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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > December > 27 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USExpectations about Tech hoops face reality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In October, the team’s best defender and captain was shelved with a spinal condition. In November, the top scorer was declared academically ineligible. Two weeks ago, the starting point guard’s nose predictably lost a collision with somebody’s elbow.
If you are Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt, this probably isn’t the backdrop you would have wanted before the Jackets played even their first ACC game of the season. But isn’t that kind of the way things have gone?
As it turns out, a Final Four appearance five years ago didn’t come with guarantees. Go figure.
“We’ve gone to the tournament two of the last four years,” Hewitt said. “Would I have liked to have gone all four years? Sure, but we haven’t. So we’re going to work to get there this year. If we’re judging, ‘Is Georgia Tech basketball doing a good job?’ that’s really not for me to answer. What’s the standard? You can make that standard anything whatever you want. But I believe we’re doing a good job. If you’re asking me — on the court, I think we can do better. But if you judge us a whole and completeness as a program, I think we’ve done a good job.”
This shouldn’t even be an issue. I think I’ve just let too many e-mailers and message-board lunatics get to me. But Hewitt well knows that when a team wins, expectations are raised. When the Jackets advanced to the championship game of the 2004 Final Four, before losing to Connecticut, some folks — fans, media, whomever — apparently perceived that kind of thing would become commonplace.
That hasn’t happened. Tech (7-3), which opens ACC play tonight against Virginia, has reached the tournament twice in the past four years, winning one game. What people don’t talk about are all of those things coaches don’t like to talk about publicly because they come off as whiny excuse factories: injuries, academic casualties, defections to the NBA. Everybody has to deal with those issues, some more than others. Yes, even Duke.
Two tournament appearances in the past four years aren’t up there with North Carolina (four), Duke (four) or Boston College (three). But it beats just about everybody else in the ACC. Only N.C. State also has two.
Four ACC teams reached the tournament last season, and two of them were Miami and Clemson. What does that say about today’s landscape?
Hewitt has felt no heat internally. He shouldn’t. He does it the right way and always has. He raises men, not athletes. He preaches academics. And yes, he can coach. Teams don’t go to the national finals by accident.
“When I recruit, I’ve never said to a player, ‘Come help us win,’ ” Hewitt said. “I tell them to come here to get a great education. Come here and hopefully you can be a good enough basketball player that you can earn a living. I know from experience that winning games for these guys in the long run really means nothing. You have a degree. You have a skill. Our job is to try to help them make the most of those two things.”
The lost art of collegiate athletics.
The college football coaching circus has become the extreme example of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, particularly in the South. Basketball isn’t there yet. But things have moved in that direction.
Hewitt shrugs.
“It’s the coaching business. It’s the way it is. I love my job. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
He likes his team this season. He probably liked it better two months ago. But then: D’Andre Bell, a senior, was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and lost for the season; Lewis Clinch was declared academically ineligible for the fall, mandating he miss the team’s first seven games; point guard Moe Miller suffered a nasal fracture and concussion when he was elbowed in the nose in a loss to Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 14.
But the team is in recovery. Clinch is back, eligible and thriving (three game average: 18.3 points). Miller has missed three games and will miss only a few more.
Expectations? Tech was picked to finish eighth by ACC media members. Perceptions have taken a hit.
But we’ve seen the upside with Hewitt. What happened in 2004 wasn’t an accident.
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By Buzzilla
December 27, 2008 5:36 PM | Link to this
I think Hewitt and Tech have been hit with some bad luck…the same kind of luck that ended up sinking Cremins but I think given time Hewitt will have Tech back where we should be competing for ACC and national championships. Tech and Hewitt are both due for some breaks to go our way. Just be patient.
By GT GRAD
December 27, 2008 5:50 PM | Link to this
Coach Hewitt is a solid coach with high standards and good morals. He has strong personal relationships with all of his players and his players are respectful towards him. In my opinion, they seem to be better men as a result of the time they spend with him. He is doing a good job and has a very bright future. We should support him as well as the entire basketball team. The 2009 freshman class is already stellar and could be phenominal if Derrick Favors decides to join the class. We very well could have the Fab 5 South at GT!
Let’s keep it positive and support our coaches and players!
Go GT!!
By elong
December 27, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
He is a good guy - unfortunately watching his substitution patterns and offense that can’t swing a basketball when double teamed, is very frustrating to watch. I relly don’t know what should happen to him. The fan base appears to be getting very lethargic which in the words of Randy on American Idol ” It’s not good dude”. Glad I’m not the AD, good luck Rad. And good luck Hewitt.
By DecaturTechFan
December 27, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this
I think coach has next year after this “superb” 09 recruitng class to see what he can do. If he cant mantian a top 25 program for the next few years with this class coming in, its time for a change. He has done almost nothing with all his own players. Any school can go to the Final Four once. But lets face it, CPH cannot maintian a top 25 level program year in and out. And dont get me started on his road record……ugh. Every year there is an Ill-Chicago, IUPUI, or some other backwater school that comes in and deals us a blow. Losing to a lesser school at least once a year has become the norm under Hewitt as opposed to the exception that makes Sports Center highlights. He doesnt get his players ready night in and out. BTW how is GT’s free throw shooting these days?
By GameTime
December 27, 2008 7:34 PM | Link to this
Sorry,Jeff. Have to disagree with you—- believe the Final Four run was not typical of Hewitt coached teams. Very seldom are his teams greater than the sum of the parts. His teams seldom come together as a team. Maybe he should try to find some players who do care about how many they win!!
By Westcoast Techie
December 27, 2008 7:36 PM | Link to this
This is the first available basketball blog since the Southern Cal embarassment. I went to the game and was extremely dissappointed in how helter-schelter the team played. They were completely outcoached and outplayed by a Trojan team picked to finish fourth or fifth in the PAC 10.
Tech did not know how to handle being double teamed inside. The game was over when Shu got into early foul trouble. Whitout Shu, the rest of the team is way too impatient.
Clinch is the only outside threat, however he never met a shot he wouldn’t take. Not only could he make it through the entire season without an assist, he may go though the season without even once passing the ball. Peacock with his size should be tough to handle inside and great using a medium range jump shot. However, he thinks (or is coached to believe) he is an outside 3-point shooting guard.
An earlier column stated that Lawal needs to get his head back into the game. I didn’t fault his play at all. It was obvious, the other players (and coaches) never tried to get him into the game. After about 2/3 of the game, Gani looked discouguraged and frustrated with plenty of reason.
Hewitt has good morals, is a good recruiter and I believe stresses academics. However, he is just an average coach who really gets overmatched in big games.
By Bruce Wayne
December 27, 2008 8:22 PM | Link to this
Jeff,
This is pathetic. He is an academically minded old school NCAA coach? Then why has Clinch been ineligible twice, what about Theo Tarver and Dickey? There is no evidence that he recruits players who can make it at Tech nor that he runs a tight enough program to keep them eligible, where do you see the evidence? Also, that notion that ‘04 wasn’t a fluke is ridiculous, it is self-evident that it was an “accident” mostly attributable to two assistant coaches that he lost, to two Bobby Cremins recruits (Marvin Lewis and Clarence Moore) and to the efforts of the players involved themselves. His record in the ACC has been simply atrocious worse than before Cremins got here. Hewitt repeatedly rejected the proffered help of Mark Price and Dennis Scott, (you know Price the one who has made the Hawks a competitive shooting team), yet they can neither shoot free throws nor three pointers.
