John Thompson, One Year Later
One year ago, former Georgetown coach John Thompson died at the age of 78. The death was announced overnight on August 31st.Archival CoverageOver his 78 years, Thompson (1941-2020) was a transformative figure in the history of Georgetown University and Washington, DC, an elder statesman and voice of conscience in the college basketball community in the two decades since he retired from coaching in 1999. Today's students were not even alive when Thompson was coaching the Hoyas, and can rely on video clips or references to his his posthumous autobiography, "I Came As A Shadow", for an idea of what he was all about. "My team wins a lot of games; I make a lot of money. When I'm 80 and look back, is that going to make me think of myself as a success? I don't think so," Thompson told The Post in 1984, a quote referenced in his obituary that day. "But if I change some things, even slightly, if I stand up on this platform I've been given and say, No, this is wrong, then maybe I will feel good about myself. I may not change anything, and I know I'm going to upset some people. But I can live with that." On September 9, we reported that "Burial was private. Georgetown has announced a virtual memorial for Oct. 3 with a public ceremony on campus to follow in 2021 as conditions allow." Like many things, time marches on and no public ceremony has yet been announced. If the John Thompson Center is a physical memorial of sorts, one measure of recognition would be just as lasting: create endowed scholarships to support outstanding students from the District of Columbia that study at Georgetown. Call it the John Thompson Scholarship Program. Philanthropic opportunities abound to recognize and honor a man who made education not just an opportunity, but as a call to action. Report:
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DeGioia Named To NCAA Constitutional Committee
Georgetown president and NCAA Board of Governors chair Jack DeGioia (C'79, G'95) was named to the pending NCAA constitutional convention to restructure the NCAA in the wake of numerous challenges to its operating structure.
"As the national landscape changes, college sports must also quickly adapt to become more responsive to the needs of college athletes and current member schools," DeGioia said in in a July 31 statement referencing the constitutional convention. "This effort will position the NCAA to continue providing meaningful opportunities for current college athletes and those for generations to come.""This is not about tweaking the model we have now," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "This is about wholesale transformation so we can set a sustainable course for college sports for decades to come. We need to stay focused on the thing that matters most, helping students be as successful as they can be as both students and athletes." Emmert has been under mounting criticism of his performance in the recent case of NCAA v. Alston, which opened the NCAA to non-cash compensation for academic-related purposes, and the disparity in varying state jurisdictions promoting name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments to athletes.
"Under the current structure, expectations for the Association vastly exceed its capabilities," said Robert Gates (G'74), a former president at Texas A&M and chancellor at William & Mary, who will lead the committee. "The NCAA has significant responsibility but little authority to fulfill those responsibilities."
The convention will take place in November.
NBA Notes
Following a strong showing in the NBA summer league, former Georgetown center Omer Yurtseven (C'20) has signed a two year deal with the Miami Heat.
Yurtseven averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds to open up the summer season for the Heat, which owned his rights in 2020-21. The two year, $3.5 million deal is a standard contract and not dependent on play in the developmental league to be executed, reports the Miami Herald.A 7-0 center, Yurtseven averaged 15.5 points as a senior in the 2019-20 season, his only season with the Hoyas.
In other NBA notes, forward Jamorko Pickett (C'21) signed what is known as an "Exhibit 10" agreement ith the Detroit Pistons. An Exhibit 10 agreement is not a contract for the main Pistons' roster, but is an invitation for six players to training camp with an opportunity for future consideration for what are known as "two-way" contracts, where players may be called up from a team's developmental league affiliate.
"Exhibit 10 deals are essentially one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contracts with built-in clauses enabling teams to convert them to two-way contracts so long as the conversion takes place prior to the beginning of the regular season," writes this link from Basketball News.com. "Otherwise, players on Exhibit 10 deals become non-guaranteed minimum deals. Exhibit 10 deals also feature bonuses of between $5,000 and $50,000 that kick in if the player is waived and they report to the team's G League affiliate for at least 60 days."
Georgetown's two NBA veterans are both on the move. Otto Porter (ex'15) has signed a minimum deal with the Golden State Warriors, while Jeff Green (C'12) has agreed to a two year, $10 million agreement with the Denver Nuggets. Denver would become the 11th different NBA stop for Green since he was drafted in 2007, one team short of the NBA record.