Requiem for John Thompson

When I was younger watching random sports with my family mainly my brother. He was into Basketball overall more than me. There were a couple black coaches I remember on the college level. There was Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. John Chenney at Temple.

But there was always this coach that stood out to me. He was tall, black, and had the towel over the shoulder. You could tell he was a different. I've watched Ewing, Mutumbo, Mourning on the NBA level and they all came from Georgetown. This was the man responsible. And at the time he had some guy named Allen Iverson. And you can tell there was a respect there whenever the tv panned to them speaking to one another. It was different. I grow up end up reading all the things John Thompson went through. Being a Black Coach in America let alone a black man. How he took responsibility for each of his players as men. Went looking for the biggest drug dealer in the DC area and told him to stay away from his kids. No gun just John standing up with no fear. Looked out for them, taught them, got the most out of them as black men going against the machine. Did it with swagger, unforgivingly, unapologetically Black, In your face and didn't give a damn what the media or white America had to say. The legecy of this man is more than Basketball.

RIP John Thompson

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