It is almost impossible for the year 1984 to come up in conversation and not think about George Orwell, some of those thoughts being we didn’t expect many of the wild tales in his late-1940s sci-fi novel to come true.
Another thing that we never expected about 1984 is that would be the one and only National Championship won by the Georgetown Hoyas.
With the program at its peak under the watchful eye of John Thompson, the Hoyas seemed to be a solid bet at NCAAB sportsbooks to hang more banners in the 40 years that have since passed.
Gavitt – The Big East OG
Any discussion of Georgetown’s title in 1984 – or the success of any Big East team, for that matter – has to begin with Dave Gavitt, the league’s founder who made a tremendous impact on the conference and college basketball in general.
Gavitt ramrodded the effort to form the Big East in 1979, with Georgetown among the original seven members.
His vision of building a powerful basketball conference came true almost immediately when Big East teams proved they could go toe-to-toe with the Power 5 – ACC, SEC, Big 8, Big Ten and Southwest Conference. Three Big East teams earned top 3 seeds in its first NCAA Tournament (Georgetown, St. John’s, Syracuse).
Just as it was in other leagues and other sports trying to grow at the time, Gavitt had a willing partner to publicize the league in the early years with ESPN just beginning as well.
Thompson – DC’s Favorite Son
Born in Washington DC, John Thompson’s arrival at Georgetown marked the beginning of the program’s climb to its 1984 pinnacle. Thompson was hired away from a Catholic high school in DC and led the Hoyas to three NCAA Tournaments prior to joining the Big East.
He had ties with Gavitt, an assistant at Providence in the early 60s when Thompson was playing there. Thompson also played a couple of seasons in the NBA for the Boston Celtics.
Thompson’s disciplined upbringing translated very well to his job at Georgetown where he was part drill sergeant, part father figure, and all basketball coach and that combination made the Hoyas an instant favorite on the odds boards.
Building a Championship Roster
Thompson attracted more high school stars at the Hoyas and Big East gained notoriety. One of the first All-Americans and future NBA stars to don a Georgetown jersey, who began his collegiate career in the 1978-79 season, the Hoyas’ last as an independent.
Floyd was a senior when Thompson recruited Parade All-Americans Patrick Ewing, Bill Martin and Fred Brown for the 1981-82 campaign. A fourth Parade All-American, Anthony Jones would transfer to UNLV in 1983, and miss Georgetown’s championship team.
Thompson then swooped in and inked David Wingate away from Maryland for the 1982-83 season. Wingate had been on a star-studded high school team in Baltimore that included Mugsy Bogues, Reggie Williams and Reggie Lewis.
The pieces were in place for the championship run in 1983-84.
35 years ago today, The Georgetown Hoyas won the 1984 National Championship. #WeAreGeorgetown #HoyaSaxa 🏀🐶🏆 pic.twitter.com/5oM8Zs2oHu
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) April 2, 2019
The Beasts of the East
Georgetown began the 1983-84 season as the top college basketball pick to win the Big East, and ranked No. 4 team in the preseason AP poll. The Hoyas would drop their second game of the season on the road at future Big East rival DePaul, then an independent and ranked No. 13.
Thompson’s cagers bounced back to win their next five, the last of which was on the road in overtime at UNLV to lead the Hoyas into the league slate.
Road wins at UConn and Seton Hall began the Big East schedule, before a loss to Villanova in the third game. That was followed by 10-straight wins before an upset at home to St. John’s.
Part of the 10-game streak was an 80-67 win over Jim Boeheim and the Orange at Syracuse. The two coaches had an often-heated relationship, and Thompson always took great pride in outmuscling the Orange, like the Hoyas did in an 88-71 beating to close the season.
First the Big East, Then the Nation
The Hoyas entered the conference tourney 22-3, and ran the table with wins over Providence, St. John’s and Syracuse. It took overtime to beat Boeheim and the Orange for the third time.
Seeded No. 1 in the West Region, Georgetown had a 1st-round bye in the Field of 53, and began its title run with a win over SMU in a defensive struggle. A win over UNLV in a rematch followed before taking down Dayton in the West Region Finals.
It was another defensive performance over Kentucky in the semifinals. Georgetown then almost made it look easy with an 84-75 decision over Houston in the Championship Game.
1985 – A Big East Party
After blowing a chance to win the 1982 title, Thompson and Georgetown had their rings, and it looked as if a repeat was in the works when the Hoyas made it back to the finals in 1985.
The 1985 NCAA Tournament is best remembered for three Big East schools crashing the Final Four as Villanova and St. John’s joined the Hoyas. The Wildcats were 9-point underdogs, and upset Georgetown for the title behind an incredible shooting performance.
That would be Georgetown’s last trip to the Final Four until 2007, and Ed Cooley looks to return the program to glory now as the fourth head coach since Thompson retired.
