In younger circles, the name of Craig Esherick is sometimes reviled rather than remembered. They know little of the man, only the name of a coach who did not ascend the heights to which fans expected. Instead, Craig Esherick, the student-athlete, was a building block for the Georgetown teams of the 1970's, and a builder all his own in his 17 years as an assistant coach.

After two years of recruits mostly from his St. Anthony teams, John Thompson went to the Maryland suburbs to sign Esherick, a second team All-Met guard from Springbrook HS in Silver Spring. Esherick could likely have started at a number of other local programs but chose Georgetown for Thompson and for the opportunity to earn an education. With many of his team going through the sociology track in the College, Esherick was instead a finance major in the School of Business Administration, a curriculum that could take its toll on an unprepared student. Esherick was always prepared, and was selected twice as the team's outstanding student-athlete in a four year career with many contributions, one remarkable moment.

Esherick saw time in 25 games his freshman season, scoring 14 in an early season game with Maryland and a career high 16 in the Kodak Classic versus Dartmouth. A 44 percent shooter, mostly from outside, Esherick saw less time as a sophomore behind Derrick Jackson and mike MacDermott, with just nine games as a sophomore. A solid defender with a reliable outside shot, Esherick was a sixth man option on Georgetown teams from 1976 through 1978 that featured Derrick Jackson and John Duren anchored in the starting lineup, but he will long be remembered for a moment that still rings through the walls at McDonough Gymnasium.

Throughout the mid-1970's, the battle between Georgetown and George Washington for supremacy in Washington basketball was not yet a settled matter. Georgetown had defeated GW in two ECAC playoff games, but the Colonials had won six straight over the Hoyas in regular season games. With post-season considerations in the air, the two teams met at McDonough on February 23, 1978, where a last second shot by GW's Les Anderson gave the Colonials an apparent win, Georgetown called timeout with two seconds left.

"The shot was designed for Derrick Jackson," Esherick recalled. He's our number one clutch shooter. But during the time out Mr. Thompson told me to look for the ball too."

"Every time I shoot it, I expect it to go in."

"Martin, passes to Esherick, a forty-footer," said radio announcer Rich Chvotkin on the call. "He hits!" The half court shot sent the game into overtime, where Georgetown won its sixth one point game of the season, 78-77. GW coach Bob Tallent could only add that "God is smiling on them this year."

The NBA wasn't calling for Craig Esherick, but law school was, becoming the first basketball letterman since Tom Carroll (1963-66) to continue his studies at Georgetown Law. One year as an assistant coach at St. Anthony's HS led to a graduate assistant role on Thompson's staff in 1979, and Esherick was named an assistant coach in 1982 at the conclusion of law school, following the departure of Bill Stein to St. Peter's.

Twenty years later, in 2002, Esherick was asked by The HOYA if he considered practicing law. "Not if I can help it," he said. "It's [not] that I disliked law school or the thought of practicing law, but I like so much what I'm doing now that I can't think of doing anything else."

And for the rest of the story, please check Craig Esherick's bio at the Coaches section of the web site.