Georgetown swings big with Ewing hire
From the moment Georgetown announced the dismissal of John Thompson III, it was clear the greatest challenge the school faced in making its next hire was straddling the Hoyas’ storied past and moving them into the future as well. The hire of Patrick Ewing should do that. It’s clear that John Thompson Jr.’s fingerprints are all over this hire — the man still commands a great deal of power there, though the awkward situation with his son’s ouster remains — which makes sense, considering Ewing is arguably the greatest player to ever play for the elder Thompson. Ewing led Georgetown to three national title game appearances (winning one) before going on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, with most of his 17 years in the pros spent with the New York Knicks.
Though the natural instinct is to compare Georgetown’s hiring of Ewing to that of St. John’s and Chris Mullin — these two will face off on the sidelines twice a year — the situations are quite different. Mullin had no coaching experience when he was hired in 2015 to resurrect St. John’s, meaning he was a hire made solely based on the idea of rejuvenating a program by hiring a famously successful ex-player.
While that latter part also is the case with Georgetown, Ewing has bounced around the NBA as an assistant coach since 2003, most recently with the Charlotte Hornets. It appears, instead of waiting around for an NBA head coaching opportunity, he jumped at a college one — which actually follows a recent hiring trend in college basketball.
Navigating the underbelly of college basketball — its recruiting and AAU scene — will be a challenge for Ewing, certainly. He’s signing up to revive a program best known in recent years for underachieving in the NCAA tournament — and not coming close to qualifying for it the last two years.
But nabbing Ewing is a sign that Georgetown is still Georgetown, an appealing job (especially for those on Thompson Jr.’s good side) that has increased resources in recent years and a recruiting hotbed nearby. Sure, the Big East isn’t what it once was. But that doesn’t mean this marriage can’t work — and win big.