By Joseph White
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Craig Esherick was fired Tuesday by Georgetown after a 13-15 season, the Hoyas' third straight out of the NCAA tournament.

President John J. DeGioia made the announcement in a statement.

"After careful deliberation I have decided that it is time to make a change in leadership in our men's basketball program," he said.

Esherick, who succeeded John Thompson as coach in 1999, had his contract extended through 2009 a year ago. He indicated in the last two weeks that he was safe in his position and told people to "stay tuned," referring to the strong recruiting class he had for next season.

"I ain't going anywhere. I may be here for another 30 years," Esherick said recently, adding it was unfair to judge a college coach solely on wins and losses.

Esherick has been heavily criticized by students and alumni in recent seasons, but the words "Fire Esherick" were heard in chants and seen on campus posters this season like never before. A protest rally had been scheduled for Wednesday in front of DeGioia's office.

The Hoyas lost their last nine games, their longest losing streak since the Thompson era began in 1972. They barely qualified for the Big East conference tournament each of the last two seasons, backing in this year only when Miami lost a home game to West Virginia on the final day of the regular season.

Even so, DeGioia gave Esherick a vote of support two weeks ago, saying he had confidence that Esherick "is the right person to strengthen and lead our program."

A message left for Esherick at his home was not immediately returned.

Fans have also been upset with athletic director Joe Lang, who said a year ago that an annual NCAA tournament berth was an "unreasonable expectation" for Georgetown.

There has also been concern over the sport's finances. The university, in a report to the Department of Education, tallied a loss of more than $800,000 for the men's basketball program during the 2002-03 academic year.

Georgetown has sold out only one game since moving to the downtown MCI Center in 1997 - and that was this season against then-No. 1 Duke, whose fans filled the upper half of the arena.

The state of the program was a far cry from the days of Thompson, who led the team to the 1984 NCAA title and regular appearances in the NCAA tournament for two decades.

Esherick played for Georgetown under Thompson and was the Hall of Famer's assistant from 1982 until succeeding him when Thompson resigned for personal reasons in the middle of the 1998-99 season.

Esherick had a 103-74 record as head coach, making the NCAA tournament just once - in 2001. The Hoyas lost to Boston College in the opening round of the Big East tournament last week, the first time in the tournament's 25-year history they did not reach the quarterfinals.

The Hoyas opened the season 10-0.

"I am dedicated to sustaining that tradition of excellence which means a great deal to our university community and the many fans of Georgetown basketball," DeGioia said. "We are deeply committed to the future success of men's basketball as measured by maintaining national competitiveness with the leading programs in the Big East and the country."

DeGioia said a national search for a new coach would begin immediately.