Sacramento, Calif. – Tom Thibodeau believes Knicks legend Patrick Ewing will be “bounce back” from his shootout at Georgetown on Thursday.
Thibodeau was an assistant coach on the Knicks during Ewing’s final seasons with the franchise as a player, and they worked together as assistants under Jeff Van Gundy in Houston from 2004-07.
“It’s unfortunate, but Patrick is, in my eyes, an all-time great, if not the greatest Nick of all time. And obviously working with him, not only is he a great coach. , he’s an even better person. So it’s disappointing,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks’ 122-117 loss to the Kings. “I thought he had some good moments there. I know it’s for him. It was very meaningful.
“But Patrick will be fine. He is, like I said, I’ve worked with him, so I know he’s a great coach. But he is a great person. He is a dear friend. And so he will come back and good things will come for him in the future. “
The 60-year-old Ewing was fired Thursday after the Hoyas posted a combined 13-50 record over the last two seasons, including 7-25 this year.
In six years at his alma mater, the 11-time NBA All-Star center finished with a 75-109 record.
“The thing about Patrick is that as a coach you can only control what you put into it. I know how much he put into it,” Thibodeau said. “Sometimes things happen that you have no control over. No matter what happens it doesn’t change his love for that school and what it means to him.
“The initial disappointment of not being there anymore, that’s normal human nature. But he will come back. I know how strongly he feels about the school, how much he appreciates the time he was there. And he will still be involved with Georgetown. This is a very good school. He will move on. He will be fine.”
Thibodeau added that “the state of college basketball is in flux right now,” citing transfer portals and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) compensation “dramatically changing the dynamic of college basketball.”
“I think you have to look at, well, obviously when you have success, you don’t do it on your own,” Thibodeau added. “You take part in it and then when something doesn’t work, it’s not one person specific, you have to take part in it and say there’s a lot of factors involved.”
