This wasn’t the season for miracles
At one end of the court, they guarded the right guy at the wrong time. At the other end, a freshman guard and not the senior who got them here took the final shot, only to see the ball bounce off the rim.
Iman Shumpert's last-second shot didn't fall -- and that's the story of Georgia Tech's season. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin.)
Maybe you believed (or hoped) that the unpredictable nature of college basketball in March and the most unlikely results of all – Georgia’s tornado-aided run last year in the SEC – set up nicely for another late-season miracle, this time by Georgia Tech.
But not this season. Not this team. Some teams in some seasons aren’t just meant to take their fans on emotional roller coasters. Some, like this year’s Yellow Jackets, just are meant to fall short early and use that as a template for the entire year.
“Every once in a while you’d like to see a pass get tipped or something,” Tech coach Paul Hewitt said Friday. “You’d like to see somebody on the other team miss a free throw or a jump shot. It just didn’t happen to us this year.”
The Jackets lost to Florida State, 64-62. They won one game in the ACC tournament. That’s only one less victory than they had in the conference all season, so maybe we shouldn’t be too greedy.
Tech finished 12-19, its most losses since going 4-23 in 1981. Hewitt called it one of his most “personally frustrating” seasons. But he praised his players’ effort, as he had done most of the season.
His most difficult year? “No,” he said, reserving that distinction for the 2005-06 team, whose effort he questioned. “Nobody had ever questioned how hard my teams played,” Hewitt said. “That year, they did. That bothered me. They said, ‘Your team is soft.’ That was the worst year I ever had.”
Problem is, this is where we are now at Tech: comparing bad seasons. Having missed the NCAA tournament three of the past four years, Hewitt isn’t revered by a segment of the fan base the same way he was during the 2004 Final Four run.
Paul Hewitt called this one of his most "personally frustrating" seasons.
He denies ever feeling heat. He said “three out of every four” comments or letters he receives are positive. So I’m just guessing that most of the other 25 percent are the ones e-mailing me. That said, he has one of the nation’s top recruiting classes coming in next season, so it would have been foolish and shortsighted to make a change.
Even so, the win over Clemson on Thursday probably provided some needed relief. Beating Florida State and advancing to today’s semis against North Carolina would’ve bordered on Utopia.
They came close. Again.
Zach Peacock’s baseline jumper gave Tech a 62-61 lead with 29 seconds left. FSU answered, but not the way Hewitt expected. Before an inbounds play with 7.7 seconds left, he had the Jackets focus almost solely on the Seminoles’ best player, Toney Douglas. But it was Derwin Kitchen who took the inbounds pass, cut to the basket and scored on a reverse lay-up. An ensuing free throw made the score 64-62.
Hewitt said, “I second-guess myself,” for not spending more time addressing other inbounds scenarios with his players.
The Jackets tried to come back. But Iman Shumpert drove the lane when he was unable to pass out to Lewis Clinch (who had 57 points in two tournament games), and his shot was off the mark.
Looking for answers amid the losing, Hewitt recently phoned a friend on the staff of Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. “He went through something like this a few years ago,” Hewitt said. “They were losing every game at the buzzer. I was just curious. How did he not lose his mind? He said to just stay positive.”
He did that. His temperament never changed. But neither did the losing.
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67 comments Add your comment
gtfan
March 15th, 2009
12:51 am
Schultzie im callin ya out. if you think we are wrong then your in the WRONG biz or phew has pics of you an a hooker.
any tech grad will tell you that 1 or 2 data points out of the normal happens. we have had 4 bad years in 5. phew and his performance is a trend not an anomoly. a good qc engineer would say…. phew has to go.
funny how we had two things happen after the 04 season that contributed to our program tanking. phew lost 2 assistants and phew got his lucky no 7 mil forever contract. evidently phew agreed with the dave braine idea of what our program is capable of. talk about coaching down to meet expectations. or MAYBE phew has a case of the lazy ass.
its is NO coincidence that phew said RECENTLY that he loses NO sleep over the program and that he recruited harder this year than he ever has. geeee shouldnt he have been doing that FOUR years ago when we started looking so bad?????? is phew’s middle initial DUBYA?
look jeff, any sports nut knows that for a good coach basketball is one of the easiest team sports to creat a quick turn around. it has taken phew 4 years of abysmal failure and he still cant get it right. matter of fact we have gotten progessively worse each and every year. wtf jeff??????
on MORE than one occasion over NINE years phew has stated …
-that he can fix the free throw shooting problem easily
-that we will never again have to bring in 5 players in a single year
-that we would never again have a losing season like this one
-that we would never again shoot so poorly from 3 point range
-that he would fix the guard problems
-etc
jeff look em up i dare ya. we are in a ground hog day nitemare. phew has not shown that he is capable at fixing any issue we have as a program…. period.
