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
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
489 comments Add your comment
MURPHY
December 8th, 2010
7:05 am
Sweep! I guess we do run this state! State Champions in 2 sports!
StuckinATL
December 8th, 2010
7:08 am
Someone needs to inform Oliver that saying “they aren’t that good at shooting outside” or “defending one on one” after you loose at the hand of one of these things isn’t such a smart idea. That sounds like what coach would have been telling them in the locker room anyway. Regardless, it makes you look worse by loosing to a team that’s not that good(?)…..
PHIL
December 8th, 2010
7:09 am
mmmmmmmmm as a UGA fan just a few observations
I cant understand why we can’t shoot free throws better. Coach Fox said on the radio he had already made adjustments to the free throw practice and how he was going to have to make more. The announcers were talking about how impressive the Dawgs were shooting free throws in practice that day so maybe it’s not coaching, maybe it’s mental. Coaches aren’t the be all end all as most that blog here think they are. It’s the players that play the game.
Speaking of which, GT has no players anymore. They are just not very talented. I think any rational person would see like DRAD that the Tech team was in the ACC finals last year and made the second round of the tournament. Do you fire your coach if he doesn’t win the national championship every year? I think that he should have answered the moron who asked the question ” Yes I am satisfied.” Only one team in the nation wins it all and from the perspective that college athletics SHOULD be placed in, I think they had a great year. I’m no expert on the coach at GT but just because he has no players due to the fact they all went pro, is no reason not to let him continue to coach. The unrest comes from the same place the “fire Richt” crowd comes from. and that’s kids who don’t know any better and morons who’s total sense of pride in their lives are games played by 20 year old kids.
Reading the blogs here Tech people continue to throw up the academic angle. I think they must be in labs about 20 hours a day learning to build those tricycles, using their slide rules and don’t get out much. The myth of a better education at GT vs. UGA has been busted long ago and many, many times. Especially when you are talking about the academics of athletes at the respective schools. In ANY measure you or the NCAA could possibly come up with, UGA athletes out perform those at GT. Even though the Techies take all those GSU classes. So lets just give the academic thing a rest.
Who are all the “masses” Shultz is referring to in this article? I didn’t know Tech had “masses.” Where are they?
Although I see nothing wrong with it, Tech plays in Alexander Memorial. That means they have absolutely zero grounds to say anything remotely negative about Stegman.
The Tech cheerleaders aren’t too cute, are they? But I bet they are bright and wonderful people.
Possibly one of the most one sided officiated games I have seen in a long time. Travis Leslie called for touch fouls, one obviously an offensive foul on Tech, yet Thompkins and Price mugged all night. Even the last drive by Robinson and kick out to Ware, Robinson was being tackled while trying to get the ball back out to Ware.
If UGA really makes any improvement this year, Trey is going to have to play better D and stop missing so many short shots. They team will have to play defense the whole game and stop missing free throws.
Rich T
December 8th, 2010
7:15 am
Jeff Schultz: “It doesn’t speak well for the feeling around the program when there are 2,000 empty seats in a 9,000-seat arena.”
I haven’t been to a game since 2006. I’m done with them until Hewitt is gone.
GT LOSERS
December 8th, 2010
7:17 am
GEEKS get used to it you are a second rate basketball and football program!!! Our Mark’s are better than your Paul’s!!!! WE OWN THIS STATE!!!!
reebok
December 8th, 2010
7:19 am
tech fans, there’s only one thing to do…stay away in droves. don’t go to games, don’t buy merchandise, simply give up on the program until D-Rad finally does what should have been done 5 years ago and gets rid of “Coach” Hewitt.
reebok
December 8th, 2010
7:22 am
You really can’t blame all the Tech players who are one & done & off to the NBA…why waste 2-3 years of your life, and risk injury, to be ‘coached’ by a no-talent hack like Hewitt?
Dave
December 8th, 2010
7:25 am
As a Jacket fan, I must ask: If we can’t beat Kennesaw State & UGA in basketball how can we possibly compete in the mighty ACC? Seriously, it is not my desire to be just the best in this state. That is myopic. However, we aren’t even there! And our A.D. is in Hewitt’s corner. Seriously? I won’t spend another second watching Tech basketball this season or until we can field a halfway decent team. Dan R.-Do you think Paul might want to recruit someone other than a guard?
Thank GAWD
December 8th, 2010
7:25 am
Finally — something that MAY stop some of the UGA whining we’ve been subjected to over the past month!!
Skitty Fritty
December 8th, 2010
7:27 am
Another “Great” moral victory for Tech!
