Jackets fizzle again, but Radakovich in Hewitt’s corner
Georgia's Gerald Robinson drives past Tech's Daniel Miller for a layup in the second half, and the Bulldogs rallied for a 73-72 win. (AP photo)
For most of the evening, it looked like early December basketball: Missed jumpers, mistimed passes and long stretches of mediocrity interrupted by the occasional highlight.
Actually, if you flipped back the calendar a couple of weeks, it was the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech football game.
In the end, the Bulldogs won this one, too, 73-72 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The difference: a 3-pointer by the Dogs’ Dustin Ware that broke a tie with 18 seconds remaining, followed by a Tech team that looked again as if it lacked either a plan or an ability to execute thereafter.
Why would Glen Rice drive the lane for a layup with 6.8 seconds left rather than attempt to set up a three-pointer to tie it?
Why, with the Jackets inbounding the ball with 2.8 seconds left, would Brian Oliver attempt a low-percentage pass the length of the court to center Daniel Miller when there probably was time for a mid-court pass, a dribble and a shot? (The pass was intercepted by Travis Leslie.)
Neither team looked March-ready. Or even January-ready. But only one made plays to win the game, and it wasn’t the Jackets.
Georgia coach Mark Fox wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance but said: “We feel like we’re leaving here with a good win.”
That’s more than Paul Hewitt could say. Of Oliver’s pass, he said: “Just a [bad] read. The next time he’s in that situation, he’ll make a good decision.”
But an impatient fan base isn’t allowing Hewitt much room for error. This was only the second time in 16 years since the Tech-Georgia game was shifted back on campus that the home team lost. Both times, the Dogs have won at Alexander. The last time: 10 years ago in Hewitt’s first season.
The masses aren’t happy on North Avenue. That’s when there are masses. It doesn’t speak well for the feeling around the program when there are 2,000 empty seats in a 9,000-seat arena.
But before the game, Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich stood up for Hewitt.
“We went to the finals of the ACC tournament last year,” Radakovich said. “We went to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That wasn’t a bad year.”
So you’re satisfied?
“You’re never satisfied unless you win it all,” he said. “But there was significant progress over the previous couple of years. I feel like we’re going in the right direction.”
He said he’s aware of the concern over the direction of the program, adding: “I’m not oblivious to it. But Paul and I talk an awful lot about where the program’s going the next couple of years, bringing in some players that we think will [not leave early]. One-and-dones aren’t bad if you understand them from the beginning. It’s the ones who leave when you don’t expect it that really put the program behind the eight ball.”
Three weeks ago the Jackets lost at Kennesaw State. That left the impression the program was under the eight ball, not behind it. (If the loss wasn’t humiliating enough, consider that the Owls are 0-5 since.)
Radakovich, with a slight smile: “Yeah, we hit a bump at Kennesaw State.”
A bump?
“OK, a pothole. A crevice. An iceberg.”
It pays sometime to have a sense of humor when the barbarians are at the gate. But this end-of-game fizzle won’t help Hewitt’s cause.
The teams shot a combined 25-for-62 in the first half. Georgia at least had an excuse. Leslie sat for most of the half with two early fouls. When he returned in the second half, so did some semblance of flow to the Dogs’ offense.
They made five consecutive three-pointers in one stretch. They finally took their first lead at 48-47 on a three-point shot by Sherrard Brantley with 11:36 remaining. The Jackets fought back. Effort wasn’t the issue, execution was. But that has become a familiar sight.
– By Jeff Schultz
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489 comments Add your comment
Tweets that mention Jackets fizzle again, but Radakovich in Hewitt's corner | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
December 7th, 2010
11:20 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ruth Malhotra, Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: #Jackets fizzle again and lost to #Dawgs but Radakovich sticks up for embattled Hewitt. Read on: http://bit.ly/ePGU8m [...]
angus
December 7th, 2010
11:24 pm
Good grief GT…WTF are you waiting for?
Fire him now.
