AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 18 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USJackets could use more built like Causey
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scattershooting hither and yon …
It’s a pleasure to write about people like Matt Causey, as I did in today’s paper, even when they’re a tad peculiar. Matt’s very smart, the kind of guy who’ll look at you with a strange gaze that seems to indicate either he’s nuts or he thinks the question you just asked came from outer space. He mind appears to race.
But any time a guy, or gal, overcomes, it’s a pleasure to write about. With his height, which is dad said is 5-11, not 6-feet as listed in several places, and his knee problems and injuries in general, he’s overcome.
The guy grinds at a remarkable pace, though, and it figures to serve him well.
“He’s a high-energy kid,” said his father, David Causey. “I have to hand it to my wife. He was a full-time job for her to keep up with, and people around town told me that. I think he approaches life with that same attitude, all-out 100 percent. He lives it like he plays it; he lives it hard. For that reason, I think he’s going to be successful in life.”
On other matters …
Mouhammad Faye, as many know, has landed at SMU with former UNC coach Matt Doherty. He has to sit out a season. Had he transferred to Lee University, he’d have been able to play right away with former Tech teammate Paco Diaw. Faye went up to Tennessee to meet with folks at Lee, but opted for SMU in the end.
Had everything worked out at Tech, Faye would’ve been playing a lot this season, I think. But Paul Hewitt never worked him into the rotation in the first semester out of fear that Mouhammed’s academics weren’t going to work out, and he’d be left with a hole in the rotation in the second half. Mouhammed did not fancy schoolwork.
On to football …
I’m going to write a recruiting story next week, about how the staff has gone about the process through the coaching change. I don’t do much with football this time of year, but I think it will be kind of interesting to learn about how much change there has been in the way Tech targets recruits now versus before, and how coaches ended some relationships with prospects based on how they do not fit Paul Johnson’s profile. Ditto the opposite, and how Tech has brought on board some kids who were not on — or at least way off of — the Jackets’ radar before.
No, Thomasville DT Brandon Thompson is not in play any more for Tech.
If St. Augustine DB Rashaad Reid visits another school, Tech will pull his scholarship offer. With some of the kids who’ve already committed, the Jackets apparently are more patient as they’ve looked into other possibilities. I think Reid is close to wearing out that privilege.
Back to basketball …
We’re going to write something next week about the womens team. Dunno the nature of the story yet, but it’ll be a story about blending returning talent with talented newcomers to very positive effect.
If the mens team doesn’t play well Saturday against Virginia Tech, I’ll be a surprised. If they play downright poorly, coach Paul Hewitt will have more explaining than usual to do. The Jackets were very good Wednesday night against UNC, and a fifth home loss - after going 16-1 at home last season — would leave burn marks.
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Comments
By JG 66
January 18, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this
Thanks Matt. Anxious to hear about the football recruiting and it’s about time we heard more on the womens BB team. They, and the womens tennis team are such a great positive.
By ben
January 18, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this
BB team has looked good against Indiana, Kansas and UNC. They’ve looked bad against just about everyone else. So don’t be expecting this “remarkable turnaround” that everyone keeps crowing about.
By charles
January 18, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
I think it’s amazing the way Tech has turned around its women’s athletics. Don’t forget about softball and volleyball’s successes.
By HIAWASSEE
January 18, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
MY KNOWLEDGABLE FRIEND OUT IN CALIFORNIA SEEMS TO HAVE PUT HIS FINGER ON THE REASON WHY TECH PLAYED SO WELL EARLY IN THE GAME AGAINST NC.
HE OBSERVED THAT THE PACE OF THE GAME WAS SO FAST THAT HEWITT DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO HIS USUAL NEEDLESS OVER-SUBSTITUTION BS TO DISRUPT THE FLOW OF OUR TEAM.
THEY STAYED WITH NC WITHOUT THE SUBSTITUTION DISRUPTION. MAKES SENSE.
By scooter11
January 18, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this
I agree. Jackets could use a lot more 5-11 white guys. That would answer the prayers of a number of bloggers who complain PH only recruits blacks.
By loveJC
January 18, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this
Little 5-11 white guys get pushed around like Causey did against Gordon at IU. It doesn’t matter if you’re white/black.. you need solid guards. We don’t seem to have them. We need a few good role players. Go look at the PGs Roy Williams recruits at UNC.. not a whole lot of unathletic, short white guys.. he just manages to get his PGs to stick around.
