Former Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr. jokes about Maryland series
Raphielle Johnson
Jun 11, 2015, 6:25 PM EDT
John Thompson, Michael Jordan
In late April it was announced that Georgetown and Maryland would play as one of the matchups in the newly formed Gavitt Games, and it was a move that raised eyebrows. The programs haven’t played in seven years, so the move to have them play in consecutive seasons (Georgetown will host the game during the 2016-17 season) certainly made news.
Wednesday former Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr., who was at the helm for the majority of a stalemate that spanned more than two decades with a game during the 1993-94 season being the lone contest being played, gave his thoughts on the resumption of the series on his radio show. According to the Washington Post, the elder Thompson made light of the situation while also noting that his son’s more willing to take on challenging non-conference games than he was.
“I was glad that they did it,” he began. “Listen, let me tell you something, you make decisions strategically based on a business. Basketball in college is semi-amateur, and we don’t want to admit that. Now, I went through what I went through with [Maryland], and everyone’s arguing about whose fault it was, and that’s fine. But in the meantime, if John [Thompson III] decides, and their coach decides, that they want to play, that’s fine with me.
“People come up to me like I’m gonna be mad that they’re gonna play,” Thompson went on. “I don’t give a damn, I’m gonna tell you that right now. And my son didn’t ask my permission to do it, you know what I mean? If you want to do it, you go ahead and do it. But give me St. Leo’s. Let’s understand that very clear.”
The meeting during the 2015-16 season will be an interesting one, especially considering the matchup of guards D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Melo Trimble. Maryland’s expected to be a national title contender, and the infrequency of games between the two despite their proximity simply adds to the buildup.
Raphielle Johnson
Jun 11, 2015, 6:25 PM EDT
John Thompson, Michael Jordan
In late April it was announced that Georgetown and Maryland would play as one of the matchups in the newly formed Gavitt Games, and it was a move that raised eyebrows. The programs haven’t played in seven years, so the move to have them play in consecutive seasons (Georgetown will host the game during the 2016-17 season) certainly made news.
Wednesday former Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr., who was at the helm for the majority of a stalemate that spanned more than two decades with a game during the 1993-94 season being the lone contest being played, gave his thoughts on the resumption of the series on his radio show. According to the Washington Post, the elder Thompson made light of the situation while also noting that his son’s more willing to take on challenging non-conference games than he was.
“I was glad that they did it,” he began. “Listen, let me tell you something, you make decisions strategically based on a business. Basketball in college is semi-amateur, and we don’t want to admit that. Now, I went through what I went through with [Maryland], and everyone’s arguing about whose fault it was, and that’s fine. But in the meantime, if John [Thompson III] decides, and their coach decides, that they want to play, that’s fine with me.
“People come up to me like I’m gonna be mad that they’re gonna play,” Thompson went on. “I don’t give a damn, I’m gonna tell you that right now. And my son didn’t ask my permission to do it, you know what I mean? If you want to do it, you go ahead and do it. But give me St. Leo’s. Let’s understand that very clear.”
The meeting during the 2015-16 season will be an interesting one, especially considering the matchup of guards D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Melo Trimble. Maryland’s expected to be a national title contender, and the infrequency of games between the two despite their proximity simply adds to the buildup.
