Has Patrick Ewing Failed His Alma Mater? 

The Georgetown men’s basketball program was once a name other teams would fear to play. The Hoyas have been in the NCAA tournament 31 times, with five appearances in the Final Four, and a National Championship title in 1984. Along with those accolades, Georgetown basketball has also been known for producing and developing all-star players like Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and Allen Iverson.  

Of those legends is Patrick Ewing, notably the greatest player to ever compete for Georgetown basketball. Ewing spent 17 years playing in the NBA and 15 years as an NBA assistant before he accepted the position as Head Coach for his alma mater in 2017. The University was hopeful that his experience and success in college and the NBA would bring similar outcomes to the current collegiate basketball program.  

When he was hired, Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia had some optimistic things to say about Ewing: “Patrick’s commitment to Georgetown and to further animating our legacy of excellence is inspiring. His experience as a coach over the last 15 years with some of the best basketball minds in the country has prepared him to lead our program.” (thehoya.com) 

Unfortunately, that story has yet to be written. Georgetown basketball struggled even before Ewing took the reins as head coach. The program has been on a downward spiral, and Hoya fans and alumni are tired of being let down season after season. The vibe around campus is dreary. Students want to see their team be successful, or at the very least, win more games than there are days in the week. 

Three weeks ago, Georgetown finally broke their 29-game Big East conference losing streak when they beat DePaul at home. It was an exciting day for the Hoyas, as the last time Georgetown basketball won a regular season conference game was against Xavier on March 2, 2021. That is a very long time to be in a winning drought. Sadly, the dry spell has returned and Georgetown has not won a single game since beating DePaul in January.   

Georgetown basketball is 6-21 overall and 1-15 in conference play. They are currently ranked 210th according to KenPom. While they struggle to hit shots beyond the arc, the bigger issue is their defense, where they are ranked 318th overall in efficiency.   

This team is stuck, and what it ultimately boils down to is leadership. This is Patrick Ewing’s sixth season head coaching Georgetown. Based on how things have been going, it also might be his last. Ewing’s coaching record is 74-105 overall and 27-78 in conference play- numbers that would make any sane person cringe.  

In the last 100 weeks, Georgetown basketball has only won a singular conference game. The Hoyas have just four games left in their regular season schedule. Sitting at the bottom of their conference makes for a very unlikely run in the Big East tournament.  

At this point, the program should be focused on what they will be working on during the off-season. It is unclear if even the Transfer portal can help them rebuild at this point. Maybe Georgetown basketball should be looking in the portal for a new coach too. Just a thought, but hiring someone with head coaching experience might be helpful.