Tech’s Hewitt says no to St. John’s — updated at 2:39 p.m.
Paul Hewitt has withdrawn from consideration to be St. John’s next basketball coach.
Hewitt is out of town on a recruiting trip and has not returned a message left on his cell phone at 10:33 a.m.
“My family and I have developed deep ties to Georgia Tech and the city of Atlanta,” Hewitt said in a statement released by Georgia Tech. “I strongly believe in what Georgia Tech can do for young people, and I am committed to returning the Tech basketball program to the level of success our fans have come to expect. We took a step in that direction this past season, and I fully intend to continue on that path.”
He is scheduled to meet with the media at 9:30 p.m. tonight.
“I think what has transpired over the last few days speaks volumes about Paul Hewitt and about Georgia Tech,” Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich said in a statement. “Paul’s credentials as a human being, a family man, a leader and a builder of character are impeccable. All of us at Georgia Tech are committed to assist him in providing an outstanding men’s basketball program.”
Hewitt is from the New York City area and is known as an outstanding recruiter. The Red Storm hoped that he could tap into the high school talent in the five boroughs that St. John’s in recent years hasn’t been able to keep from leaving to programs such as Connecticut and Cincinnati.
However, Hewitt has repeatedly said that he and his family are happy in Atlanta and that he was not looking to leave. His parents and younger brother recently moved to Atlanta. In addition, Tech opened a new practice facility last year, and is reviewing plans for a renovation of Alexander Memorial Coliseum that will cost at least $45 million.
“I would say it’s highly unlikely I’d go anywhere,” Hewitt said Tuesday afternoon.
He has been criticized by fans and boosters for not being able to lead Tech to better than a seventh-place finish in the ACC this season, despite having two potential NBA lottery picks on the roster in Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors. The Jackets advanced to the finals of the ACC tournament before being eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Ohio State. The finished the year 23-13, 7-9 in the ACC.
Hewitt is 177-144 at Tech, including 67-93 in the ACC in 10 seasons as the Jackets’ coach. He has led the Jackets to the NCAA tournament five times.
The Red Storm fired coach Norm Roberts last week after six seasons. They reportedly offered the job to Florida’s Billy Donovan last week, but were rebuffed.
—
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371 comments Add your comment
ArkyTech
March 25th, 2010
11:57 am
Well, I guess all of our basketball “bad luck” is ending.
Alan
March 25th, 2010
12:00 pm
TomB you are so right! I am very scared! I mean look at the MOST RECENT results for football and basketball, UGA/Tech. UGA football is on the way up, again, and you nerds are on the way down, again. Same goes with basketball. I think we know who is really scared here.
treydawg
March 25th, 2010
12:02 pm
Please don’t leave Tech. You are exactly what Georgia Tech deserves!!!!!!!!!
Tech in
March 25th, 2010
12:02 pm
The guy couldnt even coach his players to inbound the basketball or shoot free throws….how will he ever convince his wife to move???
Paul H
March 25th, 2010
12:02 pm
That is why i am leaving for the NYC When was the last time you went to Finals before i got there. I should’ve beat duke but the refs helped out to much this so now im going to NYC AND im taking shumpert with me bye bye nerds in the flat
hey davedawg
March 25th, 2010
12:04 pm
you may be right but didnt we beat your preseason no 1 football team at YOUR place after overcoming a 28 point deficit?
tell me when ugag has ever beat a gt team at our place that was preseason no 1. how about NEVER. i would say that is beyond pathetic wouldnt you?
more reasons why the dogs are pathetic….
- they cheat lie and steal
- they are on probation more often than not
- their graduation rates in all sports are less than gt’s
- they have a top 5 recruiting class EVERY year yet they underachieve every year
- university of florida
- they average around 10 + student athlete arrests each and every year
- they had to GIVE the answers to the pharmacy test to their grads so they could pass
- the jim harrick jr basketball final is legendary
- their fans routinely urinate in their library unfortunately not in the urinals or toilets
- their fans leave hundreds of tons of trash each year on their campus after games
- a recent nbc broadcast crew said that the fan behavior at ugag was the worst they had experienced in 50 years of doing broadcasts
- dozens of fans are arrested after ever game
- their baseball team turned the sprinklers on the gt baseball team after a loss at their place. counterpoint…. the gt team was helped to raise money for a uga player who was paralyzed.
