It's the end of an era at Georgetown.
In the past 45 years, the Hoyas have had a Thompson leading the program for 40 seasons. John Thompson Jr. was the head coach from 1972-1999, before being replaced by longtime assistant Craig Esherick midway through the 1998-99 season. Esherick was fired in 2004, and in stepped John Thompson III, Thompson Jr.'s oldest son.
Thompson III brought winning back to Washington, D.C., very quickly, going to the Sweet 16 in his second season and the Final Four in his third. He went to the NCAA tournament in seven of his first nine seasons, but has not made it to the second weekend of the tourney since that Final Four run in 2007.
Things quickly fell off in the past four years. Georgetown has been to just one NCAA tournament in that span, and have stood by as Maryland and Villanova have gone into the Washington area and consistently out-recruited the Hoyas for local prospects. A 14-18 campaign this past season and a first-round Big East tournament exit had Thompson on the hot seat, and then L.J. Peak left for the NBA and top recruit Tremont Waters requested his release from his letter of intent.
Georgetown had to make a decision, and on Thursday, the Hoyas decided to part ways with Thompson -- and end an era that lasted more than four decades. Where will they turn to for their next head coach?
Job description
On the surface, Georgetown should be a sought-after job. The location is excellent for recruiting purposes, with the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area producing a long list of high-major prospects every year. There's a brand-new practice facility that opened last summer, and the Hoyas have plenty of past success and NBA players to reference as part of their tradition.
But there's the John Thompson Jr. shadow looming over the program and that's going to be the reason for pause among potential coaching candidates. Big John has been a constant in the locker room and at practices and games ever since he left as head coach, and his presence hasn't waned even as his son struggled the past few years. The big question moving forward is how involved he will be with the next head coach?
This has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, jobs in the Big East under the right coach.
Take a swing at ...
Mike Brey, Notre Dame: Brey would be a home-run hire for Georgetown. The Bethesda, Maryland, native has plenty of experience in the area, both as a player at George Washington and as an assistant coach at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland before moving to the college ranks as an assistant at Duke. Since taking over at Notre Dame, Brey has led the Fighting Irish to the NCAA tournament in 12 of 17 seasons. They went to the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016, and were bounced by West Virginia in the second round this season.
Shaka Smart, Texas: Could Smart return to the region that made him one of the hottest coaches in college basketball for several years? Before leaving for Texas two years ago, Smart led VCU to five straight NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four run in 2011. He still has cache in the area. This season at Texas was a struggle, but Smart did win 20 games his first season in Austin a year ago. Smart would be a headline hire, and would reignite the fan base with his energy and style of play.
Keep it in the family
Patrick Ewing, Charlotte Hornets assistant: If there's a hire that would keep it in the family, Ewing is the obvious name. He won a national title with Georgetown in 1984 and helped the program get momentum under Thompson Jr. He then had a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, mostly with the New York Knicks. He has bounced around the NBA coaching ranks as an assistant coach since retiring as a player, but hasn't been able to get a head coaching job. Would he move back to college? Does Georgetown want to move entirely away from the Thompson era?
More realistic
Tommy Amaker, Harvard: Amaker hasn't shown much interest in leaving Cambridge the past few years, but perhaps Georgetown could convince him. He's a Virginia native that has been a head coach since 1997, starting at Seton Hall, then Michigan and now Harvard. He led the Crimson to four straight NCAA tournaments from 2012-15, winning a first-round game in both 2013 and 2014.
Ed Cooley, Providence: Cooley is a New England guy through and through, but Georgetown would be a step up from Providence. He has head coaching experience in the Big East, and has done a tremendous job since taking over the Friars. Cooley has led them to four straight NCAA tournaments, and did his best job yet this season by getting the Friars back to the Big Dance despite losing Kris Dunn to the NBA after last season.
Johnny Dawkins, UCF: Dawkins' stock took a hit after getting fired at Stanford for a couple of down seasons, but he has led UCF to a 12-win turnaround since taking over last spring. The Knights are 24-11 and heading to the NIT Final Four. Dawkins has experience recruiting to places with higher academics, with eight seasons as a head coach at Stanford and a decade as an assistant at Duke. He's also born and raised in Washington.
Dan Hurley, Rhode Island: A New Jersey guy who's very comfortable in the Northeast, Hurley is the son of legendary high school coach Bob Hurley and the brother of Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley. The pedigree is there. Hurley has been mentioned on the coaching carousel the past couple of springs, but he hasn't left Rhode Island for greener pastures yet. The Rams reached the NCAA tournament this season and beat Creighton, and have won 65 games the past three seasons.
Frank Martin, South Carolina: Martin doesn't have any specific ties to the D.C. area, but he's experienced in various regions and can recruit different levels. He went to the NCAA tournament in four of five seasons at Kansas State, and has South Carolina in the Sweet 16 this season after winning 25 games a year ago. He's a high-intensity guy, and would completely change the energy level within the program.
Richard Pitino, Minnesota: What a difference one year makes. Last spring, Pitino was on the hot seat after winning just eight games. This season, though, Pitino led the Golden Gophers to a 24-10 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance -- and could be looking to move up. His brother, Ryan, attended Georgetown, so the familiarity is there. His father, Rick Pitino, has plenty of juice in coaching searches, which can't hurt Richard's chances.
Backups
We were going to include names like Florida Gulf Coast's Joe Dooley and Monmouth's King Rice, but we don't think it gets that far. Georgetown might miss on a few big names, but there are plenty of high-major coaches who will jump for it.
Recommendation: Ed Cooley. He has experience in the league, he has shown he can get players, but can also win when the talent isn't elite. Cooley would turn Georgetown around quickly.
Prediction: Tommy Amaker. He has a great reputation and has landed multiple top-100 prospects at Harvard. This would be a good fit for both parties.