One and Done
December 8th, 2010
7:28 am
“The Tech cheerleaders aren’t too cute, are they? But I bet they are bright and wonderful people”
LOL.
skydawg
December 8th, 2010
7:30 am
UGA….WE RUN and DRIBBLE THIS STATE!!!
One and Done
December 8th, 2010
7:31 am
The things I like about Hewitt is that 1.) he dresses nicely and 2.) when he is discussing basketball he sounds like he knows what he is talking about.
Dan
December 8th, 2010
7:36 am
42-34
73-72
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
One and Done
December 8th, 2010
7:38 am
Anyone seen St. Simons around?
justfacts
December 8th, 2010
7:41 am
come on Schultz….”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?”…..
I am a huge anti-Hewitt GT fan but when YOU start your story off with a question like the above, and if you are serious, then YOU don’t have enough knowledge to be writing about basketball. 99.9% of the time every coach will do exactly as GT did.
the problem was that Hewitt could not come up with a play to score after uga missed the free throws.
willie
December 8th, 2010
7:43 am
I thought cutting it to 1 point with 6.8 seconds to play was smart. You figure that worst-case you should have 4 or 5 seconds after the free throws. It just didn’t work out that way. Clearly, Hewitt would already be gone if not for the $7 million buyout so why are we even discussing why Hewiit is still here?
RGP
December 8th, 2010
7:46 am
The childish taunts from these characters (possibly the same person) who insist on listing FB and BB scores, write long strings of HAs, and such, do sort of annoy, I confess, but is it possible that there are some thinking UGA folks who also find their blogs boorish….embarrassing. I mean, is it possible these goof-balls are actually UGA graduates; are they adults? Anybody know these people?
dap01
December 8th, 2010
7:46 am
Jeff: Please write a story concerning the contract the Hewitt has. It is an incredibly stupid contract. Who was involved in getting his that contract?
NoRichtFan
December 8th, 2010
7:47 am
Therein lies the difference between Fox and Richt. Fox’s team hung in there and won. Richt’s team would have been gassed at the end and lose. Maybe Fox should be making $3 million a year instead of Richt.
JoeFan
December 8th, 2010
7:56 am
I am certain DRad is feeling the pressure to relieve CPH of his duties and I still believe CPH is done by the end of the season unless the program shows serious progress between now and then. Always the possibility he gets one more year while the new arena is built. By then the funds from paying off Gailey should be available to pay CPH. $45 million on new facilities should mean GT can find $7 mil. to buy out CPH. On the positive side the Layd Jackets took care of business with the puppies.
Joey
December 8th, 2010
8:03 am
I noticed that the arena looked to be about 2/3 empty. Couple of questions: is the arena on campus and are the fans not supporting the BB team because of Hewitt?
I remember back in the Bobby Cremins day watching a Tech game on TV and it looked like standing room only.
ga tech 92
December 8th, 2010
8:05 am
We’ve been beyond patient, considering ONE winning acc record in TEN years:
2000–2001 Georgia Tech 8–8 T–5th NCAA 1st Round
2001–2002 Georgia Tech 7–9 T–5th
2002–2003 Georgia Tech 7–9 5th NIT 3rd Round
2003–2004 Georgia Tech 9–7 T–3rd NCAA Runner-up
2004–2005 Georgia Tech 8–8 T–4th NCAA 2nd Round
2005–2006 Georgia Tech 4–12 T–10th
2006–2007 Georgia Tech 8–8 T–6th NCAA 1st Round
2007–2008 Georgia Tech 7–9 T–7th
2008–2009 Georgia Tech 2–14 12th
2009–2010 Georgia Tech 7–9 7th NCAA 2nd Round
Overall at Georgia Tech: 67–93
Hewitt is now 4-7 against UGA
Appathy has beyond set in: I *LOVED* GT basketball more than any other sport…had season tickets for years…let them expire in discust about 3 years ago…I can’t stand to watch them for free on TV anymore (didn’t watch UGA because I knew we would find a way to Blewitt).
Some say, “We can’t afford to fire him.” I say we can’t afford not to and should have 7 years ago.
What cost more,
(a) 7 mil
or
(b) 1.4 per year, for a couple/few more years + continued destruction of the program + continued errosion of the fan base + further emptying of seats + further humiliation from loosing to Kennesaw State, UGA, etc, and THEN paying the 7 mil?
You don’t have to know advanced math to know that (a) is much less than (b), yet we pick (b) year after year.