Gordo Connelly
December 7th, 2010
11:26 pm
PLEASE get rid of Hewitt ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kral
December 7th, 2010
11:28 pm
I will end saying jeffie.. second guessing is real tough..we all know now what you would have done as the coach of tech tomorrow
Sanford Drive
December 7th, 2010
11:34 pm
(((((42-34)))))
(((((73-72)))))
BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GT Fan ...
December 7th, 2010
11:38 pm
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am amazed that a Paul Hewitt coached team lost a game.
How can I get a never-ending, 7-year contract, SUCK at what I do, and not get fired???
GT Fan ...
December 7th, 2010
11:43 pm
Can GT’s football team somehow get lady luck on its side for a few years vs. GA??
Damn, in 3 games under PJ the Jackets have rushed for OVER 1,000 yards (409, 249, 411) against the Dogs, and the lucky bastijes in Athens are 2-1 vs. my bees! So much for “figuring out” the high school offense. Just keep the Ole lady on their side, and GA will be fine.
Hoops Dawg
December 7th, 2010
11:47 pm
Wow what a string for a basketball blog in the state of Georgia! Great to see. Now excuse me if someone has already addressed this (as I’ve not yet read all posts) but Glen Rice was absolutely CORRECT to take the basket UGA gave him with 6.8 seconds left. Probably was told to do so if the opportunity presented itself. The logic, Mr Schultz, ole basketball guru, was to then turn around and foul (ideally Robinson or Barnes (not sure if he was in the game) and hope for a miss (or two). Not a bad strategy given the Dawgs FT percentage tonight. In fact, this was this was a much better strategy than trying to jack up a rushed 3 with the entire Bulldog team spread out defending the 3-point line.
RAMBLE ON!!!
December 7th, 2010
11:48 pm
GROUND HOG DAY WILL NEVER END…time for DRad to go if he really thinks this program is headed in the right direction.
Hunker Down
December 7th, 2010
11:50 pm
It will be interesting to see if Hewitt can weather another year. Not sure that he is the best interest of the school but such a big finacial commitment makes it tough for Tech to turn him loose.
D-vegas
December 7th, 2010
11:52 pm
no apparently k-state is number one in the state to UGA because the last sports meeting between the two is when k-state whooped up on UGA baseball. oh wait everybody did. 26-6 last year???? you guys should dominate us every year considering you have almost twice the student body, and twice the funding, but you still manage to underachieve in everything!!! UGA is a joke to the rest of the SEC. UF, AU, UA, LSU, ARK, Miss ST, and SC have football. KU, Vandy, and TEN have basketball. UGA has Gymnastics and womans basketball??? you are a joke to the nation and the sec
JMG
December 8th, 2010
12:12 am
As an impartial observer, I have to tell Tech fans this: your team played GREAT defense for two-thirds of the game. Georgia never got an inside game going, and let’s face it, they just got red-hot from outside in the second half and took the momentum from Tech.
The way I see it, Georgia just went out and EARNED the win, it wasn’t Tech GIVING it to them.
Let’s give credit where credit is due: the Bulldogs played a heck of a game and deserved to win it. And it was a 1-point game, for gosh sakes, not a 35-point debacle. And this Georgia team IS good and could win 17-20 games this year… it’s not like it’s a 7th-grade team.
Remember what this was, too — January basketball. The games that really count (for both teams) come in January when conference play starts. If Tech gets hot in the ACC like last year, I think you’ll see BOTH major state universities in the NCAA tournament.
JMG
December 8th, 2010
12:13 am
*meant to say that this was DECEMBER basketball — it’s the conference games starting in JANUARY that really matter*
SoCal Dawg
December 8th, 2010
12:15 am
Both teams better improve if they want to do anything in their conferences.
Ted M
December 8th, 2010
12:18 am
I’m a fan of both UGA & GT. I’m concerned that Trey didn’t look very good which dashes my hopes for Georgia a little bit.
There is no reason to be concerned for GT…as long as Hewitt is their coach its hopeless. Well I guess we can hope that GT wins 1 ACC game but that seems like a long shot.
