RIP John Thompson | Page 3 | The Boneyard

RIP John Thompson

A10 fan said:
That team reached the East Regional Final. They were run out of the building by UMass, but that was a great UMass team. The 1996 Kentucky team is considered one of the greatest ever, and UMass beat them by 10 points. Unfortunately for UMass, they lost in the rematch, which the defacto National Championship game.
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And then everything that UMess team did disappeared.
 
JT was very good as the color man on college BB broadcasts and I appreciated him being there. Saw UConn beat GTown at the Fieldhouse when John Thomas would clean the boards for us. JT really put that program on the map. When he was on the court coaching it was a Big game. RIP Big John. Help this world from the other side please!
 
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Ratso said:
he was the big east
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He was an important part of the Big East. There were others just as important to the league’s Early days of establishment and development—including but not limited to Carnesecca, Boeheim, Massimino, and many players(and, of course, eventually one Jim Calhoun).
 
swami7774 said:
He was an important part of the Big East. There were others just as important to the league’s Early days of establishment and development—including but not limited to Carnesecca, Boeheim, Massimino, and many players(and, of course, eventually one Jim Calhoun).
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It's true that a great league will always be bigger than one person or program but JT and Gtown were the one's that intially legitamized the Big East. 3 in 4 years. Without that initial push the history of the league would've been completely different. IMO, he was more than an important part, he was first and no other BE coach can claim that.
 
ChrisSmithsPart said:
It's true that a great league will always be bigger than one person or program but JT and Gtown were the one's that intially legitamized the Big East. 3 in 4 years. Without that initial push the history of the league would've been completely different. IMO, he was more than an important part, he was first and no other BE coach can claim that.
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To say he “was the Big East“ is ridiculous.
 
Was a big fan in the early to mid-80's except for when they played against Phi Slamma Jamma. Too many Villanova fans in my house at that time and I had to root for Gtown. Those Ewing teams were great but I was more a fan of Floyd, Wingate and Williams than Ewing.

By the time UConn started getting good and having the Dream Season Gtown was just another BE team UConn needed to take down.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Was a big fan in the early to mid-80's except for when they played against Phi Slamma Jamma. Too many Villanova fans in my house at that time and I had to root for Gtown. Those Ewing teams were great but I was more a fan of Floyd, Wingate and Williams than Ewing.

By the time UConn started getting good and having the Dream Season Gtown was just another BE team UConn needed to take down.
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Floyd was great. Wingate was good. I couldn’t stand Williams.
 
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Sorry to hear this. Clearly a giant in the world of Big East Basketball and legendary Coach. But of course much more than that to friends, family and players. RIP Coach.
 
The ESPN show “Requiem for the Big East” Included a clip of Thompson being asked, after the ‘84 championship game, the perfunctory “how does it feel to be the first black coach to win the NCAA title?” He sort of dismissed the racial angle and said he was most proud of becoming the first coach to lead a northeastern team to the championship. That spoke volumes.
 
Pretty much saved Iversons life. Rip big john. Huge cornerstone of the big East. 4 months left and this trash year is over
 
Remember when the BE went to 6 fouls? I think GTown was a reason.
 
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Growing up a UConn fan Jimmy B and John are the two most memorable opposing coaches. However, I do not think I realized just how huge the guy was! (The guy next to him was....drum roll please....
d52e45b0-eb97-11ea-b7fb-e9dfecec330d.jpg

......Alonzo Mourning, huge in his own right, but John towers even over him!!)
 
swami7774 said:
To say he “was the Big East“ is ridiculous.
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Agreed, which is why I said no person or team can make a great league, but to say there were others just as important during that time period is almost as ridiculous.
 
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