- they had a coach an former ad named vince dooley
they lick their own nads
Madison
March 25th, 2010
12:04 pm
I bet Alan couldn’t find Athens with a map but has a big bulldog on his red pickup..
mediocre
March 25th, 2010
12:04 pm
Been a quasi-GT fan in bball since Mark Price. This is an AVERAGE ACC program at best. 2 winning ACC seasons in the last 20 years. Do the math. They need a Bruce Pearl type to come in and energize this fan base. Hewitt needs to go but it isn’t Hewitt’s fault this program is average. It was average before he got here.
TomB
March 25th, 2010
12:04 pm
What parallel universe are you living in Alan? UGA football heading up?…Right !!! And, you know you’re not suppose to call your employer a nerd now especially in these tough times.
wesleywhatwhat
March 25th, 2010
12:04 pm
good luck in NYC, coach hewitt.
now, who is on the short list being considered for the soon-to-be-open coaching job here at tech??
JW
March 25th, 2010
12:05 pm
Jacket Fans ignore Alan
He is sweaty rude…an ignorant, manure shoveling, mayonnaise sandwich eating, having $ex with his little sister, pitch fork carrying, cob pipe smoking, hog slopping, toothless, rube
he is beneath you in every shape form and facet of life – complete waste of skin
Chris
March 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
Do you think it is possible that we could lure Steve Donahue away from Cornell? He looks to be a great coach and has a lot of experience with recruiting.
hey davedawg
March 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
look up uga in wikipedia an it says….
having no or low class
Madison
March 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
JW, Please go easy on Alan I don’t want my garbage pickup to be late.
The Buzz on my Jackets
March 25th, 2010
12:07 pm
This is going to be a set back for the program. I know everyone is jumping for joy, but it is never good for a program when a coach quits on them. Further, it will mean most of our players will leave early for the NBA, and we will be left with a depleted squad next year. It is always a fan’s perspective that their program is one of the best jobs in the nation, but the truth is, our coaching position is not even the tops in our conference – more like the middle of the pack. We are not a top 20 program. We struggled to break in to it with a great team this year, and this move by CPH means we are going to struggle for the next few years. I, for one, am realistic about this.
GT Rich
March 25th, 2010
12:08 pm
No way Iman is ready to go. If the NBA drafted for defense, Ismail Muhammad wouldn’t be stuck in europe right now. Hewitt is a nice guy but one winning conf record in ten years is not pretty. Add to that routinely losing to UGA. After losing to Georgia this year, his reaction was that conference games are more important. Well….7 and 9 in the conference says it all.
Sean
March 25th, 2010
12:08 pm
Funny how foolish tech fans want to get rid of this coach who by the way took your sorry ass school to the championship game when no other coach have done that for your sorry school. Now he will go to a school that has a LOYAL FAN BASE and wont criticize EVERY MOVE this man makes. Its no wonder Bobby Cremins left your sorry school for the College of Charlston. Now Paul Hewitt will go to a school and WIN BABY WIN while tech CONTINUES to dwell in mediocrity at best. No wonder the GOOD PLAYERS dont go to tech. LOSERS.
Sands
March 25th, 2010
12:10 pm
Sands says he can’t do much worst than Norm Roberts they competed throughout the first half of games only to surrender the lead in the 2nd half
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
Paul H …. you can take Chump -ert too. No problem here, I will help pack his bags too
Haile Selassie I
March 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
If you people think Tech was so bad with Hewitt coaching wait until the next coach wins zero games in the ACC and is unable to recruit talent to compete in the ACC.
LOL!
Veteran Husband
March 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
NY Post: “He just needs to get his wife completely on board.”
Hewitt: “I would say it’s highly unlikely I’d go anywhere.”
