Syracuse basketball is a national brand in part due to John Thompson Jr.

Those testy battles between Syracuse basketball and Georgetown, with John Thompson Jr. a key figure, helped shape the Orange into a heavyweight program.

Sure, long-time Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr. did some things, and said some things, over the years that absolutely irked Syracuse basketball players, coaches and fans.

“Manley Field House is officially closed” certainly comes to mind, a sentence declared by the late Thompson after the Hoyas upset the highly ranked Orange in 1980, in what amounted to the final game at Manley Field House. That result snapped a massive home winning streak for the ‘Cuse, which of course would then move on to the Carrier Dome.

Thompson’s infamous remarks proved one of those iconic moments that would ultimately fuel an intense rivalry amid the Big East Conference’s growth, coupled with the rise of ESPN, to make Syracuse-Georgetown a household pairing, one as intense and entertaining in the 1980s as Duke-North Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville are today.

The Big East, in its heyday before conference realignments eventually brought the Orange to the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning with the 2013-14 season, had a slew of terrific teams and high-quality match-ups.

The Orange and the Hoyas led the way, but let’s not forget about others such as St. John’s, Providence, Seton Hall and Connecticut. In the mid-1980s, though, the faces of the Big East unequivocally entailed Pearl Washington of the ‘Cuse and Patrick Ewing of Georgetown. Ewing is the current head coach of the Hoyas.

With Washington and Ewing battling on the court, and Thompson and Orange head coach Jim Boeheim duking it out the sidelines, this rivalry was THE rivalry of the 1980s. Not just in the Big East, but also throughout the entire sport of college basketball.

Syracuse basketball has turned into a widely known brand in college hoops, with John Thompson Jr. a primary contributor in that occurring.

Thompson, who has sadly passed away at the age of 78, certainly played the role of the villain in the minds and hearts of the Syracuse basketball fan base. But Orange players definitely admire and respect Thompson, who in 1984 became the first Black head coach to claim the NCAA men’s national title.

Let’s make it abundantly clear: Thompson, for what he did on and off the court, is one of the most important coaches in the history of college basketball – and across the entire sports landscape in this country.

Thompson, who coached eight players selected in the NBA Draft’s first round and guided Georgetown to three appearances in the national championship game in four years, spoke out against racism and focused a lot of his efforts on social justice. For his off-the-court initiatives, Thompson should be commended.

During his tenure as the head coach of the Hoyas, from 1972 to 1999, his squads reached 24-consecutive post-season berths, including 20 to March Madness, per a press release from the Georgetown athletics department.

And his relationship with Boeheim, on occasion fiery when the Orange and the Hoyas would go toe to toe, undoubtedly made a massive mark in creating the sustained success of the Big East, along with these two individual programs.

In no way, shape or form does Syracuse basketball become the national brand that it is today without John Thompson Jr. For that, the ‘Cuse community owes him a huge debt of gratitude. RIP, Big John.