2,000 Wins for Men's Basketball Program!
Submitted on November 26, 2023
Georgetown Men's Basketball has long been the gold standard of NAIA Basketball and crossed another milestone on Sunday, November 26 to further cement the legacy. With an 89-57 win over Reinhardt, Georgetown has become the first program in history to reach 2000 NAIA wins.
On the final day of The Show in Kingsport, Tennessee, Georgetown got off to a quick offensive start, led by three Rashad Bishop dunks in the first five minutes of the game. The last of which gave GC an early 13-7 lead. Reinhardt kept pace with Georgetown for the first 14 minutes, trailing just 27-25 with six minutes to go in the half. Then, the Tigers made their move. A jumper from Isaiah Mason followed by a three-point play from Kyran Jones, kick-started a 15-4 run to close the first half. Tommy Thomas followed with a three-pointer and the lead grew to 35-25. The half was punctuated by a Cam Brooks-Harris three-pointer and a layup from Isaiah Mason and the Tigers led 42-29 at the break.
Reinhardt put pressure on the Tigers early in the second half, getting within seven points with 16:33 to go. Georgetown countered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to race out to a 59-41 lead with 12:40 to go and force the Eagles into a timeout. A dunk from Reinhardt at the 10:56 mark made the score 62-49 with Georgetown ahead. It would be the last points for Reinhardt for over four minutes as the Tiger lead reached 21 in that time. Georgetown's lead would reach as high as 34 in the final minute before a final Eagle tip-in brought the game to its final margin.
Georgetown improved to 9-1 on the year. Rashad Bishop and Cam Brooks-Harris tied for a team-high 19 points. Brooks-Harris knocked down four of Georgetown's five three-pointers, while Bishop shot 9 of 11 from the field. Kyran Jones pulled down 12 rebounds to go with 9 points. Jabrion Spikes and Tommy Thomas each added 11. Isaiah Mason tallied 8 points and 8 boards off the bench. Aden Nyekan scored 6, while Seth Johnson and Jaquay Wales added 3 each. Wales also had a game-high 8 assists.
In 120 seasons of basketball, Georgetown has seen 22 head coaches, thousands of players, managers, and officials who all played a hand in the historical milestone. Current Head Coach Chris Briggs has contributed 329 wins towards the record in 13 seasons and discussed the milestone after the game. "We are certainly proud to be a part of the 2,000th win and help add to the great history and tradition of Georgetown College Men's Basketball. So many great players have put on the orange and black to give everything they've had to the school and the program," Briggs said. "That is absolutely a testament to all the players and Hall of Fame coaches like Bob Davis, Jim Reid, and Happy Osborne, who built this program into what it is today," Briggs continued. "We are very fortunate and thankful to President Dr. Rosemary Allen and the administration for recognizing and working to help provide the resources we need to help carry the torch towards 3,000!" Georgetown College officially has 2,087 all-time wins but 87 are not officially recognized by the NAIA.
