Oral History

Jonathan V. Last may have been a little too quick to poke fun at my Georgetown Hoyas' admittedly disappointing defeat at the hands of Oral Roberts University at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii. As other Galley Slave readers have pointed out, ORU's basketball coach is none other than Scott Sutton, son of legendary Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton. The Golden Eagles are also still undefeated at 8-0, having bested other teams in their Mid-Continent Conference including Tulsa. Forward Caleb Green is a force to be reckoned with, having earned Conference Player of the Week twice this season and firing off 26 points against the Hoyas. Last might have thought it a joke, but I am betting Oral Roberts just might make it to the Big Dance come March, assuming they beat conference rivals Valparaiso and IUPUI.

Meanwhile it is a rebuilding year at the Hilltop. Georgetown coach John Thompson III has had to remold the team after years of intransigence. But according to local fans and critics who have seen them play thus far, the general consensus is that the players have returned to fundamentals--passing, dribbling, looking, breathing, and even showing signs of that Princeton-style offense that Thompson learned under Pete Carril.

The Hoyas are currently playing against Long Beach State, a game they should win. If they don't, I'll blame it on jetlag.