On Jan. 17, 2009 the Hoyas began a month-long skid of close losses and embarrassing defeats that have made a previously unfathomable trip to the NIT seem increasingly realistic.

While the 17th does not mark the beginning of good things for Georgetown basketball, the date did see one former Hoya, Patrick Ewing Jr. (COL ’08), score 16 points and grab 11 rebounds. He has spent the month since then punching his ticket to a far more impressive three-letter acronym, and Ewing’s story, along with his take on the Hoyas’ struggles, provides hope and valuable guidance for Hoya players and fans alike.

Like the Hoyas, Ewing has had his own share of low points the past six months. The athletic forward was drafted by Sacramento in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft, but after being traded to the Houston Rockets a month later, it seemed less likely that a player who was described by ESPN’s Chad Ford as “lacking a position or skill that translates” was going to find an NBA home.

After another trade, this time to the Knicks, there was renewed hope that he could play in the NBA this season, but Ewing struggled to find his shot during camp and was cut by a New York team looking for shooters.

In a recent interview with me, Ewing conceded that being cut was the low point of his pro career, but, reflecting on the tough time, he said “what made me stay positive was knowing that [I] should have made the team . and that at some point there was going to be a team that would let me show the parts of my game that [I] had lost confidence in, but was starting to get back.” Even in defeat, he remained confident in his own abilities and trusted that things would start to fall in place.

In mid-December, he found a home and signed with the Reno Bighorns of the National Basketball Development League. But even after finally making it on a team, Ewing’s adjustment to professional basketball was far from easy. In his first six games with the Bighorns, Ewing shot just 34 percent from the field and posted 10 points and seven rebounds despite logging heavy minutes.

Through these struggles, Ewing kept faith in his ability to play and kept shooting; his confidence has recently started to pay off. In the month since the Hoyas’ skid started, Ewing has blossomed, averaging 21 points, two blocks, four assists, nine rebounds and one steal per game for his Reno squad. Perhaps most importantly for his NBA future, he has shot an impressive 49 percent from the field.

When asked about his recent statistical improvement, Ewing didn’t sound the least bit surprised, saying, “Well, filling up the stat sheet is something [I]’ve always done . [I]’ve been playing well since the summer and its starting to show more in game situations.”

Through two trades and being cut by perhaps the NBA team most likely to take a chance on him, Ewing has not doubted his own abilities in the least. He attributes his higher numbers of late to having the ball more in Reno, not any kind of change in his game. Tellingly, the only difference he admitted to between now and his college days was that, “I’m more aggressive on the offensive end and have more confidence in my offensive game.” According to Ewing, the talent was always there, but an increase in confidence has yielded even better results.

Assessing this year’s Hoyas, Ewing did not seem to see the same confidence and trust that got him through his own setbacks. When asked if he thought anyone was successfully filling his role on this year’s team, Ewing didn’t seem to think his talents were needed, “I’m not really sure if the team this year needs a player like me. . They just need to be the confident team they were at the beginning of the season and they will be fine.”

Forget rebounding, depth or turnovers, Ewing says. This season’s missing link is “trusting each other to make the correct plays and when someone makes a mistake they can’t dwell on it and let it become a distraction.” Ewing gives the familiar example that “when one person gets a turnover or takes a bad shot, then the other four people on the floor put their heads down.”

Just as Ewing didn’t dwell on his poor shooting in training camp or his slow start with the Bighorns, the Hoyas should not let a Jason Clark turnover or even a five-player substitution throw off an entire game plan.

By trusting in each other as much as Ewing believed in himself, the Hoyas can build the kind of confidence that seems to make shots fall and wins stack up fast.

As the team heads into a five-game stretch that will have to be nearly perfect if the Hoyas hope to salvage their season, Ewing’s assessment of the team is actually more promising than many we have heard.

Rather than needing some physical attribute or skill that they simply do not possess, the Hoyas just have to regain the trust and confidence that got them past Connecticut and Syracuse.

All things considered, with Ewing insisting he is not this year’s missing link, perhaps it is not the former fan favorite’s athleticism the Hoyas lack. Rather, it may only be his advice that the Hoyas so desperately need to help turn things around.

Jamie Leader is a senior in the College and can be reached at leaderthehoya.com. He hosts the sports radio show “Tournament Edition” on Georgetown Radio every Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. FOLLOW THE LEADER appears every other Friday in HOYA SPORTS.

“