindful of recent scandals, attempted to gain the caller's confidence by hoping to catch the cheat.

"I'm afraid that I took him up too quickly," Sullivan told the Washington Post. "With the story of the Manhattan scandal fresh in mind, I immediately though I'd appear to go along with the caller in hopes of helping to trap him. The fact that I may have appeared too eager may have scared him off."

Despite contacting Sullivan and Sullivan's roommate, the offer never materialized. Georgetown University and District of Columbia officials investigated the story, but could not pursue the case further. There was no confirmation that the call was even serious by local authorities, since there was no way of proving whether the caller was serious or playing a dangerous prank on the hoopsters. Although rumors had claimed that a pair of Georgetown players had chased off a suspected gambler as the 1942-1943 team prepared for the NCAA's in New York, the Sullivan incident was the first and only public case of a Georgetown player being contacted by elements of the point-shaving scandals.

While eyes might have turned toward the team if Georgetown began to lose to weaker opponents, the Hoyas' opponents aroused no such concern. They were, plain and simple, not as good as their opponents, and the close scores are more an indication of Georgetown's spirited play and nothing approaching questionable play.

Still, the news around them could not hide the simple fact that Georgetown was in a serious losing streak. LaSalle held on in a 79-74 Uline triumph, while Fordham (61-56) and Siena (57-48) held off late rallies by the slumping Hoya five. Sullivan, in the throes of a serious flu that saw his 6'3" frame slip to a meager 153 pounds, scored 27 points in his last game of the season, a 101-83 loss to North Carolina State. In the game, N.C. State became the first team to score 100 or more points against a Georgetown team in the history of the program.

With Sullivan in top form earlier in the year, Georgetown battled George Washington into overtime before succumbing in December. Now in the return match, GWU crushed the depleted Blue and Gray, 74-49, to win the mythical city title. Despite a non-collegiate win over the New York City Athletic Club that broke an eight game slide, losses to Seton Hall (82-78) and William and Mary (75-64) ended a frustrating and controversial season.

Nine straight losses notwithstanding, the young Georgetown team grew in skill and teamwork during this difficult stretch. This growth was much in evidence against Seton Hall on March 1, 1951. Seton Hall, 21-5 and on their way to the 1951 NIT's, led 66-50 late in the second half before 750 diehards at Uline Arena.

Rather than give up, the Hoyas outscored the Pirates 24-12 in the final eight minutes to pull to four, 78-74 with 1:05 left. Dennis Murphy scored 10 of those late points, and when Bill Bolger stole a Seton Hall I n-bound pass with :45 left, the Hoyas had cut the lead to two, 78-76. Unfortunately, the Pirates regrouped and held on to an 82-78 victory; but the Pirates would have acknowledged that these young Hoyas had plenty of heart in them. The 8-14 record was a bitter pill to swallow, especially in light of the team's great performance against LIU earlier in the season and a 7-5 record going into February.

Wait till next year, they said.

While last season's basketball fortunes were far from impressive, 1951-1952 would be a different story. The leadership of captain Mike Vitale, the growing talents of Barry Sullivan and Bill Bolger, and a strong coaching effort by Buddy O'Grady would be welcome news for the Hoya fan of 1951-1952. But this year was special in a different way. The season represented a unique turning point in the history of the basketball program at Georgetown University; neither for its record nor its philosophy, but for two external events that would playa key role in this sport's development at the Hilltop: the end of major college football at Georgetown and the construction of an on-campus gymnasium.

Since 1887, football was the undisputed king of Georgetown athletics. One of the South's finest teams, Georgetown had established a widely-known reputation for academic and athletic excellence on the gridiron with undefeated seasons in 1938 and 1939, bowl bids in 1941 and 1949, and crowds in excess of 25,000 at Washington's Griffith Stadium.

Then, on April 11, 1951, the tradition came tumbling down. Citing a $100,000 loss from an anemic 1950 campaign, University President Hunter Guthrie, S.J. unilaterally cancelled the program. Citing "an uncertain outlook for student enrollment", Guthrie terminated the program and its 81 scholarships, In the midst of rising costs, athletic scandals, the ill-fated "Sanity Code" of the NCAA, and a feeling by many colleges that big-time football was incompatible with their educational mission, the decision to drop football at Georgetown was conceivable, despite vocal opposition by alumni.

