Our look at the Big East continues with... the Georgetown Hoyas, whom you might have heard hired a famous NBA player as a coach.
Ewing on the Garder floor, Ewing in the Garden rafters #bemediaday pic.twitter.com/yLo3AjMGc0
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) October 18, 2017
Ewing has even received a profile on HBO’s Real Sports.
And, as we have detailed, Mullin helped Ewing think through the decision to come and coach for his alma mater.
The league is excited to add some juice to a longstanding old Big East rivalry with the arguably the schools with the most storied histories in the league.
“It’s part of the DNA of the conference, the Georgetown-St. John’s rivalry,” [Commissioner Val] Ackerman said. “Some of the charter schools, they’ve been at it for decades. The fact that Patrick and Chris are reunited in this way couldn’t be scripted.
“People see it as an exciting moment for the Big East. Their games are going to be very highly anticipated, and I think people are going to want to see how they do. Chris is in his third year, making progress; people are watching. And Patrick? It’s a big test, what he can do as a coach. But for the conference, it’s all good.”
Meanwhile, the Hoyas’ best returnee, New York native Jessie Govan, told Zagsblog he’s excited about his new coach.
“He’s a legend,” Govan said. “He’s done everything you could possibly think of with the game of basketball so I’m really just trying to be a sponge and just take in everything that he’s trying to teach me. I’m open to everything that he’s trying to get me better at.”
“Two different type players,” Ewing said. “I think his offense is a lot better than mine at that stage and my defense is a lot better than his.”...
As for Ewing’s assessment of his new big man protege, he said: “That’s all predicated on what he wants to do. He has a lot of talent, but he has to continue to work.”
The nostalgia portion of the St. John’s schedule comes within 11 days in January - on Tuesday, January 9 at Madison Square Garden, and then down in Washington DC against the Hoyas on Saturday, January 20.