And I love that you attack the fans for what unrealistic expectations because of a Final Four appearance? What Tech fans do you know buddy? We don’t expect Final Four appearances every year, not even a Duke fan is that silly. But could we have a winning record at home? Could we be better than .500 in the ACC? Could we win a game in the ACC tourney?
Seriously, stop blowing smoke about the sad state of contemporary college athletics and supposedly crazy fan expectations (really … a winning record at home?) in order to protect a bad coach who is unwilling to make himself a better one (or fire bad assistants and hire good ones) or change when things are clearly broken. He is a mediocre coach and this program is very very badly off, don’t pretend you don’t see the elephant in the room, it is unbecoming of an honest journalist.
By Bruce Wayne
December 27, 2008 8:29 PM | Link to this
Btw, what more evidence do we need that Hewitt is done then a weepy column like this? Very pathetic.
By BravesFan79
December 27, 2008 8:29 PM | Link to this
I had been looking forward to that USC game (a school i HATE because of football) for months before the game, and man was i disapointed! We had NO Half court offense (why are the Bigs ALWAYS handling the ball at the top of the key??)
And like always our free throw shooting sucked.
But free throw % is down across the country……maybe if these kids spent as much time shooting as they did working out (Lawal) it might help.
Ive always been a supporter of Hewitt and feel like id rather have a coach that was a Great recruiter and a decent coach, than a Great coach with no players.
For those of you screaming for a new coach… just look at what Bob Knight did at Texas Tech…. Nothing!
BUT man we HAVE to get some fresh assistants or something! We should take a footballish tatic and apply it towards basketball… and have a defensive corridinator, and a offensive corridinator, and the head coach who recruits, manages the team and cheers from the bench. Hewitt would be a perfect (manager, recruiter) and leave the x’s and o’s to others.
I know i cant stand to see to many more stomach wrenching games like the USC game. Also i like that the team wants to play hard, but GT has little discipline when it comes to committing STUPID fouls! (how many times did we foul one of the USC guards close to halfcourt?)
Hewitt should put in a new rule: Do NOT slap at the other player when you have no chance of getting the ball…. ESPECIALLY when the other player is white, or a guard! For the love of God… foul the tall goofy looking black dude that cant shoot for sht…. NOT THE WHITE GUY!!! Dont they know theres a REASON the white guys are on the court?? There freakin SHOOTERS!!
This terrible strategy of (it dosent matter who you foul, just slap at the ball) is exactly why we will NOT beat a good shooting team like Duke this year.
That being said, i think were set up nicely for a DEEP Tourney run in 2010. Bell can be that lockdown defender on the other teams best player, and Favors and Lawal will dominate the middle.
Well have a junior starting PT guard in Miller, and Shumpert will be even better as a sophmore.
Go GT!!
By GTthrashfan
December 27, 2008 8:45 PM | Link to this
Here’s an interesting observation me and a couple friends looked up. Since becoming head coach of GT, Hewitt has only had a PG be his #1 option at the point in back to back years once, and that was the one he inherited from Cremins. Yes we’re skewing Jarett Jack saying the 2004 run was Elder/Bynum as the primary players. But ever since Jack it’s been a revolving door of Zam Fredrick, Javaris Crittenton, Matt Causey, now Moe Miller, and the previously comitted Austin Jackson (soon to be CF for the Yankees).
Odd series of events that leads to a coach trying to build on success when 4 years running is 4 different starters and a 5th one to never appear on campus. I’d love to see what he can do if Miller sticks around another 2 years AND gets another PG into regular rotation.
By BravesFan79
December 27, 2008 9:21 PM | Link to this
Bruce Wayne: glad you came out of your bat cave tonight, Look theres no doubt that if GT just had some easy majors (like MOST other schools have) that players like Clinch would have a easier time in the classroom. If anything Hewitt does a great job of keeping his players eligible.
GTthrashfan: How was the tourney run more because of Elder than Jack? BJ was hurt for half the run. Jack, Bynum, and the Defense clearly led the way!
If Elder was 100% we would of beaten Uconn like we did earlier that same season!
I do give u credit thou for recognizing how much the lack of a pt guard sticking around has hurt GT (thanks Crinnenton)
Lets hope that in 2009, Hewitt brings in some new assistants along with his stellar recruiting class.
And D Favors… your STILL better off at GT than UGA or NC state next year…. well be loaded next year and easily be a top 4 ACC team.
By Basketball Fan
December 27, 2008 10:00 PM | Link to this
I watched GT freeze like a deer in headlights against a basic 2-3 zone that Clemson played. No traps no nothing, just a straight 2-3 zone. He has had a few academic casualities and to say he recruits kids that don’t care how many games they win is bull. He better start recruiting kids that care if they win, because the people that pay him do care about wins and losses. If they don’t start winning PW will be doing that show somewhere else
By Basketball Fan
December 27, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
I watched GT freeze like a deer in headlights against a basic 2-3 zone that Clemson played. No traps no nothing, just a straight 2-3 zone. He has had a few academic casualities and to say he recruits kids that don’t care how many games they win is bull. He better start recruiting kids that care if they win, because the people that pay him do care about wins and losses. If they don’t start winning PH will be doing that show somewhere else
By Vince Cooley
December 27, 2008 10:04 PM | Link to this
Wow, looks as if you have handed out another lifetime pass like the one you and the other AJC columnists have given Bobby Cox, the Braves doddering old idiot.
By Paul Ball = boring
December 27, 2008 10:37 PM | Link to this
Georgia Tech basketball has just become boring under Hewitt. There are now about 5000-6000 people at the games and even the students only show up for the big ACC games. We don’t have a guard that can shoot and the three point line has been moved back this year making it tougher. We can’t bring the ball in bounds and Hewitt always uses his last time out with 5 minutes left in the game since he likes to call one after every made shot in the second half. Hewitt knew that he was going to lose at least four players from last year’s team but he decided to only sign one new player and bring in a bunch of walk ons while the women’s team brought in five new freshmen and now are more entertaining than the men. Chan Gailey made it to a bowl game six straight years but was fired because his offenses were as vanilla as Hewitt’s. Bond Shymansky was just fired after not making the NCAA tournament in volleyball for the fourth time. This will be the third time in five years that Hewitt has missed so his butt should be very warm soon. Hopefully he can beat Virginia on Sunday because the loser of that game will finish last in the ACC. Virginia is slightly better than Mercer though so we will probably lose a close one since Hewitt can’t teach his players how to shoot free throws.
By Jeff Schmuck
December 27, 2008 10:45 PM | Link to this
Hey Jeff, ask Hewitt if he is still interested in leaving to take the Knicks job. I’m sure they would love him as much as they like Marbury. If you want to see how much the fan base is excited about Hewitt, go to one of his call in shows and see the three fans that show up as opposed to the crowds that show up for Paul Johnson’s show.
By AlabamaRamblinwreck
December 27, 2008 11:01 PM | Link to this
No half court offense, no shooters, no foul shooting, poor shot selection, etc. etc. etc.
