George Tenet to Replace John Thompson III

WASHINGTON—After a little over a year and a half as head coach of Georgetown’s men’s basketball program, John Thompson III, son of legendary coach John Thompson, Jr., was fired this past Tuesday by University president Jack Degioia. In Thompson’s place, Degioia has appointed current SFS professor and former CIA director George Tenet (SFS ‘76).

The move was a surprise to all including Thompson who had thus far led to the Hoyas to an impressive 17-7 record, including a victory over then-no. 1 Duke. However, the team dropped its last three games and Degioia announced that he was looking for a change: “John Thompson III has done a great job with the team and we’re back on track, but I felt that I needed someone who would mix up the game a little bit. The Princeton Offense that Thompson brought has become trite and contrived.”

Tenet has little experience with basketball, though he claims to enjoy the sport a great deal and often using sports metaphors in his daily speech.

Tenet has already picked up where Thompson left off, and he held a practice earlier this week, which President Degioia attended. Observing Tenet’s new style of play, Degioia asked him about a specific move he had witnessed senior Brandon Bowman perform. Tenet turned calmly to him and replied, “It’s a slam dunk, Mr. President.”