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1955–56 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

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1955–56 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball
ConferenceIndependent
Record13–11
Head coach
Assistant coachHugh Beins (3rd season)
CaptainJack Walsh (1st year)
Home arenaMcDonough Gymnasium
Seasons

The 1955–56 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1955–56 NCAA college basketball season. Harry "Buddy" Jeannette coached them in his fourth and final season as head coach. The team was an independent and played its home games at McDonough Gymnasium on the Georgetown campus in Washington, D.C. It finished with a record of 13-11 and had no post-season play.

Season recap

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Forward Warren Buehler had been the team's top scorer the previous season, but took a leave of absence from the team this season to recover from an injury.[1][2] With Buehler out, junior forward Joe Missett took the lead, scoring in double figures in all but one game and averaging 18.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. The team's top scorer for the year, he also had 325 rebounds, a total unmatched in Georgetown history except by Merlin Wilson, who played center for the Hoyas from 1972 to 1976.[3]

Sophomore forward Ken Pichette joined the varsity after a successful season with the freshman team the previous year. Based on his freshman performance, he was expected to take the lead in scoring for the varsity team this season with Buehler out for the year, but he got off to a slow start, not scoring until his fifth game. However, he began to score steadily in January 1956, and he scored in doubled figures in 13 of the final 14 games of the year.[2]

Junior forward Matt White competed with Pichette and senior forward Jack Walsh for a starting position, but he became a valuable scorer when he proved able to play effectively as a guard as well as a forward. His 24 points against Morehead State late in the season were his career high.[4]

The team finished with a record of 13-11, the only winning season for Georgetown between 1952-53 and 1961-62. It had no postseason play, and was not ranked in the Top 20 in the Associated Press Poll or Coaches' Poll at any time.[5][6]

In his first season, Buddy Jeannette had led Georgetown to its first-ever berth in the National Invitation Tournament; it also was only the second post-season tournament appearance in Georgetown men's basketball history and the first since the 1942-43 Hoyas played in the 1943 NCAA Tournament. A combination of injuries and academic losses led to disappointment over the next three years, and he resigned at the end of this season, departing with no other post-season tournament appearances, two winning seasons, and an overall record of 49-49 during his four-season tenure.[7] He would later serve as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Baltimore Bullets for the 1964–65 season, as their interim head coach for part of the 1966–67 season, and as head coach of the American Basketball Association's Pittsburgh Pipers for part of the 1969–70 season.[8]

Roster

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Sources[2][3][4][9][10]

# Name Height Weight (lbs.) Position Class Hometown Previous Team(s)
5 Joe Titus N/A N/A F So. Bradford, PA, U.S. Bradford Area HS
8 John Clark 6'2" N/A G So. Binghamton, NY, U.S. Saint Patrick HS
9 Dick Percudani 6'1" N/A G Jr. Elmhurst, NY, U.S. Power Memorial Academy
11 John Morchower 6'7" N/A G Sr. Bayonne, NJ, U.S. Sweeney HS
12 Joe Bolger 6'3" N/A G Sr. New York, NY, U.S. Xavier HS
14 Dale Smith 6'4" N/A G Jr. Allentown, PA, U.S. Allentown Central Catholic HS
15 Leo Phillips 6'5" N/A F Jr. York, PA, U.S. William Penn HS
17 Ken Pichette 6'3" 185 F So. Binghamton, NY, U.S. Central HS
18 Richard Wagner 6'2" N/A G Jr. Glendale, NY, U.S. St. John's Preparatory School
20 Jack Walsh 5'11" N/A F Sr. New York, NY, U.S. Brooklyn Preparatory School
21 Dale Seymour 6'5" N/A G Jr. Washington, DC, U.S. Gonzaga College HS
22 Joe Missett 6"7" 205 C Jr. Villanova, PA, U.S. Malvern Preparatory School
23 Ray Mazza 6'0" N/A G Jr. Cincinnati, OH, U.S. St. Xavier HS
24 Matt White 6'2" 205 F Jr. New York, NY, U.S. La Salle HS
27 Ken Rode 6'4" N/A F Jr. New York, NY, U.S. St. Francis Preparatory School

