Tech leaves us wondering how much it might have done
D'Andre Bell's postmortem on his Yellow Jackets : "We were just inconsistent." (AP photo)
Milwaukee – Elbows on knees, a scowling Iman Shumpert bent forward in his chair. Someone asked if Ohio State was better than Georgia Tech. “Not at all,” Shumpert said.
So: Was Tech better than Ohio State? Said Shumpert, almost spitting the words: “A lot better.”
Judge these teams 1-10 and there’s no comparison. Brad Sheehan, Tech’s 10th man, was pressed into service Sunday and contributed a three-point play. Ohio State deployed only seven men, and its two reserves worked a total of 13 minutes. (Brian Oliver, Tech’s eighth man, played 16.) But college basketball isn’t a draft lottery, and it isn’t a beauty contest. It’s a matter of what coach can take talent and mold it into a team.
Paul Hewitt spoke this season of his Jackets having a “high ceiling.” They altered our perception of them as rank underachievers with a stirring run in the ACC tournament and a Round 1 NCAA dismissal of Oklahoma State, but in the end that ceiling remained untouched. This team took Hewitt back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2007, but with three McDonald’s All-Americans was that the ultimate goal? Just to make an appearance?
Said D’Andre Bell: “We were inconsistent. At certain points we showed how great we can be.”
A great team would have beaten Ohio State on Sunday. As strange as it sounds, there was a clear imbalance of talent between the No. 2 seed and the No. 10. Tech had the three best big men this day, and yet Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors got called for the fouls that changed the game. Jacket fans will complain forever about the officiating, but here’s the thing: With no Ohio State post presence to defend, Tech’s post players still fouled. How? Why?
The Buckeyes left the door open almost all game: They fell eight points behind early and gave back 11 points off a 15-point lead late, and they missed six free throws and made 18 turnovers (to Tech’s 21). Evan Turner scored 24 points but needed 19 shots to do it, and his nine rebounds and nine assists were undercut by nine turnovers.
But Tech didn’t lead over the final 22 1/2 minutes because it could never punish the Buckeyes, who essentially start four guards, and when the Jackets’ offense crumbled the game became a flurry of Ohio State fast breaks and transition treys. If it wasn’t easy for the Buckeyes, it was never as hard as it coulda/shoulda been.
So much awaited Tech if it could have upset Ohio State. The Midwest Regional would then have been without its No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds, and nobody in St. Louis — not even Michigan State — would have matched the Jackets on manpower. Asked if Tech could have reached the Final Four, Derrick Favors said: “I think we could have. But we ended up losing this game.”
Loading ...Thus do we take our leave of the most gifted team in Institute annals. If its legacy won’t be of utter failure — it did reach the ACC finals and win a game in the Big Dance, both accomplishments Tech hadn’t managed since 2005 — neither did it approach its potential. It finished seventh in a diluted ACC, seventh with a losing conference record. It lost to Georgia. It made the NCAA as a 10th seed and was gone on the first weekend.
Said Hewitt: “We got to the [NCAA] tournament, and that’s a really major accomplishment. I think our guys played really hard and were really unlucky at times, but their effort never wavered. We had a great year.”
Then, perhaps realizing he’d oversold his case, Hewitt said: “A very good year.”
Actually, it was neither. It was a B-minus season. If losing 13 games with Favors and Lawal and Shumpert is a “great” — or a “very good” — year, standards need to be recalibrated. Hewitt can and will endeavor to put the sunniest of faces on this season, but the empty looks in his locker room Sunday told a different story.
The Jackets knew how much they had and how far they might have gone. Sad to say, this team of vast promise was done playing before it really got going.
