AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > March > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USJackets’ skill, effort can’t meet when it matters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Chicago — The talent didn’t fit, so this is the obit. Georgia Tech had enough good players to go a long way this month, but it was always a mismatched set. And as the Yellow Jackets were being outfought by UNLV at the end Friday, it was clear Paul Hewitt had developed, not by design but by necessity, a two-platoon system.
He had his “skill” guys, and he had his “effort” guys. But not enough of the latter guys were skilled enough, and not enough of the former could be counted on to give a consistent effort. In Hewitt’s incisive post-mortem, he conceded his Jackets had become exactly what he didn’t want them to be — “a feel-good team.”
Feel-good teams look great when they’re making shots and running free, but when the feeling fades (and it always does) such assemblages get frustrated and let the details slide. “When you’re scouting, you like to sniff out teams that exhibit some of that ‘feel-good,’ ” Hewitt said, “and we had some of that in the first half — the bickering. I’m disappointed. I thought we had gotten past it.”
But then he looked up and it was 11-3 and 22-10 and 29-15, and now Tech was chasing yet another game and Hewitt was having to deploy exotic combinations — for long stretches he had starting guards Javaris Crittenton and Anthony Morrow sit while Mario West and D’Andre Bell, two willing defenders, dragged the Jackets back — and such was the force of the Jackets’ rally that it seemed they were going to pull this one out. Only they couldn’t.
The same offensive rebounds that fueled Tech’s comeback undid the Jackets in the final two minutes. (The Rebels had five on the game’s two decisive possessions.) Said Jeremis Smith: “Rebounding is all about will, and they had a little more will.”
Said Morrow: “We got out-toughed. They showed a lot of toughness at the end. We’ve got to come up with those rebounds.”
Said West: “In a very close game that was going back and forth, it was little things — boxing out, coming up with loose balls, being disciplined on defense — that cost us the game.”
That’s the trouble with talent, young talent especially. Attention to detail suffers because talented young guys always figure they’ll override a lack of fundamentals with their surplus of aptitude. Alas, the two most talented young Jackets — Crittenton and Thaddeus Young — took 23 shots between them Friday and managed only 16 points, and UNLV was allowed to take a lasting lead with 71 seconds left on, of all things, a layup off an inbounds pass.
“We didn’t do what we should have done [this season],” Morrow said. “This is a life lesson. We lost this game … with all we could have done.”
Said Young: “We lost games we weren’t supposed to lose. Good teams don’t lose games they aren’t supposed to lose.”
For all their assets, these Jackets will be remembered as being closer to mediocre than to good. They were gifted enough to beat North Carolina and Memphis but so unsound they lost a dozen games. Three years ago Tech played for the national championship because Hewitt had a bunch of effort guys who were just skilled enough. This time there was no happy medium. This time they couldn’t even get past an opponent that made only 31.7 percent of its shots in Round 1.
“We had a lot of talent,” Crittenton said, “but sometimes we just didn’t listen to the coaching staff. We didn’t do everything in our power.”
In the grand scheme, they didn’t come all that close. One-and-done in the ACC tournament, and now one-and-done in the Big Dance. Assuming Crittenton and Young return — and there’s no good reason to think they won’t — big things will be expected next season. But teams that do big things must first master the little things, and these Jackets never quite could. Thus does the feel-good team come home feeling bad.
“It wasn’t fun,” Crittenton said. “Any time you lose, it’s never fun.”
Permalink | Comments (47) | Post your comment | Categories: Final Four, Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC
Comments
By NC Jacket
March 16, 2007 8:17 PM | Link to this
When I look at what we accomplished this year and compare it with with NC State accomplished - with meager talent/depth and a third-choice coach - I wouldn’t be wanting to include the 2006-2007 season in any Jacket resumes.
By Bobby Buzz
March 16, 2007 8:18 PM | Link to this
Tickle Piles have become the norm on North Avenue and it is apparent that some of our SA’s have been attending.
By Clydesdale
March 16, 2007 8:23 PM | Link to this
How about the “skill” and “effort” it takes to make an occasional intelligent prediction.
With all the adoration you have shown toward the Jackets, I thought it was a given they would win a few games in the tournament.
