Hewitt to St. John’s? New York tabloids are abuzz (Updated!)
Paul Hewitt during the NCAAs. (AP photo)
Lenn Robbins of the New York Post reports that St. John’s, which fired coach Norm Roberts last week, plans to pursue Paul Hewitt. This would not constitute a shock.
This wouldn’t be the first time St. John’s has targeted Hewitt. The Red Storm had an opening six years ago, but it coincided with Hewitt’s one extended NCAA tournament run. Worried that another school — or an NBA team — would steal the coach that had just led the Jackets to the title game, then-athletics director Dave Braine awarded Hewitt the perpetual rollover contract with its $7.1 million buyout. St. John’s hired Roberts instead.
Hewitt’s contract also includes a buyout on his end: Should he leave for another college job, he would be obliged to pay Tech $3.5 million. But there have been recent indications that Tech would not hold Hewitt to that figure.
Wrote Robbins:
Sources told the Post that [St. John's AD Chris] Monasch has gotten word to Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich that he’ll be seeking official permission to talk to coach Paul Hewitt as soon as possible …
“The word is it’s his job and Georgia Tech won’t stand in the way,” said a highly placed source in college basketball circles. “Both sides are ready for a change.”
After Georgia Tech lost to Ohio State in Milwaukee on Sunday, Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News asked Hewitt about the St. John’s job. Wrote Rubin:
When he was asked whether St. John’s can return to glory, the man lit up.
“Do you remember what it was like in New York when the Yankees finally won the World Series again in 1996, the way it electrified the city? St. John’s could definitely do the same thing,” said Hewitt, who grew up in Queens and Long Island. “I remember going to the building they call Carnesecca (Arena) and seeing huge crowds embrace the team. I remember going to the Garden and seeing it full. And I remember the winning. The right coach could do all that again and it would be a sight.”
This man doesn’t belong at a poker table. His words sound like “not interested,” but his face says “intrigued.”
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216 comments Add your comment
Jon Heisman
March 23rd, 2010
12:08 pm
Tech nation, forget Hewitt for now. I am very concerned about our pilot who has been punished for the low flyover at the Wake game last Fall. I urge all of you to contact your congressman and Senators requesting he be re-instated flying for the Navy. Only the big wig politicians can make the Navy change its mind.
Herschel Talker
March 23rd, 2010
12:09 pm
Paul Hewitt -
Please stay. We like making fun of you. You are a clown. Even a bigger clown than RAMBLE ON!!! and Old Gold
Herschel Talker
Stinger
March 23rd, 2010
12:10 pm
What a great deal, dump both Gailey and Hewitt on NY. What a great way to get rid of these losers. No one deserves them more than NY.
NoCoach Blewitt
March 23rd, 2010
12:11 pm
Paul Hewitt Fan —– obviously you have no idea wtf you are talking about ….. only UNC or Duke can win the ACC ….. the coach previous to Blewitt won the ACC reg season twice and the tournament one of those years and another year, so basically they won the ACC in one way or another three seasons …. and I am sure Maryland hasnt won the ACC lately
Also it is obvious you dont read MB articles because he has never attacked Phewey and in my opinion talks highly of him …. Blewitt just cant take anything that even resembles an attack on him or his program …… And FYI i dont need “convincing” as I have been on the anti-Blewitt bandwagon from the beginning back during the 2004-2005 season
Bill
March 23rd, 2010
12:11 pm
Folks, there are many good coaches out there if Hewitt leaves. If he does, the sooner the better. Just hope Oliver, Rice and Udofia stay. New coach would probably be from upper mid major who is very hungry and has had decent NCAA success. Sort of like Ga’s hire of Fox. Atlanta recruits itself, so a good coach would have a huge advantage. Hoping Paul goes because it’s truly time. Win -win for both schools.
sameold
March 23rd, 2010
12:14 pm
A change would be nice but wWith basically a lifetime contract I can’t see St. John’s offering the same type of sweet deal he has now. Unless he’s just totally fed up, my bet is he’s here until Radakovich finally cans him. Then he takes his buyout and goes back north.
Tim Tebow's Tears
March 23rd, 2010
12:16 pm
NA NA NA NAAAA NA NA NA NAAAA HEY HEY HEYYYY GOOODBYEEEEEE
Stinger
March 23rd, 2010
12:20 pm
I hear Fox is interested. He realizes he will never get any talent at UGA.
