WASHINGTON — When he was hired to be the head coach of Georgetown basketball, Patrick Ewing said he wanted to bring “Hoya Paranoia” back: That confident swagger that John Thompson instilled in the program he built from the ground up.
Well, it’s back, and it was on full display this weekend in the Garden, where Georgetown ran through their opponents, winning the Big East tournament and bringing the title back home to D.C., where it used to live, in Georgetown’s glory days.
When Ewing was a player at Georgetown, he led the Hoyas to the top of college basketball, carrying the team to three titles, three Final Fours, and a national championship. It was all done under Coach John Thompson, who molded him into a Hall of Fame player. He also molded him into a coach — and a very good one, at that.
Saturday’s win gives the program a record eight titles, and makes coach Ewing the only player in conference history to win a title as both player and coach. And he did so on the anniversary of the day his mentor, J.T., was hired 49 years ago. Not bad for a guy who no one wanted to give a head coaching job to.
Asked if Big John was smiling down on him and the team, coach Ewing said, “I think so”. Hey, Coach? We know so. Congratulations to you and your team and thank you for bringing the swagger back to D.C.