NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time
By Brian Rauf
Georgetown Basketball Mount Rushmore: John Thompson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson
John Thompson
The winningest coach in Georgetown Hoyas history, John Thompson is one of college basketball’s most iconic coaches. Thompson turned the Hoyas into a signature program in the 1980s.
He won the school’s only national championship in 1984 (becoming the first African-American head coach to win a national title), made the national championship game on two other occasions (1982, 1985) and earned 20 NCAA Tournament berths in 26 seasons. Thompson won seven coach of the year awards throughout his tenure and was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing was Georgetown’s star player on that 1984 National Championship team and had one of the most illustrious careers in college basketball history. He was a three-time consensus First-Team All-American, won National Player of the Year in 1985 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft.
Ewing went on to have a spectacular NBA career mostly with the New York Knicks and is now a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame himself.
The seven-footer is now back at Georgetown entering his third season as head coach of the Hoyas. He has the program on the verge of returning to national relevancy, as they’re expected to have a breakout year in 2019-20.
Alonzo Mourning
Another member in the long line of dominant Georgetown big men, Alonzo Mourning spent four dominant seasons playing for the Hoyas. His senior year, he was a consensus First-Team All-American, while averaging 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game.
Mourning helped lead Georgetown to two Big East titles during his time there before moving onto the NBA, where he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. However, he spent most of his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame career with the Miami Heat, winning a championship in 2006.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson started his collegiate career amidst much controversy following a bowling alley brawl in which he was arrested and was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, he only ended up serving four months due to the cloudy circumstances and evidence in the case.
Once he got to Georgetown, Iverson was dominant. He averaged 23.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game during his two-year collegiate career that resulted in an Elite Eight appearance and a Big East regular season title.
A consensus First-Team All-American after his sophomore season in 1996, Iverson left for the NBA and became one of the greatest players ever. His NBA career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks seventh all-time.