remember how bobby had a string of ALL ACC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR? that was because bobby could put a player in a system that made that player better…. UNLIKE phew. phew has ONE style of o and one style of d. phew tries to fit round pegs in square holes. helloooooooo mcfly!!!!!!!
this is a guy who has such an ego that he loses no sleep over what he has done to our program. i remember bobby cremins lamenting over gt in his wanning years here… unlike phew. at the least tommy bowden had enough class to leave clemson rather than bring the program down any further…. unlike phew.
bobby c left with class. phew will leave kicking and screaming and pointing fingers at everybody BUT himself. AND phew will make sure he bankrupts our athletic association while he does it. i guess we have been MEAN to phew. really mean because when he leaves our program will be back to pre cremins status.
And speaking of bobby cremins. i would take bobby cremins back in a heart beat. of his last 4 years here none of them match the crap that we have had to deal with under phew.
there i said it. while bobby may not be the right pick for gt’s next coach i would say that bobby cremins is head and shoulders the better coach STILL over phew.
he is a better recruiter. is a better bench coach. he knows how to put a team together chemistry wise. AND he LOVES gt still unlike phew.
i was kind of hoping to see c of c and gt play in the first round of the ncaa’s. unfortunately bobby c came a lot closer to that dream than did phew.
hey bobby if you read this you can count me as one fan who would love to see you replace phew.
with phew next year we will have another year of excuses and a 7-9 acc at best. with bobby c and our roster for next year i could see us making the ncaa’s.
bobby please come back and kick phew to the curb.
hey slim g that is another name for ya. obviously you have the same view of gt as dabraine.
one last thought question for all you phew defenders…
if phew is such a good coach than tell me when is the last time ANY other team has come calling to take phew off of our hands? none in almost 5 years and counting.
that we couldnt pay anybody to take phew now is so sad !!!!!!
online Wall Street Journal says
March 15th, 2009
11:14 am
Among coaches who have verifiable annual salaries above $1 million and at least four years of tenure at their current schools, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt provided the least value. Mr. Hewitt’s team caught fire during the 2004 NCAA tournament, making it all the way to the championship game where it lost to Connecticut 82-73.That June, Georgia Tech rewarded Mr. Hewitt with a new contract that now pays him $1.3 million. A provision calls for the term to always remain at six years.
Mr. Hewitt, who declined to comment, has missed the NCAA tournament twice in the past four seasons, has won one game in the Big Dance since 2004 and hasn’t cracked .500 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This season the Yellow Jackets turned in their worst performance since Mr. Hewitt arrived, compiling an 11-18 record and winning just two conference games. With an average RPI the past three years of 54.5, Georgia Tech is paying Mr. Hewitt $288,888 for each point beyond the threshold of mediocrity. By comparison, Clemson University pays Oliver Purnell $1 million, but just $97,087 for each of his 10.3 points beyond 50-point RPI threshold. Mr. Calhoun, who has his first outstanding team since 2005-06, now costs the University of Connecticut $166,667 for each point over 50.
Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech’s director of athletics, said despite the on-court disappointments, Mr. Hewitt is a highly respected figure who is the president of the Black Coaches Association and one of three coaches on the NCAA’s Academic Enhancement Group. The school’s basketball program netted $6.2 million last season.
Mr. Radakovich noted the Yellow Jackets lost two star freshmen to the NBA draft in 2007. This season, senior D’Andre Bell suffered a neck injury and didn’t play.
But no fan or booster wants to hear excuses and Mr. Radakovich has been fending off plenty of complaints about Mr. Hewitt’s performance. “As long as people are communicating there is a passion for excellence,” Mr. Radakovich said. “If that stops, then we have a far worse disease on our hands called apathy
SlimG
March 15th, 2009
12:18 pm
gtfan, get back in the computer lab and grab a decaf. All these numbers are great for fans who never laced up a pair. For those of us who played, we understand the struggles. When a team doesn’t have the weapons to go to war, winning is very difficult. 2 against 5 is not fair in my back yard much less the ACC. Give paul another 2 years and then we’ll see. Cremins put this program back years with his on again off again routine. Oh yeah, DRad should shoulder some of the blame with this AT fund bs. I know several season ticket holders who refused to get their basketball tickets because the price was ridiculous for the product.
I will agree that it is much quicker to turn a basketball program around than most sports. Although, injuries and nba defections have hurt us in the past, paul has no control over these things. Kids are still gonna go pro, you would as well so stop the hating. Look what just happened to the tar heels.
Paul is a good man who has the best interest of the kids at heart. It would be an honor for my son to play for this man. Learn some respect techies.