1955–56 schedule and results

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Sources[11][12][13][14][15]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular Season
Thu., Dec. 1, 1955
no, no
American W 60–58  1-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Dec. 3, 1955
no, no
Roanoke W 74–63  2-0
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Thu., Dec. 8, 1955
no, no
at New York University L 69–74  2-1
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Sat., Dec. 10, 1955
no, no
at Mount St. Mary's W 85–78  3-1
Alumni Gymnasium 
Emmitsburg, MD
Wed., Dec. 14, 1955
no, no
Morris Harvey W 74–66  4-1
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Fri., Dec. 16, 1955
no, no
at New York Athletic Club L 73–74  exhibition
New York Athletic Club Gymnasium 
New York, NY
Sat., Dec. 17, 1955
no, no
at Siena L 50–53  4-2
Washington Avenue Armory 
Albany, NY
Sun., Dec. 18, 1955
no, no
vs. St. Bonaventure
Queen City Tournament
L 52–79  4-3
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 
Buffalo, NY
Mon., Dec. 19, 1955
no, no
vs. Niagara
Queen City Tournament
L 53–68  4-4
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 
Buffalo, NY
Sat., Jan. 7, 1956
no, no
Loyola Maryland W 78–66  5-4
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Wed., Jan. 11, 1956
no, no
at American W 82–66  6-4
Clendenen Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Jan. 14, 1956
no, no
at Seton Hall L 85–87  6-5
Walsh Gymnasium 
South Orange, NJ
Sat., Jan. 21, 1956
no, no
Maryland L 57–62  6-6
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Fri., Jan. 27, 1956
no, no
at Saint Peter's W 82–69  7-6
Jersey City Armory 
Jersey City, NJ
Sat., Jan. 28, 1956
no, no
vs. Providence W 77–51  8-6
Alumni Gymnasium 
Baltimore, MD
Mon., Jan. 30, 1956
no, no
at No. 11 Holy Cross L 68–88  8-7
Worcester Memorial Auditorium 
Worcester, MA
Wed., Feb. 1, 1956
no, no
St. Joseph's W 84–72  9-7
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 4, 1956
no, no
at La Salle W 67–63  10-7
Philadelphia Convention Hall 
Philadelphia, PA
Wed., Feb. 8, 1956
no, no
Mount St. Mary's W 86–83  11-7
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 11, 1956
no, no
at Fordham L 68–69  11-8
Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
Mon., Feb. 13, 1956
no, no
Spring Hill W 75–57  12-8
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 18, 1956
no, no
Morehead State W 84–79  13-8
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Tue., Feb. 21, 1956
no, no
No. 19 George Washington L 67–70  13-9
McDonough Gymnasium 
Washington, DC
Sat., Feb. 25, 1956
no, no
at Maryland L 61–72  13-10
Cole Field House 
College Park, MD
Tue., Feb. 28, 1956
no, no
at George Washington L 77–93  13-11
Uline Arena 
Washington, DC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

References

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  1. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 42. Warren Buehler
  2. ^ a b c The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 62. Ken Pichette
  3. ^ a b The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 31. Joe Missett
  4. ^ a b The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 78. Matt White
  5. ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 Independent Season Summary
  6. ^ sports-reference.com 1956-56 Polls
  7. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches". Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  8. ^ "Buddy Jeannette". basketball-reference. Sports Reference LLC.
  9. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1950–51 to 1959–1960". Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  10. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers
  11. ^ The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1950s Seasons
  12. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  13. ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 Georgetown Hoyas Schedule and Results
  14. ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. Non-Collegiate Opponents". Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  15. ^ 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 61.