Charlotte Hornets Rumor: Patrick Ewing to Georgetown?
Charlotte Hornets’ associate head coach, Patrick Ewing, has reportedly emerged as a major candidate for Georgetown’s head coaching job.
According to Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com, “Former Georgetown great Patrick Ewing has emerged as major candidate for the head coaching vacancy at his alma mater.” The Hall of Fame big man has been on the Charlotte Hornets‘ coaching staff since the 2013 season. Ewing is considered a top assistant in the league and has already been interviewed by NBA teams in the past for head coaching vacancies.
After firing John Thompson III, Georgetown is looking for a new head coach. Ewing was a possibility when the job first became available but now it seems though he will more likely than not become the next coach at his alma mater. As Rothstein also reported that “One source said that the Hall-of-Famer has already been interviewed multiple times by Georgetown and was continuing to gather more information about being a college head coach in the Big East.”
Before being fired, John Thompson III had been the head coach at Georgetown for 13 seasons. The report also mentions that “Ewing would be the John Thompson Jr., following the firing of his son” and that vote of confidence could go a long way. Thompson Jr. is a Georgetown legend much like Patrick is.
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Ewing also got another vote of confidence from Detroit Pistons’ head coach Stan Van Gundy. SVG said, “I cannot imagine that you’re at Georgetown and you do not hire Patrick Ewing.” (NYPost.com) The longtime NBA head coach also spoke about Patrick’s ability to potentially recruit some big time players.
Just this past summer, the former New York Knicks‘ center was interviewed for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings head coaching vacancies. While he did not get either job, Woj did report that if not for Dave Joerger, Ewing was the Kings’ second option. If he holds out, Patrick will probably get a few more interviews for NBA jobs this summer.
It’s only a matter of time before Ewing receives a head coaching gig whether it be in college or at the pro-level. It will probably happen sooner rather than later. With this recent report, it looks like Georgetown is the odds on favorite to land Patrick once the Charlotte Hornets’ season is over.
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Losing Ewing would be a huge blow to Steve Clifford’s coaching staff as he has been a mainstay for years now. If Patrick does leave, expect Stephen Silas to move into his role as the Hornets’ associate head coach.