Expressions of glee may have been expressed when Patrick Ewing was announced as the new head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team back in April.
The big question is whether Patrick Ewing is the answer for Georgetown basketball. For long many have watched as the Thompson’s took over the reigns for years beginning with the father (John Thompson Jr.) and most recently the son (John Thompson III). The legacy soon dwindled as the Georgetown Hoyas decided to move on and hire former Hoyas basketball player Patrick Ewing.
A familiar face in Ewing could attract the much needed attention for Georgetown. Ewing played for the Hoyas from 1981-85, helping them make the championship game of the NCAA Tournament three out of four years. He led the team in 1984 to the only championship in school history.
Could he bring that fiery athleticism as a player to his now current role as head coach? Looking at the record and standings, it won’t be this season. As of now the Hoyas are 15-10 overall, 5-9 in conference play. With four games remaining, a miracle is needed for them to make a bid in the NCAA tournament. It’s only his first season, so hope in the future is eminent.
Scheduling
Looking at the schedule from the beginning in their first 12 games, the only tough opponent was Syracuse. That was the first loss for them after starting 8-0 over low-caliber teams. Before their big test against Syracuse, the team’s previous combined record was 22-63. Georgetown ended up losing to the Orangemen 86-79 in overtime. Of the 10 losses for Georgetown, seven of them were decided by nine points or less losing, three times in overtime bouts.
For years the strategy behind scheduling was to gain wins in order to build confidence come time for conference play. It’s still occurring now, but with little results. With only five wins in the Big East, it’s safe to say a new strategy needs to be in place. It’s time for Ewing to take control and build his own sports empire at Georgetown University. Ewing earlier in the season expressed his concern to the critics for having such an easy schedule early on.
“It’s my belief that, why go out there and get my a — kicked to show my recruits that we need their help when I can stay home and watch other people get their butts kicked. Do my recruiting, keep on telling the people we need that we need them, recruit them and do my job to help my team, build them up and show them what my visions are of them and win as many games as we can.”
Continuing to live under the shadows of the Thompson’s will do much more harm than good. Having a win streak against teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but failing to declare dominance in your own conference won’t exactly draw attention to big time recruits. Recruiting is one of the big essentials to coaching. Just take a look at Duke, UNC, Kansas and even Kentucky.
Patrick Ewing is the answer Georgetown needs, but in order for them to make the NCAA tournament and actually compete back at a high level, more needs to be done coaching wise. The Hoyas need to remove themselves from under the shadows of the Thompsons and develop something brand new.
