AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 05 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHoopsters’ picture still fuzzy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve got nothing to add to the football discussions right now, and we’ll be blogging on the pigskiners later in the week.
If you were at Friday night’s basketball scrimmage, I’d be curious what you thought.
Before going on, Zach Peacock (stress reaction in foot/precursor to stress fracture) won’t be playing for a while. He’s certainly out of Friday’s opener against UNC-Greensboro, and Sunday’s game at Tenn. State. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t play in the Virgin Islands the following week, either.
Hewitt said Zack is too valuable to bring back early to risk breaking that foot. Paul even said if he needs to hold him out that long to be super sure the risk is gone, Peacock might not play until mid-December. That’s the pessimistic view. Maybe around the first of the month he’s ready. Possibly sooner, but I kind of doubt it. I’d say Nov. 27 at Indiana at the earliest. But as I’ve written before, I’m no doctor.
Quick thoughts: Morrow and Smith do indeed look to be in great shape.
Tech is more athletic than in recent years.
I can’t pick a point guard, not that I have too. Causey was nursing that twisted knee, but man, nine assists in 13 minutes? He has vision, for sure. Mo Miller, bigger, can get in the lane once in a while. His length, not that it’s overwhelming of course, probably gives him an edge on defense. Causey really struggled at times to keep up.
Clinch changes what Tech can do offensively, almost by himself. Too early to tell if he’s improved much defensively, but that’s really what Hewitt wants to see.
Sheehan has some skills once he gets the ball above his head, doesn’t dilly-dally with the ball in his hands, but is not very strong yet. His minutes will remain up while Peacock and Dickey are out. After they return, his minutes will drop unless he really takes off in December. Reminded me of a junior version of Kyle Visser, who became a very good big man by his senior season at Wake. Very pedestrian as a freshman, though. Visser was much, much stronger by the time he was a senior, and probably stronger as a freshman. Both have a knack for being in the right place at the time.
Didn’t seen enough of Lawal or Storrs to have an opinion, but apparently Storrs has been shooting lights out in practice/scrimmages.
Mouhammed Faye is not going to play as much this season. Period. Whether playing inside or out, and he can do some of both, he’s on the back end of a logjam.
One thing that may work against Causey being the starting point guard is his defense. If he’s at point, do you put Clinch and Morrow at the wings at the same time? Isn’t there a little too much defensive exposure there? Then again, if Morrow has improved as much as he is said to have improved defensively (not bad Friday), and Clinch is better, who knows? I think, though, that when Causey’s at point, Bell usually will be one of the wings.
Later.
Matt
Comments
By 3 Rivers jacket
November 5, 2007 5:50 PM | Link to this
We have the pieces to be a ral good team if we can get play atthe point.That is so critical. also i do not like 2 big men being out even if it is early . We need Dickey and Peacock both to eat up minutes and fouls in the lane. I do not want us to get that carried away with defnse.I want us to be good of course but if Morrow and Clinch can fill it up then play them. you have to score points. I would think by now that both of them could play enough d not to hurt us. Score points boys.
By HIAWASSEE
November 5, 2007 7:37 PM | Link to this
IS IT JUST ME OR DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH OUR COACH SAYING HE STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHO HIS STARTING FIVE ARE EVEN YET-AND FOR THAT MATTER WHO HIS SIX,SEVEN,EIGHT,ETC ARE.
COACH K AND ROY WILLIAMS HAVE NO TROUBLE STATING WHO THEIR STARTING FIVE ARE. WHAT WE WIND UP WITH ARE A GOOD GROUP OF TALENTED KIDS WHO ARE RUN IN AND OUT, NEVER PLAYING TOGETHER TO BECOME A COHESIVE TEAM.
By John
November 5, 2007 9:27 PM | Link to this
Hiawassee, no, many others feel the same way. He needs to pick 5 and stick with it so they can gel as a unit. Have 2 or 3 superior subs at his disposal and go from there. Having 8-9 guys and playing all different combos any night of the week will just not do it - as the previous years showed.
By Richard Simpkins
November 5, 2007 9:37 PM | Link to this
Here is someone who was there’s recap of the game. Seems pretty good to me.
http://vivaneverland.blogspot.com/2007/11/view-from-section-16-tech-basketball.html
By stinGTime
November 5, 2007 9:51 PM | Link to this
Can Tech win away from home? How many fouls per game this year?
By jjacket
November 5, 2007 10:25 PM | Link to this
Why is everyone so worried about declaring a starting 5? Basketball is a dynamic sport - more so than football. The starting 5 may be about matchups. It may be about going big. It may be about speed. It may be about playing against another team’s weaknesses.
I don’t have a problem that coach hasn’t declared a starting 5.
With Clinch back, we are a much better team than last year. I don’t think we’ll miss Critt that much - at least not as much as we missed Clinch last year - and I don’t think Young will be missed at all.
