2008 Woodie Awards
Don't blame the refs, Coach Esherick
Jon Martin
Issue date: 1/15/03 Section: Commentary
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Coach Craig Esherick has paid his dues to Georgetown University. He won the Maryland State title in high school, played under John Thompson for four years, and then went to Georgetown Law. In 1982 he became an assistant coach under Thompson and was on the bench for the Georgetown basketball glory years in the mid 1980's. He seems to live, breath and bleed blue and silver. However, all the commitment and service in the world could not make him a very good Division I college basketball coach. Craig Esherick and his laughably outdated mustache have to go.
I do not doubt for a moment that Esherick is a good person, and at least a serviceable coach. Considering some alternatives, it is true that Georgetown players are never in the news for drunk driving or rape. Unlike other programs, Georgetown's, under Esherick, has graduated 86 of its 88 basketball players (powerhouses like Memphis post an embarrassing 0% graduation rate among their players). Players who come from Georgetown do not have reputations for being cheap, or dirty or unrefined prima donnas like so many basketball players can be. However, what overshadows these clearly positive results of Craig Esherick's tenure is the fact that the Hoyas never come close to winning at the level of which they are capable.
The talent level on the Georgetown basketball team is very high. They have a front line that can bang and crash the boards with any college team in the country and some of the poorer NBA teams (Nuggets, anyone?). The guards are not spectacular, but they are good shooters when they see open looks, can handle the ball well and have the athleticism to make the big plays when necessary. The team, however, with all of its natural gifts, does not seem to put it together in ways that could help the school win on the road. There is no excuse for Georgetown to underachieve with the players it has on its roster.
Great talent serves no purpose on a team where the fundamentals are just flat out bad. How can a college game be won when entry passes are not crisp, and the transition defense breaks down way too often? The point guard never seems to run an organized offense that ends too many times in forcing the ball inside, or putting up a terrible shot. The turnovers are appalling, especially when Georgetown is capable of running an inside-outside game with Mike Sweetney and Wesley Wilson that no defense in the country could stop. In all, too many games end up looking way too sloppy. It is impossible to win in a conference as good as the Big East when picks are not set properly, the rotation defense always seems a step behind and the substitutions resemble the youth soccer league where everyone gets to play.
I do not doubt for a moment that Esherick is a good person, and at least a serviceable coach. Considering some alternatives, it is true that Georgetown players are never in the news for drunk driving or rape. Unlike other programs, Georgetown's, under Esherick, has graduated 86 of its 88 basketball players (powerhouses like Memphis post an embarrassing 0% graduation rate among their players). Players who come from Georgetown do not have reputations for being cheap, or dirty or unrefined prima donnas like so many basketball players can be. However, what overshadows these clearly positive results of Craig Esherick's tenure is the fact that the Hoyas never come close to winning at the level of which they are capable.
The talent level on the Georgetown basketball team is very high. They have a front line that can bang and crash the boards with any college team in the country and some of the poorer NBA teams (Nuggets, anyone?). The guards are not spectacular, but they are good shooters when they see open looks, can handle the ball well and have the athleticism to make the big plays when necessary. The team, however, with all of its natural gifts, does not seem to put it together in ways that could help the school win on the road. There is no excuse for Georgetown to underachieve with the players it has on its roster.
Great talent serves no purpose on a team where the fundamentals are just flat out bad. How can a college game be won when entry passes are not crisp, and the transition defense breaks down way too often? The point guard never seems to run an organized offense that ends too many times in forcing the ball inside, or putting up a terrible shot. The turnovers are appalling, especially when Georgetown is capable of running an inside-outside game with Mike Sweetney and Wesley Wilson that no defense in the country could stop. In all, too many games end up looking way too sloppy. It is impossible to win in a conference as good as the Big East when picks are not set properly, the rotation defense always seems a step behind and the substitutions resemble the youth soccer league where everyone gets to play.