AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > June > 17
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Jumping around on The Flats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thoughts on a few topics like Tech’s in-state football recruiting, the start of Kristi Miller’s pro tennis career and the start time of men’s basketball.
It can only be a good thing when Tech lands more in-state football players, right? Or would you rather have a more talented player even if he’s from out of state? Do you take a certain number of more talented players from out of state, and then try to limit out-of-staters past a point so that a certain minimum percentage of players are from Georgia? What are the benefits of an in-state player versus one from out of state? Inquiring minds wanna know.
And I’m talking about talent here, not stars or ratings, not that anybody can really assess the talent until kids get out on the field and do it.
Hope to sit down and speak a bit with coach Paul Johnson Wednesday morning. More to come on that.
Kristi Miller began her pro career over the weekend in Houston, in a USTA tournament. She had to go through qualifying because she lost her ranking last year when she was out for wrist surgery. There, she won two and then lost the match that would’ve landed her in the 32-player draw.
Former Tech teammate Amanda McDowell is in the 32-player draw. I don’t know how she got in without going through qualifying. Maybe by ranking/points? I’m sort of new to this. She’s playing her first match as I’m writing (if the schedule on the USTA website is correct). It started at 10 Houston time. Amanda’s still an amateur, and will return to Tech as the defending national singles champion for her junior year. Former Marist star.
The two are in the doubles draw together, but haven’t played yet. Can’t find the full doubles schedule.
Paul Hewitt’s speaking this morning, perhaps also as I write as the Knight Commission was to meet from 8:30 to noon in the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., as coaches and administrators look for ways to improve academic performance of basketball players.
He would love to push the start of the basketball season back, ideally to after the first semester. No way that’s going to happen, and he knows it, but he thinks the idea of a couple of weeks has a chance to fly eventually. I say why not? Seems crazy to me that basketball players start full squad practices in mid-October and games in early November. How about a Nov. 1 or so practice start, games to begin around Thanksgiving, as a lot of football teams finish up?
No way the whole season is going to be pushed back in the spring. You think CBS, which holds the uber-gold meal ticket that is the NCAA basketball tournament is going to allow that to be pushed so as to overlap the Masters, which CBS also has the rights to televise? Uh, yeah, and gas prices should be around $1.50 a gallon by July 4th.
Matt
P.S. Hewitt still hopes to add a player for the ‘08-‘09 season, and although the spring signing period is over that doesn’t prevent him from doing that.
Tech got a start on next year’s class with Brian Oliver, a guard from Oak Hill. Committed the other day. Hoping for good news today or tomorrow from Negedu (sp?; Memphis, Tennessee and Indiana I think are other teams still in the mix).
The ‘09 signing class(es) could be HUGE if Tech lands the PG from down south and the big kid from right here in Atlanta.
And here’s a question: would it make sense to consolidate basketball signings into one period (bearing in mind that kids can sign outside the two signing periods anyway)? And how about moving up the football signing date while we’re at it?
