AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February
February 2008
Officials are like yo-yos,
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The better team won at Duke Wednesday night, and that’s not exactly a bold statement.
But this game was a mess in its own way not for the way it was played (roughly, at times very roughly), but for the way it was officiated relative to Georgia Tech’s last game. Or the game before that. Or the game before that.
Tech’s sports information department reports that Matt Causey, who suffered a mild concussion on the final play of the first half (he returned in the second) is feeling well this morning, no headaches, etc.
He wasn’t the only one to take a shot in that game. Players on both teams were bounced around.
And it should surprise nobody that Tech was called for 25 fouls. The Jackets came in averaging 23, eighth-most in the nation out of 328 Division I teams. Tech is aggressive, and everybody who knows anything about the Yellow Jackets knows that. Opposing coaches say it all the time.
There were times, though, when it seemed like officials would rather choke on their whistles than blow them. Duke had five fouls called against it in the first 26-plus minutes and took 18 free throws before Tech took one.
Officials made up some of the difference over the final 13 minutes or so, as Duke finished with 15.
But my beef is less about the disparity in fouls (a difference of 10 on the road is not over glaring), and more about how there is almost no way to predict what to expect in a game with regards to how it is going to be called relative to others.
The ACC uses some of the same officials who work games in multiple conferences, but those officials rotate in and out with each other rather than sticking together in three-man crews. There is no consistency in crew constitution, or, perhaps somewhat consequently, the way games are mediated.
Tech coach Paul Hewitt once upon a time (or twice, or maybe more, actually) railed more loudly about officiating. He’s no longer so outspoken about specifics, much to the disdain of at least one Tobacco Road writer who after Paul’s news conference lamented his inability to goad Hewitt into griping about what happened in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
But he’s not going to stay completely quiet, either. I don’t think he, or other coaches, should when the net result playing out before our eyes is one game after another officiated in red, then blue, then green, and so on.
This ebb and flow of style is dictated for sure by the styles and dispositions of teams on given nights, but perhaps moreso by the makeup of crews and what may be a relative lack of accountability among them.
These guys work three, four, maybe five games a week, and travel all over to do it. How often do their moods affect their work? How are they changed by the fact they work with different officials each time out? How often, unless there is an egregious misapplication of rules, are they called before a governing body of some sort to account for their interpretations on a game-by-game basis?
Again, this is not about a specific call or non-call.
It’s about some level of consistency being sought. Officials are like little fiefdoms. They all have their styles, yet they change nightly based on who they work with. And tell me Ted Valentine ever answers to anybody. That guy never saw a TV camera he didn’t seek to wind up in front of. That mess last week where he T’d Georgia coach Dennis Felton for asking where the coach’s box was on the baseline at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium was absurd.
“You get used to it, and you understand that’s how it is. You have to adjust,” Hewitt said of the game-to-game variations. “With that said, I’ve been a long-time advocate of the NCAA taking over the officiating program to bring some uniformity to it, but we got the best officials in the country. We have the best officials in the country, but is there a variation from game to game. Sure.
“If there was anything I would do to help them, I would adopt the Major League baseball philosophy and have the same crews work together all the time so they know each other. Also, teams would know how certain teams call games [and have an idea what to expect]. It’s up to both teams to adjust.”
What an idea, the pursuit of uniformity in officiating!
Sure, there would still be some difference in one game to the next, just as umpires have different strike zones.
But pitchers and hitters at least go into MLB games with a clue about what to expect, whether the zone is going to be drum tight or loose.
In college basketball, it’s a guessing game based not on any one member of the officiating crew, but how they’ll mesh — or not — on a given night.
That stinks.
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Does Tech need to change styles?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As Georgia Tech gets ready to play a different Duke team than the one the Yellow Jackets last saw, I wonder, should Tech make sea changes in playing style next season?
You have to have the personnel to fit the changes, of course, and that’s another question, not the question for this discussion.
Duke lost to the NBA Josh McRoberts, by far the Blue Devils’ chief post presence, and 7-footer Brian Zoubek has been injured a lot (he’s back, and will play tomorrow). Even when he plays, though, it’s more for defensive purposes and to rebound rather than score.
But K has changed Duke’s basic offensive philosophy in some ways this season, in part perhaps to cover for lack of interior personnel. Also, I think he just fell head over heels in love last summer. After coaching the U.S. team with D’Antoni of the Phoenix Suns, he’s incorporated some of coach D’s run-outs, etc.