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481 comments Add your comment
Al
March 21st, 2010
10:10 pm
Just read a few of the comments and I had to respond. First, this is Ga. Tech, a great acdemic institution but, a mid major wannabe from a sport perspective. Tech does not have the national baskteball reputation of Duke or, UNC. So, stop whining. Be thankful that your team made it to the NCAA tournament. By the way, the last time Tech played the Buckeyes in the NCAA tournament, OSU won then. That time beating a star laden Tech team led by Kenny Anderson. You are GT, and will always be second rate athletically. At least your coach runs a clean program, with decent kids and does not bring in thugs and hoodlums like Bruce Pearl or, John Calipari.
acowa
March 21st, 2010
10:11 pm
Leghumpers,
Probably a good idea to at least MAKE the NIT and/or a major bowl before you go mouthing off. That way, you don’t need to troll the blogs of teams that actually do. Seriously, are you guys have been reduced to flail. You simply don’t play in significant post season games anymore. All those resources, so little results down on the farm.
john
March 21st, 2010
10:13 pm
Boy, what a shame. Paulie Walnuts can attempt the “great year” spin all he wants, but GT graduates know better. As I listened to the announcers say in the last 2 minutes “Georgia Tech has no timeouts left”, I was torn between anger and resignation. Of course we have no timeouts left — what’s new? Paulie is not totally clueless — he sees all the other coaches saving a timeout or two. for the key last final minutes, but he know he’ll look silly in front of his players if he calls a late timeout and give them a Cremins-ish “play hard guys.” All the “hater” and “lowest blah blah journalism” comments just put lipstick on the pig. Did I mention that our talent blows away that of final 4-bound Duke? Atleast football season, where we actually coach-up our talent, starts in 6 months. Thanks, Paulie Walnuts.
ben
March 21st, 2010
10:13 pm
Better than Price / Dalrymple / Salley / Hammonds / Ferrel?
jojo sunshine
March 21st, 2010
10:15 pm
BRAD STEVENS IS 33 YEARS OLD. THIS YEAR MAKES HIS 4TH YEAR AS HEAD COACH AT BUTLER. HE STARTED AS AN ASSISTANT TO THAD MATTA (the guy that just beat GT). STEVENS RECORD – WOW – 116-18. DID YOU READ THAT? 116 WINS AND ONLY 18 LOSSES. HIRE BRAD STEVENS NOW BEFORE IT IS TO LATE!
Pete
March 21st, 2010
10:18 pm
Good column Mark.
Real good.
Tech is a good team but is NOT the least bit opportunistic. ZERO. ZIP. EVER.
Bottom line…………………..season ends.
Pope UGA XXIII
March 21st, 2010
10:19 pm
TOO BAD …………….. SO SAD
All this talent and that’s as far as the Tech-ites can go ??
Lost to UGA in Athens ????
See ya’ next year, Nerds
Pope UGA XXIII
March 21st, 2010
10:21 pm
DAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Should have been in the Final 4, Nerds.
Too Bad ……………….. SO SAD !!
TechI
March 21st, 2010
10:21 pm
ummmm…yea….I hate Ohio State, but Mark, they are a far better team than Georgia Tech. Our guards are terrible. They have potential to get better in the coming years but this year they sucked offensively. Four of their five starters are better than evey player we have except for Favors, and I would take Evan Turner over him. This team should have had a better season and been a 5, 6 or 7 seed, but they were def. not better than Ohio State.
GT Boro
March 21st, 2010
10:23 pm
You can discount the “officiating angle.” But, the game I saw definitely included refs protecting Evan Turner, calling fouls when he flopped (Shumpert’s foul at the end of the first – camera showed Turner on the floor opened one eye to see if the ref was buying it). Favors was called for a foul in the second half when Lighty leaned against him and Derrick repositioned. Tech still could have won. OSU’s bench may not have scored but there was definitely a sixth man wearing stripes.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
10:24 pm
Shumpert definitely should have shown more class in his comments. At the least he should have said that OSU was the better team today. He could have then said that he felt we were capable of playing better and would have liked another shot without looking like a sore loser. That’s what worries me about Shumpert. He has plenty of talent but is he coachable or is he too stubborn to really improve?
