Coach John Thompson

Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Eric “Sleepy” Floyd and Allen Iverson. All former Georgetown University Hoyas. The man responsible for their growth as men and basketball players on and off the court passed away on September 1, 2020. 

The man needs no introduction...the first African-American to win an NCAA championship. Countless trips to the final four and the NCAA tournament. Becoming champions in 1984 with Patrick Ewing starting at the five.

The aforementioned players are all enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Thompson himself was inducted into the hall in 1999.

At a towering 6’10”, he won two titles with the Boston Celtics in 1964 and 1965 serving as back-up to the great Bill Russell. He was not just a coach but a father figure to the players who played for him. He coached and developed two NBA number one draft picks in Ewing and Iverson. Iverson credits Thompson for “saving his life”.

He was a towering presence on the sidelines, with a towel on his right shoulder, giving instructions to his players and encouraging them to do more than what is asked.

With all due respect to the late great Chadwick Boseman, Thompson, to me, is the real Black Panther.