Patrick Ewing Plans to Return as Georgetown Basketball Coach After 6-Win Season
Mar 4, 2022
NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 02: Georgetown Hoyas head coach Patrick Ewing during the first half of the college basketball game between the Seton Hall Pirates and the Georgetown Hoyas on March 2, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing said Friday his plan is to return to the team next season:
Any announcement about my future will come from me or Georgetown University. First and foremost, I am not a quitter. My plan is to be back next year coaching at my alma mater and bringing this program back to prominence.
It comes after Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed released a statement Wednesday supporting Ewing as the coach.
"Coach Ewing's dedication as well as his success in last year's Big East tournament is a testament to his leadership," Reed said in the statement. "This gives us confidence that he can strengthen our program going forward."
It should end any speculation about changes at head coach despite the Hoyas struggling to a 6-23 record in 2021-22. The team is 0-18 in Big East play heading into Saturday's season finale at Xavier.
Ewing is in his fifth season with the program, accumulating a 68-82 record in this span.
The lone bright spot during his tenure was last year's conference tournament, during which Georgetown won four games in four days to win the title after entering with a 9-12 record. The team suffered a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament against No. 5-seeded Colorado.
Despite the struggles, Ewing will seemingly get at least another year to turn things around.
The 59-year-old was one of the best players in school history, winning the Naismith award in 1984-85 while helping the team win the 1984 national championship. Georgetown went to the national title game three times in Ewing's four years with the program.
Patrick Ewing Receives Support as Georgetown HC After Disappointing Season
Mar 2, 2022
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Connecticut, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, in Washington. Connecticut won 86-77. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Georgetown men's basketball coach Patrick Ewing received support from the athletics department Wednesday amid questions about his job status:
"Coach Ewing's dedication as well as his success in last year's Big East Tournament is a testament to his leadership," athletic director Lee Reed said in the statement. "This gives us confidence that he can strengthen our program going forward."
The vote of confidence comes amid a miserable 6-22 season for the Hoyas, including an 0-17 mark in the Big East. Georgetown has two regular-season games remaining, but it hasn't won a game since beating Howard on Dec. 15.
Ewing is 68-81 overall in five years as Georgetown's head coach, with only one season better than .500. The Hoyas' lone NCAA tournament appearance under Ewing came last year after a shocking run to win the Big East tournament, securing the conference's automatic bid.
Georgetown was 9-12 last year before winning four games in four days in the conference tournament. The squad proceeded to lose to Colorado by 23 in the first round in the NCAA tournament.
Georgetown has two commits for the 2022 recruiting class, including 4-star guard Denver Anglin, but it will take a lot for the struggling program to turn things around.
Georgetown hired Ewing in 2017 even though he had no head coaching experience. He spent more than a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA.
The 59-year-old should get extra leeway as one of the best players in program history. The Basketball Hall of Famer led Georgetown to three Final Four appearances and one NCAA title, and he won the Naismith Award as the national player of the year in 1985.
The No. 1 pick of the 1985 NBA draft went on to earn 11 All-Star selections with the New York Knicks.
Despite his struggles as Georgetown's head coach, Ewing will seemingly get at least another year to prove himself.
Patrick Ewing 'Hoping' to Return as Georgetown HC After Finishing Last in Big East
Feb 28, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas talks to his players during time out in the second half of a college basketball game against the Connecticut Huskies at the Capital One Arena on February 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The Georgetown men's basketball team lost its 18th straight game Sunday, a school record. After the contest, head coach Patrick Ewing expressed a desire to return next season and right the ship.
"Of course, I want to be back here," he told reporters. "But in this position and this job, whatever happens will happen. I'm hoping that I'll be back and doing something that I love at a place that I love and getting us back to being the king of the hill."
Outside of Ewing's importance to the school as a legendary former player and NBA Hall of Famer, however, it's hard to formulate a strong argument for Georgetown bringing him back.
The Hoyas are just 6-22 this season with two games remaining and haven't won a single Big East game, a shocking outcome for a proud program that developed the likes of Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Sleepy Floyd, among others.
To put this season in perspective, the Hoyas have never finished in last place in the Big East since the league was formed in 1979. They've already clinched last place in the conference for the year.
Ewing is now 68-81 in his five seasons at the helm, with only one winning season to his name in 2018-19. Even the high of last season, when the Hoyas went on a miracle run through the Big East tournament by beating Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton to claim the conference championship, ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
"Last year was a much better season for us," Ewing said Sunday.
Georgetown has struggled to regain its former place among the elites in college basketball during the John Thompson days of the 70s, 80s and 90s, when the school reached the NCAA tournament 17 times, won a championship in the 1983-84 season, reached three Final Fours and seven Elite Eights.
Under the watch of Craig Esherick (1999-00 to 2003-04) and John Thompson III (2004-05 to 2016-17), the Hoyas had a respectable 15 winning seasons but qualified for the NCAA tournament just nine times, reached the Sweet 16 three times and the Final Four in 2006-07.