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
10:25 pm
Wow, much earlier in the day I on another blog I made post that I had been critical of Hewitt all season long but since he was gonna be here for another year we may as well pull for him. I really thought that Tech would win this game. Unfortunately I wasnt able to watch it live but I did watch a replay of it on tivo. The one time this whole season that I wasnt yelling FIRE THE BUM he really made me as well as a lot of other Tech fans look stupid. OSU really does have a good team, I do believe however that with a “good” coach Tech wins this game and the UGA game, both FSU games, the Dayton game, the Virginia game, the Miami game, and the VT game. Maybe even a couple more beyon that. Hewitt totally showed us his inability to coach today. I know that individual performance in basketball means very little, but when is the last time we had anyone that we could consistently count on to score around 20 points per game? Its like whenever we have a player get in the zone Hewitt takes them out of the game. WHY??? I will be the first to admit that after the trip to the championship game I was really on the Hewitt bandwagon and stayed on it until about halfway through last season when I really started to realize what a joke of a coach he is. Tech should have give him an ultimatum after last season that he wins 10 ACC games, 25 overall and makes it to the sweet sixteen or he can go job searching. Then after the game he says we had a “great season”!!! What the heck is that? If we had a “great” season we would have been playing a 10 seed today instead of playing a 2 seed! Hewitt has gotten so content with mediocrity now that it will never change. Next season when we go 4-12 in ACC he’s gonna blame it on Favors and Lawal leaving. As long as Hewitt is at the helm this is a sinking ship. I love the Jackets and wish them all the sucess in the world but as long as Hewitt is the coach we will continue to see the same results. Best of luck to all the seniors and as well as Derrick and Gani as they start their NBA careers next season.
Delbert D.
March 21st, 2010
10:25 pm
Maybe Shumpert was taking a shot at Hewitt with his comments.
GWJ
March 21st, 2010
10:25 pm
Champions of the State of Georgia: UGA!
Aztec
March 21st, 2010
10:26 pm
Hewitt. Can pay my health care premium with his 1000,000.00 bonus
Mark Bradley
March 21st, 2010
10:26 pm
Headed to bed now. Flight leaves at 5:40 a.m. Thanks to everyone for hanging around this long weekend.
David Scott
March 21st, 2010
10:32 pm
“Shumpert, who finished with 7 points and 8 rebounds”.
Nuff said. Hey, Homer Reporter, take your whiner players’ comments to somebody who shares your collective lack of class.
Gen Neyland
March 21st, 2010
10:33 pm
The obit reads, ‘GT did all it could but in the end, it was not enough. Tennessee sends it’s condolences on your loss.’…GBO
Need a new coach
March 21st, 2010
10:33 pm
Chan Gailey wasn’t black and we wanted him out of here. The football program is much better off now. Hewitt is another Gailey. Don’t try to use the race card.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
10:36 pm
5:40! whoa, that’s early. I wish someone had asked Hewitt why our guards took so many “quick” shots. That really played into the hands of OSU’s transition offense and cost us the game.
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
10:36 pm
Oh yeah, forgot to mention on my other little rant, all the people on here saying that we are hating on Hewitt because of the color of his skin his skin are morons!! As fans we could care less if Hewitt was Mexican, Pakistan, or Japanese as long as he was winning games on a consistent basis. It makes no difference the color of the mans skin or the color of the players skin. Hewitts attitude stinks! Tech has a great group of kids and with the right coach could contend for the ACC and make it to the sweet 16 every season.
GT Fan
March 21st, 2010
10:38 pm
Fire PAUL HEWITT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn RADS hear the FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gen Neyland
March 21st, 2010
10:40 pm
Techman78 : That’s what Northern Iowa said..! Whoa. Did I just inflict the Northern Iowa card..?
moboman
March 21st, 2010
10:40 pm
That was Price Dalrymple, Salley, JOSEPH, and Ferrell. And a great team.
Technophobia
March 21st, 2010
10:41 pm
GT Fan we don’t have the 7 million dollars. It doesn’t matter whether DRad hears you or not. They’re having enough trouble just coming up with the money for the tuition increases.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/georgia-tech-athletics-sweating-387705.html
That’s just the way it is for now.
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
10:42 pm
Need a new coach- great point!!! Gailey was white and we couldnt wait to get him out of town….even though he had a winning season 6 consecutive seasons with 6 bowl games. If anything we have been too easy on Hewitt. If Gailey had 2 consecutive losing seasons he would have been run out of town much sooner! The numbers dont lie folks.
