Jack DeGioia's Comments in London

[DoffBHoya]

This feels like it deserves its own thread.
hilltophoops.substack.com/p/jack-degioia-comments-on-georgetown-basketball

[hoyasaxa2003]

Jack saying he's known Ewing since he was 18 just illustrates the problem. Jack is a member of the "family," and thus, is not going to take any action to change things. He certainly won't do anything bold like hiring a good coach like Pitino. He only acted in 2004 and 2017 because the Board forced him into it, and apathy has reached such heights at this point that I don't think there's enough concern about the program to cause a groundswell to force him into any action. And even if Jack does act in March if we go winless or near winless, he'll just turn around and hire somebody like Amaker or Jones that is utterly uninspired and gives us little chance to win.

I truly find this sickening. It makes me not even want to bother to watch the games (though I will still watch), as this is Jack basically confirming he has no desire to win, be competitive, or put the program in a place where we are anything but a sideshow for the university to allow one of its most famous alumni make a ton of money while keeping the program in the family. Because, you know, that's the only option.

I really think our university needs a massive change of leadership. His awful stewardship of the program, including authorizing the negligent and possibly reckless Ewing extension in 2021, makes me wonder what other horrible management he's been engaged in over recent years that I am simply not aware of.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

THis is a really depressing take. How is Georgetown different than Creighton, Butler, Xavier and every other team except maybe Uconn in the entire Big East when it comes to NIL? How is the on the court product in the first 11 games acceptable? He left himself a tiny bit of an out when he talked about seeing how we have progressed during the regular season. If we put up 2 to 4 wins, I hope to God he doesn't see that as improvement.

He is blaming the new landscape of transfers and NIL as the problem. Yes we probably aren't pushing the envelope like the top ten to twenty programs in the country but we also are lacking any really vision here. How do you get caught with your proverbial pants around your ankles not seeing this coming. Last year we put out a team of freshman who were playing against 6th year seniors. How did that work out? Now you put out an all transfer team in an era when not only being old, but also being experienced TOGETHER really matters. The results are obvious. Patrick isn't developing the talent he brings in as freshman and the wholesale roster changes which he has already alluded to this year are of his own doing. Give me a break!

[cas92]

Dec 16, 2022 10:10:43 GMT -5 ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

He is blaming the new landscape of transfers and NIL as the problem. Yes we probably aren't pushing the envelope like the top ten to twenty programs in the country but we also are lacking any really vision here. How do you get caught with your proverbial pants around your ankles not seeing this coming. Last year we put out a team of freshman who were playing against 6th year seniors. How did that work out? Now you put out an all transfer team in an era when not only being old, but also being experienced TOGETHER really matters. The results are obvious. Patrick isn't developing the talent he brings in as freshman and the wholesale roster changes which he has already alluded to this year are of his own doing. Give me a break!

NIL (or lack thereof) doesn't seem to impair Pitino @ Iona - the explicit abandonment of accountability from all corridors @ the Hilltop isn't just alarming, but an abject and pointed insult to any and all concerned.

[Elvado]

Will the last person to leave please turn off the lights, or at least pay a Thompson crony an outrageous sum to do so?

A fish rots from the head and Jack just told us so.

[hoyasaxa2003]

Part of his remarks:

"But Patrick is being asked to do something in a new context, and he’s doing it at Georgetown— we’re pretty strict about the rules. And he— he wouldn’t— he is so, so proud to be a part of Georgetown and to be in the role that he is in. No one has been working harder to turn this thing around than him. And if it can be done, I think he can do it. We have some work in front of us, but we put a good deal of support around him. We did build a new training center that we opened in 2016, it’s the John Thompson Intercollegiate Athletics Center and it has a new home for women’s basketball and men’s basketball and locker rooms and training rooms and everything for everybody else."

Quick rebuttals:
- All 363 Division I basketball teams' coaches are "being asked to do something in a new context."

- "we're pretty strict about the rules." Fine, but even if we are stricter about NIL rules for now, how does that explain that we have a defense ranked in the 200s? Or guys who transfer out every year? It's a deflection.

- "And if it can be done, I think he can do it." Taken literally, DeGioia is saying here that if Patrick Ewing fails, it's not his fault, but rather the system. And nobody else could do it, so why make any change? This is nonsense. Many other schools and coaches with no NIL and very few resources do better than we do. Schools like Iona are not bringing in tons of money with NIL.

- "We have some work in front of us..." Correct "We have a ton of work in front of us because Patrick Ewing and Jack DeGioia and Ronny Thompson have decimated our program."

- I have no idea what the relevance of the TAC is, other than him bragging about building a building and trying to confuse alumni who don't know any better.

[Elvado]

It is good to know that he can be scared crapless of the Thompson machine on both sides of the pond.

If anyone can do it , it is Ewing?

Good God, Jack.

[RockawayHoya]

The following comment isn't meant to be tongue-in-cheek at all.

How do you force out a dictator?

