Find The Fourth Tar Heel

[donbosco]

 

[donbosco]

Making a contest of it.

 

[Zoo_View]

Making a contest of it.

Donald Washington.

John Thompson was Washington’s guardian (or had a relationship with him) before Thompson became head coach at Georgetown.

That Dean Smith continued to look out for Washington after he’d left UNC solidified JT’s love and respect for Coach Smith.

 

[donbosco]

Donald Washington.

John Thompson was Washington’s guardian (or had a relationship with him) before Thompson became head coach at Georgetown.

That Dean Smith continued to look out for Washington after he’d left UNC solidified JT’s love and respect for Coach Smith.

That right there is the story. I suspect that Larry Brown and Doug Moe as coach and assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets was significant in his being on that roster.

It’s funny now, but in the early 1970s -- too long ago for Ronny to remember -- there was a young man named Donald Washington. At the time, John Thompson was coaching at St. Anthony’s High School in Washington, D.C. Thompson had lured Washington to St. Anthony’s from Bertie Backus Junior High School. Two years later, in 1970, Washington’s mother died. Thompson became Washington’s legal guardian.

Washington was a terrific player. A 6-8 forward, he was two-time first-team All-Met and a high school all-American. He went on to attend North Carolina, where, as a sophomore, he averaged more than 21 points per game until he broke his foot. Grade trouble ensued and he went to Switzerland, where he played amateur basketball for a year before joining the ABA’s Denver Nuggets. He later returned to Europe and played out his pro career in France, where he still lives.

In any case, being a great basketball player for John Thompson while living in his house was no easy task.

“You see, Donald was a star, and you’re always on the star to do better,” said Aaron Long, a teammate of Washington’s for three years at St. Anthony’s who later was Thompson’s first recruit when Thompson left St. Anthony’s for Georgetown. “Ronny’s not being depended on to be the star. But Donald was the star. And I think, at times, the pressure at times got to Donald.”

FAMILY AFFAIR : For the Sons of John Thompson, Basketball Was Unifying Factor at Home, but They Took Different College Routes

Ronny Thompson needed to talk with his father, John, the basketball coach at Georgetown University.

www.latimes.com

Not mentioned is, IIRC, something about a paternity suit during Washington's time at Carolina.