Patrick Ewing may finally get his shot at being a head coach…with Georgetown.
From The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Georgetown officials plan to consider the head-coaching candidacy of the university’s most legendary basketball alumnus, Patrick Ewing, sources told The Vertical.
Ewing, the associate head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, has been an NBA assistant coach for 15 seasons and has increasingly become a viable NBA head-coaching candidate.
The firing of John Thompson III creates a complicated scenario for Ewing. His son, Patrick Ewing Jr., was a member of the Hoyas’ coaching staff, and Ewing has been a fiercely loyal supporter of Thompson and his father, John Thompson. Ewing was emotional over Thompson’s dismissal on Thursday, sources who spoke to him told The Vertical, and appeared to be immediately undecided about his desire to become involved in the Georgetown search process as a candidate.
Ewing’s loyalty to Thompson III is an interesting wrinkle in all this. He’s been chasing a head-coaching gig for a while now, having been linked to various NBA teams in the past few years (though never the New York Knicks). But if he was truly unhappy with Thompson’s dismissal, there’s no guarantee he’ll even show interest.
Yes, it’s his alma mater, but allegiance runs deep in basketball circles. Jeff Van Gundy, famously, doesn’t like to discuss or interview for positions that already have an occupant, even if they’re temporary.
This situation is different. Thompson is gone, and Ewing, while a school legend, isn’t an underserving candidate. He’s helped build up some pretty good defenses over the years, as an assistant and associate head coach, and he’s worked with a bunch of bigs. He’s put in the work. It’s always felt like only a matter of time before he landed a prime spot somewhere. College hasn’t really been on the peripherals, because he’s spent so much time in the NBA, but maybe that’s where he starts out after all.
