Georgetown fires Thompson
John Thompson III was fired as Georgetown’s basketball coach on Thursday after two consecutive losing seasons at the school his father led to a national championship.
School president John DeGioia told Thompson on Thursday he would not be brought back next year at a basketball program strongly associated with his last name.
Thompson, known as “JT3,” was Georgetown’s coach for 13 seasons, including a run to the Final Four in 2007 with future NBA players Jeff Green and
Roy Hibbert on the roster. But he went a combined 29-36 the past two years — with some of those defeats punctuated by chants of “Fire Thompson!” from spectators.
The Hoyas’ 14-18 record this season included six losses in a row to finish and marked the team’s worst winning percentage since the 1950s. They went 15-18 a year ago, losing seven of their last eight games.
HOCKEY
International Ice Hockey Federation President
Rene Fasel said Thursday that he needs to know by the end of April whether National Hockey League players will be cleared to play in the South Korea Olympics next year.
NHL team owners have made it clear they don’t want to stop their season again for the Winter Games and put their stars at risk of injury. The reluctance has come up before and yet the NHL has participated in the Olympics since 1998. This time, however, there seems to be an impasse. The head of the NHL Players Association, Donald
Fehr, said the players want to participate and hopes the league will take advantage of the chance to market the game in Asia.
However, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said without “material change to the current status quo, NHL players will not be participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics.”
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Washington released high school star Michael
Porter Jr. from his national letter of intent. Washington confirmed the decision to release Porter, one day after new Washington coach Mike
Hopkins was formally introduced. Porter had committed to Washington under former coach Lorenzo
Romar. Porter’s father, Michael Porter Sr., was an assistant on Romar’s staff.
Porter is widely regarded as the top high school senior in the country. He was named Gatorade’s national player of the year on Wednesday and told reporters after receiving the award that he would be requesting his release but wasn’t ruling out Washington as his possible final destination.
Changing his mind: Former Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey backed out of an agreement to take over at Massachusetts, citing personal reasons.
UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford said that Kelsey asked to be let out of his contract that was signed Tuesday, making clear that it was for “very personal” reasons.
AUTO RACING
Pete Hamilton, who captured the Daytona 500 in 1970 and won twice at Talladega Superspeedway the next year, has died at the age of 74. Hamilton won four Cup races, including a Daytona 500 qualifying race in 1971. He had 26 top-five finishes in 64 starts from 1968 to 1973. His 1970 Daytona victory was in the No. 40 Plymouth Superbird fielded by Petty Enterprises.