MiamiJacket
March 21st, 2010
10:45 pm
Why did Favors only play 26 minutes per game during the regular season? That’s only 65% of the game. As bad as our free throw shooting and turnovers were, that is the one stat I can’t understand. If you are going to recruit one and done players, at least play them 35 minutes a game and give yourself a chance to win. Play your best players and play to your teams strengths.
jeff c
March 21st, 2010
10:47 pm
I don’t know why everyone assumes we will struggle next year. It’s not a lock that Lawal leaves. We have Shump, Rice, Oliver, Udofia, Miller for sure with K. Holsley, D. Miller and incoming frsh. Jason Morris. That is a pretty solid group if you ask me. Rice really showed that he has great BB IQ towards the end of the year. I look for another NCAA appearance next year. Since hoops is over, let’s mention that the baseball team is 16-2 and ranked #3!
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
10:48 pm
Thanks Gen Neyland! I didnt read that post but im sure that im not the only one that feels that way. Heck, look at Northern Iowa, they beat the BEST team in America with a bunch of no namers! Dang Northern Iowa!! They totally screwed all my tournament brackets (had Kansas winning it all in nearly all of them). Guess im just gonna have to watch the Hawks make a playoff run, the jackets baseball team go to Omaha, and count down the days to September to watch our football team play for another ACC championship!!
BuckeyeProud
March 21st, 2010
10:53 pm
What a horrible article. Do you not take losing well in Dixie Land? The much better team won. The only reason Tech was in the game early was because OSU had trouble making buckets but then warmed up. BTW – there are three Big Ten teams in the sweet sixteen. Guess we do have speed up North after all. The reason our bench is thin this year is because OSU recruits so well that a few have left early for the NBA: Conley, Oden, Koufos etc.
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
10:53 pm
Jeff C- I agree that we have a solid nucleus coming back next season too, but with the expectations we had this year I just feel that Hewitt will somehow find a way to make this next team underacheivers too. Im looking forward to K Holsey, Oliver is a lights out shooter, and Rice is electric at times but just as we have seen so often in the Hewitt era, inconsistency. I do believe Lawal is gone. He almost left last season but I think he is definetely gone this time, hope not, but more than likely is.
Need a new coach
March 21st, 2010
10:54 pm
We’re lucky Hewitt didn’t blow the OSU game with the brilliant timeout he called which almost left us with 1 second to inbound the ball and shoot it. I doubt Cremins would have called that timeout.
bake
March 21st, 2010
10:59 pm
hey GT Boro…you’re a joke! what did you think about the blatant charge that should have been called on favors and fouled him out when diebler was parked in the lane for about 10 seconds late in the game?!?!? quit blaming the refs. you’re a sore losing whiny little girl. when you’re down by double digits most of the 2nd half and get lucky to make the game APPEAR to be close late you really should just shut up and swallow the pill. you aren’t that good. great talent…sure…mediocre team…definitely.
gb
March 21st, 2010
10:59 pm
osu had a better team! tech had more talent. cph coached anthony morrow to be a undrafted free agent, he is a starting in the nba as a rookie. chp’s young team had 1 sr, 1 rs sr, 1 rs jr, 3 jr, and one soph. a couple of years back we had young, crittenton and morrow and coudn’t get in the tourney. he is the worse bench coach than woodson.
Singer
March 21st, 2010
11:01 pm
I don’t think we will be very good next year. We do not have any proven big men, especially if Lawal leaves and I believe he does. It will be just the opposite of this year. This year we had 3 big men and poor guard play most of the year. Next year we will have good guard play and poor big men. The result will be much worse than this year, especially with Hewitt.
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
11:08 pm
Wish we could trade coaches like pro sports teams trade players. Trade Hewitt for 2 up and coming assistants from Duke! LOL
Steve
March 21st, 2010
11:09 pm
Said before the season, Hewitt needed to make the sweet sixteen with this team, or he should be gone. Close, tough decision however – and with Shumpert, Miller, and Udofia back at Guard – Oliver and Rice on the wing, and the 2 Redshirt big men (Miller and the Jr. who played today) back, looks like Tech could have a sweet sixteen kind of year next year…. Tough call. I think Tech could be better next year, with less talent. Gani and Favors never seemed to gel together.