In short, Georgetown had abandoned its most popular athletic team--but which sport would take its place? That question would be answered within a few months, as basketball rose to the throne of Georgetown's athletic kingdom with a brand new palace of its very own, and a season worthy of the school's support.

At its construction in 1906, Ryan Gymnasium was hailed as one of the largest basketball floors in the South. The claims were exaggerated. Ryan did not even host a game for the program's first four years, owing that it had no permanent seating. Used by half a dozen athletic teams, numerous ROTC units, intramural teams, and the like, the gym was too small to accommodate the athletic needs of the University. Even more distressing was Ryan's seating for spectators, which could number no more that one hundred along the balcony of the court and one hundred ringing the court below. In 1931 Georgetown played its last intercollegiate game at Ryan, beginning a twenty year odyssey in search of a new on-campus gymnasium.

As early as 1931, plans were announced for a new on-campus gymnasium, to be styled after the Palestra and located at the intersection of 37th and N streets, adjacent to the campus' front gates. "Alumni Gym" would have seated 6,500, provide locker room space for 2,000 students, and feature a 25'x 75' pool in the basement. But in the midst of the Depression, Alumni Gym was never to grow to fruition.

By 1939, talk of a gym was "on" again following the death of Athletic Director Vincent McDonough, S.J. Behind the leadership of Frank Hogan (C'1902), nearly $800,000 was raised before the beginning of World War II towards the construction of "Memorial Gym", then projected to be a 3,000 seat structure adjacent to Ryan Gym. The War itself grounded these plans to a halt, and it was not until February 8, 1948 that the dream of an on-campus gymnasium would be rekindled with the construction plans announced for the McDonough Memorial Gymnasium, to be located on the far reaches of the University's property adjacent to the Glover-Archbold National Forest.

The timing of the new gym may have been serendipitous. Guthrie was no fan of intercollegiate sports, and football was just one of a number of cuts in discussion. Given basketball's anemic record and its off-campus attendance numbering in the hundreds at Uline Arena, it is conceivable Guthrie would have dropped basketball as well, if not for the fact that alumni had donated most of the $1.2 million to build the gym. With alumni relations at a low point following the dropping of football, Guthrie would not risk further alienation by dropping a sport just as its new home was built.

And on December 7, 1951, ten years to the day that the fateful bombing at Oahu had stopped the gym plans, McDonough Gymnasium opened to a campus-wide extravaganza. Amidst a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra, a formal ball, a Catholic High Mass, and the largest alumni reunion since the War, McDonough Gymnasium was christened with the opening of the 1951-1952 season, as Georgetown met Fordham University.

Unfortunately, the 3,500 fans witnessed Fordham spoil the happy occasion, dumping the Hoyas 57-50. The Maroon duo of all-New York City prep star Fred Christ and Bill Carlson combined for 31 points to garner the victory, in spite of Bill Bolger's respectable 19 point effort.Yet few turned to tears at this respectable showing, hoping that a six game homestand (unheard of at Uline Arena or Tech Gym) would provide the team with a solid boost into the new year. Such dreams came true to the 1951-52 Hoyas, who soon took the new gym to their liking.

Facing Loyola a week later, the Hoyas fought an early first half deficit to storm past the Greyhounds, 70-59, for the first of many wins at McDonough. Barry Sullivan led the Hoyas with 24 points while center Gerry Nappy set a new record with 19 rebounds for the evening. Randolph-Macon was buried, 78-39, the largest margin of victory in nearly a decade. A record fifteen players saw action for Hoyas, with all but two scoring.

Still more offensive might dazzled the home folks. Catholic University was trounced, 88-44, behind a 36 point knockout punch by Barry Sullivan and Bill Bolger. The junior duo combined for 54 to rout Princeton, 84-62, and a 49 point tandem in handling Wake Forest, 80-61. At 5-1, it appeared as if Look magazine, in rating the Hoyas ninth in the East, looked pretty good after all.

But if the home court meant good times for these "new and improved" courtmen, Georgetown still could not overcome that bogeyman known as playing on the road. After an oft-criticized two week layoff for the holiday season, the Hoyas proceeded to miss an incredible 54 of 67 shots in a 55-40 loss to Maryland at Ritchie Coliseum. Facing the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the Blue and Gray missed 46 more shots in a 82-62 drubbing.

