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Patrick Ewing Hired As Georgetown Head Men’s Basketball Coach
Georgetown has hired Patrick Ewing to be its next head men's basketball coach. The former Hoya legend replaces John Thompson III.
April 3, 2017
Georgetown has hired Patrick Ewing to be its next head men’s basketball coach. The former Hoya legend replaces John Thompson III.
Patrick Ewing is returning home to Georgetown.
The Hoyas have hired the former college and NBA star, bringing him back to the place where he was a four-year star center and a national champion.
Ewing was hired on Monday after meeting with school officials, and he arrives following a stint with the Charlotte Hornets as the team’s associate head coach. The Hornets play on Tuesday night in Washington against the Wizards, so it was easy for Ewing to meet directly with Georgetown representatives.
A two-time United States Olympic gold medalist (1984 and 1992), Ewing was considered the preferred choice of John Thompson Jr., whose son, John Thompson III, was fired last month after 13 seasons leading the Hoyas. Ewing, of course, played for the elder Thompson from 1982 to 1985 and made three national championship game appearances. He would move on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, most notably with the New York Knicks, who retired his number 33 in 2003.
Ewing, who has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2002 with the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and now Hornets, helped Georgetown claim the 1983-84 NCAA title over Houston a year after the Hoyas fell to Michael Jordan and North Carolina in the championship game. In Ewing’s senior year, the Hoyas were upset by a Villanova team that shot a record 78.6 percent from the floor.
Georgetown is coming off of a 14-18 (5-13 in Big East) campaign, so the school decided to part ways with Thompson III after the program fell on some hard times. The Hoyas have had a head coach with the last name of Thompson for 40 of its last 45 seasons. Now, the best player to ever play under the eldest Thompson will try to resurrect Georgetown basketball.
Big East hoops fans will now have a chance to see Ewing’s Hoyas battle Chris Mullin’s St. John’s squad, adding some sizzle to the rivalry between the two schools.