Replacing a legend like John Thompson is always a tall task. That another school legend in Ewing has struggled to return Georgetown to prominence has been a tough pill to swallow for Hoyas supporters.
Report: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown Agreed to New Contract After 2021 Tournament Run
Feb 20, 2022
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing gestures during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Washington. Providence won 71-52. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Making the NCAA tournament last season earned Georgetown men's basketball head coach Patrick Ewing a contract extension.
Per FanDuel's Jon Rothstein, Ewing signed his new deal at some point after the tournament.
Terms of the extension are unknown.
Ewing is currently in his fifth season as Hoyas head coach. He was hired by the program in April 2017 to replace John Thompson III. The 59-year-old has done a solid job of recruiting at the school.
Per 247Sports' composite rankings, the Hoyas had the 16th-ranked recruiting class for the 2021-22 season with five commits, including 5-star standout Aminu Mohammed.
Before returning to his alma mater, Ewing spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Washington Wizards (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2003-07), Orlando Magic (2007-12) and Charlotte Hornets (2013-17).
Ewing played for the Hoyas from 1981 to 1985. He won four consecutive Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards, was a three-time All-American, two-time Big East Player of the Year and was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1984.
Georgetown has a 68-79 record under Ewing. The program has had just one winning season (19-14 in 2018-19), but it made the NCAA tournament last season as an automatic qualifier after winning the Big East tournament.
It was the Hoyas' first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2014-15. They were a No. 12 seed and lost to Colorado 96-73 in the round of 64. They also made the NIT in 2019 but lost to Harvard in the first round.
Georgetown is in last place in the Big East this season with a 6-20 overall record (0-15 in conference play).
Georgetown Names Home Court After Late Coach John Thompson Jr.
Dec 11, 2021
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: College basketball commentator John Thompson Jr. on the air the semifinals of the 2018 Big East Mens Basketball between the Villanova Wildcats and the Butler Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. The Wildcats won 87-68. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** John Thompson Jr.
Prior to Saturday's men's basketball game between the Georgetown Hoyas and Syracuse Orange at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., Georgetown honored late former head coach John Thompson Jr.
In memory of Thompson, Georgetown changed the name of the court at Capital One Arena to John Thompson Jr. Court:
Thompson, who died last year at the age of 78, was Georgetown's head coach for 27 seasons from 1972-99.
Thompson is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Under Thompson's leadership, the Hoyas went 596-239 and reached the NCAA tournament 20 times.
Georgetown made it to the national championship game three times in a four-year stretch from 1982-85, winning the national title in 1984.
Fittingly, the star player from that team, New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, was on hand for Saturday's game, as he has been Georgetown's head coach since the 2017-18 season.
Georgetown beat Syracuse 79-75 on Saturday, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit, to improve to 5-4 on the season.
Video: Patrick Ewing Drops Drake Line After Georgetown Wins Big East Tournament
Mar 14, 2021
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing walking on the sideline against Creighton during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John Peterson)
Georgetown missed the NCAA men's tournament in each of head coach Patrick Ewing's first three seasons and went 9-12 during the 2020-21 campaign.
And then it ripped off four straight wins as the No. 8 seed in the Big East tournament to clinch a spot in the Big Dance.
Talk about "started from the bottom, now we're here."
New footage from Georgetownโs postgame locker room celebration, with Patrick Ewing singing โStarted From the Bottomโ (H/T irvscotti3 on IG) pic.twitter.com/ZVwqQ1Nyzt
Ewing entered the postgame locker room following Saturday's blowout 73-48 championship game win over Creighton and dropped Drake's famous lyric before his team erupted in celebration.
It was a stunning showing from the Hoyas, who also cruised past Marquette, knocked out top-seeded Villanova and defeated Seton Hall in the Big East tournament before the head-turning championship performance.
Georgetown's reward is a No. 12 seed in the NCAA men's tournament and a first-round matchup with fifth-seeded Colorado.
Pat Riley: If I Was a HS Player 'I Guarantee I'd Want to Play for Patrick Ewing'
Mar 14, 2021
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing cuts down the net after an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
In the aftermath of Georgetown's surprise victory in the Big East men's basketball tournament, Patrick Ewing received high praise from one of his former NBA head coaches.ย ย
Per ESPN's Ian O'Connor, Miami Heat president Pat Riley explained why he would have loved to play for a coach like Ewing.ย
"If I was a high school player and I was really good, I'd want to go with somebody who was not going to kiss my ass, who coached the hell out of me and made me better. I guarantee I'd want to play for Patrick Ewing," said Riley.ย
Riley coached Ewing with the New York Knicks for four seasons from 1991-95. They made the playoffs every year, including an appearance in the 1994 NBA Finals.ย
Ewing, who graduated from Georgetown in 1985, returned to his alma mater to replace John Thompson III as head coach in April 2017. The Hoyas missed the NCAA tournament in each of his first two seasons and last year's event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.ย
Expectations were low for the Hoyas in the 2021 Big East tournament. They were the No. 8 seed when it began with a 9-12 overall record (7-9 in conference play) during the regular season.ย
Georgetown won four games in four days, including a 73-48 blowout of No. 2 seed Creighton in Saturday's title game, to earn the program's first NCAA tournament berth since the 2014-15 season.ย
Patrick Ewing References Drake After Georgetown Wins Big East Championship
Mar 13, 2021
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing gestures towards fans while standing next to the tournament trophy after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Georgetown men's basketball team head coach Patrick Ewing dropped a reference to Drake's single "Started from the Bottom" to explain the Hoyas' rise to the top of the Big East after the team won the conference championship's title game 73-48 over Creighton on Saturday.ย
"I keep talking about that Drake song... we started from the bottom now we No. 1 in the Big East."
