AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January
January 2007
Three games in a row with same mistakes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s not much positive to draw upon after another lackluster game in the ACC. The 3-ball was working a little better and I thought we played better defensively in the open court (9 steals). We had far less turnovers (11) than in recent games, but those things don’t make up for some glaring deficiencies.
We have no offensive game plan and we give up too many easy buckets around the paint. Please tell me that someone on the Tech staff is working on these things. So far, three games in a row with the same mistakes.
On offense, it’s evident that we’re trying to post-up our big guys down low. However, the ball rarely gets to them. On the perimeter, Javaris dribbles and dribbles and can’t seem to find an open guy. Why is he dribbling so much? Why isn’t someone getting open? Also, I counted 4 times that the big guys (Dickey, Smith, Peacock) attempted 3-pointers. Why are they shooting from behind the arc?
Defensively, we have our breakdowns in the paint. In the open court we’re sound. We get lots of deflections and steals and generally disrupt the other team. Once they start penetrating towards the basket and drawing defenders, we get confused. Before you know it they pass to an open guy and it’s too late to recover.
Have we psyched ourselves out? Is this a chemistry issue (Clinch suspension)? Is it a lack of effort from the players? Is it a coaching problem? All of the above?
The good news is that we had a chance to beat VT despite the poor execution. The Wake game on Tuesday is a winnable road game and is a great opportunity chance to get out of this funk and get back some confidence.
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Everything went wrong at Maryland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Question: What’s wrong with the Jackets? Answer: Everything.
Everything including free throws, turnovers, inbounding, fouls, ball handling, 3-point shooting, the list goes on…
I did like the “I am a Yellow Jacket” commercial starring Mario West. That was well done. Okay, enough sarcasm.
I’ve never seen a team get this bad this fast. It was only a month ago that we were playing pretty solid basketball!
Occasionally there are some great plays between two players, but never the whole team. It truly looks like five individuals doing their own thing on the court. No one knows what the other guy is going to do.
If it wasn’t for Thaddeus Young, we would have lost by 30.
New Question: What’s it going to take to get better…FAST?
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Big difference between Tech, Heels
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are some glaring differences between UNC and GT. The whole concept of team basketball seems foreign to Tech. The players for UNC are unselfish, pass the ball efficiently, and create easy baskets for one another. Tech, on the other hand, stands around while someone tries to dribble penetrate.
Similar comments can be made for the defensive side of ball. UNC is very active on defense - moving their feet and helping one another out. Not so much for Tech.
Meanwhile, you see Paul Hewitt shaking his head - noticeably agitated with his team’s performance.
Well, I’m agitated with Hewitt. I don’t think the problem is a lack of effort on the player’s part. And you can’t point to Tech being a young team because the Tarheels are just as young. This is a coaching issue. We just don’t “get it.” Inconsistency, breakdowns, turnovers, and silly fouls are killing us.
Hey, it’s easy for me to get down on them after losing by 16 points. I do believe there’s hope for these guys. We are tremendously athletic and have a ton of talent. I just want to see more than just glimpses of the great team that we can be. It’s got to start with Hewitt. He’s got to do a better job implementing the game plan. Shaking your head when you team is screwing up is not coaching.
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Why Chan hasn’t won more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do you really want to judge Chan Gailey’s tenure at Georgia Tech knowing that Reggie Ball has been his quarterback 4 out of the 5 seasons?
Here’s an exercise: think of the best 5 or 10 teams in football — college or pro. Who’s their quarterback? I bet he’s pretty good. My list includes Troy Smith, Chris Leak, JaMarcus Russell, John David Booty, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. I’m sure you get my drift. The quarterback can make or break a team and a coach.
So you ask why didn’t Gailey play anyone else at QB — especially those last few games? I have the same question and I don’t think there’s an answer coming anytime soon. This is a disservice to the fans and I believe we deserve a good answer. After all, we’re the ones who paid to watch that nonsense.
The play of Reggie Ball contributed to Gailey’s biggest problem: he can’t beat UGA. Nobody likes to lose to a rival, much less five years in row. I thought the AJC poll question about choosing between beating UGA and winning the ACC was right on. Simply put, some Tech fans would trade conference titles, bowl wins, and rankings just to beat UGA. Chan would have more fans if he had a couple of wins against UGA.
I know Chan is an exceptional human being who genuinely cares about his players, his team, and his coaches. You hear the same rhetoric coming from players and coaches about how he has created a football family at Tech — an environment of respect, understanding, and trust. (You hear the same thing from recruits, so don’t undercut how important that is to a player).
