A combination of factors, ranging from the team's record to poor crowd support, led to the firing of Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt on Saturday.
Athletic director Dan Radakovich said he decided Thursday after a meeting with President Bud Peterson, before Tech played Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament, that it was time to replace Hewitt. Radakovich said he hesitates to expect a number of wins, but no matter the admiration that he has for Hewitt as a person or coach, it had become obvious a change was needed.
"It wasn't the type of year that we had expected or anticipated," he said.
Hewitt went 190-162 in 11 seasons, including a 13-18 record this season, which ended with loss to the Hokies in the first round of the ACC tournament. He led the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA tournament five times, including the school's only appearance in the national championship game, and the NIT once. However, he went 72-104 in ACC play, with one winning season. He never won the ACC's regular-season or tournament titles, though they twice played for the latter.
"I feel very fortunate to have 11 years at Georgia Tech," Hewitt said. "They've been more than fair to me and my family. I wish them all the best. I think Tech is in good hands."
The change means Tech owes Hewitt $7.2 million, per the deal signed in 2004 after he led the Jackets to the national championship game. The payments will continue monthly for the next five years.
Hewitt said he has no complaints about the school. In the end, he just didn't win enough games.
"The administration has been more than fair with me," he said. "I had my chances. They made a decision and that's it, there's nothing you can do."
A search for the next coach will begin immediately. Former collegiate coach Eddie Fogler, whom Radakovich worked with at South Carolina, will assist a group at Tech. Radakovich said he hopes to have the program's 13th coach hired by the Final Four because he wants to give that coach the opportunity to build a staff. Radakovich said the payments to Hewitt wouldn't affect the next coach's salary.
Players Iman Shumpert and Jason Morris said they have no idea what they want in the next coach, though they do feel responsible for Hewitt's dismissal. Shumpert, a junior, said the change could affect his decision to return. They also said they weren't happy with what Hewitt went through the past two seasons as persistent rumors about his future swirled.
"I would never support the ridicule that he went through," Morris said. "It almost became a distraction at some point. It was affecting the team on the road, and at home it was even worse. Having fans screaming against our coach. Not something we would support and definitely something we couldn't ignore."
Attendance at Tech games sunk to 6,095 per game, third fewest in the ACC this season. The Jackets haven't averaged fewer fans since 1985 (5,801). The Georgia Tech Athletic Association recently projected a decrease of almost 16 percent in season-ticket sales and related seat donations for the season.
Hewitt said the attendance issue and fan support weren't unique to his tenure.
"The only thing I'll say in parting to fans is we have a great school," he said "I'm a Georgia Tech fan for life. The students deserve your support.
"I saw it happen to Bobby Cremins, I saw it happen to [former football coach] Chan Gailey. I saw it happen to me."
The players said the breaking point for them came in the home game against North Carolina, when most of the crowd were Tar Heels fans, including some students.
"In the locker room we spoke about it seldomly," Morris said. "At one point it [motivated] us, and then at another point it was one of those things that you wanted to get rid of. It became an annoyance."
The dwindling attendance was a concern because Tech will open the $45 million McCamish Pavilion in fall 2012. The Jackets won't have a home court next season, likely splitting its home games between Philips Arena and Gwinnett Arena. But the issue is among the components under consideration in hiring Hewitt's replacement.
The next coach will get a low-pressure season to get to know the players and install his offensive and defensive systems before the new arena opens.
Radakovich accepted some responsibility for the lack of fans this season. The school spent between $15,000-20,000 from its $55 million operating budget marketing the team.
"There weren't a lot of people there, so maybe we didn't do enough," he said. "College basketball in general is a very different market because of all the games on TV. That's why we need someone who can create or exude that type of enthusiasm."
Of course, the dissatisfaction between Hewitt, his players and the fan base went both ways.
In February 2010, Hewitt voiced frustrations on Twitter, questioning the supporters of the team:
- "Are you a critic or a supporter of this team? Supporters will continue to watch this team fight."
- "We realize we still have work to do but no one should ever question the effort, intelligence, or dedication of our program."
He later said the barbs were aimed at members of Atlanta's media, whom he thought were treating his team unfairly. He hasn't tweeted since. He said Thursday that he has a good relationship with most of Atlanta's media.
He said the only advice he has for the next coach is that they will eventually grow tired of being asked, "will you be here next year?"
"It's a fact," he said. "The damage that does to recruiting and it does for the enthusiasm, we shouldn't let it happen.
"That's my only thing in parting. I think it's a great school with a great president. The kids go there and do what they are supposed to do. You look around at other schools, I defy you to find another school that turns out so many positive stories."
Hewitt said he is going to evaluate what he wants to do next. He said his first concern is to make sure that his assistants are taken of. The next thing are the players on the team.
"The players tend to be very resilient," he said. "They will find a good coach for them."
