Neal, Price as package deal at Tech?
Craig Neal and Mark Price have interviewed for the men’s basketball coaching job at Georgia Tech.
Neal, a guard at Tech in the mid-1980s, has served as an assistant coach for the past seven seasons at Iowa and New Mexico. Neal hasn’t campaigned for the job, but he did express an interest. He told colleague Mark Bradley, “That’s my dream job. That’s my school.” Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports first reported Neal and Price’s interview.
Price, an All-American point guard at Tech in the mid-80s, expressed an interest last weekend, according to former Tech player Dennis Scott. Price, a Yellow Jackets legend, led the team to its first ACC championship and regular-season title as a junior in 1985. His jersey was retired by the school.
According to Goodman, if Neal were hired, he and Price would come as a package deal, with his former teammate as his associate head coach.
Georgia Tech is declining to comment on the search.
Reports yesterday had Tulsa’s Doug Wojcik also interviewing for the job as well. He denied the reports, saying he hadn’t been contacted. That doesn’t mean, of course, that his agent or attorney weren’t contacted.
After Paul Hewitt was let go almost two weeks ago, Cuonzo Martin’s name was floated as a possible replacement. Martin, the coach at Missouri State, is 61-40 with the Bears. With Mike Anderson’s decision to leave Missouri for Arkansas, I’ll be curious to see if Martin becomes the front-runner for the Tigers.
– Doug Roberson, AJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
144 comments Add your comment
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
4:03 pm
Techy466
No….those clamoring so strongly for Price continuous post all of his player credentials and then somehow conclude that would make him a great coach. Not one of the 6 former players you listed comes close to Price in stature as a player. Of course the vast majority of coaches were former players, but the vast majority of players who excelled at the highest level do not make great, or even good, head coaches. It’s a completely different mentality. As a great head coach you have to check the negative personality attributes that being excessively competitive brings out (like ego, arrogance, and snap judgements). As a great head coach you must be able to teach and show without actually doing. As a great coach, at the college level, you have to be humbly extroverted while most great athletes are obnoxiously extroverted. I could go on and on but the bottom line is ultra success as an athlete almost never leads to the same as a coach.
Now I’m not saying Mark Price couldn’t be a great head coach. I’m saying he should get some practice at being one before he steps into the ACC.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
gomabman2
Nice, but I was only listing great former players
Jupiter
March 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Waiting on Pearl’s lawyer/agent to finish reviewing the contract offer. We should know something by Monday.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
4:11 pm
Tech 466, there is a difference coaching in the NBA and college. First of all, rarely are coaches without playing experience. In the NBA, coaches basically manage talent, while implementing some sort of game plan. In college ball, recruiting expertise is of the utmost importance. This talent must fit into the coaches game style. After all, there are far more rules and regulations from the schools and the NCAA to take into consideration. Tech 4ever makes the correct point for those who understand the two entities. Shucks, these to Tech candidates arent even nowhere close to being household names in coaching, and they want to coach? Take a HC job at a lower level job first. Their emotions are getting the best of them and some of these fans! LOL
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
Tech4ever…thanks, just giving him the benefit of the doubt for his championship ring! LOL
Todd - Dacula
March 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
PLEASE!!! Stop with the ‘lack of head coaching experience. Many of you never worked as a garbage man, excpet when your mama or daddy made you take the trash out; and you always forgot to take teh can to the curb on garbage day. Now, look at you, a real garbage man!!!
Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson, Craig Neal and Marl Price; I say hire Neal as the HC, Price as an assistant with either dennis Scott or Kenny Anderson as an Assistant and Recruiter… I prefer Scott as the recruiter and hire Anderson as a Special Assistant to mentor the area of the game. That should work.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
4:52 pm
Todd, wishful thinking. No offense, but bad analogy. Major programs need experienced coaches. Meaning, you must have shown the ability to lead and recruit effectively. Even Sidney Lowe, has felt the brunt of having been a heralded player at his alma mater, but failed. This conversation is also lacking experience.
Todd - Dacula
March 24th, 2011
4:54 pm
gomabman2,
What sport did you play and at what level?