Gordon
March 15th, 2009
12:43 pm
SlimG,
The thing you are forgetting is that most of the complaints against Hewitt are not just for this year, but for his entire tenure, especially the last 4 years. I’ve said this several times on this blog and I’ll say it again: over the long run things like players leaving early, injuries, and other things the coach has no control over even out. By the way, they do have some control over the leaving early problem by who they recruit. We know, for example, that Favors will probably leave after one year. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t recruit some of those players, but in most cases he shouldn’t be caught off guard when they leave. Thaddeaus Young is another example – Hewitt knew he would leave after one year and he did.
Examining Hewitt’s 9 year record is a better way to judge him than by looking at one year – either a great one like 2004 or a terrible one like this year. In those 9 years Hewitt has one winning ACC record (9-7 in 2004), 2 years with at least 1 win in the NCAA, and 4 losing seasons (3 in the last 4 years). Everyone agrees he is a nice guy that has the best interest of his players at heart, and that he represents the Institute well. Those things should be “table stakes” for any coach – you aren’t considered unless you do that. But you also have to win some basketball games consistently. Given the resources the GTAA puts into the basketball program and the advantages Tech has (city, league, and reputation for sending people to the NBA), Hewitt is simply not winning enough games consistently.
You said you knew ticket holders who refused to get their tickets this year because the price was ridiculous for the product. That is exactly the point.
Keith in Midtown
March 15th, 2009
1:38 pm
As many of you know I am asking the Athletic Dept to let the Football team wear pink for the 09 home opener. It will draw a lot of attention to AIDS research. I am also calling for a Pink Out. Thoughts??
gtfan
March 15th, 2009
2:02 pm
slimg i HAVE laced on a pair of sneakers thank you very much. ill bet jim cleamons of THEosu and a laker celtic coach still remembers me. AND i lived with a former teammate of coach k and player under bobby knight at army. so maybe YOU should stick to washing jocks and ‘laces’. eh????
as far as the number crunching comment goes… do you have issues with comprehension? those numbers came from the WALL STREET JOURNAL. not me.
And your cred went right out the window when suggested that bobby cremins was as you said…. ‘on again off again.’ are you nuts?
correct me if I’m wrong but under bc we…
went to the post season 14 out of 17 years. including 4 nit’s and 10 ncaa tourney with nine in a row. there was one year we turned down a bid to the nit because of an ncaa slight. so 14 years is really 15 years out of 17. if that is what you consider ‘on again off again’ ill take that over ‘always off’ phew. ANYDAY OF THE WEEK.
if you look at phew’s record at gt it is clear that phew’s best days (other than that run in 04) were with the players bobby c recruited. we finished 5th 3 times in his first 3 years and went to the finals a year later. once phew was playing with HIS players in his sytem we went down hill. w’s and l’s over a long period just do NOT lie.
but for phew’s contract and his single run in the ncaa’s he would be laundering jock’s along side of YOU somewhere as somebody’s assistant coach. lord knows he could stand to learn more than one offensive and defensive scheme.
And its not like phew inherited a non existent program like bobby did back in the early 80s. we were experiencing a down turn under bobby but we still were GT. now we have become totally irrelevant. we are a laughing stock and you are ok with that by your own admission.
i say that your idiotic ‘opinions’ have shown that your posts are nothing more than irrelevent balderdash.
your loyalty is more to phew than it is to gt. i sure hope that your not a graduate because if you are i am ashamed of you!
hell im ashamed of you anyway. your on again off again comment was just soooooooo far off base dude. way way way off base. duh!
Jeff Schultz
March 15th, 2009
2:36 pm
## Yurtle – I don’t doubt you’re telling the truth about your seven friends. But I’ve had dozens of emails from people supporting Hewitt. I don’t have a dog in this hunt, as they say. I just think the split it closer to 50-50. But I don’t think there’s any question next season is the tipping point.
## Jack G. – I’m not 85, and I always feel like I need a nap.
## GTfan – You make some valid points, but before you scream to get Bobby Cremins back, understand that the program was plummeting his last few years. Cremins did a great job building the program and recruiting a top point guard. But when all of those stars began leaving early, the program went down because Cremins couldn’t recruit for depth and, as you know, he never was known as an X-and-0 guy. I’m not trying to bash him, I’m just pointing out the obvious since you brought him up. … Cremins’ four seasons after reaching the Sweet 16 in 1996: No NCAA tournament bids. Records: 9-18 (3-13 in ACC), 19-14 (6-10), 15-16 (6-10), 13-17 (5-11).
