The Georgetown Hoyas shocked many college basketball fans when they fired John Thompson Iii after 13 seasons at the university. It really was no surprise because he never had the success that his father had before him at the university. Now, the Hoyas are looking at making a surprise move by considering former Hoyas' superstar Patrick Ewing as his replacement.
John Thompson III and Georgetown
When it comes to name-value at Georgetown, there really isn't anyone much bigger than John Thompson III. His father coached at the university and was one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history.
Thompson Jr. coached for 27 seasons at Georgetown and retired in 1999 when a record of 596-239. He led his Hoyas to the NCAA Tournament 20 times and won a National Championship in 1984. Thompson III finished his Georgetown career with a record of 278-151 and made it to the NCAA Tournament eight times, although they never made it past the first round of their last six appearances there and missed March Madness completely in three of the last four seasons. Now, the Georgetown Hoyas will possibly look to Patrick Ewing to help lead them back to victory in the future.
Patrick Ewing's accomplishments as a Hoyas star
The news that the Georgetown Hoyas are looking at Patrick Ewing comes from Yahoo Sports.
It would make sense to replace a legendary name like John Thompson III with a former and beloved superstar that fans can immediately get behind. The problem here is that Ewing played for Thompson Jr. and is fiercely loyal to the Thompson family. He took the news that the Hoyas fired Thompson hard and was emotional when asked about it.
That makes one wonder if Ewing would want to be the man to replace someone he has so much respect for. However, Patrick is a legend at Georgetown, a three-time All-American who was part of the 1984 National Championship team. He then went on to have an amazing NBA career before transitioning into coaching, where he currently serves as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets.
