Big East Basketball

The Big East released its preseason coaches poll for men's basketball Wednesday ahead of the conference's planned start to the 2020-21 season in December.

Villanova tops the poll with nine of the 11 first-place votes, while Creighton is second with the other two first-place votes:

The Big East released a partial schedule Wednesday comprised of 23 conference games to be played in December. Big East play will open Dec. 11 with Villanova vs. Georgetown, DePaul vs. Seton Hall and St. John's vs. UConn, with the latter rejoining the Big East after seven years in the American Athletic Conference.

The conference noted in the announcement that it plans to announce the times and television information for the games, as well as the remainder of the schedule, at a later date.

Last season, Villanova and Creighton both finished with a 13-5 conference record and 24-7 overall record, and they shared the Big East regular-season championship with Seton Hall, who went 13-5 in conference and 21-9 overall.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Big East tournament was canceled, as was the NCAA tournament. The 2019-20 college basketball season was cut short, and no Big East or national champion was crowned.

Villanova has won six of the past seven Big East regular-season titles, and the Wildcats won the conference tournament in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well.

Meanwhile, Creighton won its first regular-season Big East title last season after moving from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big East for the 2013-14 season.

Villanova has been one of the premier men's basketball programs of the past several years, winning national titles in both 2016 and 2018. While the exact format and outlook of the 2020-21 season remains unclear because of the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Jay Wright's team could be in the mix again this season.

While the Wildcats are not returning leading scorer Saddiq Bey, the quartet of Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Jermaine Samuels and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl all averaged double digits in scoring last season and are all set to return in 2020-21.

Leading scorer Ty-Shon Alexander will not be back for the Jays, but No. 2 scorer Marcus Zegarowski will return to lead Creighton after averaging 16.1 points and 5.0 assists per game last season.

Villanova and Creighton figure to be in for a battle from start to finish in 2020-21, while other talented teams such as Providence, UConn and Seton Hall could figure into the conference title race as well.  

Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and other Georgetown alumni served as the pallbearers at the funeral for legendary Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr. on Wednesday, per NBC Sports. 

In Thompson's 27 years as Georgetown's head coach, he won 596 games, reached the NCAA tournament 20 times, won a national championship in the 1983-84 season, reached three Final Fours and coached a number of future NBA Hall of Famers, including Iverson, Ewing, Mutombo and Mourning.

In total, 26 of his former players reached the NBA. 

In guiding the Hoyas to the national title in 1984, Thompson became the first Black head coach to win an NCAA men's basketball championship.

The Hall of Famer died in late August at the age of 78.

"We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of our father, John Thompson, Jr," his family said at the time in a statement. "Our father was an inspiration to many and devoted his life to developing young people not simply on, but most importantly, off the basketball court. He is revered as a historic shepherd of the sport, dedicated to the welfare of his community above all else."

Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing said on Friday that he'll try to make sure the legacy of John Thompson, the Hoyas' former coach who died Sunday at the age of 78, lives on within the program.

The 11-time NBA All-Star, who played under Thompson, returned to his alma mater to take over the coaching staff in April 2017.

"His legacy will always live on," Ewing told reporters. "Through me, through Alonzo (Mourning), through Dikembe (Mutombo), through all of the people he's coached. He has done a great job of teaching us not only to be great athletes but also great human beings. Now it's my role, my responsibility to keep doing those things to the kids I'm teaching."

The 58-year-old explained he recently visited Thompson when he returned home from a hospital stay, but he didn't know it'd be the last time they would meet.

"I was able to go over there the Friday before he passed," Ewing said. "We sat and talked and just laughed. I didn't know it was going to be goodbye because I was planning to go back. Then I got the text late on Sunday that he had passed."

The Jamaica native added: "His teachings continue to guide me. I will definitely miss the opportunity to pick up a phone and call him with whatever questions I might have. Not only just coaching but also my life."

Ewing added the Hoyas will explore trying to add Thompson's name on its basketball court at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and they will probably wear a patch on their jerseys during the 2020-21 season in remembrance of the Hall of Fame coach.

Thompson, who played professionally with the Boston Celtics and won two NBA titles, took over the Georgetown program in 1972. He transformed the Hoyas into a national powerhouse.

The program reached new heights during Ewing's college career from 1981 through 1985, reaching the national championship game three times in four years and winning the 1984 title.

Thompson, who stepped down in 1999, was there three years ago when Ewing returned to campus to take over as head coach.

"Great job," Thompson told Ewing during an embrace. "Great job."

The program is in different hands, but Georgetown basketball has long maintained Thompson's imprint, and Ewing will work to make sure that doesn't change.

Legendary Georgetown men's basketball coach John Thompson died Monday, according to ESPN's Myron Medcalf.  

He was 78.

No cause of death was made public. Thompson retired from Nike's Board of Directors in May, a position he had held since 1991.

