It’d be better for Hewitt and Tech if the two sides part ways
Even millionaire coaches need to be loved. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
It would be better for both parties if Paul Hewitt leaves. Better for Georgia Tech, which would be free of an increasingly unpopular coach and his onerous contract, but also better for Hewitt, who could return to New York as the people’s choice. As coach of St. John’s, he wouldn’t be viewed as the guy who hasn’t really delivered since 2004; he’d be the man from Queens come home to save the Johnnies.
There was a time when Paul Hewitt seemed the savior of Tech basketball. In his first season he took Bobby Cremins’ remnants and turned them into an NCAA tournament team, and in 2004 he took a team of his own creation to the championship game. And for all those who’ve looked at Tech lately and decided Hewitt cannot coach his way out of a paper bag, the memory of 2004 stands as a golden counterpoint: That team was a triumph of coaching.
I’ve said it before, but here it is again: I don’t know if any other coach could have taken Tech further than Hewitt did in 2004, but I can think of three dozen who could have done better since. Tech hasn’t finished above .500 in its conference or reached the Sweet Sixteen over the past six seasons. His record over his first five seasons was 96-66; his record over the past five is 81-78.
Even more distressing has been Hewitt’s penchant for seizing every crutch. Tech’s too young. Or it’s overscheduled. Or it has injuries, or academic issues, or players who’ve left early. Or it’s just “snakebit.” This willingness to explain away mediocrity has always seemed bizarre, given that the 2004 Jackets were handed a gold-plated excuse — leading scorer B.J. Elder sprained his ankle in Tech’s third NCAA game and didn’t score another point until the final against UConn — and persevered.
There are no perfect collegiate teams. The aim isn’t to see who can cry the deepest river but who can maximize what it has. Thad Matta took an Ohio State team without a true center — or even a real forward — and won the Big Ten; Hewitt took a team with the nation’s best complement of big men and finished seventh in the 12-team ACC. On Sunday, Matta’s team spotted Hewitt’s eight points and won by nine.
Hewitt wasn’t Chan Gailey, who was unpopular among Tech fans from the start. Hewitt was warmly received at the start and beloved after the Final Four, but there was never a follow-through to the daring deeds of 2004. It took Jacket backers a while to get impatient, but they’re there now. They’ve seen the same game lost the same way too many times over too many winters, and they’ve read about his never-ending contract and they wonder if the underachieving will ever cease.
This gifted team was Hewitt’s last best chance to persuade his doubters, and all it did was give rise to deeper doubt. If he couldn’t win big with Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal, what will happen next season when both figure to be gone? Will it ever get better for Hewitt than this? And is 23-13 good enough?
St. John’s isn’t a better job per se, but for Hewitt in 2010 it’s a better situation. He can leave the ACC, in which he has a career record of 67-93, and try the Big East, for which he has great affection. (He was an assistant at Villanova under Steve Lappas.) He can charm the New York media, which has the reputation of being nasty but is a pushover for a return-of-the-prodigal yarn, and he’ll recruit well and have the Red Storm back in the Big Dance soon enough.
Six years ago there seemed no better fit than Paul Hewitt for Georgia Tech, but today the two need fresh starts. No coach wants to fall into the disfavor of his constituency, and no constituency wants to root against its coach. But that, sad to say, is the reality at Tech. Paul Hewitt wasn’t Chan Gailey, but Paul Hewitt has become Chan Gailey.
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567 comments Add your comment
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
9:51 am
I will be important again in two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
9:52 am
It IS better for all parties if Hewitt leaves for St. Johns: a classic win-win-win. Tech wins by unloading a crippling contract and getting a fresh start on a basketball program perceived as stale or faltering. Hewitt wins by returning “home” to re-build a program (it would be his Bobby Cremins moment) with a couple of teflon years to lay a foundation, and presumably by getting an annual raise. St. Johns wins by getting a local favorite, a fresh start, a coach who at least starts strongly (note his first several years at Tech), and someone who addresses a couple of their biggest concerns: namely, NY recruiting and AAU connections, and also a politically active and popular choice.
Dawglasville
March 24th, 2010
9:53 am
Thanks Wilson. It is amazing how agonizing sports can be for all of us.