Tech Master
March 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
The GT Ath Director is on his knees at this moment, praying that Hewitt will take another job, anywhere, to get him out of that disastrous contract with a 5 year auto rollover, and a $7 mil buyout! Maybe he can offer a mil to St. johns to take hewitt off his hands!
gtjet
March 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
For all you idiots who think Tech fans are whining about Hewitt, stick to the facts. Go look at where they finished in team turnovers, team foul shooting, and team assists. If you like the answer then you are right and we are whiners. If not, combine it with the fact that these are team stats and not individual stats, and you have to say it falls on the coach. As for Tech fans, thinking the team is better than it is, that’s BS. Under Cremins, Tech was always relevant in the ACC. Sure we lost to Duke and Carolina, but we wouldn’t have been losing (year in and year out) to VT, FSU and Miami. Hewitt has made the program irrelevant and the product on the court is unwatchable, regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard. I challenge folks to name one of Hewitt’s teams (and when I say team, I mean the team on the court, not on the bench). His line-ups are less stable than my mother-inlaw. No continuity means no leaders. When the game was on the line, who was on the court, who was the defensive stopper, who did you want shooting, and whose hands did you want the ball in? You can’t name one of these. Time to replace the politician with a coach.
O'Brien
March 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
The same way Hewitt’s teams would tease us with what might be, I think this is also just a tease. I dont see Hewitt going anywhere unless he is fired. And then he can take his $7 mil buyout, and go get another job.
This just reinforces that I dont know what Tech was thinking at the time they gave him the rollover contract. At that time, he had 1 great year, so there was no reason for a 5 or 6 year rollover. I would have preferred if they just gave him a higher yearly salary, or a buyout. Anything but a rollover would have been better.
If Hewiit was to leave, would the Butler coach be a good choice? Aren’t they consistently in the big dance, and they beat some major conference teams…
I hope Tech is doing all they can to let him know that he is no longer wanted…
southbendjacket
March 23rd, 2010
12:22 pm
Thank you to those who brought up the Dora reference. Very creative and funny.
To PaulHewitt Fan: If you actually think Favors is leaving because of the officiating, you have lost your mind. He’s going for the MILLIONS of dollars he will get as a lottery pick. Done. End of argument!!!!
Tom
March 23rd, 2010
12:23 pm
If you all are excited about the prospect of Coach Hewitt leaving, it might not be a very good idea to blast him. My guess is that people in New York can read. Why not go the complimentary route-he’s a good recruiter, cares about his players, nice person, etc.
UGAissolastyear
March 23rd, 2010
12:24 pm
Pls!!! I hope this is true. Pls take the job Paul!!!!
Don
March 23rd, 2010
12:25 pm
It I was Rad, not only would I waive the $3.5 million buyout, if necessary I’d offer Hewitt a million or two in severance pay to make a St. John’s offer more attractive. And if Rad somehow gets lucky enough to have somebody buy Hewitt out of a 7 year rollover contract, he should head immediately to Vegas for a gambling binge while he has a hot hand.
Jason
March 23rd, 2010
12:25 pm
Hewitt wouldn’t be able to take the cyber bullying in NYC.
Hewitt is a Joke
March 23rd, 2010
12:25 pm
Paul Hewitt fan- want some cheese to go with that whine? Spare us the conspiracy theories even though all of us would admit the Dukies do always seem to get the calls. And as for the St Johns program being a better job than GT, how many decades ago are you referring to? I’m sure he will improve that ailing program with record turnovers, sorry free throw shooting, horrible substitutions, irrational timeouts, etc, etc. If basketball didn’t require any offense, Hewitt might not suck as bad as he does.
GT FAN
March 23rd, 2010
12:27 pm
Who do you guys want to see coach at GT. For all of you saying leave, who could GT replace him with? Also, it cost money to hire a new coach and GT does not have a lot of that laying around.
Just saying..
March 23rd, 2010
12:29 pm
Works for me.
Paul Johnson's Johnson
March 23rd, 2010
12:30 pm
Paul, Don’t let the door hitcha’ where the good lord splitcha’
Bring on Mark Price!
