Thrillerdome gets a fitting send off

It was a different atmosphere than the mausoleum conditions that have been the norm for most of the season. Even before the game, the student section and others filled the arena with a level of noise rarely heard over the past months. And no one during the game was spared the energy of those who have been looking for reasons to yell during what has been a mostly disappointing season: refs who blew calls or a Miami player who got chippy.

Conversely, ushers and security guards honored during the game for their longtime service got standing ovations. Even a towel boy so young that he's probably never heard of Bobby Cremins got cheers during the second half. When the game was out of reach the fans stayed, reverently honoring the team and building. The players responded, exchanging high-fives with the student section and those sitting in the front rows. The win capped Tech's record at 556-194 in the building. "Auld Lang Syne" played afterward with a video tribute to great moments in the building's history. It was a walk down memory lane.

"I can't think of what game, but I remember coming out and looking around and I didn't see a lot of people here," said Iman Shumpert, who scored a team-high 19 points. "It kind of hurt me because I was watching Jarrett [Jack] and them when they played and there were no seats. It was crazy. I thought ‘I can't go out with no one here.' It was nice to see them filled up. The energy was high. That makes us go."

Now, with two consecutive wins, Tech (18-13, 6-10 ACC) will focus on the first round of the ACC tournament, which begins Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. The 11th-seeded Yellow Jackets will play Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. The Jackets split two meetings with the Hokies this season.

Tech's fans will continue to speculate on the future of the program. Will Hewitt remain to coach next year's vagabond team? The team won't have a home because the Coliseum will be torn down and replaced by the $45 million McCamish Pavilion, which is scheduled to open for the 2012-13 season. If there's a coaching decision to make, Georgia Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich said it won't be announced until after the season. Home sites for next year's games will also be announced after the season.

But Sunday was about looking to the past, not the future. Ironically, the game turned on Jason Morris, a freshman who was born the same year former Tech greats Travis Best and James Forrest were freshmen. Trailing 37-29 in the second half, Morris scored eight points on two 3-pointers and a short jumper in 45 seconds to cut Miami's lead to 39-37, sparking the team and the fans.

Morris kept getting open because the Hurricanes kept committing turnovers. Coach Frank Haith said Miami's point-guard play was very poor. The team had 21 turnovers against Tech's pressing defense, seven less than in the team's first meeting.

Another Morris 3-pointer, this time off a nice series of passes between he, Mfon Udofiaand Daniel Miller, gave the Jackets a 42-41 lead with 10:43 left. Maurice Miller hit two free throws and Storrsadded a 3-pointer to push the lead to 47-41 with 9:08 left.

"I told the guys I wanted to send the Thrillerdome out on a good note, and we did," said Storrs, who hit five of his seven 3-pointers.

Tech pushed the lead to 10 on another 3-pointer by Miller, as the Yellow Jackets hit 12 of its 28 attempts from behind the arc. A jumper and two free throws by Shumpert gave Tech a 14-point advantage with 2:07 left.

It was a much different outcome than many may have thought when Tech fell behind by 10 with 1:17 left in the first half. It's a margin from which the Yellow Jackets have rarely rallied this season.

"You can't argue going out on a positive note in this building," Morris said. "Usually when we get down like that I feel as though we collapse mentally. Offensively, we went on a streak where we missed a couple of shots. Normally, we lose our focus in those moments. But, like in the UNC game and in the other wins, we stayed close as a team and fought back, and didn't lose our composure. That was a key."

Demolition crews will arrive March 16 to begin preparing the Coliseum to be leveled. In the few days between now and then, the Georgia Tech Athletics Association will salvage some yet-to-be-chosen memorabilia to save for a yet-to-be-determined purpose. Most of the fans obediently left after the game. Some snatched a few of the letters designating the aisles. No one seemed to mind.

"I'm just very (appreciative) of the people that came out," Hewitt said. "It's nice to see them pay tribute to the building, program, everything."