The air was coming out of the GU balloon, and no one could seem to stop it. An inferior George Washington squad robbed the Hoyas in a 72-70 decision at Uline, followed by a 80-74 loss at the University of Detroit which saw four Georgetown stars foul out early in the second half.

Traveling to eleventh-ranked Dayton, O'Grady's men played the Flyers close to the very end, only to fall 80-74. After a road win at Pitt, the Hoyas returned to their winning ways at home, earning two easy wins versus Scranton (70-56) and Canisius (75-67), behind 21 from Bill Bolger. But once again, the team disappeared on the road. The "Mystery Five", as some local wags were dubbing the on-again, off-again Hoyas, proceeded to drop three more on the road.

Fordham handled the Hoyas once again, 70-58, despite 19 from Barry Sullivan and 15 from Bill Bolger. Traveling north, the Hoyas fell victim to two stinging upsets: an 85-79 loss to St. Francis, and an embarrassing 83-55 showing at Penn State. In the game, PSU broke the all-time Rec Hall team scoring record, set an individual record behind Jesse Arnelle's 40 point performance, and won a record thirteenth straight game--all at the expense of the beleaguered Hoyas.

And, perhaps too, at the expense of head coach O'Grady. Obviously frustrated at the team's erratic performances, blamed by the local press for the team's failures, and pressured by Rev. Guthrie to accept cuts in an already marginal salary, the 1942 Georgetown graduate announced his resignation on February 7th, effective at the end of the season.

O'Grady was a campus favorite in spite of the team's showing, and the campus crowd at McDonough welcomed him back to McDonough on Feb.10 with a thunderous ovation, a way to say "thanks" for his three years of hard work. The team said thanks in a slightly different way--thrashing their next five opponents and winning seven of their last eight to end the season with the best overall record in five years. While many of these were home games, Georgetown began to play well on the road as well, though for O'Grady's future at Georgetown it was too little, too late.

Two games from the final eight are worth a second look. Traveling late in February to Philadelphia's Convention Hall, GU met the NIT-bound LaSalle Explorers, a heavy favorite in this contest. Before 5,000 in attendance, Bill Bolger netted ten early points before going to the bench with an untimely fourth foul, but in a display of teamwork unseen this season by the erratic Hoyas, the Blue and Gray didn't give up. Moving Dennis Murphy in the pivot, and relying on team captain Mike Vitale and junior Hugh Beins for support, the Hoyas brought the crowd to its feet with three minutes to go, leading 70-68. It was then that O'Grady put on a "freeze" play, and as the crowd screamed for LaSalle's five to get to the ball, the Hoyas held the ball for all but the last eight seconds in a masterful display of passing and teamwork. O'Grady was carried off the floor as the Hoyas upset its mightiest foe of the season, 70-68.

O'Grady had one more chance to be carried out of a gym, this time in the home finale against George Washington. After a dismal first half of play where the Hoyas fell behind by eleven to the Foggy Bottom five, Bill Bolger and the team caught fire, helping to erase the deficit and give GU a 48-42 lead midway into the second half. A late shot by Bolger with minutes to play broke John Mahnken's single season scoring record with 417, though this game was now far too tight to worry about records. But the hero of the evening wasn't Bill Bolger, but the second half of GU's scoring duo, Barry Sullivan. With the score tied 70-all with one minute to go, Georgetown held for the last shot. With :09 left, a lay-up by Tony Durmowicz missed, and as the crowd gasped in disbelief, Barry Sullivan retrieved the ball just before it went out of bounds, heaving the sphere up, up...and in!

As the crowd began to go wild, they witnessed a shot from beyond half court by the visitors. Amazingly, the shot almost went in, falling off the rim and into the jubilant arms of Tony Durmowicz. O'Grady was once again given the hero's ride out of the gym, the composer behind a 72-70 work of art.

Bill Bolger won the scoring title this year, with 435 total points and a shade behind Fred Fees' all-time point-per game average set in 1918. Bolger's 700 points in two seasons landed him fourth on the all-time scoring list, with a 1,000 point career within reach for the 6'4" junior.