Bob
March 23rd, 2010
12:31 pm
Al fin, no mas mierda de esta negrito que no sirve nada.
SANFORD STADIUM IS A DUMP
March 23rd, 2010
12:31 pm
Please go to st. johns hewitt….please
SANFORD STADIUM IS A DUMP
March 23rd, 2010
12:32 pm
hey i was the first to post on here to hire mark price…dont steal my thunder…lol
captain Midnight.
March 23rd, 2010
12:33 pm
Let Hewett go and bring Bobby Cremens back. NOW NOW NOW
Hewitt is a Joke
March 23rd, 2010
12:35 pm
well said gtjet- the facts are indisputable. Quite the legacy Hewitt will leave at GT if he takes the St Johns job, similar to that of a steaming upper decker.
UGAissolastyear
March 23rd, 2010
12:35 pm
GTFan – anybody would be better than Hewitt. Change is good! It will rejuvenate the fan base and give us a sense of optimism. You are optimistic toward Hewitt? If so, you have no clue about basketball!
Lunatic Fringe
March 23rd, 2010
12:36 pm
I would like them to look at Lon Kruger from UNLV–has been good in college, and knows the area from his Hawks days.
Frontman
March 23rd, 2010
12:36 pm
Enough about the problems with one-and-done’s, OK? We have only had 4 one-and-dones since Coach Hewitt has been here. The problem is that we have done practically nothing with that one-and-done talent. Counting Bosh, Young, Crittendon, and Favors (assuming he’s leaving), our combined NCAA tournament record in those years is 1-2. That’s simply not enough bang for the buck in getting one-and-dones. So the problem is not that we have gotten them – it’s that we didn’t do anything with them. That’s the only reasonable argument against it for this regime (and it’s a good one). If we had been to 2 Final 8’s and one Final Four with a one-and-done, I think most fans would be all for it.
Ron Jirsa
March 23rd, 2010
12:36 pm
Tubby might be a good pick IF he doesn’t have any more sons that want to play point guard. Anyway – HELLO PEOPLE!! I’m available, and so is Jim Harrick!
Buzz
March 23rd, 2010
12:37 pm
People…. Do you REALLY think Hewitt would leave this gravy train contract he has here at Tech??? HELL NO!!! If he left he would actually have to worry about his job each year and figure out a way to coach. With his current contract he is basically UNTOUCHABLE!!!! I would help him pack!!! Maybe Tech should throw in 3.5 million for him to leave!!!
Paul Johnson's Johnson
March 23rd, 2010
12:38 pm
Mark Price and Craig Neal as assistant…..Actually I have know idea what Craig Neal is up to, but anything is better than Blewitt!!
Mark
March 23rd, 2010
12:40 pm
Tubby – Interesting and he certainly knows how to motivate a team.
My hope is that DRad gets on a plane to Albuquerque and pays a visit to Steve Alford. If he can get Nex Mexico to a Number 3 seed after getting run out of Iowa, just think what he might do with the Tech players that don’t jump to the NBA.
Mark Bradley
March 23rd, 2010
12:42 pm
Craig Neal is Alford’s No. 1 assistant at New Mexico.
College Basketball Coaches Fired - Page 3 - SatelliteGuys.US
March 23rd, 2010
12:43 pm
[...] full potential. The only reason Tech keeps him is because of the 7 million he gets if he's fired. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Paul Hewitt to St. John's? The comments are great, only ones in favor of him staying are from Georgia fans. Last edited [...]
old dawg
March 23rd, 2010
12:43 pm
You Tech fans never cease to amaze. You have a fine man, respectful, well spoken, great recruiter and you want him gone? So what if he can’t coach? He has certainly made the Ga-Ga Tech series competitive. I guess its the calculus and those tough academic standards that is the reason he can’t get any talent in that rat hole. Or maybe they are scared away by all the robberies around the campus. Or maybe you want Darrel Labarie as coach.
PaulieOldSchool
March 23rd, 2010
12:44 pm
This would be like manna from Heaven for GT. I’d think they’d cheerfully let him go: buy the ticket, pack his bags, & have 6 Tech football players carry him to Hartsfield.
GT FAN
March 23rd, 2010
12:44 pm
UGAissolastyear – I played basketball for college and I like the GT team. I do not mind Hewitt. At some point the players have to be responsible for their actions. Hewitt might not be the best coach but I can think of a lot of coaches that are worse than he is.
