5 UGA-Tech hoops observations: Favors, Fox and Hewitt
This wasn't a Thompkins trey, but it was certainly an emphatic deuce. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
1. Derrick Favors doesn’t look like the Derrick Favors who played for South Atlanta. There’s a reason for that. He’s being asked to play out on the floor; his best work is done down low. The shots he’s getting — he took eight apiece in Georgia Tech’s losses to Florida State and Georgia — include too many face-up jumpers. He’s not a jump shooter. He’s a power player with terrific post moves. Trouble is, Gani Lawal is Tech’s No. 1 post option, and he has developed into a good one. But Lawal and Favors don’t yet mesh. They’re not, say, Horford and Noah.
2. Tech has a history of not always getting the ball to its biggest talents. Chris Bosh averaged 9.7 shots per game his one season at Tech. Then he left for the NBA and was the fourth player taken in a famous draft. (LeBron was No. 1, Carmelo No. 3.) Projected to be the second player drafted in June, Favors is averaging 8.2 shots. When asked Tuesday if there were enough shots for both Lawal and Favors in Tech’s offense, Hewitt said, “I think so.” Asked if the two get in one another’s way, Hewitt said, “I don’t think so.”
3. Such is the level of Georgia’s talent that Mark Fox can barely buy his starters a moment’s rest. There came a sequence in the first half when this was brought into stark relief. He removed Trey Thompkins, Ricky McPhee (a former walk-on) and Dustin Ware at the same time, and the result was that the Bulldogs were left with a lineup that had no hope of scoring. One horrid possession was all it took for Thompkins and Ware to be re-deployed. Ware wound up playing 38 minutes, McPhee 35, Thompkins 32. No Tech player save Lawal worked more than 32 minutes. And the team with no depth won. This guy is doing some coaching.
4. Thompkins is twice the player he was as a freshman. Last season was slowed by an early injury and never got into shape. He’s slimmer and quicker now, and he’s a tough matchup for any defender. (Favors started against him but ran into foul trouble, which can happen to post players who are asked to defend face-up opponents.) Thompkins is big but can shoot from distance and make plays off the dribble. The game’s biggest moment was his driving three-point swoop as the shot clock was down to (almost) nothing and the Bulldogs were leading by a point. As coaches say, he made a basketball play.
5. Hewitt has worked against three Georgia coaches without building a winning record against any of them. He was 1-2 against Jim Harrick and 3-3 against Dennis Felton; he’s 0-1 against Fox. Hewitt has twice taken ranked teams to Athens and lost to the unranked Bulldogs. The frustration level in the Tech community seems at an all-time high, and the next five games — opponents: Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson and Florida State — could well determine not just the course of this season but the path of Hewitt’s future.
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173 comments Add your comment
BuckheadBill
January 6th, 2010
10:42 am
1/5/2010
Hawkeyes 1-0
Dawgs 1-0
Bugs 0-2
WOW
January 6th, 2010
10:43 am
trey tompkins is THE BEST PLAYER IN THE STATE and it was proven last night
Mark Bradley
January 6th, 2010
10:43 am
Jake, I think you’re on point. Hewitt tries to do too much himself. Tubby Smith did the same thing, and eventually the workload wore him down. And Tubby Smith is among the best coaches I’ve ever seen.
gtm
January 6th, 2010
10:45 am
GT basketball = UGA football…great recruits, poor performance.
southsideDAWG
January 6th, 2010
10:47 am
Well first football now basketball. Bring on baseball season. UGA owns GT at Turner field. Overrated football team and basketball team. I find it funny how the AJC jumped on the Tech bandwagon. Best year at Tech in at least 20 years and UGA still beats you. GT with all this talent on the basketball team and cannot beat UGA. Should be fun to watch how the AJC spins what has happened to Tech sports.
Mark Bradley
January 6th, 2010
10:49 am
Trey Thompkins is a fine player. But Gani Lawal is pretty good himself. And we haven’t yet seen the best of Mr. Favors.
Harry the Hat
January 6th, 2010
10:51 am
Hewitt has got to go. He’s proved beyond any doubt that he has no coaching skills whatsover.
