What does Georgetown require to do to be effective once again?
Six years ago, Patrick Ewing walked into Madison Square Garden in his first Big East media day as the brand-new head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, whom he ‘d resulted in the 1984 national championship as a player.The symbolism of
the minute was not lost on him. “It’s great to be back
here, “Ewing stated from a dais in the same structure where he ‘d been a legend for the New york city Knicks throughout his NBA career.” This is one of the locations I consider my home.”The delight, nevertheless, didn’t last. In Ewing’s 5 seasons as head coach, Georgetown has never ended up above.500 in the Big East, and it finished above.500 general simply as soon as. They made the NCAA competition in 2021 after an unexpected go to the Big East conference championship– which followed a 9-12 conference finish– however lost in the preliminary to Colorado. Last season, they didn’t win a single game after December 15, finishing 6-25 overall.And on Wednesday night, the Hoyas taped their 25th successive Big East loss, a league record, versus Villanova, 73-57. Earlier Wednesday, Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed stated it’s”necessary”to get the program relocating the right direction.There is a sense of seriousness we have not seen around Ewing and Georgetown
. Is this the end for the legend? ESPN’s professional panel of Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Myron Medcalf look at how Georgetown got to this point, and what could possibly be next.The numbers don’t look excellent. How did Georgetown get to this point?The numbers look traditionally alarming. The Hoyas are being outscored by 0.22 points per ownership on every journey down the
floor in Big East play. Yes, it’s early, and, yes, we’re not even finished with the first week of January. However this situation has been establishing for a while now and the concern that emerges is how is this happy program playing to this level with precisely 25 %of the Big East schedule already in the books? 2 Related The paradox is that the program’s glory years under Patrick Ewing the player were specified by a defense that didn’t just stand out, it robbed the other group of any hope. Now, those exact same opponents are scoring essentially at will( 1.20 points per journey in conference play). On paper this rotation is blessed with size, but that length isn’t requiring misses out on. When you’ve lost the ability to protect and your group is likewise scoring less than a point per ownership in its own right, it is exceptionally hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is where Georgetown beings in 2023.– John Gasaway Can it be fixed? How?Yes. However not with Patrick Ewing. I also don’t think it ends with replacing Ewing.”Big”John Thompson Jr. created a brand in college basketball that impacted the whole sport in the 1980s and 1990s. He brought African-American stars to a private school in Washington, D.C.– Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Grieving and others– and set the sport on fire.But this school has to begin to admit to itself that the present generation of athletes do not have that connection to Thompson, who passed away in 2020, or his legacy.The Hoyas have actually had several key players transfer under Ewing. They’re not even landing top players in the city. The buzz is gone, so Georgetown needs to want to move forward in a respectable manner in which acknowledges Thompson however likewise allows the program and school to move into modern college basketball with
the method it recruits, plays and connects with its advocates. Firing Ewing will not cancel Thompson’s legacy. It seems the only method to save it.– Myron Medcalf Patrick Ewing’s time at the helm may be nearing its end. Who’s next if the Hoyas legend leaves?First, Georgetown requires to find out its plan to part methods with Ewing. The Hoyas can’t just all of a sudden fire a program legend, a college basketball legend, like they would any other coach.Aside from his stature at the university, one of theproblems is the cash. After
the shocking run through the Big East tournament in 2021 and advancing to the NCAA competition, the school offered Ewing an extension. His agreement is now reportedly totally guaranteed up until 2026, suggesting the school would owe him in the region of$15 million if it were to fire him. While Ewing made more than $100 million in his playing career, he’s not likely to resign on his own and walk away from $15 million. So the two sides most likely requirement to come to a contract before a change is made.Georgetown will have to go outside the John Thompson tree with its next hire, for the first time considering that the legendary head coach took over in 1972. But it requires to find a way to bring enjoyment back to the fanbase, particularly at a time when Villanova– one of its most significant rivals, from a local recruiting perspective– is in a state of transition.Could the answer be Rick Pitino? He likely has another big job in him prior to retiring, and he’s
proven at Iona that he’s still perhaps the very best basketball coach of his generation. A call to Providence’s Ed Cooley is also worth a shot. He’s done an unbelievable job with the Friars and– perhaps more significantly for the sake of this discussion– established a relationship with the late Big John over the course of his career.– Jeff Borzello