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
Clemsongrad
March 13th, 2009
10:13 pm
Good luck next year. Can’t wait to see that new recruit!
Jacket 56
March 13th, 2009
10:43 pm
Hewitt gets one more chance and thats it. In my opinion, anything less than a top four finish in the conference and a trip to at least the sweet sixteen, and he should be gone. I honestly would like to see him go now because I don’t think he is a very good x’s and o’s guy but his recruiting class bought him one more year. Mark my words, D-Rad will show him the door if he has another subpar season.
yurtle_the_turtle
March 13th, 2009
11:25 pm
Yeah, that’s right Paul. EVERY team you played hit every shot, hit every freethrow, and tipped every pass. You never got a call all year long, everyone was injured when you needed them, the ref’s were out to get you, blah blah blah. Geez, every excuse under the sun. You never once looked at yourself as being the incompetent fool of a coach that you are. I wish you well at Tulane or some other school. You’ve managed to destroy this one. Please, go away!
Concerned
March 14th, 2009
12:01 am
Groundhog Day!!! 1 winning conference record in 9 yrs…please explain, other than money, why he should stay?
It will cost the same to fire him today, tomorrow, next month, next year, or in 20 yrs…so fire him now!!!
TS
March 14th, 2009
12:05 am
Tech has had the talent to be at least a .500 team in the ACC every season since that Final Four. It’s sad and frustrating to watch them be the most underachieving team in America. I really want to support CPH, but he has done so little with so much talent.
Panama City Pete
March 14th, 2009
12:25 am
Wow, Hewitt thinks that 75% of Tech fans are supportive of him. Can you say.. DELUSIONAL?
We Need a Govt Bailout
March 14th, 2009
1:20 am
He just can’t teach these players to get that extra little bit to win games and to hold on to the ball. Since no bailout is coming, I say give him one more year. Not because he deserves it (no NCAA 3 out of 4 years, one sweet sixteen appearance out of 9, one ACC championship appearances out of 9, no ACC championships, 42.8 ACC winning %, …). Not mediocre stats, but just bad stats. If you can’t do it next year CPH, please find another place to coach because we can’t afford to fire you, and Nancy P doesn’t have your contract buyout earmarked.
ben
March 14th, 2009
1:42 am
Shumpert had the same ego of Anderson and Marbury, he just didn’t have their game. And Hewitt gave him carte blanche to hog the ball, make countless turnovers, and miss shot after shot. When the youngster got out of control, which was early and often, no one tried to get him under control. I know he was a freshman, but he lost 6-8 games for us with his turnovers and unwise shot selection.
Mr. Skynyrd
March 14th, 2009
6:15 am
It makes me sick to read Hewitt’s comments after another loss. He’s delusional.
Just once I’d like to hear him say “We’ve done a poor job of coaching, didn’t recruit ACC caliber talent, and we’ve got to do better. I feel like I’ve let the Institute, the players and the fans down this year”.
Compare and contrast his comments with Paul Johnson’s.
Is is football season yet?
misterwax
March 14th, 2009
7:05 am
Yes, Paul, ….you must remove the log from your own eye before you seek to remove the speck from your players’ eyes, or the refs eyes, or the fans eyes, or the alumni, etc……look in the mirror soon!!!
misterwax
March 14th, 2009
7:06 am
see if Dennis Felton will help you teach the kids to shoot free throws…..NAH!!!
Jim Michael
March 14th, 2009
8:17 am
Jeff, In regards to your article on Bobby Bowden the other day, a little research may shown the problem with any of these online courses and how it compares to other schools.
In regards to your comment.. “Bowden defenders: I think you’re missing the point. He recruited the players. If they cheat, it’s on him. It doesn’t matter whether he is standing behind them while they’re taking an online music course or not. His guys, his program, his responsibility.”
Jeff – you must be kidding. It is the responsibility of the student who cheats. The student should suffer the consequence when caught. The school should impose the punishment as permitted within the school’s guidelines. That may consist having to redo the assignment or submit an additional assignment for a “0″ or “F” on the assignment or the course, a grade reduction on the assignment, etc. No one feels sorry for the student who gets an “F” for the course, is placed on suspension or for repeated offenses, kicked out of school.
