Is Jackets’ season a success, or are you waiting for more?
Georgia Tech created excitement -- and expectations -- in the ACC tournament. (AP photo)
The NCAA selection committee got it right when it made Georgia Tech a 10th seed in the tournament. Higher would’ve ignored the sense of underachievement in the regular season. Lower would’ve ignored the run we just watched in the ACC tournament.
But should just making the tournament field as a 10th seed define success for the Jackets?
Loading ...This is not a fire Paul Hewitt referendum. Fact is, I’m not sure I would’ve supported Hewitt’s exit even if Tech had failed to make the tournament. But this is about grading a season, relative to expectations. Tech’s year is still an incomplete.
In the last four games, we saw the Jackets’ upside. So let’s see where they go from here. It was a great run in the ACC tournament: three wins and a narrow loss to in the title game to Duke, one of the team’s top four teams. But the performances in Greensboro is what we expected most of this season.
So here’s the question of the day: How many NCAA tournament games does Tech need to win for you to consider this year a success? Or is it already a success?
The Jackets don’t have an easy draw. The first game is against Oklahoma State, which has beaten both Kansas and Kansas State this season. Then possibly Ohio State. Then maybe Georgetown or Tennessee. And the reward for three wins? Kansas.
Given the high ceiling projected for Tech, I personally believe one-and-done would be a disappointment. A let down. Do you agree? I’ve posted a poll, but given Hewitt has been such a lightning rod all season, I’d like to see your reaction to what the Jackets have accomplished. Thanks. I’ll check back later.
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159 comments Add your comment
Tigers Wood
March 15th, 2010
6:17 am
Tech is 2nd in ACC
Gordon
March 15th, 2010
6:20 am
He went from an F to a D for this season with the ACC run. He can bring it up to a C with a sweet 16 run. The trouble is, this is his highest grade of the last 5 years.
I truly admire the heart and effort the players have shown all reason. The problem is coaching. In the ACC tournament, Tech set a turnover record, and through 3 games had the lowest free throw percentage of any team in ACC tournament history. That’s 2 records set for 57 years of play.
While it was very exciting, the ACC tournament is the worst thing that could have happened in the long run for Tech: good enough for Hewitt to keep his job, not good enough to hang a banner.
Fuzzy Bee
March 15th, 2010
6:30 am
What a great run in the ACC tournament…I think we saw that Tech has the ability to play with anybody, but it will be tough to get by Ohio State in round 2. That said, I would hope Tech would be able to get past Oklahoma State in the opener, and wouldn’t be shocked to see Tech in the Regional Finals with Kansas.
FalconUGAFan
March 15th, 2010
6:50 am
I don’t follow Tech much, but would have to agree with you that it would take at least one win to call the season a success. They came in 2nd in ACC play which is a good thing as the ACC in BB is very tough. GT seems to get alot of talent looking for a stepping stone into the NBA, so that makes it difficult to have a cohesive squad.
Sam
March 15th, 2010
6:51 am
As an alumnus, Tech’s academic record is more important to me than the athletic. Paul Hewitt and his program are a credit to GT, and he does well enough in the NCAA’s best big-ball conference to keep his job.
Opinion
March 15th, 2010
6:59 am
Unfortunately, this is all we will get…maybe 1 or two wins then next year we have nobody coming back and we will be in the cellar of the ACC again, and again screaming to fire Hewitt….nothing changes
BB's
March 15th, 2010
7:04 am
A three game winning streak, even at a good time, does not make a season successful. This team, perhaps the most talented in the ACC, went 7-9 in league play. They still make every inbound play an adventure. I don’t know when or if CPH can be fired with his “Braineless” contract. But I do not have hope that they will be consistently good under his direction. The young men showed great courage this weekend, literally playing for their coach’s job. But I will be surprised if we win again. Hope I’m wrong. Not one of those pulling against my own team. But the offense struggles so much. It’s painful to watch.
Buzz
March 15th, 2010
7:09 am
uhh, Sam, Gt lst a scholarship for basketball because of graduation rates under Hewitt! Either that was tongue in cheek or you need to get your facts straight.
Sorry, jacket fans and Hewitt bashers...
March 15th, 2010
7:18 am
…but after watching Tech play for 4 days, the problem is not with the coaching but with the players themselves – I have never seen so many unforced turnovers in my life – dribbling off their foot, throwing passes out of bounds, throwing passes to difficult to catch – the first 4 times down the court yesterday against Duke and 4 turnovers – what a nightmare – and none of that is coaching, but pure, physical mistakes by the players.
As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink – the same applies for coaching – you can teach them all you can, but once the whistle blows the players have to play – and the Tech players, if they are as talented as everyone seems to think they are, are really not playing well, even though they are probably coached much better than they play. And yet they play close – which IS coaching!
But still, a new coach would probably serve the team well – but now you are in a UGA situation from 2 years ago, when they won the tourney, which only prolonged the inevitable of firing the coach – though that really did not serve them well, as they still sucked this year, but everyone was happier, even though the results were no better. The same is probably going to happen at Tech whenever they get around to firing/hiring, as the new guy will not be able to recruit as well – but the fans will be happier since they just know it is the coaches fault that the players still make PHYSICAL mistakes.
Jesse Stone
March 15th, 2010
7:29 am
Sorry, jacket fans….- Coach Hewitt recruited those horses that wouldn’t drink. Those guys didn’t just show up on his doorstep. He went out and got them.
PreSeason, I was thinking AT LEAST Sweet 16 with this bunch. Success = Elite 8
A fan
March 15th, 2010
7:30 am
This team coaches and plays DUMB
Glenn
March 15th, 2010
7:36 am
I have had the enjoyment of watching GT basket over the last three decades. This years ACC tournament was enjoyable and I am pround for the young menand their accomplishments. Mr Hewitt doesn’t really understand the pasion of GT basketball, sure we praise him for taking GT to the final four in 2004. What we really want every year is to compete in the ACC, make it to the Big Dance and make a run at the championship. Bobby Cremins made that happen, he built this program now its time to take to a next level.
PoliticalMan
March 15th, 2010
7:43 am
Tech’s B-ball team may be the ratiest, ragged, most undisciplined team I’ve ever seen. I really don’t care if they ever win a game. Just watching them play can make a student of the game sick. Their coach has to be terrible.
gtjet
March 15th, 2010
7:44 am
When a team, game in and game out, season in and season out, leads the world in turnovers, and when a team;s foul shooting is abysmal, and when a team cannot recognize of deliver the ball in to their best players, who do you blame? The players? All of them? Its the coach. He stinks. As much as I enjoyed them in the tourney, its terrible listening to others say they have the most talent (and 7-9)……Sorry, huge Tech fan, and this is not good enough
Tech70
March 15th, 2010
7:44 am
With Hewitt as coach, the cycle of mediocrity will continue. Who is going to replace Lawal & Favors next year ? Guards jacking up 3’s & turnovers will equal a losing season.
F-105 Thunderchief
March 15th, 2010
7:46 am
If Mark Fox was coaching this team, they wouldn’t have lost four games all season.
Smyrna Jacket
March 15th, 2010
8:02 am
Terribly disappointing season. Way too much talent to be so mediocre. Coaching, plain and simple. Yeah, Hewitt recruits some wonderful ballplayers, but he does not coach them up. And all 3 big bodies will be gone next year. Uh-oh.
We’re at the end of the season, and our guys don’t know who is supposed to make an inbounds pass. We can’t get open. I am tired of watching careless pass after careless pass get picked off. And what’s with running down the court to take another ridiculous 3-point shot. We don’t seem to understand that we have 2 of the very best bigs, yet our offense never seems to go through them. Our free throw shooting is awful. All of these shortcomings are on the coach.
Yes, the Jackets played some really inspired basketball at times. But we have not been consistent. Too many issues. And our coach constantly states that he feels that we’re okay. I strongly disagree.
The character of any organization comes from the top down. Coaching is our problem. But who amongst all of us who would like to see the Hewitt era end at Tech has $7MM to buy him out?
Turnt_UP!
March 15th, 2010
8:03 am
While I concede that I have also been disappointed in CPH the last several years, this CPH blame has been become pretty ridiculous. A lot of the errors that I am seeing the team make also come down to the players themselves, some were fatigue induced also. A college coach should not have tell a kid that you cannot step out of bounds unforced. You typically learn that in grade school. Kids who have decent shooting touches, clank at the free throw line. You can try and teach sound fundamentals for shooting them, but the kid has to execute it. A future Hall of Famer in Shaq has played all his life and is terrible from the line. You think he has never had a good coach at any point in his entire career? I love how people talk about “they need to be working on free throws in practice.” Do you have any idea how much time and resources they have put towards that. But then again, I hear people complain, “We are having terrible weather, can’t that Obama administration do anything right????”