Since we had the money to put into the arena, then we had the money to spend and our AD CHOOSE not to fire him.
Even the Wall Street Journal knew this years ago, per this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123690294088913675.html
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
What is the good word? = FIRE PAUL HEWITT!!
A Big Dog
December 8th, 2010
8:07 am
Conyers Jacket….no, live could be worse if I had to live in Rockdale like you Dork! GT – Georgia Turd U losers again!
1eyedJack
December 8th, 2010
8:08 am
It appears that ya’ll missed the extra point again.
Marvin Mangrum
December 8th, 2010
8:10 am
Im so sorry. I promised not to watch, but I did! They have no clue, thats Tech, they have no clue cause their coach has no clue, the head man, with way too many vowels in his name, has no clue. I would say, maybe 11 and 19. Loose to KSU, loose to Georgia. Well, maybe the Blind Academy is next. I do not see how how can allow a coach that shows no direction at all to stay as coach. Now, cause Im slow, tell me about all the great Hewitt stars that were great in the NBA. Stop when you get to a 100.
Mark
December 8th, 2010
8:11 am
Get rid of both blewitt and drad then. Making excuses for crap means you are a crap evaluator. Even ex nba players question hewitt as a coach.
DawginLex
December 8th, 2010
8:17 am
This was like the football game. Neither team played well and neither team has too much to crow about.
Make no mistake though, Drad is using coach-speak. He can’t be happy. I can not believe the building wasn’t sold out. Hewitt doesn’t make the NCAA’s and he will be out.
I’m glad Mark Fox is in Athens. I hope he remains honest and continues to work hard.
howard
December 8th, 2010
8:17 am
Hewitt is dragging down the GA TECH basketball program and I know longer care to go to their games and watch quality recruits play lousy basketball. Their is a fundamental coaching problem at Tech and the sooner this is accepted the sooner it can be resolved. Tech is no longer competitive in the ACC.
Scott
December 8th, 2010
8:18 am
If they average a half full arena the rest of the year, that will cause change.
4k empty seats x 13 games = lost ticket and concession sales of 1.5 million
jarvis
December 8th, 2010
8:22 am
Dawgs have got to shoot better from the stripe.
That was an awful effort at the end. Trey missed the front end of a one-one with about a minute left, and then we missed both to put the game away with 4 seconds left. Georgia was fortunate that the second miss hit a foot rather than being cleanly rebounded.
That said, Georgia didn’t play well, and they still won. There seems to be a pattern developing in the rivalry.
ga tech 92
December 8th, 2010
8:22 am
So in summary every non-GT blogger, but one, wants Hewitt gone. This is pretty typical, if you look back over the years of blogging. Hellooooooo…why is he still here??…almost no one wants him…and clearly we had the money…because we just spent it on an upgrayyyyd’d arena…oh wait, wrong movie…or is it. The idiocracy continues under Hewitt’s watch…or is it GroundHog Day…hrmm…it’s all just a nasty blur now.
DIT
December 8th, 2010
8:24 am
I did not have a chance to watch the game, but a 1 point victory seems to be a very close and very good game by both sides. Even though I went to UGA I have always enjoyed and pulled for GT in basketball.
Unfortunatley I don’t see my 2nd favorite basketball team getting any better under Hewit. GT can just about get any coach out there. Time to cut this joker loose!
Good luck on the rest of your season!
buzzwax
December 8th, 2010
8:25 am
Go Lady Jackets!!! Yea, we can hang our hat on SOMETHING….
pathetic
December 8th, 2010
8:25 am
Looks like yet another year where UGA will sweep the thugs from North Ave. in all 3 big time sports. Just more of the same.
hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 8th, 2010
8:26 am
Yech sucks at everything!!!
jarvis
December 8th, 2010
8:27 am
I try not to be a spell checker on blogs, but come on guys. There is one “o” in lose.
Loose is a girl in the back of a large van.
jarvis
December 8th, 2010
8:28 am
Can I ask this? What is the 3rd big time college sport? Baseball?
New flash: College Baseball sucks.
Metal bats and talent comprising of anyone that couldn’t get drafted.
ga tech 92
December 8th, 2010
8:29 am
jarvis Too right, but in the blog’s defense, lose/loose is probably the most common word(s) spelled incorrectly on sports blogs.
jarvis
December 8th, 2010
8:31 am
I agree 92. Like I said, I try not to correct spelling in an unformal setting. God knows I make my share of type-o’s.
This one had just come up many times this morning, and I thought the quip about the back of the van was funny enough to post.