The point is the academic section of the school has control over this, at FSU, UF and UGA. Don’t you think that their guidelines should be followed. Some of us think these on line distance courses, without better safeguards, are ripe to tempt college students (not just athletes” to cheat, plagiarism or obtaining unauthorized assistance. To the point, UGA, an equally respected school, has an distance learning program which has learned is hard to prevent 19 and 20 year old from cheating in.
In the fall of 1997 alone, UGA had over 140 complaints of cheating, with about 90 of them being founded and the punishment handed out was as outlined above. The records show that since 2005, there were an average of about 100 cases each semester at UGA, but one semester had nearly 150 instances. Only 2 students in the fall 1997 semester were expelled but that was after their second instance of being caught cheating. How could the school not be able to control this even after they were aware of it? Get the point – this is something not even the entire UGA could prevent even after they were aware of it – so how could football coaches prevent it other then to prevent the players from taking the courses. This is not to pick on UGA, as I hope my daughter will get accepted there.
If you think the school wrong or too lenient in these 90 cases then you should personally start a cause to have that system changed. Take a look at UGA’s site. http://www.uga.edu/honesty/ahpd/ahdata.htm Didn’t UGA decide to punish them but still allow rehabilitation and give the kids a second chance like Bobby does without permanently hurting them (and these UGA students didn’t receive they additional punishment of running stadium steps).
Your readers look forward to you taking a look at these facts, ask yourself if your sons or nephew might also be tempted enough to do something stupid. Isn’t it possible that after reviewing these facts and similar instance that maybe the punishment handed out by both schools themselves were appropriate.
Just a little research shows the following similar punishment by these schools
FSU:
1. a lower or failing grade in the course,
2. a lower or failing grade or score on the assignment or examination, or
3. additional work to provide evidence of the student’s academic performance and/or evidence that the student knows and understands the course material.
The school then has several options:
1. Dismissal: A student dismissed must file a petition for judicial clearance.
2. Suspension:
3. Probation
4. Reprimand
5. Nothing ….precludes the imposition of other reasonable sanctions
UF
1.) Assignment grade penalty. … but not limited to a zero.
2) Course grade penalty.
(b) Student Conduct Code Sanctions.
1. Reprimand
2. Loss of University Privileges
3 Conduct Probation
4. Deferred Suspension
5. Suspension
6. Expulsion
UGA:
A student found in violation by the Academic Honesty Panel must receive either a “0″ or the lowest possible grade on the academic work under the grading system for that course. In addition, one or more of the following consequences must be assigned:
1. Final course grade of “F”.
2. Placement of a dishonesty transcript notation which states: “Academic Honesty Violation as Determined by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction,” which must remain until the student is not enrolled as a student at the University and two years after the date upon which the Academic Honesty Panel entered its final decision.
3. Suspension.
4. Dismissal.
5. Expulsion.
Upon subsequent violations, the board still has the option to impose sanction 3,4 or 5 above.
University of Virginia appears to have the most stringent honor code. A student can file a Conscientious Retraction and if accepted is subject to punsihment at the discretion of the instructor. If he or she choses a trial and is found guilty they are expelled.
The point is the academic departments have set out the punishment and they all seem to be nearly identical as to the punishment given the students (UVA excepted). The punishment in FSU, internally for the students and loss of scholarships seem appropriate but forfeiting team victories seems excessive where the school was not aware of the violation.
What do you think folks?
Tech83
March 14th, 2009
8:37 am
CPH comments were amazing. His team was inept all year, and only via the last gasp effort
of Lewis Clinch did they even resemble a low-middle ACC team. Come on, 7 seconds left with the ball and no time outs left. That never happens to the good coaches. How hard is it to get the ball in Clinches hands? I can’t imagine what the favorable emails say to him. Great effort.
Big deal. I love GT basketball and CPH has made it irrelevant.
