|
NCAA Tournament
With Craig Esherick
Head Coach,Georgetown Men's Basketball
Monday, Mar. 19, 2001; 4 p.m. EST
On Saturday, in the second round of the NCAA's West Region, the Hoyas easily defeated Hampton, 76-57, to enter the Sweet 16 round of the playoffs. Friday, during the last six seconds with Arkansas tied at 61, senior player Nat Burton, made a left-handed layup and gave the Hoyas a 63-61 first-round victory in the NCAA West Region.
Georgetown men's basketball head coach Craig Esherick will be online to talk about the outlook for the Hoyas in the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Craig Esherick has logged more than 24 years with the Georgetown program as a player and coach. Each season of Esherick's career the Hoyas have appeared in postseason play. In the spring of 2000, Esherick completed his first full season as the Hoyas' leader, achieving both a winning record (19-15) and continuing the Georgetown tradition with the Hoyas' 26th consecutive appearance in post season play.
Esherick, a 1978 Georgetown graduate, was a finance major and four-year letterman for Coach Thompson. After serving as an assistant coach at St. Anthony's High School in Washington D.C., Esherick returned to the Hoya basketball program as a graduate assistant during both the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons. He served as an Assistant Coach at Georgetown from 1982 until 1999 when he was named Head Coach. Esherick is 1982 graduate of Georgetown University Law School and a member of the D.C. Bar.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
washingtonpost.com:
We are waiting momentarily for Coach Esherick to come online. Sorry for the inconvenience.
washingtonpost.com:
We are unable to locate the coach right now. Today's discussion is postponed to a later time. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. You can still submit your questions in advance.
washingtonpost.com:
Coach Esherick will be online in ten minutes at 5 p.m. today.
washingtonpost.com:
Coach, thanks for joining us today. When do you start getting ready for Maryland and will you be doing anything differently in your pregame preparations?
Craig Esherick: We started getting ready for Maryland yesterday by putting together an editing tape that the players can view. We did not practice yesterday because it was a travel day. We won't be preparing differently. The only difference is that our guys are more familiar with Maryland because of the proximity of the schools.
Baltimore Md:
Coach - Nice job with this team. It seems like everthing is coming together at just the right time. How do you plan to deal with the depth and diversity of the Terps.
Craig Esherick: The thing that I worry about the most with Maryland is that they are very talented and diverse in the offense. We have to go over the Maryland tendencies of offense and defense. That's going to be done by watching the tape and it will take a while. We just found out that we are going to play them after our win and their win this past Saturday. It's still taking a while in terms of what we are going to do with the strategy.
Leesburg, VA:
Are you more stressed now then when you were taking the bar exam?
PK, Class of 90
Craig Esherick: I was very stressed out taking the bar --- it's too close to tell.
Seattle, Wa:
Congratulations, Coach Esherick. The Hoyas are back where they belong! This Georgetown team seems so much more disciplined offensively than those of recent years. What's the difference?
Craig Esherick: I think that we are better defensively and on the boards which makes us look like we are better offensively.
San Diego:
Coach, GU and MD seem to match up well; both teams have terrific depth. Morris and Baxter are good but how do you plan to prepare for Dixon? He has been extremely tough all year.
Craig Esherick: Kevin Braswell is going to give us a scattering report on Dixon.
Mountain View, CA:
What is the situation with 6'9" Hoya Courtland Freeman? Is he healthy? Will he qualify for a medical redshirt?
Craig Esherick: We're going to try to apply for a medical redshirt after the season is over. He has a bad back and a stress reaction on his foot most of the season.
Chicago, IL:
How hard was it to make the decision to go straight to Anaheim rather than back to campus?
Craig Esherick: It was difficult because I'm concerned about missed classes. But our guys would have been dead tired if we had flown back.
Surry, VA:
Coach,
Was it a major transition for you to move from an assistant to a head coaching position with a major college program given the heavy expectations levied on the Georgetown in particularly in in the Washington DC area. By the way, do you and Coach Thompson still communicate on a regular basis?
Go Luck in the Tourny! Go Hoyas.
Craig Esherick: It was a major transition and Coach Thompson and I talk all the time. I just finished a radio interview with him half an hour ago.