It is always the same with Hewitt, and I have given up. I gave up after the 2006 season. DRAD needs to give another up and coming smaller school head coach a chance. I don’t think it can get worse. Players do not get better while playing for Hewitt.
You know, we can have a coach of high integrity and one who makes the program more competitive in the ACC and outside the ACC!! I know CPH is a man of integrity, but he does not coach up players.
Go Jackets!!
By Observer
December 27, 2008 11:42 PM | Link to this
GameTime - Well said. I agree with you completely.
How many times have we all heard Paul Hewitt give a post game interview where he lamented his team’s poor defensive play? Well, the problem is that his teams aren’t COACHED to play aggressive, ball-hawking defense.
How many times have we suffered through a game watching a team stand around on the offensive end of the floor. Well, the problem is that Hewitt’s teams aren’t COACHED to move without the ball.
Take a look at Duke. The academics are equally as rigorous yet they have consistent success. Why? Because they are taught how to do the little things properly by a coach who not only cares about growing good men but who also cares about winning basketball games - BECAUSE THAT IS HIS JOB! He expects perfection out of his teams and he coaches them to expect it out of themselves.
Hewitt needs to start coaching and realizing that like it or not, his job is to produce a WINNING basketball team.
By the sage
December 27, 2008 11:53 PM | Link to this
Hewitt is another Gailey. Unfortunately for Hewitt, we have shown that a coach with a disciplined approach will get results at GT. We expect the BB program to produce similar results. New leadership needed for BB program!
By Jiggers
December 28, 2008 1:03 AM | Link to this
Hewitt has always been a bad in-game coach. Always. Got lucky in the Final Four year. He can recruit so he’ll always have a chance to make the tournament, but he just ain’t got it in terms of consistently winning games based on strategy and preparation.
By Jiggers
December 28, 2008 1:03 AM | Link to this
Hewitt has always been a bad in-game coach. Always. Got lucky in the Final Four year. He can recruit so he’ll always have a chance to make the tournament, but he just ain’t got it in terms of consistently winning games based on strategy and preparation.
By Jiggers
December 28, 2008 1:04 AM | Link to this
Hewitt has always been a bad in-game coach. Always. Got lucky in the Final Four year. He can recruit so he’ll always have a chance to make the tournament, but he just ain’t got it in terms of consistently winning games based on strategy and preparation.
Clearly, Jeff wants an upgrade on his media credential.
By Hoopla
December 28, 2008 1:08 AM | Link to this
Hewitt- please let the kids play and you do need new assistants. If Favors decides to come to GT, just for that recruiting coup, you deserve another 3 years to see if you can keep GT in the top 25. Granted, you have had some bad breaks at the PG position, but YOU NEVER RECRUIT PG’s Instead of recruiting blue chip power forwards or shooting guards, how about taking a year and targeting 2 PG’s so if one gets injured, the other can step up and if one leaves, the other is waiting in his wings and knows the system.
By Westcoast Techie
December 28, 2008 1:11 AM | Link to this
Seriously, I liked one blogger’s recommendation of using a football approach. Use an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator to coach the X’s & O’s from the bench and let Hewitt manage the overall game plan (from the press box). Hewitt can also be the recruiting coordinator in his spare time.
By gtfan
December 28, 2008 1:18 AM | Link to this
schultz i generally like your columns and humor however… that is the worst column i have read of yours.
what did ph do… buy you lunch and cry on your shoulder?
obviously the fan base has it right and YOU dont!
we have had 8 years of mediocrity under ph and one good finish. funny how the year we had clarence moore was the year we went to the final 4. next year with the same team minus clarence and we underachieve just like the other 8 years.
MO drove that team to succeed in spite of teflon hewitt. i still remember MO coaching that team on the court… pushing it to play good d. not ph.
you say ph is a good coach yet… we play poor d. we get outrebounded by shorter teams. we cant make a ft to save our tail. we are a terrible 3 pt shooting team and getting worse by the year. do we have one player on our team that can make a good pass? we have one and a half legitimate ball handlers on our team. And we play o like we are on Xtacy. did i miss anything?
clemson an op have passed us by as a program for crying out loud and uga (as bad as it is) has our number. yes ph has a losing record against uga too.
we had a team with 4 nba players on the roster and had a losing season (and they lost to uga).
we just had our first losing season AT HOME in 30 years. talk about going backwards.
we have a coach who continually says it is his job to get black athletes into gt and the nba. sounds like an agenda to me.
i will give you that ph is a great recruiter. a great recruiter of black players only. when is the last time ph has ever gone after a white player like he is favors. the answer is NEVER.
under ph… mark price the barry boys, matt harpring and noodles neal would never have played at gt.
could it be that ph just needs a change in assitant coaches? get some experienced assistants that can actually coach and maybe ph turns things around. could be but… it will never happen.
ph is the president of the BCA. same guy who said that all black fb players should play for a black coach to get his message across. pity a white man saying something like that.
never mind that most white coaches have payed their dues via graduating college and starting out as assistants over many years at cc etc. never mind that qualified black coaches are few an far between.
the real reason for the lack of black coaches is because most black athletes never finish school and or go on to play pro ball. joe hamilton could not even sniff an assitants job at gt until he finished his degree. imagine that!
how many black nba/nfl players finish their degrees? less than 5%? i guess the 50% grad rate at gt an 40% grad rate at uga have nothing to do with how many QUALIFIED black assistants that are available in the hiring pool either.
according to ph its a racist conspiracy similar to that auburn thing. you know being southern and all. never mind that northern schools didnt jump on the gill bandwagon either.
it took pj years of coaching at small schools before he got his chance to coach at gt. AND he is at the top of his profession w/l wise.
meanwhile ph refuses to even consider replacing our 2 inexperienced black assistants with qualified ones. it wouldnt be fair if they had to coach at a cc first. afterall they are black an must be above all that. his refusal to make changes is his obvious answer to his BCA agenda.
so lets see we have a crappy x’s and o’s coach who is president of the BCA. a coach who recruits white token players while recruiting mostly black players. a coach who refuses to replace his inexperienced black assistants to the detriment of gt basketball.
sounds to me like ph is a closet racist or a black man who has a chip on his shoulder for the white race.
if he was really for equality than maybe he should recruit white players and groom them to play in the nba? never mind that the nba is probably 80% black.
i guess what’s good for the goose is NOT good for the gander if your ph.
personally i think that all this bad luck crap that is happening to ph is happening for a reason. bad karma.
being a racist is not a nice thing to be. ehh paul?
By brian
December 28, 2008 1:44 AM | Link to this
gtfan don’t forget not only can we not defend, shoot free throws, rebound, run a motion offense, or inbound the ball, we can’t even figure out how to switch on screens. I’ve never seen a team that gets consistently fooled on the big man/little man screen to open up a shooter. EVERY time. It’s laughable. This is the point that drives me bonkers. Hewitt is Gailey II. Nice guy who is happy to be mediocre. Don’t ask me to stump up for expensive season tickets if that’s what the pan is. It’s sad when the fans have no desire to go to a conference game. There will be many empty seats vs UVA.