Never was too impressed with Young. Seemed to go AWOL a lot during games.
By yellowblood
November 6, 2007 4:53 AM | Link to this
I certainly hope the basketball team plays better than the football team. With all these football loses we have had to cancel entirely to many Tickle Piles. If we can have a decent Basketball record think of how much fun the Tickle Piles will be this winter.
By Gordon
November 6, 2007 9:50 AM | Link to this
The kids who get the most time will be those who play defense. The big question marks for this team are who will do that and can either Causey or Miller be effective at the point.
I’ve never seen such depth at Tech. There are 13 guys who can get minutes if they step up. I hope Hewitt settles on 9 who can consistently perform and doesn’t “over-rotate”. I don’t see Sheehan, Faye, or Bell getting that many minutes this year. With Lawal, Storrs, Causey, and Miller it will come down to who steps up, especially on defense.
20 wins and NCAA berth are a reasonable goal.
By North Ave Pimp
November 6, 2007 12:22 PM | Link to this
It’s Hotel Hewitt, I mean is there really such a thing as a starting five for the Jacket’s ? Not that it matter’s its very early, who cares who starts, they can all ball.
By Richard
November 6, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this
John,
Yeah no way rotating 8-9 guys can work. Especially when we tried that in 2004. That really blew up in our faces.
My problem with the program currently is that last year we had two 1st round picks on the team and were one-and-done in the tourney. Having players like that should easily put you in the sweet 16 at a minimum. Hewitt hasn’t been able to get his teams to play up to their ability since San Antonio.
By JACKETS FAN
November 6, 2007 1:41 PM | Link to this
yellowblood,
Don’t you have a first down in the first quarter against Western Kentucky to celebrate somewhere? Or maybe you can tear down the goalposts when you beat Vandy two years in a row? Make sure that when you complete your first pass against Auburn on Saturday that you immediately riot in the streets of Athens, setting fires and turning over cars.
By T-Bone
November 6, 2007 2:34 PM | Link to this
Paul Hewitt is the same coach now as he was in 2001 when he was named ACC Coach of the Year and in 2004 when the Jackets played for the national championship. Those of you who like to complain about his coaching style were probably not complaining then. The players who come to GT know that he runs that type of system. The problem is that it takes more than one year in the system to learn its rhythm, which is why the most experienced Tech teams have been his best. In ‘04, there was one sure-fire NBA player on the roster (Jack), but great complimentary players who knew their role and had experience in the system. The more Marvin Lewises, BJ Elders, and Anthony McHenrys Coach Hewitt can recruit the better for the Tech PROGRAM. The Crittentons, Boshes, and Youngs do nothing but harm it with their one-and-done attitudes.
By OG-T
November 6, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this
Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness.
We have 10 starters.
We have 10 backups.
At this point, there doesn’t seem to be the go-to guy who is also our emotional and verbal leader.
Smith — Has the heart of a lion, but can vanish from the box score at times, and is not a game-winning type of guy in crunch time.
Morrow — Had difficulty creating his shot in the first three years, and defensive footwork is sluggish. Maybe this is his year. Certainly has the right emotion when he’s feeling it.
Clinch — Is the likely go-to candidate, but if he’s being pulled off the floor on the defensive end, his leader status gets tarnished.
We’ll know by game 15 of the season. We’ll either be 12-3 or 8-7 and know if Hotel Hewitt can work with a nice blend of vets and new faces — and NO names that are recognized nationally by the general population.
OG-T
By bwash21
November 6, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
Hey Matt, good article and excellent assessments of everyone. I’ve been a season ticket holder since Hewitt came here and have not missed many games. I was there Friday excited to see our news guys, Miller, Causey, Storrs, Lawal, and Sheehan. It’s tough to assess anything after playing a team that had no bigger than 6’7 on the court and their speed simply didn’t matchup with Tech.
My first reaction to these new guys is this:
Sheehan - looked very good but again he posed matchup problems for them all night. I didn’t think he looked very strong with the ball and my initial feeling is that he will get pushed around ALOT in ACC play. He definitely has potential to contribute as he gets stronger. (I do remember feeling the same way about Schensher and he really came around and made a difference).
Storrs - He is sooo strong. I think he will play early and contribute alot. He looks to be pretty quick for his size and although he missed several open jumpers, he’s said to be nailing them in practice so he likely just had a poor night shooting. He ended with 9 points but could’ve easily had 15 with some luck.
Causey - He did distribute the ball very well and was very pesky defensively. He scrapped for 4 steals hustled all night which I loved seeing. I need to see more of him but I was a little concerned over his ball handling (4 TO’s) in 13 minutes. I think his size could be a problem on the defensive end.
Miller - I just didn’t get to see enough to give a viable opinion. I’ll wait on him other than I did think Causey was more in control of the offense when he was in there.