When the Blue Devils are in the open court, in transition, they’re more likely to spread the floor now, often sending players to each corner, rather than all filling the middle third of the floor on the break.
One of the results is more 3-pointers. These guys really take a lot of three pointers. They have no standard offensive threats in the post. That doesn’t mean they don’t score in the paint; they get some easy buckets off their spacing.
But they have made distinct changes, and while they’re not going to block a lot of shots, they’re forcing a lot more turnovers than last year, and running off of them. They’re less likely to want to slow down and half-court/screen/roll etc.
They want to move, move, move.
Now, in some ways, that’s what Hewitt wants at Tech — significant reliance on a transition game.
Anyway, if somebody told you change was imminent (and I’m talking about in style), what would you suggest.
I know this is going to fetch some stupid suggestions, some that are off topic, but hey, I didn’t invent the blog concept. I just do as asked.
Matt
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What’s it going to take for Tech?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech has three players going (Morrow, Smith and Causey) and one coming (Shumpert).
Shumpert is apparently a very good player, and I can see him at the two spot next season, and Bell/Clinch/Storrs at the other. I may be wrong.
But is one player enough to turn it around? Can enough of the players coming back suddenly get it, see the light, whatever, to be dramatically improved?
Actually, that’s not a fair question for a few reasons.
Shumpert will not be the only new player next season. I don’t know who else will join the team, but there will almost certainly be at least two other additions to the roster, and possibly three. Maybe more if there are any defections from this roster other than those anticipated.
I do think the light can go off for some, and I think the leading candidates to improve dramatically next season are Miller (PG sure is a good spot to have that happen), and Lawal. Gani has some gaping holes in his game, but great ethic and a very nice base to build on.
But this team may need a surprise or two, a player who just makes a quantum leap in a season’s time.
Theories?
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That light in GT’s tunnel? It’s Duke on the way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you didn’t see this game and recorded it with the idea of watching later, don’t. It’ll make you scream.
If you spurn my advice, and watch anyway, you’ll surely want to scream, “BOX OUT!” at the television.
The Jackets were out-rebounded 42-27.
Granted, Georgia Tech is not a good rebounding team. But the Hokies aren’t, either. They’re No. 7 in the ACC in raw rebounding stats in league-only games, and undersized.
Hate to bury something as pretty as Moe Miller’s performance, but …
Even though the Jackets had their point guard score 29 points on seven of 13 shooting, make 13 of 14 free throws, grab four rebounds, hand out five assists, add a block and a steal in the best all-around effort by a Tech player this season, they lost.
Virginia Tech, which has seven freshmen including four pretty darned good ones, won on the glass, and in the paint (40-30 scoring edge).
The Jackets lost in other areas, too. Their bench let them down, getting outscored 22-12, by a VT unit that has not built a reputation for that kind of thing. It was the first time in 16 games that Georgia Tech’s bench has been outscored by the opponent’s bench.
Causey scored 30 on these guys last month, and didn’t score today. Some of that is because he played just 10 minutes because Moe was playing so well. Some of it was because VT paid attention to him, and VT coach Seth Greenberg admitted as much.
There was more to that problem.
Zack Peacock after five straight double-digit scoring games has scored six and two in the last two. He had ZERO rebounds today.
Brad Sheehan played five minutes, ostensibly because the Jackets were in heavy foul trouble, and registered one steal (on a loose ball), nothing else.
Lance Storrs? He fouled out with no points, one rebound and one assist.
Alade Aminu, who’s been decent of late, scored six, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked six shots. Much as I understand the desire to develop Gani Lawal (four points, three rebounds, one assist — his seventh of the season — and three turnovers), Aminu has been playing more efficiently, at least to my semi-trained eye. I write that while fully believing that Lawal may one day be a monster. Really.
And the killer: Lewis Clinch. He scored once, on a baseline drive. He added two assists, three turnovers, and no rebounds.
It’s hard to rally on the road when several starters are in foul trouble, your bench is doing so little, and one of your chief sharpshooters — Clinch — is AWOL. He missed all three 3-pointers Saturday.
After making 38 of 99 bombs in Tech’s first 19 games, he’s made one of 14 in the past six games.
That, folks, is a slump.
This was not about the absurd number of fouls called (83), or free throw shooting (Georgia Tech scored just eight fewer points at the line, which isn’t so bad on the road).