By brian
December 28, 2008 1:48 AM | Link to this
oh yeah, and don’t forget the “morrow”. The fact a guy can light up the NBA but not be drafted is a serious blight on Hewitt. Said Don Nelson, Golden State’s coach: “[General manager] Chris Mullin picked him up. I didn’t know who he was. I later found out he played at Georgia Tech. To have that kind of skill — shooting — and go undrafted is amazing.” Morrow: “I always believed I had a chance. It was a matter of opportunity. Every time I took the court against somebody who was drafted, I took it personally.” And now he’s a double-figure scorer in the only league that matters, and according to his coach, Morrow is “trying to take the next step — becoming a basketball player. … When they took away his [outside] shot, he didn’t have the rest of the game. But he’s coming along nicely. … He’s the hardest worker on the team.”
By blackprix
December 28, 2008 1:54 AM | Link to this
When a coach can’t explain why his on court play isn’t up to par for 4 seasons … GT has issues in coaching.
Hewitt is a smart man and a good person BUT, we haven’t seen good coaching for the last 3 seasons.
By blackprix
December 28, 2008 1:55 AM | Link to this
When a coach can’t explain why his on court play isn’t up to par for 4 seasons … GT has issues in coaching.
Hewitt is a smart man and a good person BUT, we haven’t seen good coaching for the last 3 seasons.
By BravesFan79
December 28, 2008 2:34 AM | Link to this
gtfan: NOW i know why paul hasnt replaced his assistants and didnt BEG for that white assistant that left after 2004 to come back!
That makes PERFECT sense!
Im so tired of whites being villified for saying truth’s while blacks are allowed to be openly racist in public.
Just look at what the Music Industry puts into the minds of the young people……in the top Rap song right now….”Swagga Like Us” Kanye West (im so important i should be in the bible) compares himself to a slave, and calls the white race “sht and urine”
Just imagine all the protests if a rock/country song said the same thing about whites!
By BravesFan79
December 28, 2008 2:35 AM | Link to this
gtfan: NOW i know why paul hasnt replaced his assistants and didnt BEG for that white assistant that left after 2004 to come back!
That makes PERFECT sense!
Im so tired of whites being villified for saying truth’s while blacks are allowed to be openly racist in public.
Just look at what the Music Industry puts into the minds of the young people……in the top Rap song right now….”Swagga Like Us” Kanye West (im so important i should be in the bible) compares himself to a slave, and calls the white race “sht and urine”
Just imagine all the protests if a rock/country song said the same thing about “blacks”
By UGA is so last year
December 28, 2008 6:54 AM | Link to this
What happened in 2004 was that he had a tall white stud at center. I can’t remember though if Luke was here already when Hewitt came here. I think he was. Hewitt stays away from recruiting players like this. He goes for the fast track athletes that have no understanding of the fundamentals of basketball. Nor can they shoot the ball through the hoop! Ah…duh. The team that gets the ball through the hoop the most wins!! Hewitt should have been let go the same year Gailey was but our AD didn’t want it to look bad by firing both. Of cours, I though Gailey should have been gone about 3 years before he was let go. With that thinking, it is probably a year or two before Hewitt is gone unfortunately.
By Bill
December 28, 2008 7:32 AM | Link to this
Sorry Jeff but I have to agree with Bruce Wayne 8:22 Paul is a Joke that needs to go.
How many of his players get a degree from GT? How many stay more than 2 years? Paul is another Chan!
By YJ
December 28, 2008 8:06 AM | Link to this
Paul’s ACC conference record is 58 and 70 and his best conference record is 9 and 7. The only reason he is still at GT is due to the stupid contract given by Dave Braine(less). In college they usually give extensions to coaches with less than 2 years remaining to help with recruiting. Paul has one year left on his deal after this year, read into that what you will.
Paul thanks, but it is time to part ways.
By chuck allison
December 28, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this
Jeff, you should do your homework better. Paul Hewitt is presently an embarassment to Georgia Tech and needs to find another career field.
By T-Bone
December 28, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
I agree. PH has not done a good job. He’s a good man who can recruit but can’t coach up the players. But the recruiting class he’s got coming is going to be scary good, expecially if Favors signs. Unfortunately that will buy PH a few more years.
By Road Scholar
December 28, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
I have to agree with many of the posts above. Westcoast Techie hit the nail on the head. Lack of being prepared, quick shots (not on the break), lack of consistent defense… has doomed Tech in the past and now.
Hewitt is consistent. Same difficiencies each year. And do not let him call a time out near the end of the half or game. We may as well hand the other team the ball!
I did not renew my season tickets this year (there were 2500 unfilleds eason tickets) due to the recurring issues. I could not take it anymore, esp with a ticket surcharge ($125 per ticket- cost of the cheap seats were almost $1000 for two) while adding 4 more patsies to the schedule.
Tech needs to evaluate what they are doing and what they expect, then make appropriate changes, which may include new assistants, or maybe a new coach. Teach them to shoot free throws, at least.
By fromthebleechers
December 28, 2008 9:14 AM | Link to this
It was interesting watching the Illinois-Chicago game and seeing mostly white guys out shoot, out hustle and plain out play GT. I wish PH would recruit more white boys and play them. PH is a good recruited, a good guy and a very mediocre coach. Give him 2 more years and let’s see.
By cltgtfan
December 28, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
I like Hewitt as a person and ambassador for GT. However on the coaching side I continually see our teams that cannot play team basketball. Often watching GT play basketball on offense is beyond frustrating to see the players standing around while someone dribbles out front.
I don’t remember that kind of stagnant offense in the run to the final 4. Did Dean Keener make that big of a difference, was it the particular chemistry of the kids or has Hewitt just been struck with bad luck sense then and it is unrelated to coaching? Right now I can only trust that Mr. R is deeply involved and will make the right decisions in the coming months.
Good reminder of where we currently sit in the pecking order of the ACC. I am currently bracing for a long year of patience for the recruits that are slated for next year, but if team basketball does not improve sometime soon, I believe Paul will be headed down the wrong direction and out the door.
By GTman
December 28, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this
My thoughts on Coach Hewitt,
Good recruiter. He has brought some NBA talent to Tech. Unfortunately, it is hard to build a team when these guys leave after 1 or 2 years.
Good man. Coach Hewitt is a class act and a good representative for GT.
Poor talent developer. I don’t see any development in our players. Cremins developed players like Salley, Oliver, Ferrell. Yes they had some talent coming in to GT, but they were much better BB players when the left.
Lack of toughness. Our team lacks toughness - especially on defense. 4 guys will guard their man tight only to have the 5th GT player allow their man to break free for the easy pass reception. We also leave our man outside the arc to “help” out on D because we do not trust our team mates. A kick out pass and an easy 3 for the opponent.
Verdict - Give Hewitt 2 more years to see what he can do with Lawal, Shumpert, and a promising incoming class. Dan Rad must hold Hewitt accountable to build a consistently successful program. We should not settle for less. There are a lot of coaches we can get that do items 1 and 2 above. GT Basketball should be a GREAT BB program.
