Georgetown Basketball: 9 candidates to replace Patrick Ewing as head coach

After six seasons as head coach at Georgetown Basketball, Patrick Ewing has been let go by the Hoyas, bringing to an end a tenure that just never got off the ground. Ewing starred at Georgetown four decades ago, leading the Hoyas to the 1984 NCAA Tournament championship and an appearance in the title game the following season. His work as head coach for the Hoyas was far less convincing.

Born in Jamaica and raised both there and outside Boston, Ewing committed to Georgetown in the early 80’s and starred there for four seasons, with those aforementioned accomplishments. As a senior in 1985, the was the national player of the year and was later taken as the first overall pick of the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. Ewing starred in the NBA for nearly two decades, spending much of that career with the Knicks.

As a player, Ewing made 11 All-Star teams, won Rookie of the Year, and sits in the Basketball Hall of Fame. His accolades as a coach are far less impressive, as his only experience before Georgetown had been as an assistant to a number of NBA teams. He spent the next fifteen years between four different franchises, ending with a four-year stretch for the Charlotte Hornets until the Hoyas brought him on to replace John Thompson III in 2017.

Suffice to say, the Hoyas did not experience the expected level of success under Ewing’s leadership, finishing over .500 in just one of his six seasons at the helm. He led the program to a tie for 3rd place in the Big East in his second season, though his greatest accomplishment came two years later. In 2021, Georgetown went on a historic run at the Big East Tournament, winning it as the 8-seed and advancing to the NCAA Tournament as a result.

The last few years have been pretty bad in Georgetown and the need for a change was evident. Last season, the Hoyas went 0-19 in conference play and didn’t fare too much better this year. Ewing won just 13 games across his final two seasons as head coach and Georgetown is left to pick up the pieces, hopeful to compete again in the Big East someday soon.

This program was a basketball giant when Ewing himself was a player several decades ago and they have the resources to get back near the top of the basketball world. The Big East is a tough conference and the Hoyas can absolutely get themselves back into shape for annual trips to the postseason if they hire the right head coach. Their last three head coaching hires have all stayed in the Hoyas family, but they’re resetting things and looking for that new voice.

We’re going to take a few moments to look closely at a number of potential candidates for the Georgetown job. This is not a comprehensive list, and many other coaches could put their name in the ring, but these are nine coaches in solid position for what the Hoyas need. Let’s proceed with the list, going through each of these names solely in alphabetical order.