Dictators consolidate power over time by surrounding themselves with people they can control. Dictators will do whatever it takes to remain in power, even if it means making unpopular and/or harmful decisions that aren't in the best interest of the people they serve (or is preside over in this instance?). They make sure that any challenge to their power will be quashed and met with some type of consequence. And that's just the nature of any coup; you can't have a revolution without shedding some blood.

There is a laundry list of grievances that I won't go into detail here. The state of the basketball program is just one of them.

I'm sure there's a lot of people that would like to speak up and voice displeasure. People in high places, people in low places. But I'm legitimately asking, what do you need to do to force out a dictator? Because that's what we have here, not a "university president." And I'm afraid the problem facing the program won't be solved by simply replacing the current staff.

[hoyatransfer]

Does Jack understand how incompetent this answer makes him look? Let’s pretend most of that wasn’t a non-sequitir: While serving in his NCAA capacity, it’s like he had no clue they’d get walloped at SCOTUS and/or just chose or ignore the patchwork of state laws that were coming into place. Whether or not Congress SHOULD act is a matter we can debate and disagree on; whether or not Congress was GOING to act is something a freshman government major probably could have figured out on their own: of course not—be it lack of interest, other priorities, or knowing you couldn’t quickly get 60 votes in the Senate—this was never, ever going to happen in that timeframe. Hell, Jack can pick up the phone and get his call answered by Ron Klain and Durban (#2 Dem and alum) and they would have told him the same thing.

Then, in his capacity as leader of Georgetown, what did he do? Nothing, or very little and not fast enough. It’s the equivalent of applying for one job, not hearing back for a while, and sitting at home unemployed waiting for someone else to act. To be clear, I’m not expecting Jack to do a ton of the leg work at Georgetown, but you have to get the ball rolling. Empower athletics to drive the issue and come up with ideas and a format, learn from other schools, etc. But, as usual, we didn’t do our science project so we’re prepping a “rocks on my block” project on the way to school on the day of the science fair.

To the actual basketball answer: we’re screwed. Jack would rather the ship sink because he loves the captain who ran us into an iceberg instead of calling for lifeboats. The only thing worse than ignorance is awareness and just making a conscious effort to do nothing. Glad the alum asked the question…Jack should be asked this at every fundraiser along with the follow-up of “what if things continue on their current trajectory and don’t improve?” If you’re gonna be asked to cut what I’m sure isn’t an insignificant sum, I think you’re owed an answer to that.

[SSHoya]

Notice one thing Jack D failed to mention in his deflection? The one positive in Ewing's tenure - the Big East Tournament Championship. Perhaps because it inevitably leads to a discussion of Ewing's contract extension? Otherwise, he could have tried to spin it as demonstrating that Ewing possesses the coaching acumen to be successful.

[calhoya]

It's a basketball program, Jack. Ewing is not being asked to do anything unique or more difficult than is occurring at over 300 other schools. He is being asked to recruit, coach and maintain the school in compliance with the rules of the moment at the NCAA. He is not even expected to graduate kids. It's not unique.

What is most apparent from the embarrassing non-answer is that much more needs to change on the Hilltop than just the basketball coach.

[RBHoya]

It was probably unrealistic for anyone to expect JD to really say much negative about Ewing at this time or in that setting. I expect that he'll continue to say positive things about the coach until such point as we formally move on.

Still, nothing said there makes me feel any better at all. His default response in talking about how long the program has reported up to him feels very out of touch. It seems very obvious that he is too close with the Thompson inner circle, which biases him toward Ewing and Ronny in spite of the embarrassing results. It's also probably at the root of the absurd contract extension that Ewing got.

His whole diversion in talking about the NCAA, NIL, and the transfer portal is ridiculous too. He's trying to paint a picture of college basketball being the wild west and it's tough for little ol' Georgetown to compete with some of the shady schools throwing big money around. But it's BS. We ran off tons of guys last year and brought in one of the highest regarded transfer classes of anyone. We are playing the same game as everyone else, we just can't get out of our own way on the court. And pointing to the evolving landscape does not explain not being able to beat the Butlers and the Creightons and even the Depauls of the world last season, or the Americans and the LMUs of the world this year. I fully agree that we need to get our s--t together with regard to NIL (and new leadership for the program would likely help that), but I could have lived without several minutes on that topic and acting like it's the problem.

As hard as it might be for him to admit that his beloved Patrick stinks at the job, at some point you have to face reality. It's not NIL. It's not the transfer portal, or any other excuse. It's that we hired the wrong people to run the program, and we need new leadership.

[kbones17]

…and calling the non-conference schedule “preseason”?!!!! We are screwed…

[C86]

“No one has been working harder to turn this thing around than him. And if it can be done, I think he can do it. “

This is the Georgetown’s problem in a nutshell. A President who never worked anywhere else, says that a basketball coach who never would be hired anywhere else is just the guy to turn the program around, “if it can be done.” It’s like there is no world outside of Georgetown and solutions can only come from inside. And if those solutions fail, well, they tried and “it can’t be done.”