As Martina McBride says, Wrong Again.
By matthew
March 16, 2007 8:27 PM | Link to this
this is a devastating end to the season. i am an avid tech fan from indianapolis… i have the utmost respect for this team and for coach hewitt! young and crittenton are tremendous talents and they are going to be great players at the next level. THEY ARE NOT READY YET! they both need to return for another year! like I said, i love coach hewitt and i have the utmost respect for him as a man and as a coach. i would send my son to play for him in a heartbeat! if young and crittenton return next season along with lewis clinch and this team does not dominate the acc and play deep into march, you have to question whether or not hewitt should be replaced? as hard as it is to say that, i think its true…young, crittenton, clinch, morrow, dickey, smith, peacock, aminu, bell, faye, the other 7 footer that red shirted! i mean if we cant be dominate with that group not to metion any incoming freshman, what gives? mario, we love you, thank you for five great years…we CANT replace you! best wishes to you in the future.
By Reality
March 16, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this
Tech+road game= loss. That is reality!
By Jeff
March 16, 2007 8:47 PM | Link to this
By matthew
March 16, 2007 8:48 PM | Link to this
i know that the season is over! i want to give my props to alade aminu for a hell of a second half of the season! you came out of nowhere and stepped up like a champion! keep it up during the off season. you are a special talent and should be an inspiration to the rest of the team. i know that the events of this day are terribly disappointing! lets build from this and grow into the dominant force that we SHOULD be next season! if everybody comes back, which they should, there is nobody in the country that should be able to hang with us. take advantage of this off season, which starts tomorrow, grow as a team and as individuals and we can will be great in 08! thanks guys
By Max Sizemore
March 16, 2007 8:48 PM | Link to this
Tech was terrible on offense, besides just being a bad team, generally, against UNLV. I’ve always like Hewitt, but I don’t care how unruly or young the players are, if he can’t do any better than that, Tech needs to find someone else. That was a miserable, disgusting display, and the entire program should be ashamed.
By Reid
March 16, 2007 9:11 PM | Link to this
Nice to see some positive, supportive comments here tonight. I didn’t get to see the game today, but I think we can all remember looking ahead in January and thinking, “that’ll be two losses at home to end the year”. It’s easy to say today that you thought this team should have pulled off an upset in the NCAAz, but I was proud of the team for making the Dance at all given where they were midway through the ACC season. Thanks, Coach and team, for some thrilling wins this year (how long has it been since we beat UNC AND Dook at home?). I’ll be back in my seat again next year!
By Budweisser Buzz
March 16, 2007 9:16 PM | Link to this
I agree with the poster above. Tickle piles are out of control on campus and until we take control of that issue our athletic will continue to flounder.Why will no one talk about the real problem at Tech?
By Reality
March 16, 2007 10:00 PM | Link to this
Reid.. did you say “pull off an upset”… Tech was a two-point favorite. I would say that UNLV pulled off the upset.
By David Duncan
March 16, 2007 10:46 PM | Link to this
I firmly believe that if Lon Kruger had been coaching Ga Tech. Ga Tech would have won by 20 points. Paul Hewitt’s team played out of sync. They did not seem to have any motivation or direction. There is no doubt that Tech had the more skilled players. Fire Chan Gailey. Are you kidding? Paul Hewitt should be the first one fired.
By PoVoxTech90
March 16, 2007 10:53 PM | Link to this
Reality Tech may have been favored in Vegas, but they were still a 10 seed facing a 7. UNLV winning was no upset.
By Drew
March 16, 2007 11:09 PM | Link to this
I love this team. Stay together guys. You are going to be great! Everyone is getting so much better with each game and the pieces are coming together. This team is tough as nails and will be tough as railroad spikes next year. Watch out ACC!!!
By GT in Seattle
March 16, 2007 11:57 PM | Link to this
Go Jackets! Next year should be a favorable year to remember, unlike this year.
