Before Michael Sweetney became a first-round NBA draft pick, before the Knicks and Bulls, he was a force at Georgetown.
The Hoyas remembered that version of Sweetney on Thursday after his death at 43, posting a tribute to one of the most productive frontcourt players of the program’s post-Patrick Ewing era.
“Prayers to the family of Georgetown men’s basketball alum Michael Sweetney,” the program wrote on social media. “He will be missed — forever a Hoya.”
He will be missed – forever a Hoya.
#HoyaSaxa
Sweetney’s wife, India Sweetney, announced his death earlier Thursday in an emotional Facebook post. No cause of death has been announced.
Michael Sweetney Became a Georgetown Star
Sweetney arrived at Georgetown in 2000 and quickly became the centerpiece of Craig Esherick’s teams.
Across three seasons, he started 95 of 96 games and averaged 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds, shooting 54.4% from the field. He finished his college career with 1,750 points and 887 rebounds.
His best season came as a junior in 2002-03.
Sweetney averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 34 games while shooting 54.7% from the floor. He also averaged 3.2 blocks, making him one of the Big East’s most imposing interior players.
He earned first-team All-Big East honors that season.
The production had already been building. As a sophomore, Sweetney averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Georgetown named him the program’s outstanding player. He also produced one of the more memorable lines of that era: 35 points and 20 rebounds in a quadruple-overtime game against Notre Dame.
Sweetney Carried Georgetown Tradition Into NBA
Sweetney’s combination of strength, touch and rebounding made him one of college basketball’s most coveted big men by the end of his junior season.
The Knicks selected him with the No. 9 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, extending Georgetown’s long tradition of sending physical frontcourt players to the league.
His NBA career lasted four seasons, including stops with New York and Chicago, but his Georgetown résumé remained the most complete stretch of basketball he played at any level.
At Georgetown, Sweetney was not simply a prospect.
He was the offense.
He commanded double teams, lived at the free-throw line and gave the Hoyas an interior anchor at a time when the program was trying to maintain its identity in an increasingly perimeter-driven Big East.
Georgetown Remembers ‘Forever a Hoya’
Sweetney’s death prompted tributes from the Knicks, former teammates and others across basketball, but Georgetown’s message carried particular weight.
The program was where Sweetney first became nationally known, where he developed into an All-Big East player and where his game became large enough to turn him into a top-10 NBA draft pick.
His professional career did not unfold the way many expected.
His college career did.
For three years, Sweetney was one of the most productive big men in the country and the unmistakable center of Georgetown basketball.
More than two decades later, the Hoyas’ message was simple:
He was still one of theirs.
Georgetown Mourns Former Star After His Untimely Death at 43