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
9:54 am
Discipline and Focus: great virtues both programs need. You did keep it real.
ynot
March 24th, 2010
9:55 am
A NYC guy has a chance to bring St John’s back to relevance, maybe even prominence. I think to may be too hard to turn down.
blackprix
March 24th, 2010
9:57 am
No matter what Paul Hewitt does from here on, it will not be good enough unless he’s consistently good year in and year out. These occasional decent seasons is not going to make at GT.
With all the good freshmen talent he had this year, they always say freshmen by the end of the season are playing like sophomores (meaning the game is being taught to them and they have improved). I did not see improvement for them or the team as a whole.
And unfortunately, Paul Hewitt has not endured himself to Tech fans by calling them out for speaking out against his coaching. I’m afraid things won’t get any better on this front. He’d be wise to take another job whether it be St. John’s or somewhere else.
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
9:58 am
Per Mr. Bradley’s wishes, we won’t take the “Tiger” bait, and will stay on the topic of why the sun shines just a little brighter this fine spring morning with the possibility of some major changes and a fresh start.
Paul in RDU
March 24th, 2010
9:58 am
Mark – When do you think that St. John’s and Paul Hewitt will make the decision? I’d guess that IF he is going to get an offer it will be by Friday afternoon – with the weekend to think it over.
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
10:00 am
bp: you’re right on in capturing the attitude of Tech fans. Hewitt would be walking on eggs if he were to come back.
Eric
March 24th, 2010
10:01 am
Mark, I could not disagree with you more.
Hewitt has elevated GT’s profile in the always-tough ACC.
He has propelled a plethora of talent to the NBA.
And Hewitt posses a very positive personality and profile.
Mark it’s time to cool your nick-picking.
Eric
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
10:03 am
Yeah, Mark. I see this going down very quickly if at all. If Hewitt “gets it” and realizes the difficulty of returning to Tech, he just needs to negotiate terms. We Tech fans have probably hurt him from a leverage standpoint, but then that’s a part of the coaching profession.
Hewitt Fan
March 24th, 2010
10:03 am
Yeah im back also…i just found out some very interesting news….no coach other than Roy williams and Coach k has had back to winning seasons in the aCC, only 2 coaches have winning road record in the ACC and its no other than coach k and Roy Williams…..Favors is also the first one and done player to attend an ACC school since Marvin Williams?…The best players now go elsewhere .its because word had got out through then AAU leauges and throughout the country that the ACC is controlled by the refs…..Regardless who the coach is for GT they will not win very much on the road…look it up for your selves….
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
10:04 am
Really
No one will be walking on eggs at Tech.
You people take 8 years to get rid of Chan Gailey
If I was Hewitt I would leave because you can’t win at Tech in any sport
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
10:04 am
Nick-picking? Nit-picking perhaps? or maybe N.I.T.-picking, which is where we’re more likely to be than the NCAA if he returns.
Dan Duffy
March 24th, 2010
10:04 am
67-93 in the ACC…That’s all you have to say. Overpaid and under perform…
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
10:07 am
Hewitt fan: Having already established that you are, in fact, Paul Hewitt himself, dispense with the “fan”, man. And you can’t mask your identity with poor grammar and syntax, either. Your history is skewed, the ACC isn’t perfect but neither is it corrupt, and welcome back to a lively discussion.
Hewitt Fan
March 24th, 2010
10:08 am
Mark Bradley,
Please do this same thing to get Mike Woodson out of town, i see u have the power to do it….Now Woodson is an example of an coach that cannot coach and is holding back his team….Hewitt was not..he just suffered from getting no calls on the road…Even last place Miami had a great record on the road….And he could not keep his PGs to stay in school….
come on
March 24th, 2010
10:08 am
so u dawg fans like to say mark fox is so great, well maybe you should hold judgement till i don,t know u have a winning season. didin’t u end up like 4 games under .500. never heared of a great coach ending that way. wait till he has done something.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
March 24th, 2010
10:09 am
Tiger, thats not true…Our Womens Tennis Team is AWESOME…How about them apples? And our technically non-affilated rugby team is consistent winners, even with all the asians. There is something I am missing…OH thats right we won the ACC Football Championship. POOP! that was your arguements loosing all its air.