Mark Fox
March 15th, 2010
8:04 am
Hey anyone hear what seed we are and what region we are going to. My cell must be broken
Turnt_UP!
March 15th, 2010
8:04 am
Mark Fox has won what exactly?????
Turnt_UP!
March 15th, 2010
8:05 am
Bobby Cremins NEVER went to the national championship game, EVER!!!
Fried chicken skin is greasy and delicious
March 15th, 2010
8:11 am
Paul Hewitt and Mike Woodson, what did Atlanta do wrong to deserve these two?
Turnt_DOWN!
March 15th, 2010
8:12 am
Turnt_DOWN! = the direction of Tech’s program since that national championship game … six, count ‘em, six very long years ago.
73-66
March 15th, 2010
8:15 am
“Mark Fox has won what exactly?????” 73-66!!!!! That, plus Illinois, Tennessee, etc. You know UGA is on the rise, while Tech continues to wallow in mediocrity.
Mark Fox
March 15th, 2010
8:18 am
73-66 is only one game. Tech is dancing and we are drinking
73-66
March 15th, 2010
8:21 am
Tech is one-and-done. Then, because they cannot afford to fire their lousy coach, they will have a losing season next year. Ah, life is good.
Rajesh Koothrappali
March 15th, 2010
8:22 am
Coach Hewitt for President! He is the best thing for Georgia Tech since the invention of the slurpee.
A fan
March 15th, 2010
8:23 am
6-34 on the road in the ACC the past 5 seasons.
1 winning conference record in TEN seasons.
This is not a one year problem, it’s a TREND. Next year will be a great year to start anew with a different coach. All 3 bigs will be leaving.
A fan
March 15th, 2010
8:24 am
UGA, with a LOSING record is on the rise????
pws
March 15th, 2010
8:24 am
Well, as a season ticket holder for many years, I have finally understood what Bobby Cremins said when he said that a team has to have “chemistry” to be a really good team. The only team that has had that kind of chemistry under Blewitt is the 2004 team, and the leader of that team was Clarence Moore, not Blewitt. I like Paul as a person, but sometimes I think that his being a nice guy is part of the problem. Look at how Moe Miller played this weekend, if Paul hadn’t undermined his confidence earlier in the year, we might have been at least 9-7 in the ACC, and not 7-9. Moe is the only guard who tried to take advantage of his two big men inside, he’s the only one who tried to get them the ball. The team does not play as a team, they are playing as individuals, with Shumpert being one of the players with no team attitude. And that chemistry has to come from the coach, the coach has to become the leader of the team when there is no leader among the players, and Paul has not been able to do so. However I did like it when I heard him on tv yell at the ref yesterday that the ref was terrible. It was the same ref who didn’t appreciate the wipe off board I had two years ago with “missed calls” written on it at AMC….
MalibuGT
March 15th, 2010
8:24 am
I think a sweet 16 team would make this year a success (particularly relative to the past several years). a one and done would not.
there were a number of things this weekend that drove me crazy with the coaching and the team, but mainly i’m proud of both. coming to within an off balance 3 pointer of beating a number 1 see and being conference champion was impressive. Maybe our tough luck with losing close games will even out with some wins in the big dance.
Bigger Fish to Fry
March 15th, 2010
8:24 am
We have bigger fish to fry than just the ACC tournament championship, sweet 16, or final four. With Lawal and Favors we better win it all or CPH deserves to be fired, $7 million buyout or not!
Prof. Snape
March 15th, 2010
8:25 am
Of course UGA is on the rise. Only a fool would deny it. Or a bug.
George P
March 15th, 2010
8:26 am
I think the poll misses the mark because the success of a season isn’t measured just by what happens at the end. Tech had a losing record in the ACC and lost to a mediocre Georgia team. With the talent they have they fell far short.
The ACC tournament run helped, and winning a couple of games in the NCAA tournament would be nice, but the season is already a failure.
(This, by the way, is why I am dead set against a football playoff: it will cheapen the real season and encourage people to think of post-season success as the only measure.)
Reality Check
March 15th, 2010
8:29 am
GT is lucky to get in the tournament. The fact is that VT should have gone to the dance before GT, three less conference losses and they BEAT GT at GT the last game of the season. For some reason the Committee threw 3 months of conference games out for one fluke weekend. GT beat the two worst teams in the ACC along with one good win agains Maryland. GT might win a game in NCAA but it is a shame that a team like VT gets the shaft.
ramblingbuzz
March 15th, 2010
8:33 am
The 3 ACC wins were exciting but ugly. You have to give the team credit for an amazing amount of heart, they never quit in any of the games including the final. An opening loss in the NCAA would be a disappointment considering the success in the ACC tournament.
Stuart
March 15th, 2010
8:35 am
If you one and done in the NCAA Tournament the question rises.. “were you ever really there”? Tech has to win at least 2 games in the tourney for this season to be considered a success. For more Tech talk visit: http://www.bbuzzoff.com
Crqacker Jacket
March 15th, 2010
8:35 am
Success is beating Georgia every year!
A fan
March 15th, 2010
8:41 am
Does anyone know what kind of recruiting class is coming in next year?
SMITTYSTHEMAN
March 15th, 2010
8:46 am
Tech’s exceptional talent got them into the Big Dance IN SPITE OF Hewitt’s coaching. With Bell and Peacock graduating, and Lawal and Favors probably going pro, let’s see what Hewitt does with the remaining talent. My bet is they have another coachless down season.
Tony B
March 15th, 2010
8:47 am
Congratulations to the Yellow Jackets on this season. If this were any other coach the description would be “they’re peaking at the right time”. However in this “what have you done for me lately” fan base, we fault the coach for turnovers & ft shooting. In the past 5 yrs CPH has been 20 games under 0.500 in conference play. During that time he’s had 5 different point guards. This is a point guard driven league. The kids (6 Fr. 3 Soph.) played well this year, with 3 different point guards.
Angus
March 15th, 2010
8:48 am
I voted win 2 – Sweet Sixteen.
I had high expectations, but Top 8 in the country? Nah.
Because of a couple of bad losses this year, Tech will struggle to win one and will not win two.
Overall, disappointment.
Chris
March 15th, 2010
8:52 am
You saw their upside? With how many turnovers? If this is their upside then they won’t win more than 1 game this week. Upside is 16 turnovers in a half? Or 24+ in a game? Upside is lazy play at times and missed easy shots? I will give the defense credit. They played hard. If this team could just stop the stupid turnovers then they would win their region or at least give ku a run. But you can’t fix problems this big this late. So they will lose to oh st by 20
BravesFan79
March 15th, 2010
8:53 am
George P: Yea, playing every football season where 95% of the teams (including GT) have NO shot at winning a national title really makes the games Much more meaningful!
Hey… lets cancel the World Series and playoffs this year so the Nationals and Royals can play a bowl “meaningless exhibition” game after the season. It just wouldn’t be fair to those teams not to have the chance to play in front of 5,000 fans one more time. Then after everyone plays a meaningless exhibition game, we can draw straws to see who the champ is! Awsome!!
Bad Coach
March 15th, 2010
8:58 am
GT won 3 straight games this weekend because Hewitt didn’t have as much time to coach them down. They barely beat UNC and then won ugly the rest of the way on talent. They will lose the first NCAA game because he’ll have too much time to prepare the team. Playing everyday actually helped GT over the weekend.
come on
March 15th, 2010
8:59 am
i don’t know where this tech won’t have anyone back next year statements are coming from. we will only lose favors and maybe gani. i think gani is back due to inconsistent play. we will have rice jr, oliver, mo, kam (who is redshirting) shump, mfon, incoming jason morris(who has a 95 ranting). we also have 2 top one hundred recruits from last class that took redshirts. so i think that we have the players there, and these freshman will have been battle tested.
come on
March 15th, 2010
9:01 am
lets remember what tech did last time we lost a great one and done post player to the draft. maybe another run is in the future
GT Supporter
March 15th, 2010
9:02 am
GT got a bad match with OK State..Theyre done in the 1st round.
Paul Hewitt clearly understands GT barely got in the bIg dance.
The tourney committee gave GT “Mercy Hump” this year.
Sadly Paul Hewitt should still be dismissed.
