Against All Odds: Virtually No Chance Ewing Wins More as Coach Than A-A
April 3rd, 2017 - 22:29
Patrick Ewing, who won more than 84% of his games with Georgetown the first half of the 1980s (121-23 record) assumes control of coaching position at his alma mater with an impressive player pedigree as four-time All-American. But the odds are overwhelmingly against Ewing compiling a higher winning percentage as a bench boss than he did as premium player. He would need to supplant UCLA's John Wooden (.808) atop the coaching list in this category. Coincidentally, Wooden assembled the same winning percentage as an A-A player with Purdue as Ewing did for the Hoyas.
The media already is trying to concoct a contrived "Back to the Future" Big East Conference rivalry when Ewing opposes St. John's Chris Mullin. They competed against each other as All-Americans from 1981-82 through 1984-85. Actually, there wasn't much of a rivalry as John Thompson Jr. defeated Lou Carnesecca in eight of 11 matchups during that four-season span. Ewing will do well, however, to assemble a lower differential than Mullin from winning percentage as a player compared to coaching acumen. Mullin's winning percentage in his first two seasons as a coach is 42.8% lower than as a player. Other All-Americans who posted even worst winning percentages as a DI coach than as a player include Sidney Moncrief (69.3% lower), Bo Ellis (67.1%), Corliss Williamson (52.2%), Tony Yates (50.9%), Donyell Marshall (48.9% after inaugural season with CCSU), Mark Macon (48.2%), Damon Stoudamire (46.7% after inaugural season with Pacific), Clyde Drexler (46.6%), Butch Beard (45.7%), Isiah Thomas (44.8%), Monte Towe (44.6%) and Henry Bibby (44.1%).
New Coppin State coach Juan Dixon is another All-American (from Maryland) facing an uphill battle as a bench boss. Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first 56 All-Americans who became major-college mentors to compile a higher winning percentage as coach. Fewer than half of the following alphabetical list of All-American players posted winning career records as a DI mentor:
*Active coaches.