I have my reservations as to whether Ewing will be able to recruit and adjust from the NBA to the college game. Make no mistakes, those are serious risks. But I believe they are largely outweighed by the potential upside. It is hard to imagine another candidate with the same depth and breadth of exposure to some of the biggest legends in the history of the game.
Think about the great coaches Patrick has played or coached with throughout his youth, college, NBA and team USA experiences: Leo Papille, Mike Jarvis, John Thompson Jr., Bob Knight, George Raveling, Don Donoher, C.M. Newton, Hubie Brown, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley, Chuck Daly, Mike Krzyzewski, PJ Carlesimo, Lenny Wilkins, Don Nelson, Jeff Van Gundy, Doc Rivers, Doug Collins, Stan Van Gundy, and Steve Clifford.
Or the teammates he's played with like Rod Strickland, Mark Jackson, Anthony Mason, Bernard King, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan.
Or the players he's coached like Tyronn Lue, Jerry Stackhouse, Yao Ming, Mark Jackson, Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, JJ Redick, Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Martin Gortat, Jason Richardson, Glen Davis, Al Harrington, Cody Zeller, Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson, Noah Vonleh, and Jeremy Lamb.
Fact is, there are very, very few people out there with a basketball network anything close to that. There are even fewer with such strong Georgetown bloodlines. When you add in the fact that from all accounts Patrick has a sharp basketball mind, is well-regarded from an Xs and Os perspective, is keenly aware that recruiting will be his biggest challenge, has a reputation for working hard and always striving to improve, and known for connecting well with teammates and players, it seems like it is well worth the risk.
