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Paul Hewitt has withdrawn from consideration to be St. John’s next basketball coach.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
RambleOn84
March 25th, 2010
2:49 pm
Stiglitz,
Two words: money and spite.
Kadosh
March 25th, 2010
2:51 pm
My Housing Degree from the the junior college down in Athens versus your underwater basket weaving degree doesn’t change the fact that you still can’t name another coach that can come into GT and do a better job than Hewitt.
Bunchahomers
March 25th, 2010
2:53 pm
Kadosh….. Christian Lattner played 13 seasons in the league thats a pretty good carrer bad example but your point is good.
Most fans problem with CPH is not the talent. That is one of the best parts of CPH. As of 2008 ( sorry could not find this years numbers) only Duke with 14 and NC with 11 had more players in the NBA than did Tech with 9. Closest school was UMary w/ 5 and Wake w/ 4. The problem is they have not performed up to the talent level. Top 3 in talent but way behind in coaching!!!
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 25th, 2010
2:53 pm
Mark, will you be at the press conference tonight?
If so, could you ask him if 1.3 million deserves better than last place in the ACC since league expansion?
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
2:54 pm
Kadosh … ANYONE, outside of Jim Harrick, could do a better job.. there is your answer
Tom
March 25th, 2010
2:57 pm
Oh well, in another 5 or 6 years he might know how to teach his players to inbound the ball.
BrokeBackJacket
March 25th, 2010
2:59 pm
Well…guess we wont see GTInsider again….at least until the janitor at gt ad give him some more “inside info”…like Stripling signing with techies!
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 25th, 2010
3:00 pm
Tom, I doubt that.
They will still be shooting 55% from the f/t line in 5 or 6 years too.
Kadosh
March 25th, 2010
3:01 pm
RIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHHHTTTTTTT!!!!!!There you go dreaming again, stop limiting your thinking and using your brain….You know you want Hewitt coaching the team again.
Britt
March 25th, 2010
3:02 pm
Good Coach Great Man We are Fortunate to have him
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:02 pm
Tom ….. you need to lie down you are obviously delirious with all the disappointment
aztecs
March 25th, 2010
3:03 pm
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
aztecs
March 25th, 2010
3:05 pm
I SURE HOPE HE GO’S OUT AND HIRES SOME GOOD ASSISTANTS, HE CAN START BY GOING AFTER NOODLES(CRAIG NEAL), IM SURE HE WOULD LEAVE NEW MEXICO TOO COME BACK TO TECH
gdub
March 25th, 2010
3:06 pm
Hey Coach, WHY are you out of town on a recruiting trip, you should be in the metro area locking up all the D-1 talent in the area. Please stop letting all this talent in the ATL get away.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:07 pm
Being an assistant for Hewitt is signing your career aspirations away
Bunchahomers
March 25th, 2010
3:08 pm
Dont be a fool. With the talent Tech has always brought in there is many coaches that could win here.
Too Easy
March 25th, 2010
3:12 pm
Where is gtInsider? Not seen since reminding us that he confirmed ‘2 hours ago’ this morning that Hewitt was leaving. His credibility has now been confirmed.
Joe
March 25th, 2010
3:17 pm
The reason why he decided to stay in Atlanta and at Georgia Tech is because he thought about the cost of living in New York compared to Atlanta.
Tech Forever
March 25th, 2010
3:19 pm
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Just Damn!!!!
I hope Radakovich now realizes it is HE who is now out on the limb.
Cremins - Do you Miss Me Yet
March 25th, 2010
3:21 pm
Is Hewitt going to live in Atlanta after he gets fired? Everyone would have won if he had a spine enough to tell his wife he’s going to St. John. Now everyone loses, GT, St. Johns, D.RAD, everyone.
I won’t be spending a dime on the Basketball program now!
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:21 pm
This is not DRAD’s fault …. he did everything but pack all of Blewey’s belongings and drive him to Hartsfield
Tech Forever
March 25th, 2010
3:21 pm
New predictions.