If Chan stays, I’ll give him another chance. I want to move forward and forget about the Reggie Ball era. Let’s see what Gailey can do with a fresh quarterback, a solid offensive line, a seasoned running back, an experienced secondary, a favorable schedule, and one helluva recruiting class.
Perfect time for a big victory
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some claim that bad news comes in threes. That’s been the case this week for Tech basketball. First, we lose Lewis Clinch for the season. Then, we lose an absolute heartbreaker at Clemson, followed by the suspension of Zach Peacock for throwing an elbow during that game.
A nice win over Duke couldn’t have come at a better time.
Some quick observations on the game:
Ra’Sean Dickey stepped up big with Peacock out.
Morrow has his stroke back.
Mario West provides a spark anytime he’s on the court.
Free throw shooting was outstanding (79 %).
Sloppy passing by both teams throughout the game.
28 turnovers won’t win you many games.
The dribble penetration killed us.
Our scrappy play won the game.
I don’t feel sorry for Duke now that they’re 0-2 in the ACC. They won’t be down for long. That’s still one of the best coached teams in the conference. I’d love to see Tech grasp that same concept of “team” basketball.
Thank you, Calvin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have one word for Calvin Johnson: Thanks.
Thanks for showing me that me a player with unbelievable talent can be remarkably humble.
Thanks for putting your team first.
Thanks for being a hero to my little boys (thanks for giving them five on Yellow Jacket Alley).
Thanks for saying that you will complete your degree. I believe you will.
Thanks for the school records: 2,927 yards receiving, 28 touchdowns receptions, 13 100-yard games, to name a few.
A lot of people will remember Calvin for “the catch” against NC State where he reaches back and makes the one-handed grab. This year’s games against Virginia and VaTech were memorable. Maybe his best all-around game was his last against WVU, but I’ll never forget his breakout game against Clemson as a freshman.
And that the thing: There are so many great plays it’s hard to remember them all. Good luck, Calvin. You’re a class act and a great ambassador of Georgia Tech.
Defense key in the ACC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This might sound like a broken record, but if Tech is going to win a few of these upcoming ACC games (Clemson, Duke, FSU, UNC, Maryland), we will need some mighty fine defense… and a win on the road.
It does appear that the defensive pieces are coming together: the press is more effective, Mouhammed Faye and D’Andre Bell have stepped up, we’re forcing lots of turnovers, we’re scooping up loose balls, and we’re out-rebounding teams big time. But, we’ve dominated the weakest part of our schedule and now we’re starting the toughest.
We get to play five teams in 19 days with combined records of 67 – 7. Absolutely brutal. I don’t want to be accused of setting a low standard, but I think winning three out of five would be okay. In case you haven’t noticed, the ACC is tougher than ever.
We’ll do worse than that if we can’t find a way to win on the road. If we can beat Clemson this Saturday, I think the curse will be broken and we’ll start to win more and more road games. If just takes the one game to change the mindset.
I’m hoping that this is the stretch when we start to turn some heads in the conference. It will all start with defense and that first road win.
Can’t be too disappointed in this one
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To be honest, I’m not overly disappointed in the loss. Yeah, we had a big lead and the momentum, but our guys played well and I’m just not eager to point fingers. There’s no such thing as a good loss, true. But we showed great character and gave West Virginia all they could handle. The thing is, though, you got to find a way to win it in the fourth quarter and we fell short — again.
Taylor Bennett played lights-out. I didn’t expect 326 yards passing with 3 TD passes. Unbelievable performance. I guess we know who our starting quarterback is next year.
Great call with the sneaky onside kick after the half. That was gutsy. I was not too keen on WVU getting the ball back in the second half, so that was an interesting twist in the game – especially since we scored on the possession.
If this was Calvin Johnson’s last game in a Tech uniform, then he ended his career in phenomenal fashion. Once again, he made some marvelous catches in coverage and pulled down a couple of nice TD passes. He’s the best receiver I’ve ever seen, and he can consider me a fan for life. You think the Falcons can trade up for him… please?
I hope we see another year of Tashard Choice. He is legitimately a top-5 back in the country. He’s got that great combination of size, speed, and agility that makes NFL general managers drool.
Hard to point fingers at the defense. We all expected Pat White to run rampant and he did. You can’t tackle what you can’t see -– he is incredibly quick. The turning point was the horrible field position that we gave up in the second half.
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