Phildo
March 14th, 2009
8:45 am
Concerned hit the nail on the head. It’s going to cost Tech the same regardless of when Hewitt is FINALLY fired, but even that is somewhat inaccurate since another year is also going to cost them at the gate and in going forward. Favors? Great high school player, who will not get any college coaching with Hewitt. I don’t want him. He’s a one and done. I want good players who will be there for long haul, graduate, and join the ranks of other proud alum.
Mr. Skynyrd
March 14th, 2009
9:14 am
Jim,
I think you’ve been on a slow boil all week while you researched the web.
I also think FSU is a joke and Bobby needs to retire. You’ve accepted your slide into irrelevancy for too long. A once proud program – now a shadow of it’s former self.
FSU’s never been an academic power house – but the continuing saga is hurting the schools image and the programs chances. Accept the punishment like men, and go on down the road.
Hey you asked what we think didn’t you?
Road Scholar
March 14th, 2009
9:17 am
I have to agree that Shupert was not the one to take the last shot. And this is not based on his miss. One person in another blog pointed out that he won one game with a last second shot. But how many did he lose with a last second shot and/or turnover?
Clinch was locked and loaded to get the pass. He had made so many catch and shoot baskets all year, esp in the tourney. Shupert was dribbling lookimg down, so how could he see Clinch or any other team member , let alone the rim. He thinks he is a better BB player than he is, or has shown. It takes a good coach to realize that.
My hats off to the team. They played their hearts out. Clinch showed me leadership, heart and talent that I had waited to see all season. They need a better leader, either at point or as coach. Definitely point; maybe even at coach. Lots of speculation that Keener will be back as no 1 bench coach; a change is definitely needed NOW.
burdell68
March 14th, 2009
9:22 am
Every team in the conference ran two variations of base line inbounds on us and scored. BC did it 3 times in the game at Alexander. Why wouldn’t you think FSU would run it at the end of the game? Maybe you thought they don’t look at film. And it doesn’t cost the same every year to get rid of him. IT ESCALATES! Thanks, Dave Brain! We’re stuck with him until Galley gets paid out in 2011 so get used to it.
Just Do It! Fire Hewitt!
March 14th, 2009
9:26 am
Hewitt said, “I second-guess myself,” for not spending more time addressing other inbounds scenarios with his players.
That’s ok Paul. You only had four months to work with this team so that isn’t enough time to work on inbounds scenarios. Since your team had no clue how to bring the ball in bounds all year and you had to waste a lot of times out because of it, they were shocked when they actually saw a team who set up a real play to bring it in. Maybe if you get a raise from $1.5 million to $2 million then you can spend more time working on this. Hewitt obviously has his secretary screening his emails if only 25% are negative. Luckily for him, most people don’t care about basketball anymore and don’t even bother to call in to his talk show unless Paul Johnson is on there with him.
GT Fan
March 14th, 2009
9:34 am
Paul Hewitt is a da@# joke!! Makes me sick to look at him.
William Casey
March 14th, 2009
9:37 am
Once again, a fundamental! If you guard the in-bound passer in the final 7.7 play, you put the defensive player a full step below the passer so that the pass must be away from the basket, not toward the basket. Watch the tape! Even my 17-year old son noticed this.
newdirectionnow
March 14th, 2009
9:56 am
please, I know DRAD you inherited this mess, but I am begging you to please end it. Again, take the buyout to arbitration court, if all our homes values have decreased, then why not Hewitt’s sham of a contract? Please give him an IOU, and say good riddance
gtbabe
March 14th, 2009
10:04 am
if those who think Hewitt is such an honorable man, then Hewitt should have been honorable enough to know he has not even come close to living up to the expectations GATECH had in mind when giving him that multi year contract and over a million a yr salary for this mess. Honorable Hewitt should have come forward and met with DRAD to rework the contract to be fair to GT as well but I did not see him do that. Hewitt says 75% of fans favor him, listen up…the majority of fans did not bother to email you with their opinions, lol, they went straight to DRAD and told him how they felt a long time ago. Why bother with emailing you?