The Grinch
December 8th, 2010
12:19 am
Please keep Hewitt.
Also, Miller won’t cut it during the ACC games.
Headley Lamar
December 8th, 2010
12:21 am
Just like football ,,,,,,,,
Ted M
December 8th, 2010
12:23 am
Hopefully DRad pregame statement is nothing more then him obligatorily towing the company line until he can find the funds to fire Hewitt.
Roadkill Dawg
December 8th, 2010
12:25 am
Only a dumb@ss Dawg can’t freakin’ spell J-E-K-Y-L-L Island correctly!!! What a complete TURD and you repeatedly show how thUGA continues to RUIN THIS STATE by churning out college degrees to dildos who can’t even correctly spell a State Park within their own d@mn state…..
Take it from President Adams, “Athletics is more important at UGA than Academics.” Yes, YOU RUIN THIS STATE….We get it…..Without Athletics, there would be no UGA!!
GT Fan ...
December 8th, 2010
12:27 am
Yo Headley,
“The Sheriff is Near…”
ROZEMAN
December 8th, 2010
12:36 am
Tech fans if you guys are so supper smart how did you sign that insane contract—just wonder
RAMBLINWRECK
December 8th, 2010
12:43 am
“I FEEL LIKE WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION”…. this coming from our AD?? We get beat by ksu, beat by 20 by a joke northwestern team and lose at home to an average at best georgia team. 4-4 so far and we have not hit the ACC schedule and things are going in the right direction?? Hewitt should be charged with larceny for cashing GT checks or just theft! This man couldn’t coach a team with kobe bryant, lebron james, chris bosh, dwayne wade and chris paul to a title. I have never seen a guy do nothing with so much talent and we have had some talent in his tenure. I don’t care that some have left early, that’s hewitt’s fault for not being prepared!
DRAD, you need to EARN YOUR PAYCHECK AND FIRE THIS BOZO!!! You mean that we don’t have a couple loaded alums that won’t step-up and help send him packing? Hewitt costs this team so much money in just empty seats every night! Who wants to support a complete retard of a coach?? I don’t blame the kids, i think they are poorly coached by far and large. When we lose to KSU and by 20 to northwestern and at home to UGA in the 1st 8 games, you can’t sell that kool aid that we are on the right path DRAD! You sir, need to get up and FIRE THIS LOSER! I will never watch or support this team again until DRAD does the right thing and gives us a better product to enjoy instead of garbage known as hewitt! Dave braine should be feed to the lions for giving this moron such a contract!
PAUL HEWITT, IF YOU HAVE ANY LOVE OR RESPECT FOR OUR BASKETBALL PROGRAM, YOU WILL RESIGN SO WE CAN ENJOY WHAT WAS ONCE A PROUD PROGRAM THAT YOU HAVE RUN INTO THE GROUND! I don’t care about last year, what is your record in the ncaa tourney since your miracle run ended? How many times since then have you made the tourney? KSU? We get run out the gym by northwestern? You get all americans but produce sh*t! I’m so sick of this loser as our coach! Nothing like having no timeouts at the end of a game huh paul? You let a guy who was on fire from outside get yet another open look with 18 seconds left paul?? Do you know how to defend the 3 ball paul? I think there is a pattern here and ksu,northwestern, syracuse and uga exposed it! It’s called sh*t defense and a man who has the IQ of a fruit fly as the coach! Pathetic
BehindEnemyLines
December 8th, 2010
12:45 am
“I feel like we’re going in the right direction” — What direction would that be, down the drain? Sorry, but that idiotic remark tears it, time for DRad to hit the road as he’s either a damned liar or a damned fool.
BehindEnemyLines
December 8th, 2010
12:49 am
RamblinWreck – it’s already painfully obvious that Paul Useless has neither love nor respect for anything other than his paycheck. But since he appears to have an enabler lack either aspiration, judgment (or both) sitting in the AD’s chair, it’s hard to blame him for cashing what others are dumb enough to give him. Heck, if someone would pay me for being an fence post turtle in an otherwise empty suit then I’d be hard pressed to turn down the money since they’re obviously determined to hand it over regardless of how incompetent I’ve consistently proven myself to be.
