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NCAA Basketball: The ulimate legacy of head coach John Thompson Jr.

By Herbert Seward III

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: Presenters and basketball coaching legends John Thompson III and John Thompson Jr. during the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games at McDonough Gymnasium on September 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nick Wass/Getty Images for USOC)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: Presenters and basketball coaching legends John Thompson III and John Thompson Jr. during the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games at McDonough Gymnasium on September 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nick Wass/Getty Images for USOC) /
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LANDOVER, MD – MARCH 8: John Thompson, head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – MARCH 8: John Thompson, head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Accomplishments of Coach John Thompson

Okay, let’s start with the basics. John Thompson was arguably the best coach the Big East conference has ever seen for the period of time he was affiliated with Georgetown. His teams BUILT the rivalries that made the fledgling Big East the beast that it would eventually become.

I know…I know…Folks will talk about the likes of Jim Boeheim, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Calhoun, Jay Wright, etc. ALL of them are Hall Of Fame coaches. NONE of them had the kind of national mystique or intimidation factor that John Thompson Jr. built and instilled into the Hoya program during its heyday.

They were the equivalent of Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire on the stage of college basketball during the 1980s. Defensively sound, tough, and physically imposing, they were molded in John Thompson’s immense and towering image. That persona was intimidating for some, but it got results:

  • 7 Regular Season Big East Championships
  • 6 Big East Tournament Championships
  • 1 NCAA Championship in 1984
  • 20 NCAA Tournament appearances (14 of them consecutive)
  • 24 Post-season appearances total
  • 3 Final Four Appearances (In 1982, 1984, and 1985 respectively)
  • coaching staff membership on Olympic gold and bronze medal-winning teams for the United States.
  • 97% Graduation Rate among players under his tenure.
  • 2-time National Coach of The Year (1982, 1985)

Put simply, Coach Thompson was synonymous with the image of what Big East basketball was, and what it would ultimately become. There were over 26 players that made the NBA during his watch, but the stat that’s breath-taking is just how many young men graduated (and did so on time) under his watch.

97 percent is an amazing number; it’s also indicative of the dedication Big John had for his players during his tenure as the Hoya’s head man. He was the first African American head coach to win a National Championship at the Division I level of NCAA competition, but Coach Thompson was quick to downplay that fact in lieu of stating a bigger reality when presented with that factoid in a presser after his National Championship win.

Coaches like Tennessee State’s legendary John McClendon and Winston-Salem State’s Clarence “Big House” Gaines were trailblazers and he made a distinct point to remind the college basketball world that there were coaches BEFORE him that would’ve accomplished the same things that he did if they were given the opportunity to do so.

His penchant for applying his own brand of social commentary to a sport that hadn’t seen that element before rubbed some the wrong way. If you were a Washingtonian and a Hoyas fan, you loved every second of it. Pop Culture loved it, too. there wasn’t a kid or artist alive that didn’t have a Georgetown Starter Jacket to rock.

Coach Thompson won close to 600 games during his career and headed some of the most important governing bodies that exist in NCAA Basketball. It’s his stature off of the court that makes him extraordinary. His teams, particularly during the glory years of the 1980s became a cultural icon for African Americans. Fans and rivals alike had no choice to respect him.

Coach Thompson’s outspoken nature would lead him to speak out on one of the most impactful policies that would hit NCAA Basketball.

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