A center drafted in the third round by the Boston Celtics in 1964, Thompson won two NBA championships during a brief two-year professional career before moving into coaching. He dominated at St. Anthony High School in Washington, D.C., from 1966-1972 before being hired at Georgetown at just 31 years old—a move that would stabilize the next three decades of Hoyas basketball.

A mediocre program with little history of postseason success before Thompson's arrival, Georgetown became a juggernaut after joining the Big East in 1979. With Thompson recruiting and developing an assembly line of dominant big men that included Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo, the Hoyas became a consistent fixture, making deep runs to the NCAA tournament.

In 1984, Ewing and Thompson led Georgetown to the program's first and only national championship. Thompson became the first Black head coach to win a national title. Georgetown also reached the championship game two other times in Thompson's tenure, in 1982 and 1985.

While Thompson's success was more limited on the floor in the 1990s, he was also instrumental in turning around the life of Allen Iverson after bringing him to Georgetown in 1994. Iverson had lost nearly every scholarship offer after he was given a 15-year prison sentence after an incident at a bowling alley. He served four months in prison before being granted clemency; his conviction was later overturned. 

"I want to thank Coach Thompson ... for saving my life," Iverson said during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. "For giving me the opportunity. I was recruited by every school in the country for football and basketball. And an incident happened in high school, and all that was taken away. No other teams, no other schools were recruiting me anymore. My mom went to Georgetown and begged him to give me a chance. And he did."

Michael Jordan, who made the game-winning shot for North Carolina against Thompson's Georgetown team in the 1982 national championship game, released a statement on Thompson's death, via Marc Stein of the New York Times:

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski also released a statement, saying he will miss Thompson "dearly."

An imposing 6'10" man, Thompson was known for his fiery temper, no-nonsense attitude and loyalty to his players. While it wouldn't be a surprise to see Thompson angrily chastising his players on the court, he was just as protective of them off it.

When some Georgetown players, including Mourning, befriended dangerous drug kingpin Rayful Edmond in the 1980s, Thompson brought Edmond into his office and demanded he stay away from his players. Edmond is believed to have never had contact with Georgetown players again after that meeting.

Thompson resigned from coaching midway through the 1998-99 season, concluding his career with a 596–239 record. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, just nine months after his retirement from coaching.

The Big East announced Wednesday that it was joining the Big Ten and Pac-12 in canceling its fall sports season, with the possibility of playing those sports in the spring.

Affected sports will include men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, volleyball and field hockey. Spring sports which have some fall competitions, including baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's tennis, were also canceled.

Fall athletes will be allowed to practice and attend team meetings, however. 

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman made the following statement:

"This very difficult decision came after an exhaustive review by our presidents and athletics directors and followed consideration of NCAA guidance, COVID-19 case counts and trend lines nationally and in Big East communities, and the many unknowns surrounding testing availability, turnaround time and travel restrictions in our 11 locales. We take pride in the high-level competition and experiences we provide to our fall sports student-athletes, and we share their deep disappointment that this will not be a normal year. Our plans for men's and women's basketball and other sports are unaffected at this time."

Big East schools include Butler, Connecticut, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier. 

All eyes will now turn to how the basketball season. The Big East remains one of the premier conferences in college basketball, and with uncertainty about the status of the COVID-19 pandemic come the fall and winter, the beginning of the college basketball season could also be in jeopardy. 

Both the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments were canceled last year. A shortened or canceled season to follow would be a major blow to those programs, players and fans. But for the time being, those seasons are set to proceed as scheduled. 

Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing says he is doing "much better" after being diagnosed with COVID-19 but cautioned people to take the virus "seriously."

"I'm doing better. ... Just still taking it a day at a time," Ewing told John Fanta of the Big East Conference on Thursday (h/t Adam Zagoria of Forbes). "For those folks who are not taking this coronavirus seriously, please do."

Ewing was hospitalized because of complications from COVID-19 last month.

He told Fanta:

"I don't really even know how I caught it, but I did. And I'm doing much better today than I was. ... Everyone's experience is different. My older daughters had it, who lived in New York. They lost their taste, sense of smell. Mine, I had the chills, I had high temperature, shortness of breath. Of course, you feel crappy, you don't feel yourself. But I'm just happy that I'm better, and I say thank you to all the people at Georgetown University Hospital [who] took care of me."

Ewing is heading into his fourth season as Georgetown coach. The Hoyas are 49-46 under the Hall of Fame center, who won the 1984 national title at the school. Ewing said he advocates continued social distancing. 

"Just be safe," he said. "Don't take it for granted. Just continue to practice social distancing. Wear your mask, wash your hands, do all the things that everyone is telling you to do. Even with doing all that, you still might get it."

The 2019-20 men's and women's college basketball seasons were canceled March 12 prior to most conference tournaments, as well as both NCAA tournaments, because of public health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Villanova men's head coach Jay Wright wouldn't be surprised if those concerns impact the 2020-21 campaign.

