John Thompson Jr 1941-2020

[guru]

Aug 31, 2020 12:27:54 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/31/john-thompson-catalyst-change/

As usual, Boswell nails it. Anecdote about sitting in the Cambridge gym with JT while he watched high school Ewing play? Boz is a DC treasure.

[DanMcQ]

[cthoya16]

When I started at Georgetown in 2014 I used to see Coach Thompson in McDonough before my practices (for a different varsity sport), he would be certain to always say “good morning son or have a great practice” to me every time I’d seen him. Just a small act of kindness from him but it made my day many of times. Rip coach we will miss you

[hoyavafan1]

RIP Coach Thompson

[hoyalove4ever]

Feinstein actually with some pretty comments about Coach on Grant and Danny.

[DanMcQ]

[SSHoya]

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/31/john-thompson-dies/

[DanMcQ]

[DanMcQ]

[jctnhoya4ever]

Rip Coach Thompson 🙏

[hoyaduck]

Hard to believe. RIP to the Hoya legend. There are no words to describe how we as a Georgetown community owe you and thank you for everything you did for our university.

[Deleted]

Aug 31, 2020 12:03:50 GMT -5 guru said:

Aug 31, 2020 12:02:29 GMT -5 hoyafansinceewingera said:

LOL!

That one might be my favorite so far...

Yeah, Jamarko's is a pretty good one especially since you really don't want to end up on Benning Road.  Cause ending up on Benning Road might be your end.  LOL!

[RusskyHoya]

Aug 31, 2020 12:48:09 GMT -5 hoyalove4ever said:

Feinstein actually with some pretty comments about Coach on Grant and Danny.

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/31/john-thompson-feinstein/

The past few years, we talked often, usually when I was seeking guidance or advice. Two years ago, when I wanted to do a book about race in sports but had no idea how to structure or even start the book, I went to see John. I explained my problem.

He looked at me for a moment then laughed that deep, unforgettable laugh. “You might as well try to explain the Holy Trinity,” he said. Then he turned serious and said, “Which is why it’s a book you absolutely have to do.”

I’m working on it now. There’s a lot of work left and I’m still not sure where to begin. But at the very least, I have the dedication: “To John Thompson, who taught me about basketball; about how to listen and learn; about race relations and about life.”

[RusskyHoya]

[hoya95]

The only time I ever actually met him was when I got his autograph when I was four years old, and I'm not sure where I'd be without John Thompson. I certainly wouldn't have gone to Georgetown at least. So I can't imagine his influence on the lives he actually touched. To be born to parents who couldn't read or write in a segregated city and then to go on and build the legacy he built is just stunning. He was an oak tree of a man in every sense. His influence will be seen and felt long after the rest of us are gone. RIP.

[Nevada Hoya]

Just saw the news here. Not the news I wanted to hear. Coach was in my prayers when I knew he was in the hospital. I saw him for the first time with the Carroll team in the KofC tournament in 1961. The next time was at the GU-UNLV game, and I was allowed (by Coach) to watch some of their practice a day before the game. My wife and I met him at the John Carroll Awards weekend, when he and JTIII were present at the bball reunion. I remember Coach graciously apologizing to my wife for not getting up when he greeted her, as his knees were bothering him at the time. He will be greatly missed by me and the Georgetown community and people, I would assume, all over the world. My he rest in peace.

[SSHoya]

Nobody knew it at the time, but college basketball needed John Thompson more than John Thompson needed college basketball. He could have remained in the high-school coaching ranks in Washington, D.C., winning games and influencing lives, but the college game needed someone strong enough to sledgehammer the status quo into rubble.

www.si.com/college/2020/08/31/john-thompson-death-georgetown-legacy?fbclid=IwAR1RGJ5cgcZkooqahI8uzAAaNqoiFxxHpwIUylKeGDjSPOP1dBAl3H1TWCE

[wsdhoya]

At a time like this and given the passing of John Thompson, Georgetown basketball and the university as a whole must honor his legacy by living up to its 1980s identity of working towards social justice, and taking a leading roll in the fight for change. Georgetown basketball must once again be a beacon of hope and opportunity for athletes and fans alike, who see through the example of John Thompson Jr the importance of education, steadfast values, and fighting for the underprivileged. In doing this, Georgetown can rise to prominence again, not only off the court, but on the court as well. Hoya Saxa, and rest in peace JT.

[x-centercourt400s]

John Thompson Had a Glare That Could Melt Concrete and a Laugh That Could Move Mountains, by Charles Pierce, Esquire

"Stubborn, infuriating, charming, principled, with a glare that could melt concrete and a laugh that could move mountains, a child of segregation and an unashamed capitalist, a coach who turned a moribund program into both a national champion and a national cultural touchstone in a troubled time, John Thompson contained multitudes."


www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a33851607/john-thompson-dead-78-georgetown-coach-obituary/

[saxagael]

Aug 31, 2020 10:54:04 GMT -5 guru said:

Aug 31, 2020 9:31:15 GMT -5 michaelgrahamfan said:

He personified respect. He was a man of his word. When I was at GU the endowment was down to next to nothing. This was right after his first NCAA appearance. The basketball program saved the university from financial ruin. Look where it is today. What more can you say?

Is that accurate about the endowment and the basketball program impact? I'd never heard that.

I heard that from Admins at other East Coast schools about Thompson, not only saving Georgetown from financial problems, but he completely changed its course to have the ability to become a top school anywhere.

I had professors who went to rival universities and talked about Georgetown being not much more than a rich kid polo university with a great foreign service school, but not much else academically to mention. They talk about how Thompson changed the financial fortune by winning and drawing attention. The applications rates sky rocketed, but the quality of students also drastically improved as Georgetown could be far more selective. As I was getting ready to attend Georgetown for grad school in '93 I was talking to people in the political world about living in the DC area and internships and they all were repeating the same stories. They compared Georgetown less than favorably academically to Holy Cross, Seton Hall, Colgate, etc. in the late 70s and up until Thompson won it all.