It was about playing with force, or not, specifically on the glass, and in the paint.
And though Virginia Tech had five turnovers in the first four minutes or so, the Hokie had just five turnovers in about 36 minutes after that, a paltry one in the second half.
Where did the defense go? VT made 15 of 29 shots in the second half.
I know coach Hewitt has said his team’s defense is better than stats indicate, that they’re skewed by open-court turnovers that lead to easy baskets.
That’s hard to buy when you turn the ball over a modest 13 times, and give up 18 points off turnovers (to 14 for GT).
This team is not the mess that it was two years ago. This team competes, other than in losses at Vanderbilt and Clemson.
But the Jackets do not play defense very well, at least not for prolonged stretches, save during that three-game winning streak.
And they rebound very, very poorly.
Perhaps it all comes down to two things more than all others: players do not appear to take instruction well, and they’re not as tough as they need to be to endure life in the ACC.
Next up? at angry Duke.
Fun.
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Roof fixed; now add liberal arts majors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
More middle-aged outside-the-box moments in a few moments, but first …
A rain out? I didn’t understand last night why the decision to postpone Tech’s game with Virginia was made so quickly — about 25 minutes after the scheduled start time.
What was the rush? It was a 7 p.m. game to begin with, not a 9 p.m. start.
Today, I was told that within 30 minutes of the postponement, there was no more water falling to the floor. But I also know that by that time, Virginia was all but out of the building; it was like the Cavaliers were on fire. Their assistant AD said something about weather issues hitting the Charlottesville area around midnight, and they hoped to beat that, but dadgum, they were gone as if shot out of a cannon.
The roof was fixed today by a roofing company. Some sort of problem with flashing and a drip pan.
Now, more completely unrelated silliness …
Would adding a few liberal arts curriculums at Tech hurt more or help more? I think we know the answer athletically, but otherwise? Would it hack off the old guard? Would the Hill ever relent? Give me some insights.
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How would a statue go over at Tech?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m thinking a little outside of the box today, more about politics than sports. And my question has been triggered by reading one of Chip’s recent Georgia blogs.
Before you stop reading, consider the question: What kind of fuss would there be if there was an attempt to erect a statue of a sports figure at Tech?
I don’t know all the ins and outs of politics at Tech, not by a long shot, but I know the old guard is not exactly revered by the new guard (which is, what? whoever isn’t in the old guard?).
So would the old guard, the Hill, etc., favor a statue?
I understand it would have a lot to do with who was proposed for the statue. I’m guessing the fuss among old guarders would be greatly reduced if it were to be a statue of someone with whom they could easily relate, like, say, Bobby Dodd.
Yet there are some clear old school views among the old guard, and I’m not smart enough to know if the idea of a new statue on campus — no matter who it might be of — would rankle just on principle.
Sure, location would also be a trigger point for dissent, and size, etc.
But, I wonder, in general, how would the idea go over?
Tech’s a very different place than Georgia, obviously. And the forum for political wrangling is therefore much, much smaller. There are fewer students, far fewer alumni, and — at least from my view — a much greater percentage of the alumni base is disenfranchised from Tech than at Georgia. More move away, more never cared about athletics in the first place, etc.
That leaves a much smaller group of people to get ticked off, but probably increases the volume of voices within a crowd of potential dissenters. And those who are passionate about Tech are every bit as passionate as alumni anywhere. There are just fewer of them, and there is a more distinct split in the nature of their passions (athletics vs. academics) than at a lot of other schools.
Thoughts?
Matt
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Playing with ankle weights on the brain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wasn’t at the Tech game Sunday. Took a rare game off to take my kids skiing for the first time. We went to Wolf Laurel in North Carolina, which is nothing special but very good for a first-time outing. We had a blast.
I know the Jackets played poorly. I’m told Miami played poorly as well. The big problem was turnovers, even though Miami wasn’t really pressing or anything.
Even without seeing the game, my theory is this team is just tired. I don’t mean physically, but mentally. Just worn down.
Paul Hewitt doesn’t necessarily agree with me, based on a conversation we had this afternoon, but my theory is that all the time spent on the proverbial bubble — which the Jackets have slipped off of — was fatiguing.
I’m not excusing it, or accusing it, just stating my theory. I could be altogether wrong.
