Hoyas' Thompson quits
Assistant coach will replace 27-year Georgetown veteran
Posted: Saturday January 09, 1999 07:59 AM
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Thompson coached the Hoyas for 27 years, winning a national championship in 1984 Doug Pensinger/Allsport |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Thompson, whose tough-love emphasis of academics and athletics turned Georgetown into a respected national basketball powerhouse in the past quarter century, resigned Friday as coach.
Craig Esherick, an assistant under Thompson for the last 16 years, was hired as his replacement.
Thompson said he was quitting because his basketball duties were interfering with unspecified "things I need to give attention to in my personal life."
The 57-year-old Thompson recently went through a divorce, had his house burn down about two years ago and just became a grandfather.
"I am not tired of basketball," Thompson said. "I do it because I love it. I am not retiring. I have resigned as head basketball coach at Georgetown University.
"As a result of it being personal, I didn't plan it. Had I planned it, it wouldn't be now."
A tearful Esherick said he tried to talk Thompson out of resigning, but was unsuccessful.
"He was my very first recruit I failed to land as coach, and I'm sorry for that," Esherick said. "I'm not happy for myself. I look forward to the challenge."
Thompson said he received a call from Temple coach John Chaney suggesting he take a sabbatical instead of resigning.
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"I said, 'Do you ever lend somebody a toothbrush to use?' It's either their toothbrush or your toothbrush. You don't lend a team."
Anticipating questions about whether his resignation was health-related, Thompson joked. "I've got boxing gloves and a ring if you want to go a couple of rounds," he said.
Thompson said he would remain at Georgetown, performing unspecified duties.
Word of Thompson's resignation first came Thursday night when Charles Freeman, father of recruit Courtland Freeman, said the coach had called him to say he was resigning for "personal reasons."
Courtland Freeman, a 17-year-old forward from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, S.C., said he received the news via a phone call from Ronny Thompson, the coach's son and an assistant with the team.
"I was surprised," Courtland Freeman said. "From my understanding, he's still going to be in the head office, so it looks like nothing's going to change."
Freeman is one of four major recruits Thompson was touting when he proclaimed "help is coming" during the preseason. Unfortunately, next year's class can do nothing to help this year's team, which appears headed for Georgetown's first losing campaign since Thompson's first season as coach in 1972-73.
The Hoyas are off to their worst start ever in the Big East (0-4), including an 11-point loss at Seton Hall on Monday night. Georgetown's winning record (7-6) is mainly due to victories over perennial non-conference patsies Thompson schedules every year.
Despite this season's struggles, and despite some off-the-court incidents the last few years that have taken some of the shine off the school's carefully cultivated sports reputation, Thompson's achievements are memorable.
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Georgetown was barely a blip on the national basketball radar screen when Thompson arrived 27 years ago. His first team went 12-14, the second was 13-13. Every team since has been invited to postseason tournament play -- 20 NCAAs and four NITs. He won the national championship with Patrick Ewing in 1984, and his Hoyas were runners-up in 1982 and 1985.
Thompson's record is 596-239, a .713 winning percentage, and he is 10th among active coaches in victories. Furthermore, Thompson's players almost always graduated on time -- 97 percent of his players who stayed four years left with a degree.
But the dynasty has faded over the last few years, starting in 1996 when Allen Iverson became Thompson's first player to declare early for the NBA draft. Victor Page, Ed Sheffey and Kenny Brunner also left early, for various reasons, and all four -- especially Iverson -- have made ugly headlines that clearly embarrassed and hurt their former coach.
Also, Thompson last year allegedly received threatening phone calls from a former player, Kevin Millen, who in November ignored an order to stay off campus. Millen is being held in a halfway house and is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 27.
Last year, Georgetown had a 15-14 regular-season record and was invited to the NIT on reputation alone. The Hoyas defeated Florida before losing to Georgia Tech in the second round.
Thompson knew this year would be a challenge, but any hopes of the Hoyas being competitive in the Big East were dashed when junior guard Shernard Long, the team's leading scorer last season, was suspended for the season for academic reasons.
"I think we are playing better," Thompson said after the Seton Hall defeat, "but it is getting to the point where we have to win some games."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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