Notebook: Georgetown’s Sapp ruins plan

A year ago, as Georgetown was preparing to play Florida in the Sweet 16, Georgetown guard Jessie Sapp learned his 13-year-old sister Stevevasha had been shot at a playground in Harlem, N.Y.

Sapp’s sister has recovered, and she had to be happy to see her older brother play his best game in this year’s NCAA tournament opener.

Sapp, a 28-percent 3-point shooter coming in, made 4 of 6 from behind the arc and scored a career-high 20 points in the Hoyas’ 80-55 first-round win over Belmont on Thursday.

“It feels very good. I know my teammates have my back,” Sapp said. “Coming into this year I was focused on the tournament.”

Belmont coach Rick Byrd acknowledged the Bruins’ game plan was to let Sapp shoot from the outside. That strategy turned on Belmont.

“There are number of people on this team, that any given day are ready, willing and able,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said in Winston-Salem, N.C. “We are in many ways a versatile team that adjusts and finds the hot hands and mismatches.”

With record set, time to fish

Bob Knight’s record-setting NCAA tournament ended early. Now it’s time to go fishing.

Knight surpassed former North Carolina coach Dean Smith’s mark by coaching in his 28th NCAA tournament. But Knight was headed home after 10th-seeded Texas Tech faded down the stretch in an 84-75 loss to seventh-seed Boston College in Winston-Salem.

Ex-coach will have close look

Virginia will see a familiar face sitting courtside for its first-round game in the NCAA tournament today at Columbus, Ohio.

Pete Gillen, who led the Cavaliers to one NCAA appearance during his seven seasons as coach, will be a radio analyst for fourth-seeded Virginia’s matchup with Albany. He recruited some of the current Cavaliers.

Gillen has kept his home in Charlottesville, Va., but hasn’t had much contact with the team. Dave Leitao replaced Gillen and has Virginia in the tournament in his second season.

Sutton sitting tight

Former Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton cheered on his son, Scott’s, Oral Roberts team in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but the Golden Eagles lost 70-54 to third-seeded Washington State in Sacramento, Calif.

“It’s easier to sit on the bench and coach than it is to sit in the stands as a spectator,” Eddie Sutton said. “It’s just been a tough year for me to watch all this. I now have greater sympathy for really true basketball fans than I ever had before.”

Sutton won 798 games at Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Kentucky and Creighton before retiring last May.