Tech

By RAMBLE ON!!!

November 13, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this

Hey Larry, could we talk about baseball, golf, volleyball, or even tennis then?

What Hewitt has done to GT Basketball is too painful to discuss.

By Excited!

November 13, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this

I’m excited about this class, particularly Udofia. A great point guard can really make a huge difference, especially one that hates to let lose and is willing to put the team on his back from time to time (e.g. Jarrett Jack). From what I have read, Udofia fits this mould.

By HIAWASSEE

November 13, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHEN WE LAST RECRUITED A WHITE BOY?

By El Gato

November 13, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this

Hiawassee,

That is not allowed under Hewitt.

By j carden

November 13, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this

Brad Sheehan was the last blanco recruit

By David

November 13, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

Why, so you could be racist? I’m white and can tell you are trying to be racist. Just for you we have Brad Sheehan who we recruited who is on scholarship, and is white.

By huh?

November 13, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this

Why would we want a white recruit?

By John

November 13, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

HIAWASSEE, I remember Mark Price - lol! That was back in the 80’s. Matt Harpring and a few others. Hewitt likes the track stars that play pick-up basketball. He has never gravitated toward the slower, more fundamentally sound white boys that can actually shoot the ball through the hoop and make free throws. They don’t call em ‘free’ for nothin!! Yet, his recruits are awful. We are not selling out season tickets and the director of tickets says it’s because of the economy. Haha. It’s because the hineymoon with Hewitt has been waning for a few years and the interest is just flat out gone! Thank God for Paul Johnson!

By Brian

November 13, 2008 10:49 AM | Link to this

Who cares if you’re black or white? What the hell is wrong with some of you?

By RAMBLE ON!!!

November 13, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this

At least John Thompson got to the big dance every year with his all black teams.

I don’t care if the whole team has turbans on their heads if they can get to the big dance on a regular basis.

The story of GT Basketball (Just like I said this time last year and the year before) is turnovers, bad defense, sloppy offense, and the team quitting on the coach.

7-9 in the ACC and a bubble team going to the ACC tourney, again.

By TRUTHSPEAKER

November 13, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this

One word….class. Come on everybody…let’s aim just a little higher with the posts here. Doesn’t speak well for the ATL area. Paul Hewitt is a nationally respected coach who has done very well for our program. Stop making ill thought out comments and then thank God for spell checker.

By It's not about race...

November 13, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this

I don’t think it’s a racism issue, at least not from a fan perspective. I do think it is valid to examine Hewitt’s recruiting and it’s relation to race and/or what seems to be a personal agenda to be a springboard for guys that might not normally get to attend an institution like GT or get the national attention that they do in a conference like the ACC. Recruiting should not be about race but about getting the guys that have the best potential to be well-rounded long-term contributors, regardless of whether they are white or black. Hewitt has developed a reputation for grooming otherwise troubled or underachieving recruits in the past, and I say good for them and good for him for making that personal investment in them. But is GT basketball the YMCA or is it a top national program in the elite basketball conference in the nation? I guess if we’re okay with not winning, then at least our program is serving a good cause. Unfortunately, not winning will eventually deteriorate the ability to perform that cause…

By b uzzwax

November 13, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this

Matt Causey, Luke Schencer (sp?), Brad S……There is no way any of you that bring up the color/recruiting question are tech fans!!!! You are UGA homer idiots trying to influence Derrick Favors…..IDIOTS and RACIST!!! Go back to your cow pen of a program and enjoy your next rodeo!!!!!

By dscottgt

November 13, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this

I have three degrees from Tech (‘91,’96,’97), and I usually enjoy reading the banter - some of it admittedly lowbrow - that I find on this site. However, if these are Tech alums making the comments above, then I am ashamed for my school. I’m not a CPH apologist; I personally don’t care for his coaching style, and think he is frequently outclassed in the ACC by his peers. That said, the introduction of race into this discussion is abhorrent. Idiotic comments like the ones above prevent any useful dialogue on race from ever taking place. You backwoods hicks head over to the UGA blogs to spew that venom.

By It's not about race...

November 13, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this

Good job “b uzzwax”, you named three (white) players that only we (as Tech fans) recognize. Like I said, to me, it’s not about preferring one race or another - we’re just not getting long-term players. It’s one thing to be conscious about our attitudes towards racism - it’s quite another to be in denial and start calling people names about what is really happening.

By AGTFan

November 13, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this

It’s sad to see the racists coming out on this blog. I thought I’d clicked on the Falcons Blog by mistake. It is sad that there some racist Tech fans, but there ignorant fans of just about every school. I don’t care what color an athelete is. If he’s got the talent and brains to make at GT then he could be lime green for all I care. Racists, please leave us alone and go burn a cross or something.