This is absurd. How much longer do we have to put up with this loser?
Does the body good
January 6th, 2010
10:53 am
HEY TECH FANS! FEELING LOUSY TODAY AFTER GETTING PHYSICALLY DOMINATED IN YOUR ONLY REAL BOWL GAME IN HALF A CENTURY AND AT THE SAME TIME LOSING TO THE DAWGS IN BASKETBALL??
DON’T WORRY, I HAVE JUST THE REMEDY! A NICE, HOT BOWL OF…
30-24!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
WITH A SIDE OF…
73-66!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
AND FOR DESSERT…
24-14!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
fan
January 6th, 2010
10:54 am
gtm, those same recruits embarassed tech on their own field. have you forgotten 30-24 when tech was favored by 7. your defense in FB is bad now, whats next year gonna look like when your best player is gone??? 30-24
Gordon
January 6th, 2010
10:56 am
Mark (and Jake),
I think the problem is pride. He will not admit that he has a problem coaching a half court set. He had an opening on his staff this summer, and filled it with a young former Tech player (who I have nothing against – just the wrong guy) rather than a seasoned “X’s and O’s” guy.
Mark wrote that the next 5 games will determine his future. His future is clear: he will eventually be fired and collect $7M (thanks Mr. Braine). The only question is when. We’ve got 2 more years of paying Gailey not to coach (thanks again Mr. Braine), so maybe Radakovich has to wait until then and just replace Gailey with Hewitt in the “Inactive Coaches” line item in the budget. By then Tech will be able to play their games in the O’Keefe gym.
Roymus
January 6th, 2010
10:56 am
What’s the over/under on when somebody will post a “Tech will be fine, wait until next year for the team to mesh” message? Paul Hewitt has for 9 seasons done less with more talent than any other coach in the country (the one exception being the NC run in 2004, resulting in an embarrassing NC game spanking from UConn). Since then, no player has ever improved under his tenure and no player ever will. That NC run was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Tech, as it resulted in Paul Hewitt being awarded the One Ring of Power…now he cannot be fired or destroyed by conventional means. But don’t worry…Tech will be fine, just be patient and wait until next year. Gaaaa!!!!
Blindog
January 6th, 2010
10:57 am
Mark Fox is a keeper!!
ND
January 6th, 2010
10:57 am
I agree Yellarjacket, Blewitt should’ve been fired before they got back to the campus last night. Looking at the schedule I think the next win comes vs Kentucky State which makes them 0-7 in the conf.
Unless he is in foul trouble why would Favors ever be on the bench? Blewitt has him for one year so there is no point having him on the bench. I am no scout, but his stock has to be dropping playing for Blewitt. I just don’t understand his substitutions at all.
Mark: Is there anyway Blewitt would be relieved of his duties before the season ended?
Mark Bradley
January 6th, 2010
10:57 am
I don’t think anybody will be saying, “Wait ’til next year,” Roymus. Favors and Lawal will be in the NBA then.
dagtbuzzman
January 6th, 2010
10:57 am
I am fed up w/Hewitt.
The sad state of Ga Tech roundball . Dear Dan R.,
Hewitt has to be held accountable. He just can’t stand on the sidelines & rub his chin & scratch his balz !!!!
How can Tech convince any blue chip recruit to spend more than a one & done if there is nothing to play for at the end of the season ?
Hewitt record speaks for itself : Record at Tech: 154-131 (.540), nine seasons
Acc Record: 58-85 nine seasons
Currently he makes over $1.4 million per year base salary. That does not include speaking engagements, camps, or endorsements .
Just for round numbers let’s say he has been paid $9 million over those 9yrs. That means he gets about $15,500 per win for scratching his head. Hell I want his job.
defactodawg
January 6th, 2010
10:58 am
Mark,
Thanks for your analysis. Though I don’t care much for the sport, I think you’re at your best when writing about basketball and I learn just enough to know whats going on.
yellarjacket
January 6th, 2010
10:58 am
Mark – We may never see the best of Favors this year with the scheme Hewitt has in place for getting him the ball.