After 35 years of marriage, I understand completely.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
12:12 pm
The Buzz on my Jackets …. Hewitt is quitting??? My friend you have this completely wrong, he is being run out of town
HCCynic
March 25th, 2010
12:13 pm
JW, can you give me another clue about Alan?
Based on the description posted above, you described the average fan (male and female) of UGAg, Auburn, and Clemson.
Mark R
March 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
Alan
Go clean up the trash on your campus.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
Sean — “Its no wonder Bobby Cremins left your sorry school for the College of Charlston”
Thanks for adding that quote, it proves your ignorance on the issue.
TomB
March 25th, 2010
12:17 pm
Sean : Get your facts straight. Cremins resigned from Tech and worked several years was as a TV analyst before coming out of retirement to take the Charleston job. Outside of that championship game you talk so much about, what else has Hewitt done at Tech. OH, I’ll be glad to tell you. He has never won an ACC championship in his ten years at Tech; the highest he ever finished was third and that was only one time. Hewitt’s only won 42% of his ACC games. Since the 2005 season, he’s only won 38% of his ACC games. And outside of the championship game you like to talk about, he’s never even reached a sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament. Hewitt is the definition of mediocrity.
Jim Harrick
March 25th, 2010
12:18 pm
Tubby Smith to Ga Tech…
UGAissoyesterdaysnews
March 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
Why do they never list his record for ACC road games? Does anyone know what it is? I think it must be unbelievably awful!!! Buh-Bye Paul!!!!
Duke Yellowjacket
March 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
Let us Tech fans all hope that Mrs. Hewitt doesn’t “pull a Carolyn Cremins”!
THWG!
GA Tech Fan
March 25th, 2010
12:21 pm
Hewitt haters – be very careful; the grass is not always greener. Sure, perhaps Paul did not get all we wanted out of the the talent that he brought here – but he did get the talent here and the action was very exciting if not frustrating at times. It’s not certain that the talent will still come here. True students of the game already know this. I’m wishing Coach Hewitt and Tech well next year — they’ll both need it.
Stan
March 25th, 2010
12:22 pm
Just heard some inside information….Hewitt is definately gone….Tech talks to Steve Alford
Honky Talkin'
March 25th, 2010
12:22 pm
Thanks JW. Alan seems like a web-footed, inbred, white trash redneck. AKA: “typical Bulldog fan”.
BIG BEE
March 25th, 2010
12:22 pm
Yeah, alan(all small case, ’cause it fits). We know who is scared, you little man. You try to show your manhood by spouting off your maouth. Such a DUMBO.
tk disco
March 25th, 2010
12:23 pm
ST. JOHNS needs Paul Hewitt. WELCOME HOME!!! GT, you BLEWITT!!!
savannahdawg
March 25th, 2010
12:23 pm
Hey Nick…………….our pathetic UGA program took care of you this year….remember??????? In fact……..UGA has gone undefeated against Tech this year in all sports except for the first baseball game. Who is pathetic????
Bunchahomers
March 25th, 2010
12:23 pm
Paul H………. AND im taking shumpert with me bye bye nerds in the flat
Shumpert would not transfer b/c he would have to sit out a year.
People stop acting like a bunch of homers and ask yourself a question… If both UGA and GT were in search of a basketball coach. Which Job is more attractive? Answer GT! That is your answer to who has the better Basketball Program! Same question in Football. If both UF and UGA had a coaching vacancy which school is more attractive? Answer UF. UGA vs. GT answer UGA.
TomB
March 25th, 2010
12:24 pm
UGAissoyesterdaysnews: I’m glad you asked. Hewitt has won six road games in the last five years. Yes, you read that right.
BIG BEE
March 25th, 2010
12:24 pm
alan(small case again) maed a typo, I know how to spell MOUTH, and you are one.
dw
March 25th, 2010
12:28 pm
I have never seen a major college team so discombobulated by a full court press since John Wooden invented the thing 50 years ago. I stared at the TV in amazement in the ACC tournament game against MD when GT embarassed themselves so badly. Does anybody coach at GT?