By ga_tech_92
December 28, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
Good recruiter of 2, 3, 4 spots. May or may not be able to recruit 1, 5 spots. Not good with x’s and o’s or the concept that you MUST have a deep roster at PG to overcome departures and injury. That position, like no other, must be deep. We don’t seem to recruit with that in mind. We don’t seem to know how to run an offense like a well oiled machine. We don’t seem to be quick enough to keep stop dribble penetration (because we have 2’s playing the 1). If it were one year or every so often, it would be one thing, but it’s every year the same thing. The Final Four year was accomplished because of the mental toughness of a few of the players desire to win, IN SPITE of the issues above.
Good recruiter, not a good coach. Keep him on to recruit 2, 3, 4 spots. Get someone else to recruit 1, 5. Get someone else to x and o. Or just…get someone else.
By Wayne Guskind
December 28, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
I hated Hewitt from the “get go”.
Back in 2000 Hewitt and his assistants were up in Jersey at the NIKE Basketball Camp. I was driving in the area and to my astonishment I saw Willie “PeeWee” Reese walking on the street. I pulled over and introduced myself. Willie was REALLY nice as I we started to talk about Tech Hoops and the new coach 9Hewitt). He told me that he was just about to have lunch with Hewiit and asked me if I wanted to meet him. I said sure!
So we walk over to the restaurant and sure enough there is the Hewitt with another man (who’s name I forget). We all start talking the talk and while Willie and the other guy were very friendly to me (they recognized me as a TECH alum and someone who knew Tech Hopps - like I told them can we improve on our overall road record at Clemson from 2-17 under Cremins?) - but Hewitt wasn’t particularly nice. Was unwilling to chat. Kept fumbling with his cell phone. I came away with a very unfavorable view of Hewitt. Willie had asked me to join them for lunch - but then had to renege because Hewitt said they had to talk business, etc…
TRANSLATION: HEWITT’S AN JERK!
Now 8 or 9 years later we still have this imbecile as our head coach.
We have no one to blame but ourselves… plus the fact THERE IS NO MANDATE for a winning hoops program at G-Tech.
By TechVBfan
December 28, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this
I’d like a journalist to ask DRad why Shymansky is fired and Hewitt stays. Their performances are eerily similar but it boils down to a bunch of underachieving blue chippers who never quite look prepared.
By THEsidewalkfan
December 28, 2008 12:02 PM | Link to this
DRad - Go get Mark Price!!
By another issue
December 28, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
how many wins have we had in the wanning moments of a game?
very few.
imo one of the qualities in a good coach is his ability to … make the right changes personel wise, call time outs appropriately.
ph loses way more games in the final moments of a game than he wins.
he tends to call time outs at the wrong time or wastes them. he puts in the wrong player for the situation. he pulls a player right about the time said player is getting his groove. cant count the times ive wanted to jerk ph by the neck for this issue.
ph is a perfect example of the peter principle… in way over his head. he is an example of what happens when a black coach with MINIMAL skills gets a high profile job like gt. he cant compete. paul hewitt is NO oliver pernel sp.
3 things need to happen for ph to keep his job imo. he needs to have a winning coference record. he needs to win at least ONE acc tourney game (has he ever won one in 8 years?). he needs to at least make the ncaa’s.
if that doesnt happen we should fire ph and hire a real coach.
now i do think that ph would make for a good basketball coach for gt. he should have an assitants job not the job of the head coach.
By Mike in VA
December 28, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
Gosh Jeff, you sure busted PH’s balls with tough questions! NOT!
My view:
Srong recruiter of b-ball who can’t integrate the piece parts for he has no offensive system. He also cannot judge the good students, committed to an education, from the “one yaer and goners”.
Defense - when was the last time you saw a yellow jacket diving on the pines for a loose ball? 7 or 8 years?
Poor manager for his assistants are not getting the job done - see Offense and Defense.
Coacj Hewitt rode the coat tails of Bobby’s last recruits his first couple of years. The results since have sucked. I used to travel Maryland, Charlotteville, and the Raleigh Triangle to catch my Jackets games, though I live near DC. Not in the past two years - why should I put myself through it?
Like Gailey, CPH needs to go.
Mike Murphy Fairfax, VA
By GT93
December 28, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this
Sure, Paul Hewitt is a good guy … but so is my mailman. The difference is my mailman is not paid millions of dollars to coach what should be a top-tier college basketball program. Hewitt has had plenty of time (years!) to get these guys playing right, yet they continue to under-perform. Make all the excuses you want about injuries, players leaving early for the NBA, blah, blah, blah.
The right coach knows how to recruit the kids that will be as committed to the school as the school is to them when offered a full scholarship.
Also, the right coach knows how to recruit for high talent AND depth on the bench, so that when a 5-star player gets injured there’s a 4-star player ready to take his place. That was Cremins’ weakness with recruiting and Hewitt suffers from the same disease.
Put up or shut up, Paul. We all know you’re a good coach, but its high time you get these kids playing consistently good (and making FREE THROWS!!!) or step aside and let us go find us a coach that will get us back the level we deserve. Peace out.
By Don S.
December 28, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this
Hewitt does not even try to recruit white players. It is all black-all-the-time with Hewitt. The only white players who have had any playing time under Hewitt tranferred in and were hard for even Hewitt to ignore.
By Loyal to Tech
December 28, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this
I read a lot of excuses. Yes, Mr. Hewitt may be a good coach, raises “Men” as the article says. However, the fact is he is not making the Tournament on a regular basis! He recruits kids that stay one year and then go pro! That does nothing for the program. And Mr. Hewitt is not winning with kids that should win. He’s been a disappointing in the last 3 years. The program should not be down for that long of a period. You can praise him for many things but right now he cannot be praised for the one key objective - WINNING! Change is something that will need to be considered in the next 2 years if Mr. Hewitt does not start making the NCAA tourney as a contender and not a pretender!
By Tech82
December 28, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this
Hewitt’s job description is easy - recruit basketball players that can succeed within Tech’s academic environment and then coach them into a group that can compete and win in the ACC. In other words, do what Duke does.
Instead, Hewitt recruits players that have the skill to play in the NBA and have no intention of staying in school. He then fails to coach them into a successful team.
By ANY reasonable measure, Paul Hewitt has failed. Period. He needs to go.
If Favors signs with Tech, Hewitt will probably have the top recruiting class in the country next year. That will buy him another year, but we will still underachieve because that’s what Hewitt’s teams do.
He needs to go.
By Connie Lingous
December 28, 2008 4:54 PM | Link to this
Hewitt is a fine coach and an excellent representative of our University - I personally hope he will be at GTU for many years to come. People who criticize the man simply have short memories.
By Ken S
December 28, 2008 6:04 PM | Link to this
I’ll concede that, long term, winning is not the most important thing for his players. However, if it didn’t matter, no one would keep score.
While Hewitt is lauded for individual instruction and player development, where he fails his players is molding them into a team. They look like 5 talented guys who happened to show up at the court at the same time and called dibs.
When you look at winning teams what you see is cohesion and execution as a unit that is totally absent in Hewitt’s teams. Their hesitance on offense is the most consistent trait they possess.
Learning to play as a team is part of what’s important to them down the road in basketball or life. Winning is simply a byproduct of that critical element. It may be that his assistants are at fault but the responsibility is Hewitt’s. Basketball is a game of rhythms and his too frequent subs often kill that rhythm. He does it because his players are taught specific skills and not how to play the complete game.