Teams are going to play a simple 2-3 zone and try to neutralize both Lawal and Favors and make us beat them from the perimeter. We don’t have the guards who can consistently hit outside jumpshots, so I believe life for Lawal and Favors will be extremely tough come ACC play. Just see the FSU game, we couldn’t even get the ball passed into the post, much less get them in position to score.
I also think Favors maybe playing a little passive since Lawal is the older and more experienced post player. Favors doesn’t seem to demand the ball like Gani does. I hope to see him assert himself more in ACC play. We dang sure need him to play better.
Mark Bradley
January 6th, 2010
11:00 am
There’s no chance Hewitt won’t coach this team all season, ND. Zero.
And I should remind everyone, myself included, that Tech is 11-3. Trouble is, only a few of those victories were over anyone of consequence. (Southern Cal, Charlotte, George Mason.)
Long Memory
January 6th, 2010
11:03 am
What a great year 2010 is turning into. Nerds wringing hands and gnashing teeth all over Gods land. What a difference a year makes.
NCAA Investigator
January 6th, 2010
11:04 am
Mark, how long before my office has to come calling on Calipari and your Wildcats?
DuluthDawg
January 6th, 2010
11:06 am
Not trying to diss anyone but two honest observations about Tech. In football it appeared that Tech didn’t have enough talent in the trenches on either side of the ball to be as good as they achieved this year. So I think they over achieved in football with the talent they had. In basketball, the exact opposite appears true. Both cases reveal differences in coaching I believe. I think that bodes well for Tech football in the future if they can recruit better (which is to be seen) although I don’t think Tech will be better in basketball regardless of who they recruit. I think the Dawgs will continue to do well against Tech in football regardless because we continue to out recruit them, and last night generates great hope that Fox can consistently do well against Tech if he can get the recruits he needs. If he is able to recruit well I think the Dawgs will become the dominate basketball team in the state (as long as Hewitt remains at Tech that is). Again, not trying to flame anyone; that’s my honest perceptions.
Diablo69
January 6th, 2010
11:07 am
I can accept the loss to Iowa on the gridiron – the better team won and it’s a loss we can build from.
What I cannot abide is this loss to Georgia on the hard court. We have 3 McDonald’s All Americans and 2 potential lottery picks in our starting 5. The closest anyone on the Georgia roster will come to the lottery is the next pick 6. I don’t care if all 5 of Georgia’s starters had the game of their respective careers last night we still should have won by double digits. I am done with Hewitt and his Black Coaches of America agenda. I have never seen someone do so little with so much. I don’t care if win the next 4 games everyone knows whats coming in March. The complete lack of fundamentals on both sides of the court with see to that.
Gordon
January 6th, 2010
11:08 am
“And I should remind everyone, myself included, that Tech is 11-3. Trouble is, only a few of those victories were over anyone of consequence.”
Couldn’t tell which sport you were talking about there for a second, Mark.
Yet they are so different: one coach is building something and one is destroying something.
quaildawg
January 6th, 2010
11:09 am
Mark,
In attendance last night and just behind Tech bench. Noted two things. Lawall is a player and definitely carried Tech w/ no outside threat. Difference in Coaching w/ Hewiit and Fox…Favors was called for a foul, in process of being replaced he stood at scorers table and pleaded his case to official and did not relent and was not told to get on bench and shut-up. In process Dawgs got the ball and caught Tech offguard and scored easy basket.
Thompkins got called for foul and began pleading his case to ref at mid-court and was immediatley told by FOx to get to the team huddle(there was a TO) and get over it.
On Tech’s bench the tail wags the dog and on UGA’s it’s the reverse.
Hewitt will not stand up to his players and Fox will (also evidenced by his obvious displeasure with Leslie’s trying to force a shot and turning the ball over out of bounds.)
Just some observations.
UGA basketball (only) blog
January 6th, 2010
11:10 am
http://hoopdawg.wordpress.com/
CW
January 6th, 2010
11:11 am
Cheer up Techies, BASEBALL is right around the corner and you’ll have THREE shots to beat the dawgs at something then. HAHA
azcat225
January 6th, 2010
11:13 am
NCAA Investigator: I doubt any Kentucky bloggers would agree that the KY Wildcats are Mark’s Wildcats. Any time he’s written something honest about that program, they’ve been all over him like ugly on an ape.
