A few more thoughts from Hewitt
But wait….there’s more. The news story I wrote today on Paul Hewitt reacting today when I asked about his contract rolling over should be updated soon if it’s not already. In the meantime, I have a few more quotes that I didn’t include in that story that might interest you.
Q. I asked if dealing with ups and downs off the court has taken a toll on him:
A. “Believe it or not I’ve had to try to bite my tongue a few times,” Hewitt said, and he laughed then, knowing full well we all saw the tweets he posted a couple of weeks back. “It may not seem like it. People have said to me ‘You’re a coach, you’re in the public spotlight, so you’ve got to understand that’s part of the business,’ and I do understand it’s part of the business. But to insinuate that I’m doing something deceitful or that I’m mismanaging this basketball program or that the only reason why I’m keeping my job is because of my contract, that was wrong. If you have disagreements with baseline out of bounds plays I run or defenses I run, that’s fine…From a play standpoint, offensive philosophy, that’s fine, it’s part of sports, you get to second-guess people all you want. But don’t make it a character issue when I’ve done nothing to show you that you should question my character.”
Q. My colleague Jeff Schultz asked him if he would get to a point, maybe at the end of the season, where he might just get fed up and leave.
A. “I’m not going anywhere,” Hewitt said. “If they tell me they don’t want me here anymore, that’s fine. But my family likes it here, I like it here, I believe strongly what Georgia Tech can do for young people. It’s not just since I’ve been here. You look at guys who played for Bobby Cremins and what they’re doing with their lives. I believe that very strongly.”
This was him talking about his NCAA tournament history, compared to other schools in the ACC:
“This is our fifth trip to the NCAA tournament in 10 years. If you look up and down our league, obviously Duke is the quote gold standard right now. They’re 10-for-10. Carolina is 7-out-of-10. N.C. State is five out of 10. Should we have been there more? Yeah, no question. I think acceptable would have been seven or eight. But five out of 10 is pretty doggone good. And for the last five years we’ve had some things not go our way. We lose Austin Jackson, he’s going to be our point guard. We lose Javaris (Crittenton) after one year. We lose Thaddeus (Young) after a year, you have the issues with Lewis (Clinch) and Ra’Sean (Dickey) and (Isma’il) Muhammad. We haven’t been dealt a pat hand.”
(Jackson was the point guard Tech recruited that got drafted by the Yankees and left for a big bonus, and Crittenton and Young were one-and-done to the NBA. The other three players mentioned had some academic issues, I believe.)
This is him talking about suggestions that he should fire his assistant coaches:
“Our coaching staff has worked very hard in the face of a lot of adversity to keep recruiting good players. It’s hard (enough) to recruit when you’re winning championships and for us to go through what we went through and still bring in the classes that we’ve brought in says a lot about my staff. And when people start talking about ‘You need to fire your staff, and bring these guys in and that guy in,’ they have no idea what they’re talking about, zero idea. Again it’s not fair to them and it’s not fair to the fans because you’re not telling the fans the truth. Look at the class these guys just brought in. You see what you see on the court and we’ve got Daniel Miller and Kammeon Holsey in the wings redshirting off a (2-14) season. Give these guys some credit, they busted their tail.”
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77 comments Add your comment
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 17th, 2010
11:13 am
UNC 7-10…hmm, where is that coach who missed the Big Dance twice?
Rick
March 17th, 2010
11:19 am
Good gosh. Making the ncaa tourney is NOT some major accomplishment. Hewitt acts like its going to a friggin BCS bowl. 65 teams make it. Half the acc made it. We are the highest seed in the freaking conference. You had without a doubt the best players in the conference. It’s your COACHING dumass. 16 turnovers in a half. 40% free throw shooting. Stepping out of bounds. Throwing a horrible pass. Calling a timeout after a 6-0 run. You are INCOMPETENT. And the fact you are talking this crap the week of the ncaa tourney, well tech surely isn’t going to beat Ok state now. Just leave you undeserving LOSER.
Rick
March 17th, 2010
11:23 am
How many players from fsu, va and nc state are playing in the nba that were drafted within the past 5 years? 1? 2? How many does tech have? 5? 6?
