AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 20 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USExtra BBall notes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Football blog to come Wednesday morning. Wanna unload some hoops nuggets, leftovers from the Paradise Jam:
Matt Causey was a dead-eye shooter Monday night, when his three 3-pointers in the final 4:48 helped Georgia Tech overcome a nine-point deficit to beat Notre Dame. His long ball with 2 seconds left was dead on. A few days earlier, one might have predicted that if the Yellow Jackets were to depend on the senior’s shooting, they’d be dead ducks.
Causey made just 3 of 14 shots in the Jackets’ first three games of the season, and 1 of 5 3-pointers. He started Tech’s first game in the Paradise Jam because Maurice Miller has a bad back. But after he made 2 of 6 shots in a win over Charlotte, and D’Andre Bell played well, Bell started the final two games.
That didn’t stop Causey from making 4 of 7 shots against Notre Dame, and 7 of 12 in the past two, when he made 5 of 9 3-pointers. “He’s probably just shaking some of that rust off,” Hewitt said of a player who sat out last season after transferring from North Georgia. “He hasn’t looked good shooting the basketball, but as he gets in better shape, gets in game shape … we thought coming into the year he could be a good shooter.”
When Causey sat out last season because of transferring, at least once Hewitt stopped practice and asked players if anybody was going to guard the 6-foot point guard when he went on a 3-point shooting tear.
Miller, who injured his back in practice Thursday, is likely to be back for Tech’s next game, Tuesday at Indiana. Sophomore center/forward Zack Peacock, who hasn’t practiced or played for three weeks with a sore right foot that team officials were concerned might become a fracture, may return to practice soon.
Jeremis Smith passed to Causey for two of his 3-pointers, and for the second game in a row whipped a pass from the top of the key to the point guard as he slashed the baseline. Both resulted in baskets.
There’s chemistry there, borne of the fact that in summer pickup games they almost always were on the same team. “Me and Matt have always had this kind of connection since he got here last summer,” Smith said. “Sometimes, we make eye-to-eye contact, and he’ll throw me a lob every now and then.”
Two seconds never took longer than the last couple clicks Monday, when the Irish got off a much better final shot than they had a right to. Notre Dame called a time out after Causey’s shot.
Hewitt then had the long-armed 6-foot-9 Mouhammed Faye defend Notre Dame’s Rob Kurz under the basket on the inbound pass. Irish coach Mike Brey called another timeout. Then, Faye again defended Kurz.
Notre Dame center Luke Harangody moved to screen Faye as Kurz ran laterally to get open along the baseline. During the timeout, Tech coaches had told the Jackets to expect this, and Alade Aminu was assigned to follow Kurz if Faye was blocked out, which he was, and get his arms up.
Aminu, though, feinted in that direction, and then turned inexplicably up court to run before the ball was passed. Kurz threw cross-court from right to left, and hit point guard Tory Jackson across midcourt. Tech’s Anthony Morrow was in decent position, but as Jackson had to turn his back to the basket to catch the pass, Morrow gave a little space so as not to foul.
Notre Dame called timeout with 1.4 seconds left (the clock didn’t start until it hit Jackson’s hands). “We knew they were going to set that screen, and Alade ran away and gave Kurz a chance to throw that ball uncontested,” Hewitt said. “Kurz’s eyes got real big. It’s like a quarterback in the pocket with time to throw; it’s a lot easier to make that pass when you don’t have hands in your face.”
After the third timeout, Notre Dame in-bounded from in front of its bench to guard Kyle McAlarney, who was about 24 feet from the goal. He double-pumped, shot, and the ball rolled around and then out. Hewitt said, “We thought they would try to lob the ball inside.”
Harangody had scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but he and wasn’t the only one battling in the paint. Smith worked his tail off, scoring 12 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, adding five assists and four steals and a blocked shot.
In the final 5:11, as the Jackets overcame a nine-point deficit, he took a charge and hit both free throws, assisted Causey on two of his three 3-pointers and Lewis Clinch on one of his two, and added a steal.
It was nothing new. Smith has played all-out all season. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 4 assists (just behind Causey’s team-leading 4.2), a team-high 7.6 rebounds and leads the Jackets with 10 steals and four blocks. “Sunday’s game, we watched [on tape], and he was unbelievable,” Hewitt said. “He had 10 rebounds, seven deflections, was taking charges. That’s exactly what we challenged everybody to do. We said match his energy level regardless of whether it’s a good play or a bad play.”
Smith’s been helpful in tutoring young post men Brad Sheehan and Gani Lawal, but the example he’s been setting might work against them. Both players have been tentative, and Lawal had just 1 point, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in 17 minutes Monday. “Against that big, strong team to get 13 rebounds [like Smith], that says an awful lot,” Hewitt said. “Now, I’m waiting for Alade, Gani and Brad for that matter to start joining him on the boards.
“Those guys need to look over their shoulders because when Zack Peacock comes back healthy, and if Ra’Sean Dickey [academically ineligible) makes it back, it could change the complexion of this team.”
Tech didn’t win this tournament, but without the starting point guard, Peacock and Dickey, the Jackets won two of three. “Playing three games like this is like being in a laboratory; you learn a lot,” Hewitt said. “I’m really looking forward to us becoming a cohesive defensive unit because we’ll score. If we become a cohesive defensive, rebounding team, I think we can change the minds of a lot of people about our team.”
Comments
By WFC
November 21, 2007 6:42 AM | Link to this
GT has some talent but the defense must improve. The Winthrop loss was almost totally due to poor perimeter defense. Give Winthrop their props, they hit their shots and deserved to win. Are Crit and Young burning up the NBA? Who cares?
By Mike
November 21, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this
Crit and Young are buring up their bank accounts, but who can blame them for that? If the NBA is dumb enough to pay young guys that kind of money for sitting on the bench. Oh well,just goes to show that when you have money to burn (NBA, I mean) your judgment is not as rational.
Hewitt is dead on, this Tech team, if it can really learn to play defense, could really turn a few heads. I think PG is already better than the last couple of years, and think it will only get better as the year goes on. Rebounding was a big concern to me, maybe Zack and Ra’sean will turn that around. But it all will come back to defense, as Coach has said consitently.
By yellarjacket4life
November 21, 2007 9:21 AM | Link to this
This team will go as far as the point guard position will take them. We all know good guard play is critical for success in college basketball, but especially in the ACC. Look at what Virgina was able to do last year with Singletary and Reynolds.
I think the improved shooting by Causey gives him and this team more confidence. It gives us another outside threat other than Clinch and Morrow. Causey needs to become one of the team leaders, along with Jeremis Smith.
Did anyone notice what Hewitt was doing on defense the other night? He was having Alade Aminu pressuring the Notre Dame point guards as they were bringing the ball up the court. It reminded me of the 2004-2005 team with Anthony McHenry who was long, athletic, and he was a menace on defense. Aminu seems to be pretty athletic and has the same build as McHenry. If Aminu turns out to be half the defender McHenry was, then this will definitely help our full court pressure defense.
By old gold engineer
November 21, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the BBall update, Matt. I believe the last minute victory against ND will help team confidence tremendously. If we can parlay that into some road wins before conference play begins, this should be an excellent season. I was also impressed with Hewitt’s warning to the young, big guys to be looking over their shoulders for the return of Peacock and Dickey. Time for them to step up if they want to play.
By yellowblood
November 21, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this
Matt, Thanks for the great insight into the problems/success of our basketball team. The Notre Dame victory will give us tremendous energy for the remainder of the season. It certainly energised our Tickle Pile Monday night.