You cant talk a winning program if you cant win!!
Hewitt had ten years to get this right…Isnt ten years enough?
And all GT fans please admit you were on the edge of your seats when you watched GT skim by UNC U OF MD and NC State. Tech didnt look good in any of those games!! Theyre just getting by.
Terrible FREE THROW SHOOTING AND TURNOVERS!!!
Tech still needs major work and improvement!!
What is the prediction for the 2010-11 season with all your “strengths” going to the NBA with Hewitt as coach??
Hopps
March 15th, 2010
9:03 am
I saw a stat during the duke game about half way through that said gt broke the conf record for most turnovers. i’m sure they smashed the record and it will never be broken. If they had a good point guard, they would be a top 10 team.
Tech82
March 15th, 2010
9:07 am
Come On – Most NBA pundits have both Lawal and Favors leaving as first round draft picks and we lose Bell and Peacock to graduation. That will leave Brad Sheehan as the ONLY big man on the roster. You still feeling good about next year?
justahawkfan
March 15th, 2010
9:09 am
SOME PROSPECTIVE, W22-L12 IS THIER RECORD FOR THE SEASON. MORE WINS THAT LOSES. WE MADE THE THE NCCA TOURNAMENT AS A 10TH SEED. ALMOST BEAT DEMOGRAPHIC UNIVERSITY ON THEIR HOME COURT IN GREENSBORO NC. IN A GAME THAT WAS CALLED BY THIER REFEREES. WHEN COMPARED OT LAST SEASON………?
GT Supporter
March 15th, 2010
9:09 am
A Hopps GT has great PG’s Unfortunately they have a coach who doesnt let there PG’s play to there strengths..Moe Miller and Udofia are good!! I have yet to see Hewitt allow these guards to play “THEIR” game. Cremins let his pg’s play to the max…Hewitt wants his pgs to be satisfied with passing and defense…Hewitt doesnt allow and/or prepare his pgs to be agressive offensively.
Well of course for Shumpert and its obvious Shumpert isnt a PG.
Tom
March 15th, 2010
9:10 am
George P. You couldn’t be more wrong. You can’t compare the 2 because basketball can have 3-4 games over 3-4 days. Football is just one day. What makes college football SUCK is NOT having a playoff. By the final 4 games of the season you KNOW who has a shot at the NC. And like the other poster said, 90% of the teams have no chance even if they won ALL their games. What is really a joke is the ncaa can talk about expanding to 96 teams for the bball tourney which would extend the long post season by another week AND all this happens around finals yet they can’t do an 8 team playoff in college football during a break when there is NO school and NO exams. This shows how much they lie and contradict themselves. College football SUCKS with the current system.
Hopps
March 15th, 2010
9:13 am
If you have good point guards then you are A. Able to get the ball upcourt with little to no problems
B You don’t have 24+ turnovers a game. That is a fact.
The ACC
March 15th, 2010
9:17 am
Expectations for the program? Playing in the same league and Duke and UNC means no one expects better than 3rd-6th in a given year. Tech has achieved that fairly consistently hence there are many fans who are happy with the status quo. Since 1980 we have more ACC tournament appearances, wins, and championships than anyone not named Duke and UNC.
IMO, Tech is a sleeping giant. We get the recruits locally, we even get them nationally. We can be in the tournament every year, even if we can’t compete with Tobacco Road. That is what is frustrating. We are just waiting for some coaching.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
March 15th, 2010
9:34 am
turnovers will haunt them- hopefully they won’t start the same way against OkSt like they did with Duke.
Jacket Fan
March 15th, 2010
9:37 am
Let’s hope sweet 16. Because this is a good as it will ever get w/ Hewitt. Next year, back to 3 or 4 win ACC season.
Tech Fan
March 15th, 2010
9:47 am
The ESPN broadcasters said it best, “This has to be one of the most talented teams I’ve seen all year, but their undisciplined and sloppy play must drive Yellow Jacket fans crazy.” Ground Hog Day, because this is how most of us have felt year after year for a long time now. ..anyway…Go Jackets!!
wiley
March 15th, 2010
9:48 am
Well honestly it is a success. The goal every year is to make the tournament….we did this. The NCAA tourney will define if this season is above average but any year with a tourney appearance should be considered a success. You guys do realize we only won 2 ACC games last year….sure Hewitt has wasted talent but I am already excited to see how these young guards develop for the next few years. I think Moe Miller will have an awesome senior year….when is the last time we had a senior point guard?
Rob
March 15th, 2010
9:54 am
Hewitt still needs to be fired.
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
9:57 am
I know I am going to sound extremely harsh with this judgement, but GT has to make it to the Elite Eight for me to even BEGIN to consider this season a success. I am sorry, but this team is stacked with Final Four talent, and for their season to have been what it has been, is pathetic. Now, like any other Tech fan, I was happy to see the talent show what it can do in the ACC Tourney, but the problem is not the talent; it has been there all year. The problem, until the day Hewitt is fired, is coaching. Now, I will support this team til the bitter end, but breaking two records in the tournament for most turnovers and worst free throw percentage is a testament to how bad Hewitt’s coaching is. Also, what I don’t understand is why people are posting what is and isn’t going to happen. This was a question concerning what HYPOTHETICALLY would make the season a success. And for me personally, only an Elite Eight run or better will get Hewitt somewhat out of the doghouse for me. Even then, this team has shown way too many turnovers to have me completely sold on Hewitt.
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
9:59 am
Wiley, it is not about what happened last year or making the tournament, it is the fact that this team with THREE former highschool All-Americans went 7-9 in ACC play. That is a losing record last time I checked. Anyone remember the last time we actually had a winning record in ACC play? It’s been quite a while. On top of that, look at some of the ACC categories our team led in: most turnovers, worst free throw percentage, those are not accolades I want my favorite program to have, personally.
joey gt
March 15th, 2010
10:00 am
im the biggest gt fan their is and i admit their is something wrong but its not all coach hewitt its the players also. coach hewitt can not make them make free throw and in bound the ball. tech defense in the acc tourney was outstanding , that was coaching.i dont not agree with firing coach hewitt. you supposed tech fans that are complaining after making it to the acc champ are idiot and not true tech fans.
HugoStiglitz
March 15th, 2010
10:00 am
If we go in, turn the ball over 20 times, shoot 50% free throws and have trouble inbounding the ball, and lose by 4 or 5 then yes I will be fairly disappointed.
joey gt
March 15th, 2010
10:01 am
tech has the talent to make it to the elite 8 if all comes togther and gels right
joey gt
March 15th, 2010
10:03 am
if we fire coach hewitt we start all over again and we will still have losing seasons
BrokeBackJacket
March 15th, 2010
10:05 am
Stop all the pushing and shoving….geeeze….hard as hell to tell who is trying to get on and off the CPH bandwagon!!
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:10 am
The problem with that joey is that the closest it came was in the first half of the Maryland game, and even that was negated by 15+ turnovers in 6 or so minutes. Not being able to inbound the ball, inability to run the offense without turning it over, and crappy free throw shooting all indicate that somewhere the coaching is not evident. And you know what, maybe it isn’t entirely Hewitt’s fault, but I would be willing to gamble that 95% of it is.
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:12 am
How do you figure joey? We go out and hire a coach more comparable to say, Coach K out of Duke, or even someone more closely resembling Mark Fox out of UGA, then this team is a 30+ win team by the end of the year.
Ruben Houston
March 15th, 2010
10:12 am
The most undeserving team team in the NCAA T’ment. Their coach is average at best…and their instate rival who was in a rebuilding year and finished with an under 500 record took them to the cleaners and beat them going away………How many times are we going to pick up the paper and find Tech student athletes and ex student athletes in trouble with the law. Its happening on a daily basis. What’s going on at the Joke by Coke?
BeachGuy
March 15th, 2010
10:12 am
Success/failure is not measued by the number of NCAAT wins. It is measured by playing entertaining basketball on a reasonably consistent basis and being competitive within the ACC relative to the talent level of your team and the competition throughout the year. That means beating those teams with a significantly less talent, winning at least half the games against teams with comparable talent and being at least competitive against teams with more talent. Given our inconsistency this year and the talent level that Georgia Tech has on the roster compared to the rest of the league, this season has to be considered a failure. One good weekend doesn’t make up for the inconsistency and frustration of several months. Of course it is nice to end on a positive note, but that is just not enough. More importantly, how do we all feel about the 2010-2011 season? Do you think this ACCT run means we have solved our problems?