Gordon
March 15th, 2009
3:09 pm
Those last 4 Cremins years are very similar to these last 4 Hewitt years, although Hewitt did get into the NCAA in the second of those years while Cremins just missed. Both won 56 games. Cremins last game was a 63-62 loss to FSU in the ACC tournament, while Hewitt just finished with a 64-62 loss to FSU in the ACC tournament. Amazingly similar. The only difference is that Hewitt has a good class signed up and his overly generous contract. I don’t blame Hewitt for signing it, but Braine for offering it and Clough for signing off on it. I think it is interesting that Cremins resigned for producing almost exactly what Hewitt has produced the last 4 years.
James
March 15th, 2009
4:54 pm
Is this a great recession or what!!
I paid $25 today for two tickets to the ACC Championship, five dollars LESS than I paid to see UGA lose to to USC in a meaningless regular season-ending game a week or so ago.
It doesn’t seem that long ago when a ticket to the ACC Tourney was special.
SlimG
March 15th, 2009
7:36 pm
GTfan, just b/c u sleep with someone who might know bball doesn’t mean it metamorphosis. Are you a season ticket holder or just some stuck up from the burbs?
Jeff already did my dirty work, but as he pointed out, cremins was miserable late. And with all the talent he had, no NC? I’ll take the SC job, no I’ll go back to tech, no I’ll go to CofC instead. This is not high character. Seems to be a trend with some tech fans. I’ll also beat you think Paul Pig Johnson is the best coach in the country? Sad that a subpar season is rewarded with pinky rings.
Bobby never played for the NC in his tenure. Move on to baseball and try to get dhall fired. Now that is a move I would support.
Panama City Pete
March 15th, 2009
10:05 pm
I would be curious to know what some of those “dozens” of supportive emails used as reasoning for their support.
Could it be that some of them came from the Hewitt family and/or Georgia Tech cheerleading squad?
gtfan
March 16th, 2009
1:51 am
well slim g you showed your spots. your a phew lover not a gt fan. this is a sports blog not a man love blog.
you an i have spared elsewhere i do believe. you have tried to put your ‘opinions’ over my facts before. you lost then and you lose now. at the least try an be a little bit informed next time would you?????
And no amount of trash talking will make you smell any better or look any smarter. it never fails… when a person’s opinions get battered by facts they always seem to have to resort to trash talking just as you did. i just slam dunked on you bud. my shorts are in your face!
if your going to argue on a blog at least get your facts semi straight their little buddy. c of c had nothing to do with things back than. And for the record the death of bobby’s father, the sc flip flop and the ncaa slight played a huge roll in his burn out.
ill leave any further trash talkin to you. every time you open your mouth you prove my point further.
hey jeff i could swear that dave braine asked bc to resign so that we could hire somebody to take us to the next level. phew has not done that. not even close.
as far as cremins being an x an o coach, phew makes bobby look like john wooden. he sure out coached the coach of the year at davidson the other nite didnt he.
phew is lucky that he competes in a watered down ACC. he is lucky he didnt have to compete against the likes of dean smith and lefty drissel. even clemson had a great coach back then in rick barnes.
btw jeff… i didnt say that bc would be a good fit for our next coach i just said the he is still heads and shoulders above phew. please reread my post.
gtfan
March 16th, 2009
2:03 am
oh slim g one more thing… i think the word you were looking for was osmosis not ‘metamorphosis’. duh!
SlimG
March 16th, 2009
12:04 pm
Dude, get a life, blogging after midnight? No wife? No boyfriend? Now you are correcting Jeff because he didn’t agree. Pathetic.
Notice you didn’t respond to any of the valid points in my last blog. How many NC games did bc coach in O. bc had far superior talent than paul ever has had and he still couldn’t get the job done. You sound like a bc lover yourself. Did you sleep with him?
What’s your take on dhall? He is the one who needs to go. Glad you finally acknowledge the flipflop I referred to earlier. You are learning.
RedGADawg
March 16th, 2009
12:14 pm
Here’s to PH staying at TECH for a long time, best hope DAWGS have of developing a winning program! If Damon Evans can recruit a coach, the state has the talent for a plus .500 team in the SEC (easier than ACC) that can go to the tournament annually and may get lucky and advance some years beyond round one. So I want Hewitt to be the Big BEE BB coach till retirement do you part!
gtfan
March 16th, 2009
12:18 pm
slim g i dont argue with those that are convienently retarded! a ugag fan at that.
And as a said…. ill leave the trash talking for those who dont have valid points.
Tron5000
March 16th, 2009
3:16 pm
I just can’t fathom a coach who went 2-14 in the conference, has a career sub-.500 conference winning percentage and has produced 1 (out of 9) above-.500 conference season (and 9-7 at that) not losing his job. I’m glad GT has an excellent class coming in (Favors looked awesome in the state champ. game Saturday night), but Favors will only be at Tech for 1 year. So assuming GT does well next year, Hewitt will be back yet again for the 2010-11 season, although without Favors. I guess he’s on the 11-year plan, huh…