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Georgetown hires Patrick Ewing as new head coach

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Los Angeles Lakers v Charlotte Hornets

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Georgetown has hired former star big man and Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing to be its new head coach, a source confirmed to NBCSports.com.

The former Hoyas legend has been an NBA assistant coach since the 2002-03 season as he’s currently the associate head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.

The 54-year-old Ewing is one of the most iconic players in Georgetown history as he helped lead the Hoyas to a national championship in 1984 while also being a three-time All-American. Ewing was also prolific during his NBA career as he was an 11-time All-Star who was a member of the Dream Team in 1992.

Ewing replaces former head coach John Thompson III, who was let go after 13 seasons as head coach. It’s the first time that Ewing will be a head coach but he’s an ideal choice in terms of limiting the awkwardness that came with Georgetown parting ways with a member of the Thompson family.

Georgetown getting rid of Thompson III wasn’t an easy thing for them to do, given how much power John Thompson Jr. still has within the program, but the choice to hire one of the program’s biggest stars should at least appease Big John since Ewing is one of his favorite former players.

Hiring strong assistant coaches is going to be one of the keys for Ewing to be successful at the college level. Since Ewing has been an NBA assistant for so long, he should have a solid grasp on X’s and O’s, but recruiting is going to be completely new to him.

Ewing certainly has the individual pedigree and NBA connections to be appealing to elite recruits but he’ll also have to put in a lot of effort to close against other top-flight programs.