After John Thompson Jr. took over as the head coach of the Georgetown men’s basketball team in 1972, he helped turn the program into a powerhouse, in the process producing numerous future NBA stars. While the Hoyas have certainly sent a number of elite guards to the NBA (e.g. Allen Iverson and Sleepy Flood), they are perhaps best known for their outstanding big men. In particular, two giants (literally) who stood out at both the college and later professional level were centers Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning; both were All-Americans at Georgetown, top NBA draft picks, and yearly All-Star/All-NBA performers – given their close Georgetown ties and later rivalry in the NBA, it is an inevitable comparison and question:
Who was better – Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Mourning?
Continue reading
