Tech

By SCJacket

January 12, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this

Hewitt and his staff were able to do more with less in the early years by playing tough defense and stressing team work. Both of those attributes have been lost. I see little to no development in players. Perhaps Hewitt is suffering from the impact of coaching staff changes that eventually caught up with Cremins. A 10 win season looks beyond this groups potential and the AJC press is giving Hewitt a pass so far. Unless he turns it around this season, the coaching problem will need to be addressed.

By The Bitter Gus

January 12, 2008 10:17 PM | Link to this

What are talking about? The season ended opening night when TECH got pummeled at home by UNC-Greensboro. By the way… Tech’s overall ACC road record since 1996-97 (excluding the final 4 season - meaning 10 full seasons) is 15-66 (with 13 of those wins coming against bottom dwellers - FSU / Clemson and UVA). In fact vs. the Big 5 ACC teams (UNC / Duke / Wake / NC State and Maryland) since 1996-97 (excluding the Final 4 season) TECH is a “robust” 1-47 on the road!!! Only victory you ask? vs. Wake in 1997-8 with Harpring hitting a game winner at the buzzer over a very average (7-9) Wake team. Get it permanently into your head - there is absolutely no greater waste of time in the entire cosmos than following TECH Hoops. DUH!!!!!!! Beating your head against a masonry wall and drawing blood is a better two hours than watching TECH.

By mowreck

January 13, 2008 12:04 AM | Link to this

I think we substitute way too often. If you put in an offensive kid on offensive and a defensive kid on defensive, how is either going to learn to play both. You wouldn’t give a scholarship on just offense or defense but on both, I would think. So, you need to teach both in practice so they are able to play both. That bothered me about Mario West last year. He WAS a great defensive player, but I heard the night he was seen playing in high school, the scout was there looking at someone else, but Mario stood out on defense. By the way on offense that night Mario scored 35 points. Never saw him shoot that much in college.

By Mike

January 13, 2008 12:05 AM | Link to this

Gus, you are, sadly, correct. They lost me on opening night. I just thought “oh, my God. If you can’t beat Greensboro, at home, opening the season….”

By mowreck

January 13, 2008 12:09 AM | Link to this

I think we substitute way too often. If you put in an offensive kid on offense and a defensive kid on defense, how is either going to learn to play both. You wouldn’t give a scholarship on just offense or defense but on both, I would think. So, you need to teach both in practice so they are able to play both. That bothered me about Mario West last year. He WAS a great defensive player, but I heard the night he was seen playing in high school, the scout was there looking at someone else, but Mario stood out on defense. By the way on offense that night Mario scored 35 points. Never saw him shoot that much in college. (this will teach me to read what I post … lol)

By 1990 Champ

January 13, 2008 12:26 AM | Link to this

Tech is being over coached and now that Hewitt is trying to let go of the reigns, these kids don’t know their true roles. And they just can’t seem to catch a break. An intentional foul and then a technical to follow caused this to un-ravel and quickly. Otherwise, I think we could have continued to build confidence. Its all about confidence and no one but Morrow has any confidence. And Clinch off the bench is not helping his confidence. I would keep 5 folks in for an entire half and see what develops instead of subbing every 2 plays. Hewitt doesn’t have the troops that Roy does to do the same.

We should be better but the bottom line….we aren’t. Kids, if you are reading this, RELAX and just play. You are better athletes than most teams (outside of UNC and DUKE) so just play and keep it simple stupid. KISS. KISS. KISS.

By black bee

January 13, 2008 2:46 AM | Link to this

GT does not look good-here’s some solutions; Coaching Staff-Hewitt must get a guy who is an X and O guy to compliment him-he must not stipulate weather that Coach be an AFRICAN-AMERICAN or not like he has in the past but just a great Coach.

Recruiting-GT must get back in New York like back in the Cremins era to compliment the great Ga. talent. GT must recruit kids who can shoot the ball to compliment those one-on-one TOP 100 types, like the ones VANDY has. The situation is getting critical and Hewitt has to get this right. Kids like Hickson and Aminu can not get away. Atlanta is the desired location to live for many-the state produces great H.S. ball players,there is NO WAY this program should be weak!

By billgt

January 13, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this

I blame lack of heart for both the football and basketball team. Thad Young aws the worst, standing around while avoiding injury in his only season. I would rather lose with 5 Matt Causeys or Marios than watch this talented bunch never have energy, desire or dedication to give a superior effort required to win.

By yellowblood

January 13, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this

Losing becomes a self fulfilling process. Losses=No Tickle Piles=Losses. I long for the days when our athletic teams were successful. Best Tickle Piles of my life.

By fred

January 13, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this

This (the blame game) is just a box of band-aids applied to an obviously fatal situation—the coach.

Our athletic “program” had been allowed to hit rock bottom under Braine/Clough and it won’t get better before becoming worse.

DRad was necessary for this reason.

Let’s get on with the cure—-and let it work.

By RAMBLE ON!

January 13, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this

UNC will be us by 40 points…hate to say it, but it’s true. Hewitt must go, let’s hire Mark Price, at least we’ll hit our free throws.

By ben

January 13, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this

Hewitt has only looked like a good coach one year, but he looked like the best coach in Division 1 that year. I can only assume it was the chemistry of players and the leadership of Jack, Moore, Bynuum and Lewis that lead us to the promised land. I think even his coaching of the blue chippers like Bosh, Young and Crittenden has been poor. And believe me, I hate to say this, because I had such high hopes for Hewitt. But now, he seems to have lost his way, and the ACC is no place to lose your way. It appears to me that even he has lost his confidence and that is just plain sad.

