The Georgetown Hoyas have reportedly named Patrick Ewing their next head basketball coach.
The Hoyas confirmed the hire on Monday afternoon.
1984 @NCAA National Champion
11x @NBA All-Star for @nyknicks
2008 @Hoophall InducteeWelcome home @GeorgetownHoops Coach Patrick Ewing! pic.twitter.com/0CMdCmTZ3b
— Georgetown Hoyas (@GeorgetownHoyas) April 3, 2017
ESPN 980 first reported Monday that Ewing would return to Georgetown as coach, having played there from 1981 to 1985.
Breaking news: sources tell ESPN 980 that #Georgetown has hired Patrick Ewing as next head coach. #Hoyas pic.twitter.com/3HlxalB3FD
— ESPN 980 (@espn980) April 3, 2017
Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reported that Ewing will start the job immediately, having been encouraged by Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford, who had Ewing on his staff.
Sources: Patrick Ewing has a multi-year deal to become Georgetown's coach. He will start immediately, leaving Charlotte's staff now.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) April 3, 2017
Charlotte's Steve Clifford has been immense advocate for Ewing to take Hoya job, insisting he didn't need to finish NBA season w/ Hornets.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) April 3, 2017
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman indicated that Ewing wasn’t necessarily Georgetown’s first choice, but they turned to him after failing to land a more established big name.
Georgetown went after multiple big-name college coaches, but after striking out they decided to go with Patrick Ewing, source told ESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 3, 2017
Ewing had been considered a serious contender for the job since John Thompson III was fired, though it wasn’t clear whether he was willing to leave the NBA to head back to the college ranks. It seems, though, that the pull of coaching his alma mater was simply too great for him to say no.