I’m watching the Virginia game right now and couldn’t demonstrate my point better. They were 7 minutes into the game before Virginia took a shot more than 6 feet from the basket.
Hewitt has good qualities as a recruiter and as a teacher. It’s a shame he can’t coach a team.
By GwinnettJacket
December 28, 2008 6:29 PM | Link to this
I love Georgia Tech; I used to have as much interest in basketball as football. I will watch the ACC tournament; however, I don’t even pay attention to the schedule anymore. If I hear they are playing, I will turn on the TV. I used to have season tickets (during the Hewitt years). I am glad to hear Hewitt is doing it the right way. Obviously, the bar is lower for him than most coaches.
And,though I love Tech, please do not mention Knight’s name when speaking of Paul Hewitt. No matter what you personally believe about Knight and what a jerk he was, he was a great coach and “did it the right way”-making sure his kids graduated and supporting them beyond the game of basketball.
Down 44-37 to UVA at home even as I type. Let’s keep doing it the right way. Go Jackets!!!!!
Didn’t you make fun of the CPJ hire? Ever eat crow for that one?
By AlabamaRamblinwreck
December 28, 2008 6:38 PM | Link to this
Hard to watch. They never get better. It has to be the coaching.
When is basketball at GT going to be fun to watch again? Not under CPH. He is determined to do it his way, and his way is not fun to watch and the players do not improve, and the team does not play as a team, especially on the offensive end of the court. Reminds me a lot of football under CCG.
Is it only me, or does everyone else see that our players take tough, tough shots, and the other teams move the ball until they get an open shot most of the time? Hard to win when you are taking contested shots and the other team is taking open shots!!
Go Jackets!! I will continue to try and watch this painful exhibition.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 28, 2008 7:28 PM | Link to this
Does anyone else have trouble staying awake watching Hewitt’s BB team at the “Thriller Dome”?
Well, I guess I’ll go watch the rest of this game against the team picked last in the ACC.
By Tech82
December 28, 2008 8:03 PM | Link to this
Call me crazy but wouldn’t a coach as good as the one Jeff is describing know enough to call time out with 10 seconds to go in OT when his team has the ball and is down two points. I would think most good coaches would want to set up a final play rather than having Clinch try to force an off-balance jumper.
Pathetic!
By Rambling Rock
December 28, 2008 8:07 PM | Link to this
Well-timed vote of confidence there Jeff. We lose to the ACC’s worst team.
Check that—the second worst team.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 28, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this
Hewitt is the worst coach in the NCAA, bar none, and pick your sport!!!
The team doesn’t get back on defense after a lay-up. Then they get down by two, and he doesn’t call a time out with 10 seconds left in OT!!!
Amazing we even had a time out. After throwing up an air ball and getting down by 4 points with less than 2 seconds, he calls a time out.
Would it have gone to OT if we were average free throw shooting team, NOPE.
Jeff Schultz, go back to California you idiot
By gtlinz
December 28, 2008 8:14 PM | Link to this
I have been a Hewitt apologist for many years and I have seen the light. We have had a lot of talent but they are not “coached up”. Don’t get me wrong - I like the kids coming in, the represent the institute well - but they don’t have a fighting chance with Hewitt at the help. We also have a lot of talent coming in next year - but I truly believe that we will not do anything with it except maybe a tournament appearance and nothing from it. The national title appearance was because we had a great combination of character kids - Jared Jack ran the show, Marvin Lewis from the perimeter, Bynum was fearless and Clarence Moore was the GLUE (watch the films - he knew how to strip the ball in traffic and not get called). I have quit buying tickets and watching games regularly. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. I am looking forward to the inevitable coaching change in 2-3 years.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 28, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
I’d rather have Bill Lewis or Chan Gailey coach our BB team!!!
By patriots75
December 28, 2008 8:17 PM | Link to this
Hewitt’s got to go, he has to be the worst coach i have ever seen on game management, waste time out’s, team can not make free throws, this game should not made it to over time, hit just 60 per cent of the foul shots this game is a win,they will be lucky to win any ACC games, don’t care who he recruits, he can’t win!!
By UGA is so last year
December 28, 2008 8:23 PM | Link to this
Read my post at 6:54 AM today. See above. I called it hours before the game. None of his players ever learned how to play basketball the correct way. Shooting the ball through the hoop! We miss 17 free throws!!?? They don’t call them ‘free’ for nothin!
By Navigator
December 28, 2008 8:30 PM | Link to this
I like Paul Hewitt as a game coach, but his assistants leave a lot to be desired. He’s got a complete team of bad free throw shooters, and that’s lazy coaching and worse lazy players. When I was in high school the team shot over 80% as team, and that wasn’t because the players were great free throw shooters. The coach required each player to shoot 50 free throws every day, and their score was graded. The guards shot many more than 50 on their on. Like I said lazy coaches, and lazy players, and that shows during the game as well. They don’t pass as much as playing one on one. I think coach Hewitt will continue as Tech’s coach for a long time because the emphasis is now on football, but he won’t ever have enough talent or coaching to win anything in the ACC or NCAA.
By Road Scholar
December 28, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this
A time out was needed one minute and 30 seconds into the game to wake up the players! It was a home game…ACC openner… and we needed a timeout?
As I said earlier, teach them to shoot free throws.
And where was our inside game at the end of both regulation and overtime? The guards didn’t even attempt to go inside to Lawal and Aminu. He!!, Peacock doesn’t know what the lane is anyway! Granted they can’t shoot free throws, but the other team only gets 5 fouls per player!
And this was good coaching…..?
By UGA is so last year
December 28, 2008 8:41 PM | Link to this
Navigator, no, did you see the empty seats? There were a ton and that trend will continue. We used to sell out for years and years. His time is limited. He should have been tossed the same year Gailey was but I am sure DRAD didn’t want to can 2 coaches at the same time. How would that make him look? Hewitt should be relieved of his duties now. Give it to an asst for the rest of the year while we look for a coach. There is no way he comes back this season and makes a winner out of this team. Lose at home to the worst team in the ACC!!??
By Drexel Gal
December 28, 2008 8:57 PM | Link to this
Paul Hewitt’s winning percentage at Tech is lower than Chan Gailey’s was. Yet, Hewitt has been beloved since he first set foot on campus in 2000, while Gailey was treated with suspicion up to the day that Dan Rada-Moron ran him out of town.
Perhaps Hewitt’s welcome is wearing off. Fortunately, the coaching situation in New York is always precarious. If the Knicks’ job is ever open, Hewitt will take it.
And should.
By The Big Bug
December 28, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
The Knicks job? Riiiight! I think I’ll become a double-nought spy.
Somebody correct me if I’m wrong but did I see Tech throw up two free throw air balls? I’m old but I can hit something. Hewitt has to go.