Smart Jay
March 17th, 2010
11:36 am
Coach Hewitt is at the top of a mediocre program, and is accepting mediocrity. My problem is he’s also accepting stellar money. he’s getting paid based on that Final Four season, and these are the results we expect to see, every year:
Big Picture:
- Top half of ACC, win a couple of championships in ten years
- NCAA tourney bid 70% of the time
- NEVER losing season
Regarding Coaching:
- Shoot 70% from the FT line
- Average less than 15 TO’s/game
- Play great defense
The free throws and turnovers are maddening and represent a complete lack of focus on fundamentals.
Yet, the defense remains pretty good.
I could actually live with the TO’s with this large lineup, if we shot 70% from the line.
TomB
March 17th, 2010
11:42 am
Performance Performance Performance. What have you done for me lately? Just the facts please.Take a look and see.
1. One ACC winning season. I didn’t say ACC championships… that would be none: highest finish:3rd
2. ACC record overall: 67-93, Since 2004 final four: 36-60.
3. 5 NCAA berths in 10 seasons: 1 final four, no sweet sixteens before or since 2004
4. Winning percentage in ACC: 42%, Since 2004 run: 38%
People, you can make all the excuses you want. If this is not the definition of mediocrity than I don’t know what is.
Joe Fan
March 17th, 2010
11:53 am
I have yet to see where DRAD hasn’t given Hewitt a vote of confidence. I imagine there is still immense pressure on DRAD to make a change and the expected fall off in next season’s record along with fan support will be enough force a change in coaches.
Delbert D.
March 17th, 2010
11:56 am
How many one-and-done freshman starters on Duke’s current team? Hewitt recruits the wrong players.
The Dude
March 17th, 2010
12:44 pm
Apparently Hewitt doesn’t get he’s being deceitful when he professes about what a good job he’s done. You have the lowest ROI in NCAA basketball, buddy. That’s on you.
Richard
March 17th, 2010
1:14 pm
From Jason Whitlock at Fox Sports today:
4. Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt should avoid engaging his critics and concentrate totally on justifying his sweetheart contract.
I like Hewitt. A lot. He’s smart and dignified and personable.
He’s also suffering from having way too much job security. He has a contract that annually rolls over to a six-year deal and if Georgia Tech fires him, he’s owed $7.1 million. He signed the deal in 2004 after he took the Yellow Jackets to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament.
At the time, Hewitt looked like Mike Krzyzewski Lite. Six years later, Hewitt hasn’t had one winning season in ACC play and just one additional NCAA Tournament victory. In his 10 seasons as coach, Hewitt’s record within the ACC is 67-93.
Hewitt told reporters on Tuesday that speculation about his contract and job security are the “lowest form of journalism.”
Apparently he missed my Greg Oden column.
Again, I like Hewitt. A lot. But he’s lost his mind. He received a bullet-proof contract because Georgia Tech expected him to build on his 2004 season. It hasn’t happened. Criticism goes along with the big paycheck and buyout. Quit whining and start winning.
Mark (a different one)
March 17th, 2010
1:15 pm
Hewitt needs to focus on Friday. His contract is renewed. His future (either way) is set. The only way to silence the crowd is to win. There is nothing more to worry about until the season is over, and then its recruiting. If nothing else, he owes this focus to his players.
The strategy in the NCAAs by most teams is simple. Shutdown the other teams star and make someone else step up. Tech’s opponents will try to shutdown Favors and the rest of the front line, and force the guards to win or lose games. Tech can play strong defense and take the same approach, but in the end it will be the play of the Tech guards.
Of course it's the contract
March 17th, 2010
1:41 pm
To “tell it like it is”…..”coach” PH is the one that brought up the roll over as a possible reason he was still coaching as being an insult. So to prove he is a good “coach”, perhaps he should just remove that possibility and “coach” without a guarantee. If he is as good as he thinks he is, it would not matter and he would not that that as something bothering him.
IMHO, as a “coach”, he is a good recruiter. That does not mean that he is not smart. Smart people do not give back $7.1mil. The not smart were the group that approved that disincentive thing.
