HOME SWEET HOME: Ewing’s Return has Jamaica Buzzing
By John Fanta
MONTEGO BAY -- You don’t have to go far in Jamaica to hear about him. In fact, the first conversation happened in the airport shuttle to the hotel on Tuesday morning. The driver did not know much about sports, but he knew about the man coming into town.
“Around here, we call him ‘Big Pat,’” said the driver, Ragland Brown. “It’s great to have him back.”
The buzz for the return of the nation’s favorite son hasn’t stopped since that moment.
Patrick Ewing has returned home, and for the first time, his two loves - Jamaica and basketball - are combining. The second-year Georgetown head coach leads his 3-0 Hoyas, fresh off what he called the “biggest win of his tenure” at Illinois, into this weekend’s Jamaica Classic. It was the Hoyas’ freshmen that stepped up in a hostile atmosphere, as James Akinjo (19 points), Josh LeBlanc (14) and Mac McClung (12) all came up huge. Their performance has Ewing excited as he returns home.
Growing up for the first 12 years of his life in Kingston, Ewing played soccer and cricket while his mother worked in the United States to support the family. In 1975, when Ewing moved to America, the legendary career began at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The rest is history, and now it’s all come full circle.
“It’s good to be back with my people,” said Ewing, wearing a wide smile. “This is where it all began for me, and it’s so cool to be back. While we have business to take care of, I want to take in the moment with our guys.”
Everywhere he walks, they’re chattering about the man they know as #33.
As he enters an Italian restaurant with family at the resort, the staff stops and pays respect. The chefs tell us how cool it is to serve him. His “GOAT” status knows no limits, and his players know it too.
“It’s really cool to see him back in his home country,” said senior star Jessie Govan. “This place is so close to his heart, and for him to return and be able to lead Georgetown here, it’s really cool.”
“We want to take care of business and make him proud now,” said sophomore Jahvon Blair. “He’s in his home country. We need to deliver.”
The Hoyas will play twice in the 8-team invitational, facing Loyola Marymount at 7 PM ET on Friday and old BIG EAST foe USF at Noon ET on Sunday. Both games will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
“These will be great opportunities for our team to continue to build on the success,” said Ewing. “We still have a lot of work to do, but this group has showed me that they have character and toughness. When you can win like we did at Illinois, but you also know you can get better, that’s a great thing.”
That’s not the only great thing happening for the Hoyas this week. For a legend to return to his home country and be a part of a meaningful game in the sport he loves, well that’s a true win-win for Ewing.
“It’s great to be home.”