By SouthBendJacket

November 13, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this

If memory serves me correctly, when Coach Hewitt had players that stuck around for a few years, we finished 2nd. Unfortunately, there is a fine line in college basketball when it comes to great players. Coach Hewitt has been on the wrong side of this line, which is unlucky on his part. For those posting who are ignorant, the line is the trade-off between exceptional talent and long term commitment. If we want to be a contender for the ACC and National championships right now, then we have to recruit the top players, who tend to only stay in school for one to two years. If you recruit a player you have to develop, people, like the ones who post here, are calling for your job because they are instantly gratified. NC and Duke didn’t get to be the elite overnight. There was a long road.

So…pick your poison. Are you going to complain about kids not staying, but being successful, like Ohio State, or are you going to be a little patient and have faith in the development process. Sounds like the second choice is where Coach Hewitt is going. Have some foresight and faith in this process.

Making winning programs takes time!

By whowont

November 13, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this

Duke has cornered the market on white basketball players. They do not represent a large portion of the talent pool. That’s like saying why don’t the Braves have a bunch of black baseball players.

Hewitt’s teams are only as good as their point guards, I just want to be in the tournament. I like what Mo Miller was putting together last year and Udofia sounds like the kind of point guard Hewitt likes (big and good on defense). Maybe we can string together a couple of decent years.

By BravesFan79

November 13, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this

I for one…am PROUD to say i have been a hardcore GT hoops fan since the final 4 run of 1990! Since Lethal Weapon 3….. Yes Cremins was a great coach, but Hewitt isnt that bad either.
So tell me (Hewitt haters) which program is in better hands: The one with a Great x’s and o’s coach, or the program with a Great recruiting coach and a overall solid program with good solid assistants. (i think thats where GT needs to improve is in the assistant coaches)

So what did Bob Knight do at Texas Tech? How far did Lefty ever get at Ga State??
You can have ALL the x’s and o’s in the world, but at the end of the day…. it comes down to PLAYERS!!

Hewitt is KNOWN for getting PLAYERS!! NBA type players, NBA ALL Star type players! (Bosh)

What makes me sick is all you so called fans trying to throw the program under the bus (RambleOn) ….when ive been telling everyone since this time last year wed have a GREAT recruiting class in 09 with Favors coming in!
GT FINAL 4 in 2010!!

By BravesFan79

November 13, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this

whowont: see you know what your talking about. Besides because of white players being descriminated against starting in highschool/middle school in Hoops, more white kids are interested in soccer, baseball, ROTC…. ect….. i was one such player back my freshman year when the coaches son, and a 6”2 fat black kid that COULDNT EVEN DRIBBLE made the team over me.

There not looking for current good players in highschool, there looking for “projects”. And i was labeled as just another good shooting, short, white dude that had probably already reached mine…..while the big Goofy black kid was the one labeled “potential”

So of course i focused on baseball and soccer after that.
You also got it right about the pt guard spot…. look for GT to be alot more consistent with Miller being a sophomore.

Next year tho… with Bell back as a lock down defender to guard the other teams best player in the NCAA tourney in 2010…and our current recruits, with a Junior starter in Miller, and other very good solid players… to go WITH the class we have coming in…. and add Favors to that mix….and u have the makings of a team destined for the Final 4.

By BLAZER

November 13, 2008 1:17 PM | Link to this

COACH K SEEMS TO DO GOOD AT RECRUITING “WHITE KIDS”

IT DOESN’T MAKE A DIFF!! PEOPLE CAN ASK THE QUESTION I GUESS.

By RAMBLE ON!!!

November 13, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this

BravesFan79, don’t you get a headache saying “wait til next year”, every year?

I remember watching Tico Brown, Sammy Drummer, and Lenny Horton. Do you have any idea who they are?

By Too Easy

November 13, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this

I remember that guy who became a janitor, but I forget his name.

By Concerned

November 13, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this

The problem with Hewitt is not the athletes he recruits; although with him in charge the liklihood of landing a Barry or Harpring type player pretty much ceases to exist. The problem is his developmental skills as a coach do not exist and he doesn’t have a half-court offense. The only offense he knows is pressure defense. Well coached teams like Duke handle the Hewitt strategy by making 30 free throws a gain against a foul-happy agressive defense. Only when every athlete on the floor is truly superior to every athlete of the opponent does Tech fair well. So far that’s only been in 2004, whilest sending Bosh, Jack, Young, and Crittenton to the NBA.