GT
March 21st, 2010
11:12 pm
To have these kind of players and the rest of the nation having such weak line ups is very disappointing. We won’t see an opportunity like this come along for a very long time. UNC is back next year, the ACC is back next year. For one year the ACC was weak, maybe weaker than I can every remember, there is no great teams out there, in any of the conferences. Watch the crowds at the coliseum and compare them to the Cremin days. This is not a ACC atmosphere, no electricity. What I see coming could kill Tech basketball, whatever this year didn’t have the next couple of years is that on steroids.
Ezekiel
March 21st, 2010
11:16 pm
Very disappointing season having all that talent on the roster and playing erratic ball. Ohio State was there for the taking today, the only players that had were Turner and the kid who made the 3-pointers. Can’t even remember any of the other Ohio State players’ names, that is how unimpressive they are. Talk more Tech hoops at: http://www.bbuzzoff.com
Techman78
March 21st, 2010
11:18 pm
I wonder if D-Rad would hire Paul Johnson to coach the basketball team too???? He couldnt be any worse than Hewitt! Heck look what he has done on the flats. The football team is so fun to watch now. Since it looks like Hewitt is gonna be around for another season maybe Johnson could give Hewitt some coaching lessons!
Michael
March 21st, 2010
11:24 pm
Another disturbing development is Tech cheerleaders are now way hotter than UGA cheerleaders. What’s going on here? Oh yeah, 30-24.
JDW
March 21st, 2010
11:36 pm
Wondering? Not me, they lost to the DAWGS and to a Big 10 team….does it get any worse for the Bumbles?
Reality Check
March 21st, 2010
11:47 pm
GT is NOT better than OSU.
OSU had a better record, a higher seed, and THEY WON THE GAME.
This is yet another example of the “woulda coulda shoulda” attitude in this town.
You are what your record says you are, period.
Iblameurparents
March 21st, 2010
11:49 pm
I must admit, I had not watched a minute of Tech basketball all year but I did watch the two NCAA games particularly after hearing all of the complaints about Paul and the roller coaster ride that his team has been on all year . All of these blogs all of the Tech complaints all of the Fire Paul Hewitt campaigns etc. everyone seem to easily fail to mention that this team plays a heavy rotation of freshmen and sophomores. So every things I have read on these blogs and particularly what has been written by MB fails to point this out. All I have heard is how PH has mismanaged this accumulation of talent, “perhaps the most talented Tech team ever” but no one has ever mentioned that this young talent takes time to mold. I see the inability to inbound a pass or the overwhelming number of turnovers and at no point do I say PH is in over his head, PH can not coach, PH is too arrogant or PH has been out coached. Believe me all of this would be true if I did not see the effort that these guys give but the effort is there, that is coaching, that is preparation. What is overlooked by all of these hyper-bloggers and MB is the fact that Tech has long stopped being Point Guard U. There is no one on the floor that can control the action. I noticed the post players with inside position on numerous occasions with not a person skilled enough or willing enough to deliver the pass. I am screaming at the TV, “he has him, give him the ball” only to have a forced jumper or errant pass delivered. Shumpert is supremely talented but he is not a developed point at this juncture in his career. Every time he took a long three after dribbling down the floor and no one else touched the ball, I saw PH rip him a new one, that is coaching. My only fault with PH is the fact that he gives too many minutes to Mo Miller, I have watched him for two years and I know he is just a kid and may really be a stand up guy but he does not have the skill set of a major college player. Put a developed and skilled point guard on the floor and this team gets easy shots for the post players, spot up jumpers are more abundant, the turnovers go down and you can inbound the freaking ball. This team faults have nothing to do with coaching, recruiting maybe but not coaching. It is all about the coach on the floor. If this team stayed in tack next year, which may be unlikely, with the further development of Shumpert then this team may be what you thought they would be this year. Like my dad would always say, “talent is like a bag of air, if you don’t bust the bag you would never know it was there” never really knew what that meant but there you go with all the talent talk.