Los Angeles, CA:
Coach Esherick,
How do you plan to deal with all the ticket requests from former players and managers?
Gordon Bobb, Team Manager, Class of '93
Craig Esherick: It is going to be VERY difficult.
Mountain View, CA:
Congratulations on the Sweet 16! You overcame all sorts of officiating on Saturday with the foul trouble, poor officiating, and hostile crowd.
Craig Esherick: Thank you.
Laurel, MD:
You have carried on a great program at Georgetown, Congratulation!!!
An annual GU UM matchup would seem a natural, whether it be as a charitable event or a regularly scheduled event. It would also benefit from a power rating perspective. Any talk of such a happening??
Craig Esherick: Yes, there is a lot of talk.
Boston, MA:
Coach Esherick --
First of all, I'd like to congratulate Coach Esherick on returning the Hoyas to the national spotlight, where they belong.
It's been only 2 seasons since Coach Thompson stepped down, and during that time, the Hoyas have undergone a fairly remarkable turnaround. What do you feel is the fundamental difference between your coaching style/strategy and that of Thompson, which has put the Hoyas back on the road to tournament success?
Craig Esherick: Because I played for him for four years and worked for him for 19, it is very difficult for me to distinguish an original idea from an idea I had from him as my coach or as my boss. Most of what I learned about the business of college basketball I learned from Coach Thompson.
San Clemente, CA:
After attending every single home basketball game (even back at USAir) between 1995-99, the good times and the bad, it is great to see our program is finally getting back on its feet again. Thank you very much, Coach Esherick, you've made a believer out of this alum.
Back to the question: Are you going to stick with recruiting big men like Sweetney to dominate the middle, or are you going to aim for more true scorers a la Allen Iverson? I know you're looking for balance, but I just want to see where your recruiting priorities lie.
I hope Ruben and the rest of the seniors really tear it up this Thursday. Hoya Saxa!
Craig Esherick: I would like to recruit nothing but players like Allen Iverson and Sweetney.
Wash, DC:
Wesley Wilson played well against Hampton. Do you see him playing a large role in helping shut down Baxter and Morris -- or does it really depend on the foul situation with Ruben, Lee, and Sweetness?
Craig Esherick: It depends on how everybody is playing during the course of the game and it depends on the foul situation. I have great confidence in everybody that we bring off the bench and the starters.
Washington, DC:
Congrts Coach on the success this season. Does it annoy you and the team that none of the commentators seem to give Georgetown a chance to advance?
Craig Esherick: No, it actually serves as motivation.
Washington D.C:
Congrats Coach! Which one or two players on MD are you most worried about and will you continue to use Samnink, Perry, Burton and co. to guard and wear down MD's Dixon or Mouton?
Craig Esherick: There is no one player that I am concerned about. They have tremendous depth and if you concentrate on just one player, the other 9 or 10 players will hurt you. The match ups will depend on how things are going during the course of the game.
Washington DC:
Coach, congratulations on the Sweet 16.
Demetrius Hunter appeared to be hurt the last couple of weeks. How is he doing, and will he regain his earlier form this week?
Craig Esherick: He is still a little bothered by a turf toe and a strained Achilles both on the same foot. I plan on starting him on the Maryland game and we won't know how effective he'll be until the game.
Houston, TX:
Coach -
Great job this year! To play off a previous question - what is in the works for increasing the power ratings for the team over the next couple of years? How about some non-conf games against the nearby ACC?
Craig Esherick: We're going to play South Carolina from the SCC and the UCLA from the Pack Ten as well as Duke from the ACC in the next two years.
Lorton, VA:
Coach,
I'm not even playing and am excited about the game on Thursday. How do you get the kids to focus on their studies knowing the importance of the game on Thursday? Good luck!
Craig Esherick: That is one of the most difficult things that I found about playing college basketball. You have enough time to do your schoolwork but it was difficult during the season when you had big games to focus on the team that you were getting ready to play and your schoolwork. That is a lesson that is important for each of our players need to learn as quickly as possible.
