RIP John Thompson (Big John)

[ChrisLong]

As a young sportswriter covering the NCAA tournament in the '80s, I could not stand Thompson. He made things as difficult for us as he could and did everything possible to make his players inaccessible. He'd bring players to the press conferences only because he had to, and anytime you'd address a question to one of the players, Thompson would answer for him. Hoya Paranoia was real.

I liked him a lot better once he became a commentator.

RIP to a coaching legend.

But yeah, he built a great program and created Hoya Paranoia. When they were in the West Regional at UCLA, he told the NCAA to eff-off and stayed at a hotel where they wanted and practiced where they wanted. That included a giant eff-off to the media.

We found out that they were practicing at a park gym 3 blocks from our office. We sent a photog with explicit instructions: "You are neither expected nor welcome. Go in, take a few quick shots and get out." Photog comes back with nothing. "They kicked me out before I could even put film in my camera." But what about the instructions we gave you? "Oh, I thought you were kidding."

And at the press conferences, he was forced to bring a player or two, so it was always the eighth man or one of the white kids at the far end of the bench. After much complaining, he did bring Patrick Ewing to the press conference the day before the Sweet 16. Didn't help much. He had one instruction that Ewing carried out very well. "I choose not to answer that question."

 

[heyabbott]

Everything you can say about him was true. He lived a full and big life. He was a complicated man. Changed lives around him. Profited immensely from the people he claimed were persecuting him. Recruited great players who played great. And recruited assholes who were assholes and everything in between.

he didn’t care whether you liked him or his players or teams or attitude but if you were honest you respected it all.

 

[HanSenSE]

Just didn't get any better than those Big East days. Also enjoyed hearing him on the radio in recent years, such a commanding voice. RIP.

Yep. Had just gotten my first full-time gig in the business in the mid-80s and was also discovering the joys of ESPN. Big Monday was definitely appointment TV after I'd finished the pages for the weekly I worked at.

 

[Starman]

Thompson, just like Bobby Knight, was a blustering hardass most of the time, but he did really kick ass to make sure most of his players got degrees (or progressed toward them).
He had seen too many players used up for three or four varsity years, then dumped out on the streets with no skills to survive in society.
Ewing was probably the best example. He arrived at GT disastrously unprepared academically and even in need of speech therapy.
Probably 95 percent of college programs would have been happy to take Ewing under any circumstances and let him draw butterflies on the wallpaper for four years, keeping him eligible with a steady diet of puffball classes, but JT insisted he would get, and take, extra tutoring to help him catch up in the classroom and get that degree.

 

[heyabbott]

Thompson, just like Bobby Knight, was a blustering hardass most of the time, but he did really kick ass to make sure most of his players got degrees (or progressed toward them).
He had seen too many players used up for three or four varsity years, then dumped out on the streets with no skills to survive in society.
Ewing was probably the best example. He arrived at GT disastrously unprepared academically and even in need of speech therapy.
Probably 95 percent of college programs would have been happy to take Ewing under any circumstances and let him draw butterflies on the wallpaper for four years, keeping him eligible with a steady diet of puffball classes, but JT insisted he would get, and take, extra tutoring to help him catch up in the classroom and get that degree.

doesn’t say a lot for Ewing’s High School which was supposed to be an excellent one, academically. Thompson is like every other great coach since the UCLA dynasty ended. They recruited everyone. You could find outstanding student athletes among Thompson’s recruits. Hall of Fame players who got their degrees. Players who were there to win and play and school gl wasn’t a concern. JT wasn’t a saint and wasn’t above winning with hard players. He gets credit for Iverson and maybe he should. But Georgetown doesn’t reach out to Iverson unless he was a lottery pick of a prospect. And Thompson doesn’t take a chance on the guy who fills out the practice squad. college sports is a whorehouse.

he deserved respect. He never asked for friendship.

 

[Starman]

Cambridge Rindge and Latin, as far as I know, was and is quite well regarded academically.
Remember, Ewing came to the US at age 12, so he immediately had a language barrier to deal with. It's pretty safe to guess his grade school education in Jamaica was somewhat less than stellar. It may well have been a pretty good achievement by R&L to even get him to the point college was even feasible.

Of course Thompson wouldn't have recruited Ewing if he were six inches shorter with a crappy vertical. But Thompson could also have said, "this kid is going to the NBA (that was obvious from day one), so let's give him cotton candy classes to keep him eligible so we get four years out of him, after that he's off to the NBA and not my problem anymore."

 

[Michael_ Gee]

CR&L is an excellent big city public school. Ewing had both a speech and reading disorder which needed treatment. Georgetown and Thompson could get him that. The high school helped Ewing with the reading problem, but the speech issue was beyond their resources.

 

[LanceyHoward]

UConn and Calhoun? And it’s also one of the instances where the number of titles doesn’t measure the coach or the program. JT only won one, GTown only won 1. But Thompson and Georgetown were better than Calhoun and UConn.