HelluvaEngineer
March 15th, 2010
10:15 am
How can this possibly be a “success”? I’m not ready to write it off as a failure by any means – but I agree with the sentiment of going from an F to a D thanks to the ACC Tournament run. With this talent, we have underachieved in typical Hewitt fashion, and now are “rewarded” with an exceptionally difficult draw in the OSU’s. Coaching is still a real problem, and our players have very low bball IQs. Let’s see how they do in the tourney, but they have to know that 25 TOs is NOT going to produce anything close to a win.
Gordon
March 15th, 2010
10:16 am
Joey,
Ever heard of throwing good money after bad? We’ve seen what Hewitt can do. Most people think we can do better. This is a 5 year problem, not a 1 year problem.
GTPhenom is exactly right.
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:19 am
Oh yeah Ruben, because your mutt pound over there in the cesspool of the South was certainly stellar in BBall this year, right? That is the one thing that can make me proud of what the Jackets did because we quite frankly had a better year in a tougher conference than the mutts. Why even bother posting on about trouble with law? Your cesspool graduates certainly know more than enough about it. Then again, students coming into that place get into bad habits. Just look at that QB . . .
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:23 am
Actually, if we want to be honest it has been a 10 year problem Gordon. 10 years as head coach of our team, and only one winning ACC record to show for it. I’ll give him his props; he took a team to the national title. But since that run, I consider it less and less of Hewitt and more and more of the assisstants he had around him, and the talent that played for him.
GTFanInVA
March 15th, 2010
10:33 am
If this was football, we’d be calling for a new offensive coordinator. Hewitt recruits well and coaches great defense. Two out of three isn’t bad – but its not good enough. He needs to swallow is pride and get some help on the offensive side. Maybe be CPJ can come in and teach these guys the spread triple option…
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 15th, 2010
10:34 am
Even Coach K was quoted during yesterday’s game that GT has the most talent and atleticism in the ACC. Coach K doesn’t throw these type of compliments around just for psychological reasons. He believes that, and so do I.
With that said, we have grossly overachieved. The Duke team probably would not even be a top 8 seed in the dance without Coach K, and GT would probably be a top 3 seed with Coach K. I’m not a Dook fan, but I can see obvious good coaching and discipline vs. a lack of it.
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:34 am
Or perhaps spread triple threat at least, GTFanInVA . . .
GTPhenom
March 15th, 2010
10:35 am
Just imagine where that Duke team would be with Hewitt at the helm . . .
BigBlue
March 15th, 2010
10:37 am
Anyone who watched Tech in the ACC tourney…knows that GT likely loses in the first round of NCAA’s. They simply make way to many UNFORCED turnovers to win what otherwise would have been a close game. They had at least 6 turnovers against Duke on Sunday that was not caused by any defensive pressure but simply lack of court awareness. Stepping out of bounds (four times!) with no defender within arms reach just cannot happen. This amounts to given the other team more possessions each game which should mean more points than they otherwise should have had. GT could have gotten points but instead they give the opponent a chance to steal the points. Also, the horrendous free throw shooting by most of the Tech team will also lose games. But the two together and you are looking at a seriously flawed team. They may get lucky to win once against quality teams but not more. Note…they beat Maryland (good team) but the other ACC wins were sub par teams about like GT. They lost to Duke that is not as good as the normal Duke team. No way they beat Ohio State. Likely they lose to OSU by 12 or more points.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 15th, 2010
10:38 am
The poll really is flawed. If GT makes it to the sweet 16, then I will admit that they did not grossly underachieve, BUT this will not negate the gross underachievement during the season. I would probably grade this season a C- instead of a D- if we make the sweet 16. After his 10th year, this is not enough to give him another year. Yes, I know that he is going to be at GT next year no matter what, but we have to continue to express our honest opinions.
pws
March 15th, 2010
10:43 am
GTPhenom, you are right, it was the assistant coaches that carried the team to that run in 2004. And Clarence Moore. I respect Bell and Peacock but neither of them have the personality of Clarence Moore, hence there has not been that type of leadership among the players. The same thing happened to Bobby Cremins, the year Drew Barry graduated, and Bobby wanted Matt Harpring to be the leader of that team his junior year. Bobby blamed that bad year on his freshman point guard who transferred to GA state, but no one wants to admit that Matt was also to blame that year, and it was because he didn’t have the personality to be the leader on the court. Great hustle, great work ethic, but didn’t know how to communicate to his fellow players at that time. To be considered sucessful this year, they need to make it to the final four. Sadly, not going to happen.
Gordon
March 15th, 2010
10:45 am
GTPhenom,
I disagree that it has been a 10 year problem. The first 5 years he did okay when you consider what he inherited. In my opinion, the problems began in year 6 after both his original assistants had left (Keener and Warren). Something was lost at that point that has never been recovered.
But either way, I have seen nothing this year that makes me think Hewitt is the right man for the job. I’m tired of watching the type of basketball Tech plays, and won’t attend any more games until he is gone. I am a long time season ticket holder, but it just isn’t worth my time or money anymore. It just isn’t entertaining. I’ll be back when we get a coach that makes players better.
rduck
March 15th, 2010
10:47 am
It’s too bad that this team had to wait until the ACC tourny to show the tremendous potential it has. The lackluster at best showing in the regular conference season has given this team a tremendously tough draw to go through in the tournament. Way too many unforced errors and mistakes by this team to make a serious run in the bracket. They will be lucky to get out of the 1st round. Just as much asthe wins in the ACC tourney looked promising, the mistakes and TO’s during it also increased. I would love to see Tech make a run but the likelyhood of that is not reasonable with the TO’s and awful FT shooting…
wiley
March 15th, 2010
10:53 am
GT phenom…last time I checked…making the tourney is all that matters. Sure it would be nice to go 14-2 in conference play but when has that ever happened at GT!?!? Cremins had a few good years but we were never Duke or UNC! I was not happy with 7-9 but College Basketball is not like College Football. If we win 6 games in a row starting Friday….we are national champions and playing for that title is all that matters in this sport. You guys are too hung up on the regular season…get behind your team Jackets fans!
A fan
March 15th, 2010
10:55 am
Chances are that Hewitt will never have the talent that he had this year. He CAN’T get it done. Next year won’t be good, folks. Brad Sheehan may be our starting center.
Jesse Stone
March 15th, 2010
10:57 am
wiley- Making the tourney is NOT all that matters. If we win the games we should’ve this year, we would have a much more favorable draw. There is NO WAY a team this talented should be a 10 seed.
DRAD
March 15th, 2010
11:00 am
the ACC tourney was the best thing that could have happened to Tech. P. Hewitt is unfireable… Tech doesn’t have the cashmoney to deal w/ his buyout while still dealing w/ Gailey’s. Tech isn’t in the PR position to buyout P. Hewitt, while facing millions in dollars of cuts to it’s state funding for education. P Hewitt is unfireable… the problem is the Alumni want him fired. DRAD needs some cover to justify not firing p. hewitt, and this gives him that cover. Trust me, if tech had been 1 and done at the ACC tourney, P Hewitt would still be around DRAD would just have to spend more political capital to keep him here. No DRAD has his cover, Tech will prolly go 1 and done… certainly won’t win 2.
Poindexter Jugdish
March 15th, 2010
11:00 am
You dawg fans are just jealous because our players are getting a better education than your players.
When our players graduate, they can get a job anywhere, doing anything.
We do have players graduate right?
Who will be on our team next year? I hate having to relearn twelve new players every year.
@ wiley
March 15th, 2010
11:02 am
yo wiley – the lowest seeded team to ever win the tourney was an 8th seed. All Tech theoretically has to do is win 6 games in a row, but that ain’t gonna happen IRL.
GTFanInVA
March 15th, 2010
11:02 am
I don’t believe Tech showed its potential in the ACC tourney. They won 3 close games on a neutral court – not much different than what they’ve done all year. Fact is that with Tech’s talent they should have won those 3 games by double digits (UNC and NC State at least). The comments from unbiased observers is damning (paraphrased):
“Tremendous talent but an enigma” (Mike Gminski)
“Final Four level talent but NIT level offensive play” (ESPN Broadcast)
“Talent to make a run but has tendancy to shoot themselves in the foot” (ESPN Online)
AGTFan
March 15th, 2010
11:05 am
I try to give coaches the benefit of the doubt. If I knew more than them, I might be coaching somewhere. That being said, this team gives me a headache. One minute I’m marvelling at teh incredible talent and athleticism. the next minute I’m wondering how any team can be so sloppy, undisciplined, and unfocused. When they are playing up to their potential, this team can beat anyone in the country. When they’re playing without discipline or focus, they could lose to any team in the country. How can the same team be both the best team I’ve seen this year and the worst?