By Matt Winkeljohn
January 18, 2008 6:09 PM | Link to this
Some of you peeps are missing the point: Causey fights his rump off non-stop. That’s the way he’s built. That’s what I was referring to, not the fact he’s 5-11, or whatever else comes with his height.
Dang, I guess this is going to push circulation numbers even further down.
By Future Mrs. Causey
January 18, 2008 11:33 PM | Link to this
Great story, I’d like to see more like this.
By GT45
January 19, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Great article, Matt. I would love to here more inside on football-all year. I’m very interested to see how this program is shaking out. I haven’t been to the last couple of spring games, but you better believe I’ll be there this year. I like the way PJ doesn’t mix words. If he has said this about this Reid kid, like the QB that opted out, it shows back bone. On Causey, I like to see a kid hustle like he does. He reminds me of the kid we had a few years ago, I believe he was from England, maybe. Had a tryout with a football team, I think-always hustled with the ball, and always in your face. Good to see Morrow fight for the open look against NC. He sometimes does more watching. I wish some of you guys wouldn’t play the race card. This article ain’t about that!
By yellowblood
January 19, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
Glad to hear he’s High Energy. Our Tickle Piles sure need all the energy they can get. It’s been kind of lackluster lately.
By Herb
January 19, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
Dude, that was ok the first 500 times you posted, but is that really all the game you got? At least if you’re gonna talk smack bring some original work. I guess that just goes hand in hand with going to Emory.
By stings to lose
January 19, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Hey scoot…how did you like that 30? Not bad for a short white guy indeed!!!
ps…knowing that griping after a win is sorta ugly, I was wondering if Tech took a nap at half, had beer/pizza or cake/ice cream? I have been to games as far back as those coached by WH, but that first part of the second half had to rank up there as the “rankest”! YUK! AMC is still the thriller!
By Navigator
January 19, 2008 7:49 PM | Link to this
Matt Causey is an enigma, and a thorn in the side of coach Hewitt. Coach doesn’t really want to play him, but his next coming of Jarett Jack plays like a deer in head lights. I’m not really concerned with Hewitt anymore, he trips over his own feet often enough, he doesn’t need my help.
By ProudTechFan
January 19, 2008 8:39 PM | Link to this
it seems to me Hewitt will never win with the mixure of fans at this school. lets look at this realistically for a minute. Paul Hewitt recruits the best players to fit his style of play and those that can deal with being a student athlete ate Ga Tech, neither i suspect is all that easy to do especially in the ACC. its not his fault that players like Crittenton, Young and, Bosh leave after one year, and Jarret Jack leaves after three. its hard to keep player from making millions of dollars. so we continue to criticize him for recruiting players with potenial NBA type talent. well, what if he stayed away from those type of players. then the critcs would be complaining that coach Hewitt cant recruit. i commend him for the job he’s done. its not easy playing in the ACC especailly if you dont have strong gaurd play. i admit and even coach Hewitt admits thats this has been a very disappointing season thus far. i believe the team is better than most believe. give the man a break, i dont want to end up like Kentucky, they had a legendary coach in place drove him out and now they would,t sniff a tournament bid if it started today. be careful what you wich for Tech fans, you just might get it.
By Historian
January 19, 2008 10:38 PM | Link to this
As many coaches learned in the 1970’s, you can’t be successful at the highest level without quality black players. Duke and North Carolina are now proving that you can’t win at the top unless you recruit hard to get the best black players and the best white players as well. Maybe Hewitt needs to look at his team with his one white player, that his future recruiting should include the best of both. If he doesn’t then you have to draw the conclusion, that he doesn’t desire to have both.
By AlabamaRamblinwreck
January 19, 2008 11:50 PM | Link to this
Get off of race!! I don’t care if he recruits purple players, as long as we win more games.
CPH is not getting the results he should be, and I don’t think DRad can be patient for much longer.
Matt Causey does play hard, and I think most of our guys play very hard. I agree with HIAWASSEE above that CPH substitutes without rhyme or reason.
By 91Wreck
January 20, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this
I believe one of the problems this team has had for several years is a lack of leadership from the players themselves. We really haven’t had a great leader since Clarence Moore.
I believe his departure was the reason our 2005 team underachieved. We had everybody back from the final four team - except Moore. Even though he didn’t start, Moore held the respect (and fear) of every player on that team. We sure need another guy like him. He has been one of my favorite players ever at Tech.
By LongBeachJacket
January 20, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
Matt - Nice article.
