Georgetown Hires Ewing as Head Coach | Page 3 | Syracusefan.com

Georgetown Hires Ewing as Head Coach

In fairness, he did have two years sans-MJ in 1994 and 1995 in the prime of his career to get it done and they came up short.

You think you gonna' bring up Knicks '94 in here with no consequences? Someone hold me back!

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Jesus. Short memory much? He is a hall of fame player who by all accounts should have gotten a head job already.

And Hopkins sound familiar?
Unless I'm mistaken, "should have gotten a head job" is "got two interviews back in 2011 and one with the Kings last year." For all I know he's an incredible coach, but I don't get the sense that NBA teams were going to be beating down his door anytime soon.

Regardless of his resume, I have to imagine he's going to energize their fanbase far more than Amaker, Christian or any of the other candidates they had a decent chance of landing.
 
Patrick has paid his dues and earned a chance to be a HC. I think he wanted it in the NBA, but for some reason that I do not understand, he never seemed to get a real opportunity at that level. The NBA seems to still have prejudice against large black dudes in coaching and management. You would think that would be in the past.

I have mixed feelings about Patrick. As a Cuse fan he was hated enemy #1. As a Knick fan, he was the man, and probably would have earned multiple titles if not for MJ.

All in all, regardless of team affiliations there is no denying Patrick's work ethic, tenacity, and toughness.

He deserves this opportunity, and I hope he does well, so that when we beat up on his GTown teams it will mean something.
Blaah he was the reason I HATED the Knicks and I was a fan from like 1970-71 season. Even Melo hasn't made me totally a fan again.

From a GTOWN alum friend: one of his colleagues attended a basketball camp and said all the former players were totally cool and generous with them except Ewing who scowled a lot and barely said hello.
 
I admit I grew up being a Knicks fan, but like Hopkins he has paid his dues and been an assistant in the NBA for years. I know he has zero expierience recruiting, but at least he's been an understudy of the Van Gundy's. This is better than St. John's hiring Mullin who had zero expierience coaching.
True. St John's was too quick to get rid of Lavin who had Mets quality bad luck with injuries.

The upside is MAYBE he learns from his mistakes because he was a smart player?
 
They can't.

The President loves him. The press either likes him or is intimidated by him.

Many want to. But he is too strong, too burrowed in, and no body has the guts to take him on.

I'll never understand this. Is he gonna start just beating people up, or murdering them?

Rhetorical question, but the point remains. I don't see why they can't just rid of him for the good of the University, but I'm not complaining. I think Ewing has an okay shot at some success. He has been around, but completely unproven so we shall see.
 
So Georgetown can only hire coaches who on are the level of Roy Williams or Mark Few? Seems reasonable.

Mark Few or any of dozens of others who actually have college head coaching resumes..

They had a long list of them, but no one they wanted showed any interest.

But the point was to consider the wide gulf between Roy Williams and Mark Few and Patrick Ewing. There's a huge gap there filled with guys with actual college head coaching accomplishments.
 
I'll never understand this. Is he gonna start just beating people up, or murdering them?

Rhetorical question, but the point remains. I don't see why they can't just rid of him for the good of the University, but I'm not complaining. I think Ewing has an okay shot at some success. He has been around, but completely unproven so we shall see.

What's so hard to understand.


Big John, of course, has a palatial office on campus, draws a salary and is in the building named after him with a statue of him in front of it.

The new coach comes in and does something Big John doesn't like.

Big John calls the University President and tells him he's unhappy. Or he leaks his feelings to the Washington Post, or he says so on his radio show.

He can undermine any new coach he decides to.
 
What's so hard to understand.


Big John, of course, has a palatial office on campus, draws a salary and is in the building named after him with a statue of him in front of it.

The new coach comes in and does something Big John doesn't like.

Big John calls the University President and tells him he's unhappy. Or he leaks his feelings to the Washington Post, or he says so on his radio show.

He can undermine any new coach he decides to.

Just like Dean Smith at UNC did after he retired.

And hopefully very much unlike what JB does if he ever retires.

I'm starting to think JB only leaves by means of an ambulance/hearse.
 
Thoughts:
1. Hiring Ewing should pay quick dividends in recruiting big men. What HS big man wouldn't love the opportunity to be coached up by Ewing?
2. Style change likely, the return to thug ball. It's what Ewing knows was successful from his days there.
3. Will be interesting to see how he fares as a bench coach during games.

He'll be able to recruit big men? You mean like Danny Manning can or has?
 
Mark Few or any of dozens of others who actually have college head coaching resumes..

They had a long list of them, but no one they wanted showed any interest.

But the point was to consider the wide gulf between Roy Williams and Mark Few and Patrick Ewing. There's a huge gap there filled with guys with actual college head coaching accomplishments.

I don't understand your point here. Plenty of assistants have landed major coaching gigs. INCLUDING Mark Few and Roy Williams.
 
Just like Dean Smith at UNC did after he retired.

And hopefully very much unlike what JB does if he ever retires.

I'm starting to think JB only leaves by means of an ambulance/hearse.
I think JB already said he plans to coach women's volleyball and I don't think that was facetious. I think watching his younger daughter play and the success of the SU women's basketball team has him wanting to coach girls/women to see how they think.

I just think he probably knows more about golf than volleyball and should teach that!
 
I don't understand your point here. Plenty of assistants have landed major coaching gigs. INCLUDING Mark Few and Roy Williams.

Mark Few was like Boeheim. He was the head assistant coach at Gonzaga and got promoted.

Roy Williams was at Kansas for 15 years when UNC hired him.

Ewing has no college experience doing anything but playing.

He has no head coaching experience whatsoever.

