The two-year nightmare may finally be over at Georgetown. A dejected Patrick Ewing walked off the court of Madison Square Garden for possibly the final time as the Hoyas’ head coach.
From 1984-1985, the Hoyas were on top of men’s college basketball following back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament finals, winning the championship in 1984.
Georgetown won a Big East record 69 games during that two-year span. Ewing catalyzed the Hoyas’ success during the 1980s as a player before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft.
Georgetown ended the regular season with the program’s worst Big East defeat, losing to Creighton 99-59. On Wednesday, Georgetown had its worst Big East Tournament defeat, losing 80-48 to Villanova. A year after going 6-25 and losing all 20 of its conference games, Georgetown closed this season 7-25, with a 2-19 record in the Big East.
Georgetown became the first major conference team to lose 50 games during a two-year span. Ewing’s dismissal seems inevitable. Following the 32-point loss to Villanova, Ewing didn’t want to speculate on his future in the program he helped build.
“No thoughts about my future,” Ewing said, per Hilltop Hoops. “It’s been rough. Disappointed in the outcomes of these past two years. My future’s in the hands of our president, the AD, and our Board of Directors.”
Georgetown’s athletic director Lee Reed declined to comment on Ewing’s status.
“My thoughts are with those kids right now,” Lee said, per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press. “It’s been a long year.”
In six seasons, Ewing has compiled a 75-109 record overall. Ewing led his alma mater to one NCAA Tournament appearance following an improbable run to win the 2021 Big East Tournament.
Patrick Ewing stood on the sideline in a Georgetown hoodie with a patch of his former college head coach John Thompson Jr. For four seasons as a player, Ewing and Thompson embodied the Georgetown program. When the program fired Thompson’s son John Thompson III, it turned to its past, keeping a rich tradition.
But Ewing failed to reach the level of success that either Thompson had. Now, his tenure as coach has hit an impasse. In reality, the Ewing era may be ending in the coming days.
“I am proud of being a Georgetown Hoya,” Ewing said. “This institution has been great to me over the years. I’d be honored to come back as the coach here.”
Georgetown retooled its program ahead of this season, adding Brandon Murray, Primo Spears, Akok, and Qudus Wahab through the transfer portal. Ewing also hired renowned assistant Kevin Nickelberry. Yet, their losses did not halt. Georgetown’s Big East losing streak carried over from last season to a conference record of 29 games.
While they ultimately beat DePaul and Butler, two losses by a combined 72 points to close out the season may have closed the chapter on the Ewing era.