Price is Right
March 15th, 2010
11:05 am
GTfaninVA is right on the money..if this were football we would be looking for a new offensive coordinator. I am begging CPH and GTAA to add Mark Price to this program and let him not only recruit another Mark Price but teach him the point guard/leadership skills and utilize that role which is what this team is lacking. Someone who will be around 4 years and would have the maturity to run the floor and know how to handle each situation. Just adding Price would be a spark to this program and a great addition. WHY DOES THIS IDEA SEEM SO TABOO TO THE GTAA? DRAD, Mark Price was Mr. GT basketball. I realize you and CPH do not know him like us die hard fans, but can you not look back at the film of his games? That is one very missing link. He lives in the Atlanta area and consults for the Atlanta Hawks. To hell with the Hawks, his own school should be employing his talents, experience and what he brings to the table. Talk about someone who would get the fanbase rallying behind the troops. Price is all of that.
Good luck in the tournament and go get ‘em Jackets.
wiley
March 15th, 2010
11:07 am
Well Jesse this team is a number 10 seed and they will be playing in the tournament to determine the National Championship. Maybe you should go root for UNC or Duke if you want a top seed every year….as for me I would be perfectly fine if Tech basketball got a NCAA tourney 3 out of every 4 years. You guys have unreal expectations for Tech basketball….I mean seriously guys do you think we are UNC, Duke, or Uconn? GT basketball has never been elite…yet our fan base seems to think we should be and does nothing but complain. How about we wait and see what happens with this team before we label them a failure…
macrotech
March 15th, 2010
11:08 am
Unless this team makes it to the Sweet 16….it’s a let down. Too much talent wasted!
ASHEVILLE DAWG
March 15th, 2010
11:08 am
Well Tech got lucky in the ACC tounament. However the conference record of 7-9 still shows they were lacking. But he did make it to the championship round of the ACC. Hewitt still is the problem, some things never change.
hey THE ACC
March 15th, 2010
11:08 am
your facts which you base your entire post are wrong! obviously you are one of those who want to keep phew.
in 10 years we have finished in the top 6 only one time. ONE TIME!
so your comment about routinely finishing somewhere between 3d to 6th in the conference is pure bs. last time i looked i think our average finish over a 10 year span is 7 or 8.
i dont know about you but that is MY definition of mediocrity.
you probably ascribe to the ideas that phew teams tend to end up playing well at the end of the year. so well that we routinely are one n done in the acc tourney.
more fiction from phew fans is that he coaches his players up. ask coach karl from golden state about how well anthony morrow was coached in college. in 10 years has phew EVER developed a pg?
one only compare the turnover per game per season and the number of assists per game per season between bobby cremins teams and phew’s teams to see that phew does a piss poor job at developing guards. a good pg will not only rack in the assists but he will help keep turnovers to a minimum.
VT blanks sheep
March 15th, 2010
11:12 am
It is funny though how GT kept the Hoaxies out of the ACC football championship game and now they did the same thing to them in basketball. hahahahahahahaahaaahha Oh well, the NCAA committee could have thrown Clemson under the bus instead.
wiley
March 15th, 2010
11:12 am
Yes I know it isnt likely. But I cant ever remember a 10 seed with this much talent. I’m not sure how many 10 or lower seeds have made the final four….but I know there have been several recently…Georgia Mason and LSU. This team has the defense to make a deep run but the TOs will keep them from scoring alot. I just think its funny that our team is playing pretty good basketball in March so far but all our fans can do is complain.
coachx
March 15th, 2010
11:19 am
I’m already looking foward to the Turner vs. Anderson show down in Round #2. They are the 2 best college SGs in the country.
Tech has a tough draw in Round #1.
James Anderson is probably the 2nd best SG in all of college basketball. I saw them beat #1 Kansas by about 15 points and Anderson had 28.
If Tech has any prayer of advancing they need to find away to shut down Anderson (which I don’t think any college team can.) The guy can shoot the lights out with high releases point that is unstoppable. He can shoot over anyone with unlimited range and has the ability to play above the rim. (Rare combo for a college player).
If they do beat Okl St then they have to play the #1 SG in all of college basketball vs. Turner for Ohio St (he is a bit more raw then Anderson but just has that “wow factor to his game.”
coachx
March 15th, 2010
11:22 am
I actually want Tech to get blown out so that they can find a real head coach.
How can you expect your players to play with any composure when their coach has no composure ?
Its going to be bad when Favors averages a double / double in his rookie NBA season.
italian_29
March 15th, 2010
11:34 am
I just wanted to make an outside observation, I thought GT had a pretty good season. They were 22-12, There are teams in the country that would love to be 22-12. They had a good run in the ACC tourney which is a tough BB conference. I know that everyone wants their team to do better, but in reality with their strength of schedual the season was pretty good and will just be better once the NCAA starts and they get a few more wins. Just an outside observation. One serious question, if you GT fans got your wish and CPH was fired, who would you hire to replace him? There aren’t alot of Coach K’s on the market looking for a job.
dawg1967
March 15th, 2010
11:35 am
How does head coach Mark Price sound, bet they could make an inbound pass with a field general on the floor.
T-Bone
March 15th, 2010
11:43 am
I’ve been a GT fanatic since 1989 when I first saw Dennis Scott play. I want Tech to succeed and become a perennial force in college basketball, but at the same time, everyone needs to be honest about this situation. CPH’s teams have had the same problems EVERY SEASON with the exceptions of 2001 and 2004. In both seasons, Tech was picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but veteran leadership at the guard position made it possible for them to perform beyond expectations. Eight of Hewitt’s 10 seasons on the Flats have been disappointing, with the most egregious being ‘05 and ‘07. Granted, the Jackets have been hurt by early defections to the NBA, but that can’t be an excuse because ALL of college basketball’s elite schools have been burned by them. The problem is that CPH doesn’t prepare for the inevitable. Take next year for example. There is a possibility that Favors and Lawal will both declare for the draft, and we know that Peacock is finished. Whom do we have waiting in the wings? Daniel Miller, Brad Sheehan, and Kammeon H. When a coach recruits blue chippers, he has to have backups for when those blue chippers bolt. We lost Jarrett Jack, and he was replaced by a shooting/scoring guard in Zam Frederick. We lost Javaris Crittenton, and he was replaced by a far less capable Mo Miller. Why is it that teams like Butler, Gonzaga, Xavier, etc. are competitive year after year? They have continuity in their programs. They have upperclassmen leading the team. Tech relies on freshmen every other year. In ‘04, we had Marvin Lewis, Clarence Moore, and even Robert Brooks who had spent four years in the program. It is the coach’s job to recruit intelligently so that there is consistency in the program. Hewitt is so concerned with recruiting the best athletes that he’s forgotton to recruit basketball players. Duke’s players pale in comparison to Tech’s as far as athleticism, but as far as basketball IQ, we get smashed year in and year out. After 10 years, it’s clear that Hewitt does not understand this, so if he stays, we can look forward to the same expectations (high) and the same results (disappointment).
JIMV
March 15th, 2010
11:44 am
They’re now calling them the “Twilight Zone Team” (Tim Brando et al) because of Tech’s penchant for wierd turnovers and sudden inability to play basketball. Let’s just say “one and done”.
Speedy G
March 15th, 2010
11:46 am
Hewitt back next year? I say…eat the money and get a decent coach. We are losing our top three big front men (Favors, Lawal and Peacock) after the season, so dont expect much from Tech next year folks. Why not use the year to get a new coach and re-build? So far Hewitt has proven only that luck sometimes carries you a long way or that is not only how well you play but how poorly your opponent shoots….GT does not have a hint of a formal offensive game, poor free-throw shooting and a turnover rate thats the highest in the ACC…how can GT justify keeping him? Eat the money and hope for the best! Go Jackets!
jimmy62
March 15th, 2010
11:46 am
All that tournament run showed me is that if this team was well coached, they would have dominated the ACC during the regular season. Cut the stupid turnovers in half and make some free throws, and they can beat anyone. But we see the same stupid mistakes every year from Tech players, so either Hewitt recruits klutzes, or he can’t coach his team to be smart. Either way, it comes down to Hewitt. You can’t blame anyone but the coach for the same problems every single year.
Tech75
March 15th, 2010
11:48 am
I agree with others that whether the season is deemed a success or failure should be a summation of the season, not just the last few games. BUT….
