NBA Hall of Fame player Patrick Ewing found himself back at his alma mater in 2017. He became the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Georgetown. The school where he made a name for himself and won an NCAA championship.

Ewing took over Georgetown, wanting to get the program back to its dominance in the Big East and college basketball. Ewing has yet to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament, and Georgetown has not made an appearance since the 2014-15 season.

Patrick Ewing’s career as a coach

After Patrick Ewing’s playing career finished in 2002, he got into coaching the next year. He started as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards for one season. He then became an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets from 2003-2006.

When Ewing left Houston, he returned to the team he lasted played for in the NBA. He was an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic from 2007-2012 and finished with the Charlotte Hornets from 2013-2017.

After being an assistant coach for 15 years in the NBA, Ewing shifted his focus to college basketball.

Returning back to Georgetown

Not too long after finishing his coaching career in the NBA, did Patrick Ewing find himself back at his college home. When Ewing became the head coach at Georgetown, the Georgetown community was excited to see what Ewing could do with the program.

Ewing played on the only Georgetown team to win a national championship in school history in 1984. Now, he can help coach a team to the promised land. But how has that been going for Ewing?

In his first season at Georgetown, the team had an overall record of 15-15 and went 5-13 in conference play. Ewing was able to get that experience in as a first-year coach and learn from the first season. The next year was an improvement with the team finishing the season with a winning record at 19-14 and finishing 9-9 in the Big East. Those are the steps that you want to see as a head coach.

This past season, Georgetown took a step back, ending the season with a 15-17 record and going 5-13 in the Big East. There was a point in time when Georgetown was one of the top teams in the Big East and a powerhouse in college basketball. With players like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson, the college basketball world knew Georgetown was a team that could win the national championship.

Patrick Ewing’s future at Georgetown

The last time that Georgetown won the Big East Tournament was in 2007. How long will Georgetown keep Patrick Ewing on board? A big thing for Ewing is being able to recruit. It’s not a question that he can attract top prospects solely on the fact of who he is and what he did in college and the NBA. But if Georgetown can’t produce winning seasons, they might have to look in a new direction for a head coach.

Ewing does have the potential to lead a Georgetown team to the NCAA Tournament if he can continue to make the right strides each season.