Players happy with new coach

Seconds after John Thompson III finished his acceptance speech as Georgetown basketball coach, the Hoyas’ returning players gave him a standing ovation.

The reaction spoke volumes. It’s a new era on the Hilltop and the players’ smiles reflected their ringing endorsement that Thompson is the right man to restore the program to national prominence.

Although more than a month has passed since Craig Esherick was fired, the players obviously had a sense of relief that the dismal days of Georgetown basketball may now be behind them.

Hoyas point guard Ashanti Cook noted the division on last season’s 13-15 team. “Some of the players felt it wasn’t the same kind of ballgame — two different philosophies of basketball pretty much [between players and coach]. Craig Esherick is a good coach and he’s a good guy, too. But I guess things just weren’t working out so it was time for change.”

Thompson, the eldest son of Hall of Fame coach John Thompson, met briefly with the team yesterday morning and told the players he plans to return Georgetown to the powerhouse it was in the 1980s, when his towel-chomping father established the Hoyas as one of the nation’s premier teams.

“In the meeting, he basically said he wanted to work hard for the program and get back to the old Georgetown days of the ’80s,” Cook said. “It wasn’t that long of a meeting where we could connect, so we have to get in the gym and see how he works with the players.”

The Hoyas are coming off their first losing season in more than 30 years, and their nine straight defeats to end the season set a modern school record. After opening the season 10-0, the Hoyas lost 15 of their final 18 games and barely made the Big East tournament as the 12th and final seed. The lowest point came Feb.18 at Madison Square Garden, when the Hoyas lost 65-58 to a scandal-depleted St. John’s team that featured a slew of walk-ons.

“I was ecstatic — I was so happy. I was excited. It’s an opportunity to play for John Thompson III and I’m looking forward to it,” said sophomore forward Brandon Bowman, Georgetown’s top returning scorer at 15.9 points, when he heard that Thompson would be Georgetown’s 17th coach.

Of all the Hoyas, the 6-foot-8 Bowman is probably the happiest that Esherick is gone. Because Esherick failed to recruit any viable big men, Bowman was forced to play out of position at power forward all season instead of his customary position on the wing.

Bowman was punished all season by the Big East’s much taller and heavier post players and became the fall guy whenever Georgetown was beaten on the glass. After the St. John’s debacle, Bowman was visibly irritated with his team’s performance, created a minor postgame disturbance in the locker room and had to be calmed down by assistant coaches Chuck Driesell and Jaren Jackson. Mike Sweetney went through a similar situation the previous season and subsequently left early to become an NBA lottery pick.

At Princeton, Thompson employed the same classic pick-and-roll basketball that Pete Carril taught him as a player. In four seasons, Thompson’s Tigers dethroned Pennsylvania as the Ivy League’s top team.

The Hoyas are very familiar with Thompson and his style. The past two seasons Georgetown scrimmaged Princeton in closed-door sessions. Thompson undoubtedly will modify his game for the Big East. Given how poorly the Hoyas’ halfcourt offense executed last season, a back-to-basics approach seems likely.