There are two GROSS failures this season, one of which was apparent LAST season, and has not been corrected – FREE THROW SHOOTING. Guys, they’re called FREE THROWS for a reason! There is really no excuse for any player to shoot less than 66% unless they don’t care or have not had decent coaching.
Turnovers are a different story. We’re seeing a lot of turnovers because the players are playing too carefully. They’re playing too carefully because they believe what’s been written about them – they read these blogs, you would be a fool to believe otherwise.
Early in the year, they were reading that they were a Top 5 team – and their heads got big. Later, they started getting worried about their play and the bad losses, then all the hoopla about Hewitt, and started playing “tight”. When you play tight, you make mistakes, your reactions are just a shade slower because you’re thinking too much, etc.
But ultimately, it comes back to Hewitt. I was thinking about this last night. It sure is interesting that they won these tournament games AFTER hearing DRad’s comments… do you think maybe a fire got built under Hewitt?
Tech First
March 15th, 2010
11:49 am
Congrats Jackets Let’s make another tourney run like this past weekend Its not about Hewitt or the coaches at this point. How bad do the players want it tough draw on friday Ok St. haven’t seen an ACC Press we have the Bigs down low. Were a deep team we lost by 4 to a 1seed we beat two months ago. Next year we’ll be fine and exp. THIS YEAR WERE IN GO RAMBLIN WRECK!!!!!
Speedy G
March 15th, 2010
11:51 am
I say…eat the money and get a decent coach. We are losing our top three big front men (Favors, Lawal and Peacock) after the season, so dont expect much from Tech next year folks. Why not use the year to get a new coach and re-build? So far Hewitt has proven only that luck sometimes carries you a long way or that is not only how well you play but how poorly your opponent performs….GT does not have a hint of a formal/designed offensive game, poor free-throw shooting and a turnover rate thats the highest in the ACC…how can GT justify keeping him? Eat the money and hope for the best!
CraZyTRaDeMaN
March 15th, 2010
11:53 am
Maybe between now and the first game we can come up with a few more inbound plays.
sporty black
March 15th, 2010
11:54 am
It’s simple… Just like Tubby in Kentucky, Hewitt won too many, too fast. No all these dumb a$$es out there think winning 25/30 games per year is the norm. Hewitt is doing a fine job. When you get top-notch recruits, you have to play them. In GT’s case, too much talent is on the floor. Shumpert, Lawal, and Favors are all go to guys. One of them need to get selfish, demand the ball more and becomer the offensive leader. I think Lawal should take this role since he is more polshed than Favors on the inside. Let Shumpert close the game out since he is a big guard and decent FT shooter. End of Story.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
March 15th, 2010
11:55 am
Italian: Coach K wasn’t Coach K before Duke gave him his first big job. You never know, but there are a lot of guys out there that have the seeds planted to be successful. Ultimately, when you hire a guy or gal for their first big job, it is risky, but we can take a risk or continue to see our teams underachieve and play a brand of basketball that is not fun to watch. I vote for the 1st of these 2 options. Of course, I realize he is going to remain as coach most likely, due to the stupid contract he has.
Diablo69
March 15th, 2010
11:58 am
Final Four talent with NIT coaching. There is not doubt that Hewitt can coach effort, but his inability to teach fundamentals is dumbfounding. Sweet 16 or bust!
the real Old Gold
March 15th, 2010
12:00 pm
Anyone want to be in my Turnover Pool? I got dibs on 15 against OKSt. 1-20 is up for grabs.
Arthante Lafleur
March 15th, 2010
12:11 pm
Gordon @ 6:20am – “He went from an F to a D for this season with the ACC run. He can bring it up to a C with a sweet 16 run. The trouble is, this is his highest grade of the last 5 years.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I don’t have a problem w/ Hewitt on a personal level, but I can’t point to any coach in any sport at any level who has consistently had less success with as much talent. The numbers (esp. his record in the ACC) are atrocious, and no matter how you apportion the blame this year, Hewitt has been the common denominator through the past several seasons.
Two first round NBA big men, and no scheme to get them the ball (until the ACC tournament). Team can’t inbound. Can’t win on the road. Coach habitually mismanages the game and finds himself w/ no timeouts in key spots down the stretch. These are all COACHING problems.
I appreciate his service to the school but given the cold hard numbers we’re just long overdue for a change. That being said, I applaud Hewitt and the Jackets’ surprising ACC tournament run and wish them best of luck in NCAAs.
Time Out
March 15th, 2010
12:25 pm
Steak “FAT FACE” Shapiro said Ohio State is an easy win in the 2nd Round. Oh yeah, and visit STATS.
Yurtle_the_turtle
March 15th, 2010
12:29 pm
I was dissapointed Thursday night when we won. Pulling for UNC was tough but I figured that a loss to them would give DRAD the excuse he needed to finally rid GT Basketball of the plague called “Hewitt”. I’m afraid that, with the run we had, we’ll be seeing Hewitt back for next season. (Of course, he’ll have his typical exucse for why we’re lousy next year too). Then, after the end of next year Gailey will have one year left on his contract. This will mean another year of Hewitt. So, I see us having to put up with him for two more years.
Miss Me Yet - Signed Bobby Cremins
March 15th, 2010
12:30 pm
Jeff,
This team’s going no where. This teams turnover stats are an embarrassment and show a lack of solid coaching. I’m not behind Hewitt’s staff and a change is needed. This program’s going NO WHERE!
PMC
March 15th, 2010
12:36 pm
They’ve got the Front Court to make the Sweet 16 easily if they play well and hit thier freethrows.
Unfortunately the Backcourt may not be worthy of the NIT. They turn it over like it’s their job.
HUH?
March 15th, 2010
12:38 pm
They didn’t play a good team in the ACC tourney till Duke. They haven’t played that well all season. The expectations were sky high for this team and they haven’t delivered. I don’t see how you could argue that this season hasn’t been a disappointment.
Jesse Stone
March 15th, 2010
12:47 pm
Lawal must wear a size 6 shoe. He has horrible balance and is always falling over. I don’t blame Lawal for shooting fadeaways. The worst think that could happen is him going up strong and getting fouled. Lawal shooting 2 = turnover.
In Pollack We Trust
March 15th, 2010
12:49 pm
David Pollack just tweeted that Norman Dale is coming to coach Tech basketball next year. He said it’s a “done deal”.
drew
March 15th, 2010
12:53 pm
Let’s not start thinking this team has turned a corner or something…they are still the same schizophrenic team they’ve been all season. They beat UNC and Maryland because both of these teams stunk it up offensively. And yeah, some of this can be attributed to defense, but what I saw was a ton of good looks that simply wouldn’t go down. If UNC or MD make even a fourth of their threes, they win. Their other victory over a much less talented NC State team was also unimpressive. I think their best game in the run was probably the one they lost to Duke. The defense looked better than it has all year.
How far will they go? With the draw they have, my guess is they’ll win no more than one.
Or they could make it to the final four.
Schizophrenia’s a beeatch!
GTBuzz85
March 15th, 2010
12:54 pm
Gordon’s comments ditto’ed mine. Well said. Just looking at wins/losses and the ACC run don’t tell the real story. I liked the result of coming so close to winning the ACC Tourney. I am happy for the players. But it was painful watching each of the games this weekend. We happened to win. But the end doesn’t justify the means. Tech played bad basketball – turnovers, free throws, offense, … ACC run nor an NCAA run will replace the dismal performance and lack of entertainment watching Tech play this year. HS teams are better at fundamentals than we were this year.
Jack Worley
March 15th, 2010
12:59 pm
This team will come together in the big dance, just wait and see… and as for the comments from all the georgia folks, it will always be that way..they just dont know better!
shawn
March 15th, 2010
1:00 pm
Gordon, are you out of your mind? How can you give a D to Hewitt after making it to NCCA? Not to mention, they almost beat Duke. Come on, be realistic.
GT2002
March 15th, 2010
1:00 pm
Get a good look at that picture Jeff has posted at the top of the article because at least half of them will be playing significant minutes, if not starting in 2010-11. How many ACC games will we win with what we have returning? And we thought 09 was bad.
Bobbi Dud
March 15th, 2010
1:07 pm
Bottom line…Tech’s doesn’t win National Championship or State Championship. If you can’t win them all..how can you be happy! Hewitt keeps lifetime job!!!