But the nature of that game last week at Clemson, and the idea of turning the ball over 22 times without seeing pressure defense leads me to believe there is a killer lack of attention to details. That’s laziness or fatigue. I don’t think this team is lazy, just deflated.
It’s not as simple as saying they don’t have chemistry. I don’t know that their chemistry is bad. I don’t sense that. But this team has to be on its toes to compete, and when the Jackets are not “on,” they’re way off because they have no singular sensation-type players to elevate everybody else.
I think as a group, this team has a short attention span, and when you throw into the equation the psychological duress they’ve operated under for some time, you end up with a team that appears intermittently lost.
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It could always be worse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech fans discouraged about an 11-13 men’s basketball team on a three-game losing streak might find some satisfaction in this thought: Things could be worse.
Look, for an example, at Virginia.
The Cavaliers come to Alexander Memorial Coliseum for Thursday night’s game with a 2-9 ACC record, 2 1/2 games worse than Tech’s 4-6.
They haven’t made it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since 1995.
They’ve made it to the tournament just once since 2001.
They were picked fifth this season; they’re 12th.
They lost to Tech.
They signed Sylvan Landesberg, but the Jackets got Iman Shumpert.
Feel better yet? Nope? Well, I tried.
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Postseason hopes drying up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They have lost three consecutive games. They’re two games under .500. Barring an unlikely run through the ACC tournament, you can just about forget about an NCAA tournament berth for Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets.
So, if Tech isn’t in the field of 65, what about the 32 spots in the NIT and the 16 in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational?
The good news is that neither requires a winning record or even a .500 record. The bad news is that, while a losing record doesn’t exclude a team from those tournaments, it makes selection to either unlikely.
The NIT changed its rules in 2006 to allow teams with losing records to be considered for selection, but the tournament never has invited a team with a losing record. A test case came last season, when Cal went 16-17, including a victory over UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinals. The Bears had an RPI of 79 on Selection Sunday.
Tech’s RPI is currently No. 80 (Monday, 5:30 p.m.), according to realtimerpi.com. And the Jackets haven’t beaten anybody better than Notre Dame this season.
The College Basketball Invitational also has no rules against selecting losing teams, but there’s at least a suggestion that won’t be something it does lightly. Here’s some info on the tournament. The head of the group running the new tournament, Gazelle Group president Rick Giles, told The Associated Press that though there is no rule against it, “I can’t anticipate taking a team with a sub-.500 record. There are too many teams out there with good records.” Link here.
The “easiest” path to .500 for Tech: Go 4-2 the rest of the way, then win a game in the ACC tournament.
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What’s going on here?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m not sure what to make of Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team. And I haven’t seen a good explanation for what has happened to the Jackets this season.
They had the talent to go toe-to-toe with Kansas to the final minute, and they showed that was no fluke by doing the same thing to North Carolina. But they’re 11-13. And they lost to UNC Greensboro. And they keep losing home games.
They looked awful and sluggish at Clemson. But they played hard on Sunday against Miami, played good defense and still lost, by missing 9 of 21 free throws and by making 15 first-half turnovers against a team that didn’t press or trap. Coaches like to talk about “valuing possession,” and Tech doesn’t seem to do that. (In ACC games, only Virginia Tech has more turnovers than Georgia Tech, 165-164.)
So that’s part of the problem. But is there something bigger? Is it the lack of a dominating player, the kind you can depend on game after game?
Matt Causey plays with as much energy and guts as anyone on the team, and if that means a few bad decisions that might just be a price Tech has to pay. Anthony Morrow, who worked hard to become more than just a spot-up shooter, still doesn’t have enough game to be sure of finding a way to get things going when that shot isn’t falling. Maurice Miller is up and down at the point.
Jeremis Smith is good for about 10 points and 8 rebounds. D’Andre Bell has become more than just a defense-first role player.
Gani Lawal, like many freshmen, looks full of potential one day and disappears the next. He did the latter on Sunday, with two points, two rebounds and 0 for 3 shooting from the field in 16 minutes. But what happened to Lewis Clinch (0 for 5, 0 points, 4 fouls, 15 minutes)?
The parts look like they should be a little better than the whole that the Jackets have become. Why?
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What’s going on here?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m not sure what to make of Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team. And I haven’t seen a satisfying explanation for what has happened to the Jackets this season.
They had the talent to go toe-to-toe with Kansas to the final minute, and they showed that was no fluke by doing the same thing to North Carolina. But they’re 11-13. And they lost to UNC Greensboro. And they keep losing home games.