CanHewitt
March 24th, 2010
10:12 am
New York Post reports it’d be 6 year deal of annual salary between $1.6 mil and $1.8 mil. Hewitt must take this deal and Tech waives his buyout. No hard feelings. It’s good for every party involved. If this doesn’t go through and he has another abysmal season next year, it’ll get extremely ugly. Please coach Hewitt, you’re supposed to be really classy guy. Take this job and rebuild St. Johns. Let’s all have a fresh start.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
March 24th, 2010
10:12 am
Hewitt Fan, If this coach inspires the people such as yourself, it adds yet another reason to see him go…
Born2Buzz
March 24th, 2010
10:13 am
Wow, a lot of comments on this blog and I can’t read them all.
Question for Hewitt is, does he want to leave on his terms now for the new gig or get fired in 1 or 2 more seasons and leave, unfortunately for the Institute, again on his terms getting the $7M buyout.
I actually think Hewitt is a decent coach, not the greatest X & O’s coach, but he certainly is a good defensive coach and gets his players to compete hard all the time. Where he’s gone wrong is his inability to understand the way to construct a college basketball PROGRAM, where you have the right mix of players who can compete and maintain a solid foundation from year to year. Everyone says Paul is a great recruiter, but he’s been successful in recruiting a lot of big time talent and forgot to recruit a TEAM. And you have to have a TEAM to win in this game, not just an amalgam of talent, as was clearly proved this season.
Yes MB, this team had a lot of talent, but it was not a very good TEAM. Thus the disappointing regular season record. And I suspect it went about as far as possible in the NCAA given that fact.
Is Hewitt capable of recruiting and constructing good TEAMs? His early success would say that he is but somewhere he lost his ability to do so. Should we hope that he could re-find this ability at GT or wish him the best at doing so at SJ? I think the masses have weighed in on this pretty clearly.
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
10:14 am
Hewitt fan, your loyalty to the man is understandable. He isn’t the worst coach in the world and to be able to run an ACC program he is in fact a very capable man. While I disagree with your assessment of the sinister ref conspiracy in the ACC, I do acknowledge the challenge of competing in the league. What I and many Georgia Tech fans can not accept is Hewitt’s repeated failure to meet expectations as documented by actual numbers, records, statistics. One NC appearance does not justify a decade of substandard performance. If Tech fans expectations are too high, then you should be happy for the man to “escape” this untenable situation. While I respect your right to your opinion, your bringing race and regionalism into the discussion last night was really irrelevant.
ABeeLover
March 24th, 2010
10:15 am
This is not something I spend a lot of time thinking about but, I think, for whatever that’s worth, Paul Hewitt has outlived his usefullness at Georgia Tech and it would be wonderful if he actually realized that fact and moved on.
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
10:15 am
Wow an ACC football championship
Says a lot when Clemson lost to a sorry South Carolina team and you lost to middle of the road farm buddy down the road.
ACC title wow
Let me guess you have won the state of “JAWGA” academic title now for what 5yrs in a row!!!!!!
GT is a meaningless program academically and especially in sports
FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
10:21 am
From Hewitt’s perspective, when is he going to get a better offer? Granted, his current contract has he and his family set up pretty much for life, but that is contingent on his IMPROVING considerably here at Tech, not just maintaining the status quo of mediocrity. If he falters in the next year or so, and he’ll have an uphill battle no doubt, he will be fired from Georgia Tech. Radakovich is too good to let this go on much longer. And THEN, it is doubtful he could land another job with ACC or Big East status for the same kind of money. Whaddya think, Mr. Bradley? Is this likely to be the best offer Hewitt receives barring some miraculous renaissance?
Buzz
March 24th, 2010
10:21 am
I said it before and I’ll say it again!!! Paul Hewitt will not leave this “GOLDEN” contract!!!! Why would he leave??? If he performs at St. John’s like he has here they would of fired him years ago. 6 and yes I said 6 ROAD wins in the ACC in the last FIVE years!!!! Losing record to really average Georgia Bulldawg teams!!! One winning ACC season in 10 years!!!Enough is Enough but he will not LEAVE this GOLDEN CONTRACT!!!! To much job security!!! He’s safer then the president!!!