Patrick Ewing reflects on what this Big East title means to Georgetown ๐
The Hoyas were 1-5 in Big East play after Jan. 9, and then they had to sit for three weeks due to COVID-19 related issues within the men's hoops program.
However, they bounced back to win six of their final 10 conference games to finish 7-9, good enough for the No. 8 seed in the 11-team Big East tournament.
Georgetown then rolled off four straight wins to earn its first conference title since 2007. That quartet of victories included a 72-71 upset win over No. 1 Villanova in the quarterfinals.
The Hoyas will now earn their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015 and its first under Ewing, who has coached the team for four seasons.
Ewing starred at Georgetown as a player before enjoying a 16-year NBA career, primarily with the New York Knicks. He is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Patrick Ewing, Georgetown Upset No. 17 Creighton to Win Big East Championship
Mar 13, 2021
Georgetown's Chudier Bile (4) dunks the ball in front of Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner (32) and Antwann Jones (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament Saturday, March 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Georgetown Hoyas captured the Big East tournament for the first time since 2007 on Saturday, defeating No. 2-seeded Creightonย 73-48ย and securing and automatic bid into the NCAA tournament in Indiana next week.ย
It's a conference-record eighth Big East tournament title for the Hoyas. Georgetown entered the week as the No. 8 seed and won four games in four days, taking down No. 1 seed Villanova and No. 5 Seton Hall en route to a victory over the Bluejays on Saturday.ย
The win gives head coach Patrick Ewing a reason to be happier leaving Madison Square Garden this week than he was when he arrived earlier this week.ย
Georgetown (13-12) was considered likely to miss the NCAA tournament when the weekend began. Now there's no doubt the Hoyas will be dancing after a five-year hiatusโand raising another Big East banner when they return home.
Georgetown's run through the Big East tournament was thrilling from the start and borderline jaw-dropping by the end.ย
The Hoyas not only knocked off the top two seeds in the conference after going a combined 1-3 against Villanova and Creighton during the regular season, they earned just their third win over a team ranked in the top 25 this season.ย
None of that looked remotely possible at the start of the week. In fact, it looked like that bubble was getting ready to burst early on in Saturday's title game. The Hoyas didn't knock down a field goal until more than four minutes into the first half and continued to shoot from the outside despite missing four of five attempts from behind the arc to start the game.ย
The shot selections weren't bad, exactly. Georgetown just couldn't get them to drop. But the Hoyas didn't panic. They stuck to their game plan and trusted the buckets would eventually come.
Georgetown ended the first half on an epic 23-2 run over nine minutes to enter halftime up 36-18. The Hoyas out-rebounded the Bluejays 28-19 in the first frame, including 10 offensive rebounds leading to a 12-0 edge in second-chance points.ย
Ewing's team simply outworked Creighton from the beginning to endโanother 8-0 run at the start of the second half restoring whatever momentum had faded during halftime.ย
Now headed to the NCAA tournament, Georgetown may still be an underdog, but it certainly has college basketball's attention.
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Creighton Comes Up Empty Again
Make it 0-3 for the Bluejays in the Big East tournament title game.
After falling to Providence in 2014 and Villanova in 2017, Creighton again couldn't finish off a championship run on the tournament's final day.ย
In all likelihood, the Bluejays (20-8) will be back playing for another Big East banner, but those are concerns for next year. This year's team, which entered Saturday ranked No. 17, still has plenty of expectations to live up to.
Head coach Greg McDermott has yet to lead his team to the Sweet 16 and beyond. His current rosterโa talented mix of experienced upperclassmen led by Ballock and Zegarowskiโhas as much potential to break through that barrier as any Creighton team in recent memory.ย
Saturday's loss wasn't good by any means, but it's over. So too is the Big East season. Now heading to Indiana and a new stage on which to show off, the Bluejays will look to put their experience to good use by brushing past a bad loss and getting ready to start a new winning streak.ย
The Big East tournament was ultimately a win for the conference. Seton Hall, Xavier and UConn all kept themselves in contention for the NCAA tournament while Creighton and Georgetown assured themselves a spot in the bracket.ย
The conference's success came at a cost to Creighton. It's now on the school to show it can brush it off and continue proving the Big East remains as competitive as any league in Division I.
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What's Next
Both the Hoyas and Bluejays await their NCAA tournament fate with the bracket reveal set for 6 p.m. ET on CBS and the Bleacher Report app Sunday.