Jo Bling
March 24th, 2011
4:59 pm
Come on people. Don’t you know a PR move when you see one? There is a certain segment of the alumni base clamoring for Price and/or Neal, including, I’m sure, a few heavy hitters. So DRad gave Noodles and Mark a call and said, “Here’s how it’s going to work. You guys don’t have a shot at this job, but since you are great supporters of GT, I’m sure you will agree with this strategy. I will invite you in and you are going to sit for this interview, then we’ll leak it to the press – same source who got the Hewitt firing, BTW – and it will energize the fan base. When we hire Mooney, all the alumni and fans will know we gave you both a good look, and who can argue with that? And then both of you can add ‘GT head coach interview’ to your resumes. Deal?” Trust me. That’s what this is all about. Anyone who thinks we’re hiring either one of these guys as head coach is insane.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:00 pm
Even at the D2 level, the search for a coach is scrutinized. This is nothing new or even requiring so much input. It actually has all of the looks of desperation on the part of fans and the administration if all can be considered is a couple of mediocre basketball alum. Really?
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:03 pm
Jo Bling…you are so right. If DRad is going to go as far as hiring a consultant, surely he wouldnt waste the schools money on a successor that would be Neal, Price, Salley, or Buzz for that matter. LOL…come on!
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2011
5:03 pm
Tech Forever,
You posted superstar athletes who were terrible HCs. If you really wanted to have some fun you could have posted superstar basketball players who have been terrible GMs
Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, Elgin Baylor – 4 guys on the list of top 50 NBA players of all time.
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2011
5:05 pm
Great basketball players as great coaches?
There are only 2 people who are in the HOF as both player and coach – Lenny Wilkins and some guy named Wooden.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:12 pm
Paul, that is true, but Lenny’s fame came in the pros, and Wooden, an extraordinary man, was one of a kind. No one can compare to Wooden.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
5:12 pm
Todd – Dacula
If you’re going to make an analogy between the HC position and a position at a garbage company then I really think the owner of the garbage company would be a better one. I doubt very seriously there are any owners of garbage companies who don’t know exactly how to do the collectors jobs however there are probably 1000s of collectors that would have no clue as to how to do the owners job.
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2011
5:13 pm
gomabman2
My point, exactly!
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
5:13 pm
Paul in RDU
You know it. Which is also a great illustration fo why they generally make horrible businessmen after their playing days as well.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:15 pm
Ummm…Todd, I played basketball, tennis, baseball, and football in high school with letters. After high school, I played tennis and football.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
5:17 pm
gomabman2
Well then apparently you’re qualified to be the next HC at Georgia Tech!!!! Congratulations man!!!
WJ
March 24th, 2011
5:24 pm
Doug you need more facts in story instead of question marks after BS.
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2011
5:24 pm
Tech Forever,
Jordan is an especially egregious example of someone who has made terrible mistakes off the court. Kwame Brown at #1? Adam Morrison at #3?
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:29 pm
Thanks Tech4ever…lol…I cant accept though. It would not be fair to the fans and alumni. I need to have some solid coaching and recruiting experience. I recommend Stevens, Grant, or even Rod Strickland for that matter. Next time. LOL
QB/DB
March 24th, 2011
5:33 pm
Would be a great fit for Kennesaw State and one of these guys. They could win at KSU and then move on to a high major. That job is just sitting there, it has high potential for the right guy!
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
5:41 pm
Exactly QB/DB. I would hate for these guys to end up at GT and then realize how hot the seat really is. Everything sounds good on the ESPN, and in the papers. But these HC jobs are no joke when you are expected to win, and win immediately. Win on the court and in and around your recruiting base. Not a task for a couple of rooks or ex players who are loved (for the moment) by the GT faithful.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
6:13 pm
O.k. a friend just asked me what my true expectations are regarding Georgia Tech basketball. i’ve thought about it and here it is.
Other than my expectation for the team to be significantly better in March than it was in November (those of you who have read my stuff for long enough know that is my ONLY expectation for the football program….seriously), my only other expectation is for this team to make the NCAA Tournament each and every season. I don’t care how it’s done, but to me I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a coach to get this program into the top 37 every single season. And if the tourney expands again next year to 72 teams as has been alluded to I REALLY REALLY expect it.
Having said that, I don’t care who our next coach is and I trust Drad. But if we don’t make the tourney next year then I’m not sure how long it will take for me to be a believer in him.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
6:19 pm
At 13-18 Tech ranked 39th in defensive efficiency. If we can find a coach who can maintain that (and that’s not a super great ranking) and match it on the offensive end we’d be ranked between Belmont and UNC in this year’s rankings.
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2011
6:22 pm
Tech Forever,
My expectations are a little different than yours. As far as measurables are concerned, I expect GT to average 0.500 in the ACC over a 5 year period, make an occasional run towards the top of the conference (in either the regular season or the tourney), make the NCAA 60% of the time and the post season (NCAA + NIT) 85% of the time. GT should be thought of with MD as top of the 2nd tier in the ACC – after the boys in blue in the Triangle
OldSchoolTechFanatic
March 24th, 2011
7:06 pm
I would like to see Mark Price as coach and think he is the man for the job. But if noodles got the job I would not be disipointed. I don’t think WE could ever be as bad as WE were the last 11 years. I want to see some team ball and free throws made. No more street ball at GT please !!!
