One of the most storied shows in the Big East will not have its coach for its next game. Georgetown announced Wednesday that Hoya’s coach and legend Patrick Ewing will not be training the team’s next contest against Butler, as Ewing is on COVID protocols.
The Hoyas and Bulldogs are scheduled to meet Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC Assistant coach Louis Orr will guide Georgetown in Ewing’s absence as he seeks to lead the Hoyas to a conference record of .500 and above. 500 in season.
It’s Georgetown’s first game in six days and only their second game of the year at the Big East, as the Hoyas had four canceled conference games over the course of 14 days.
According to the Big East recently revised forfeiture policy, games will be canceled if a team has fewer than seven available scholarship players and an accounting coach. At the time of cancellation, attempts will be made to reschedule the games; otherwise, the game will be considered uncontested.
Patrick Ewing’s record in Georgetown
Ewing took over his alma mater before the 2017-18 season and the Hoyas have been around .500 since then. The Basketball Hall of Famer played in Georgetown from 1981 to 1985 with legendary coach John Thompson Jr.
Ewing invoked the latter earlier this week, when his team was strangled by Marquette after shooting just 29.9 percent from the ground, saying Thompson was “rolling in his grave.”
So far this season, Georgetown is 6-6 on the season and 0-1 in the Big East game, but it’s the latest number that is most concerning. In his more than four years at the helm, Ewing is 68-65 overall, but only 26-45 at the Big East.
However, Georgetown won the Big East conference tournament last year to earn an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament, only to lose in the first round. It is the first and only NCAA Tournament finish for the team under Ewing.
Patrick Ewing playing career in Georgetown
Ewing was one of the best players to ever dress for Thompson, racking up accolades after accolades. In his four years with the Hoyas, Ewing was a 1984 NCAA champion and was named National Player of the Year in 1985.
He was also a three-time All-American First Team and two Big East Player of the Year and four-time all-conference selection. Ewing was one of 26 Thompson protégés to be drafted into the NBA and one of eight in the first round.