I’m a fan of hot takes like any other person, but people who are calling for Patrick Ewing to be fired or that the “Ewing experiment” has run its course is quite frankly, ridiculous. This is what I get for reading Twitter I guess.
Let’s look at the facts.
Ewing came to Georgetown facing a program that was in total disarray. Ewing conceded that the program would need a total rebuild, declaring at his introductory press conference that “It’s a new era now.”
It has indeed been a new era. Ewing completely changed the offense, switching it from the sluggish Princeton-style offense JT3 employed to a uptempo offense that ranks as the 15th highest tempo in the country. That change in tempo could give you whiplash.
We’ve seen Govan emerge as a top player in the BIG EAST, thanks in part to the tutelage of Ewing. As the anchor of this year’s Georgetown team, Govan has been rated as the third-most efficient offensive player in college basketball. Some guy named Zion Williamson is just two spots above Govan. That’s pretty good company to be in.
Ewing’s first full recruiting class has already yielded key contributors like Mac McClung, James Akinjo, and Josh LeBlanc. The performance of all three this season thus far have spoken volumes, and there’s more time yet with all of them.
To spice this up with a hot take, I’d even say that (some elements of) Ewing’s gameplanning has been excellent. The initial game plan has been excellent, as evidenced by the quick leads the team takes. The problem is the different rotations and midgame adjustments that Ewing needs to fix. For example, against Xavier, Georgetown could not adjust to the zone to save their life. This comes with experience- Ewing had never been the head coach before, and likely had a very different job as a NBA assistant.
Ewing can only truly be evaluated after he has had the opportunity to build his roster top from bottom with people who he recruited. Only then can you see the efficacy of the system and of the culture he has sought to create.
I get it, losing games we were winning stinks, and we’ve done our fair share of that. We need to give Ewing time, both to develop as a coach and to develop his own program. The wins will come, and we know Ewing has won a lot in his day.
It’s absurd to argue that Ewing should be fired just a year and half into his tenure (and to be fair, sane Hoya fans are not arguing for that). He’s clearly been putting the work into recruiting, getting players who will work in the culture and system he wants, as well as building a stronger overall program.
Make no mistake about it, Ewing is putting this program on a upward trajectory. He’s a great ambassador for the program and the school. So can we chill with the hot takes? Yes? Please.
