Hoya Destroya

With everything going on in the world and countless people suffering from the scourge known as COVID-19, its weird how we see the numbers and the toll it is taking, but seeing a celebrity get afflicted with the virus seems to evoke emotion. Not always, but there are certain individuals where it just goes to show that no one individual is greater than this virus and that everyone is susceptible to catching it. And for me that celebrity is Patrick Ewing. Sure I felt sad when Tom Hanks, Idris Alba, among others contracted COVID, but Ewing hit for me almost like someone I know. I had a great sigh of relief to find out a few days ago that he was released from the hospital. And I’m not being tone deaf here because there are so many people suffering and afflicted with COVID and I wish them all safe recoveries and the whole outbreak throughout the world is just saddening. Nevertheless, Patrick Ewing’s illness reminded me of the harsh reality we live in, but it also brought out several positive memories that helped mold me into the person that I am today.

To understand my take, I rewind several years ago. My godfather was a huge Georgetown Hoyas fan and as a kid growing up in the 80’s it was the Patrick Ewing era and the age of Hoya Paranoya. I vividly remember crying after watching a tape of the 1985 National Championship game against Villanova asking my godfather why would he record the game if he knew the Hoyas were going to lose (oh to be young and naive). The Hoyas became an ingrained part of my life – Patrick Ewing, Reggie Williams, David Wingate moved on to Charles Smith (not that guy on the Knicks, yea still bitter about 93), Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo to the next batch with Allen Iverson, Othella Harrington, Don Reid, Othella Harrington, and Jahidi White. Mention any of those names and a great big smile will come across my face. At the center of it all was Coach John Thompson and his star Patrick Ewing helped put the school on the map.

I’m not one to delve into race or politics, but the Hoyas story is important on a social scale. The Georgetown Hoyas basketball team was revered by Black Americans as it was a team that was mostly made of black players with a large, intimidating and vocal black man as its coach. No sugarcoating here, Coach Thompson could be rough at times, but he was a man of conviction. I’m sure that he had some flaws to his character, but I never noticed in my youth. What I noticed was a prominent school with a prominent coach putting young black males in a position to succeed. Prior to Allen Iverson, Georgetown did not lose anyone prominent to the NBA due to an early declaration for the NBA Draft. That is a testament to who Coach Thompson was and still is. The team’s success and defiance to conformity all appealed to my younger self. By the time I was in Middle School, I knew that I wanted to go to Georgetown.

Fast forward to High School and my meeting with my guidance counselor. When asked about plans for college and what I wanted to do, my response was simple, “Tell me what I need to do to get into Georgetown, and it will be done.” My younger self was a bit more brash than I am today, but that’s how much of a positive influence that the Hoyas had on me. Fast forward some more and I end up getting admitted to Georgetown and graduating with a degree. Even though Coach Thompson resigned from the school in the 1st semester of my freshman year, it was still such a great joy to watch a Hall of Famer live and up close coaching on the bench. All in all, to come from a family of immigrants and get a diploma at a top institution is a remarkable feat and I indirectly have Patrick Ewing and John Thompson to thank for that.

After graduation I still follow the team with the same energy. There have been some great players that played since that time; Mike Sweetney (had a class with him, which was cool), Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, DaJuan Summers, Greg Monroe and Otto Porter to name a few. I still feel the attachment to the school and bleed Hoya blue forever. Currently, I conduct alumni interviews for Georgetown and students always ask what made me choose Georgetown. I tell them the story of how the Hoyas basketball team piqued my interest combined with the fact that it was one of the best private universities in the nation. While some students are flabbergasted, I also point out that I am an interviewer to potentially show some young student that I went to Georgetown as a minority and I did pretty well for myself. If anything I hope that I can be an example to someone who was in my position at that age and show them that yes, you can make it.

So to put it all together, its crazy how something such as a basketball team could influence my life in so many different ways. The Hoyas squad gave me the drive and determination to succeed because of their example. It may sound hokey, but it’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I may not personally know Coach Ewing (unbelievable that he’s now the coach no matter what you may think), but his influence upon me is something that I will remain forever grateful. Hoya Saxa!

About Author