By b6542
December 28, 2008 9:51 PM | Link to this
Hewitt needs to go. Keeps serving up the same free throw bricks year after year. UVA loss was inexcusable. Good thing we don’t have the Liberty powerhouse on our schedule! Just a matter of time………
By ben
December 28, 2008 10:31 PM | Link to this
First of all, rednecks, stop all your racist banter. Blacks have a different history and current reality than whites, so you can’t compare both behaviours. Second, if were as easy as you all think to win at GT, then we’d attract big time name coaches. And as far as comparing Gailey to Hewitt, Gsiley didn’t come close to sniffing the National Champioship game. Hewitt did and appeared to be one of the best coaches in the country that year. College basketball is all about the point guard. If you don’t have a great one, it’s hard to have a great team. We had Jack and Bynum the year of our run. The closest we’ve come since then is the overrated Crit who managed to slip us into the big dance.
By John
December 28, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this
To Ben and all of the basketball fans across the world, basketball is the only sport that schools like gonzaga and winston spykes school of bartending can win national championships at. BASKETBALL DOES NOT AND WILL NEVER MATTER!!!!!!!!! DUKE,UNC ARE CLOWN SCHOOLS AND FOOTBALL RULES!!!!!!
By Jeff
December 28, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
Fire Paul Hewitt! Enough is enough!
By gtfan
December 28, 2008 11:57 PM | Link to this
so tell me ben…
if a black man talks about racism that is ok
if a white man talks about racism its really the white man being a racist?
your arguement re big name coaches holds NO water there ben. when bobby cremins went to sc we were all set to hire roy williams. you know… the unc coach.
your stale arguement is the same crap that the gailey fans constantly spewed.
seems to me we had a list of big time coaches.
pj seemed to work out just fine.
give me a freakin break.
btw that was real nice of you there with the name calling and all. real nice. certainly helped make your point.
actions speak louder than words an it is obvious from ph’s actions that he has issues with white folks.
so if you need to lecture anybody i suggest you lecture ph.
By BravesFan79
December 29, 2008 4:40 AM | Link to this
John December 28, 2008 10:44 PM:
Dude your a clown… your sport of college football blows and everyone knows it. Your sport dosent even have a REAL CHAMPION!! Heck even badmition has a real champ. CF is on the same level as figure skating, dog shows, and bodybuilder competitions… all “voted on” instead of real competition. Look at this last week of the NFL and tell me that every game DONSENT MATTER!!
As long as the BCS is in charge CF will always be a joke of a sport. 2nd to the major sports of MLB, NFL, NBA, and College basketball.
And im a college football fan 2… go GT and UGA! Screw USCal, Oregon, Ohio State, and all the other schools in the way of a 8 team playoff! Maybe one day your sport of CF will have a real champ and catch up in relevance… till then its a joke of a sport.
I still believe in GT hoops and next years potential…. Hewitt just needs to break the racial profling crap… fire his 2 assistants, and hire old white men that know the game and will WORK with the players!! GT spends all kinds of money on offensive and defensive cordinators in football…. just imagine if we did the same in Mens Hoops!
Hewitt as the main manager/recruiter, and the old white coaches to work with the players and develop their skills the way it should be done! Seems that was the recipe back in 2004…..
By BravesFan79
December 29, 2008 4:59 AM | Link to this
Ben: “Blacks have a different history and current reality than whites” How so ben? whites have also been slaves in the past….. ever read the bible?? Funny… if my ancestors came from such a shthole as Africa… id consider it a blessing in desguise that i could be born in the most prosperious country in the world.. …
And watchout who you call a redneck…i like how blacks automatically label anyone who critizes blacks a “uncle tom”, a “racist” or a “redneck”. You sound like a pretty decently smart black dude from the way you type… heck you even have a computer to type on! Your doing better than about 60% of the black males i come across while doing work in the city.
Face it cat… your race is falling behind faster than the jamacian bobslead team because of all the highschool dropouts and wanna be hiphop thugs. When i work the projects of Atlanta and see little 5 year old girls singing “shawty wanna thug” like i have in SW atl,… its so clear whats wrong with black society… 2 bad yall ignore it to your own destruction.
And ive got more streetsmarts in my pinky than u have in your whole body.
But i guess im white so i must be a “redneck” huh?
By Get REAL
December 29, 2008 6:32 AM | Link to this
I really admire Coach Hewitt as an individual, but he has demonstrated that he is not the right man to coach in the the ACC.
Hope, maybe, should, let’s wait, we can do better…. These losing phrases just keep repeating.
The coach is hired to win games, period. Recruit academically sound players (not easy) and Tech will take care of the great education part.
Teach the players to win and their skils may let them play for a living later. Players want to win; the fans want to win. These are not mutually exclusive.
We need a coach with the right perspective. Coach Hewitt better figure it out QUICKLY because empty seats will not pay for his very comfortable salary.
By Road Scholar
December 29, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
From the Washington Post:
“Obviously, free throw shooting was a problem,” Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt said.
Was? It is and it has been! First you have to realize you have a problem, or what could be a problem, and then you figure a way to address it. If you can’t accurately evaluate yourself and the stats, then you aren’t a good coach or manager! I realize the coach does not shoot the free throws, buthe is a teacher!
Oh, by the way, did you see the great assist Clinch had last night?
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 29, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
BravesFan79 I’m glad you have found someone else to scream at.
Um, didn’t I predict this 2 years ago?
Hewitt could take the Dream Team and lose in the first round of the NCAA’s.
What does Hewitt tell these guys, if you get a dunk in the game, no free throw practice!!!
As far as being a great recruiter, HAH!!! The ACC, Atlanta, and a GT Education sells itself!!!
By BLAZER
December 29, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
WHY CAN’T HE COACH THE ZONE DEFENSE??
FREE THROW SHOOTING??
By fred
December 29, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
Coach: to win and run a clean program.
Anything less is procrastination (excuses).
What I saw last night was a 100% lack of coaching.
By yellarjacket4life
December 29, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this
This team will go 0-16 in conference play. Free throw shooting is atrocious. I do not understand how ACC caliber college players can collectively shoot under 60% at the free throw line. A below average high school team can shoot at least 60% from the line. Free throw shooting was the difference in the UVA game. UVA shoots 77%. GT shoots 48.5%. 48.5%??????? Are you kidding me? Absolutley pathetic. And this was a home game. Hate to see how their going to shoot on the road, especially knowing Hewitt’s track record in ACC road games. I’ve seen enough!!! Time for Hewitt to go!
By BravesFan79 and gtfan are rigtht
December 29, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
BravesFan79 and gtfan are right on the money!
By Richard
December 29, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this
Schultz,
You’ve just magnified the problem with Hewitt. You’ve used the 2004 run as an excuse rather than a stepping stone.
By ramblwrk68
December 29, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this
AD Dan had better be telling HC Paul THIS morning that this year is it! He’d better coach them into an NCAA berth, and win at least TWICE, or adios! Yesterday was pathetic vs. the Yaaa-hoos. Maybe is they hang a picture of Gailey in the hall outside his office …?
By GT76
December 29, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
It was very clear to me from the free throws, the lack of defense, the timeout calls, and the way PH looked on the bench. He has all but left. His head is clearly somewhere else. Need’s to go.
By GT76
December 29, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
It was very clear to me from the free throws, the lack of defense, the timeout calls, and the way PH looked on the bench. He has all but left. His head is clearly somewhere else. Need’s to go.