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:22 am
From Hewitt’s perspective, when is he going to get a better offer? Granted, his current contract has he and his family set up pretty much for life, but that is contingent on his IMPROVING considerably here at Tech, not just maintaining the status quo of mediocrity. If he falters in the next year or so, and he’ll have an uphill battle no doubt, he will be fired from Georgia Tech. Radakovich is too good to let this go on much longer. And THEN, it is doubtful he could land another job with ACC or Big East status for the same kind of money. Whaddya think, Mr. Bradley? Is this likely to be the best offer Hewitt receives barring some miraculous renaissance?
Tron5000
March 24th, 2010
10:23 am
Hire David Boyd from Milton.
Mark Bradley
March 24th, 2010
10:24 am
We’ll know something before Friday, Paul in RDU.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:27 am
FMJ: meant to ditto what you said. Buzz makes some good points except for the “safer than the president” comment. DRad would fire Hewitt and Obama both when it becomes the best business decision to do so. He just doesn’t get to fire Obama.
GTPhenom
March 24th, 2010
10:29 am
Ah, glad to be back, and I see the Hewitt lovers have still returned. Look, I have nothing wrong with the guy . . .other than his coaching ability. Nice guy, generally has a decent attitude, pretty active in the community, etc, etc. But once again, this is a results based system. Provide good results for the program, you keep everyone happy. Dissapoint year after year, like Hewitt has done, and guess what, I don’t care how nice, good attitude, well taught, and active you are, people (I include myself in this) are going to get angry. One good run 6 years ago does not cut it. 5-10 in making the NCAA does not cut it. ONE winning season in the ACC does not cut it. The man has lost more than won in the ACC, and for a team that you can realistically consider 3rd or 4th best in the conference on average, that is not good enough. Good recruiter, good man, but horrid coach. Time to cut off this relationship. It saves both parties. It gives Hewitt another high paying, well respected job without the embarassment and anger that would come from another bad season at GT, and it gives the fans and our program a chance to begin again. Sometimes, things just get stale. It seems to me that this is what is happening. But now that SJ has offered, if Hewitt turns it down, next year could be a very, very bad year all around. Tech fans are going to get even MORE exasperated (if possible) for him coming back and failing, and Hewitt wont be wanted by any high profile jobs anymore. Hewitt, if you even just look at this one blog on the AJC, take Mark Bradley’s logic, use it, and get the hell out of Tech before things get ugly. You think the media has been harsh, but it would only get worse if things did not get better. Sorry about the long post, but figured I would make my stance on this very clear.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:30 am
Hope you’re right about a quick decision, Mark. It’ll be great to play the coaching carousel game and go “window shopping” this weekend for the next skipper.
Southside Sal
March 24th, 2010
10:30 am
Hewitt wants a bunch of green before he leaves, about $7.1 million!! Ga Tech needs to come up with the cash quick, or he’ll be around for years of more mediocrity. The Tech people should sue the former AD, fat dave braine for negligence for “negotiating” this terrible deal.
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
10:32 am
Why dont you hire Bob Knight
You might have a chance then for people to care a little about athletics at GA Wreck
And you might have a chance to win a something at GA Wreck
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:32 am
GTPhenom: Has SJU in fact offered Hewitt the position?
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:34 am
Agree with you, GTPhenom, but just wanted to know if he had been formally offered the position. I know they talked last night in Atlanta, per ESPN, others.
GTPhenom
March 24th, 2010
10:35 am
No clue on that one. I wish I knew. My guess would be that right now they are in negotiations, if anything at all is going on. SJU probably put out an initial offer, and PH countered by saying what he said yesterday.
RickyBobbyOnFire
March 24th, 2010
10:36 am
OK, GTP, I just took “but now that SJ has offered” literally. I catch your drift.
All I'm Saying Is...
March 24th, 2010
10:38 am
Keep wishing, Bradley and some of Tech Nation, cuz PH is not leaving.
PH’s family is in the ATL area and, unlike what everybody thinks or wants to believe, he really does not have any personal or emotional ties to the Greater NYC market.
What he is doing is what everyone would like to be able to do which is to re-set his market value by interviewing with St. John’s.
Further, if PH can convince at least one of his two post men (Favors or the other guy) to return and then get him a point guard or two who can protect the ball, then the 2010-2011 season has a great deal of promise for GT. And even if both of those guys leave as is expected, doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks, speculate, or writes: PH has a deal for another year with GT and a sweet rollover/buy me out arrangement. There will always be another college coaching job opportunity so he can talk to St. John’s and easily pass on the deal.
