Patrick Ewing: ‘Big John Is Rolling Over in His Grave’ After Georgetown vs. Marquette

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Nothing went right for the Georgetown men’s basketball team Friday evening as the Hoyas fell to Marquette 92-64.

After the game, Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing told reporters that he was “disappointed in his team’s performance” before bringing up ex-Hoyas head coach and legend John Thompson Jr.

“This is not what Georgetown basketball is about. Big John is rolling over in his grave for the performance we showed tonight,” Ewing told reporters, per The Athletic.

“This is not what I’m about. This is not what my team’s about.”

Ewing starred as a player for Georgetown in the mid-1980s as the Thompson-led Hoyas made three national title games in four years, winning in 1984 against Houston.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer went on to become one of the greatest big men in NBA history beginning in 1985 with the New York Knicks.

Georgetown enjoyed its heyday under Thompson, as the team won six Big East tournaments and made the NCAA tournament each year from 1979-1992. He ultimately led the program from 1972-1999, winning 596 games.

The Hoyas are struggling in the present day, going 6-6 through their first 12 games and losing their opener against a 3-9 Dartmouth team.

They may need some of last year’s magic, which included a Cinderella run to win the Big East tournament en route to an NCAA tournament appearance. That capped Ewing’s fourth year as the Hoyas’ head coach.

For now, Ewing’s Hoyas will look to move past a Big East opener that featured them shooting just 29.9 percent from the field. They’ll host Butler on Thursday.