By Matt Stafford

January 13, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this

Hey Matt Winkeljohn,

I was told to desist by Chip Towers because I was always talking about my spooning with COx at Dega on the UGA blog or I would be blocked permanently. Why don’t you do the same thing to yellowblood and his tickle piles??

By yellowblood

January 13, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this

Matt, The difference between you and me is that I actually attended and graduated from The Institute. Just because you don’t like the truth doesn’t make any less truthful. Tickle Piles are and have been a longstanding tradition at Tech.

By Liz in Sarasota

January 13, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this

You can do anything in a basketball game you want, but DON’T BORE ME! I drove 4 hours to the Tech-Miami game - even though I really wanted to see Tyler play this coming week, I couldn’t go to both games, and Miami was closer… I didn’t see the technical, and I was looking right at the bench, but Hewitt has been warned for leaving the coaches’ box before, so perhaps that had something to do with it. I was hoping the AJC’s Mr. Winklejohn could tell me what happened, but I guess he didn’t see it either. This is a coaching issue, because recruits follow coaches, and we have a bunch of boys on the floor who - while they might be great guys and all, and you know what I’m saying - can’t hold a candle to the Barrys, Best, Forrest, Vinson, etc. we’ve enjoyed watching in the past, and right now even Duke in a low year can whip us handily. Where are the exciting players? Where is a true point guard? Where is the big man? Where are the streaky shooters? Where are the passes that would take your breath away? Where is the sense that we could beat anyone on a given night (and then lose to College of Charleston the next game?!)? That game I saw in Miami - it was pitiful. Why didn’t Morrow get the ball again and again with 5 minutes to go? Am I the only person who is yelling advice in the direction of the bench? And I kept looking over at the bench, expecting action, and Mr. Hewitt’s body language told me he was as stumped as I was, not that he was in charge, not that he had a PLAN. The Georgia game, the Kansas game - boring! Boring! Why do I have to get my tapes out to see a good game? Like the game when Malcolm Mackey set that famous screen on Bobby Hurley, or when Mackey went up for a dunk in the last second when we needed a 3 to tie, or when Fred Vinson hit eight 3s, or when Drew Barry hit eight (or was it seven?) 3s, when we beat Carolina when they were #1 in the country, when we beat Duke when they were #1 in the country, when Travis and James and all the rest played with talent. Those boys were talented. And that’s what we need, friends. We need a coach who can say Come to Atlanta to all those tough, talented boys from New York, New Jersey, and every place else - I mean, what 18-year old boy - given the choice - would pick Durham over Atlanta? Chapel Hill over Atlanta? Get real! And if they do, why is that? Could it possibly be the coaching??? So someone else can make the pilgrimage to Atlanta to see Carolina play Tech; I’ll sit here with my tapes, because at least then I won’t be bored. I don’t even care if we lose, just give me exciting basketball!!

By Jack Sprat

January 13, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this

Liz in Sarasota, it is really easy to believe that 18 year old kids would pick Durham or Chapel hill over Atlanta. It is called facilities, curriculum, and campus life and activities. Not to mention choosing to play for one of the hall of fame coaches working in those two towns or choosing to play for a soon to be unemployed hack of a coach here in Atlanta. Hewitt has never put together a team of his own players, his glory years were built with Cremins recruits and everything has been down a slippery slope since those players moved on. If the Institute’s roundball fans can motivate the some of the great coaching experts in the background to take extreme umbrage because they aren’t allowed to help run the basketball program from their seats in the stands, just like they want to do in football, then Hewitt will be on an early flight out of town. The Institute programs are beginning to resemble the ones at South Carolina where the big money alums are so desperate to win that all think they know better than the coaches and either force the coaches out after a few years or make it attractive for the coach to jump at the first offer from another school.

By RAMBLE ON!

January 13, 2008 11:18 PM | Link to this

Liz in Sarasota does it feel good to get that off your chest?

I agree 100%, but I wonder, have you not watch any of the games this year on TV, especially the previous one against UGAg? That was the worst display of Basketball I’ve ever seen. It’s really been this way every season except for 2004 (9-7 ACC record), bubble teams every since, except for this year of course. We won’t even be a NIT bubble team.

Jack Sprat you obviously have not been to Durham…facilities? It’s called coaching, period. How long did Brad D. last at UNC, and he was an alumni, 2-3 years?

How long will Hewitt last here, I hope not much longer.

By GT55

January 13, 2008 11:31 PM | Link to this

Fire Paul Hewitt.

By Chan Gailey's Designated Driver

January 14, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

Ramble ON!-Jack Sprat is just a troll. Although he finally makes some good points in this post (primarily about the Cremins legacy finally wearing off), most of the time he’s just stirring the pot.

Yellowblood-No self-respecting Tech alum would say they “graduated from the Institute”. No, I’m not going to tell you what they would say, poser. Go tickle yourself.

By T-Bone

January 14, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this

Let’s get some things straight: first, the 2004 team had two Cremins recruits of any significance - Marvin Lewis and Clarence Moore. BJ Elder, Jarrett Jack, Luke Schensher, and to some extent, Will Bynum were all Hewitt guys. This is not a question of recruiting. This is a question of leadership. Liz was right about Coach Hewitt: He has no plan. How else can you explain the same things happening over and over again. Last season was almost exactly the same as this one, but we had more talent. Liz is also right about another thing: gone are the days when Tech fans feel their team can beat anybody on any given night. We now feel we’re going to lose and are surprised when we win. It’s a mess, and Hewitt has one more year to turn it around. One problem - he only secured one recruit for next year. His days are definitely numbered.