Ann Arbor, MI:
Coach Esherick,
Georgetown always seems to produce such unbelievable NBA players (Ewing, Mutumbo, Iverson, Mourning...the list goes on). More so than other similar programs, what's the secret, Coach?
Craig Esherick: Good coaching!!!
LA, CA:
Coach, are you guys heading to
Disneyland for a little R&R before the
matchup?
Craig Esherick: As a matter of fact, in one hour we are leaving to go to Disneyland.
Stafford Virginia:
Do you feel you have the weight of the entire Big East Conference on your shoulders as Georgetown is the only BE team left?
Does the ACC vs Big East matchup add to the pressure of playing local rival Maryland?
Do you think that a win over Maryland and reaching the final eight will enable you to use it as a bargaining chip in future recruilting efforts?
Craig Esherick: I think that after Notre Dame and Syracuse lost yesterday, that certainly did add a little pressure to the game. I think that the conference rivalry between the ACC and the Big East along with the local flavor of the game does add a little excitement to the game. I think that we have been recruiting very well before this game and continue recruiting well after this game (win or lose).
Woodbridge Virginia:
Will you use full court pressure to disrupt MD's half court game? I notice when MD is pressured with a good defense, they don't seem to get into a good full court rythm. IF allowed MD will use the backdoor cuts and look for Juan Dixon on the 3 pt line for open buckets. I believe a full court press will keep MD out of its offensive flow.
Craig Esherick: Thank you for this suggestion, I'll take a look at it when I watch film tonight.
Washington, DC:
Congrats coach on the year thus far. Is there any chance that we will see Perry and/or Boumtje-Boumtje back playing for the Hoyas next season, as I believe they each still have a year of eligibility.
Craig Esherick: No.
Charlotte, North Carolina:
Coach,
Maryland has really been playing well of late in their half court offense. Do you plan on playing a more uptempo offense to offset their patient offensive execution?
Craig Esherick: We will try and fast break against Maryland. But we will use our defense to offset their offensive execution.
Washington, DC:
Coach, as a Maryland alum and a lifetime Hoyas/Terp fan I will be watching the game with mixed emotions, but will continue to root for whoever wins.
What do you think is your biggest advantage against the Terps?
p.s. we have Lamont Morgan in our league, and he's been a great player and personality for us... thanks!
Dave Orr, Commissioner, Washington Metropolitan Basketball League (WMBL)
Craig Esherick: I don't think we have an advantage. I think both teams are very even.
Washington, DC:
Coach Esherick,
Which team or teams that the Hoyas have faced this season do you believe are most like the Maryland team?
Are there any ACC teams which you believe play similar enough styles to the Hoyas that their games this year against Maryland have been helpful to you to watch during your preparation for the Maryland game?
Craig Esherick: I think that Georgia Tech is probably the team most similar to our team in the ACC. And North Carlina because of their size. I don't think there are any teams similar to Maryland in our conference.
Herndon, Va:
Coach,
Just a word of thanks for reviving the interest in the program and exceeding everyone's expectations this year...Maryland aside, what would you say your biggest concern is as your team prepares for Thursday?
Gu 98
Craig Esherick: Being as active and ready to play as we were against Hampton and Arkansas.
Arlington, VA:
While I love the Hoyas, their inconsistency over the past several seasons is driving me absolutely crazy. What's going on?
Craig Esherick: If you can't stand inconsistency, stop watching college basketball. Part of the fun of college basketball is its unpredictability.
Burke, Virginia:
Coach, I think there was a lot of pressure put on the team going into the Big East tourney. Do you feel that coming into the NCAA tourney as somewhat of an underdog has helped ease the nerves?
Craig Esherick: No, whenever we go out on the floor we feel pressure. That's the business that we are in. In college basketball and playing in the Big East conference, you cannot avoid the pressure.
New York:
Just wanted you to know that the whole Hoya family is pulling for you and the team. GOOD LUCK! And enjoy your time at Disney World...
Chris Brown (CAS 96, LAW 99)
By the way, you guys are making it very difficult for the rest of us to concentrate on work!
Craig Esherick: I hope you have concentrating on work for the next two weeks.
|
|
© Copyright 2001 The Washington Post Company | 
