WASHINGTON — On the 49th anniversary of the day Georgetown hired John Thompson Jr., the late Hall of Fame coach who transformed the program into a national power and one of the most iconic brands in college basketball, the Hoyas won their record eighth Big East Tournament title and first since 2007.
The Georgetown Hoyas are the 2021 Big East tournament champions after beating the Creighton Blue Jays 73-48 in Cinderella fashion Saturday. It was on this same day (March 13, 1972) that the Hoyas hired Thompson out of St. Anthony's High School, where he collected a 122-28 record. He died in August.
The miraculous Big East tournament title win by the Hoyas at Madison Square Garden brought extra meaning to a great stretch of winning under head coach Patrick Ewing.
Ewing, who has been the Hoyas coach since 2017, played in the 80s under Thompson at Georgetown. They combined for three Big East Tournament championships, three Final Four appearances and a national title in 1984.
“His legacy will always live on,” Ewing said during an ESPN interview last year following Thompson’s death. “Through me, through Alonzo (Mourning), through Dikembe (Mutombo), through all of the people he’s coached. He has done a great job of teaching us not only to be great athletes but also great human beings. Now it’s my role, my responsibility to keep doing those things to the kids I’m teaching.”
Many coaches across college basketball honored Thompson during Black History Month in February by replicating his iconic white towel look.
This run by the Hoyas in the Big East tournament is the best basketball that Georgetown has played under Ewing, and the magical run may be part of the success its coach once had in that arena as an NBA player.
The team started off its startling run beating top tournament seed Villanova. It was followed up by an impressive win against Seton Hall on Friday.
Georgetown came into the Big East tournament as an 8-seed, and it's unclear how the team will be ranked for the NCAA tournament.
The Hoyas were not likely to make it to the big dance without the automatic bid that the conference tournament winner gets.