It happened right in front of me. I witnessed the end of the Hoyas season in Chicago last week and I still am struggling to make sense of it.
Many people have already seemed to figure it out, though, judging from Leo’s conversations and Facebook statuses. Some have called for JTIII’s job, and an ultra-optimistic minority thinks the team is fine and has just run into some bad luck.
I don’t think it’s that simple. As a starved Georgetown basketball fan, still waiting to witness my first NCAA Tournament win, I’m sometimes tempted to take the easy way out and say blow up the program and fire JTIII. But the easy way is rarely the right way.
Let’s start with the most recent disappointment: the Hoyas didn’t lose to a bad team in VCU, who are now in the Sweet Sixteen. That doesn’t change the fact the Georgetown should’ve won that game—they were the more skilled team. But on Mar. 18, VCU controlled the matchup against the Hoyas in every way. They outshot them, played better defense, and outhustled them. Their 48 percent three-point shooting was no accident—Georgetown was lost on the defensive end all night and the Rams had open looks for days. They should’ve been better prepared for the matchup, but part of it was that the Hoyas ran into the wrong team at the wrong time in VCU. Of course, it didn’t help that Chris Wright was returning from a three-week absence.
But that game is only a small piece of the full picture. One of the most frequent critiques of JTIII focuses on his Princeton-style offense. People have argued about it for so long, the debate feels older than Princeton itself. Yes, the style of the offense constricts certain players, and it can be said that the players must fit the system, not the other way around, which is never a great thing. But Thompson adjusts the system to his players more than people think. With a guard-heavy team this year, the seventh-year coach transformed his system and made it faster. He incorporated a press more frequently than in past seasons and encouraged transition offense, with Chris Wright and Austin Freeman leading the team.
The biggest knock against JTIII and the program in the last three years is that they’ve had countless top recruits, including NBA lottery pick Greg Monroe, yet never won an NCAA Tournament game. It’s impressive that Thompson recruited these skilled players, but it doesn’t make a difference if it doesn’t lead to postseason success. When you have that large a collection of skilled players, the blame should fall on the coach, but because he has won with skilled players before, I don’t think it is time to make any major changes to the program yet.
When it comes to Thompson, I think it is still too early to judge his resume. I know seven years seems like more than enough time, but it would be prudent to see how he does with another “generation” of players. Were Wright and Freeman the problem? They never won either. Maybe Thompson was onto something this year by adjusting his system to cater to their strengths. If he can get a better feel for how to do this, the Hoyas might have a better future under him.
Also, if Georgetown does fire him, who do they get to replace him? The only high profile coach available right now is Bruce Pearl. Although I love his fire and passion, I wouldn’t want him in charge of my school’s basketball team—the Hoyas would be on probation in no time. If you went the other way and hired a hot, mid-major coach, the move better pay off quickly, because if it doesn’t you’ll have lost a high-profile coach for nothing and will have set the program back for years. Moreover, the Georgetown head coach position isn’t the most attractive. Because of its limited resources it would be hard to lure an elite coach to the Hilltop.
Right now, the program is at its biggest crossroads since Hibbert and co. left. But now the team is more than one year removed from the Final Four and it hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game in three years. For the Hoyas, that’s a long time. Someone better figure out a solution soon, so people like me don’t have to spend days thinking about it.