HPB IE92
March 14th, 2009
10:20 am
I was going to list my objections to Hewitt’s inept coaching, but they are so obvious that everyone else has already listed them. Selfish players who look like they’ve NEVER been instructed on an in bounds play or a game situation of any kind. Coach, you get 75% positive because most of us have gone from being mad to the only thing worse, just not caring to watch about such an embarrassing representation of the Institute.
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 14th, 2009
11:11 am
Wouldn’t it have been nice to be able to call a timeout with 7 sec. left to set up a play…hmmmm?
Now this idiot Schultz says “so it would have been foolish and shortsighted to make a change.”
Let me go ahead and sum up next year, it’s pretty easy we’ve all seen it before. Turn overs galore, missed free throws, somewhere around mid season the team starts to resemble a team and begins to win due to talent. Finish 7-9 in the ACC, win one maybe two games in the ACC tourney, bubble into the big dance and lose to an inferior team first or second round. 2-3 players leave early and we are left with nothing once again.
GROUND HOG DAY!!!
Troy Baker
March 14th, 2009
11:38 am
Couldn’t blame Lawal at all if he decides to bolt for the NBA. His numbers have been solid and warrant 1st round consideration. Yet, if he stays, I think even Hewitt could get 20+ wins with that combination of Lawal/Favors in the front court and a more mature Shumpert directing the offense. Radakovich’s football decision was spot-on; seems he has a considerably tougher one to make in hoops. (Thank God the baseball team is on a roll early!)
UGAIsSoLastYear
March 14th, 2009
11:41 am
Hewitt thinks 75% of the fans back him?! LOL! Hardly. He is sad, he can’t coach, his teams are terrible and that inbound pass play by FSU should have been the final nail in his coffin. He needs fired now – could care less about his recruits. Weren’t the players that have been on the team the last 4 years his recruits also? You see what that got us.
UGAIsSoLastYear
March 14th, 2009
11:43 am
RAMBLE ON – you’re on glue! We ain’t goin to any Big Dance next year.
UGAIsSoLastYear
March 14th, 2009
11:44 am
U 2 Troy!
Jeff Schultz
March 14th, 2009
11:59 am
Mornin’ … The anti-Hewitt vitriol is about what I expected. I’ve stated my position enough times. I think you’re off base but you’re entitled to your opinion and I know there’s a lot of you out there. Paul says three out of every four messages he gets are positive. These posts obviously tip significantly the other way. But I have found through the years that posts, message boards and sportstalk radio do not represent a scientific sampling. My guess is that the fan base is split fairly down the middle. I agree that the team has to show significant progress next season and probably has to make the NCAA tournament. While Dan Radakovich openly support Paul, it’s important to note that he did not hire him. Also, there is his standing mandate: “Win and don’t cheat.” Radakovich is perceived as more of a football guy, probably because of his desire to infuse life into the football program when he took over. But I’m sure he understands the important of basketball and the tradition Tech has had.
Jim: Of course it’s the responsibility of the student if he cheats. And it’s responsibility of the student if he robs a liquor store or punches a grocery clerk or takes free shoes at a sporting good story. But that student/athlete is a reflection of a college program, which is run by the coach. That’s the way it’s always been. Are you saying Barry Switzer was not at all responsible for the crap that went on at Oklahoma? Or Jackie Sherrill every place he coached? I could go on. A coach builds a program with other coaches and recruits. He is the CEO. It is his company. End of story. (That said, nice research.)
I’m at home now but going to the Dome soon for today’s game. I’ll check in later.
