1940–41 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team
| 1940–41 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conference | Independent |
| 1940–41 record | 16–4 |
| Head coach | Elmer Ripley (5th year) |
| Captain | Irv Rizzi (1st year) |
| Home arena | Riverside Stadium |
The 1940–41 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University during the 1940-41 NCAA Division I college basketball season. Elmer Ripley coached it in his fifth of ten seasons as head coach; it was also the third season of his second of three stints at the helm. For the first time, the team played its home games at Riverside Stadium in Washington, D.C. It finished the season with a record of 16-4 and had no postseason play.
In its previous ten seasons, Georgetown had a combined record of 32 games under .500, and going into this season the Georgetown student yearbook, Ye Domesday Book, opined that the school would deemphasize or eliminate basketball by 1942 if the team's performance did not see significant improvement. The 1940-41 team rose to the yearbook's challenge, achieving the highest win total in history for a Georgetown men's basketball team.
Junior guard Buddy O'Grady returned for his second varsity season and led the team. He scored a season-high 14 points against Army.
Also starring for the team was sophomore center Bill Bornheimer. The tallest player in Georgetown history at the time at 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm), he had been the starting center of the freshman team the previous season and joined the varsity this year. A strong defender, rebounder, and inside shooter, he led the team in scoring, averaging 8.4 points per game. Before 7,000 fans at Riverside Stadium – a record home crowd for a Georgetown basketball game – he had a season-high 15 points as the Hoyas upset Temple 57-49 on February 10, 1941.
Following a season-opening loss, the Hoyas won 11 games in a row and then five of their last eight, finishing with a record of 16-4. They narrowly missed invitations to the NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament and had no postseason play.
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