AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 08 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBlame goes both ways
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hi, everybody.
Name’s Matt Winkeljohn, and I’m new to this. Well, not really, but sort of.
I just finished about 10 months covering the NFL after seven years covering the Falcons, and now I’m going to cover Georgia Tech basketball. Lucky me, right?
Hey, actually, Tech was the first beat I ever wanted at the paper, and I’ve been at the AJC since 1987 so I’m looking forward to it. A great change of pace, especially since it’s about nine minutes from my door to Tech’s.
Anyway, Rana Cash, my predecessor, has gone over to the dark side, to be an assistant sports editor. Oddly (in my humble opinion), that’s what she has wanted to do for some time. It’d be difficult for me to dress that nicely every day, sit in a lot of meetings, and listen to fussing writers and so forth. But Rana’s far better equipped for that than me. She’s a peach of a person, and will be a great editor both for her patience and people skills. As for the Jackets, hey, they’re not exactly on fire, of course, unless one might suggest they’re burning.
Still, I look forward not only to covering the team, but also to Thursday’s trip to Tallahassee. I haven’t been there in about 10 or 11 years, when I covered college football in the mid-1990s.
As I wrote for Thursday’s paper, Jeremis Smith called a players-only meeting Sunday, the day after the team blew a halftime tie at home with Miami and got smoked by 17.
Bottom line, they apparently agreed that most of what’s happened in this seven-game losing streak is on them. There’s far more skill on the team than that, even from my distant vantage point previous to now.
Of course, Paul Hewitt both recruited and is coaching these players, and some blame goes his direction. But I’m of a mind that as 19-, 20-, 21-year-old men, these guys are more than a little responsible for taking direction than they have the past seven games. They’re not pros, at least not yet, but as I said there’s not a deficit of skill on this squad.
Are they on a par with Duke, N.C. State and North Carolina? No. But they should be in the middle of the pack in the ACC, and they’re nowhere close.
The finger of blame points both ways — at coaches for not pulling the Jackets out of the muck, and at players who continue to settle for trudging through it.
I look forward to blogging with you all, even the Georgia fans who roll in and take mean shots. Hey, I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, still love Ohio State, and know well and good what a little old-fashioned collegiate animus is all about.
Later — Matt
Permalink | Comments (15) | Categories: Basketball
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By mountain_jim
February 8, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this
I have been reading you since you started with the AJC, Matt, and always have enjoyed your work. (Or was the AJ and the AC still separate then, and it was one or the other?)
I started as a freshman at Tech pre-ACC in 1972 when Dwayne Morrison was coaching and the Tech T** (well that is what we called it before the remodeling/ removal of the painted nipple and all) usually held a couple of hundred sad, lonely souls per game.
I look forward to your coverage even in this poor season.
mj
By Ga_Tech_92
February 8, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this
Welcome Matt,
It’s hard to disagree with your points. I think most of our problem is lack of a real point guard…turn-over’s, point guard helps that…defensive pressure on the ball handler, point guard helps that…getting good shots out of the offense and getting into the offense, good point guard helps with that.
Maybe Clinch will grab this opportunity and refuse to let go of it…it’s there for the taking…at least this year.
By tony martinez
February 8, 2006 05:31 PM | Link to this
Dear Matt,
I welcome you and we are glad you are part of the Tech family. I hope you are still married to Patty P. the most beautiful girl from Ga Tech! Go Jackets!
The Hive down in Griffin Ga.
By michael o'grady
February 9, 2006 08:21 AM | Link to this
hey matt…two things 1) although not main stream america, there is a 30 hr adventure race this weekend in the north georgia mountains covering 85 miles treking, cycling, and boating all while orienteering the course called Odyssey One Day Extreme. 2) a placeholder within AJC.COM to submit sports/ activities that atlatians would like to have reported, if worthy.
By GT
February 9, 2006 09:03 AM | Link to this
North Carolina would not have been on your list of elite teams at the beginning of the season. They take a lot of air out of Tech’s excuses that it can’t be done. About half through the season NC State discovered Tech couldn’t handle the full court press and every other team has taken notice. I find myself yelling at the ref to give the Tech inbounder the ball before the defense gets set and he can’t get the ball in. On defense they are getting beat up on picks, slow to pick up a unguarded man and out of position on the rebounds, like they’re surprise the player took the shot. You can have all the talent in the world but if you are drunk on confusion you look like a sap.
By Matt Winkeljohn
February 9, 2006 09:44 AM | Link to this
Michael, strange way to get off topic, but you caught my attention. I’m more into cycling, especially mountain biking, but the adventure racing thing interests me.
More importantly, you’d need to contact one of our assistant sports editors, probably Virginia Lewis, to gauge interest for the paper. If I’m not mistaken (and if I am I’ll correct later here), you can call the department and ask for her at 404 526-5331.
Matt
By gt80
February 9, 2006 10:26 AM | Link to this
Welcome Matt. Part of the problem with the Jackets is these 19, 20 & 21 year old men are actually ALL 18 & 19 year olds. We have one 20 year old who was a walk-on and one 21 year old who has never played more than 10 minutes a game in 3 previous years. I expect they all will soon realize that to compete in the ACC you have to play hard for 40 minutes. Plus having a real point guard would help.
By arktechfan
February 9, 2006 10:42 AM | Link to this
what are they, “men” or “guys”, the latter being the most trite and overused word in the current lexicon. And maybe you would do a more professional job if you dressed better yourself.
Tech won’t win any more games. Its a matter of talent - or lack therof.
By Matt Winkeljohn
February 9, 2006 10:50 AM | Link to this
This is great, somebody giving me grief for the way I dress, like that will help me be more “professional.” Yeah, let me write that one down. I can use that one some day. Like I wrote, I’m looking forward to this.
And get off your hangup about the word, ”guys.”
Now, that’s trite.
By JoeHamWasRobbed
February 9, 2006 12:03 PM | Link to this
Now that Zam is on the bench, we’ll be fine. I feel bad for the kid because he isn’t a point guard at all. But he has shot horribly, made dumb turnovers, slowed the offense and is a total liability on defense. And Theo “The Dude” Tarver has been playing great this year. And of course Rio is the man. So put those other three on the bench until they figure out how to make themselves better. And they will. We knew a selection was isn’t the cards for us this year, we don’t have a point guard. So let’s hope for an automatic bid.
By GM
February 9, 2006 03:38 PM | Link to this
We may be better off with Zam on the bench, but you know he’ll end up playing more than Rio by the end of the game. What we really need is a couple good wins, so the guys can feel good (at least better) during the off-season. NIT still within reach, but let’s face it - unlikely.
Matt - nice to actually have some AJC participation in these blogs. I hear you on 680 sometimes, and I’m looking forward to your thoughts on Tech sports. Can you get us a good AD?
By arktechfan
February 9, 2006 03:48 PM | Link to this
nice to know that we have an idiot now writing about Tech. Sorry your vocabulary is so small that you can’t come up with another word for “guys”. And have you read the book “dress for success”??
By Ga_Tech_92
February 9, 2006 03:58 PM | Link to this
Let’s pump the positivity!
By Ga_Tech_92
February 9, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this
Guys, tonight is a MUST WIN game. Imagine loosing tonight, that would make too many in a row. Then we have even tougher teams the rest of the way. The streak could reach epic proportions if we don’t win tonight.
MUST WIN MUST WIN MUST WIN WE CAN WIN!!
By old Tech fan (in NC)
February 9, 2006 10:04 PM | Link to this
What a way to lose…a turnover…one of 800 we made tonight!