Born2Buzz
March 17th, 2010
2:05 pm
I like Jason Whitlock. A lot.
wesleywhatwhat
March 17th, 2010
2:12 pm
also, according to this article, st. johns WAS interested in hiring hewitt until the contract rolled over this week.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2010/03/17/2010-03-17_hewitts_out_of_storm_mix.html
umm, athletic directing FAIL.
Fire Hewitt Now !
March 17th, 2010
2:57 pm
ACC record is 67-93 and he has lost 1 Scholarship due to NCAA sanctions for low graduation rates. What other reasons do you need.
pws
March 17th, 2010
3:03 pm
If I remember correctly, which I may not, but the assistant coaches that we have now are all fairly new, Coach Hewett even demoted Willie Reece from assistant coach to director of basketball operations. So where does he get the statement that his assistants recruited all these players? I still say he needs to contact Dean Keaner (sp) and see if he will come back and be an assistant. And then hire Mark Price for free throw coaching and Matt Harpring for hustle. I just know that with the economy the way it is, I can find a better way to spend my money next year unless something changes. I have been a season ticket holder many years, and I love GT basketball, but the frustration at home games is taking it’s toll. If DRAD hopes to sell tickets next year, he needs to take off the “seat charge” that GT added two or three years ago. With the costs of the tickets and the frustration, it’s just not worth it any more. And there are a lot of us out there, who feel the same way. I guess it will take DRAD seeing how ticket sales fall off next summer………
T3
March 17th, 2010
3:19 pm
Just one question for you Coach Hewitt:
Are you willing to remove the AUTOMATIC ROLLOVER feature on your current oontract,
and accept a different buyout arrangement feature of a new contract, with all of
the other features of your current contract still intact ??
No? Then, it really is about the money, isnt it ??
juvenal
March 17th, 2010
4:14 pm
cell-phone thing looks a lot like a Mark Schlabach article
old Tech fan in NC
March 17th, 2010
4:41 pm
Hewitt reminds me of some of the pro bass fishermen up here on Lake Norman. He dresses the part, has a good sponsor to pay the bills, occasionally catches a big fish, but does not spend enough time on the water practicing flipping, casting, etc to have a bag full at weigh-in time.
TS
March 17th, 2010
6:07 pm
It makes absolutely zero sense for Hewitt to equate contract criticisms with character issues. Personally, I have no problems whatsoever with his character, but I definitely have problems with his management of the GT program.
superDawg
March 17th, 2010
6:26 pm
Man UGA lawyers are good.
superDawg
March 17th, 2010
6:27 pm
or maybe tek is that stupid.
Stinger
March 17th, 2010
6:30 pm
How does that 6-5 score hurt superDawg? Your team looked pretty stupid last night. We walked this state.
superDawg
March 17th, 2010
6:37 pm
Not much stinger.
superDawg
March 17th, 2010
7:41 pm
stinger you look stupid every night.
gt4ever
March 17th, 2010
8:27 pm
Where can I get a contract like that????
chuck allison
March 19th, 2010
4:28 pm
What is it with Hewitt? Doesn’t he believe his star recruits when they tell him that they will leave after one year? Why does he act like it is misfortune when they do? He just needs to quit whining. He says that he is offended when people say the only reason he is staying is because of his contract. He could best convince us by just leaving. He only needs to give us 15 minutes notice when he wants to resign, so we can blow the whistle and ring the church bells all over Georgia.
Rich1911
March 20th, 2010
5:35 pm
Just finished the blog. Dozens of points could be made… I’ll make just one.
I want a coach who’s goal is to win every game, every tournament and be national champs every year. That’s the goal. I don’t want to hear about high academic standards, losing players, injuries or bad luck. I want a coach that is never satisfied regardless of how good the outcome.
Being a coach of character is the first requirement, but it is a minimum requirement. I take pride in the character of our coaches including Cremins, Gaily, Johnson and Hewitt. But it is expected. You don’t get bonus points for having high character. You simply don’t get hired if you don’t have it.
Everything starts with a winning attitude and a mindset to never accept anything less. IMO, this is the single most important characteristic of CPJ. I want to see that in CPH. And the thing is… it is a mental decision. Excuses are an indicator of those that have not made that mental decision.