Thompson built a great program. But I think Calhoun was a better coach. But Thompson never really adapted to the three point shot. He liked to recruit big, athletic guards and run pressure defenses. But he did not really recruit great shooters. Which is the reason Georgetown was not quite as dominant nationally after Ewing left, even when the Hoyas had Mutombo and Mournung.

 

[Webster]

In the early 1990s, I had a girlfriend who was from Syracuse. The Hoyas were in town to play the Orangemen and the night before the game, we happened to be in the same movie theater with their team. Big John wasn’t there when the movie started and the team was really rowdy. About 15 minutes in, he came into the theater, heard his team making noise and said in that booming voice — “you will shut the **** up now”. Not a peep.

 

[hondo]

Anyone in tune with DC sports knew this story. Essentially, Big John told Marlo Stanfield to back the **** off and not have anything to do with his players.
The drug dealer complied.

The legend of Georgetown’s John Thompson begins with unflinching toughness

 

[DanielSimpsonDay]

In the early 1990s, I had a girlfriend who was from Syracuse. The Hoyas were in town to play the Orangemen and the night before the game, we happened to be in the same movie theater with their team. Big John wasn’t there when the movie started and the team was really rowdy. About 15 minutes in, he came into the theater, heard his team making noise and said in that booming voice — “you will shut the **** up now”. Not a peep.

Not gonna lie. Had I been you, I would have mushed out a load of bad poopies in front of my girlfriend.

 

[Webster]

Not gonna lie. Had I been you, I would have mushed out a load of bad poopies in front of my girlfriend.

The memory fades, but I think it was The Silence of the Lambs and I was already scared enough.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I wouldn't say Thompson and I had a friendly professional relationship, but neither was it hostile. Saw him twice a year and maybe at the tournament. He really shielded Ewing, which I thought was unfair as I had been Ewing's neighbor in Cambridge for a time, but he was honest enough to make no exceptions for his media policies, unlike about 1000 coaches I could name.

 

[garrow]

The memory fades, but I think it was The Silence of the Lambs and I was already scared enough.

It puts the orange ball in the basket.

 

[Scout]

In the early 1990s, I had a girlfriend who was from Syracuse. The Hoyas were in town to play the Orangemen and the night before the game, we happened to be in the same movie theater with their team. Big John wasn’t there when the movie started and the team was really rowdy. About 15 minutes in, he came into the theater, heard his team making noise and said in that booming voice — “you will shut the **** up now”. Not a peep.

That’s a great, great story.

The Big East... Thompson... ****ing amazing time.

Everyone says Jordan was Nike, but Legends were the OG Nikes.

And looking back at Thompson through 2020 glasses, he really seemed to be fighting systemic racism before it was in the national spotlight. Way before.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Thompson built a great program. But I think Calhoun was a better coach. But Thompson never really adapted to the three point shot. He liked to recruit big, athletic guards and run pressure defenses. But he did not really recruit great shooters. Which is the reason Georgetown was not quite as dominant nationally after Ewing left, even when the Hoyas had Mutombo and Mournung.

True story about Calhoun. When he was at Northeastern with Reggie Lewis I did a big story on him for the Phoenix. Because of the Celts and Larry Bird, all the college coaches at that time (some heavyweights, Gary Williams at BC, Mike Jarvis at BU, and he followed Pitino!) were so desperate for ink they'd talk to the Phoenix for hours. He told me "I don't want to become like the guys I see at the top of my profession," so obviously referring to the Big East I was amazed. Then he did just that, in spades. A very sad story IMO.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

True story about Calhoun. When he was at Northeastern with Reggie Lewis I did a big story on him for the Phoenix. Because of the Celts and Larry Bird, all the college coaches at that time (some heavyweights, Gary Williams at BC, Mike Jarvis at BU, and he followed Pitino!) were so desperate for ink they'd talk to the Phoenix for hours. He told me "I don't want to become like the guys I see at the top of my profession," so obviously referring to the Big East I was amazed. Then he did just that, in spades. A very sad story IMO.

John Thompson, aka "Mr. Bronze," helped create the Dream Team concept. His 1988 Olympic team didn't have any shooters, either. I respect what he did at Georgetown, but his methods oftentimes left something to be desired.

 

[HanSenSE]

"Inside the NBA" crew all wearing towels over their shoulders in the studio.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

One remarkable thing about John Thompson: his tenure there managed to lead a couple of generations to think Georgetown was an HBCU.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Thompson, just like Bobby Knight, was a blustering hardass most of the time, but he did really kick ass to make sure most of his players got degrees (or progressed toward them).
He had seen too many players used up for three or four varsity years, then dumped out on the streets with no skills to survive in society.
Ewing was probably the best example. He arrived at GT disastrously unprepared academically and even in need of speech therapy.
Probably 95 percent of college programs would have been happy to take Ewing under any circumstances and let him draw butterflies on the wallpaper for four years, keeping him eligible with a steady diet of puffball classes, but JT insisted he would get, and take, extra tutoring to help him catch up in the classroom and get that degree.

Big John had Mary Fenton to thank for that one. She kept the players working off the court.

John Feinstein got plenty on that one in one of his earlier books ... might have been "A Season Inside."