Jeff
GT
March 14th, 2009
12:00 pm
The problems remind me of Nix running the offense of the football team under Gailey. Basic stuff in an out of control sideline, in this case bench, keep coming front and center. Miller coming in and not picking the right guy to substitute, making us call a timeout. The freshman guard not knowing where Lewis Clinch was at the end of the game after a time out and a drawn up play, and Clinch being wide open and exactly where he was suppose to be which I imagine was the whole purpose of the time out. There were big men feeding guards, instead of the other way around, under the basket in the land of trees that then get the ball stuffed in their face shooting. We spent the entire day with miss matches on defense and not recognizing the same on offense. This team is poorly conditioned which is noticeable at the end of games starting last year, and one reason we lose close games. The amazing part is Hewitt looks calm and collective and the team plays like they have had too much coffee. The ACC tournament is a great place to compare because it is coming to you in a machine gun fashion one team after another. Study the bench action of a North Carolina or Duke or Wake or any team. At one time during our game one of our players ,being pulled from the game, couldn’t even find a seat on the bench because there were so many suits taking them and not realizing or caring a player was losing musical chairs. It starts with an organized bench. Cremins did it by not substituting players,no confusion there, whatever works. Maybe next year they will have that 20% better talent that will overcome this comedy, but it is noted here that if you give Hewitt the other team’s players he still loses and if you give Roy Williams or Coach K his they win.
Tech Wrecked...AGAIN
March 14th, 2009
12:09 pm
Gosh darn it!!!! I was pulling for you guys. Sorry ya’ll missed out on another RING opportunity!
Look on the bright side…the baseball team will probably pull off a couple of upsets and get a couple of rings.
Heck…by the time we play you guys next year you will probably have a ring on every finger and CPJ will be buying “TOE” rings for his jackets!!!
Sav.fan
March 14th, 2009
12:13 pm
Hewitt is clearly not a great game day coach or an X’s and O’s guy but neither was Bobby Cremmins (God love him). He does, however, have 5 excellent recruits coming next year and his teams do play hard. Tech has Lawal, Peacock, Miller and Shumpert returning, which will allow him to rotate 8 or 9 good athletes. Hopefully the new point guard will start in place of Shumpert who is just not as good as advertised.( I’m not sure he’s even a descent sub). The players don’t appear to be quiting on him. Just wait, Tech BB will be fun and exciting next year. And the huge disappointment that this year became will be history. Keep the faith!
Rick
March 14th, 2009
12:26 pm
I agree with all of the comments about Hewitt’s incompetence as a coach. I would just like to add a couple of my own. Have you noticed that most of his players do not improve while they are at Tech? In fact,some like Zach Peacock, regress. Some, like Bosh and Young, are actually much better in the pros. The only reason Tech reached the NCAA final is they had a competent assistant coach, and a coach on the floor in Jarret Jack.
ComputerNut
March 14th, 2009
12:40 pm
College basketball is a guard based game. More specifically, a point guard based game. Does anyone think it’s just coincidence that Leonard Hamilton can all of a sudden coach and is named Coach of the Year when Tony Douglas is a senior and is ACC first team. Or is it a surprise that almightly Carolina looks very mortal when Ty Lawson is injured.
GT was severly hampered this year. Bell’s spinal condition took away not only the best defensive player but a good ball handler as well. Miller’s facial injury caused his play to be worse his sophomore year that as a freshman, and this at as I’ve said, the most important position on the court. Shumpert was an adequate fill in at PG but it was clear this is not where he should be playing.
Yes, GT had a bad year. They only won 12 games. Twelve more were very close and only 7 did they look out manned and out gunned. There were several reasons for the trouble and Paul Hewitt’s coaching is not at the top of the list. (not saying it isn’t on the list) For anyone who doesn’t believe it, I’ll give 10-1 odds that Leonard Hamilton isn’t Coach of the Year next year.
SlimG
March 14th, 2009
1:05 pm
All you thinkers? Don’t. Paul is not the problem. Players needed this season: two low post players to help Lawal, a shooting guard who can make 3’s consistently and a point guard. Very hard to win missing these kinda players. Coach had these kids in the right places, they just couldn’t get the job done against quality opponents. Watch when FSewww shot the ball and missed, it was three against one for the offensive rebound. Sorry, just can’t coach that.
Anyway, the kid missed a 6 footer to win the game. Clinch had already missed on the previous couple of trips, he’s not all that good. Lawal is the only baller we really could count on. Better luck next year coach. We will still need another year. Make the dance in 2010, and maybe compete for the title the following year.