They looked awful and sluggish at Clemson. But they played hard on Sunday against Miami, played good defense and still lost, by missing 9 of 21 free throws and by making 15 first-half turnovers against a team that didn’t press or trap. Coaches like to talk about “valuing possession,” and Tech doesn’t seem to do that. (In ACC games, only Virginia Tech has more turnovers than Georgia Tech, 165-164.)
So that’s part of the problem. But is there something bigger? Is it the lack of a dominating player, the kind you can depend on game after game?
Matt Causey plays with as much energy and guts as anyone on the team, and if that means a few bad decisions that might just be a price Tech has to pay. Anthony Morrow, who worked hard to become more than just a spot-up shooter, still doesn’t have enough game to be sure of finding a way to get things going when that shot isn’t falling. Maurice Miller is up and down at the point.
Jeremis Smith is good for about 10 points and 8 rebounds. D’Andre Bell has become more than just a defense-first role player.
Gani Lawal, like many freshmen, looks full of potential one day and disappears the next. He did the latter on Sunday, with two points, two rebounds and 0 for 3 shooting from the field in 16 minutes. But what happened to Lewis Clinch (0 for 5, 0 points, 4 fouls, 15 minutes)?
The parts look like they should be a little better than the whole that the Jackets have become. Why?
By the way, whatever it is, this is bad timing. Tech plays neither North Carolina nor Duke home-and-home this season. Virginia Tech and Wake are the only other teams that get that advantage. And Wake only gets to play one game against last-place Virginia.
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Baseball season almost here
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a bit later than usual because of a new NCAA rule, but a week from today Danny Hall’s Yellow Jackets open their season. I went to baseball practice today and spoke with Hall and a few of the players. There’s a lot of optimism out there. Here are some of the reasons.
Friday and Saturday starters David Duncan and Eddie Burns are back, and Burns’ 2005 and 2006 shoulder surgery and rehab are now in the distant past.
Charlie Blackmon has been hitting lights-out. You are excused if you don’t know who he is; he was a pitcher last season and appeared in one game. He’s an outfielder now and might bat third.
Freshman Derek Dietrich has impressed his teammates at shortstop after sitting out the fall because of an injury.
There’s a freshman with the first name of Deck and another with the first name of Chase. You can’t beat that. It’s Deck McGuire, a pitcher from Richmond, and Chase Burnette, an outfielder from Buford.
Luke Murton is not only hitting but hitting to the opposite field.
I’ve lived in Georgia for six years now and found two things I can rely on from Georgia Tech sports: The football team always goes to a bowl game, and the baseball team always plays well. It might be tough for the football team to keep its streak going, but the baseball team looks good again (although it still might not finish in the top half of a strong-again ACC).
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Jackets look gassed at Clemson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gonna be brief here because it’s late, and I gotta drive back tonight. I’ll probably get home around 3:30, and that blows.
Nobody bit on my question after a horrible 82-67 loss at Clemson about the possibility of the Jackets suffering some sort of carryover from the final six-plus minutes last Saturday at UConn, but I’m sticking to my theory.
And in roundabout ways, Zack Peacock and Matt Causey confirmed it.
Coach Paul Hewitt said when asked, “I don’t think so. Three straight on the road is tough, against three quality opponents. Maybe a little worn down. I just give [Clemson] credit for coming off the game they came off of (double-overtime loss at North Carolina) having the energy they had.”
Yet Tech had one more day to come off its loss at UConn, and couldn’t summon the toughness to circumvent Clemson’s defensive game plan, which was to keep the ball out of the point guards’ hands.
When I asked Causey and Peacock the question, they said: “We need to come out with more energy. It starts in practice. Coach has been yelling at us all week that we weren’t giving the energy and effort, and it showed tonight. He was right.” — Causey
And Peacock: “It was just a lack of us wanting to play. I wouldn’t say it’s a carryover. “I got to agree with what Matt said [about the Jackets’ energy level in recent practices carrying over]. I guess we didn’t believe it, and it showed.”
But doesn’t this read like there was a carryover into practice this week, and, by extrapolation, into this game?
Two players notes:
Gani Lawal may lose more ground to Peacock. Lawal left Thursday’s game at Clemson with three fouls and no points with 8:55 left. He finished with six points and four rebounds (and four fouls) in just 13 minutes. Over the past three games, he has scored a total of 15 points (including two on one of six shooting in a loss at UConn) with nine rebounds.
