- published: 22 Sep 2011
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The Georgetown Hoyas are the athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University in college sports. Part of the NCAA's Division I, the Hoyas field 23 varsity level sports teams, most of which participate in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the Division I-AA Patriot League in football. The rowing and sailing teams also participate in east coast conferences. The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team is the school's most famous and most successful program, but Hoyas have achieved success in a wide range of sports.
The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant, "Hoya Saxa," (meaning "What Rocks") which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name Hoyas came into use in the 1920s. Most teams have their athletic facilities on the main campus of Georgetown University. The men's basketball team plays most of their home games at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. and the baseball team plays at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John, Maryland. Lee Reed took over as the school's athletic director in April 2010 after Bernard Muir left Georgetown to become the athletic director at the University of Delaware.
Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American professional basketball player, playing both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Iverson attended Bethel High School and was a dual-sport athlete; he earned The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia State Championship in both sports. After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.
Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.
Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to the 76ers for part of the 2009–10 season.