Georgetown University is synonymous with college basketball history along with some of the greatest basketball players of all time. Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson are just some of the names to dawn the Hoyas across their chest and play elite basketball at the professional level. The Hoyas and the late John Thompson Jr. brought an impressive style of basketball to the Big East Conference that made them a tough opponent throughout the late 20th century.
Fast forward to today, they sit dead-last in the same conference they once dominated. With a 6-18 record and zero non-conference wins in the Big East, the team is struggling to return to dominance under former Georgetown star Patrick Ewing, and continue to be blown out.
Other than a 2021 Big East tournament win, the team has nothing to show. Fans are calling for Ewing’s resignation as Georgetown’s head coach and are frustrated with the university’s overall lack of progress and direction. But, how did it get to this? How could a former basketball powerhouse, like Georgetown, turn into the complete opposite of what they once were?
While the program may have some current young talent like Aminu Mohammad and Dante Harris, it becomes fairly obvious that the team’s current style of basketball doesn’t work in 2022. If you are Georgetown, you need a change. Despite having an up-tempo pace of play that should give the Hoyas easy baskets and an advantage over opposing lineups, the negatives outweigh the positives in their current state and lineup of players.
With an offensive turnover percentage below league average, there needs to be a change in leadership. Ewing’s coaching is simply not going to work. While it may hurt to fire a Hoyas fan-favorite, it’s fairly obvious with the team’s current status that Georgetown basketball will need someone new at the helm if they want to return to being competitive in a tough Big East conference. The team will need to look outside of a familiar face of the organization and a change of scenery is absolutely necessary.
Even after the firing of former Georgetown coach John Thompson III, the Hoyas had plenty of options before hiring Ewing. The team could’ve looked to lure current Marquette coach, Shaka Smart, or even current UConn coach Dan Hurley when Hurley was at URI. However, the team opted for Ewing and, besides the lone 2020 Big East Championship and NCAA tournament appearance, it’s time to pull the plug.
The problems don’t stop there. While the Hoyas were able to get Mohammad, their recruiting has been utterly dismal under Ewing. Eleven players have transferred from college since July of 2021 and with the team’s current state, it’s not looking much better. The Hoyas have failed to recruit in their area, missing out on potential gold mines in Luka Garza. The team’s last NBA draft pick was selected back in 2013 and that was current Golden State Warriors guard Otto Porter Jr. While the Hoyas have had undrafted players enter the NBA – most recently Miami Heat forward Omer Yurtseven – that simply won’t cut it. The team has had quality pieces like Mac Mclung transfer due to the team’s unfit playstyle and elevate their play on other teams.
Georgetown University is in trouble, but, with a change in leadership, play style and an engaging recruiting focus, the team can definitely return to being competitive. It would be better for the team and all of college basketball.