Peacock may take a few too many 3-point shots, but he’s become one of the Jackets’ most dependable players. After scoring a team-high 12 points on four of five shooting at Clemson, he’s averaged 13.4 points over the previous five games with double figures in each. He’s also grabbed 26 rebounds, an average of 5.2, and made 25 of 51 shots. That includes four of 12 3-pointers. He’s averaging exactly 25 minutes per game over that stretch.
Gotta go.
I’m bushed, got a nasty drive, and a big day tomorrow.
Matt
Clemens or Clemson, which is more interesting?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, far be it from me to believe that I should change the subject away from Tech sports, but what about this hearing with Roger Clemens? Holy smokes! I’ve only watched about 15 minutes on and off, but I’ve seen enough to know that’s like watching a car crash. Interesting, but painful.
You have to wonder if Clemens is the exact opposite of Mark McGwire. One guy ran, stuck his head in the sand, and never said much of anything, presumably all in shame. The other is saying all kinds of stuff, defiant to the end, might I suggest arrogant beyond reason. Of course, it’s not arrogance if he’s telling the whole truth. But is he telling the truth? Several congressmen/woman have shot wholes in some of his previous statements.
Yuck!
About Tech, though, I figure they have a very good shot at Clemson tomorrow. The Jackets have won four of their last seven games up there, nearly won last year when Crittenton made quite a shot with 6 seconds left only have Mays (I think) go the length of the court to win it.
Charlotte beat these guys at Clemson. Tech beat Charlotte. Both teams lost at Miami. Both teams won at Virginia, although Clemson beat the snot out of the Cavs.
None of that means anything, of course. But Tech fouls a lot, more than all but seven teams in the nation. Many consider this a problem. It sure can’t be considered a bonus, unless, maybe, Clemson holds form and clanks away at the free-throw line. The Tigers are hitting just 54.5 percent in ACC games. That’s incredible.
And Clemson is 14-14 on Valentines Day. Seriously. Their SID put that in the notes.
Jackets gotta hit the boards better to win, though. That’s not their strong suit.
Man, my brain is raining!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s been a while, but I’m feeling a whole lot better and that’s bad for those who think I get paid by the word (I really, really wish). I’ll go easy, though, and stick with quick thoughts, minimal depth. We’re skimming rocks across the top today, not dropping anchors.
Hoopsters have to close 6-2 and win at least one in the ACC tournament to have NCAA tournament life, or go 5-3 and go to the finals of the ACC. That still might not be enough. If that 6-2 includes a win at Duke, though, odds go up.
Say what you want about Tech’s tough schedule, but the Jackets are paying the steepest price right now for losses to much lesser lights than Indiana, Kansas, UConn or UNC. The drops to UNC-Greensboro, Georgia and Florida State (which was, remember, way undermanned when in town) are still stuck in the throat. No way to wash those clunkers down; they’re like balled-up barbed wire in the esophagus. Winthrop is a decent team, and that was at a neutral site. UNC-Greensboro at home? And Georgia is terrible. Those two games more than any other haunt.
Toughness wasn’t the problem at UConn Saturday. Having to be tough as nails over and over and over was. The Jackets mucked up their season so badly over the first 16 games (7-9) that each game since has carried enough extra weight that Tech has been like a fighter with days off between brawls instead of months. Never mind the bumps and bruises; not enough time to ice the old brainpan between throwdowns. Every game so critical. So with a little less than 7 minutes left at UConn, the Jackets became the rubber band that was stretched too far for too long. Snap! That wasn’t physical (although getting crushed on the boards was). It was mental. You can only stay wired so tight for so long.
Moe Miller will be pretty good next year. He’s getting tougher, which is most important. I personally don’t see Iman Shumpert playing point guard. I see Miller at PG, Shumpert and Bell at the wings, Lawal and Peacock down low. Clinch and Storrs off the bench on the wings, Alade and Dickey backing up in the post. Sheehan?
Backup PG? TBA. That’s a development to be developed.
On football, JC Lanier is a heck of a way to start for next year. In 2009, there will be about 27 new Jackets. A coupla early enrollees who will count against 2008, and then the max for the ‘09 signing class.
“We’re definitely going to sign 25 next year,” said recruiting coordinator coach Giff Smith. “We had 23 [scholarships] this year, and after the coaching transition we were not just going to take kids to fill extra spots.”
