AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2008 > February > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USGut-check time for Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
This is the game. This is the one at Alexander Memorial Coliseum Sunday against shaky Miami that will tell us whether Georgia Tech’s splendid run for nearly three weeks before Thursday’s disaster at Clemson was a fluke.
Then again, maybe that disaster at Clemson was the fluke.
Whatever the case, the Yellow Jackets are 11-12 overall, 4-5 in the ACC and making inquiring minds want to know if they’re preparing to struggle or surge with the conference tournament approaching in less than a month.
This is the game, all right. In fact, this is the week, since wretched Virginia comes to town after Miami to give Tech a chance to get decent again in a hurry.
That is, if the Jackets are capable, which is questionable. Their disaster at Clemson that evolved into an 82-67 loss showed early and often that they remain a rebounding-challenged bunch. It’s just that the Jackets do have Matt Causey as that special guy out of nowhere. They also have enough talent in the likes of Jeremis Smith, Anthony Morrow, D’Andre Bell and the rest to keep Tech coach Paul Hewitt from trying to strangle himself during games with one of his yellow ties.
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of optimism and hope for what this team is capable of doing, because one thing they’ve shown me, and that is, I think we’ve played very hard, and I think we’ve gotten better each time,” said Hewitt, before mentioning Tech’s games against Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, UConn and Vanderbilt, with Duke ahead on the road. He added, chuckling, “I don’t think the coach put them in an enviable spot with some of the teams we’ve played, because I did the scheduling.”
It’s scheduling that would be just fine with Javaris Crittenton running things from the backcourt. Instead, after his first and only season at Tech, Crittenton bolted for the pros, and Hewitt was left with starting a fourth different point guard in as many years for a roster with two other crushing defections: Thaddeus Young also opted to dribble for money after his freshman year, and Mouhammad Faye transferred to SMU after refusing to embrace the “student” part of student-athlete.
You know the rest. You suddenly had uncertainty for the Jackets, and nothing has changed. They played their season opener against what the late Al McGuire used to call a “hyphenated school,” and they lost to such a school, which never is good. Worse, they did so against UNC-Greensboro on their usually accommodating home court. Kentucky also lost to a hyphenated school (Gardner-Webb) while serving as host. So, these things happen.
The same goes for Tech losing six games to teams in the top 25 at the time. Overall, those beating the Jackets this season are a combined 211-79.
That said, how did they look so wretched against a Georgia bunch with barely a pulse? And why were they listless and clueless at Clemson? “Those two games were weird. Just weird, and I kind of said to myself after both of them, ‘That wasn’t our team out there,’?” said Hewitt, who still believes his real team was the efficient one that won four of six games, including three straight ACC games on the road, before traveling this week to their basketball version of Death Valley.
So this is the game.
“The one thing that always gives me hope and promise with this team is that, even after we’ve had some discouraging losses,” said Hewitt, pausing, to reflect on the North Carolina game, when the Jackets nearly ambushed the Tar Heels at rocking Alexander Memorial Coliseum before a gaffe at the end. “That could have been an absolute back-breaker for these guys. They came right back against Virginia Tech, built a 16-point lead and held on. Then we go on the road and beat N.C. State. And then we go on the road and beat Virginia in overtime. Even the Kansas game, we lost, but we came back and played well.”
Sounds good. Now we’ll see what that actually means, starting Sunday.
Permalink | Comments (24) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech / ACC, Terence Moore
Comments
By LongBeachJacket
February 16, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
Terence - I don’t doubt that the effort will be there with this team down the stretch. A win tomorrow should be expected.
That said, the realist in me sees them going maybe 4-3 in their last 7. All the games are tough and this team, though gutsy, has too many executional lapses. They are yet to prove otherwise.
I hope I am wrong, but making the NIT (implying a .500 record overall or one game over) is probably the realistic goal.
Again, I hope to be proven wrong.
GO JACKETS!
By fred b.
February 16, 2008 7:29 PM | Link to this
This team has really disappointed me this season. Yeah they had the early defections to the NBA but that shouldn’t be an excuse especially this late in the season. Duke and NC deal with defections every year and i think they’ve done ok. I know GT doesn’t recruit the star athletes that those teams do but IMO the freshmen haven’t developed the way they should have and we don’t have the senior leadership that you would expect. Morrow is too inconsistent and Jeremis Smith has not developed nearly enough post moves. Having said all that this team still has a chance (albeit small) to make the tournament because the conference’s overall rpi is very high. So if they finish .500 or a game above in the conference that may bode well for them in the eyes of the selection committee.
By College Fan
February 16, 2008 7:38 PM | Link to this
Georgia Tech basketball: who cares?
By Richard
February 16, 2008 8:21 PM | Link to this
Terrence, you and the rest of the AJC writers and bloggers are complete idiots if you think a team under .500 in mid-February has a chance at going to the tournament. Just stop it.