But in the end, despite embarrassing play on the road and a widely-held belief that this team was eminently capable of post-season play, the 1952 Hoyas proved two things: 1) with a home record of 10-1, McDonough was the place to be, and 2) it would only be a matter of time before a post season tournament would come calling at the new gym.

After two years of varsity play, the "Mystery Five" had reached its year of decision. As sophomores, they had put together a 7-5 mark before dropping nine of their last ten games. As juniors, they turned around a mid-season slump to record the most wins in five years for the team. And now, as seniors, they had the opportunity to defy the critics and send the Hoyas into post-season play.

They would strive for the post-season without former coach Frank (Buddy) O'Grady and fellow senior Barry Sullivan. Sullivan joined the Army, while O'Grady's future whereabouts were unknown.

In his place for 1952-1953 was another Buddy, that of former Baltimore Bullets coach Harry (Buddy) Jeannette. Recently retired from the pro ranks, the 36 year old Jeannette was attracted to the University's program despite a meager salary for similar positions available at other schools.

Barry Sullivan's absence in the fall of 1952 was the only dark cloud among a roster of silver linings. Jeannette welcomed two key juniors to the varsity, 5'10" Lou Gigante and 6'5" Jack Vail. But the real stars were the Class of '53: Jack Hekker, Dennis Murphy, Billy Wolfer, Hugh Beins, and Bill Bolger, and in their senior year they would fulfill their potential to the delight of Georgetown fans everywhere.

The season opener with Randolph-Macon saw a carbon-copy forty-one point rout by the Hoyas, only the final score (86-45) being the difference in the win this year versus a 78-39). Roommates Lou Gigante and Jack Vail inaugurated their college careers in combining for 17 points to lead a balanced scoring effort. Wins over Loyola and Hampden-Sydney followed, and the 3-0 Hoyas prepared for their first in-season tournament in twenty years at the Boston Arena Christmas Tournament in Boston.

The Hoyas were decided underdogs in meeting the Seattle Chieftains and the Rhode Island Rams. But behind Bill Bolger's hot hand, effective rebounding by Jack Vail, and a great deal of defensive teamwork, the Hoyas shocked the Boston crowds by sweeping past the NCAA-bound Chieftains, 79-70, and holding off a late rally by the Rams to win the tourney, 77-72. The wins brought Georgetown back among discussion of teams for future post-season play and earned the University its first in-season tournament title, one of only three such titles in the pre-John Thompson era.

Now favored to win the unofficial city title for the first time since 1947, the Hoyas returned home to open the new year against a pair of local foes. Facing George Washington, Jeannette's men met an offensive steamroller; at 91.4 points per game, Bill Reinhart's Colonials were second in the nation in scoring offense. GWU center Joe Holup, on his way to becoming the first All-American in that school's history, was averaging 21.6 ppg coming into the contest.

Before a standing room only McDonough audience the two teams battled at every bounce of the ball. The game was stopped a number of times during the first half because of bench-clearing tensions, and foul shots were frequent throughout the contest. Each team's leading scorer found the going difficult. After an 11 point first half, GU's Bill Bolger was blanked in the second half amidst the tenacity of Joe Holup. But Holup could score no more than seven points himself through the game. With under a minute to play, GU held a 58-56 lead that evaporated when the Colonials' Corky Devlin turned a steal on Bolger and raced down to tie the game and send it into overtime. In the extra period, behind the leadership of Devlin's 22 point performance, the George Washington offense exploded, caging 21 points in five minutes to GU's seven, turning a battle of titans into a titanic GWU victory at McDonough, 79-65.

The Hoyas fared better facing Maryland, A balanced effort led the Hoyas to prevail late in the game, 54-45, before 4,000 at Ritchie Coliseum. The Hoyas won despite a classic performance Maryland All-American, Gene Shue, who scored the first twelve points of the game for the Terps and 27 of the team's 45 points, a school record. Speaking of the Terrapins' play, the Washington Post wryly observed that" if Maryland had a pair of Shues they might have walked away with the game."