Next season in Tech’s opener….regardless of who Tech plays:
- The game will be within 10 points at the half as GT plays down to their competition….again.
- Tech will shoot 69% or worse from the FT line in the game
- Tech will have at least 15 turnovers with at least 5 occuring in the 1st 3 minutes of the 2nd half
- Tech will have no timeouts remaining with 2 minutes left in the game.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:23 pm
Mrs. Hewitt — can you please at least demand your husband learn how to teach people fundamentals??? Stop assuming the Hewitt position??? and stop crying like a little kid, when he gets denied candy, after someone makes any kind of statement about him that he perceives as being negative???? Thanks
aman
March 25th, 2010
3:24 pm
Since Hewitt is staying he needs to fire his assistant coaches, recuit players that know how to play team basketball and spend some time teaching the fundamentals. We need players that’s going to make a commit to Tech and no more ONE and DONE players. Mr. Blanks can we borrow $7.1m?
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:24 pm
Another positive is I will be double what I used to on GT road ACC games next year ….. I can see the bills now
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:25 pm
*bet
Tech Forever
March 25th, 2010
3:25 pm
NoCoach Blewitt,
My point is that DRad now has to realzie he’s hitched Tech’s train to this coach for at least one more season with a wreck down the line that HE KNOWS is coming. He’s out on the limb and if he doesn’t pull the trigger next year people will start to turn on HIM and the limb’s gonna break. I don’t blame him for this not one bit but pull the trigger this year or pull the trigger next year….doesn’t matter. It’s going to be financially brutal for Tech no matter when it happens.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:27 pm
He will …. the only thing that happened here is Paul Hewitt signed his career death certificate today ….. We we not going to be very good next year anyway so wait it out and we will have a new coach and we can all laugh at the downfall of Mr. Ego
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:28 pm
were — ohhhhhhhh the disappointment is effecting my spelling
DBH
March 25th, 2010
3:37 pm
YESSSSS!!!! Glad you’re staying, Coach Hewitt. GO, JACKETS!!!
Upstate Dawg
March 25th, 2010
3:40 pm
I usually don’t post on other team’s blogs but as a UGA grad, I am delighted to see Mr Hewitt stick around. Go Dawgs!
jojo sunshine
March 25th, 2010
3:42 pm
I like Paul Hewitt. I think this is a mistake on his part. He is not an ACC coach. He would have flourished in the Big East. They play his style of basketball. I am upset that he did not take the opportunity and I hate that GT will miss out on the BRAD STEVENS SWEEPSTAKES at the end of this NCAA tourney. BRAD STEVENS IS THE BEST YOUNG COACH IN AMERICA, AND WE ARE GOING TO MISS OUT ON HIM. AIN’T THAT A SHAME!
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
3:44 pm
Jojo … I agree about Brad Stevens, but he has been a great coach for years now and still no one has made him an offer he could not refuse … Lets hope he holds out one more year
Three Nos do not make it right for tech
March 25th, 2010
3:44 pm
Three BIG NO s at tech from CPH:
1.) No thanks to St Johns.
2.) No thanks to winning ACC
3.) No thanks to ever defeating UGA in Athens.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAHAHA
Stuck with this clown because of that contract you morons signed with him. AAAAHHAHAHA
Three Nos do not make it right for Navy pilots
March 25th, 2010
3:49 pm
A series of answers to questions posed recently by two DEMOTED Navy Aviators:
1.) Can we ever?? have our wings back? NOPE, YOU DOPES
2.) Will we ever leave the Navy fuel depot job in Yemen? Nope, but you may hope.
3.) Tech grads ARE STILL proud of us, aren’t they ? Nope and they have named you both DUMB and DUMBER
B Devil
March 25th, 2010
3:49 pm
Good one, GEORGIA TECH: “GEORGIA TECH March 25th, 2010 @ 11:42 am Hewitt to ST. JOHNS….. i have the inside info. It’s a done deal.”