By nebraskka option faithful
February 16, 2008 8:38 PM | Link to this
the only way GT can make the tournament is by finishing with a win. that means winning the ACC tournament.
By nebraskka option faithful
February 16, 2008 8:39 PM | Link to this
the only way were in is if we win the last game we play
By yellowblood
February 16, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
If we are going to the tourney we’ve got to keep our players away from Tickle Piles for a few weeks. They take to much sexual energy and leave the players exausted.
By yellowblood
February 16, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
If we are going to the tourney we’ve got to keep our players away from Tickle Piles for a few weeks. They take to much sexual energy and leave the players exausted.
By gtfan
February 17, 2008 2:34 AM | Link to this
hey terence,
you like to make racial commentaries. why dont you comment on the obvious reverse descrimination that is being practiced by paul hewitt.
it has been posted that ph has said in various speeches at alumni functions that his ‘duty’ as head coach is to make sure he can get as many black athletes into college as possible.
isnt that a racist comment? if bobby cremins had made that comment wrt white players he would have been run out of town on rail. last time i looked ph’s job is the head coach of the gt bb team not the harlem globe trotters… and certainly not the head coach of an nba farm team.
when one looks at the race of the players who have transfered… when one looks at the players he recruits… when one looks at the makeup of the gt bb team is is apparent that our coach believes in reverse descrimination.
it is one thing to campaign for more black head coaches in a predominatly white group of coaches. it is quite another thing to actively ignore white players for less skilled black players. ph has scoured france and africa for his last 2 finds…. both busts i might add.
the last time i looked a vast majority of the players on all bb teams across the country are black. i dont think that black players need much help in getting into college on bb scholorships. do you?
our 6th man is white an was not recruited by ph. this is the same white player who has almost singlehandedly won 4 games for the jackets. one who has revived the heart of the team which has been sorely lacking. also, the white center for vanderbilt whom ph said he did not recruit cleaned our clocks. all of the acc teams have a mix of white and black players but for gt.
if you are really for racial equity than you will tackle this issue in one of your columns.
this issue is being brought up more and more on the blogs. folks are starting to speak up.
why not YOU?
By where are they now?
February 17, 2008 7:31 AM | Link to this
Hey gt fan,
I think the problem is that all the good “white” players go to Duke.
By JimO '70
February 17, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
i really don’t think there are a lot of excellent white basketball players sitting out there waiting for someone like paul to call. the truth is the majority of good basketball players coming out of high school are black - probably because many of them see it as a ticket to their future and so they practice a lot more and maybe a lot harder. so lets give up on these types of racist comments.
we need to win all four home games plus vt and bc - don’t think we’re gonna beat duke up there, but stranger things have happened. we do this and win the first acc tournament game, and we have an excellent shot at the ncaa at 10-6. if we go 9-7, then we will need to win at least two tournament games, maybe 3 to get in.
go tech!
By WFC
February 17, 2008 10:11 AM | Link to this
PH is a good coach with TWO major weaknesses:
His propensity for “one and dones” or what I call “mama needs a nice house” rent-a-players. This ruined GT last year and left the team in limbo this year.
His obsession with “long and lean” track type guys. Real basketball players come in all shapes and sizes.
I don’t know what to make of the black/white thing. I do wonder why Tyler Hansbrough is still at UNC while GT’s inferior black players are taking up space in the boring NBA. GT as an “NBA farm team” is a point well taken.
By gt jeff
February 17, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this
Hewitt has done average in picking up players….He did great with all the players Bobby Cremmins left him then he put all his eggs in 2 freshman and did not develope the rest of the team, now it shows… Smith is no better than his freshman year,,,,Morrow has got worse (he can shoot but thats all, no def, no reb,,)Hewitt needs to DEVELOPE EACH YEAR!!!!! and run some different plays…stop playing school yard b-ball and start playing Basketball,,,,,
By gt jeff
February 17, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this
Hewitt has done average in picking up players….He did great with all the players Bobby Cremmins left him then he put all his eggs in 2 freshman and did not develope the rest of the team, now it shows… Smith is no better than his freshman year,,,,Morrow has got worse (he can shoot but thats all, no def, no reb,,)Hewitt needs to DEVELOPE EACH YEAR!!!!! and run some different plays…stop playing school yard b-ball and start playing Basketball,,,,,
By gt fan
February 17, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
JimO tell me how my comments are racist? if a black person brings it up… right on but if a white person brings up the discussion he is racist?give me a break.
re excellant white players… so you dont think there are any white players out there better than OUR excellant black players? you need to tell me which one of our players is excellent first so we can compare. could it be faye or that point guard from france?
for starters… how about that ‘freshman’ center for vanderbilt who absolutely cleaned the clocks of every one of our excellant black players including our mcd all star lawal. tell me why ph said ‘oops we didnt recruit him’???? cause he is white and ph doesnt evaluate white players.
or how about causey who would be starting but for a bad knee that slowed him down. or his ankle or his jaw or his shoulder????? oops he didnt recruit causey so he doesnt count.
maybe all those white players from europe that play for the teams that are beating our nba all stars would take exception to your comments?
dont get me wrong. im not against blacks on our team. i just dont like a guy pretending to be a nice guy who is in reality a closet racist.
i think that part of the reason we seem snake bit is because karma is biting paul hewett on the A$$. AND it serves him right!
