GEORGETOWN Son is filling father's big shoes

John Thompson III has ended the Hoyas' five-year NCAA meet drought.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Asked to describe Georgetown coach John Thompson III, sophomore forward Jeff Green answered: "Laid-back. Very."
"I think it's cool," Green elaborated, "because I'm a laid-back kind of dude, so me and him, we have type of a bond."
Laid back? A college basketball coach? A Georgetown coach named Thompson?
Even if Green is stretching the truth somewhat, it's safe to say that the term "laid-back" was never, ever used by a player to describe Thompson's Hall of Fame father.
"The only comparison I see between those two," senior Darrel Owens said, "is they both want to win."
One other thing father and son have in common: Each has led his own Georgetown renaissance. The father took over the Hoyas in the 70s and turned them into a national power. The son ended the school's five-year NCAA tournament drought this year. Georgetown (23-9), now in the round of 16, will face Florida on Friday in Minneapolis.
"When I took this job, if you would have said two years from now you're going to be in the Sweet 16, I'd sign off on that, right then and there," the younger Thompson said Tuesday.
Take that quote and frame it. It's about as philosophical as he gets.
Big-picture leader
Not so the father. Big John, as he is affectionately known around campus, was a larger-than-life, intimidating presence of a coach, a 6-foot-10 tower with a booming bass voice. He was an outspoken, big-picture leader who once walked off the court before a home game to protest an NCAA rule. He exuded what became known as "Hoya Paranoia," reinforced by his tight restrictions on access to himself and his players.
His 40-year-old son is more approachable and more accessible. He's really as much Georgetown as Princeton, the school he attended and where he learned and adopted the methodical possession offense of coach Pete Carril.
"I'm not like John Thompson I, either," the elder Thompson said. "I think that John is who he is. I wouldn't describe him as laid-back, but I think he digests stuff before he reacts to it."
More opinionated
"I probably give my opinions far more rapidly," Big John added. "But he has opinions -- don't be mistaken about that. He's just not a person who's going to spew all kinds of stuff just for being heard."
Father and son are sharing the spotlight in the Hoyas' NCAA run. Big John has been a commentator for Georgetown's games on Westwood One, doing his best to temper the obvious bias he has for the team his son is coaching.
"If I had my druthers, I wouldn't want to be a fan or an announcer -- I'd rather referee John's game," Big John said.