By Amy Rosewater
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 17, 2001; Page D3

Georgetown men's basketball coach Craig Esherick went to Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, the same school Marymount coach Chuck Driesell attended several years later. Esherick's younger brother, Blake, was Driesell's former roommate and an assistant coach at Marymount. And Esherick's kids have spent summers at Driesell's basketball camps.

"I'm not sure who my kids are going to cheer for," Esherick said earlier this week. After the Hoyas dismantled Division III Marymount, 108-47, in their season opener last night before 3,179 at McDonough Arena, Esherick's children might now be his biggest fans.

Driesell, the son of Georgia State coach Lefty, says he still is an Esherick fan, too. "Craig's a great guy," said Driesell, who had asked Esherick a couple of years ago to schedule a game against the Arlington school. "Next to my dad, I think he's the greatest coach. I'm glad the opportunity came about. I just hope he got something out of it, too."

Esherick scheduled the game against Marymount in September when two other teams backed out at the last minute. "Chuck was nice enough to come to my rescue," Esherick said.

Although the score was lopsided, Esherick said it was important for his team to get a game in before it plays at Georgia on Monday in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic.

That game should be more of a test than the one last night. Georgetown, coming off a NCAA tournament round of 16 season and ranked No. 14 this year, had no problems with the Saints.

Mike Sweetney, a sophomore who led the Hoyas in scoring last season, had a career-high 27 points – 17 in the first half – and added 14 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

When Sweetney left the court midway in the second half, Marymount had 30 points and Sweetney had 27. Six Georgetown players scored in double figures, including Drew Hall with 17 points, Tony Bethel with 16 and Wesley Wilson with 12.

Terry Hoffman led Marymount (0-1) with 11 points.

The Hoyas overwhelmed Marymount so much with their size that they led 58-21 lead at halftime. Marymount's tallest player is listed at 6 feet 8. Georgetown has five players on its roster who are 6-8 or taller.

One of those Hoyas players, however, didn't play last night. Freshman Harvey Thomas, a 6-8, 205-pound forward from Fredericksburg, was wearing street clothes on the bench. The NCAA is still trying to sort out Thomas's school credits. He attended classes at five different schools in 3½ years.

"We're moving in the right direction," Esherick said. "We're keeping our fingers and toes crossed."