The Georgetown Hoyas fired head basketball coach John Thomson III on Thursday after 13 seasons with the program. The move was expected following a disastrous 14-18 2016-17 campaign.
But it now forces the school to look for a new head coach while its basketball program is mired a two-year slump without an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
In an interesting turn, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will be tasked with leading the search for a new head coach.
Georgetown search for a new men's hoops coach will be led by alum and former NFL commish Paul Tagliabue and AD Lee Reed, school announces.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 23, 2017
Tagliabue, who stepped down from his role as commissioner in 2006, is a Georgetown alum. He’s also the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the university, so it would stand to reason that he’d be involved in the decision-making process.
In 13 seasons as the program’s head coach, Thompson III led Georgetown to the NCAA Tournament eight times, posting a 278-151 record in the process. His father coached the Hoyas to prominence during a 27-year career that came to an end during the 1998-99 campaign.