Who can replace Patrick Ewing at Georgetown Basketball? Looking at 3 potential candidates

Georgetown has a head coaching vacancy after firing Patrick Ewing on Thursday, ending the Hoyas legend's tenure after six seasons. Once one of the best basketball programs in the nation, Georgetown has failed to win at least 10 games in the past two seasons.

Lee Reed, Georgetown's athletic director, released a statement following Ewing's firing.

"It has been a privilege to work with Patrick over these past years and I deeply appreciate all of his hard work and efforts to support our student-athletes and the men's basketball program," Reed said.

The university has already started searching the nation for their next head coach. Let's take a look at a few potential candidates.

3 potential candidates to become Georgetown's new head coach

Rick Pitino - Iona University

Former Louisville and current Iona head coach Rick Pitino is rumored to be looking for one last big coaching gig before retiring, per CBS Sports. Pitino repaired his image following Louisville's scandal in 2015 after coaching stints in Europe. He has also compiled 62-21 record at Iona since 2020.

Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach who leads his teams to wins with an overall college basketball record of 707-289. He won two NCAA championships, one with Kentucky in 1996 and one with Louisville in 2013, though the latter was vacated due to the scandal.

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Mike Brey - Free Agent

After 23 years as head coach at Notre Dame, Mike Brey is a free agent after resigning from his position after a tough season. Brey compiled a record of 483–280 with the Fighting Irish, which included one ACC tournament championship in 2015.

It should also be noted that Georgetown interviewed Brey during their coaching search in 2017. Brey is often described as a leader with character and class. He'll likely have several suitors given his status as a free agent and his overall coaching pedigree.

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Mike Jones - Virginia Tech

An unlikely candidate is Virginia Tech's associate head coach Mike Jones, who spent two decades as a high school basketball coach for DeMatha Catholic in Maryland. He's only been with the Hokies since 2021, but could be a great option for Georgetown.

The Athletic's Brian Hamilton argued that Jones can help the Hoyas with his connection to the talents in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) area. He will also be relatively cheaper than other head coaching candidates given the cost of Ewing's buyout.

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