Georgetown Men’s Basketball Team Makes HBKU History

For the first time in history, Georgetown University in Qatar’s men’s basketball team, the GU-Q Hoyas were named the champions of the HBKU basketball tournament when they defeated the Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon team by a 44 to 40 score in the final game, bringing home the victory and 1st place trophy.

Held in the Student Center in Education City, the HBKU basketball tournament takes place at the beginning of the fall semester and finishes prior to the beginning of end-of-year exams. The beginning of the league sees all teams participating, followed by a playoff season where top ranked teams play for the highest prize. The GU-Q Hoyas were ranked 5th during the league, but beat out the competition to take home the trophy.

GU-Q Student Development Officer Dimitrios Sardellis volunteers his time as head coach of the team. “On behalf of the team and the coaches, I want to thank the 6th man, the Georgetown fans from students, faculty, staff and alumni, for this win. Their support has always been there in the good and the bad times and were a huge factor in the success of the men’s basketball team. It is truly wonderful to see the whole community come together and strive for success,” he said.

Coach Sardellis, who was the assistant coach last year, cites several reasons for this year’s victory. “This was the first time were we had student assistant coaches, and they made major contributions. Besides the new coaching scheme, we also had intense physical training in the first month of preparation. We implemented new offensive strategies and changed our defensive scheme to fit our strengths.”  In addition, since the starting team was the same as last year, he focused on building teamwork through group training to familiarize the players with each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

For Georgetown, sports play a role off the court as well, explained Sardellis. “In many classes we discuss the importance of sporting events in Qatar and how that promotes a positive image for Qatar internationally, and how it brings unity and solidarity in local and regional relations. Athletics are discussed in the classroom under various themes, such as how sports can create solidarity, support identity, resolve conflicts and create an environment of respect and collaboration. ”

“Georgetown University thrives on a foundation of values, one of which is the dedication to educating the whole person. Our students are here to study International Affairs, but through participation in our champion basketball team, or through any of our other sports activities we offer on campus, they also learn to set high personal goals, learn to work on a team, and gain personal confidence. Those are skills they’ll take with them off the court as well,” said the proud Dean of GU-Q, Dr. Gerd Nonneman.

The GU-Q Women’s Basketball Team, which is coached by Jacqueline Snell, defeated Virginia Commonwealth University with a final score of 34 to 21, which earned them 3rd place in the

HBKU tournament. “The Georgetown Women’s Basketball Team also made us proud by bringing home another trophy that will be added to their large collection,” added Coach Sardellis.