To paraphrase Tubby Smith when storm clouds were swirling at UK before they went down the Gillespie path: “I know I can coach and I can always get a job coaching”
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
10:40 am
Hope it goes very quickly. Then I have something to daydream about while the inlaws are hissing like geese at our cookout tonight. “Let’s see, who’s worthy, available, affordable, and willing to come to Tech?, hmmmmmmmm”
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
10:43 am
I said Hire Bob Knight people
Then you will be winners and not losers
Tiger
March 24th, 2010
10:46 am
Anyone up for a game of golf?
The Tech program is meaningless
Why don’t Tech just stick to what it does best and that is fixing toilets and sewers
FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FullMetalJacket
March 24th, 2010
10:46 am
To AllI’mSaying…, with all due respect I think you are dead wrong about Hewitt “resetting” his market value. If he is that delusional then we really do need to unload him before they strap him up in a straight-jacket. He’ll be sucking applesauce and thorazine through a straw with Nurse Ratched watching him at the Cuckoo’s Nest. Hewitt is not getting a penny more than he is already contracted for at Tech, and other teams are not knocking down the door to get to him. I am sure a number of schools would like to have him, but for half the salary and none of the current buyout. And NONE of those schools would be in the ACC or Big East or comparable league. Hewitt may be coy about leaving Tech for leverage in negotiations with St. Johns (he’d be foolish not to be), but everyone knows that the 800-lb Contract in the Room is not going to get any bigger or better.
DawgDad
March 24th, 2010
10:48 am
Be realistic, people. Hewitt got GT into the tournament with a seventh-place team based on the talent he recruited and past history of making tournament runs. Hire a mid-major coach and that won’t happen; GT would have been this year’s Mississippi State without Paul Hewitt and Derrick Favors, left outside looking in.
That said, this team was wildly undisciplined and inexperienced in its play, to the point of being outright embarrassing at times. I actually found myself rooting for Ohio State because of the whole team-play aspect thing, much akin to rooting for the little Hoosiers team to beat the big-city talent boys. That is the problem I think people have with Hewitt; this was a team hard to love. The criticism of him not building and sustaining a “program” has some merit. At some point coaching the team up does matter; talent alone can’t carry the day. For this team, this year, they actually did pretty good in the NCAA. They just left us wishing for what could be, with more time and more experience.
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
10:57 am
Just for the sake of argument, if Hewitt did return and did improve at Tech the next few years, what would happen? For one thing he is never going to win over those Tech fans he has indirectly disparaged by ignoring their concerns. Many will forgive him anything if he just wins enough. But professionally? What better job opportunities would there be? Doubtful another ACC school would hire him for more than Tech pays him now even if his record in conference dramatically improved. Likewise, there aren’t that many Big East schools who would take him. He might be satisfied taking a job at a less prestigious school, but could they afford him. Heck, Tech can’t afford him now. So, the SJU job may be as good as it gets for a man who is still relatively young for a coach. By the time another chance like this rolls around he might be too old and settled make the required change.
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
11:00 am
Haha. @All I’m Saying. If Hewitt “re-sets his market value” based on his performance at Tech he is going to be taking a tremendous pay cut.
Jacket3
March 24th, 2010
11:01 am
First time I’ve read all the comments. MB good piece. Definitely brought out both sides of the issue. One comment though peaked my interest in an area that I would love to see you look into for us.
As you know the first tournament game against Okie State Tech played tough basketball and really did a job on them. When we played Ohio State the whistles were going off like fire crackers – mostly in favor of Ohio State. I also noted with interest the number of free baskets that Duke and UNC always seem to get regardless of who they play and definitely when GT plays on the road. It seems that our just completed season could have been longer if not for all of those soft tweets.
Wilson Dunkit
March 24th, 2010
11:02 am
I think Radakovich would LEAP for a chance to re-set Hewitt’s market value and re-write his contract.
Hewitt Fan
March 24th, 2010
11:02 am
please someone answer my ?….Why is it that duke and NC are the only 2 teams with winning road records in the acc over the last 5 years?…don’t say talent because i can name 10 former players from both schools that have not done well in the NBA and were complete busts…no one has the Grapefruits to answer that…remember also that coaches do not play the game….It looks like GT will be changing coaches every 5 years