Matt Causey has been hustling ALL SEASON LONG. He does the most with what he has…which is a tub of guts and fire. And he is a LEGIT shooter. He drained key 3s against ND, KU and UNC. Unafraid… Drove in there and beat em off the dribble in all games as well.
He should get credit for MAKING himself a legitimate GO TO option in this rotation, because nobody(even the announcers), seem to give him much more than a casual note.
Lots of back and forth about Coach Hewitt. I like Coach H a lot. That said, the team deserves close scrutiny as to how the rest of this season unfolds. The 2004 campaign set the bar high. The bar should be high for Basketball at the Institute. The collective result of the last 3 campaigns has been less than expectation. That cannot continue perpetually. Time will tell.
Football recruiting: Seems like this staff is handling the transition gamely and finding a few “gems” here and there. There’s going to be a lot of “fuss and bluster” about recruiting until the signing day passes. Remember, recruiting is a PART, albeit, an important part of the equation. Let’s see.
Women’s sports: GO JACKETS! Great success burgeoning for Lady Jackets on all fronts. Great to see it.
By GT
January 20, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this
I think Causey may point out something I have noticed lately and that is we are prototyping our players and positions too much . I wish it was that easy to say a guard should be this or even a football receiver should be this, but these skill positions sometimes do not compute to statistics. When I was playing every team that was any good had a hard working undersize point guard that was the quarterback of the basketball team. He would dribble in and out of traffic and have no look passes, guard you like you had money in your pocket, then Magic Johnson and Bird came along and changed all that. Everybody started looking for a tall guard and only if they had to would they play the short athletic and cerebral guard. Football teams started looking for Randy Moss types that could go one on one with speed and size, and stop using the Fred Biletnitoffs that could go over the middle and had good hands not to mention brains. Then New England reverted back to the little quick tough receiver without much fanfare last year and I imagine as their success continues others will dust off a few more like Wes Welker. I am not saying that a Randy Moss is not a great thing to have but don’t throw out the guy that can catch or hit foul shots or is just hard nose to get some crying primo Donna to take his place, who can’t do the fundamentals.
By shane #1
January 20, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this
gt,it was ever thus!these things go in cycles and it’s because coachs are human,just like us,and are suckers,just like us,waiting for the next”big thing”.the old saying in boxing was that a good big man will always beat a good little man. the problem is that a point guard with magic’s size and ability is a rare thing.just as a randy moss is a rare thing.this means that many a kid with ability never gets to play because he is”too small”.fran tarkenton once came to an homecoming game in athens and posed with the uga qbs.a reporter asked him the age old question”since you are so much smaller than these guys do you think you could play today?”tarkenton replied”i could play qb today,you don’t need an ox back there,you need someone that thinks!”doug flutie,spud webb,john stockdon and wojo at duke are four that come to mind that were”too small”,but did pretty well anyway.
By addicted
January 21, 2008 4:45 AM | Link to this
The VT game (and the UNC game) were really well played by the team. One thing I noticed during the VT game was a change in CPH’s tactics. He really reduced his substituting players (especially just as they were getting some momentum). He saw Causey was on fire, and kept him in. For some reason he started most of the second half with Miller, which was when we really hurt (Miller has potential, but not enough experience, methinks…) However, unlike his usual self, he persisted with him. Unfortunately, it did not work out too well for us then, but I think CPH is beginning to realize that his current system might not be the best against all and sundry, and at all times, and has started experimenting a bit.
To Be Honest, I think CPH is a good coach, and will get even better if he is willing to adapt his coaching style. I think his favored policy of substituting often works well against teams that are better than us talent wise, but really hurts us when we play equivalent, or not as good teams, since the players dont have the ‘no one gave us a chance’ psychology to give them the extra boost, leading to no one really playing with 110% heart.
By WFC
January 21, 2008 7:09 AM | Link to this
Keep Paul Hewitt! He will figure it out!
Recruit SOME second tier players who KNOW how to play the game. Bobby Frasor was an important player at UNC even though he played behind Lawson.
Limit the “one and dones,” especially at point guard. Crit screwed Hewitt. Hope his mom is enjoying her house.
Define roles.
Work on player rotation and adapt to the game situation.
Spend more time on team offense. GT should not be a “farm team” for the NBA.
By ga_tech_92
January 21, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this
Recruit more (and keep more) Point Guards…and the things other’s have said regarding substitutions. I don’t care if the players are purple, I just want TRUE point guards. I’m not interested in how tall they are, if they are a true point guard, then they are a true point guard. They are the straw that stirs the drink. We have struggled stirring the drink in recent years.