Three objectives for next Georgetown coach

How good is Georgetown basketball?

That looms as a monumental question, as the program has not been to the Final Four since 2007 and has not landed a McDonald’s All-American since 2008.

The 1980's brought the program’s lone national championship, the 1990's saw Allen Iverson roam the Hilltop, but recently it has been mediocrity on the hardwood and shortcomings on the recruiting trail.

Now that John Thompson III has been relieved of his duties, we assess the three primary objectives of the new coach.

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ONGOING COVERAGE OF GEORGETOWN'S COACHING CHANGE: HOYAREPORT.COM

It is no secret just how talented the DMV region is. High school programs like DeMatha Catholic, Gonzaga College High, St. John’s College High and Sidwell Friends are a stone’s throw away, while powerful travel programs like Team Takeover, DC Premier and DC Blue Devils sit nearby. Creating the proper inroads to each of these programs and with the high school coaches is a must.

Years before, local natives and top-100 prospects like Josh Hart, Melo Trimble, Bryant Crawford, Markelle Fultz and Anthony Cowan would have been surefire bets to suit up for the Hoyas. Recently, whether it is due to poor evaluations, miscues on the recruitment trail or downright slippage, Georgetown has been unable to cultivate its home turf. As a result, they're now in a state of flux upon the firing of JT3.

Georgetown is known for kick starting the careers of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. And while the factory of NBA big men has slowed down, there is still more than ample opportunity to play the NBA card.

Georgetown is home to one of the best college big men in the history of the game in Patrick Ewing, and it's the program that helped created the legend that is Allen Iverson. As a result, selling the idea of adding onto the legacy that is Georgetown basketball is not a difficult one. However, the time is now for Georgetown to use its NBA card on the recruiting trail where, as the years go by, the likes of Ewing, Mourning and Iverson are ushered out of the spotlight and past stars from Kentucky, Duke and Kansas enter into it. The window is now for the Hoyas to pounce.

To make it clear, John Thompson III did understand that the times have changed some and the idea of speeding up the game was a major sell on the recruiting front. Unfortunately, it was just a bit too late to help salvage his job, as this past year’s team finished 160th in points per game and 142nd in possessions per game, all of which equated to a sub-.500 record as the Hoyas failed to make postseason play.

Whomever is hired by the Georgetown administration needs to be someone who, yes, can sell the program and can navigate the DMV properly, but also has accepted a more fluid, fast-faced offense. No, we are not talking about Havoc on the Hilltop, but we are talking about an offense that is OK with adding more possessions to the game. That might be a nice sell on the recruiting trail; no one wants to play in a slogging system.