WASHINGTON (AP) — The college basketball coaching great John Thompson of Georgetown has died.&nbsp;He was 78.

His death was announced in a family statement Monday. No details were disclosed. 

Thompson was an imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a "Hoya Paranoia" powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men's basketball championship. 

One of the most celebrated and polarizing figures in his sport, Thompson took over a moribund Georgetown program in the 1970s and molded it into a perennial contender, culminating with a national title team anchored by Patrick Ewing in 1984. 

At 6-foot-10, with an ever-present white towel slung over his shoulder, Thompson literally and figuratively towered over the Hoyas for decades. He quit coaching in 1999.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598914755155.jpeg" alt="John Thompson. Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georgetownuniv/">Georgetown University</a> Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>John Thompson. Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georgetownuniv/">Georgetown University</a> Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The college basketball coaching great John Thompson of Georgetown has died.&nbsp;He was 78.His death was announced in a family statement Monday. No details were disclosed. Thompson was an imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a "Hoya Paranoia" powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men's basketball championship. One of the most celebrated and polarizing figures in his sport, Thompson took over a moribund Georgetown program in the 1970s and molded it into a perennial contender, culminating with a national title team anchored by Patrick Ewing in 1984. At 6-foot-10, with an ever-present white towel slung over his shoulder, Thompson literally and figuratively towered over the Hoyas for decades. He quit coaching in 1999.&nbsp;

Coaching great John Thompson of Georgetown dead at 78