Jesse Stone
March 15th, 2010
1:39 pm
shawn- with the talent Hewitt has, a “D” is appropriate. This team was penciled in as a Sweet 16 team before the season started. you think it’s a great accomplishment that we are a 10 seed?
Stinger
March 15th, 2010
2:02 pm
Final Four here we come !!!!!!!!!!!!! NIT – here come da dawgs.
poof!!!
March 15th, 2010
2:16 pm
I think two games should do it. And for next season I hope the light switch on for Mfon Udofia as it did for Jarrett Jack. Many people don’t remember the high expectations and the horrible season Jack had as a freshman.
DNice
March 15th, 2010
2:21 pm
Why do people keep sayig they have the most talent? Lets be honest here. You have a 1 and done player who cant get the ball (Favors). A fringe prospect (Lawal) and what else? Would any of the guards play on the other Tech teams. This team is flawed and its flawed because of the sorry early entry process. You should go Pro out of high school and if show up to campus then you have to stay 3 years like they do in baseball and football. I bet you Javaris Crittenton would not be in trouble if that had happened. All these players think they can leave early but hey Magic and KennyAnderson stayed 2 years Bird 4 years. So basically I think Hewitt would benefit with a real backcourt to remedy the TO problem and make this a better team instead of this unfounded hype based on the top rated high school player (Wall aint rated #1 and I dont think is that good).
DNice
March 15th, 2010
2:34 pm
Why do people think free throws are so easy? If they were so easy and it was just a coaching thing then why has Shaq not corrected his yet. I mean he was coached by 2 of the all time greatest coaches in the NBA (Riley and Jackson) plus a college great in Dale Brown. If “free throws” were so easy then every team would average 85-95 percent but that is a number that has never been achieved. For that matter the great MJ only shot 77% from the line in his career. There was a player for Central Macon in the early 90s (Marco Grant) who shot like 75% from 3pt range but less than 50 % from the line. Please explain?? exactly, you cant explain. Free throws are a work of art that coaching can only help you better by 1-5% if at all.
HugoStiglitz
March 15th, 2010
2:47 pm
Yes DNice, free throws arent easy. But we rank 302nd in free throw shooting. There are very few teams in all of college basketball who are worse then us, and the notion that you cant coach free throw shooting is ridiculous.
JUST NO READY
March 15th, 2010
3:10 pm
It seems like Hewitt coaches great defense than has the team play NCAA on xbox to practice offense. I just could not believe how many shots GT missed from inside the paint and the horrible foul line %.
Paul Hewitt Nation Is Dead
March 15th, 2010
4:48 pm
I didn’t realize David Braine had so many supporters. Going to the NCAA 3 out of 4 years is good enough? Huh? Finishing with an above .500 record is a success? Huh? The ACC is hard so it’s not a big deal that we win it? Huh?
If CPJ did anything for GT, it made us realize what a real coach can do. Everyone gives CPH so much credit for recruiting. The fact of the matter is GT is in Atlanta, a mecca for basketball players. I could recruit the same level of talent he does. Do you really think Favors looked at Hewitt’s resume and decided to come here? No, he wanted to play near his family for a year before he goes to the NBA. Anyone who watched this year and is happy with what was “accomplished” has extremely low standards. I had to turn off some parts of the Duke game this weekend because it was too painful to watch.
DRad, for better or worse, has shown us that Braine was an idiot (just look at statements about our football program and the contract he set up for Blewitt) and that GT is a real team. Those who think otherwise are just holding us back. I say DRad needs to talk to our big boosters, get some contributions, and pick us up a young excited coach. Let’s make Tech basketball not only what it can be, but what it should be…
Atlanta Jacket
March 15th, 2010
4:50 pm
Sweet 16 at a minimum to be called a very good season.
Things that can be fixed by coaching...
March 15th, 2010
4:59 pm
Not sure how anyone can argue this, but here are the problems (in no particular order) with CPH’s coaching that some of you are missing:
- Running set plays. We saw a couple in the ACCT so we know they’re possible but why is it that we never see a decent screen or play that looks like someone made a game plan?
- Free throws under 70%. It’s one thing if you’re a center that’s used to shooting 2 footers. It’s another when you’re entire team, from point guard to shooting forward can’t shoot above 60%. It’s true you can only coach so much when it comes to free throws, but does it look like CPH put in any time?
- Inbounding the ball. We have no scheme other than run around and hope you get the ball. We don’t even do the “run around” part sometimes. There are numerous ways to fix this problem but no one seems interested in figuring it out on the flats.
- Losing road games and turnover problems. CPH needs to find a way to instill some basketball toughness and IQ in these players which is what both these issues stem from. If it is truly the player’s fault then CPH is recruiting poorly.
- Timeout management. How often do we have a timeout in the last 3 minutes when we need one? Enough said.
- Substitution management. How often do we pull out a player right as he gets hot? Go back and watch some film. The answer is a lot! Why, why, why, why?
sc jacket
March 15th, 2010
5:14 pm
Sweet 16 because would have been my criteria at the beginning of the season, but they have a couple of tough games ahead of them. If they play like they did the last 37 minutes of the ACCC final, they could go a long way. They’ve done a great job so far, hope for more…
go jackets!
GT:
March 15th, 2010
5:34 pm
Does anyone know when UGA is playing? I can’t seem to find them in the brackets. hmmmm………I thought with a SOS of 90th and a tuff schedule and RPI with an overall losing record and cellar dwellars in the SEC, they would at least get an At-large Bid.
OG-T
March 15th, 2010
5:37 pm
With this squad (2 possible lottery picks, 2 other potential pro players), we either hang a banner, or we hang our heads. This is the most talent on one team this school has ever had.
Middle D
March 15th, 2010
5:52 pm
Tech’s season was a huge success!!! Getting to the ACC title game and going to the NCAAs—-nothing like it!! Hewitt will get a big raise and be around for a long time!!!!
Ben
March 15th, 2010
5:53 pm
A fan – “Does anyone know what kind of recruiting class is coming in next year?”
Only 1 commit so far…
4 star 18th SF Jason Morris
(Hotchkiss School)
Lakeville, CT 6-4/190 Committed to Georgia Tech
We also have 4 star PF Kammeon Holsey that got hurt before the season and 3 star C Daniel Miller who was redshirted.
If Lawal leaves, I don’t think he has improved his stock from last year, we are going to be very soft down low next year! From Favors, Lawal, and Peacock to Sheehan, Holsey, and Miller. Yikes!
I have a feeling that we might have reduced scholarships again for next year due to poor academic performance. Maybe we will really suck next year, so we can finally get rid of Hewitt!
Ol Skool
March 15th, 2010
6:04 pm
Man, what a bunch of Basketball Gurus in this blog. Mark Bradley got it right in that if this team had Jarrett Jack we would be at least a number 2 seed in this tournament. As I stated in another blog yesterday neither Cremins or Hewitt have fared well when they have suspect talent at the point guard position. Udofia may be good in a couple of years. But he is not a ready made talent at the position as a Kenny Smith, Stephon Marbury, Mark Price, Derrick Favors, Tyreke Evans, or John Wall. He will have to grow into the position as did Jarrett Jack (remember him as freshman?). Here is Techs post season with key players from those eras. Does not matter what you have inside at the at forward positions you are not gonna be successful in college basketball. You keep talking about talent but it don’t matter because it ain’t at the critical position. Cremins had arguably the best backcourt in college basketball in the mid-eighties. Stop kidding yourself that Tech is supposed to be a year in and year out Sweet 16 basketball team. Heck the National Champs aren’t even in the tourney this year.
