Remembering John Thompson

On Sunday August 30th, the basketball and sports world were struck with news of John Thompson’s passing. Thompson was a basketball player, a high school and college basketball coach, and a mentor for many big names of NBA history.

Thompson was drafted to the NBA to be a Boston Celtic, but quickly retired after two seasons, and found a new passion of his. Thompson obtained a job as a guidance counselor and head basketball coach for St. Anthony High School in Washington D.C. After his coaching in high school where he did an incredible job, not losing more than 30 games out of 150 he has coached in, Thompson moved up a level to coach for the Georgetown Hoyas. As coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, Thompson became the first black coach to win a national title in 1984, and that is just one way Thompson showed how good of Basketball coach he was. Upon arrival to the Georgetown, the Hoyas were coming off of a season of less than 5 wins in a season of 26 games. Thompson took that team and converted it into a team that consistently made the NCAA tournament, attracting talented players such as Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, Patrick Ewing, and Allen Iverson, big names that made it to the NBA.

Thompson is looked as not just a very successful coach, but a role model, mentor, and inspiration. Michael Wilbon, reporter for espn, said that “other than my father, and maybe a couple uncles, Big John was as impactful on my life as an adult man as anyone.” Dick Vitale, a sportscaster for espn that had the privilege of observing Thompson, said “[Thompson] was a father figure to many of these young kids.” Vitale also added “[Thomspon] was exuberant about [his players’] about their success later in life. He was about principles, he was about what was right.”

John Thompson tried his best to change the world for the better, and he did so, impacting so many lives of young men that could have took a wrong turn. We hope to see another follow by the blueprint Thompson set forth.