"I can't see, right now, having fans [this upcoming season]," Wright told reporters Tuesday. "College basketball is up in the air."

The 58-year-old continued:

Wright's Wildcats were 24-7 and tied with Creighton and Seton Hall atop the Big East when the season was canceled.

Duke men's head coach Mike Krzyzewski commented on the fate of next season in early May on the 94WIP morning show.

"I think college will try to learn from what the professional sports do," Coach K said. "You gotta just be really careful, but again you have to bring things back too. We're gonna watch what the NBA does especially, and I'm sure college football is going to watch what the NFL does."

The NBA approved a 22-team return-to-play plan last week. The league will host the remainder of the season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida, beginning July 31.

The NCAA Division I Council announced May 20 that basketball student-athletes would be allowed to participate in on-campus voluntary workouts starting June 1 as long as the programs weren't violating any state or federal laws.

Mac McClung's future remains up in the air. 

On Tuesday, Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing told Fox Sports' Andy Katz that McClung will withdraw from the 2020 NBA draft and return to the nation's capital for one more season:

"Mac McClung and Jamorko Pickett decided to test the waters and they told me that both of them will be coming back," Ewing said (h/t Garrett Stepien of 247Sports). "... Mac and Jamorko, they're also a significant part of our team, and we're definitely happy that they're coming back and we're looking for a better year."

However, agent Daniel Hazan—who has been advising McClung—reiterated the 20-year-old hasn't made a firm decision just yet. 

"Though Patrick Ewing made comments that Mac would return next season, Mac has not given anyone at the school such indications," Hazan said, according to The Athletic's Ben Standig. 

The Hoyas struggled to a 15-17 record this past season while a foot injury held McClung to just 21 games.

He showcased his talent when on the court, however, averaging 15.7 points with 1.4 steals per game. The athletic player also improved his outside shooting, making 32.3 percent of three-point shots as a sophomore after making 27.7 percent as a freshman.

With seven 20-point games during the year, including a 33-point effort in a win over Oklahoma State, it's clear he is a dangerous scorer when at his best.

McClung still understood there was value in declaring for the draft even if he did end up returning to school.

"I am looking forward to getting feedback from NBA teams, as well as give NBA teams an opportunity to get to know me on a more personal level," he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN in March.

Spending at least another year at the college level could help McClung round out his game while becoming a better prospect for the 2021 draft, if he ultimately decides to return to the Big East. 

The debate between which Villanova team was better between the 2016 and 2018 championship squads will finally be decided.

Well, kind of.

As Myron Medcalf of ESPN reported, the two teams will face each other in a customized version of NBA2K on Monday as part of the World Showdown of Esports. It will air on Twitch and YouTube and raise money for the Philadelphia-based charity Philabundance to feed children in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2015-16 team went 35-5 and destroyed Oklahoma by 44 points in the Final Four before defeating North Carolina by three in one of the most memorable national title games in recent history behind a Kris Jenkins buzzer-beater.

That team featured Jenkins, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Ryan Arcidiacono, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo, although DiVincenzo, Brunson and Bridges were all freshmen.

"We've had some spirited arguments about which team would win if we went head-to-head," Kevin Rafferty, who was also on that 2015-16 team and organized this event, said. "Now we'll have an answer and help support a great cause in the process."

The 2017-18 team went 36-4 and won every single tournament game by double digits, including its 17-point domination of Michigan in the national title game. DiVincenzo, Brunson and Bridges were the leaders on a squad that also featured Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall and Phil Booth.

Medcalf noted players who were on both teams will choose which side they represent.

As for the player rankings, those on the 2018 champions assigned them to those on the 2016 champions and vice versa.

Omer Yurtseven's collegiate career is over.

On Monday, Evan Daniels of 247Sports reported the Georgetown big man declared for the 2020 NBA draft and signed with an agent. Yurtseven started at NC State but transferred to the Hoyas following the 2017-18 season.

After sitting out a year, he averaged 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 2019-20 for Georgetown.

Yurtseven seemed destined for the NBA when 247Sports ranked him as a 4-star in the class of 2016, and he was a key contributor for the Wolfpack in his sophomore season with 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a night.

"I needed a big man coach and I don't think anybody is better than Patrick Ewing when it comes to the experience he has as a player," he said when explaining his decision to leave NC State for Georgetown, per Jeff Goodman, then of ESPN.

He will now look to follow in his Hall of Fame coach's footsteps as a key player in the NBA.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not project Yurtseven as a first-round pick in a March mock draft, but the big man will be 22 years old in June and likely did not want to delay his professional career any longer.

The 7'0" center has the size to battle for rebounds at the next level and proved he can protect the rim on the defensive side during his time at NC State and Georgetown.

He may ultimately be a second-round pick but has high upside as a low-post scorer and rebounder who can contribute as part of a front-line rotation as soon as his rookie season.