By fja;as;a
March 17, 2007 12:45 AM | Link to this
I think this whole year comes down to one player, Rashean “clown” Dickey. I really don’t like calling out a college kid, but this guy has all the offensive skill in the world and just flat out doesn’t give 100%. The only other Tech player I’ve ever been this annoyed by was R. Ball. However, at least Reggie always gave his all. He didn’t have the God given skill, but he left it on the field. Dickeys clowndick attitude over the past couple of years has gotten old. How does this kid still start? He must have some compromising pictures of Coach. Come on home fellows. Keep your head up. For the love of God don’t any of you go pro because none of you are even close for that kind of organized basketball. Especially you Thad. Your too shy.
By ms
March 17, 2007 1:00 AM | Link to this
It took half a season(way too long) to find rotations. This group needs to be coached how to WIN, to recognize the game situations and stop squandering the crucial moments that define W vs L, with risky passes, poor shot selection, and lack of ball movement. Find another offensive play besides JT dribbling in an arc at the top of the key for 75% of the shot clock. Clinch and next years class should help a lot.
By YellowSpinE
March 17, 2007 1:22 AM | Link to this
You guys underestimated UNLV. Mostly due to the lack of exposure of the Mountain West Conf. We didn’t even have our “A” game today. Kevin Kruger not making a single bucket from the feild? He averages 18 pts a game. But in the end, UNLV was underrated. Our team has a lot heart. Certainly not the most athletic, but they work well as a team. Gaston and Anthony, our 2 big men, were in foul trouble from the start.
For GT, living in VA I watch a lot of ACC ball. GT has a lot of talent. You just need better coaching to bring them together. You will be a force in the next couple of years as long as you don’t loose your freshman and sophmores.
By Najeh Davenpoop
March 17, 2007 1:37 AM | Link to this
You all are insane. This team wasn’t lacking skill or heart, it was lacking experience. Out of UNLV’s four best players, 3 are senior guards. On the other hand, who are GT’s best players? A freshman point guard and a freshman small forward. This team has one senior, Mario West, who is a great leader and defender but let’s face it, he’s not exactly the most talented player on this team. Sure, there are other teams that rely heavily on freshmen (like UNC for example) but even they have an experienced senior like Reyshawn Terry available to take their big shots. I agree that Dickey’s effort leaves a lot to be desired, but I don’t think you can make that argument about anyone else on this team.
GT’s had a problem winning away from home all year, mainly due to their lack of experience. The 5-second call on Javaris late in the game today was a perfect example of inexperience causing a mistake in a college game. It’s no guarantee that Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton will stay next year, but if they do this team will definitely perform better in the regular season and postseason. Based on their track record this year away from home, it was unrealistic to expect them to advance in this tournament. Give UNLV credit — they were the more experienced team and they deserved to win. As fans, we should always be disappointed when our team loses, but this season was certainly not a failure, as some posters on this blog seem to believe.
As for Hewitt, he’s not the most imaginative offensive coach, but being able to consistently recruit blue-chippers is a talent in itself, particularly at a school as tough academically as Georgia Tech. Sure, maybe the next star coach is sitting out there somewhere, but until you find him it makes no sense to let go of Hewitt.
By jaybird
March 17, 2007 2:12 AM | Link to this
Kruger totally outcoached Hewitt and it was obvious that UNLV was the more focused team and was much better prepared for this game than the Jackets were. Although Tech had superior athletes, UNLV was the better team.
How can Tech be out of timeouts in the final four minutes of the game? Furthermore, the Jackets were disorganized on critical offensive possessions down the stretch which resulted in critical turnovers and questionable shot selection.
This team had tremendous potential, but these final two embarrassments against Wake Forest and UNLV make it clear that Hewitt failed to get these players to perform with the consistency that is necessary for success in the NCAA Tournament.
By Reggie
March 17, 2007 2:54 AM | Link to this
Folks this team had one senior. The Mountain West Champion beat the number 6 team in the ACC! The coach can not play the game.
By Jack
March 17, 2007 5:24 AM | Link to this
Ever since this match-up was announced last Sunday most everything I’ve read coming out of Atlanta was that UNLV had no business being on the same floor as Georgia Tech. Now obviously, GT plays in a better conference and has better athletes. But Tech doesn’t have the one thing UNLV has in abundance, heart.
UNLV won the game simply because they refused to lose. Wink Adams made Critendon look foolish on two plays in crunch time and the smaller, less athletic Rebels hustled after loose balls and out rebounded the much bigger and athletic Yellow Jackets.
