John Thompson III begins his third season as men's basketball coach at Georgetown University in the midst of the program's 100th anniversary celebration. The timing could not be better for Thompson's program, fresh off an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, to reassert itself as a national power. The son of one Hall of Fame coach and the pupil of another, Thompson is building his own legacy and quickly adding to the rich tradition that is Georgetown Basketball.

In his second season at the helm, Thompson's Hoyas made their presence felt with a thrilling run to the Sweet 16. This was his fifth trip to the postseason in six years as a head coach. A first-round victory over Northern Iowa and a second-round defeat of Ohio State advanced Georgetown to its first Regional Semifinal since 2001. The Hoyas, who fell just three points shy of a victory over the eventual national champion Florida Gators, ended the year with a 23-10 overall record, earning Thompson the Black Coaches Association's Fritz Pollard Male Coach of the Year Award.

Arriving on the Hilltop in 2004, Thompson became the 17th head coach in program history and the second named John Thompson. With a heightened sense of responsibility and full appreciation for the school's rich basketball history, Thompson's rebuilding blueprint continues to follow a "baby-step" approach.

"We need to take small steps, to move ahead by gradual increments in order to achieve our goal," says Thompson. "We can always improve, no matter how much we accomplish, so that is the method we pursue -- to always find and take the next step."

In his first season at the helm, Thompson's approach took a giant leap when he became one of only three coaches in BIG EAST history to defeat a nationally ranked team in the conference opener. The Hoyas began conference play at Pittsburgh, one of the toughest venues in the BIG EAST Conference, and came away with a 67-64 victory. Georgetown went on to spoil the 25th anniversary celebration of Villanova's National Championship with a 66-64 victory at The Pavilion, coincidentally the same score which Villanova won the title with in 1985.

Thompson's accomplishments in his first season landed him on the list of finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, while his tutelage produced the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in Jeff Green, as well as third-team and Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST honors for his players. The Hoyas ended up winning 19 games and advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals.

Last season the "baby-steps" approach paid even larger dividends. The Hoyas opened the 2005-06 campaign winning three of four games on the road, including a victory at Oregon, which broke the Ducks' 35-game home win streak over non-conference opponents.

The Hoyas also won the Sun Bowl Tournament, defeating Colgate and UTEP on the road. A win over No. 1-ranked Duke highlighted the regular season and catapulted the team to a seven-game win streak that included victory over Notre Dame, Cincinnati, DePaul, No. 9 Pittsburgh and St. John's. Finishing the regular season 19-8, 10-6 in BIG EAST play the Hoyas went on to defeat Notre Dame and Marquette before falling by a single point to eventual champion Syracuse in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.

Prior to coaching at Georgetown, Thompson guided Princeton to three Ivy League Championships, two NCAA tournaments and an NIT appearance over his four years as head coach. He amassed a 68-42 record as Princeton's head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Princeton from 1995- 2000. As assistant coach, he helped lead the team to a Top 10 national ranking and five consecutive postseason appearances.

Princeton not only made the postseason eight of nine years during Thompson's tenure, but he helped recruit and coach three All Americans, three Ivy League Players of the Year, two Ivy League Rookies of the Year and 12 First-Team All-Ivy League players. Thompson also played basketball as an undergraduate for the Tigers while majoring in politics. As a forward, he ranks third on Princeton's all time assist leader list with 358. Playing for legendary coach Pete Carril, Thompson produced with amazing proficiency with 103 assists and just 34 turnovers as a senior. He was co-captain of the 1988 team and shared the B.F. Bunn trophy that year as one of the Tigers' Most Valuable Players.

Thompson, 40, grew up in Washington, D.C., where he graduated from Gonzaga College High School. As a high school senior he was named first team All-Metro by the Washington Post.

Thompson's wife Monica is also a Princeton grad (Class of '89). They have three children: Morgan, age 8; John Wallace, age 5; and Matthew age 3.