Georgetown University has been making waves in the college basketball world as it fires head coach Patrick Ewing after six seasons. The decision came on Monday, following the team’s 73-48 loss to Marquette in the Big East tournament quarterfinals. Ewing, a former Georgetown star player who won a national championship with the team in 1984, was reportedly informed of his dismissal in a meeting with Athletic Director Lee Reed.
Georgetown’s decision to part ways with Ewing comes after a disappointing season for the team, in which they finished with a record of 10-12 overall and 7-9 in the conference. The Hoyas have struggled to find success under Ewing in recent years, failing to make the NCAA tournament in each of his six seasons at the helm.
Many fans and analysts have attributed Georgetown’s struggles to the program’s inability to move on from the legacy of former head coach John Thompson Jr. Thompson, who coached at Georgetown for 27 seasons and led the team to three Final Four appearances and a national championship in 1984, passed away in August 2020.
In an opinion piece for The Washington Post titled “Georgetown basketball needs to leave the John Thompson era in the past,” columnist Sally Jenkins argued that Ewing was “handcuffed by the legacy” of Thompson and that the program needs to chart a new course moving forward.
Georgetown has not yet announced who will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the rest of the season. Assistant coach Louis Orr is reportedly a leading candidate for the position.
In other college basketball coaching news, American University has also decided to part ways with its head coach, Mike Brennan. Brennan, who has been the Eagles’ head coach since 2013, was let go after the team finished the season with an 8-9 overall record and a 4-6 record in the conference.
On the other hand, some coaching positions remain secure, such as Stanford’s Jerod Haase, who will continue as head coach. Overall, the 2023 college basketball season is shaping up to be an interesting one with these shifts in coaching positions.