Offensively UNLV played about as bad in the second half as I’d seen all year. Granted, Tech’s defense was the cause of much of that pain. But even with Kruger shooting 0-8 he still dropped 8 dimes and other players stepped up. That’s the sign of a good team. Tech has players, but no heart or brains.
Instead of excuses and the disbelief that a non-ACC school could ever beat Tech be honest with yourselves. You didn’t make the plays or want it as bad as UNLV.
By GT Bob
March 17, 2007 6:19 AM | Link to this
When is someone here going to talk about the real issue on campus. The TICKLE PILES.
By TechTony
March 17, 2007 6:47 AM | Link to this
All this talk of Young and Crittendon going pro, where does this come from? The reality of the NBA game dictates that neither would be an immediate help to any NBA team. Both need extra seasoning and have facets of their games that need developing before either is remotely ready for the next level. So where does this jumping ship come from? Oh yeah, it’s a lack of development every Tech player has suffered from under Paul Hewitt’s tutelage. Outside of Mario West, I don’t think there is a single player who has donned the old gold and white whose game has improved one iota under this man. Chris Bosh had the sense to recognize it; hopefully Crittendon and Young WON’T see it so that we may avoid a 9-20 campaign in 07-08.
Hewitt simply does not grasp the concept of the importance of team chemistry. His disdain for and outright dislike of Dickey and Morrow, which has been as overt as can be, is far more hurtful to his team than his feeble little mind understands. Grow up, Paul, the players are the kids, not you.
By tech71
March 17, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this
What, pray tell, is a ‘tickle pile’ and where do they occur?
By luvthejackets
March 17, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this
Tech never developed great chemistry this season. Much of that had to do with being led by a freshman at the point and also losing Lewis Clinch who was our leading scorer at the time. Javaris Crittenton was the key to yesterdays loss. He looked like a scared freshman, and his mistakes and lack of confidence cost us the game. He just wasted to many chances. I refuse to put all the blame Hewitt. Dickey plays with no heart at times and it drives me crazy. Dickey could be a force if played with half the heart Smith plays with. This year was frustrating, but you had too many new (freshman) key players on this team, and a lack of quality depth returning from last year. Next year should be a different story with the experience this team will have under its belt, and with the addition of Gani Lawal. I’m just not ready to run Coach Hewitt out of town just yet.
By luvthejackets
March 17, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this
Tech Tony, What about Jarret Jack, Luke Schensure ( do you not remember how bad this guy was?), Will Bynum (who showed nothing at Arizona). I just do not understand defending Dickey. Hewitt pulls him because he plays so weak at times. Dickey goes through streches where he is a liability on the court. Dickey gives Hewitt no choice. As for Morrow he is in the game as long as he is playing solid defense. Morrow played great D the last 12 games and that is why we saw so much of him at the end of the season.
By p
March 17, 2007 9:18 AM | Link to this
TechTony has it right.
By David
March 17, 2007 9:28 AM | Link to this
Let’s all be honest — if UNLV and Tech had switched coaches, Tech wins by 20.
By David
March 17, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this
Let’s all be honest — if UNLV and Tech had switched coaches, Tech wins by 20.
By Dante21
March 17, 2007 10:04 AM | Link to this
I’ve posted it B4 and I’ll post it again. The Smith—Morrow—Dickey class is a complete bust. That’s the teams reason for failure, plain and simple
I’ve heard/read more comments from Young and Crittenton than I have from the Jr’s, all season long. That ought to tell you something. I cannot BEElieve the total lack of leadership from that Jr class.
All the talent in the world doesn’t do squat w/o the Clarence Moore’s of the world.