By mark price
December 29, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
for those of you who didnt know… mark price offered to coach the jackets in ft throw shooting etc.
dennis scott and kenny anderson have also made themselves available to help the team.
for those of you who dont know… mark price is one of the best if not THE best all time ft shooter in the NBA and the NCAA.
ph declined the offer of their help.
clemson did not. mark price schooled clemson last year in shooting.
clemson is ranked in the top 25 and undefeated again so far this year. And they dont have a single mcdonalds all american on thier squad.
last year folks pointed to clemson’s schedule as the reason why they started out so great. well considering that gt has one of the softest none conference schedules in the country this year id like to hear what the EXCUSE.
if you know how to coach you dont need to constantly add one n dones to a program to ‘prop it up’.
By E
December 29, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this
Its really disppointing that every sports topic in this city always turns into a race issue. If you go to any other major city newspaper’s website, you don’t see it. I’m not saying its not out there, just not on every topic. To me, sports is the common ground which transends race, if you root for my team, play for my team or coach my team, races doesn’t matter.
In CPH case, winning should be all that matters and right now he’s not winning for whatever reason (academics, injuries, defections to the NBA) he’s still not winnnig and what all us true GT fans want is a winning program. That being said, CPH should not and will not be fired anytime soon, he will turn it around. Like it or not, he’s dealing with a limited set of players and though I agree his not coaching them up to the best of their ability, the ceiling is limited to begin with…..
By fred
December 29, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
WRONG!!! What limitations? GTech? (tell Johnson’s players that), Atlanta? ACC?
All EXCUSES are just that.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooJackets!!!!!
By ben
December 29, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
bravesfan79 and gtfan: I am 50 years old, white, grew up in south Alabama, and I think I ought to know a redneck when I see one. I think Hewitt has his deficiencies, but none that should be reduced to cheap racial rhetoric. We were about as “ready to sign Roy Williams as coach” as we were ready to hire John Wooden. What, Williams was going to leave Kansas to come to GT? Yea, sure, and I had a pony for Christmas, but it got away.
By BravesFan79
December 29, 2008 7:33 PM | Link to this
ben: and i recognize someone that dosent know wtf their talking about when i see them as well. And that would be you. Redneck? lol… n**** plz… (in case u didnt understand that… thats not racism, its a street term)
E: your right man, sports is one of the things that brings us ALL together. That being said, you gotta admit that if Cremins had assistants that were TERRIBLY underperforming…. and kept them around JUST because they were white… that would be wrong right!??
I like Hewitt as our coach, just not as much as i did before i learned he was president of the BCA and has hidden agendas.
By well E
December 29, 2008 9:50 PM | Link to this
if our coach is the head of the BLACK COACHES ASSOCIATION.
if our coach refuses to replace his inexperienced BLACK assistants after 3 years of losing
if our coach says its his job to recuit ‘black athletes’ and prepare them for the nba (not young men)
if our coach has said that the ncaa is racist
than i would say that our coach is the one who interjected racism into our program not vice versa.
if im lying or mistaken please point out my mistake. i am man enough to apologize.
if what i have said is all true than why shoot the messenger because the topic is unpleasant but true?
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 29, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this
Awe bravesfan79, you want talk to me any more. GT Basketball is Ground Hog Day every freaking year. It’s absolutely painful to watch. March is meaningless now. Nothing now is any different than last year, the year before, and all the way back to 2005, only different players.
By Sick and Tired
December 29, 2008 11:03 PM | Link to this
Am I the only one sick of watching a team that can’t shoot (free throws or otherwise), can’t or won’t play defense (how many lay-ups have we given up after tying or taking the lead this year?), and has absolutely no clue what they are doing in half court sets. This is like groudhog’s day - “Just wait till we get that killer recruiting class next year”.
It’s not even January and I already can’t stand to watch the garbage Hewitt is putting out on the court. I grew up watching Dean Smith coached teams. Watched them win game after game with less “talent” then Hewitt has now. It’s one thing to get beat, quite another to be awful in almost every fundamental aspect of the game. That makes the team unwatchable; that is on the coaches. I believe Hewitt said he has enough talent to make the tournament this year, I say we take him at his word. Phenomenal recruiting class or not.
By Agenda
December 29, 2008 11:16 PM | Link to this
Paul Hewitt is the president of the BCA.
Paul Hewitt said the top 5 offensive and defensive recruits should go play for Randy Shannon so Miami can win a national championship.
Paul Hewitt has an agenda.
I mean forget the fact that this statement supports a divisional opponent and rival of Georgia Tech. The fact that this statemnt was made during the basketball season in the midst of a 3 game losing streak tells us all what is really on his mind.
Paul Hewitt needs to spend more time coaching Georgia Tech’s student atheletes and less time worrying about how many black coaches are getting hired into D-1 football.
By George P
December 30, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Unbelievable. No possible other explaination than coaching. Why can’t our men’s basketball coach be held to the same level of accountability as Chan or Bond? DRad, are you listening?
By Dave S
December 30, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
I could not agree more with Bruce Wayne’s comments. Plus what is up with only one recruit in the 08 classs, are you kidding me!!!! It is obvious at the lack of coaching going on with our bench coaches.One more year to see what he can do with the 09 class and then it will be time for D Rad to make some serious decisions.
By Scott
December 30, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
I have been watching GT basketball for years and this basketball team might be the worst team ever! I truly am starting to dislike Paul Hewitt. He is not a good coach on the floor. The only thing he knows how to do is call a timeout. Frankly, he is an embarrassment to the program. I feel for Iman, he came in to this garbage basketball program? Tech is the worst team in the ACC by a long shot! Normally, I would go to alot of games but after last year (middle school basketball) and this year (women’s team would beat us), I won’t go back until Gailey I mean Hewitt is gone. Tech is finished with him at the helm. Can Paul Johnson coach hoops?
By DixieTech
December 30, 2008 12:26 PM | Link to this
I must agree with gtfan. Its about time we stood up for ourselves. This trend of black players and black coaches must be stopped. Tech has a chance to stand up and be counted. There are plenty of good White players out there who dont get a chance to play because some nigr is taking their spot. With a good White coach we could go to the tourn with an ALL WHITE TEAM instead of some thugs. Its time we took the south back!!!
By hey gt grad
December 30, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this
exactly what superb recruiting class are you talking about?
we have (2) 3 star roll players and (2) 4 star players that will start.
favors has said he wants to see how the teams play before he commits. memphis will make us look bad. of course memphis will make nc state an uga look bad also.
so lets see… we have 2 starters an 2 role players coming in next year for a total of 4.
we lose bell aminu an clinch. gani will prob go pro and lets hope that schump doesnt pull a crit an leave too. we will probably lose 4 players.
end result will be that we have the same no of players as we have this year with less experience. we will lose 2 of our best players and gain NO 5 star players.
we will have NO front court to speak of with aminu an gani gone.
if you think we are bad this year…. waite until you see the ‘team’ ph puts on the floor for next year.
so
By gt fan
December 30, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this
dixie tech that is NOT what i am saying.
i am saying lets get rid of quotas etc and not pick an choose based on the color of a mans skin.
as ph seems to do.
i have no problem with black players or black coaches.
i do have a problem when a coach picks a player because he is black.
i do have a problem when a coach advocates using inexpereinced coaches because they are black.
sorry but you an i are on different wave lengths.