Patrick Ewing Regrets Not Luring Jalen Brunson Away From Villanova To Join Georgetown

Jalen Brunson continues to etch his legacy into New York Knicks folklore, emerging as one of the standout performers of the 2025 postseason. With the Knicks now just one win away from an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, NBA legend and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing shared his thoughts on Brunson during a recent episode of Club 30 with Henrik Lundqvist.

Ewing revealed that he has known Brunson since he was three, because of his father, Rick Brunson, a former Knicks player and now assistant coach.

“He was like my shadow at that point,” recalled the now 62-year-old icon. Ewing went on to admit that witnessing Brunson’s growth—both literal and figurative—was part of what inspired him to get into coaching. The Knicks legend became the head coach of his alma mater, Georgetown University, in 2017. Unfortunately, the Villanova Wildcats, with Jalen Brunson on the roster, were a constant thorn in his side.

Villanova won national championships in both Brunson’s freshman year (2016) and junior year (2018). By then, he was one of the best youngsters in the country, winning honors such as the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard and also the BIG EAST Player of the Year.

Suffice to say, Ewing had no idea that Brunson would turn into a collegiate powerhouse. “After every game, I’m talking to him. ‘Look, if I knew 1: I was gonna coach, and 2: you were gonna play and become the player that you became, I would have been recruiting you from back then,” he told Lundqvist with a smile. 

However, Brunson wasn’t the star he would eventually become right from the start. Early in his college career, his performances were mostly limited to single digits. While Villanova dominated Georgetown in most of their matchups, Brunson wasn’t the sole reason for that success.

Still, those games helped shape Brunson into the player he is today. He’s not only become the soul of the Knicks franchise, but also the spirit of the city of New York — thanks to his dynamic play and fierce competitiveness. If he can lead the Knicks to the ECF, and potentially the Finals, his name could soon appear alongside legends like Ewing, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Bernard King.

Brunson might just become the most important player the team has had since Ewing himself.

One thing is certain. Brunson has his supporters, and Ewing is one of the top names on that list. Big Pat took part in a special tribute video to Jalen when he was named the team’s captain. “In this city, Jalen, it’s just about what you accomplish here, but how you accomplish it,” he said via VO narration.

But Brunson’s legacy is still being written. The Knicks fell 127-102 earlier this evening, pushing their series with the Boston Celtics to a Game 6. That means he’ll have a chance to clinch an Eastern Conference Finals berth in the Big Apple.

Then again, you can never count out the defending champs.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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