Georgetown opens doors to Pinoys

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Georgetown University coach emeritus and Hall of Famer John Thompson said the other day if there’s a Filipino talent worth his salt waiting to be discovered, he’ll welcome the prospect to the Hoyas varsity.

Thompson and son John III, now Georgetown head coach, met a group of media from 10 countries, including the Philippines, during Nike’s Kevin Durant KD VI shoe launch tour. The visitors were unaware that the Thompsons would be at the McDonough Gymnasium when they walked into the facility which was inaugurated in 1952 on the Georgetown campus. It was one of the pleasant surprises that Nike sprang on the media in the two-day program.

Banners heralding the Hoyas’ achievements were on the gym rafters. Georgetown won the NCAA title in 1984, beating the University of Houston in the finals, 84-75, to make Thompson the first African-American to capture a major collegiate basketball championship. Under Thompson’s watch, the Hoyas went to three Final Fours and won six Big East Tournament crowns. Thompson, now 71, compiled a record of 596-239 as a coach from 1972 to 1999. On one wall in the gym are hung the framed NBA jerseys of Georgetown players like Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Pat Ewing, Allen Iverson, Greg Monroe, Reggie Williams and Sleepy Floyd.

“Basketball has evolved into a global game,” Thompson told The Star. “With the Hoyas, we’re constantly on the lookout for players who can make our program stronger. Are there Filipinos qualified to play for Georgetown? I don’t mean some, I mean just one. If there’s one Filipino whom you think can make it, give me his name and we’ll welcome him to Georgetown.”

Thompson said he is aware of how popular basketball is in the Philippines. Two former Georgetown players Vernon Macklin and Henry Sims suited up in the PBA last conference. “Sure, I know Macklin,” said Thompson referring to the former Detroit Piston who played two years at Georgetown before moving to the University of Florida. “There’s a guy named Reid who just showed up in the gym and he’s supposed to be playing in the Philippines this year.” Thompson couldn’t recall Reid’s first name – he thought it was Melvin – but he could be Rain Or Shine import Arizona Reid. He said he came close once to becoming an NBA head coach but in the end, chose to stay in the NCAA. Thompson was Boston’s third round pick in the 1964 draft and played for the Celtics in 1964-66. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1999. Thompson coached the US basketball squad to a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Thompson, who was born and raised in this US capital city, said Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant used to work out at Georgetown when he was growing up. His son said Durant came under the Georgetown radar when he was in eighth grade. “I can’t understand how we lost him to the University of Texas,” said Thompson. “He’s from D. C. like us (his hometown Seat Pleasant, Maryland, is considered part of Metro Washington, D. C.). We would’ve liked him to play at Georgetown. He still comes around to work out. Kevin’s such a wonderful player and person, humble, hard-working and extremely talented.”

Thompson said Nike’s involvement with Durant is a testament to his character. “I’m in the Nike Board of Directors, not just for basketball but for the whole thing,” he said. “For what Kevin has done and stands for, he deserves his own shoe.”

Asked why Georgetown’s basketball program is so successful, Thompson replied with one word “poverty,” meaning the school opens its doors primarily to inner-city youth for the chance to make something out of their lives through sports. His son said the program benefits from an impressive cast of high school coaches all over the Metro D. C. area producing collegiate prospects.

Thompson said Georgetown isn’t just a factory that produces top-notch centers like Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo and Roy Hibbert. “We’ve also produced stars like Iverson, Floyd and Jeff Green,” he said. “Don’t ask whom I think is the greatest center we’ve produced because that’s like asking who’s my favorite child. But I’ll admit the one player who has improved the most in his NBA career is Hibbert. I remember when Hibbert came to Georgetown, I was sitting on the bench with Red Auerbach and asked what the heck this clown was doing in our gym.”

Thompson said he’s partial to centers who are aggressive and physical. “I like Marc (Gasol) more than Pau because I think he’s more of a center than Pau who’s a better perimeter player,” he said. His son declined to comment on the trades recently announced in the NBA, adding that he expects even more transactions before making a definitive analysis on which teams wound up with the best deals.