The Casual Awards: Don't Mess Around With the Demolition Man

While you were celebrating the start of the Matt Cassel era in Buffalo and praying for another snow day, we were enjoying a delicious yaki soba at Wagamama in Shepherd's Bush while drafting a late night edition of the Casual Awards.  In advance of Saturday's senior day against our pals at Seton Hall, we vilify those that deserve our scorn, while giving out contactless high fives to those who have earned it.

Away we go…

Chris Wright Heart of a Champion Award:

{look at that face on Barlow}

DSR.

Enough is enough.  It's time to just give this guy the award he's deserved for the last two months.  DSR is our best shooter, our most clutch guy and our best player.  Against Butler, he just did what he always does: he made plays when we needed them the most.  In a team-high 37 minutes,  he scored a team-high 16 points, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, dished out two assists and picked up a perfectly timed, game-sealing steal to help the Hoyas put this game to bed.  He also did this:

{Special thanks to Hoya Saxual for the GIF}

The Indianapolis native put on yet another show in front of his hometown supporters.  The kid has stepped up in big game after big game; with the exception of our game at Nova, he's been the most consistent and most reliable player on our team.  And it's not even close.  A few days before we honor a group of seniors, let's give a junior his due.  DSR is a winner.  He's a man.  He's 40.

Also receiving votes:  Mikael Hopkins, who was a defensive backstop every time one of our guards was beaten off of the dribble, finishing with a line of 6 points on 3-3 shooting [including a dunk and a decent post turnaround jumper], 6 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.  Keep grindin', Comrade.

The Ollie Award for Shooting Free Throws:

The Butler Bulldogs.

Let's be honest.  We won this game because Butler only connected on 10 of 22 free throws (45.5%).  It was, frankly, pretty remarkable how inept they were.  Kameron Woods made all of his throws, but the guy with a broken hand – Andrew Chrabascz – missed all six of his free throw attempts.  We haven't seen a performance that bad since....oh wait, sh*t.  Nevermind.  Needless to say, Chrabascz helped our cause tremendously.  In the process, he significantly improved our free throw defense.  We're now up to #304!  We're unstoppable.

{This photo cracks me up}

Toyota Peak Performer Award:

Tre Campbell.

On a night in which all of the other freshmen struggled, the YOUNG MAN came up big.  In 21 minutes, he scored ten points, including two big threes, to help us keep the game close.  Tre's speed and defense were on display in Indy, as JTIII wisely opted for a smaller lineup when the Hoyas struggled to get things going midway through the first half.  I'm excited to watch this kid develop in the next few years.  He's already having a better freshman campaign than former Congressman Markel Starks.

The Simon Phoenix Award for Having the Best Hair Ever:

DSR.

That orange stripe came out of nowhere, but it worked, so let's stick with it.  When Smith-Rivera got off to a slow start, we started questioning the new 'do, but as the game progressed and DSR finally got his shot going, we warmed up to the hair.  If it's good enough for my guy Wesley Snipes, it's good enough for me.  Special thanks to DSR's cousin for making that hair look as good as it did.

The Inaugural Eddie Redmayne Award for Tremendous Acting:

{Special thanks to Hoya Saxual for the GIF}

Listen, I'm all for the performing arts, but not on the basketball court.  This dude took it way beyond the type of Colin Falls crap that we're used to.  He fell down while shooting a three and HE WASN'T EVEN TOUCHED.  Once I saw Bowen on the receiving end of that whistle, I'll be honest, I figured he committed a dumb foul.  But Bowen never touched him.  It was a total acting job.  Kudos to Luis Suarez Barlow for selling it to the ref.  What a horrible call.  

Makes you wonder whether Barlow was acting when DSR broke his ankles on that step-back jumper.  Maybe he was looking for an imaginary push-off?

And if you thought Eddie Redmayne's performance as Stephen Hawking wasn't enough "Oscar bait" for you, you should know that in his next role he will play a trans-gender person.  For real.  He's gonna win back-to-back Best Actor awards.  And no one will watch his movies.

{SwordOfBrunner note:  I wanted to call this the Three Seashells Award, because that flop was straight doo doo}

The Dennis Rodman Award for Rebounding Prowess:

{The original Simon Phoenix}

Kameron Woods.

