Touching tributes from Fred Hoiberg and about a dozen other NCAA coaches this week ... they all took the sidelines with a commemorative towels around their shoulders to pay homage to the late John Thompson.
Nearly 4 months after the iconic Georgetown coach died at 78 years old ... the National Association of Basketball Coaches initiated the honor -- and so far, it's been awesome.
Hoiberg broke out his towel Tuesday night in Nebraska's game against Maryland, and you can see it featured a photo of Thompson over a black background.
Other star coaches -- like Florida State's Leonard Hamilton and Virginia's Tony Bennett -- also sported the towels this week.