Craig Esherick (1956-), Georgetown Hoya Player and Coach, and All-State High School Basketball Player for the Springbrook Blue Devils

[DonRocks]

For a long time, I've encouraged our members to write about stars - not necessarily superstars, but stars - that they have a relationship with (either directly or indirectly), and I'd like to do just that with Craig Esherick (mentioned in this post). He deserves his own thread here. 

Craig is one of my brother's life-long best friends. He was a standout at Springbrook High School, earning All-State honors (and possibly All-Met honors - someone please let me know about this (*)). He was a 6'4" deadeye shooter, and was about the most loyal assistant coach (to John Thompson, Jr. - an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999) that there could ever be. After playing four years for the Hoyas, he went on to get his law degree in 1982, and then to become Assistant Coach under John Thompson, Jr. for *17 years* - when Thompson, Jr. retired, he selected Esherick to be Head Coach of the Georgetown Hoyas, where he stayed for two years before being replaced by John Thompson III.

Yes, he was booed for not maintaining the legendary Thompson, Jr's winning tradition (although I remember his very first game as Head Coach, which he won in the last minute or so - he looked straight up to "Mr. Thompson" (as he called him), and raised his fist in triumph).That's how loyal of an assistant coach he was - paying tribute to his mentor after his very first victory as Head Coach.

I remember very well, in the 1977-1978 season, when Esherick was a junior player, the Hoyas were playing the George Washington Colonials, and GW went up by 2 points with 2 seconds left on the clock. John Thompson, Jr. put Esherick - a sharpshooter - in the game, and he caught a half-court inbound pass at the mid-court line, turned around, and launched a 40-footer. 

SWISH.

The game went into overtime, and the Hoyas won, 78-77. 

For *seventeen years*, Esherick dutifully served under the great John Thompson, Jr. as Assistant Coach, and Thompson, Jr. rewarded his loyalty with a Head Coaching position of his own. No, it didn't go as hoped - Thompson, Jr. was excellent at recruiting African-Americans (e.g., Patrick Ewing), and Esherick just didn't possess that same magic, and the head-coaching job eventually went to John Thompson III, but Esherick certainly deserves to be in the Georgetown University Basketball Hall of Fame if he isn't there already.

Esherick went on to be an Assistant Coach and Scout for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, and is now at George Mason:

Aug 14, 2008 - "Former Georgetown Basketball Coach Craig Esherick Joins George Mason University Faculty" on eagle.gmu.edu

Almost completely randomly, I got back in touch with Craig today, in one of the wildest coincidences of my life - we've emailed, and may meet for a beer sometime in the near future. And I have no doubt my brother will be very proud to see one of his best friends being paid proper tribute here.

Craig, you deserve this and more - you've had a fantastic basketball career, and are living proof that you don't need to be an "NBA Superstar" to succeed in basketball. Congratulations for everything you've done, and I look forward to following your career going forward.

Oh, and as "politically *in*correct" as this may be, Craig even made the list of "The Top 10 'White Guy' Montgomery County Shooters of the 1970s" - how cool is that?

Cheers to you my friend,
Rocks

PS - Craig and/or Rocky, please write me privately and let me know what I've left out of this (facts, details, pictures, videos, etc.), and I'll make sure to insert them - this thread will be here for eternity, so let's go ahead and get it done correctly early on. I'd also like both your opinions on that "Top 10" shooter list - that's a fascinating compilation, and actually, the entire book is fascinating if you can get your hands on it (it's online). Of greater importance, were both of you there at The Paragon the night the brawl ensued, and Charles Thomas looked at a guy who had picked up a chair, and said, "You throw that chair, I'm gonna kick your ass." The guy took one look at Charles, put down the chair, and walked away.

(*) It looks like he might not have made it, but look at who he was up against: Duck Williams (Notre Dame), Kenny Carr (NC State), Craig Davis (NC State), etc. That's a tough bunch, but I guarantee he was considered.

[DonRocks]

Apr 18, 2015 - "At Michael Graham's Barbecue, You Can Order a Craig Esherick for Breakfast"  by Clinton Yates on washingtonpost.com