The dude had 16 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.  We can't give this award to any Georgetown player because we just can't.  When your team gets out-rebounded 39-20, no one on that team deserves praise for attacking the glass.  DSR and Hop did a decent job, but everyone else was sub-par.  Butler has a decently-sized team, but so do we.  There's no excuse for failing to box out.  Butler just wanted it more than we did.  We can't have this type of lackluster effort again.

The "You Cool Man?" Award:

L.J. Peak and Paul White.

Just ten days after being praised for playing well in our first game against St. John's, freshmen L.J. Peak and Paul White had a pretty forgettable night.  Against Butler, they played a combined 24 minutes, missed all seven of their field goal attempts, scored zero points and collected zero rebounds.  Were they dreadul?  No.  But did they contribute in a meaningful way?  Not really.

I don't want to beat these guys up too much because they're freshmen and they've demonstrated, at times, that they can be key pieces to this team's success.  But Big East play has not been kind to The Natural and The Marquis.  Peak's best game was his first game of the season.  PW's best game was in late November or December.  I think these guys have a lot of talent and I enjoy watching them get some run.  But at some point, we need to see more.  And by "some point" I mean RIGHT FREAKING NOW.

The "Aaron Bowen is a F*cking Pterodactyl" Award:

Aaron Bowen.  He’s a f*cking pterodactyl.

On a night in which Peak and White struggled, Bowen filled in nicely by playing solid defense, hitting a massive three and doing the little things (he had two assists, a steal and a block).  Every time he shoots the ball, it's like he flies up to the rafters and drops the ball from the roof.  His invisible wings amaze me.  And yes, his late-game three-point attempt with the shot clock winding down was ill-advised and terrible, but whatever.  Pterodactyls aren't perfect, you guys.

The Hallmark Greeting Card Award for Making Excellent Paper Products:

"For my lovely wife."

"You always mean lots more to me than you could ever guess. For you have done so much to fill my life with happiness."

Hallmark.

Georgetown played like crap against the Johnnies.  We got blown out by Miz'Unique Pointer's twin brother and a bunch of other dudes.  But then I went home and looked at my calendar (not all of us use google calendar, jerkfaces).  And I noticed that it was time for a new month.  And that month was March.  And then we played Butler and were victorious.  March is here, you guys.  March.

{If you are unfamiliar with that Hallmark quote, drop everything and watch this:}

The DeAndre Yedlin Award for Making World Class Plays with Orange Hair:

DSR.

He had orange hair.  And he made some world class plays.  

He plays so well against Indiana teams, and on Indiana courts.  I'm glad DSR gave us a taste of what's to come when we come back to Indy in that first weekend of April to cut down the nets.

The Alexis Sanchez Award for Unstoppability:

Tied:  DSR and Alexis Sanchez

sung to Human League... "Alexis Sanchez baby, Alexis Sanchez woahhh"

The Diabetes Award for Weekend Gluttony:

Wagamama is so damn good.  The yaki soba, the cha han, the duck, the chili oil, the sake, everything.  It makes me so angry that they teased us with promises that a Wagamama was going to be built outside the Verizon Center, and then crushed our hopes and dreams when, two years later, they removed the sign.  I'd eat Wagamama every day of the week BECAUSE IT'S SO DAMN HEALTHY.

The Kate Upton Award for Doing Kate Upton Things:

The Golden Girls Award for Awesome Performances by Seniors:

Our seniors. This one goes out to Jabril and Mikael and Tyler and Josh and Aaron.  These are the five guys who will be honored before Saturday's game, and they are also the same five guys who will play one final time in front of the Verizon faithful.  It's hard to sum up what these guys have meant to this program before the rest of this season plays out, but suffice it to say that this is one of the most memorable senior classes in the last 15 years.  A few words, and a haiku, for each of the seniors:

Joshua Smith:

In only two years at Georgetown, the big fella proved that he is more than just a big body.  After receiving criticism for his lackluster play at UCLA, which included comments about his inability to keep his weight down, Josh responded in a very big way.  He busted his ass, moved to the better coast, hit the weight room, kept his weight down, learned a new offense, and adjusted to life with his new mates.  He's by no means a finished product, and lord knows he has frustrated us with his foul issues and academic suspension, but he should leave the Hilltop with his head held high.  He proved the doubters wrong, and he's a monster truck under the basket.