By AMG

November 13, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this

CPH has had his up and many downs. I am sick of being disappointed, but as a Tech fan. I will go to the wishing well one last time. He says they will make the tourney this year, we will see. Can not wait to see the new recruits next year and if Favors signs WOW! we may not need a coach to win big. Hopefully having a point gaurd back for the first time in 3 years will help as much as CPH says. GO TECH!

By Concerned

November 13, 2008 2:04 PM | Link to this

Gain = game? Whoops.

By TONY SHUMPERT

November 13, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this

Coach Hewitt is an excellent recruiter and coach. He talks with the students teachers, dean, other students, and the principle. He wants players that will excel in the classroom, not just on the court. You should be proud to have him. Just think if the NBA would stop raiding his freshmen, he would have GT in the tourney every year. At least his freshmen go high first round and that is something to be proud of. They still come back in the summer to work on there degree. Now you’re thinking Iman is one and out. NOT SO. If Favors was smart, he would sign with GT, and can you say championship next year. Iman is the real deal, so stay tuned. D, keep your help up because if your career is over, you still get your degree. It’s not over until the fat lady sings. She’s in the building, so no need to panic.

By Rags

November 13, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this

I agree with CONCERNED above. CPH may be a good recruiter (he has at least three first round picks that I can remember, Bosh, Crit, and Young), but somehow those great recruiting classes do not translate to a winning ACC record, even when the league is down. He certainly represents the school well in public, and he is a decent and principled man. But there is a difference between being well-respected, and being a well-respected coach. His teams demonstrate no apparent offensive strategy, they do not shoot free throws well, they do not adjust well during games, and they do not take advantage of their good players when they are on the court. Remember, the teams with the first round picks were average. He whines a lot on the court. Many times last year his team had trouble actually putting the ball in play from the sidelines. These are not opinions, they are facts. He is very similar to our previous football coach. You know exactly what you’ll get from him - some great wins, some puzzling and frustrating defeats, and a record somewhere around 500. From the sounds of things, even Hewitt couldn’t slow down this kid Favors, but we hoped that about Bosh, Crit, and Young, too. Once again, we are pointing to another great recruiting class and saying “wait until next year”. What difference does a great class make if the coach can’t coach well enough to take advantage of all that talent?

Another thing, everyone says that it takes time to build a program, develop talent, and so forth. Please just tell me how the other ACC schools seem to do it faster and better than us. And do not trot out the academics card. I promise you, there are other hard schools out there, and most seem to not only recruit and win, they also seem to do a better job of making academic progress.

Just my $0.02. Thanks for listening.

By addicted

November 13, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this

The game of basketball has changed. As we saw in last year’s NC, both teams in the finals were led by freshmen 1 and done players. These were players who would originally go to the NBA straight after High school, but now due to the new rules have to go to college for a year. This has created a great imbalance, so that the Dukes of the world cannot really compete anymore (unless the game is being reffed by ACC refs). Hewitt recognizes this, and realizes that he cannot have a championship team that only contains solid 4 year players. He needs to have at least a couple of those really good NBA style players.

By StingerSplash

November 13, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

I’ve got my own problems with Hewitt — the lack of discipline on defense, the lack of fundamentals in rebounding — but the heritage of his recruits is not one of them and shouldn’t be for anybody. If they are eligible to get into one of America’s best institutions of higher learning and can play a sport at a high level, we ought to be proud of them, no matter who they are or where they came from. Period. End of story.

By old gold engineer

November 13, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

Tony Shumpert, looking forward to Iman helping out the team this season. Sounds very promising. I’m also expecting a returning point guard to make a world of difference in Tech’s offense. If GT puts together a decent run this year, the future looks very bright.

By ga_tech_92

November 13, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this

Derrick Favors, come round out the team!

By RWfromGT

November 13, 2008 5:04 PM | Link to this

HIAWASSEE,

If you are aking if Tech will be signing any players from Towns County Comprehensive High School, then the answer is NO.

By Zach

November 13, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this

folks, we have had really really young teams for a few years. Thus the turnovers, sloppy fouls, whatever. You can’t NOT recruit the best talent just because they may jump ship to the NBA. I didn’t think Crittendon should have left, he wasn’t ready, and he hasn’t done anything in the NBA. This is the first time since Jack that we have had the same point guard two years in a row.

Hewitt’s a good coach. Stability is important to build a program. You can’t just fire a coach after some down years. Look at Jeff Fischer in the NFL.

Go to the games, be loud, hope the players stay. If we get Favors, it looks like we might have a sweet team the next couple of years. Then you will all jump right back on the bandwagon. Just everybody calm down.