So the Jackets signed just 20. They’re holding for Terrelle Pryor and others.
Just kidding, although Pryor listed Tech long, long ago on his list of possibilities. I remember asking one of the alleged recruiting experts about that (Pryor had like 11 schools on his list when I saw it many months ago), and I was told, ‘Don’t believe anything until he sets foot on campuses, including unofficials.’ Good advice, I guess. Who knows, though? He could end up anywhere and I wouldn’t be surprised.
Paul Johnson may recruit preferred walk-ons more actively than Chan Gailey. Hard to say yet.
Lady hoopsters are on the rise, but clearly not yet in the cut with the elite. That’s not an indictment; just fact. At least they’re in the same room these days. Not long ago, they couldn’t get in the building.
Anybody ready for baseball?
Later,
Matt
Spring game? Perhaps. Spring concert? Not in ‘08
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech has backed off plans for a big event on the eve of the spring game and is looking at doing something smaller scale on the day of the game April 19.
There are two reasons. Tech was running out of time to plan something, and, more importantly, the spring game might not end up being a spring game.
With 58 scholarship players and the inevitable injuries you can expect in a spring, fielding two complete teams to go head-to-head could be a problem. 58 players - 44 offensive and defensive starters = a 14-player cushion, and when you break it down position by position there’s a high likelihood there will be somewhere (say, center, for instance) where there aren’t enough bodies to have a full-fledged game.
Practice gets started March 24, with Tech likely to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday on most of the four weeks.
With all the changes taking place, the Yellow Jackets shouldn’t need much in the way of ancillary events to drum up interest in the spring game/scrimmage. There will be a lot of new things to see.
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Tough schedule, huge challenge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If I told you Georgia Tech would play seven home games and two Division I-AA teams, your first reaction might be to think the schedule was pretty easy. It isn’t.
Forget for a moment the games against I-AA’s Jacksonville State and Gardner-Webb (combined 2007 record 11-11). Realize instead that the rest of the schedule is so tough the Jackets could very well lose its first three I-A games — at defending Atlantic Division champion Boston College, at defending Coastal Division champion Virginia Tech and at home against Liberty Bowl champion Mississippi State.
That’s a mighty tough threesome for a team installing a totally new offense and a somewhat new defense.
And four of Tech’s five road games are against 2007-08 bowl teams. (North Carolina, the lone exception, is going to be much improved this fall.)
The good news: 1) The Miami game on a Thursday night gives Tech a little extra time to get ready for Georgia. 2) The opener on Thursday night gives Tech a little extra time to get ready for the season. The Jackets still get the same 29 practices before the season opener, but they’ll squeeze in at least one additional practice between the opener and the BC game. 3) Tech gets more time to prepare for Miami than Miami gets to prepare for Tech. The Jackets have an open date the week before; the Hurricanes have another Thursday night game.
Aug. 28 Jacksonville State (Thu.) Sept. 6 at Boston College Sept. 13 at Virginia Tech Sept. 20 Mississippi State Oct. 4 Duke Oct. 11 Gardner-Webb Oct. 18 at Clemson Oct. 25 Virginia Nov. 1 Florida State Nov. 8 at North Carolina Nov. 20 Miami (Thu.) Nov. 29 at Georgia
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Who kicks? Who punts?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You might have noticed that Georgia Tech signed no punters or kickers on Wednesday. I talked with coach Paul Johnson about that on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said (paraphrased).
Yes, the Yellow Jackets have to replace Ray Guy Award winner Durant Brooks and kicker Travis Bell, one of the best in school history. But former special teams coach Charles Kelly, now the cornerbacks coach, assured Johnson that Tech has good candidates to replace them.
In the kicking department, there’s Scott Blair, who handled kickoffs last fall, and Mohamed Yahiaoui, who did that in 2006. Neither looked as sharp as Bell when I watched preseason workouts in 2007, but that’s a long time ago.
As for punting, I seem to remember someone other than Brooks booming punts in preseason practice. (It might have been Kevin Crosby.) The only problem was a lack of consistency, and if that were fixed the Jackets would be in great shape at punter.
Johnson said that, in general, he hopes to find punters and kickers from walk-ons, though he said that he would not rule out signing a specialist in the future if the player and the situation warrants.