Lawal - Again defensively, we’ll see but long term, he could have his name in the rafters someday. He is explosive for his size, I thought he worked hard on the boards and is going to get alot of 2nd chance points over his career. I really like is game but his free throw shooting is horrendous and will keep him out of the last 5 minutes of close games unless he can improve dramatically. I saw him play a few times in HS and that was his only weakness at that level.
One thing I really wish Hewitt would do is stick with a lineup for at least 4 minutes instead of subbing every whistle (or every other at least). I think his constant rotation of new guys really makes it hard to gel offensively when a new guy comes in and break up the rythme. He is a much better coach than I am. That’s just my opinion.
Those who think we won’t miss Critt, you are crazy. He would make a HUGE difference on this team. We are picked preseason to finish 7th in the ACC. If we had him, I think we could be a top 3 or 4 team in the ACC and would be in the top 20 in the NCAA. I just hope Miller or Causey are half as good. I had nightmares watching Zam Frederick a couple years agao.
Others:
Clinch - He looks stronger and quicker and now I am really wondering what could’ve been last year. He was only 1 for 6 from the 3 pt line and still poured in 21 and 7 boards. He’s much better than I expected.
Morrow - Looks healthy for the first time in over a year. Also looked alot stronger and quicker defensively.
Aminu - I don’t know if you can call him a sleeper anymore, but we’re going to see alot of double doubles from him. I love his attitude and his game. Quickly becoming one of my favorite players.
Jeremis Smith - what a beast. He is just huge. only played 12 minutes so I don’t have an opinion of his game yet.
D.Bell - He can get after it defensively and his off. game has improved alot since the first half of last season. He really came on in the 2nd half last year and has developed a pretty consistant mid range jumper.
M.Faye - Hewitt seems to love this guy but I think he misuses him. When they go into a matchup zone and put Faye on top last year, he constantly got beat off the dribble. Basically he gets beat off the dribble by everyone. He’s long but maybe he isn’t strong enough to matchup inside at all. Offensively, he just seems to be a step slower than everyone else on the court.
Prediction: We will be lucky to go 7-9 in conference. I think they have to 10-6 or better to make the NCAA’s with our out of conference schedule. By December 18th, hopefully they will have changed my mind. By then they will have played Charlotte, Winthrop, either Notre Dame or Wichita St, Indiana, Vandy, and Kansas. Throw in at Georgia and at UConn and that is one helluva schedule this year. I’d like to see who is going to step up and be a leader this year. I think it’s J.Smith but I don’t know if he gets on the court enough to be the guy.
By yellowblood
November 6, 2007 4:04 PM | Link to this
JACKETS FAN,
What the heck are you talking about?
By WFC
November 8, 2007 7:01 AM | Link to this
I am a HUGE Paul Hewitt fan. He is my idea of what a college coach should be all about. Every coach faces the difficult choice of time mangement: how much time to spend on team stuff and how much to spend on player development. Hewitt tends toward the latter but seems to be developing a balance.
Hewitt needs to learn (I did coach H.S. basketball for 20 years):
Avoid the “one-and-done” guys. Nothing destroys team cohesion as much as having a player or two with “one foot in the NBA. I hate the NBA’s draft rules. Why not do as baseball does: you can go pro right out of high school (guys like Oden and Durant) but if you go to college you aren’t draftable until after your junior year. Makes sense.
A player does not have to be “long and lean” to be a good player. GT always seems to have too many of the same type player.
By GT2002
November 8, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this
I was at the game last Friday and unless our defense gets better this team will be 5-11 in the conference at best. Our transition D was horrible and we could not seem to stop any of their drives to the basket. We had a million fouls called on us and we gave up 50 points in the second half. Once again, we had no half-court offense and even in the second half we never tried to work on any set plays. The only gripe I have with how this team is coached is that we never make more than 3-4 passes in a half court set. You have to be able to use 30 seconds of the shot clock late in games and execute to win in the ACC and under Hewitt we have struggled to close games out because of this. We are talented and athletic but our lack of experience at PG is going to be exposed. If Causey or Morris goes down we are in BIG trouble. As far as the number of players Hewitt plays, I don’t have an issue. Remember all of the heat Cremins used to get for playing 6-7 people? Now we have a coach that always has an open competition for each spot from game to game and that ultimately makes your team better. I think the middle of the pack in the ACC is a reasonable expectation for this team.
By gt76
November 8, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
I remember Mark Price almost falling over at mid-court bringing the ball up against G’town in the sweet 16. Had to be like ‘85. Cremins never played more than 6 and stuck with his sarting 5 for 95% of the minutes. We led that game until Price, et. al., ran out of gas. Hewitt runs em hard and keeps em fresh. That’s basketball in the post Bobby Petrino era. If we can’t outplay you, we’ll beat the hell out of you and force you to play guys you don’t want in there. You have to give all these guys game time.