Red Storm and Hoyas Aren’t the Same
by Ray Floriani
NEW YORK – Georgetown against St. John’s was once the hottest ticket in town. Back in 1985 there was no internet. If there were, Ebay certainly would have been deluged for ticket requests and people willing to trade virtually anything for entrance to Madison Square Garden. It was number one versus two in the nation. The Georgetown media guide naturally has it chronicled in the “Top Games in Hoya History” section. Number two Georgetown prevailed 85-69 in the contest known as the “sweater game” (Hoya coach John Thompson matched Lou Carnesecca’s lucky sweater with one of his own). The names even evoke special memories: Patrick Ewing, David Wingate and Reggie Williams for Georgetown; Chris Mullin and Walter Berry for St. John’s
Things are different today. Rich Chvotkin, the radio voice of the Hoyas over three decades remembers the packed houses at the Garden well. Cvotkin was in town with daughter Pam, a senior communications major at Tennessee assisting, to cover Sunday’s St. John’s-Georgetown meeting. “It’s not like it was,” Rich said with a tone of sadness. Today there are too many other things. These games were once the toughest ticket, almost impossible, now you can walk up and buy a ticket. Sad.
Daughter Pam made a good point, adding, “today there is so much on TV. With ESPN Full Court, you almost never have to leave home for a game. Still,” she added with sharp perception, “but watching on Tv just isn’t the same as being there even if you’re in the top row.”
If you were in the top row on Sunday evening, it was by your choice only. The attendance was 5,812, the lowest since the series was moved from the St. John’s campus the Garden in 1982. Over those 25 years, there have been 22 regular season meetings at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” between the Hoyas and Red Storm; of those, five have been sellouts. Only four have been below 10,000 with three of them coming the last three seasons.
Some gave the logic that NFL playoffs are on. The Giants hosted Carolina at one o’clock, six hours before game time. Plenty of time between games. The simple fact is that New York is a pro town. Fans are tough. When St. John’s was strong, the Garden was filled for a Georgetown or Syracuse and nearly 75 percent to capacity for other games. When you are not winning, fans stay away. This isn’t a locale with the school athletic teams as the only show in town. St. John’s, and other area schools, compete on the floor and for the entertainment dollar.
On Sunday evening, St. John’s came up short on both ends. The Hoyas, fueled by Darrel Owens’ 24 points, stopped the Red Storm 79-65. The loss sent homestanding St. John’s to 0-2 in Big East Conference play. The Red Storm battled even, but a scoring drought the latter part of the second half proved to be their undoing.
The recent struggles of St. John’s is not the only reason this is no longer a hot ticket or must see in person game, as Georgetown has also slipped over the same time period. In fairness, under John Thompson III, the Hoyas are gradually coming back. Last season, Thompson’s first at the school his dad John took to prominence, the Hoyas were a pleasant surprise and eventually advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Sunday’s win put Georgetown at 10-2 and 2-0 in Big East play. But these are not the Hoyas of old, with full court pressing, striking fear into opponents and the team every opponent loved to see lose. Instead, today’s Hoyas run the Princeton offense, will defend primarily in halfcourt and, aren’t even booed at pre-game introductions on the road. “Hoya paranoia?” A thing of the past.
Some will blame the larger Big East, where home and home dates are rare and opponents rotate over the years for the demise of the rivalry. It’s true to an extent; playing someone twice a year does keep the adrenaline going. But the bottom line is that two teams in competition must be good and playing for something of significance. If and when that transpires, the intensity and the crowds will be back. Georgetown-St. John’s will be a happening again. Until then, the pep bands might as well play Barbara Streisand’s “The way we were.”