Techman78
March 22nd, 2010
12:00 am
imblameurparents- you do have valid points, but as you said you had not watched a minute of Tech B-ball this season. If you had, especially in the ACC games that Tech actually won you would see that Mo Miller has actually been the most effective point gaurd. He plays under control and draws more charges than anyone on the team. Shumpert has tons of talent…but not as a point gaurd. he would make and excellent 2 but as a point he is too erratic. Udofia had a great start to the season, I actually thought he would make a bigger impact than Favors, but suddenly Hewitt quit playing him. Then Hewitt starts bringing him off the bench and that is something that he has not got adjusted to yet. Hewitt IS at fault for the disappoinment of this season. Kentucky has more freshmen contributing than Tech does and there on their way to playing for a title. Hewitt and his excuses are BS!
Hewitt Rules
March 22nd, 2010
12:17 am
Hewitt will be demanding a huge raise after that big year—Ga Tech needs to come through with a bonus and $3 mil salary, minimum, to keep Paul happy. Otherwise, he may be looking at the St. Johns or Oregon jobs.
WordofMouth
March 22nd, 2010
12:23 am
Phobe: You are entitled to your opinion, but to continue to tell others that you are tired of hearing about Hewitt needing to go is what I am referring to. It IS time for him to go, but because of his contract, he will stay. You seem happy about that, and you are in a very small minority.
Jacketcdv
March 22nd, 2010
12:31 am
I’m realistic in knowing that Tech got about as far as I thought they would. Are they talented? Absolutely, but vulnerable beyond belief. Inconsistency has been their game for several years now. It doesn’t matter how much “talent” you have if you can’t put together a consistent game. That being said, the Buckeye fans need to get over themselves. There was nothing impressive about their win today other than the fact they beat GT at their most mediocre, which is something that’s been accomplished by the following:
Dayton, UGA, Virginia and Miami…none of which made the tourney.
Sweet16Buckeye — Yes the Big 10 is clearly better this year, but as an ACC fan, I’ll take the previous 10 of 11 season. So go ahead and relish in this rare moment, as the ACC will continue their domination in 2011.
Bake — The following quote is laughable:
“a crappy dook team that got gifted a bracket is all you’ve got left”
If you’re fortunate enough to play them, that crappy Duke team will wipe the floor with your Buckeyes.
CatsFly
March 22nd, 2010
12:32 am
Did UNC leave you wondering? They beat both Mich St. and Ohio St.
StingerSplash
March 22nd, 2010
12:35 am
And now…
Whoever asked how many ACC titles Bobby Cremins won, he won the ACC tournament three times. Hewitt, in 10 years, has been to two championship games. He is bagel for the ACC tournament title. His average season at Tech is 17-13. For this mediocrity, he is being rewarded handsomely.
Tech a mid-major? Do what? You mean, with two trips to the Final Four, including a national championship game appearance, since the field expanded to 64? Yeah, that’s mid-major stuff right there. Doofus.
Make no mistake: Evan Turner is one helluva player. But Favors and Lawal are first-round picks and their supporting cast was better and deeper. Tech had depth and talent, yet it’s consistent malfunctions, mostly of a mental variety, speak to its continued ineffective coaching. Far too many one or no pass possessions. Too many turnovers of an incomprehensible and inexplicable variety. A staggering lack of fundamentals (that guy … squaring up for another 3 … you might not want to leave him so alone … again.)
But, Tech fans, we’re stuck with Hewitt, unless the NBA seeks his services. We would he ever leave The Flats with a $7 million golden parachute? His contract has automatically rolled over (Dave Braine has almost single-handedly destroyed Tech athletics. First, he had the self-fulfilling prophesy of Tech never winning more than nine games a year in football during the Gailey era, a statement Paul Johnson has since turned on its head, and prior to that, he foisted that ungodly contract on Tech basketball).
Tech’s guards never tried aggressively or consistently to start the offense with a pass inside to Lawal and Favors, with a kickout for an open jumper. That’s fairly basic basketball, but Tech failed to grasp such a simple concept.
And now, Tech figures to enter 2010-11 without Favors, without Lawal, without Bell (a capable defender) and without Peacock (a gifted offensive player with size to score inside and a deft outside shooting touch, though he was prone to some curious decision making). Oliver, who went Sandra Bullock to Jesse James cold in the ACC tournament, at least found his shot again against Ohio State. Rice Jr. is a good player. Shumpert can do some very good things (and some bad things). The cupboard isn’t bare … but there are a lot fewer utensils for next year.