Great column, Mark. My guess is the Radakovich swallows hard, reallllly hard, at the end of another disappointing season and figures out some way to replace Hewitt. I always thought Fox was a great hire. UGA will hit bumps in the road but he is already rebuilding the program (or building, depending on your point of view). If he is as successful as I believe he will be, the trick for UGA will be to hang on to him.
ND
January 6th, 2010
11:16 am
They only beat Clt b/c they shot 90% from the FT line. That won’t happen again all season.
I still want to know why Favors ever needs to be on the bench if not in foul trouble. Someone please tell me.
DirtyDawg
January 6th, 2010
11:17 am
The way young Mr. Favors slouches around, complaining about every call and every coach’s decision, he reminds me of Josh Smith at that age – wait, he is that age, or almost. Fact is Favors had better get his head screwed on straighter or he can forget the high draft pick from the NBA – oh, he’ll get picked, but there will be plenty of question-marks – unless they can lay it off on Hewitt, of course.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
January 6th, 2010
11:17 am
I will admit i actually like to see Tech win at basketball somehow I can seperate football from roundball when it comes to cheering , I was happy to see the DAWGS win but I will be cheering for Tech to have a great year and make a long run in the NCAA tournament and I still see tech as a sweet 16 type team or better this year. I hope to see Ga being competitive in a couple of years , I admit I dont know much about coach fox is he a decent recruiter ?
dcp
January 6th, 2010
11:18 am
I’m tired of it – Hewitt is just awful. He continually calls stupid timeouts that stall momentum, right after there was a media timeout. Can he not get his team to handle more than one task at a time? Can we not know how to set up defense after a made shot? Pathetic.
He has got to get things done or there will be a large collection plate passed around AMC to pay his way out.
Favors looks like an average player right now – not close to the caliber of a #1 recruit in the entire country – Hewitt needs to set plays to get him in position to be successful.
I am so sick of his hockey style rotations of players. You don’t see that elsewhere, at real basketball schools.
Ozzy
January 6th, 2010
11:19 am
I’m with you ND. I’ve said it before – his substitutions look like a middle school rec ball team.
The only thing missing is participation trophies (paid for by the parents) for each player at the year end party.
0-6 in ACC
January 6th, 2010
11:21 am
Tech starts 0-6 in the ACC and Hewitt will be gone next year.
Hee hee
January 6th, 2010
11:21 am
“GT basketball = UGA football…great recruits, poor performance.”
That’s nice. Mark Richt is 8-1 against Georgia Tech, has two conference titles, has played for a third, and has three trips to the BCS. Hewitt had a 5-game winning streak in March once (see also: Felton’s SEC Championship run).
Georgia probably hasn’t maximized the talent of its recruits in recent years, no. But it’s not nearly as bad as the trainwreck at Tech.
St. Simon's Daddy
January 6th, 2010
11:25 am
Any one need a broom? St. Simons aka 14 million must be down on the links and too busy to post something for us or his mom has banned him from the family pc for using profanity. Hey 14 million you corrected me on the word relevance as revelance. I think you need to go buy a dictionary. Funny how all the smack talk always come back to bite them in the a**. Where is all the NC talk now? Get used to it, UGA runs this state and always will. . Fox can coach and once he gets his players in UGA basketball will be very competitive and tourney bound. He is doing a great job of coaching and we Dawg fans need to go to some games and show our appreciation.
Go Dawgs!!!!
Mark, on a side note. How bout giving the USA junior hockey some props. They beat Canada for the Gold last night.
quaildawg
January 6th, 2010
11:27 am
Attended game and sat behind Tech bench. Noticed that Favors seemed uninterested and visibly frustrated. Also noted that Favors pleaded his case to ref and in the process was never admonished by Hewitt or told to get on the bench and shut up. This resulted in a distraction that led to an easy UGA basket. Thompkins tried to plead his case during a TO and was immediatley and emphatically told by Fox to get in the team huddle pronto!!! Tail seems to wag the dog on Tech team and Fox seems to be in complete charge on UGA bench.
