In 1972, Georgetown had a problem. Its basketball program was coming off a 3-23 season, and, one appearance in the 1943 national championship game notwithstanding, the Hoyas were and had long been an afterthought in the sport.
The university's very location should have afforded it a significant recruiting advantage. Instead, a veritable who's who of local talent never so much as gave Georgetown a second look. Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing and Austin Carr, to name but a few, all came from the Washington area, and they all established their legends elsewhere.
One of those great local players was a 1960 graduate of Archbishop Carroll named John Thompson.