By RAMBLE ON!
February 17, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
It’s too late Mr. Moore. Someone said early the goal will be a NIT bid now…WOW, now the NIT is a GOAL…sad. 64 teams SIXTY FOUR!!!…and the goal is a NIT. The NIT is a joke. I like Paul Hewitt. I just wish he would coach basketball instead of concerning himself with how many black coaches are in the NCAA and what’s being said of Fox News (listen to his radio show). He has an easy sell being coach here to recruits, ACC Basketball, Atlanta, and a quality education. What we’ve gotten from him in return has been painful to watch: poor defense, scoring, fundamentals (turnovers, free throw shooting, inbound plays, poor timeout usage). Every year. People ask who we would get as a replacement. We can get a good quality coach here for the same reasons. That’s how we got Cremins but he didn’t have the resources Hewitt has been wasting away. DRad set a precedent by firing Chan Gailey. He has to do the same with Hewitt since his results have been considerably worse over a longer period of time.
By ben
February 17, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Tech’s football coaches since Dodd have a winning percentage of around .600 (O’Leary’s was .612, not that much greater). The great Cremins (and I loved him too) was .602. The point is, with the average football record being 7.2-4.8 and the average basketball record being 15-10, where does everyone but Dave Braine get that we should be a conference champion every year? We are a mediocre school when it comes to sports. It makes me sad to say and I was glad to see Chan canned, but I’m beginning to see my disappointment as a pattern, not an exception. I live near Austin where you can watch an elite program at work. Texas has lost TJ Ford, Lemarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, and Kevein Durant in successive years, yet is still in the top ten. We just don’t have the program to play with the big boys. I’ll keep hoping, but I won’t go ballistic and demand the coach is fired after every loss.
By GT
February 17, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
Causey goes in Tech pulls ahead, Causey goes out Tech fall behind. The whole game was chaos. If you want to pull somebody pull Morrow. He could not hang on to the ball in traffic. We don’t have too many bad seasons but this one was so close to being so much better and there is talent on this team, frustrates anyone watching.
By bravesfan79
February 17, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
WFC: Gt’s inferior players taking up space in the NBA… o u mean like Chris Bosh??
By bravesfan79
February 17, 2008 4:04 PM | Link to this
You fair weather fans make me sick. When we have a good team and are in the tourney everyone thinks this is a great program….but the minute were hurt by early defections yall say “o its just GT, we shouldnt expect much” Now maybe thats true in Football… But GT is a baseball/basketball school!!
Shure weve had ups and downs but every program does.
I think the NIT is a good and realistic goal, besides at least then wed win some games.
Next year GT will be above average again and once again all you fair weather fans will be talking about how much you love Tech and what a great program it is.
Go Tech, Go Braves!!
By GT Who?
February 17, 2008 5:27 PM | Link to this
The funniest thing about the article is Moore saying that Tech was on a “splendid” 3 week run….HUH????!!!! Does that mean that beating inferior teams in VT, Virginia, and NC State is a splendid run??? Now they have lost 4 of 5 and Hewitt has no clue of how to coach these guys.
By put a fork in'um
February 17, 2008 7:14 PM | Link to this
goodbye March. Tech is nit (not in tourn)
By GT80
February 17, 2008 11:27 PM | Link to this
Don’t blame the coach. Hey Jeremis, try grabbing a rebound or making a free throw. Hey Peacock, try grabbing a rebound or make a free throw, or maybe NOT switch so quick on a pick. Hey Miller, try making a FT, or pass the ball to your teammates. Hey Clinch, how about making 1 shot. Hey Morrow, maybe try to take something other than a 3 p’ter. OK, blame the coach for recruiting these guys, but don’t blame him for their poor play. A very dissappointing season to say the least.
By Jeff
February 17, 2008 11:36 PM | Link to this
Paul Hewett is a good man. However, he will never win at GT and in the ACC consistently.
Yes, he had a great run to the Final Four. Yes, its hard to overcome NBA defections but many of the ACC programs have to deal with the same issues.
Review his overall record. Tech is a mediocre program at best. The numbers speak for themselves.