BravesFan79
March 23rd, 2010
12:44 pm
Im not the biggest Hewitt supporter, personally i think he would be alot better if he let go of his pride and hired 1 good ex coach as his main assistant.
BUT… everyone talking about “Good, fundamental, TEAM basketball” think about this: Isnt that what Texas Tech had under Bob Knight? Isnt that what VT had this year? Isnt that what teams like Saint Marys have everyyear? But how FAR do those teams go in the tourney??
With Hewitt its a double edge sword, once every 5 years or so he will put together a team capable of winning it ALL on talent alone. But in the off years we suffer thru terrible confrence records.
GT IS NOW A 6TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
March 23rd, 2010
12:45 pm
PAUL HEWITT SAYS ” FIRE ALL THOSE JELLO JOCKITCH FANS.” HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAA
Mark
March 23rd, 2010
12:46 pm
Mark Bradley – Having “Noodles” Neal back at the Flats would get my to up my season ticket package.
GIVE ME A BREAK
March 23rd, 2010
12:47 pm
Turning the ball over displays a total lack of discipline which is the responsibility of the coach. Good bye.
UGAissolastyear
March 23rd, 2010
12:48 pm
He recruits these players fool. He knows how they play, knows how they shoot free throws, knows how they turnover the ball (constantly). If he doesn’t or didn’t, then he really isn’t all that good or prepared. Good riddance to Paul and to his supporters (you)!!!
JOhn
March 23rd, 2010
12:49 pm
Paulie Walnuts — we will miss you soooooooooooooooo much, but we will understand if you do what is best for you. Please go.
Yurtle_the_turtle
March 23rd, 2010
12:51 pm
Paul Hewitt Fan…so games are won in the ACC by who is on the sidelines? Like, maybe, a coach??? So if Hewitt was a good coach, he would win some games? I’ll take that! You idiot.
GT_Fans_Suck
March 23rd, 2010
12:52 pm
You so called tech fans are some of the biggest morons on the face of the planet. I’m a 02 GT undergrad and have been a die hard tech fan. This guy took us to the national championship game in 2004. Idiots like “Nocoachblewitt” are exactly the reason why we suck as a fan base. He said in his post above that he has been on the anti-blewitt bandwagon since 2004 – the year we went to the national championship game…the year that we were supposed to finish #9 in the ACC alone. When I was in school, NOBODY went to basketball games – you could easily get a ticket for the Duke game before tipoff. Hewitt changed that. I am seriously starting to think that most GT fans are only good at one thing – being nerds. Fine, we had a disappointing season this year with a talented team, but they were a YOUNG team and young teams cause turnovers, miss freethrows, and most importantly – ARENT LEADERS. In 2004, we didn’t have the superstar talent, but we did have experience. Above all, if Hewitt did not take us to the ACC championship game and the second round of the NCAA tourney (after the terrible season that we had) I would not be posting this. But he did do those things and we lost to a very solid Ohio St team who is a legit contender for the final four if not the national championship. So again, all of you who think Hewitt should be kicked out, stab yourself with your pocket protector and snap back to reality. If we stood behind our coach/team, we may have a much better chance of winning – booing and doubting the coash during the season does not do anyone any good. I love GT but the fan base leaves much to be desired.
Careful what you wish for
March 23rd, 2010
12:53 pm
Say goodbye to recruits like Favors and Rice Jr.
SWATlantadolfan
March 23rd, 2010
12:53 pm
I’ll drive him to the Airport if needed.
UGAissolastyear
March 23rd, 2010
12:54 pm
Careful….ok, goodbye! This isn’t about players or GT – - – it is about the coach. Majority rules. Minority fools! He must for a renewed sense of optimism at GT.
BravesFan79
March 23rd, 2010
12:55 pm
it might take St Johns 5 + years, but i can see Hewitt leading them to a Final 4. Meanwhile what if we turn into another “sound” “fundamental” team like Virginia Tech/ Texas Tech
Would loosing within the first 2 rounds of the NCAA tourney EVERY year be better than having the talent once every 5 years to win it all?
Buzz
March 23rd, 2010
12:56 pm
GT FANS SUCK!!! YOUR AN idiot!!! Enough said!!!