1941–42 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

The 1941–42 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1941–42 NCAA college basketball season. Elmer Ripley coached it in his sixth of ten seasons as head coach; it was also the fourth season of his second of three stints at the helm. For the second straight year, the team played its home games at Riverside Stadium in Washington, D.C., the last season in which Georgetown played home games there.[1] It played an upgraded national schedule this season[2] and struggled, finishing with a record of 9-11, and had no postseason play.

1941–42 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball
ConferenceIndependent
Record9–11
Head coach
CaptainFrancis "Buddy" O'Grady (1st year)
Home arenaRiverside Stadium
Seasons

Season recap

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Senior guard Francis "Buddy" O'Grady, who had led the team through challenging seasons the previous two years, had another good season, averaging a career-high 8.8 points per game for the year. Of O'Grady's departure due to graduation at the end of this season, the Georgetown student yearbook, Ye Domesday Book, wrote, "In Buddy O'Grady, Georgetown loses one of the greatest basketball players ever to trod on the Ryan Gym [Georgetown's practice facility] floor, and there have been many," adding that over his years "he has undoubtedly been the best basketball player in the District of Columbia."[2]

Junior center Bill Bornheimer, who had starred for Georgetown the previous year, scored 23 points against American in the second game of the season. Opposing teams soon learned to play a defense that contained Bornheimer in the middle, and he only scored in double figures one more time, although his 8.0 point-per-game average was only slightly lower than his 8.4 points per game of the previous season. He also provided a strong defensive presence and was an important rebounder for the team. Georgetown would institute an accelerated graduation program the following season because of World War II, causing him to graduate in January 1943 and making him ineligible for varsity play in 1942–43, so he did not return to the team during his senior year. His 8.2-point-per-game average over his two-year collegiate career, however, was the second-highest career average by a Georgetown player between 1928 and 1942, exceeded only by guard Ed Hargaden's 9.8 points-per-game career average between 1932 and 1935.[3][4]

The Hoyas' challenging schedule – which included highly regarded teams such as Long Island University, Marquette, and DePaul[2] – and the focus of opponents on limiting Bornheimer's scoring opportunities caused the team to struggle to a 9-11 finish. It had no post-season play.

The United States entered World War II when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, at the beginning of the season. After the season ended, all but three of the players graduated or left school to enter military service. Ripley thus had to rely on a team nicknamed the "Kiddie Korps," made up mostly of sophomores, the following season.[5]

Roster

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Sources[2][3][6][7]

Junior forward Ken Engles left school for military service after this season, but returned to play for the 1945-46 team, and also served as its head coach that season, the only player-coach in Georgetown men's basketball history. Engles was one of two future Georgetown head coaches on the 1941–42 squad; the other was senior guard Buddy O'Grady, who coached the Hoyas from 1949 to 1952.[2][8]

Senior guard Don Martin served as head coach at Boston College from 1953 to 1962.[9][10]

# Name Height Weight (lbs.) Position Class Hometown Previous Team(s)
3 Dan Gabbianelli N/A N/A F Jr. Weehawken, NJ, U.S. Weehawken High School
4 John Dieckelman
(or Dieckleman)
6'0" N/A G Sr. Albany, NY, U.S. Vincentian High School
5 Charles Schmidli 6'4" N/A F Sr. West New York, NJ, U.S. Memorial High School
7 Don Martin 5'8" N/A G Sr. Newport, RI, U.S. La Salle Academy
8 Francis "Buddy" O'Grady N/A 160 G Sr. New York, NY, U.S. St. Peter's Boys High School
9 Frank Cleary 6'0" N/A F/C Sr. Somerville, NJ, U.S. Somerville High School
12 Lane O'Donnell N/A N/A F Jr. Washington, DC, U.S. Gonzaga College High School
15 Al Lujack 6'3" N/A F Sr. Connellsville, PA, U.S. Connellsville High School
16 Frank Finnerty N/A N/A F Sr. Montclair, NJ, U.S. Blair Academy
17 Ken Engles 6'2" N/A F Jr. Staten Island, NY, U.S. Port Richmond High School
18 Bill Bornheimer 6'5" 200 C Jr. New Brunswick, NJ, U.S. St. Peter's Preparatory School

1941–42 schedule and results

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Sources[11][12][13][14]

Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record Site
city, state
Regular Season
N/A
no, no
Western Maryland W 66–43  1-0
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
at American W 76–33  2-0
Clendenen Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
at Temple L 34–35  2-1
Philadelphia Convention Hall 
Philadelphia, PA
N/A
no, no
at Fordham L 31–33  2-2
Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
N/A
no, no
at Long Island University L 38–46  2-3
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
N/A
no, no
Temple W 42–40  3-3
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
at George Washington L 36–45  3-4
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
Maryland L 42–51  3-5
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
at Army W 44–32  4-5
Hayes Gymnasium 
West Point, NY
N/A
no, no
at Colgate W 55–39  5-5
Huntington Gymnasium 
Hamilton, NY
N/A
no, no
at Syracuse L 44–55  5-6
Archbold Gymnasium 
Syracuse, NY
N/A
no, no
at Marquette W 35–34  6-6
Chicago Stadium 
Chicago, IL
N/A
no, no
at St. Joseph's L 35–58  6-7
Philadelphia Convention Hall 
Philadelphia, PA
N/A
no, no
Duquesne L 35–40  6-8
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
at Loyola Maryland W 41–34  7-8
Alumni Gymnasium 
Baltimore, MD
N/A
no, no
at Scranton L 38–40  7-9
Watres Armory 
Scranton, PA
N/A
no, no
at Yale W 55–53  8-9
Payne Whitney Gymnasium 
New Haven, CT
N/A
no, no
at Navy L 36–51  8-10
Dahlgren Hall 
Annapolis, MD
N/A
no, no
DePaul L 29–34  8-11
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
N/A
no, no
George Washington W 52–42  9-11
Riverside Stadium 
Washington, DC
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

References

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  1. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Home Courts
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Francis (Buddy) O'Grady". Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 98. Bill Bornheimer". Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  4. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 41. Ed Hargaden
  5. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Believe It...Or Not". Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  6. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1940-41 to 1949-1950". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  7. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers
  8. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches". Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  9. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Don Martin
  10. ^ Reagan, John, "Forgotten Rivals," The Georgetown Basketball History Project, June 4, 2018 Accessed 26 June 2021
  11. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1940s Seasons
  12. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  13. ^ sports-reference.com 1941-42 Georgetown Hoyas Schedule and Results
  14. ^ 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 60.