Georgetown Coach Craig Esherick's job appears to be safe now despite the Hoyas losing 7 straight (the longest losing streak since before John Thompson was coach.) The Hoyas have lost their last 22 games against opponents with an RPI in the Top 50. Esherick has taken the team to the NCAA tournament just once. A loss against Virginia Tech this weekend would put them finishing 13th in the Big East and ineligible for the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden next weekend.

Friday's Washington Times reported:

University president John J. DeGioia, who met with Esherick on Tuesday, released a statement to The Washington Times yesterday that closed with the following lines:
"I believe that this season's men's basketball team and our new class of recruits holds a great deal of promise. I have confidence that Craig Esherick, who helped to build our tradition of excellence in men's basketball, is the right person to strengthen and lead our program."

An ESPN commentator had a rather strong response:

"Unbelievable. That blows me away," said ESPN basketball insider Andy Katz upon hearing DeGioia's statement. "The word that I've been using for Georgetown basketball, and I think it's the right word, is the program has become irrelevant. They don't matter anymore. It's sort of been a slow bleed under Esherick, and now nobody cares about GU hoops — maybe that includes the administration."

The article also mentions some of the unrest around campus and alumni:

That apathy certainly doesn't extend to the school's student body. Chants of "Fire Esherick" have become a staple at home games this season. A spray-painted version of that sentiment appeared on Key Bridge near the campus last Thursday.
Senior Jeremy Lundblad of the student newspaper, "The Hoya," called for Esherick's resignation in his column last week. And yesterday, 83 out of 100 student respondents to a poll taken on campus by The Washington Times thought the school should replace Esherick — who is under contract through 2009 — after this season.
"Something's got to be done," said John Gantt, a senior in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. "And the problems don't end with Esherick. I mean, last year our athletic director [Joe Lang] said it was unreasonable for us to expect to routinely make the NCAA tournament. Where's the pursuit of excellence that's supposedly a hallmark of this university in that comment?
"The success of the basketball program used to be a major part of our national image. What are we known for now? Our academic ranking's down. Our endowment's down. And our hoops team looks like it's down and out. When's the last time we won a big game — two, three years ago?"

Esherick responded to the hubbub in an Associated Press story:

"I ain't going anywhere. I may be here for another 30 years. And you can quote me on that," Esherick told The Associated Press on Friday. "I love my job. It's been a tough year. There's nobody that has a job that can't say they haven't had tough years. It's dishonest and inaccurate for anybody to evaluate me with the standards of a professional basketball coach."

More from the AP:

Georgetown is in danger of not qualifying for the Big East tournament for the first time in school history. They currently hold the 12th and last seed. If they lose at home to Virginia Tech on Saturday, and if Miami beats West Virginia at home, Georgetown's season is done.

That's a long fall from the storied days of Thompson, and it's why chants of "Fire Esherick" have been heard at Georgetown home games this season -- and in talk among students on campus.

"I ignore them and try and do my job," Esherick said. "I think again if I'm evaluated the way I am supposed to be evaluated as a college basketball coach, I think 99 percent of the people that would evaluate it would think I've done a heck of a job."

Esherick made further comments in that article also:

Esherick said college coaches should be evaluated by more than just wins and losses.

"I am in charge of students that are in the school," Esherick said. "And I am in charge of people who we want to reflect well on the university. And I also coach to win."

Esherick said he's dealt with the losing streak by staying positive with the players.

"They won't have to watch any tape of the last game," said Esherick, referring to Thursday night's 61-48 loss at Notre Dame. "I'm the only that's going to have to deal with that."

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