Losing Bell is going to hurt us this year, though.

By gtfan

November 13, 2008 5:15 PM | Link to this

sorry but ph is a racist. mabye not a kkk kind of racist but he is a racist none the less.

its not like i just decided to call ONE of our black coaches a racist for kicks.

he has made public statements over the years that gave rise to this opinion. sorry dennis scott.

it started out when ph said that the ncaa’s were RACIST because they raised the grade requirments for sa’s. huh? last time i looked we are a college and a tough college at that. we are NOT an nba clearing house. AND im certain the ncaa didnt raise the requirements just for black kids.

ph has also said many times that his JOB as he sees it is to get as many BLACK kids into the program as possible while graduating these kids or helping them achieve nba status. those are HIS words not mine. i know of NO white coach who would get away with saying that wrt white players.

imagine bobby c saying those same words but changing the black for white. he would have been ridden out on a rail and rightfully so. yet teflon paul gets a pass just because… because he is black. ya think?

this is no longer the 50’s and 60’s. we just elected a fine black president yet our coach sic has decided all on his own to recruit mostly black players because they cant get into college. huh?

everybody can get into college these day if they have the grades and or the will. black… white…. poor… rich. EVERYBODY. YET ph has decided to continue with his artificial quota system.

quota sytems are racist because they make selections based on skin color. just like ph does with his recruiting.

if anything he is perpetuating the idea that the only way a black man can have success in america is via bb or fb. that is NO longer true.

i am not the only person who thinks this way. do a search on the ajc for an article that cynthia tucker wrote last year about this issue.

it is NO accident that white players dont flock to ph. i do believe he wears his ‘blackness’ like a chip and white players can sense this.

besides he is a crappy coach. maybe those players he recruited this year are realizing this now because after 2 days we still have NO signed loi’s. 4 black recruits and nary a single signed loi after 2 days.

you want an example of ph’s mindset? look no further than when we played UT last year. they cleaned our clock. they were led by a WHITE freshman center from austrailia who made our black mcdonalds AA look foolish (gani lawal). remember?

ph admitted he knew of him but he didnt recruit him because he didnt think he was that good! (ph code for ‘he wasnt long athletic and black’) let me get this straight… ph searches the globe for talented black players yet lets a talented white player slip through his fingers like an afterthought. yea right!

i have more but ill leave the interviews with jon berry for another day.

By Rags

November 13, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this

Zach, I agree with much of what you say in your first paragraph, but not the second. Other ACC teams have the same issues with youth, the NBA, and so forth. However, they seem to find a way to overcome those issues better, quicker, and more consistently than Tech does. They seem to find a way to coach the kids up, put them into a system, and win games. Hewitt does this just well enough to go 500 and lose when he makes the dance. He is regularly outcoached in the ACC, and he has had plenty of time to to build his program. I am not advocating that he be fired, just that we be honest about what we can expect from him. Occasionally a team will outplay his coaching, and Tech will have a great season, but we have had too many good recruiting classes (per the pundits, of course, which can certainly be wrong) that have underperformed under Hewitt to think he is an upper tier ACC coach. He’s had time and talent, but only one really meaningful season. The evidence says he is not a good coach - only average.

By Jack

November 13, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this

I don’t understand why there is so much support for Coach Hewitt. His record is very bad and we forced our last coach to resign with a better record than he has to date. Tech will be lucky to win 10/12 games this year and will be atrocious in the ACC. By the end of this season, attendance will be really down. He needs to go and now.

By RAMBLE ON!!!

November 13, 2008 6:25 PM | Link to this

gtfan, wow! I agree, I remember listening to his radio program after we got beat by UNC last year…he was more concerned with Fox News and Bill O’Reily. I couldn’t believe it. I for one sent a letter to the GTAA stating we need a coach that’s more worried about GT basketball than which way Fox News leans, especially considering the other Network and cable news leans the other way.

I guess that’s all I can do.

I know all about the Barry interview too.

Rags, CPH has said this is an NCAA Tourney team, because he has no other choice but too.

People say he’s a good recruiter, but come-on, who can’t sell ACC Basketball in downtown Atlanta to a recruit?

I don’t know, but I bet DRad gave him this season or else.

I think Sammy Drummer was the janitor.

By BravesFan79

November 13, 2008 7:18 PM | Link to this

Everyone calm down and chill…. IF we havent done anything good after the 09-10 season… THEN we make a move. But until then, lets give PH a chance with a NON Freshman starting PG….and a great recruiting class coming in.

