John Thompson, the towering Georgetown men’s basketball coach for 27 seasons who was also a U.S. Olympic head coach, has died at age 78, according to Providence College, where Thompson played.
Thompson, hired by Georgetown from St. Anthony’s High School in D.C. in 1972, inherited a 3-23 team.
Starting in 1975, the Hoyas made 24 straight postseason appearances. During that stretch, they won the 1984 NCAA title and finished runner-up twice, all with Patrick Ewing, who is now Georgetown’s head coach.
Thompson, unmistakable at 6 feet, 10 inches and working games and practices with a white towel draped over his right shoulder, also coached future NBA All-Stars Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Sleepy Floyd.