NCAA Basketball: 25 most mesmerizing players of all time
player. 473. . . . Patrick Ewing.
One of the truly great centers to have ever picked up a basketball, Patrick Ewing was polarizing for a bunch of reasons. Unfortunately, not all of them were positive. The Jamaican born seven-footer broke the hearts of local programs Boston College and Boston University in favor of John Thompson and Georgetown, but not before experiencing some drama on the recruiting trail.
The details of the recruitment are incredible. In 2013, Ewing revealed to Dan Patrick that he was set to attend the University of North Carolina. However, on his official visit, there was a Ku Klux Klan rally in the Tar Heel state and Ewing decided “I’m staying my butt home in Boston.”
Though that result would have been the perfect outcome for Bostonians, Dean Smith salvaged their misery by convincing Ewing that Coach Thompson would be a fantastic mentor. Ewing was soon a Hoya.
Though the future Hall of Famer avoided Chapel Hill due to the Klan, he was successful in neither avoiding UNC or disgusting racism. During his freshman season, Ewing led the Hoyas to the national title game where they ended up playing Smith and a Tar Heel team that featured future NBA Hall of Fame players Michael Jordan and James Worthy, as well as long-time pro Sam Perkins.
Jordan would hit one of the most historic jump shots in NCAA history and snatched the title from Georgetown despite Ewing’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. He would get his redemption two years later as Georgetown defeated Hakeem Olajuwon and Houston to win the only title in Hoya history.
Ewing persevered through rampant racism during his career as well. Fans would often display signs referring to him as an ape, and at one point he even had a banana peel thrown on the court at him.
Despite the ridiculousness, he spent four seasons in a Hoya uniform and was a 3x All American, 4x All-Big East selection, 4x Big East Defensive Player of the Year as well as a Rupp Trophy and Naismith Award winner. He averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game on his way to being one of the most decorated players in college basketball history.
His professional career wasn’t too bad either…