A road trip through upstate New York was less than successful for Georgetown despite fine individual efforts by the team. GU fell to Canisius, 78-69, despite 23 points from Hugh Beins and 16 from Joe Bolger. Facing LeMoyne College, GU rolled to a 89-67 win, led by a combined 50 points from the trio of Beins, Bolger, and Lou Gigante. Then, in the finale, the Blue and Gray was upset by Siena, 72-57, as GU fell victim to a 2-1-2 zone that bottled up Bill Bolger. Bolger's 14 points led the squad but was no match for four Siena starters in double figures.

Still, the 7-3 Hoyas were receiving recognition, so much so that the Jan. 28, 1953 Top Twenty poll noted one vote for, of all teams, Georgetown. It wasn't enough for the Hoyas to crack the Top 20, but this was certainly an indication of the respect this team was now receiving. The vote was the first national poll vote in the post-war era for Georgetown, and the first national ranking of any kind for the team since 1943.

National fame was fleeting, however, and the arrival of Penn State certainly ended any further Top 20 hopes of the Hoyas. Jesse Arnelle hit for 21 points in a 73-70 upset for the Nittany Lions at McDonough Gym, despite the fact that Georgetown led by five with 1:20 to play and by one with under fifteen seconds to play.

Penn State trailed 71-70 when sophomore Dave Edwards was fouled by Hoya reserve Joe Carroll. Edwards missed the first shot, followed by the resounding cheers of the home crowd. (Disrupting the shooter with catcalls and arm-waving was not considered sporting in this era.} Edwards missed the second, but beat Carroll to the boards and tipped in the shot to earn State the win. The defeat marred an otherwise fine performance by Bill Bolger (21 points) and reserve Bob Stuhr (11 points), but the frustrating finish had its effects on Jeannette.

"I don't know what's wrong with these guys," a disgusted Jeannette told Jack Walsh of the Washington Post, discussing the team's 1-4 record as of late and the Hoyas' lack of composure against late rallies by the opposition. "They certainly don't act like an experienced ball club when the pressure is on. I think the only team that really beat us was Siena. They threw up a zone defense and we got panicky. Against GW, Canisius, and Penn State, we beat ourselves."

"When we play Temple Saturday night", warned Jeannette, "I expect to use an entirely different team. I'm going to use kids who want to play, and that goes for Mr. Bolger, too."

Bolger took the coach's words to heart, thumping the hometown Owls 72-55,. But the "Mystery Five" pulled a repeat of the Penn State debacle in a subsequent 76-75 loss to Virginia. The contest, the first between the two schools in basketball since 1913, saw GU lead 72-69 with :56 left. A pair of free throws, a pair of baskets, and a late steal by the Cavaliers' Mel Roach of a Dennis Murphy pass brought U.Va. into the lead. Yet, with one second to play, Georgetown's Billy Wolfer was fouled with the score 76-74 in favor of the Wahoos. Wolfer hit the first, but the tying shot rolled around and out of the hoop to preserve the Cavaliers' big upset.

After a 6-1 start, the Hoyas were 8-5, and badly in need of a big game. Facing Navy at home for the first time in the history of the rivalry, little Lou Gigante poured in 17 points in a major upset of the Top 20 Middies, 81-65. Navy (17-3) never threatened in the game, as Gigante's scoring, the one-two defensive punch of Bolger and Beins in the middle, and a strong 15 point performance by forward Jack Hekker stunned the NCAA-bound Midshipmen. After a month of indecision, the Hoyas were back on track.

The newly found confidence of the team was put to the test against Maryland on Feb. 19th at McDonough. Bill Bolger was held to four points and benched by coach Jeannette in the second half. Georgetown lost a 14 point lead and saw Maryland rally to lead 46-45 with 3:05 left. But instead of a lack of confidence a la Penn State, the Hoyas refused to give up. Dennis Murphy hit on a late jumper and Lou Gigante caged two free throws to steer the Hoyas past the Terrapins, 49-48. The Hoyas were beginning the home stretch with confidence and resolve.

Following Maryland was a match with powerful LaSalle, the defending NIT champions. The Explorers were ranked #1 at the beginning of the season but had slipped to #4 by February 20, the date of their meeting with Georgetown. The surging Hoyas gave Ken Loeffler's five all they could handle, keeping the game close and in a position to tie the game with :51 left in the contest. But as Dennis Murphy drove for the tying bucket he appeared to have been fouled--but no call was made. LaSalle countered with foul shots of its own and escaped with a 72-68 victory. Tom Gola, the quintessential college player of the era, led LaSalle with 21 points. Still, the Hoyas continued to impress many in the post-season community with their performance.