Just some random observations.
collegeballfan
January 6th, 2010
11:28 am
As I keep saying, Fox is a damn fine coach. But he will not build a national power at Georgia unless the lousy Georgia grads get off of their rumps and attend the games.
The better recruits, the ones who “matter”, only sign with the programs that “matter” in basketball. Georgia does not matter in basketball.
And it never will unless the grads support the program.
JJ
January 6th, 2010
11:29 am
1. No one, and I mean NO ONE gets less out of more than Paul Hewitt.
2. It’s VERY early, but it looks like Mark Fox may be just the opposite, getting a lot out of a very little bit of talent.
3. Biggest question has always been, and will always be, CAN HE RECRUIT TO ATHENS??? That’s the 10 Million dollar question for every UGA Hoops coach. Felton’s answer was a resounding NO (and considering he was only a marginally better coach than Hewitt, you know why the Dawgs suck every year). Can Fox answer the question in the affirmative? We’ll see.
4. How in the heck do you sign a coach with a losing conference record to a revolving contract with a $7 Mil buyout every year?? As an aside: does anyone realize that the records of Felton and Hewitt are strikingly similar?? Ouch.
5. Gonna be UGLY in Lexington this weekend. Anything under 20 would be a HUGE step in the right direction. Calipari can cheat with the best of them but he’s also a heck of a coach.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 6th, 2010
11:31 am
4-6 is Hewitts record against UGA in basketball? Where would he be if he didn’t have that improbable Final Four run a few years back? The mens UGA basketball team played way over there heads last night making every play they needed to to win the game. Hewitt is on the verge of being shown the door…
drew
January 6th, 2010
11:35 am
I can handle the losses…but just watching this “team” try to run a half court offense is frustratingly painful, even when they win! And this is not something that’s just started happening….this has been going on for years under Hewitt, and I’m sick and tired of watching it. Has any Paul Hewitt team been coached up? Have any of his teams made any significant improvements over the course of the season? Have any of his high profile recruits made any significant improvement under him? Have any of his “teams” played like a team? How is it that ALL of his teams turn the ball over so much? I know, I know, it’s the players turning the ball over, but the players come and go, and still the turnovers remain a constant.
As the great sports philosopher, Charles Barkley, would say: “This team’s coaching is terbl”.
If the powers that be don’t have the nads (or $$$) or get rid of Hewitt, they need to get some assistant coaches who can manage a game and teach fundamentals, and put Hewitt’s butt on the recruiting trail, as that seems to be the ONE thing he CAN do.
It’s a bad day to be a Tech fan. And all you UGA chest thumpers…enjoy it while you can, cause your day is coming.
ND
January 6th, 2010
11:37 am
Drew-the answer to all of your questions is NO.
Road Scholar
January 6th, 2010
11:40 am
Did anyone notice the in-bound play of Tech towards the end of the game? Down by 5, the out of bounds passer was looking down court with a Tech guard 6 feet away inbounds. No Ga player in sight. Then the inbounds player looks to see what the passer is looking at when the inbounder passed the ball past him directly to a UGA player! Now that is coaching! All Hewitt could do is look at the floor and shrug! Get in their face! Sit the fool on the bench.
They can’t pass, inbound the ball, move while on offense, move their feet on defense, etc. Oh they can commit stupid fouls! This is college coaching?
I had season tickets and let them lapse last year, this year I thought about renewing them, but waited to see how they played against FSU. Whoa, no coaching again at the end of the game. Then I thought about buying the ACC season ticket package. Then UGA. Hell no! Fire Hewitt now! If not, keep him and let him wash the play blackboard, esp since it appears it hasn’t been used this year!
Hire Mark Price!
Dap01
January 6th, 2010
11:40 am
Who would give Hewitt a buyout clause? He is one of the worst coaches in college basketball. He does so little with so much. Look at his record.
30-24 Dawgs - WE RUN THIS STATE
January 6th, 2010
11:41 am
Mark – once again you fail to post the Dawgs’ winning score so let me put it out there for you -
73-66 in basketball, Dawgs beat Tech
30-24in football, Dawgs beat Tech
thom
January 6th, 2010
11:44 am
Fox could certainly take the Tech roster and go to the final four but it’s still important to see what Hewitt can do with them this year! http://www.wedgeorgia.com
Boise Dawg
January 6th, 2010
11:48 am
Great win for this Georgia team.. I still think it will be a tough year in conference play, so we need some upset wins like this to keep this teams spirits up.