He was never considered for any college head coaching position ever.

He was given the Georgetown job because everyone ahead of him on their shopping list turned them down and he was acceptable to John Thompson JR.

John Thompson III is way, way better qualified than Patrick Ewing. This is a huge downgrade.
 
Danny took Wake to the NCAA Tournament this year. He's doing a good job.

Don't change the subject that you brought up about being able to recruit Big Men.

Ewing at GU was given oral tests only and they were untimed.
 
Don't change the subject that you brought up about being able to recruit Big Men.

Ewing at GU was given oral tests only and they were untimed.

Madbiker was the one who said he would be effective at recruiting big men.

And what does your second sentence have to do with anything? Georgetown hired 55-year-old Ewing, not 18-year-old Ewing. Ewing did 1000x more for that University than any random rich kid who attended because his parents are donors.
 
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Mark Few was like Boeheim. He was the head assistant coach at Gonzaga and got promoted.

Roy Williams was at Kansas for 15 years when UNC hired him.

Ewing has no college experience doing anything but playing.

He has no head coaching experience whatsoever.

He was never considered for any college head coaching position ever.

He was given the Georgetown job because everyone ahead of him on their shopping list turned them down and he was acceptable to John Thompson JR.

John Thompson III is way, way better qualified than Patrick Ewing. This is a huge downgrade.

Roy was an assistant with no HC experience when Kansas hired him.

I mean if it's about not having collegiate coaching experience or appeasing JTJR I get that.
 
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Mark Few or any of dozens of others who actually have college head coaching resumes..

They had a long list of them, but no one they wanted showed any interest.


But the point was to consider the wide gulf between Roy Williams and Mark Few and Patrick Ewing. There's a huge gap there filled with guys with actual college head coaching accomplishments.

You seem pretty plugged in to the Georgetown scene and much more well versed than I am on this but I don't understand why this is a bad hire. You and many media members say that they had trouble finding interest from pretty much any of their initial list of candidates or targets so what did people expect them to do?

I mean if nobody really wanted it on face value I feel like they could do a lot worse than hiring someone with the below profile:

  • Arguably greatest player in program history
  • NBA Hall of Famer
  • Years of experience as an assistant coach at the highest level (IMO the x's and o's and actual basketball acumen by coaches in NBA runs circles around 90% of college coaches)
  • Mentored and learned under 2 great basketball minds in the Van Gundy's
  • Keeps JT2 happy
  • Energizes alumni who grew frustrated and disinterested in the program
  • Has a name that probably gives credibility with recruits, especially with AAU and high school coaches in the DMV

I just don't see who would've been a better fit or check as many/more boxes for them if so many of their initial targets turned them down as reported.
 
You seem pretty plugged in to the Georgetown scene and much more well versed than I am on this but I don't understand why this is a bad hire. You and many media members say that they had trouble finding interest from pretty much any of their initial list of candidates or targets so what did people expect them to do?

I mean if nobody really wanted it on face value I feel like they could do a lot worse than hiring someone with the below profile:

  • Arguably greatest player in program history
  • NBA Hall of Famer
  • Years of experience as an assistant coach at the highest level (IMO the x's and o's and actual basketball acumen by coaches in NBA runs circles around 90% of college coaches)
  • Mentored and learned under 2 great basketball minds in the Van Gundy's
  • Keeps JT2 happy
  • Energizes alumni who grew frustrated and disinterested in the program
  • Has a name that probably gives credibility with recruits, especially with AAU and high school coaches in the DMV

I just don't see who would've been a better fit or check as many/more boxes for them if so many of their initial targets turned them down as reported.

Much of what you say is true, but immaterial.

He was the greatest GU player. Interesting, but how that qualifies him to be a head coach isn't at all clear.
He was an NBA Hall of Famer. (See above comment)

He is acceptable to JT Jr. That's why he got the job. That, and everyone else on their list turned them down.

Most people --- including coaches --- in the DMV are not Georgetown fans. The DeMatha people and the Morgan Wooten coaching tree --- openly dislike Georgetown. When Patrick comes a'callin, they'll see Big John's shadow in the background.

If you read HoyaTalk, the GU fan board, you'll see as many of their fans are against this hire as are for it. Ewing's announcement doesn't seem to be "energizing" them too much.

This is just more of the same. The Georgetown history is as follows:

JT Jr
Craig Esherick, JT Jr's assistant and a place holder for JTIII appointed by JT Jr.
JT Jr's son - JT III
Patrick Ewing - an approved JT Jr candidate.

This is more like the succession plan for North Korea than it is a college basketball program.
 
What's so hard to understand.


Big John, of course, has a palatial office on campus, draws a salary and is in the building named after him with a statue of him in front of it.

The new coach comes in and does something Big John doesn't like.

Big John calls the University President and tells him he's unhappy. Or he leaks his feelings to the Washington Post, or he says so on his radio show.

He can undermine any new coach he decides to.


I agree that Ewing is probably a terrible hire. Probably only because there is always the chance that they get lucky and he is able to succeed. But, I agree that there isn't really anything in his background that would suggest that he is ready to run a major college basketball program.

God he isn't even a really an personable personality that can rally the fan base and excite recruits. His public persona has always been that of an intimidating gloomy personality.

Here is what is hard to understand;

Georgetown is a private university. JT did great things for a period there, but are there that many significant alums or members of their BOT that really have that much love for Thompson. I mean the program barely has a following most of the time. So what if he leaks his feelings to the Washington Post? Why should the President of the University really care, especially if his feelings center on the advancement of Big John. I mean they fired his son?

Will he continue to have a show if he spends more than 5 minutes talking about the state of Georgetown basketball....is there an audience for his vendetta?
 
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