I do think it’s telling however that DiGioia spent so much time talking about the NCAA. I wonder if his time as chair has made him hesitant to make changes to the program in light of all the uncertainty about where college athletics is headed, and whether it offers a future to GU

[teddy16]

hey jack (just to remind you) we are 6 years in on a "turnaround" and the program is in fact weaker than its been in 50 years. there was a ton of BS and factually incorrect 'facts' in his non-answer rambling reply. 'knowing Ewing since he was 18???" (so what - even if true (which it isnt), just means you can't be objective - so, recuse yourself from future leadership decisions). he's been running the program since '85??? Cmon Jack- thats a ridiculous statement. However, it is true the Thompson clan could not have possibly found a better puppet than jack. no one works harder than Pat?? really - how different would the results be if Pat weren't working 'hard'? by the way, never confuse the difference between working 'smart' and working 'hard' the HC job at a major college hoops program is 'hard' if you are losing (and, yeah, Pat is doing that). his compensation @ $4mm seems fair to me (it should be his problem if his record doesnt justify the pay - Jack do not beg for others to support your poor decision). Jack has always taken the "GU is holier than thou" approach. Sorry, but thats not a safe defense. stop the pity party and excuse making and stop "scrEWING" up the program - you have the perfect rationale to recuse yourself - so do the proper thing and allow others on the board (hopefully - outside trustees - to make the decisions in the future)

[1427hoya]

The comments made me feel depressed. It just seems like he was outlining the framework for reducing the size and scope of the basketball program into something far outside of a major national program.

It felt like we're starting the process of walking away from basketball being big and more into a minor/small conference program.

It feels like we will read this statement in the future.

"We tried it with Patrick and he gave it his best. During his time leading the program, we learned Georgetown is not compatible with the current landscape of top NCAA basketball."

[hsaxon]

Dec 16, 2022 11:01:06 GMT -5 calhoya said:

It's a basketball program, Jack. Ewing is not being asked to do anything unique or more difficult than is occurring at over 300 other schools. He is being asked to recruit, coach and maintain the school in compliance with the rules of the moment at the NCAA. He is not even expected to graduate kids. It's not unique.

What is most apparent from the embarrassing non-answer is that much more needs to change on the Hilltop than just the basketball coach.

President DeGioia's comments are thoroughly unsatisfactory, a huge cop-out and arguably insulting to GU sports and basketball fans.  Good God, Jack, do you think you are speaking to eighth graders?

Time to write the Chairman of the Board.

[professorhoya]

Dec 16, 2022 11:42:35 GMT -5 1427hoya said:

The comments made me feel depressed. It just seems like he was outlining the framework for reducing the size and scope of the basketball program into something far outside of a major national program.

It felt like we're starting the process of walking away from basketball being big and more into a minor/small conference program.

It feels like we will read this statement in the future.

"We tried it with Patrick and he gave it his best. During his time leading the program, we learned Georgetown is not compatible with the current landscape of top NCAA basketball."

That’s the likely outcome if Locust Club is successful in ousting Ewing/Thompson and erasing them from history with a clean break. Less money will be spent on the program and maybe 200k for a head coach and we won’t even try. I guess that’s good for the football folks though as leaves possibility of more money funneled there.

[TC]

Dec 16, 2022 11:56:49 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

That’s the likely outcome if Locust Club is successful in ousting Ewing/Thompson and erasing them from history with a clean break. Less money will be spent on the program and maybe 200k for a head coach and we won’t even try. I guess that’s good for the football folks though as leaves possibility of more money funneled there.

Fine with that. It's the "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" approach. If you can't run one clean outside search in 50 years and throw up your hands that a guy who never coached anywhere before Georgetown failed and declare the whole thing unviable, the program doesn't deserve to exist.

I don't think it's the likely outcome.

[hoyasaxa2003]

Dec 16, 2022 11:56:49 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

That’s the likely outcome if Locust Club is successful in ousting Ewing/Thompson and erasing them from history with a clean break. Less money will be spent on the program and maybe 200k for a head coach and we won’t even try. I guess that’s good for the football folks though as leaves possibility of more money funneled there.

So in your mind, moving on from Ewing equals "erasing" Ewing and Thompson "from history?" So, the program has to have a Ewing or Thompson or other related "family" member into perpetuity? This is absurd. John Thompson has a building named after him! Nobody is forgetting him.

Frankly, if we are going to be horrible like we are now, ranked 165 of all D-1 programs, we could EASILY spend far less on a basketball coach, save money, and probably have a better result and better ranking than we have under Ewing anyway.

I really fail to see the "we need to keep Ewing because we spend money on him" argument when he is horrible and can barely win a game. What good is the money if it is wasted on someone who cannot coach? When you cease to be competitive, does it really matter whether you are spending money on the program? The program is essentially dead in its current incarnation. While it was not true when we made a move in 2017, at this point, it would be very hard to put the program in a worse position because we move on from Ewing or a Thompson.

In my mind, if Georgetown's position is that it no longer wants to field a competitive basketball program, it should make that decision and plan accordingly. And then all of us fans/alumni can decide if the program is worth our time anymore.