Patrick Ewing to formally interview for Georgetown job

Patrick Ewing is an obvious candidate at Georgetown, and now he’s getting a formal interview.

Upon John Thompson III being let go as Georgetown men’s basketball coach, alum and former NBA star Patrick Ewing was immediately put at the top of the list of candidates to take over. So it was no surprise he was going to be considered for the job, and it came down to if Ewing has interest in coaching at his alma mater.

Ewing currently serves as associate head coach of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, who take on the Washington Wizards on the road Tuesday night. Since he’ll be in the area, if an interview with Georgetown is imminent it may make sense to happen quickly.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical/Yahoo! Sports, after phone conversations with school officials and the search firm that is being used, Ewing will have a formal, face-to-face, interview for the Georgetown job on Monday. While a hiring may or may not be imminent, Ewing has apparently been doing some due diligence in preparation for the possibility he will get the job.

Sources: Ewing has spent week identifying potential candidates to pursue as part of a high-level, experienced college coaching staff.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 3, 2017

Ewing has been an NBA assistant coach for the last 15 seasons, and he has become an increasingly viable head coaching candidate at that level. He publicly expressed interest in coaching the New York Knicks around a year ago, and he was also a reported candidate for the Sacramento Kings’ job before Dave Joerger was hired.

The Thompson surname is obviously synonymous with Georgetown basketball. For what it’s worth, John Thompson Jr., Ewing’s college coach, is reportedly a strong proponent of Ewing’s candidacy.

Ewing has long wanted an NBA head coaching job, but Georgetown is a unique opportunity for him that may be hard to turn down. An offer seems likely, if Ewing wants the job.