Sadly, it was not a one-time deal. Ever since Hewitt came on board, GT has been totally disorganized on the court. It’s like they have no plan at all.
But the essential problem is Hewitt in incapable of building a program. Sure he pulls an upset here and there. Who couldn’t with all that talent? But, the talent is, unfortunately, all one and dones. No great high school player is going to go to GT and stay four years all the while taking courses in Chemical Engineering. But they will all come for one year to play in the ACC, getting a lot of airtime, and then moving on to the NBA.
What a mess.
TomB
March 25th, 2010
12:34 pm
GA Tech Fan: What is all this crap about Hewitt haters? So, if you state the facts about Hewitt’s record then you are a hater. I don’t personally dislike the man. I think he’s been a fine representative of the school, but you do have to perform up to the standards that you expect for your program. And, no one ever said the grass is always greener, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to improve when you haven’t met expectations. Or, are you like Dave Braine who thought the football team would never win more than nine games a year consistently? I prefer my AD have higher expectations.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
12:36 pm
Someone ask what ol Blewey’s road record is in the ACC …… it is a staggering 19-60 .240 winning percentage ….. great job Paul
Buzz
March 25th, 2010
12:37 pm
Hewitt with lots of talent 9&7,8&8,8&8 and 7&9 in ACC!!! Hewitt without talent 2&14,3&13,5&11… He can’t coach with or without talent! Tech fans don’t celebrate to quickly, he still might not leave the GOLDEN CONTRACT he has here on the flats!!! AND HIS WIFE KNOWS IT!!!! SHE EVEN REALIZES HE CAN’T COACH!!! LOL
IL Jacket
March 25th, 2010
12:37 pm
Coach Hewitt, I hope you will continue to guide the Jackets for several more years. You are a credit to the Institute as is the character of the players you have recruited to Tech. It has been a real pleasure watching your teams over the years. Thank you especially for the magical ride in 2004. I know you have to do what you feel is best for you and your family, but this Tech fan will greatly miss you. Hopefully these reports are wrong, but whatever the outcome, all the best for future success and may God bless you and your family.
Sean
March 25th, 2010
12:39 pm
TOM B and Coach Blewitt, how many ACC championships has GT won in the last 25 years. Yall act as if tech was winning games ACC champion ship games on a regular basis before coach Hewitt arrived. You were getting your asses kicked before he arrived. Cremins last few years were HORRIBLE. Hell, you’d have to go back to the 80’s to talk about a tech program that WAS able to compete with the likes of DUKE, NORTH CAROLINA, N.C. STATE, WAKE FOREST, and MARYLAND. So, you all get youre damn facts straight. LOSERS!
Paul H
March 25th, 2010
12:42 pm
F GT They dont want me then go find bobby cremins and hire him back loser from tech by the way i payed favors so look for ncaa in a couple of months i am about to pull a j. calipari
BuzzGT
March 25th, 2010
12:43 pm
It is hard to walk away from $7 million dollars. And if he doesn’t leave, he will probably get it after next year. I hope for his sake and his families that he goes to St. Johns. My father was a basketball coach and it really eats away at coaches when they put their heart and soul into a job and in return they get blasted by fans and the media. It is even harder on the family. Of course, 1.3 million every year makes it a little easier to take.
Stinger
March 25th, 2010
12:44 pm
Yahoo
Sean
March 25th, 2010
12:45 pm
for all you boneheads that keep talking about the talent on coach Hewitts teams, then name some player from those teams that turned out to be productive in the ACC, NCAA, or Professional Ball. You cant because they dont exist. its all good to love your team, but be fair in you judgements. and for all of you who keep saying Hewiit hasn’t done nothing in 10 years, tell me what was Bobby Cremins record over his last 10 years at tech. I’ll tell you, A LOSIN RECORD! LOSERS!
QuickDrawCrittenton
March 25th, 2010
12:45 pm
C’mon man, pull the trigger and get this deal done.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
Sean …. Cremins won the ACC Championship 3 times … Hewitt??? Squat ….. And to add to that when Cremins started at GT the program was worse then UGAy’s so it makes his stats doubly impressive