Good for you, Paul. Now go recruit an offensive coach as an assistant, continue to get the recruits, and you’ll have done what Bobby Cremins did and is revered for.
wesleywhatwhat
March 25th, 2010
3:53 pm
“coach hewitt turning down the st johns offer to stay at georgia tech?”
one of the lines that was cut from this “bad idea jeans” commercial.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/10310/saturday-night-live-bad-idea-jeans
old tech fan
March 25th, 2010
3:54 pm
Hewitt staying—in one word–crap.
CPH portends things to come for GT football
March 25th, 2010
3:54 pm
CPH is a sign of things to come at The Flats and the middle school ball team.
CPJ will soon be in his 4th year and we all know that Tech football coaches get fired, resign or leave town in the wee hours of the morning at 4.5 years of tenure. Paul is in his 3rd and the clock is ticking. Nothing to show of it so far. The Urange? Slaughtered by Iowa, so that does not count at all. You beat no one so far, including UGA in 08.
All of the no name CPJ recruits will be just more of the same. Chan’s boys are all gone by by.
Hewitt? You morons are STUCK with that loser.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
I Hate UGAY
March 25th, 2010
3:55 pm
I am glad the State of Georgia is have such terrible financial problems, maybe now they will get rid of that extended high school for suburban losers, the one known as UGAY, with an ugly mutt as a mascot. Close uga now, and forever.
BigBlueTiger
March 25th, 2010
3:56 pm
Good move coach.
Tech Alum
March 25th, 2010
4:01 pm
What a joke! We have to deal with this classless, bitter pathetic excuse for another year? DRad what in the world? Could you not make the deal sweeter? And Coach (and I use that term loosly) do you not know that the fan base thinks you are horrible? What a joke!!
BigBrother
March 25th, 2010
4:02 pm
Little Brother,just pay the man and shut up. oh yeah 30-24 all year
B-ball123
March 25th, 2010
4:05 pm
I really wish everyone would stop making such a big deal about the contract. Bradley, you have beat the contract thing to DEATH–enough.
tony
March 25th, 2010
4:07 pm
It’s funny that Bobby Cremin’s name if being brought up now. When he was here, everybody kept saying that he was a great recruiter, but a terrible coach. Now Cremins was a genius? Listen to all of the Tech fans, and i am a Tech fan, the man and his family don’t want to leave. Life is a whole lot more serious than just winning more basketball games. We all want to win the ACC and do better in the tournament, but we have to support what and who is here until there not here anymore. We have people losing their jobs and homes and we want to run someone out of dodge because we didn’t go further in the Big Dance. C’mon Spring Football!
Derwood
March 25th, 2010
4:12 pm
All I cna say is thank you. As Long as Ga Tech has Hewitt coaching, FSU isn’t teh worst basketball team in ACC
come on
March 25th, 2010
4:21 pm
just so these redneck dawgs will shut up about there sub .500 basketball team i will let you know the overall gt uga bball record GT 101 – UGA 85. tech has 7 sweet 16, 4 Elite Eight, 2 final four and one championship game. uga has 2 sweet 16, and one final four. so the record shows who owns who in basketball
CYBERJACKET
March 25th, 2010
4:23 pm
Maybe St. John’s told him that they expected him to actually win more games than he losses in the Big East?
And, I doubt that they would be dumb enough to garrantee him 6 years.
Finally, DRad probably wanted the payback because, after all, a contract is a contract.
All in all, I hope Hewitt has learned that he is expected to produce results.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 25th, 2010
4:24 pm
tony ….. please adhere to Blewey’s success rate at your job and see what happens to you … thanks
Jimmy
March 25th, 2010
4:30 pm
THIS is what happens when you let liberals run your country. First they start taking individual rights away from the people(see Healthcare). Then they give rights to those who don’t deserve it(women’s lib). Because of Hewitt’s wife we have to continue to put up w/ this crap?!
I think when I get home i’m going to slap my wife!