John Thompson III follows famed dad as a Georgetown head basketball coach

Jet, May 10, 2004

John Thompson III recently accepted the head basketball coaching position at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

He's accepted his genes and is ready to take on the pressure of living up to the legacy of his Hall of Fame father John Thompson, who coached the Hoyas for 27 years and in 1984 led the team to its only NCAA title before he resigned in 1999.

"I am John Thompson's son. I have been John Thompson's son for 38 years. I'm pretty comfortable being John Thompson's son," said Thompson III, the coach at Princeton since 2000. "The pressure that comes along with that-no one's going to put more pressure on me than myself."

Thompson III's main job is to get the team back to its star status it had during the days under his father. Craig Esherick took over alter Thompson's departure and was fired in March. In the last few years, attendance has sagged, the program lost money, and the Hoyas made just one NCAA tournament appearance.

The younger Thompson, 38, has led Princeton to a 68-42 record over four seasons, including Ivy League titles and NCAA tournament berths in 2000-01 and 2003-04.