Not just a big dude

He's a freaking monument

Don't stand in Smith's way

Tyler Adams:

A highly touted freshman, Tyler Adams showed some promise in his first year at Georgetown before being diagnosed with a heart problem.  Rather than sulking and transferring, he put on his best-looking suit and stayed with his teammates through every loss and victory over the last few years.  He's the first guy off the bench to hug a teammate, he remains just as passionate as ever, and he's one of the smoothest dressers on the team.  Only JTIII can give him a run for his money.  Big thank you to Tyler and to the staff for sticking with each other.

Out with a bad heart

Tyler stepped up anyway

He's all heart, my dudes

Aaron Bowen:

Entering Georgetown as a streaky shooter, Bowen finishes up his fifth year on the Hilltop as a solid contributor.  His offensive inconsistency was often overshadowed by his defensive intensity, his hustle, his earth-shattering dunks, and his wingspan.  His most memorable moment was perhaps that game-winning, acrobatic lay-in against Louisville two years ago.  Right place, right time.  You can question his shot selection, but you can't doubt this guy's motor.  Bowen brought it every single night.  He's shown flashes of Patrick Ewing Jr., and that seems like pretty high praise to me.

Those high-flying dunks

And long-armed defense make him

The PTERODACTYL.

Mikael Hopkins:

Hop wraps up his four years as one of the more polarizing players on the squad, but Comrade cares nothing for your talk of polarizing play.  He will take your pole and stab you in the eye with it, just like Cousin Yuri used to do it in grade school in Yalta.  Hop did some things well – defense and rebounding – and some things not so well – finishing at the rim and shooting – but you can't question this guy's heart and dedication to the team.  He started for most of his career, played out of position for over three years, and yet still managed to put up productive minutes.  His best game as a Hoya was against Syracuse in the 2013 BET.  People forget that game.  Had we won, he would've been hailed as the czar that he has always wanted to be.  I won't remember Mikael's six missed free throws against Providence; instead, I will remember when he followed up that game by going nearly perfect from the line just a couple of games later.  The kid works his ass off.  In four years, he played more minutes than any other graduating senior.

Defense and rebounds

That's what Comrade Hop can do

Drink vodka for him

Jabril Trawick:

Jabril is the guy we all remember from your father's Georgetown teams of old.  He's the tough guy.  He plays hard-nosed defense, he bulls his way to the basket and he brings it every damn night.  For most of us, he will go down as one of our favorites from the crew of departing seniors.  We like his attitude, we like his passion and we like his heart.  But while there's no doubt Jabril will be remembered for all of these intangibles, I hope he's remembered more for how much he's improved in his last two years.  He's gone from being a role player to a leader.  Despite his offensive deficiencies, he's polished his game a lot in the offseason, and he is now our second-leading distributor and our most consistent three-point shooter.  He's brought a little finesse to his game, and even though it's not always that pretty, no one expects bulldogs to be pretty.  We'll never forget that 20-point shellacking he helped orchestrate against his friends from Villanova.  That step-back three before halftime was such a Jabril thing to do.  And we loved it.  Broad Street Brilly has epitomized what it means to play like a bulldog; later this spring, he'll graduate as a Hoya.

He plays his heart out

And  raps like Shaq Diesel too

Love me some Jabril  

Many of these seniors started their Hoya careers alongside Otto and Whitt.  I can't believe it's been four and a half years already, but when I look back at The Great Brawl of China and see Aaron and Jabril in the middle of that melee, is anyone really surprised?

I remember seeing Tyler Adams pick up a chair in that game and start running onto the court like he was gonna smack somebody in the head to protect his teammates.  Even as freshmen, this has always been a tight-knit group.

These guys have given their all for this Georgetown team.  On Saturday, let's return the favor and root like hell for this really impressive group of kids.  If we're finally going to make a long and glorious run through the postseason, it's this group of seniors that will lead the way to greatness.  Senior Day is the best.  It's March, people.  We ready.

Let's go Hoyas.  Beat Seton Hall.