As for me…… i have faith in PH, and dont think hes a racist. I do stand by my belief tho that we need better game management skills….and less stupid fouls…. i think the only change that should be made is among the assistant coaches. Perferably bring back the defensive specialist that was here in 04.

Ramble On: i still think the way you go about things is dead wrong…..if you had your way…. Favors (the best recruit since Dwight Howard) would go to UGA, and Gt would be talking about “well maybe our program will be good in 2012” with a new coach.

Enjoy the great recruiting class and chance well have in 2010 to go to the final 4……. and dont try 2 throw the program under the bus so much. This year well be around a .500 ACC team….. which is = to a .700 team in almost any other conference.

If Thad Young had just played to his potential that hes showing now with the Sixers…. and not jacked up so many dumb shots in the game against UNLV…. we wouldnt be having all this bickering going on right now.

By On Board

November 13, 2008 10:20 PM | Link to this

I know Coach Hewitt and his family. I am white and he is a fantastic person. Lay off of him and let him do his job. Paul is a class act!

By moboman

November 13, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this

I dunno. Year after year, we are supposed to be getting the better recruits, and yet year after year lately, the December UGA game seems to show that our players have more weaknesses than UGA’s and seem less well rounded as players. Is that coaching, poor recruiting?

By wreckmaniac

November 13, 2008 11:05 PM | Link to this

College hoops is all about getting super players and hoping you get two years from them. The system stinks but its not going to change. This should drive any coach nuts as it did Cremins.

By GT 90

November 14, 2008 1:09 AM | Link to this

and that’s what Hewitt has done this time. He’s learned his lesson w/ one and dones and has finally recruited point guards (we are now 2 deep w/ one more coming in next year) and neither are one and done’s. Remember the GT fInal Four team had no one and dones. This team will be special in a year’s time. Come on. He’s at least trying to change up the recruiting game and I trully believe it will pay big big dividends for CPH.

By bearcasey

November 14, 2008 8:02 AM | Link to this

First, my bias: in general I hate the NBA. It’s boring with too many players unsound in fundamentals.

RACISM: I could be wrong but what I think is being labeled “racism” is really about socio-economic status. Do you really think “Psycho T” would still be at UNC if his mom lived in the projects dump that Critt’s mom did? I think that PH had an agreement for two years from Critt and that under tremendous family pressure, Critt screwed him.

The NBA also deserves blame. Anyone watching Critt at GT could see that he wasn’t ready to run a team in the ACC, much less the NBA. They threw money at him anyway.

THE CURE: Do as baseball does… either you go pro straight from high school or you wait til after your junior year in college.

By Eric

November 14, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this

GT fans why all the bashing on Hewitt? If anything he has been too good at recruiting. If Bosh, Crittenton or Young stay more than one year things would have been drastically different the next year. Then you factor in a guy like Jarrett Jack leaving early and this team has been left with holes that no one could fill. The only remedy to this is to do like UNC, UCLA & others and sign 5 McDonalds all americans every year. Since there are only a handful of programs that have that luxury you are going to have some up and down times. Think about what having both Crittenton and Young leave early did to this team last year. They couldn’t get any big time players to sign with them because they weren’t sure they would leave. Then Tech schedules one of the hardest non-conference schedules in the country. That led to a rough year last year. They will be decent this year. The main thing is to wait until next year. This team should be a national contender if Favors signs at Tech. If not then they will be in the mix in the ACC regardless. Just shut up about Hewitt. He is a solid coach.

By Eric

November 14, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this

GT fans why all the bashing on Hewitt? If anything he has been too good at recruiting. If Bosh, Crittenton or Young stay more than one year things would have been drastically different the next year. Then you factor in a guy like Jarrett Jack leaving early and this team has been left with holes that no one could fill. The only remedy to this is to do like UNC, UCLA & others and sign 5 McDonalds all americans every year. Since there are only a handful of programs that have that luxury you are going to have some up and down times. Think about what having both Crittenton and Young leave early did to this team last year. They couldn’t get any big time players to sign with them because they weren’t sure they would leave. Then Tech schedules one of the hardest non-conference schedules in the country. That led to a rough year last year. They will be decent this year. The main thing is to wait until next year. This team should be a national contender if Favors signs at Tech. If not then they will be in the mix in the ACC regardless. Just shut up about Hewitt. He is a solid coach.

By yellowblood

November 14, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this

The thing that disturbs me about Hewitt is that he has made our Tickle Piles much less enthusiastic. Go to www.ticklepile.com for more info on our Tickle Pile legacy.

By Adam

November 14, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this

Georgia Tech basketball is not going to look good this year guys