Now that Georgetown was under consideration for an NIT bid, the Hoyas now were the hunted instead of the hunter. St. Joseph's took the Hoyas to the limit in Philadelphia following the LaSalle game but Georgetown took the win, 73-64. Lou Gigante, certainly on a hot streak in the second half of the season, added 20 points while Bill Bolger added 17.

On March 1st, as the Hoyas readied to meet Fordham, Athletic Director Jack Hagerty received a call from Asa Bushnell, chairman of the NIT selection committee. His message was simple: if Georgetown beats Fordham, the team will be invited to the NIT. Twelve years ago a similar chance was wasted as the 1940-1941 Hoyas lost to Fordham late in the year and the loss ended the post-season hopes of a team with a 16-4 record. This time, the Hoyas would not be denied. Scoring the first eight points of the contest, the Hoyas never trailed in the game. The Hoyas led by as many as 14 late in the half before a Fordham rally cut the lead to four late in the game. Ed Conlin, the Rams' leading scorer, scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the rally, but the hot hand of Lou Gigante kept the game out of reach for the Hoyas. Gigante's long range jumpers and the inside game of Beins and Bolger paced the Hoyas late in the contest and clinched the NIT bid by a final count of 74-63. After ten years in search of the post-season oasis, the 1952-1953 Hoyas had arrived.

The regular season finale offered a chance for George Washington to spoil the post-season arrival of the Hoyas, though. As in many games this year, the game was tight at the end. The 15-6 Colonials held a 38-33 lead, fell behind 54-51, and tied the score at 62-all with under three minutes to play. Bill Beins put Georgetown ahead with a field goal at the 2:05 mark, but GWU failed to connect on their next series and Georgetown built a lead it would not relinquish. The 4,000 partisans at Uline Arena saw another tremendous performance by Georgetown's little big man, 5-9 Lou Gigante. Gigante poured in a career-high 24 points, with Beins (16 points) and Bolger (15 points) close behind. Joe Holup, GW's scoring ace, was held to just nine points by the defensive skills of Hugh Beins. John Holup (18 points) and Corky Devlin (16 points) led the Buff and Blue in a losing cause.

George Washington ended its season at 15-7, but while Bill Reinhart's men left Uline's 2nd and M Street location back to Foggy Bottom, Buddy's boys were Madison Square Garden bound. Georgetown opened in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament one week later against the University of Louisville. Before 17,838 in attendance at Madison Square Garden, including over 1,000 students who traveled from Washington to see the game, the Hoyas bowed to the Cardinals, 92-79.

The offense skill of Louisville (21-5) was clearly the better of the 13-6 Hoyas, and Georgetown's frequent fouling of Cardinal shooters sent U of L players to the line early...and often. The Cardinals shot 36 for 52 from the line to pull away, yet the Hoyas still were within four points at 64-60 midway through the second half. The Cardinals pulled away with a 28-12 finish in the closing minutes.

Shooting 52 free throws indicates plenty of fouls, and this was certainly the case with Georgetown. Five Hoyas fouled out, four of whom were seniors: Bolger, Beins, Murphy, and Wolfer. The final disqualification was borne by Lou Gigante, whose 3 for 14 field shooting was a source of obvious disappointment for a man whose crisp shooting carried the team into post season play. Overall, Georgetown shot 25 of 81 from the floor and a fine 29 of 39 from the line; both were not enough to derail the Louisville express.

The Louisville loss notwithstanding, the-season was a most successful one of the Hoyas. Had the Class of 1953 been able to stay another year, perhaps even greater honors could be afforded the team. But the loss of these veteran players coupled with the ongoing deemphasis of athletics at Georgetown signaled the beginning of a decade of mediocrity and nondescription in college basketball. As many of their rival schools went on to enjoy great success in college basketball, a decade of Georgetown fans would have but the 1952-1953 season to look back upon as a year where the Blue and Gray earned a place in post-season competition-the standard by which every college basketball season is judged.

Narrative © 1987, 2006. All rights reserved.
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