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
7:17 pm
Streetball?
OldSchoolTechFanatic
March 24th, 2011
7:20 pm
Yes Hewits teams.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
7:31 pm
Actually, Hewitt has a pretty decent X and O game. And no one said anything when he went to the national championship game. Anyway, the problem is not how they play. Hewitt just ran his course at Tech without making serious adjustments. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, many teams in the NCAA tourney play a similar game to Tech.
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
8:49 pm
Paul in RDU
Just keep in mind that if a program averages .500 in conference play over a 5 year period and only makes the NCAA Tournament 65% of the time you’re really looking at a very inconsistent program with a lot of ups and downs…..roller coaster ride. Consider this, at 9-7 there is no guarantee Tech would make the tourney without winning the ACC tourney (even 10-6). so you’re looking at 5 year swings of 6-10 to 10-6 at worst. That’s not good. Remember college basketball is as much about perception as results when it comes to making The Dance (see Michigan State this year). Coming out of what we’ve been and into that scenario I’m afraid would doom us to middle of the pack or worse in the ACC and hoping for NIT berths.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
9:20 pm
Very true 4ever…shucks…Alabama was 12 – 4 in the SEC, and 22-11 overall. Didnt even draw a nod for the NCAA.
brent cunningham
March 24th, 2011
9:55 pm
mark price is a class act, and would be a great mentor and teacher, and coach. He has lived and breathed bb all his life. He would make a great presence at a kids home. If a kid has any ability, his stock in the nba would sky rocket under price teaching. I have been preaching mp all year. price and noodles great hire
brent cunningham
March 24th, 2011
10:07 pm
Enter your comments here
Tech Forever
March 24th, 2011
10:15 pm
brent cunningham
Based on what we know of Price as a coach his teams would be good shooters and make their free throws. Beyond that there’s no way to tell because there’s no historical evidence. But I appreciate your opinions of the kind of coach he might be.
gomabman2
March 24th, 2011
10:21 pm
To add to that…how many athletes credit their game or livelihood to that of Mark Price or Neal?
Tech Fan
March 24th, 2011
10:49 pm
Good lord Doug, this is regurgitated information that isn’t even confirmed…why are you constently spitting this stuff out. You are supposed to have some what of an inside track on this…..what did you just now decide to buy the wonderful “espn insider” subscription?
Tech Fan
March 24th, 2011
10:58 pm
The fact remains that mooney was 1st choice when we all, including DRAD, thought that Hewitt was going to St Johns…So, while that was going on, Drad, doing what a AD should, started his search and contacted some HC’s. No one knows who he’s going to hire because we don’t what he concluded with last year before Hewitt decided to come back. The only thing we know is that Mooney was his target.
Tech Fan
March 24th, 2011
11:01 pm
Even DRAD said in his newletter today, that he is looking for someone with a track record of success, is that Neal or Price, I think not.
reebok
March 24th, 2011
11:15 pm
reality check, jacket fans. neither of these guys has been a head coach. no way.
FullMetalJacket
March 25th, 2011
1:02 am
Who was DRAD interviewing today?
GT
March 25th, 2011
8:00 am
If you can’t fire Hewitt until he is a shipwreck how you going to fire Price or anybody that has ever been associated with Tech. We almost hired Curry as an athletic director which still gives me the shivers. On Price I will say one thing, I think he or Wesleyan may have single handily brought basketball to single A high school, which is not a bad thing. The kids actually get a one on one education and have the Christian ethic presented to them. Trey Thompkins is every coach’s dream as a person first and a player second though he is superb at both. Watch Brandon Reed on the Tech team next year. One of the greatest freshman year’s ever in the Sun Conference and begged his way on the Tech team as a transfer with very little fanfare from Hewitt or this paper. Tanner Smith had to settle for Clemson when no offer came from Tech. These kind of high character players would and will play for a guy like Price. He will know they exist though some gym rat street dealer has not promoted them. He has actually shown an interest in these kids long before anyone mentioned him as a college coach. Price, like Fox may bring a better smell to college basketball, win or lose that is not a bad thing.
Tech's search: Craig Neal, Doug Wojcik and D-Rad's timetable | Mark Bradley
March 25th, 2011
10:42 am
[...] said, I’m beginning to think there could be a way for Craig Neal — who was interviewed Wednesday and whose candidacy I advocated – to become the next Tech coach. I’m not sure Noodles [...]