Thompson leaves men's basketball after four years with 69-42 record

Men's basketball head coach John Thompson III '88, a stranger neither to Princeton nor Georgetown, leaves behind a legacy at his alma mater as he moves on to Washington, D.C., to become the Hoyas' new head coach.

Though he has only been head coach since the 2000-01 season, Thompson has spent a total of 13 years at Princeton — first as a player, then as an assistant coach and finally assuming the top coaching position.

Thompson's deepest roots, however, lie at Georgetown. His father, John Thompson, Jr., coached the Hoyas for 27 years, beginning when the younger Thompson was four years old. The elder Thompson, a considerable part of Georgetown basketball history, posted a career 596-439 record and led the Hoyas to 20 NCAA tournament appearances.

Thompson III grew up on the Georgetown campus and played for nearby Gonzaga College High School. As a senior, the Washington Post honored him on the first team All-Metro.

His college career brought him to New Jersey to play under the Tigers' legendary head coach, Pete Carril. Thompson earned varsity letters each of the four seasons he donned the orange and the black uniform. As a forward and co-captain, he led his team to a 17-9 overall record (9-5 Ivy League) in the 1987-88 season his senior year. Thompson stands third all-time on Princeton's career assists list, thanks to his unselfish style of play.

After graduation, Thompson gave business a try. But in 1995, he could no longer fight the pull back to the Princeton campus. Thompson came back to serve as an assistant coach first under Carril, his own former coach, and then under Carril's successor, Bill Carmody.

In September 2000, when Carmody announced his departure from the Tigers to coach at Northwestern, Thompson took over as commander-in-chief.

Immediately, Thompson was faced with a number of challenges — most of which were in the form of top players who decided not to return to the team. Despite these circumstances, Thompson guided his team to an impressive 16-10, 11-3 record in 2000-01. The team earned the Ivy League championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers lost to North Carolina in the first round of the Big Dance.

The next two seasons were nearly as successful. In 2001-02, Thompson posted another 16-win season as his team went 16-12, 11-4 and earned a share of the league crown. In 2002-03, Princeton earned a nearly identical 16-11, 10-4 record. This time, however, the Tigers ended the season in third place in the Ivy League.

This past season was arguably Princeton's most successful under Thompson's leadership. The Tigers earned the Ivy League's automatic NCAA tournament berth by taking the league title back from Penn, concluding the regular season with a 76-70 overtime win over their perennial rivals.

Princeton was close to perfect in Ivy play in 2004, with its sole league loss coming to the Quakers in the teams' first matchup. In the national tournament, the Tigers came within 20 minutes of upsetting third-seeded Texas in Thompson's second tournament appearance in just four years.

After a series of four such successful seasons, it's no wonder Thompson was at the top of Georgetown's list when the team sought a new head coach. The Hoyas' former coach, Craig Esherick, was fired after failing to live up to the standard set by Thompson's father, who had turned Georgetown into a national powerhouse.

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Throughout Thompson's career as head coach, he has remained faithful to the "Princeton offense" he learned under Carril. The low post is central to this offense, but smart movement and an unselfish, pass-oriented style are also crucial components to this formula that has led the Tigers to so much success in recent years.

As for his coaching style, "He's definitely a more mellow-natured coach, but he's not afraid to get in your face when you need it," junior guard Will Venable said.

Now, Thompson takes his knowledge of the "Princeton offense" and his 69-42 career record to Washington, D.C., and the Hoyas.

Will he approach his father's 596-239 record at Georgetown? That remains to be seen. What is certain is the enormous impact he had on Princeton basketball during his tenure with the Tigers.

"He gave us the tools and the confidence to compete, especially against the bigger-named teams," Venable said.