JTIII at Georgetown

[Townie72]

While i think you've accurately diagnosed some of the issues with moving on from Thompson, I think this post is much too definitive. I think there's a small but real chance he is gone after this year, and a better than even chance he doesn't last past next season if it is a repeat of this one.

The crowd calling for his ouster is too small and lacks power.

Less than a 2% chance they fire him this year and less than 10% they fire him next year. Better than even chance he's there five years from now. After all, you have to give him a chance to get the full benefit of the new Thompson Center.

One question.

Who do you think the famous basketball alumni owe their allegiance to? The Thompsons or Georgetown University?

 

[Waltdods]

The crowd calling for his ouster is too small and lacks power.

Less than a 2% chance they fire him this year and less than 10% they fire him next year. Better than even chance he's there five years from now. After all, you have to give him a chance to get the full benefit of the new Thompson Center.

One question.

Who do you think the famous basketball alumni owe their allegiance to? The Thompsons or Georgetown University?

I think your first point was clearly true before this year. I'm really not sure it's true any more.

I'm not sure there's an answer to your alumni question. I think the administration rightfully wants to avoid forcing anyone to choose between Thompsons and the school. I am not sure there's a ton of allegiance to either from the more recent NBA stars, save Hibbert (who probably isn't a star now). And ultimately, I'm not sure Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Morning will make the decision.

All of this is not to say this is anything other than a perhaps impossible situation for the administration. But the school, particularly if the pattern continues next year (and it probably will given what the roster looks like), will be facing an empty Verizon Center, a rapidly deteriorating asset (as you've rightly pointed out, Georgetown's basketball success has been a very valuable sales tool), and a not insignificant number of very angry donors. I think a face-saving resignation or "promotion" for JTIII under those circumstances is, at a minimum, plausible.

 

[Ish88888]

Its basically a dictatorship at Gtown. The Thompsons are making the calls above the AD and Prez. Its rediculous, JT3 wouldn't have lasted 3 or 4 years in a properly run athletic program.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Its basically a dictatorship at Gtown. The Thompsons are making the calls above the AD and Prez. Its rediculous, JT3 wouldn't have lasted 3 or 4 years in a properly run athletic program.

It would have been very awkward to fire JT3 after his third season at Georgetown.

 

[Ish88888]

It would have been very awkward to fire JT3 after his third season at Georgetown.

Yea, bc his daddy has him locked in. Does JT2 even have an official position with the school? The whole situation is BS. Gtown is the definition of mediocre the past 15 years, in a prime recruiting geography.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Yea, bc his daddy has him locked in. Does JT2 even have an official position with the school? The whole situation is BS. Gtown is the definition of mediocre the past 15 years, in a prime recruiting geography.

Also because they went to the Final Four year three.

 

[Bayside44]

Wrong. JTIII cannot be removed without JTIi's acquiescence.

The school has the new JT II athletic center underway. He's an icon there.

Was talking about this last night at the Wizards game with a couple of Hoyas. Pretty much this - the old man still raises money and has his name on buildings there. It will be very tough to pop JTIII.

 

[Townie72]

Was talking about this last night at the Wizards game with a couple of Hoyas. Pretty much this - the old man still raises money and has his name on buildings there. It will be very tough to pop JTIII.

I have been listening to native locals tell me about JT Jr for 30+ years. They know him from the days when he played for Carroll and coached at St Anthony's. They know him as a ruthless, highly competitive guy with a mean streak. And he is certainly not above playing the Race card. But he also knows the pressure points of Catholic school priests and administrators.

He once cried crocodile tears when Villanova students wore prison orange shirts to an Iverson game. "How could a Catholic school allow that?" He complained.

One might ask, "How could a Catholic college recruit this felon?"

The GU people including Joe DeGoia, revere him and no one takes him on ever. I have many times heard talk show people cut off callers who had anything negative to say about either Big John or Hoya basketball.

Given what happened with Ronny Thompson, I don't see Big John caving on this.

There's strong market for successful college coaches. But not much of one for failed coaches.

I want to continue this, but I have to get on a plane.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[billsin01]

Politics are huge at private universities in particular but at every university. I have several friends and relatives either on the development side or in academia and almost every decision made is extremely political.

That said, and I'm sure some have made this point, it's probably worth G'town sticking with JTIII at least for a few years to see if the new athletic facilities can help out. I mean, as weird as his roster management has seemed at times and as poorly as things ahve gone the past two years, they were really a pretty solid program under JTIII for a good stretch of seasons.

Bad year in '08-'09, but otherwise, '04-'05 through '12-'13 they were .500 or better in the best conference in the country and won at least 23 games six times in 9 seasons. They also had a final four and a sweet sixteen, so a bit disappointing but 7 NCAA appearances in 9 seasons with one of the two misses in his first season on the job.

I'm no fan of JTII or georgetown, but given the sensitive nature of things in that particular situation, it really wouldn't make much sense to fire him in the next couple of seasons unless the wheels just continue to fall off in even worse fashion. Maybe two more miserable seasons makes it a logical move but for now I can't see them moving on from JTIII and I don't blame them, really.

 

[Jake]

Delicious irony that fear and intimidation by John Jr are leading to Gtown's downfall.

 

[shandeezy7]

If JTII had even 25% of the pull that you've claimed throughout the thread, he wouldn't have had to have his son build his resume. Seems more of a conspiracy theory more than anything.

He has an office in the athletic department at Georgetown. The guy still calls the shots with regard to the basketball program.