Georgetown Hoyas
The University admits that the precise origin of the term "Hoya" is unknown. At some point before 1893, and likely before 1891, students versed in classical languages combined the Greek "hoia" or "hoya", meaning "what" or "such", and the Latin "saxa" to form "Hoya Saxa!", or "What Rocks!" This cheer may either refer to the stalwart defense of the football team, or to the baseball team, which was nicknamed the "Stonewalls", or to the actual stone wall that surrounds the campus. Father William McFadden, S.J., campus Jesuit and the team's in-house announcer at the Capital One Arena, has disputed the Greek and Latin origin, suggesting the classical words were retroactively applied to a nonsensical cheer.
After World War I, the term "Hoya" was increasingly used on campus, including for the newspaper and the school mascot. In 1920, students began publishing the campus's first sports newspaper under the name "The Hoya", after successfully petitioning the Dean of the College to use it instead of the proposed name, "The Hilltopper". "Hilltoppers" was also a name sometimes used for the sports teams. By the fall of 1928, the newspaper had taken to referring to the sports teams as the Hoyas. This was influenced by a popular half time show at football games, where the mascot, a dog nicknamed "Hoya," would entertain fans.
2008–09 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team
After enduring their longest losing streak since 2005, the Hoyas staggered back to the Verizon Center to beat Rutgers in a game in which Jessie Sapp came out of his month-and-a-half-long slump to score 11 points, while Greg Monroe contributed 10 and Georgetown preserved a home winning streak against the Scarlet Knights that dated back to January 2000. But an overtime home loss to Cincinnati ensued despite 13 points, six rebounds, and five steals by Greg Monroe and 10 points from Austin Freeman. Georgetown traveled to the Carrier Dome a week later for a rematch with No. 22 Syracuse, which had lost five of its last seven games. The Orange led 33-32 at halftime but scored the first nine points after the intermission and pulled ahead to 66-50 with 8:11 left in the second half before the Hoyas rallied to tie the game at 83-83 at the end of regulation. In overtime, the Hoyas pulled ahead 89-88 with 2:13 remaining, but Syracuse then scored a three-pointer and two free throws to take a 93-89 lead and ultimately prevailed, 98-94. Before fouling out in overtime, Chris Wright scored 25 points, while Austin Freeman had 19 points, DaJuan Summers added 17, and Greg Monroe had a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds). Sophomore guard/forward Nikita Mescheriakov started at guard in this game – and for the rest of the season – in place of the slumping Jessie Sapp, who was relegated to the bench.