The 1927–28 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

during the 1927–28 NCAA

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

season.

Elmer Ripley Elmer H. Ripley (July 21, 1891 – April 29, 1982) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball at seven different schools and for several professional teams. Early life Ripley was born in Staten Island, New York on July 21, ...

coached it in his first season as head coach. Georgetown was an independent and played its home games at the Arcade Rink, also known as the Arcadia and as the Arcade Auditorium, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, which it had also used for home games from 1911 to 1914. Ripley played professional basketball, including with the "

Original Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The te ...

," from 1908 to 1930, coached for three seasons from 1922 to 1925 at

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

with an overall record of 23–22, and was being pursued by

George Preston Marshall George Preston Marshall (October 11, 1896 – August 9, 1969) was an American professional American football, football executive who founded the National Football League (NFL)'s Washington Commanders. The team began play as the Boston Braves in ...

s Washington Palace Five team of the professional American Basketball League in 1927 when Georgetown hired him as head coach. He immediately showed great talent for coaching, leading the Hoyas to a 12–1 record. During three separate stints as head coach, Ripley would coach Georgetown for a combined ten seasons between 1927 and

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

and lead the school to its first post-season tournament appearance when it advanced to the final game of the 1943 NCAA Tournament.

Season recap

On-campus Ryan Gymnasium, where the Hoyas had played their home games from the 1914–15 season through the 1926–27 season, had no seating, accommodating fans on a standing-room only-basis on an indoor track above the court. This precluded the accommodation of significant crowds, providing the self-sustaining Basketball Association with little revenue with which to fund the teams travel expenses and limiting Georgetown to an average of no more than three road games a year from the 1918-19 season through the previous season. Georgetown Athletic Director Lou Little allowed Ripley to schedule home games off campus this season for the first time since the 1913-14 season in order to generate greater revenue to pay for travel expenses; although this season the Hoyas continued the pattern of playing virtually all of their games at home, they would finally begin to travel more regularly again the following season. It was the Arcade Rinks last season hosting Georgetown men's basketball games, but it was only the first of 22 straight seasons of off-campus home games for the Hoyas, who would not have an on-campus home court again until the opening of McDonough Arena for the 1951–52 season.The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Home Courts
/ref> Senior

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

and team captain Bob Nork was the teams leader for the third straight year, playing in all 13 games, scoring 97 points, and averaging 7.2 points per game. He averaged 8.8 points per game over his collegiate career. Sophomore

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Fred Mesmer joined the team this season and immediately became a starter and one of the teams leaders. He was an important defensive presence for the team during the season and a skilled passer. He scored in all 13 games, averaging 7.1 points per game.The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 83. Fred Mesmer
/ref> Sophomore

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Don Dutton, Mesmers high school teammate, also joined the team this year. He started every game and was a strong rebounder and offensive player. His average of 8.8 points per game was the highest for a Georgetown center since the 1907-08 season.The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 85. Don Dutton
/ref> The teams 12–1 record was the best Georgetown finish since the 1919–20 team's 13–1 season. Its only loss was to nationally renowned

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and its February 14, 1928, victory over

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

was Georgetowns first win over Navy since January 23, 1909, bringing to an end a 15-game Hoya losing streak against the Midshipmen.

Roster

Sources Georgetown players did not wear numbers on their jerseys this season. The first numbered jerseys in Georgetown mens basketball history would not appear until the 1933–34 season. Sophomore

Fred Mesmer Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Freder ...

would become Georgetowns head coach for the 1931–32 season and coach the Hoyas for seven seasons.

1927–28 schedule and results

SourcesThe Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1920s Seasons
/ref>2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 59.
/ref> Georgetowns victory at

this season was its first over the Midshipmen since

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escapes death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Janu ...

. In the interim, the Hoyas had lost 15 straight games to Navy. , - !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;", Regular Season

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1927-28 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team