Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory will have another year to turn the Yellow Jackets around.
Gregory, who concluded his fourth season with an overall record of 51-70, has been retained for the upcoming season. Athletic director Mike Bobinski made the decision after meeting with Gregory over the weekend and discussing the season and Gregory’s plans for the future. ESPN first reported the decision Monday morning. A school spokesman confirmed the report Monday afternoon.
Gregory has been a focal point of fan discontent this season, particularly for the Jackets’ 0-11 record in ACC games decided by five points or fewer, and many members of the fan base have called for a change in regime. However, even in comments expressing his disappointment with the team’s play in close games, Bobinski has also made note that he believed the team was close to overcoming its obstacles.
“We’re so close,” he said in February. “So it’s not like, ‘Oh, my god, this is a complete disaster.’”
While the 0-11 record was frustrating for all parties, it nonetheless points to the Jackets’ competitiveness against most of the teams in the ACC. Against ACC champion Notre Dame, the Jackets took them to double overtime in South Bend, Ind., and lost in the final minute to the Irish at home. They also lost one-point decisions to two other NCAA tournament teams from the ACC, N.C. State and Louisville.
While the Jackets have defended and rebounded as well as some of the best teams in the conference, the onus will be upon Gregory to improve the team’s play on offense. Tech’s field-goal percentage (40.8 percent) ranks 287th in Division I and its 3-point field-goal percentage (26.7 percent) is 343rd out of 351 teams.
Bobinski had said in comments prior to the decision that athletic department finances - including a $900,000 annual payment to former coach Paul Hewitt, the $2.4 million cost of dismissing Gregory and a potential ticket-sales hit in bringing back Gregory - would be factors in the decision making.
Following the meeting with Bobinski Monday, Gregory went out on the road recruiting.
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