And you guys give me a hard time!
BIG BEE
March 14th, 2009
1:45 pm
Listen I don’t care if the whole team is gay as long as we can beat FSU
Jack G.
March 14th, 2009
1:49 pm
I will sum up my position on GT basketball and CPH in just a very few words
Brane has to be the dumbest AD this world has ever known.
SeanD
March 14th, 2009
2:23 pm
Can we get Navy’s basketball coach?
Sav.fan
March 14th, 2009
2:44 pm
All these Hewitt bashers are ammusing. I’d love to hear who they think is available to coach at Tech that would be better. You people criticize unrelistically because you can’t accept the fact that winning ACC and national championships is quit difficult.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 14th, 2009
3:22 pm
Coach Anthony Grant from VCU. He can coach better than Hewitt blindfolded. There are others, but Sav.fan wanted one.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 14th, 2009
3:24 pm
Wait a minute. I know youth basketball coaches that are better at in-game strategy, substitutions, and how to use timeouts than CPH. LOL
SmellySpelly
March 14th, 2009
3:26 pm
amusing, unrealistically and quite are the words I think you were looking for.
Sav.fan
March 14th, 2009
3:30 pm
All you Hewitt bashers are ammusing, ya’ll complain about the coach without any suggestions about who would be better. It’s not like the ranks of the unemployeed are full of coach K’s.(no, I’m not a Duke fan). Winning in the ACC is very difficult and Tech was competitive in most games. I don’t want to make a lot of excuses but you have to admit not a lot of bounces went Tech’s way this year.
Jeff Schultz
March 14th, 2009
3:56 pm
FSU WINS! FSU WINS!
(or should I say: CAROLINA LOSES! CAROLINA LOSES! Seems to be a lot of Duke fans in the building who grew up in Tallahassee.)
GT — I think you’re way off base on Tech not being well-conditioned. The biggest reasons they lost many close games late were: 1) lack of outside shooting; 2) lack of great play at point guard.
COMPUTERNUT — It doesn’t explain everything, but nice summation.
JACK G. — You misspelled Braine.
yurtle_the_turtle
March 14th, 2009
5:48 pm
Jeff…just a quick note to you. I have 7 friends from various walks of life (church, work, old room-mates), all of who are Tech Fans. NONE of them think Hewitt is doing a good job and ALL of the them want him fired. NONE of them have blogged or called a talk-radio program. I know it is not a significant sample either, but when all 7 want Hewitt out, I have to consider that perhaps your thoughts that the fan based is “split down the middle” is inaccurate. I’m TIRED of Hewitt. He had done nothing for this program as far as wins and losses go. Why would you think fans care about this neophyte?
Jack G.
March 14th, 2009
6:08 pm
Jeff—sorry about that, but i guess since you didnt say, that you agree with the rest of the post—-Braine aha thats better
Jack G.
March 14th, 2009
6:11 pm
I still would like to see CPH’s contract. There has got to be an excape clause somewhere in that document.
Jack can spell..he just can't type
March 14th, 2009
6:20 pm
Especially if he misses his nap!
That never ending contract sounds like something you could get arrested for concocting…like a conspiracy…Anyone ever checked if two guys ever get together for a clandestine meeting?
San Antonio Techie
March 14th, 2009
7:19 pm
It is what it is! The Jackets are who we thought they were (what a great quote that will be used forever)! That micro run in this tourney was the highlight of the year. Don’t forget that our roster was depleted from the start. Don’t remember the details, but it seems that someone referred to us as Walk on U earlier in the year. We just simply don’t have the talent. Sure the ball never bounced our way this year, and Hewitt’s X’s and O’s are suspect; however, if they would have played the way the played the all season the way they played in the tourney, I believe we would have topped .500 in the conference. Oh Well the seasons over, bring on Football, and definitely looking forward to BB next year.
Jack G.
March 14th, 2009
9:37 pm
Jack can’t type
You dont know how true you are about missing my nap.
I will be 85 next week, and a nap is not a luxury—It’s a necessity
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…