Georgetown University’s men’s basketball team has been one of the feel-good stories of this year’s NCAA tournament. Coach John Thompson III, whose father brought glory to the program in the 1980s, has led the Hoyas back to the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

But on the eve of this year’s Final Four, a New York Times report questions Mr. Thompson’s recruitment of a player with dubious academic credentials.

The player, Marc Egerson, scored in the 600s on his SAT and had a grade-point average of 1.33 at a public high school in Delaware. He enrolled at Georgetown after polishing his transcript at Lutheran Christian Academy, a prep school in Philadelphia whose academic credentials have since come under fire. Mr. Egerson transferred to the University of Delaware in January for personal reasons — but played in 13 games for the Hoyas this season, starting three.

John J. DeGioia, Georgetown’s president, defended the player’s admission and place on campus, as well as his coach’s recruiting record. “I think if you look at the whole picture, and you look at the folks that John has brought in, I think you will find a deep resonance with the tradition and the standards and the character of the program,” said Mr. DeGioia, who is a member of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. —Brad Wolverton