St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Mourns the Passing of John Thompson, Jr.
8/31/2020 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Legendary Georgetown head coach and college basketball pioneer passed away at the age of 78
QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's joins Georgetown University, the rest of the BIG EAST Conference and the entire college basketball world in mourning the passing of legendary head coach John Thompson Jr., who passed away on Monday at the age of 78
"Big John," who led the Hoyas to three Final Fours and the 1984 national championship, was one of the hall of fame coaches who built the BIG EAST into the nation's best basketball conference during its infancy, guiding Georgetown to those three Final Fours in a four-year span from 1982-85.
"It's certainly a big, big loss for basketball," said Lou Carnesecca, former St. John's Head Coach and fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee. "He's really a giant and of course a legend of his time. What he did for Georgetown was unbelievable. They always had a good reputation, but he was able to propel them to another level. He got good players, but he didn't louse them up. He got the most out of his players and when you played John you had to come out with your hands up, you couldn't play with your hands in your pocket.
"We had great games. The games we had were real classics. The Garden used to really jump. Of course the game probably everybody remembers is when he upstaged me by coming over to wish me luck before the game and then opened up his jacket and there was a replica of my sweater. That was a dagger to the heart, not only did he upstage me but he won the ballgame."
A three-time National Coach of the Year, three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year and six-time BIG EAST Tournament Champion, Thompson became the first Black head coach to win a national championship in 1984.
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of John Thompson Jr.," said St. John's Head Coach Mike Anderson. "Coach Thompson famously said that he wasn't the first Black coach capable of winning a national championship, he was just the first Black coach given the opportunity to get there. Coach Thompson paved the way for so many Black coaches, myself included, to reach the highest levels of the game. He was a Hall of Fame coach, a man everyone looked up to and a lifelong mentor to all of his players. The imprint Coach Thompson has left on the BIG EAST Conference and the entire college basketball world will forever be remembered. He will be missed greatly by all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thompson Family during these difficult times."
Thompson, a native of Washington, D.C., played his college basketball at Providence, winning an NIT championship with the Friars in 1963, before being selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1964 NBA Draft. Following a brief NBA career that included two titles in as many seasons, Thompson coached high school basketball in the District for six years before taking over at Georgetown in 1972. From 1975-1998, the Hoyas never missed a postseason under Thompson's tutelage.
"Big John," who led the Hoyas to three Final Fours and the 1984 national championship, was one of the hall of fame coaches who built the BIG EAST into the nation's best basketball conference during its infancy, guiding Georgetown to those three Final Fours in a four-year span from 1982-85.
"It's certainly a big, big loss for basketball," said Lou Carnesecca, former St. John's Head Coach and fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee. "He's really a giant and of course a legend of his time. What he did for Georgetown was unbelievable. They always had a good reputation, but he was able to propel them to another level. He got good players, but he didn't louse them up. He got the most out of his players and when you played John you had to come out with your hands up, you couldn't play with your hands in your pocket.
"We had great games. The games we had were real classics. The Garden used to really jump. Of course the game probably everybody remembers is when he upstaged me by coming over to wish me luck before the game and then opened up his jacket and there was a replica of my sweater. That was a dagger to the heart, not only did he upstage me but he won the ballgame."
A three-time National Coach of the Year, three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year and six-time BIG EAST Tournament Champion, Thompson became the first Black head coach to win a national championship in 1984.
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of John Thompson Jr.," said St. John's Head Coach Mike Anderson. "Coach Thompson famously said that he wasn't the first Black coach capable of winning a national championship, he was just the first Black coach given the opportunity to get there. Coach Thompson paved the way for so many Black coaches, myself included, to reach the highest levels of the game. He was a Hall of Fame coach, a man everyone looked up to and a lifelong mentor to all of his players. The imprint Coach Thompson has left on the BIG EAST Conference and the entire college basketball world will forever be remembered. He will be missed greatly by all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thompson Family during these difficult times."
Thompson, a native of Washington, D.C., played his college basketball at Providence, winning an NIT championship with the Friars in 1963, before being selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1964 NBA Draft. Following a brief NBA career that included two titles in as many seasons, Thompson coached high school basketball in the District for six years before taking over at Georgetown in 1972. From 1975-1998, the Hoyas never missed a postseason under Thompson's tutelage.
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