George P. Burdell
December 8th, 2010
12:51 am
Don’t worry Tech fans. Hewitt will either right the ship ( not likely) or he will be gone before the new arena is open. No way we continue down this road when they present the revamped coliseum.
Headley Lamar
December 8th, 2010
12:56 am
Just like Football …..
FireHewittNow
December 8th, 2010
12:59 am
I think Radakovich could be blinded by the regular meetings with the smooth talking, self-promoting Hewitt. Either that or Dan is completely out of touch with what is going on. I sense that Hewitt is on the hot seat and Radakovich is heading discussions held behind the scenes to evaluate options and the best course of action. If not, then DRad is not doing his job. I think Tech will have a poor season but I’m not convinced Tech is ready to pull the plug on Hewitt. Unfortunately.
Tybee Island
December 8th, 2010
1:02 am
9 of the last 10 in football, a winning record this decade against Tech in basketball (supposedly Tech’s great strength). I guess that it’s not as much of a rivalry when you can’t even come close to matching the opposing team, right Tech?
Keep Hewitt!! Go Dawgs!
ROZEMAN
December 8th, 2010
1:05 am
YOU GUYS ARE LIKE US.iF WETHROE RICGHT OVERBOARD CAN WE DOBETTER
DodgerDAWG
December 8th, 2010
1:11 am
Maybe Tech should look at Brian Oliver for the football team…HE CAN PASS…lol
BoWeevil
December 8th, 2010
1:20 am
Paul Hewitt
4-7
vs
UGA
Headley Lamar
December 8th, 2010
2:06 am
Just like football .. .. ……
Bubba Dodd
December 8th, 2010
3:15 am
You don’t have to fire Hewitt….just remove him from coaching responsibilities, which he has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot handle. Just not having him show up would be an improvement. Hire a competent JC coach at an “introductory salary” and the program will show an immediate improvement. Over 2,000 seats were empty tonight for the “Georgia” game. There will be less attendence for the remaining games…..the Georgia Dome next year???….the renovated stadium the year after???? Can you say Echooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo real loud??????
John Bales
December 8th, 2010
3:18 am
DRAD is speaking out of the side of his mouth. He only fired Gailey because someone put up the money to allow him to do it. Obviously nobody has done that for firing Hewitt or he would be gone. So being without the money to fire him, he has to support him – simple as that.
Former Hewitt Apologist
December 8th, 2010
3:29 am
This is great news! Just before a coach is fired he always gets the dreaded “vote of confidence.” The countdown for us having a new basketball coach at GT has officially begun!
Stinger2
December 8th, 2010
5:24 am
My comments are not in defense of Hewitt but are stated as facts only:
Jeff: When did a one point loss become a “fizzle”? It is obvious you are the leader of the pack to have Hewitt fired.
To all the bloggers who comment about the 2,000 empty seats: The Hawks also played last night. Given the fact that GT athletic teams compete for fans against the Falcons,Hawks and Braves, its a tough task to fill every seat.
To the blogger who said a deal is underway to bring a new basketball coach from LA, Is it the LSU coach or an assistant? If so why not say so.
dawgfan
December 8th, 2010
6:11 am
Just like football: OWNED.
LOL @ all the empty seats last night. Hands down the worst sports fans on the planet.
UGA wins...AGAIN!!
December 8th, 2010
6:22 am
and again, and again, and again. C’mon Nerds, let the excuses fly!
BoWeevil
December 8th, 2010
6:23 am
Brian Oliver played the whole entire game and was 3 for 15, no wonder Georgia tek LOST
AGAIN
as Paul Hewitt ALWAYS does to Georgia
When you are only making 20 percent of your shots, why are you playing the whole entire game ?