1982-83 (Home) – Mark Price, John Salley
1983-84 (NIT 1st Round )– Mark Price, Bruce Darymple, John Salley, Yvon Joseph
1984-85 (NCAA Elite Eight )- Mark Price, Bruce Darymple, John Salley, Yvon Joseph, Duane Ferrell
1985-86 (NCAA Sweet 16)- Mark Price, Bruce Darymple, John Salley, Tom Hammonds, Duane Ferrell
1986-87 (NCAA 1st Round) – Brian Oliver, Bruce Darymple, Tom Hammonds, Craig Neal, Duane Ferrell
1987-88 (NCAA 2nd Round) – Brian Oliver, Dennis Scott, Tom Hammonds, Craig Neal, Duane Ferrell
1988-89 (NCAA 1st Round) – Brian Oliver, Dennis Scott, Tom Hammonds
1989-90 (NCAA Final Four) – Brian Oliver, Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson, Malcolm Mackey
1990-91 (NCAA 2nd Round) – Kenny Anderson, Jon Barry, Matt Geiger, Malcolm Mackey
1991-92 (NCAA Sweet 16) – Travis Best, Jon Barry, Matt Geiger, Malcolm Mackey, James Forrest
1992-93 (NCAA 1st Round) – Travis Best, Drew Barry, Malcolm Mackey, James Forrest
1993-94 (NIT 1st Round) – Travis Best, Drew Barry, James Forrest
1994-95 (Home) – Travis Best, Drew Barry, Matt Harpring, James Forrest
1995-96 (NCAA Sweet 16) – Stephon Marbury, Drew Barry, Matt Harpring
1996-97 (Home) – Matt Harpring
1997-98 (NIT Quarterfinals) – Matt Harpring, Alvin Jones
1998-99 (NIT 1st Round) – Alvin Jones
1999-00 (Home) – Alvin Jones, Clarence Moore
2000-01 (NCAA 1st Round) – Alvin Jones, Clarence Moore
2001-02 (Home) – Luke Schenscher, Clarence Moore
2002-03 (NIT 3rd Round) – Luke Schenscher, BJ Elder, Marvin Lewis, Mario West, Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack
2003-04 (NCAA Runner-Up) – Luke Schenscher, Clarence Moore, BJ Elder, Marvin Lewis, Jarrett Jack, Mario West, Wil Bynum
2004-05 (NCAA 2nd Round) – BJ Elder, Jarrett Jack, Mario West, Wil Bynum, Luke Schenscher, Anthony Morrow
2005-06 (Home) – Mario West, Anthony Morrow, Zam Frederick, Ra Sean Dickey, Jeremis Smith
2006-07 (NCAA 1st Round) – D’andre Bell, Anthony Morrow, Ra Sean Dickey, Jeremis Smith, Thaddeus Young, Zach Peacock, Javoris Crittendom
2007-08 (Home) – D’andre Bell, Anthony Morrow, Ra Sean Dickey, Jeremis Smith, Zach Peacock, Gani Lawal
2008-09 (Home) – D’andre Bell, Ra Sean Dickey, Jeremis Smith, Zach Peacock, Gani Lawal, Iman Shumpert
2009-10 (NCAA Tournament) – D’andre Bell, Zach Peacock, Gani Lawal, Iman Shumpert, Mfon Udofia, Glen Rice, Jr., Brian Oliver, Derrick Favors
All I'm Saying...
March 15th, 2010
6:07 pm
Tech is not a perennial top 16 basketball program and anyone who thinks otherwise is smoking something. The best Tech can be expected to do each year is play .500 ball in the ACC, make the NCAAs, and win their opening round game. Anything beyond that is gravy.
That typed, I’m pulling for them to play out of their collective gourds and make the sweet 16. Probably won’t happen, though, if OSU plays like one of the few team to beat both Kansas (only 2 losses) and K State.
jojatek
March 15th, 2010
9:09 pm
A Sweet 16 appearance would save the season, in my view, and allow Favors to head to the NBA with something meaningful to talk about from his brief appearance in the college game (and Hewitt something nice to add to his resume as he heads back north to St. Johns…). Anything short of that and I think Favors will wonder why he didn’t just jump straight to the NBA from high school. That said, I really don’t see how they get past Oklahoma State given the turnovers, spotty free throw shooting, and generally sloppy/out-of-sync play on the offensive end of the floor. Coaching matters now… fundamentals matter now… OSU won’t be caught sleeping Friday night… the Jackets are “one-and-done” and the Hewitt era will come to an odd and fitting close…
Bradley… let’s start talking about the Lady Jackets… they’re over there putting together one helluva season with hard work, sound fundamentals, and an overachieving attitude and style of play. Joseph has done a great job with those girls…
Marta Alum.
March 16th, 2010
5:29 am
They don’t play together. I watched as the ref handed the ball to Peacock to throw in. Instead of handing it to the designated in-bounds player. He put the ball on the floor for the other kid to pick up. It was obvious they don’t have any mutual respect. That problem is basic management. Business, Military, Fraternity, etc. etc. Hewitt is the CEO if he can’t make them get along he is failing in his job.
satchmo
March 16th, 2010
7:08 am
I have been hooked on G T Bball, since the days of R D Craddock Big Jim Caldwell, coached by John “Whack” Hyder. We upset a very good Kentucky team coached by Adolph Rupp, when they were #1.We can go deep into this thing, if we play with heart and passion of the old guys. Craddock hit the wall, under the basket, no back stop in those days, cut his head and played on in what was one of Tech’s finest hours. This team is capable, if we take care of rock, make our free throws, Craddock was about 85 to 90 % from there, and believe me good things will happen. Our defense is the best I have seen, very quick hands, but the inside guys have to take advantage of their opportunities, at the stripe, because every game we play going forward, will be also a physical test.
GTFanz?
March 16th, 2010
9:10 am
My message to all the haters – my girlfriend and I were 2 of 13 Jacket fans at the G’boro Coliseum during the tournament. If our “fans” loved GT B-ball as much as they criticize, the Dookies wouldn’t have had such a home-court advantage. Get off your ATL hunches and support your teams (we have a football program too, ya know) and maybe THEN and only then can you critique Hewitt or CPJ. GO JACKETS!!!!
Gt4ever
March 16th, 2010
9:35 am
It’s a team that could go all the way, IF they would decide to play a FULL game of basketball…. At this point, it is basically the players that need to produce….. The coach is getting way to much credit or in this case, critique…. If these players do what they are capable of doing, then they will be VERY hard to beat.. Time will tell… Go Jackets and THWG!
Reality
March 16th, 2010
10:57 am
When is the ajc going to report on the type of game Ok State has?
why I wasn't there
March 16th, 2010
12:27 pm
GTFanz? I weighed the odds and wanted to come. I was in Charlotte two years ago for the ACC tournament. The tickets on Stubhub were too costly to sit in the upper level seats where noone is going to hear me yelling for GT. I thought maybe I could sneak down and sit behind the GT band or close to the GT area but figured in an ACC tournament game, they watch those kind of things so I didn’t. If there was another available avenue for GT fans to be there close by the band and team, it wasn’t advertised.
why I wasn't there
March 16th, 2010
12:28 pm
by the way ahole, I was in Tampa and Miami for the football team
Helluva Engineer
March 16th, 2010
12:45 pm
It all comes down to leadership on the court and a capable point guard to run the offense and limit turn overs. Bobby Cremins was not a great game coach but he was smart to recruit very good point guards. Smart coaches in college ball know that a point guard is the key to a winning season. I fault CPH for not finding great point guards in his time at Tech. We needed another Jarret Jack this year (not a Javaris Crittendon…ever). Give CPH credit for putting in Mo Miller during the ACC tournament and KEEPING him in. Although not spectacular, he knows how to control the offense and understands the position, something Iman Schumpert doesn’t seem to be able to remember for 40 straight minutes. Mfon? I have to fault CPH here for playing him at 2 guard too much this year, he would have been better off with limited minutes concentrated at the point.
Born2Buzz
March 16th, 2010
12:56 pm
I think anyone who has watched this team all year knows that they are capable of winning two games in the tourney or losing the first game. It all depends on which team shows up, the one that destroyed Wake back in early Feb or the one that got smoked by VT (or the one that played the first half against Maryland vs the 2nd half). If they make it to the Sweet 16 they just might get on a roll and who knows where they will end up. The talent is obvious.
The key will again be Shumpert, this time for 2 reasons. 1) he has to play controlled on offense and move the ball, his problem throughout the year, and 2) he will be counted on to guard both OK St and OH St’s best players, Anderson and Turner. He is capable because he is an excellent defender. We shall see.
At the beginning of the year we would all have been happy with a Sweet 16 appearance. I still will be.
eggguy
March 16th, 2010
1:08 pm
Me thinks we should all congrat ourselves…..because of our truthful comments over the past few weeks, we are responsible for shaming this coach and his staff into winning a few games.
Were it not for us, they would have surely been one and done in the ACC Tourney.
Blewitt still needs to go. I’ve been saying asst. coach for the Nets, his dream job….. for $75K per year…..I think now maybe $85K per year should do it!
Good luck Paul….you gonna need it!
GT
March 16th, 2010
1:26 pm
Udofia is a great PG u wouldn’t know it by the way Hewitt lets Shumpert(not a PG at all ) command the offense!
Gt4ever
March 17th, 2010
11:24 am
Ol Skool, They have abundant talent at every position. I have NO idea what your talking about when you say they have NO PG….. That’s silly, this team is as talented in every position!