Jarnes
December 8th, 2010
8:32 am
Only one article on here bout Tech’s humiliating defeat? Come on nerds, own up to it and accept it!!!
Just saying..
December 8th, 2010
8:35 am
“Why?” Because Hewitt recruits players he can’t coach.
GT Dad
December 8th, 2010
8:37 am
Congrats to the Dawgs. It was a heart-breaker and you pulled it out. I guess us fans at GT are used to it.
I’m not a fair-weather fan. In fact, I struggle to watch the Jackets because I get too into it. However, watching the BB team is just too painful. They have no plan, no teamwork, no strategy – and that comes down to coaching (or lack of it). I can’t handle paying hard-earned money to attend a game only to have my heart ripped out. If they played as a team with passion and smarts, I could handle it – win or lose.
The Hewitt contract has us screwed and I definitely feel for DRAD, but something better give soon or he’s lost all support.
JacketLady
December 8th, 2010
8:37 am
Keep supporting him DRAD and the benefactors for the new basketball arena might pull their offer! Who wants to have a beautiful new facility with empty seats????
MURPHY
December 8th, 2010
8:38 am
jarvis,
College Baseball Sucks? Yeah I guess you know what you are taling about-NOT Look up the ratings for last year College World Series! Maybe you are sour becasuse the SEC won another Championship?
GT
December 8th, 2010
8:42 am
Last year’s team had Favors. Hewitt figured out how to use Favors around the ACC tournament time or Favors started smelling the draft and realized the boys in Kentucky were now better than he was, his stock was going down. Gani Lawal was one of those overated players that looked good getting off the bus. The guy was lazy, no ball skills, could not hit a free throw if his life depended on it, but Hewitt was determined to run the offense through him. Lawal was just assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, after being drafted in the second round, to be developed I would guess. Something Hewitt fails to do. And Hewitt has never known how to handle guards. The ultimate failure was how he handled Matt Causey. Game after game Causey would be playing great, Tech would be playing great and Hewitt would yank Causey and replace him with the freshman Maurice Miller. Tech would fall into its happy place, confusion, the lead would slip and finally after the volume of failure had been turned up 10 times Hewitt would bring the hard working gutsy Causey back in. This kid never complained and will always be one of Tech’s favorites. Someone should have sat Causey down and told him he was trying too hard for Hewitt’s style of play. He could shoot foul shots and all the things Hewett considers eyewash. Antony Morrow and Chris Bosh were on the other side of disappointing. These two guys are now some of the finest players in the NBA. Instead of disappointing the receiver of their pro talents they shocked the basketball world on how good they were. Who knew they had been buried in a system that would make Cleopatra look pain. In short there is no joy in watching Tech basketball like there was in the Cremins era. I was at a cocktail party last night, with ex Tech players, who had to be reminded the game was even being played at that moment.
jarvis
December 8th, 2010
8:43 am
Good try Murph. I’m a two-time UGA alum.
JacketLady
December 8th, 2010
8:44 am
Joey, you are correct. People not going because of DRAD…I had tickets for years and followed them on TV EVERY game! Gave up my tickets two years ago and barely watch on TV and WILL NOT go back until Hewitt is gone! It’s a shame that the program Bobby Cremins built is being torn down by Hewitt. I don’t care what DRAD says, last year was a fluke that they got to the tournament. The only “real” team in the tournament was the one he took with Cremins recruits.
Arthur Redding
December 8th, 2010
8:44 am
COULD uga BEAT KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, OR FLORIDA RIGHT NOW?
UGA won the 2nd half againstTech, beating them by 7 points. Fox made a few adjustments, the offense played with more discipline in the 2nd half, Travis Leslie was back in the game, Ware hit the 3-pointers.
GT plays a rather haphazard offense under Hewitt. If you simply have superior athletes who can continually drive to the basket to create production, you can win. (And Tech still has, overall, better athletes than UGA–but the gap is closing.) But you can still be beat by better-coached, better disciplined teams. And when you don’t have superior athletes, you lose most of the time.
You have to wonder what Fox could have done with Tech’s athletes over the years. (And that’s still an open question, UGA fans.)
Could UGA beat KENTUCKY and the others right now?
That’s a clear NO–and that Fox’s challenge for December. But Fox has earned a little faith, and with Thompkins working back to full strength, you have to believe the Bulldogs will be able to compete with the current BIG 3 in the SEC come January.
Boo hoo
December 8th, 2010
8:46 am
All Tech had to do was get physical and they would have dominated the game.
UGA fans and players cry like babies when you get physical with them.
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaa