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  1. #21
    Freshman
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    312
    I live in DC as well and have been to every Georgetown game at the Verizon Center/Capital One Arena/whatever it is currently called since we joined the Big East. I don't have too much to add that hasn't already been mentioned. I do think this is the first year that the game wasn't on a weekend or holiday (last season, it was a 11 am or noon tip on New Year's Eve), and the 6:30 tip doesn't help. I would say the crowd probably doubled between 6:30 and 7:00 or so.

    I bought two tickets in the 200 level for $40 a couple of months ago. I realized the day of that they were printed tickets (versus the instant download tickets that you can access on your phone). Instead of taking a half hour to go home and get them -- which I certainly had time to do -- I looked online and saw that I could purchase two additional tickets in the same location for $12. Total.

    I will say that this was the first year that I didn't either overhear people asking each other -- or didn't have someone ask me -- where Xavier is located. So I guess that is progress for us. But I echo the statements of folks who say the Hoya fans lament not playing the old Big East schools, and frown upon the Midwestern schools.

    The atmosphere is not exactly electric, but as an opposing fan, I'm fine with it. We had real battles with far less talented George Washington teams in the A10 because their gym is a quarter the size of Georgetown's and was therefore always packed.

    The arena is too damn big for Georgetown (and the Wizards, for that matter).

  2. #22
    Junior
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    4,132
    "apathetic fan[atic]" is an interesting concept.

  3. #23

    sorry so long

    GU fan here:

    Sorry for intrusion. I have been checking opposing fan boards this season to get their impressions of the program during beginning of re-build. I saw this thread.

    The Cap One Center is a continual source of discussion for the Hoya fans. Lots of people wish for mid-sized campus arena; others wish for a mid-size arena in Arlington, near campus but away from the city. The on-campus arena is a no-starter. The city will not permit it because of the traffic and parking situation around campus. The campus itself is not accessible to the metro. Cap One is by far more accessible and generally convenient for the alums. We talk about it all the time.

    Just this season, the program added bus rides for the students to the games. It is about 1/2 hour away. Academically, Georgetown is intense. If the team is not winning, then the students just don't come down. Believe it or not, student attendance has been much better this year than in previous years. They rightly believed that the program with JT3 at its helm had become arrogant. 200 or so students at a midweek game during a mediocre season. That situation would be better if there were a campus arena, but in all honesty it's the alums who constitute the die hards of the fan base. They still would be the bulk of fans in an on-campus arena.

    Generally, fans identify with the big eras of Georgetown basketball. If you asked most Georgetown fans when they became fans, they would likely talk about Ewing, Iverson, and Green, with the loyalest of these from the Ewing and Iverson years. It's an old fan base. Part of the damage of the JT3 years was the loss of the young alumni. After Porter left (and the Hoyas won the regular season championship in 2013), fan enthusiasm tailed off. There are two losses in Georgetown history that will sting forever: Villanova in 1985 and FGCU in 2013. And, the latter was the beginning of the downward trajectory of the program.

    Ewing has been a jolt of energy for the program. He is truly, truly beloved by everyone in the city, not just at Georgetown. There is general interest in the program, but it has not translated into fans in the seats. Regarding apathy -- maybe you saw it. But, I can tell you the fan base is feeling very positive about the re-build. He has done extremely well with this group. His first-year recruits are fine, with one probable All-BE player in the group. He's done especially well with Derrickson's game. And, you've seen the guards he was left with.

    Among Georgetown fans, there was a decidedly mixed reaction to the conference re-alignment. A few like me accepted it and were glad the football schools were gone. But, if you think we didn't have reason to feel disappointed that our old rivalries with Syracuse, UConn and Pitt were gone, well I don't know what to tell you. There was a loud portion of the fan base that believed Georgetown would be at the top. Those expectations hurt the program in my opinion. It's more than about giving opposing fans' schadenfreude. It has taken a while for us to get to know our opponents. I certainly have a better feel for them now, but at first I had trouble caring about the games.

    How could you expect us to get as excited for Butler or Xavier as we did Syracuse or UConn? Related to that, attendance has suffered just because those rivalries are gone. Part of it is that their fan bases were so large they would fill out the 400s.

    But as you know, we can't seem to fill the 100s these days. Many of our season ticket holders don't come. They practically give away seats by game day. You can sit wherever you want. There's considerable angst among the fans as to whether people will come back, but it won't happen unless the Hoyas begin to win again. All those people who feel good about Patrick at Georgetown won't come in unless they think Georgetown can be competitive again. When I first bought my tickets in the 2008-2009, following the final 4 appearance, it was the hottest ticket in the city and sold out every night. So it's mostly about winning.

    Having said all that, about 10,000 fans rocked the arena when Georgetown beat Seton Hall on Feb. 10. It made us feel like it could happen again for us. The crowd for the X game didn't match it by a long shot. Kind of disappointing compared to that game, but compared to where we've been it was good.

    FWIW you have our respect. We are more than aware of your record against us. Is it the same as Syracuse? Not yet, but we haven't spoiled very much for you yet. When it does, it will feel very sweet.

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