Recruiting will be key to rebuilding this program, but Tubby was able to be successful with modest recruiting efforts. It was more than just recruiting that undid Felton (he actually brought in some good players)… Felton could only coach defense and transition offense he looked hopeless in developing any kind of half court offense.. and most of his teams lacked chemistry probably because half the starters where being disciplined or kicked off the team all the time.
AltamahaDawg
January 6th, 2010
11:50 am
Looked exactly like they did in thier win against Illinois. Steady, unspectacular, seemed like they weren’t scoring but they were. You kept waiting for them to crumble and they just never did. Good ball handling (sans the phantom passes). Solid D? High percentage FT shooting? The Bulldogs? huh
Bodes well if he can fill out the roster in a couple of years.
007
January 6th, 2010
11:50 am
What Paul Hewitt has done over the long haul is much more important than what happened in 1 year (national title game). He has had a losing record in the acc every year since the title game. I think GT was only 9-7 in the conference in 2004 and then had a miracle run in the playoffs. Dont be fooled by the teams overall record. They play one of the biggest cupcake non conference schedules of anybody. They tried to play some decent teams in Puerto Rico but Hewitt couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper bag in the first round and they got beat. USC is terrible this year and wouldne make the post season even if they hadnt banned themselves. George Mason and Charlotte are both mid major teams who might both be on the bubble come tournament time. Hewitts substitutions are awful. Great teams dont play 10 and 11 guys every game. Thats just dumb. Udofia, Shumpert, Oliver, Bell, and either Miller or Rice are the only 5 guards that need to play. Lawal, Favors, and Peacock are the only bigs that need to play. The rest of the clowns need to sit on the bench and stay there. A 7 or 8 man rotation is plenty. They only play 2 games a week. Guys dont need to rest all the time and get a sub at every dead ball. Lance Storrs is pitiful. He came along as a package gift with Lawal anyways. Foreman is a walk on for a reason. He needs to do us a favor and walk-off. Hewitts offense is terrible. They NEVER get an easy shot. Offensivve rebounding really is their best offense. I wonder if Hewitt ever tells the guards to quit firing up 3’s any time they can see the basket? The GT assistant coaches are pitiful too. If you ever get a chance to meet them and talk to them when they are recruiting a high school kid, you should. Its laughable. Get Hewitt out of here. he sucks. OK im done.
GTforme
January 6th, 2010
11:52 am
So, let me get this straight… This week Bobby Cremins takes his College of Charleston Cougars, in there little 5,000 (+-) capacity GYM (w/roll-away bleachers) and defeats UNC’s ALMIGHTY Tarheels (No. 9 nationally)… but Coach Paul Hewitt, with as much talent as (probably) anyone in the country, CANNOT muster a win over a 7-5 (now 8-5) UGA team that can tout nothing more than a sophomore forward, Trey Thompkins, and a Gardner-Webb (former walk-on) guard, Ricky McPhee.
All I can say is great win Coach Fox (and Coach Cremins)… Coach Hewitt, watch out for the GRIM REAPER!
… and that coupled w/ the OrangeBowl defeat (not a pretty one either)… MAN, what a disappointing day to be a Yellowjacket fan.
GT coaches, teams, students, fans, a lot of Atlanta and Georgia… we’re all hurting today.
… and then there’s this frigid cold weather!!! BIG BUMMER, ALL THE WAY ROUND!
DamnGoodDawg!
January 6th, 2010
11:55 am
Observation No. 6: Georgia Tech is and always will be second rate. They keep trying and crying to be top of the heap, but they will NEVER make it. We’re better, even when we’re down.
By the way, just a reminder…” The loss dropped Tech to 11-3, kept it from reaching 12 wins for the first time since 1952, and extended its losing streak in bowl games to five. It also will knock the Yellow Jackets out of the top 10 in the final AP poll”.