By Richard Otonicar
March 17, 2007 10:30 AM | Link to this
Mark you are absolutely correct. Thanks for pointing out pertainent facts I just glossed over. Please tell me why Hewitt didn’t order, plead, bet, request his team to pound the ball inside after the starting center got 2 fouls in the first minute of play? Was it his sense of fair play? Maybe he didn’t want to take advantage their smaller team, or was it his stuborness that refused to change his offense. Racinoto
By GT2002
March 17, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this
I am going to make a few points about the flaws in this team in no particular order that should be apparent to anyone who has ever played or watched basketball. The main reason this team never came together as a unit this year was NOT because they were lead by freshmen. The 5 guys that were on the floor at any given time were NEVER the same 5 guys for more than 60 seconds of basketball at a time. The constant substitutions killed this teams ability to gel and for the frehmen to feel comfortable running an offense. How can you have any offensive continuity if you are continuiously rotating players in and out? I played for coach Cremins and he never played more than 7 guys but the guys he played knew how to play together because they were comfortable with each other. This team has no direction or philosophy on offense and rely completely on their ability to make individual plays. I am so sick of seeing Jeremis at the top of the key setting screens for JC with 10 seconds on the shot clock. UNLV obviously knew this was our only play and were double teaming Javaris everytime we did it forcing him to give up the ball. We need shooters (Morrow, Thad, Bell) around the perimeter, not post players and if you watch any game this season you will see Dickey and Smith outside more than they were inside. I also can’t for the life of me understand why when we break a press we are happy just to pull the ball out when we have a 4 on 3 and wait for the defense to recover so we can set up in our lousy excuse for a half court offense. Where was the agression and the up-tempo style that made this team successful for periods during the season? What are the assistant coaches doing on the bench? It shouldn’t take 18 minutes of the first half to realize we need to get the ball inside to Alade and try to foul out thier undersized post players. He was playing like a beast and we didn’t even try to utilize it. We should not have taken a shot outside of the paint against that team unless we first went inside and it was kicked back out for an open 3. Again, all of this goes back to a lack of continuity and philosophy on offense and ultimately to the coaching staff. How many games this year did we come out the way we did against UNLV and fall down by at least 10 points? I hope Matt Causey is ready to step in and play next year because Thaddeus and Crittenton will both leave for the NBA. JC is best buddies with Dwight Howard of Orlando and they will draft him in the first round and Thad will be a lottery pick so what is his logic for staying in school? I can’t wait for football season.
By UNC Blue
March 17, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this
Youth is no excuse… look around the entire college basketball spectrum… most “high profile” teams are young. Over a 28 to 30-game season, a team should be able to come together. Paul was unable to build off of the NCAA title game (just like Ross was unable to build off of the ‘90 champsionship). Once you “peel back” all of the bias, I believe you will see that Paul is an average coach at an an average program. An average program will always have the capability is make a “run” once every decade.
By Kudzu
March 17, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this
Go back and look at my comments from the beginning of the season, “this team needs a leader” NO BODY became that leader.
Dickey, Smith, average at best…
West, “thank you for trying”.
Out-Coached. We worked hard to tie the game, hold them on the other end, get the ball back to take the lead, then can’t get a shot off, time clock expires, What play was called? That was the turning point.
Poorly coached team of non achievers…
By george
March 17, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this
I think what Tech Tony pointed out about no chemistry is true. Let Me say this, Bobby Cremins won at GT because he had great chemistry. He and Paul could not be more different when it comes to how they handle a team and its chemistry. Lets not forget Bobby took a team and program that was a mess and won 22 games along with making it to the SoCon finals. Maybe Paul should learn a little from Bobby about chemistry.
By WPinAZ
March 17, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this
Now…Dante21 got it right. This team needs a CLARENCE MOORE to make them understand what HEART and TOUGHNESS can do for you. All this talent (which I believe at this point is FAR overrated), and clueless. 70% is bad coaching. 30% overrated talent. Smith-Morrow-Dickey, and let’s not forget Frederick. 3 years, no real improvement. A total bust.
By Eric C.
March 17, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
UNC Blue… Ross??
By Steve S
March 17, 2007 11:42 AM | Link to this
Ross certainly built off the 90 NC - he got a head coaching gig in the NFL…
As for the bball game, I don’t live in ATL and can’t see many games, but our offense seems inept. I’d agree with GT2002 that the frenetic substitutions become a hindrance, particularly in a game in which we’re constrained to half-court sets. Also, it seems like we have remarkable difficulty with even a moderate press, and that’s occurred all season.
By ben
March 17, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
Bobby Ross was a great football coach and proved it at numerous stops. But, why are we talking about Bobby? Let’s talk about that pathetic excuse for a basketball team. The team was lost on offense all year and had defensive breakdowns during crunchtime that were inexcusable. That has to fall on the coaching staff. And stop with that “we’re young” crap. The nature of modern day NCAA basketball is that you get one year to prove yourself, then you re-load. Is it fair to the coach? No, but Texas, North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio State and many others started two or more freshman and managed to run an offense, throw the ball inbounds, and play defense at crunchtime. Sorry, Paul, I like you but you did a bad job the last two years.
By CTB
March 17, 2007 1:06 PM | Link to this
Mark - You right on target about this team. Basically, GT looked uncoached many times during the year. I asked Paul Hewitt before the Vandy game here in Nashville if the players were listening. It was evident even then. He said they were, etc..
Crittenton sums it up: “We had a lot of talent,” Crittenton said, “but sometimes we just didn’t listen to the coaching staff. We didn’t do everything in our power.”
They were not coachable. Hopefully, that will change.
By jeffnyc
March 17, 2007 1:31 PM | Link to this
PAUL HEWITT HAS TO GO! Georgia Tech expects fans to pay a licensing fee to watch that offense and substitution parade? Are you kidding me…How many ACC Championships has he even been close to winning? Paul = Mediocrity Look at his record outside of a 6 game tournament run…terrible….If I were Thadeus and Crit I would take the high road to the draft…You will never win an ACC Championship with Paul Hewitt. Where are the Knicks when we need them??? By the way …Keep a timeout next time!
By Pulpwood Smith
March 17, 2007 4:22 PM | Link to this
Few things in life are certain; death, taxes, the sun rising in the east, and Mark Bradley’s annual pre-tournament “the feeling persists that Tech will make a long run” column, followed by his annual “once again, Tech came up short” column. Only 364 days to wait. Again, sweet work Mark.
By hawks r cursed for trading nique
March 17, 2007 4:31 PM | Link to this
Paul is a good coach and i glad we have him. I did always love cremins thou. I like the offensive for defensive subs paul uses and if we had another 3 point shooter (clinch) we wouldnt be talking about loosing to unlv right now. Tech will be back with a vengance next year and i hope crintennton and yong stays. I think young tried to do 2 much by himself all year long and took alot of bad shots. With 3 guards coming in next year (including clinch) we will have no shortage of ballhandlers and that will shurly help! Dont forget we got a top PF coming in next year as well….ad hopefully the year after that we can land Aminu’s brother. Now that would be a cohesive team….2 brothers and 2 guys who played highschool ball together.
By B.
March 17, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this
Ha! I’m actually surprised to come here and read all of the anti-Hewitt remarks. You all seem to know so much more about the individuals and their abilities than the REAL coach does. I’m seeing comparisons to Cremins’ team chemistry to Hewitt’s. Huh? What chemistry did Cremins’ teams ever have? I’m assuming you’re talking about our Lethal Weapon group, where we had 2 lottery picks playing for Tech. GT did nothing outside of that with Cremins.
Hewitt’s team doesn’t have chemistry, but just 3 years ago GT played for the national championship. Right.
I personally would hate to see CPH leave Tech. This is the most enjoyment I’ve ever had from watching GT basketball. And we can have high expectations for next year. National expectations. When did we say that about Cremins?
By hawks r cursed for trading nique
March 17, 2007 6:19 PM | Link to this
CBS coverage of the NCAA tourney sucks! why not give it to espn/abc so they could show more than 1 game at a time!!!
And to prove my point they just switched from a very good Texas A&M vs Louiville game that had only 3 min left to play in the game! to what? a boston college vs georgtown game that JUST STARTED??? Yeah i wanna watch the georgtown game cause its a good matchup. But Neither school is close to atL and i could stand to miss out on the first half to watch the end of a game ive been watchin for over 45 min now. CBS SUCKS!!!
By Keno
March 17, 2007 9:11 PM | Link to this
What is a tickle pile. I’m sure it’s grosser than I imagine. Why is it that the Tech players seem to understand what went on after the loss, but when Coach says “box out or lose,” or something like that, everyone gets a glazed look. I think there are too many big egos on this team thinking “if I don’t get it done, who will?” It’s called “team” stupid.