Hewitt said unlikely but leaving the door open for St. John’s

Paul Hewitt said Tuesday afternoon he did not expect he’d be leaving Georgia Tech, but he’s not ruling out talking to St. John’s about its head coach opening.

“I would say it’s highly unlikely I’d go anywhere,” Hewitt said.

Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich has been contacted by St. John’s but Hewitt said he hadn’t been contacted directly by Red Storm athletic director Chris Monasch.

As for what he’ll say, if, and more likely when he is, Hewitt said: “I don’t know. I’ll make a decision from there.”

Hewitt grew up in New York but said when asked if those ties might sway him toward St. John’s, Hewitt said no and pointed out how happy he’s been in Atlanta.

“We’ve got firm roots here,” Hewitt said. “My wife is happy here. My parents moved down here two years ago. My younger brother is here. We’ve got a pretty solid foundation here.”

Hewitt received calls from recruits on Tuesday, when reports surfaced about St. John’s’ interest in him. When asked what he told them, Hewitt said: “I plan to be the coach at Georgia Tech.”

Hewitt has come under fire after Tech’s 2-14 ACC record a year ago, followed up by 7-9 this season. But the Yellow Jackets made the NCAA tournament five of his 10 seasons at Tech, including a run to the 2004 national championship game.

The Yellow Jackets used three wins in the ACC tournament to earn a trip back this year, won their first round game against Oklahoma State before falling in the second round Sunday to Ohio State.

“The NCAA tournament is a crap shoot,” said Hewitt, 177-144 at Tech, including 67-93 in the ACC. “Should we win more games in the regular season? Yes. But unless I’m missing something, the people I come in contact with like the kids we’re recruiting, like the way the kids represent the university and like how I represent the university.”

Hewitt said drawing outside interest is not new, that he’s “had calls every year for the last three or four,” but there’s been only one other job he’s considered seriously. He declined to say what school that was, only that it “was similar to Georgia Tech in its academic mission.”

When asked if he would take this St. John’s opening as seriously as that one, Hewitt said he was not comfortable commenting.