Patrick Ewing Rumors

Ewing, who is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater, has his own unofficial fan club within the NBA coaching ranks. The group includes Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas, New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy and assistant coaches throughout the league who worked alongside Ewing during his 15 years as an NBA assistant coach, honing his craft, hoping for a head-coaching opportunity. “It’s hard to quantify my happiness for him and his team,” said Jeff Van Gundy, who coached him during Ewing’s New York Knicks playing days and later hired him to become a Rockets assistant coach. “For all of his efforts, and all of his coaching ability, to be rewarded with an NCAA Tournament bid, and the way they did it — four games, four days, beating two top-20 teams along the way — I’m ecstatic for him and for what it means.”

“A top-50 player, a top-25 player, a top-20 player then proceeds to become an assistant for 15 years? There’s no other (great) player (who’s done that),” Van Gundy said. “It’s not like John Stockton is doing that or Karl Malone or Bill Walton. Of all these great players from our past, he’s the only one. “To see all of those efforts get rewarded after grinding it out for 15 years — after being such a great, great player — I think it’s a great story for people who are experiencing a transition in their life. When Patrick was done playing, he was done as Patrick Ewing the player. When he went into coaching, he immediately shifted into, ‘I have a lot to learn. I’m going to work hard, just like I did as a player, and I’m going to get better day after day after day.’ ”