GT71
December 8th, 2010
6:27 am
‘a Tech team that looked again as if it lacked either a plan or an ability to execute thereafter.’
True – and nuff said.
Fire Hewitt today – Wednesday.
Do not wait another second.
BoWeevil
December 8th, 2010
6:29 am
no keep him
We like BEATING him
Road Scholar
December 8th, 2010
6:29 am
Shupert played under control…for once. That was a cheap shot; he really did pick his shots. On the other hand, Rice and Oliver must have the same gene because they foced so many shots it was pitiful. Confidence is one thing…but at the expense of your teammates and possibly winning the game? And the last 30 seconds, PLEEEEEEEEZE! Great coaching Hewitt!
HSV Jacket
December 8th, 2010
6:37 am
Agree with GT71 – Fire Hewitt TODAY!!!
Spike
December 8th, 2010
6:39 am
Yawn. Another win over Tech. Maybe you guys should try Kenneesaw again. Better luck next year.
Ozzy
December 8th, 2010
6:40 am
Wow.
I see zero ACC wins coming this year.
Will the last one leaving Alexander Memorial please turn off the lights?
stan gan
December 8th, 2010
6:47 am
roll out ga.state, we might as well lose to them also. Terrible coaching at the end of the game. GREAT CALL AND GREAT PASS…DON’T CALL ME AGAIN BEGGING ME TO BUY BACK MY SEASON TICKETS. I WOULD RATHER SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF NORTH AVE. AND WATCH CARS DODGE ME.
Lance
December 8th, 2010
6:54 am
Why in the world is there so much talk about UGA v. GT?? I could care less about playing Tech as the bouts are sooo one sided. It would be like a Gaytor fan caring about the UGA v UF series. They do not because they own us in just about every sport. Sometimes reality sucks!
Ol' Wrecks aka WrecksNEffect
December 8th, 2010
6:57 am
Let’s see:
The FB HC, that would be CPJ, lets UGAy score late in order to get the ball back to give his team a chance to win (hopefully in OT) and he is hailed as some sort of Genius, meanwhile…………..
The BB HC, that would be CPH, sends UGAy to the foul line (aka “lets them score”) in order to get the ball back so his team can possibly TIE the Game & win in OT just like CPJ, yet only ONE of those guys is thought of as a “Genius” buy the AJC Sportswriters.
From where I sit BOTH CPJ & CPH have huge problems in their FB & BB Programs going forwards.
When GT FB players make mistakes, the GT Fanbase puts EVERYTHING on the players and claim that “the schemes are sound it was the players that screwed up”, YET, when B-Ball players take bad shots & commit turnovers, NONE of the GT fanbase calls the schemes “sound” and instead of blaming it on the players they put all the blame on the HC.
The SAME EXACT things are happening in BOTH programs, but the Typical-GT-Fan interprets them very differently, and on top of all that CPJ is making MUCH MORE than CPH, CPJ is pulling down between $2.3 and $2.5 Million.
I am glad I got a great education from my instructors at GT, but the majority of the folks that went there are very undesirable to be around.
To all the loser-GT-fans out there if you are gonna give CPH a hard time then you have to also turn up the HEAT on CPJ.
Refute those FACTS, GNLs, (that stands for geeky-nerd-losers), I happen to be one of the “normal” folks that graduated from GT, beelieve it or not, there are a few of us out here.
GT FAN
December 8th, 2010
7:00 am
Last I looked the series record is 101-87 something like that is it not? Which would mean the Dogs have lost 101 times to us…please don’t throw up present- you won the game. GT is not where it needs to be in Basketball right now- I will not say PH does not know Basketball but he is having a hard time proving he knows how to coach- I was shocked at the zone defense- but then everytime they went away from it UGA scores- #3 was beating you man up with him or run the box on him like they use to do at Price and Scott!
Ugay's FL's Bitch
December 8th, 2010
7:02 am
Boycott Tech basketball and Radovich will finally end Hewett’s reign of ineptitude.
And once again, the Ugay trailer trash nation is displaying its intellectually deficient face.