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Fans celebrate a new beginning
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was 7:30 a.m., and one of Georgia Tech’s football meeting rooms was nearly full with men — and four women — gathered to celebrate news of the first signees of the coach Paul Johnson era. Some had brought lists so they could check off the players as they signed.
Periodically, a position coach would step to the podium and announce a new signee, and, of course, the signees all sounded great. This was a day of excitement, of potential, of limitless possibility. Who would be the next Philip Wheeler, the next Tashard Choice, the next James Butler?
And, this year more than ever, the talk was of transformation. For example, Tevin Washington, that athletic quarterback from Wetumpka, Ala., could become almost anything at Tech.
“He’s got tremendous upside,” Johnson said. “If he’s not a quarterback, he certainly can be a wide receiver or a slotback or a safety.” And, “he might be the biggest sleeper in the whole class.”
Even the offense can transform, Johnson assured the faithful.
“We can do the same things out of the offense that Hawaii does,” he said, referring to the success Colt Brennan and June Jones had during the regular season and not in their bowl game.
There was some non-signee news, too. Tyler Evans, Luke Cox and Calvin Booker are getting scholarships, and Mohamed Yahiaoui will get one if he becomes the kicker, but Tech will still be well below the NCAA maximum of 85 next fall. About 58 players are on scholarship now, Johnson said.
Johnson, on the right size for an offensive lineman in his offense: “I don’t ever worry about weight that much as long as it’s good weight. If they can’t get out of their own way, we’ll ask them to lose some weight.”
“Ask” is the nice word for it. Johnson made it clear he wants his team tougher.
“When we practice, we will go live,” he said. “There will be a lot of contact.”
Quarterbacks will get tougher, too. In Johnson’s practices, they get hit just like running backs.
Johnson has no time for prima donnas. He has heard an earful about how difficult it will be for him to recruit top-flight receivers but insisted he’d only lose out on receivers who were too “me-first.” “If the wide receiver is so worried about catching 80 balls, I don’t want him, anyway,” Johnson said.
That’s it for now. I’m headed to Tech’s signing day celebration at Opera.
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On Johnson’s first Tech signing class
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday is the day Paul Johnson locks up his first signing class at Georgia Tech, and it’s an interesting day to consider what this class would look like if football, as some suggest, had an early signing day in the fall, the way basketball does.
Partly because of the coaching staff transition, the Yellow Jackets are likely to wind up with at least four players who previously committed to other schools. Of course, the Jackets lost a few players who had committed to Tech, too.
Examples of who Tech gained: Lee Butler originally committed to Duke. Marcus Wright originally committed to Tulsa. Daniel McKayhan committed to Furman, then Memphis. Jaybo Shaw originally committed to Middle Tennessee State.
Tech lost Sean Renfree to Duke, T.J. Pridemore to Florida and Chris Jackson to Alabama.
Renfree looks like a great example of a quarterback whose talents wouldn’t have been a good mesh for the offensive system the Jackets plan to run. Shaw, on the other hand, is an example of a guy finding a good fit where it didn’t exist previously. Clearly, Tech could have used Pridemore and Jackson. Wright, whose lack of size would have been an issue in Chan Gailey’s/John Bond’s offense, could wind up doing big things in Johnson’s.
In the end, the players got a chance to make a more informed decision, and the schools got players who are likely to be a better fit. Maybe an early signing day isn’t such a good idea, after all.
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Rest? Tech don’t need no stinking rest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back, but still dead (bad cold).
Two days after the fact, I think Tech’s loss to Maryland was a case of rest vs. rhythm. Tech had not played in six days, but that wasn’t an advantage against a team that was playing its third game in a week.
Jackets were out of it (“not there mentally the first 10 minutes,” Paul Hewitt said), early and again for a while in the second half. Deadly. Message: value rhythm over rest.
I believe Tech is 1-8 coming off byes since Paul’s been coach.
Bell did a very nice job on Vasquez for the most part (and he wasn’t very impressive even when Bell wasn’t defending him), but in general Tech didn’t do enough to keep Maryland’s perimeter players from driving either into scoring position or into prime passing position.
What this loss means: Tech has to win all four games at home and split six on the road to have a prayer. Even that might not be enough without a win or two in the ACC tournament.
I think this team is concentrating better on the road, although two glaring examples of the opposite cropped up: the lopsided loss at Vandy, and an ugly loss to a bad Georgia team.
The Jackets have given themselves a lot to overcome.
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