How Hewitt can win back Tech fans – and win games, too
Yes! There's still a chance for Paul Hewitt to win friends and influence people. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Paul Hewitt is still Georgia Tech’s coach. At issue is whether Hewitt can again be the people’s choice. His dialogue with St. John’s extended hope to many disgruntled Tech fans — and there are many disgruntled Tech fans — that they might not have to witness the same underperformance next season. Those folks are now in a curious position: They’re sorry their coach is still their coach.
The onus is now on Hewitt to win back his constituency. For that to happen, these steps need to be taken:
Stop the excuses: Hewitt often acts as if circumstances are beyond his control. He’s paid to control circumstances. If somebody gets hurt, coach up the next guy on the bench. If a talented player leaves after a year, find someone to replace him. If your guards can’t feed the post, teach them how. Tech people no longer want to hear about point guard Austin Jackson choosing the Yankees and baseball over playing for the Jackets — that happened in 2005, but Hewitt brought it up just last week — or about your team being “too young” or “snakebit.” They just want results.
Shore up his staff: Is it only coincidence that the Jackets are 81-78 since assistant Cliff Warren left to coach Jacksonville after the 2004-2005 season? (Fellow Tech assistant Dean Keener departed for James Madison a year earlier.) Current assistants Peter Zaharis and John O’Connor came to Tech not as coaches but as directors of basketball operations. Both have known Hewitt from his days at Villanova. Former Tech player Darryl LaBarrie was hired as an assistant last summer after stints at Campbell and East Carolina. Put simply, there’s a need for stronger voices and new ideas on the bench.
Coach offense as hard as he does defense: With few exceptions, all Hewitt’s players have defended at a high level. His offense has functioned less well. Too often Tech doesn’t seem to know what it should be doing. Chris Bosh averaged only 9.7 shots his season as a Jacket; seven years later, Derrick Favors averaged 8.1 shots. If you’re going to recruit one-and-done talents, you’d better figure out a way to get them the ball. A creative assistant with an offensive background would be most welcome here.
Reach out to fans and alums: Hewitt doesn’t appear to have any idea how unpopular he has become. (His stock response is something along the lines of, “Everyone always tells me we’re doing great when they see me in the airport.”) But Tech hasn’t done great, or even all that good, for five years now. Hewitt needs to cultivate his base — as opposed to challenging it via Twitter — through brunches or dinners or fan-appreciation outings. He can be charming and persuasive. He needs to be both now.
Offer to renegotiate his golden contract: It’s hard to ask anyone to put guaranteed money at risk, but this would do wonders for Hewitt’s image. Too many people have come to believe Hewitt is still coaching Tech only because the athletic association can’t afford to pay him $7.1 million to go away. Hewitt should go to Dan Radakovich and offer to relieve some of the financial burden. He should say, “I’ll waive the perpetual rollover if you’ll give me a five-year deal worth $8.75 million.” That would offer Hewitt a nice salary bump — from $1.375 million per season to $1.75 million — but would remove the most oppressive aspect of his never-ending deal. And it would earn him a mint’s worth of good will.
Win more games: It sounds simplistic, but it’s a time-honored panacea. Win big and people like you. Win big and we in the media sing your praises. Nobody complained about Hewitt’s offensive sets or the new contract Dave Braine handed him in 2004. Nobody was hoping he’d leave for St. John’s back then. Indeed, Tech fans were terrified he wouldn’t stay.
Six years have passed, and there’s no way for Hewitt ever to be as beloved as he was then, but he can reclaim some of those folks who’ve grown disenchanted. He can gripe less. And win more.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
623 comments Add your comment
blackprix
March 28th, 2010
10:55 am
It’s too late for all that you have summarized. Paul Hewitt KNEW 4 years ago he wasn’t worth what he’s getting paid. The only way to eliviate this very messy situation is for Paul Hewitt to move on.
He’s not going to become one of the great coaches in college basketball. He’s gotten more money than he should already and the results are way under par. It is what is … a mistake that must be corrected by his removal.
Jackson
March 28th, 2010
1:28 pm
You lose credibility when your facts are wrong. Zaharis was a coach at Villanova. Kevin Cox was director of basketball operations. Way to slam people unfairly. Keep up the great “journalism”.
mrdonut
March 28th, 2010
2:15 pm
The best thing Hewitt can do for THE PROGRAM and to win back the fans is TO LEAVE TOWN, ASAP.
techfan23
March 28th, 2010
3:35 pm
Enter your comments here
techfan23
March 28th, 2010
3:38 pm
Wish Hewitt would have moved to St. John’s. Would have been the perfect opportunity for him to leave with dignity and give the team a chance to have a decent coach. Tech will always suck with Hewitt. By the way, Hewitt, isn’t free-throw shooting coachable?!!!!!!
MAKE SOME FREE THROWS!
chuck allison
March 28th, 2010
4:06 pm
Only the UGA fans want Paul to stay! How on earth can we convince Hewitt that we really, really want him to go away?
jason morris
March 28th, 2010
7:11 pm
i’m on board!
Money Talks
March 28th, 2010
7:36 pm
How much of a raise will Hewitt’s camp demand for turning down the St. Johns job? It could be big money.
Michael
March 28th, 2010
7:43 pm
30-24
nolarw
March 28th, 2010
8:17 pm
Quit mass substitutions. Allow cohesiveness, and let players know who is on the court. Hire someone who is a free throw shooting teacher. Quit courting one and dones.
There Is Nothing He Can Do But...........
March 28th, 2010
9:07 pm
There nothing Coach Hewitt can do to win fans back other than win games. Point Blank. Caoch Hewitt is just like Coach Mike Woodson of the Hawks was 2 years ago. The Hawks started winning the call for him to be gone diminished. They are not totally gone but are not as loud because the Hawks are playoff contenders. Winning cures all.
oldballcoach
March 28th, 2010
9:35 pm
I’m a Hewlett fan and has followed his career over the years. GREAT recruiter but has problems rallying the troops the last few years. Lawal – Favors and Shumpert will opt for the NBA because of an impending lockout in 11. If they flee, coach is going to be on Life Support.
Reginald
March 29th, 2010
12:44 am
Coach Hewitt is a good guy. Too often we are enamored with the team that wins the BIG 1!!! But there is so much more that Coach Hewitt is responsible for. This is not the NBA, this is college. I would be very interested to hear what his former players as well as his current players has to say about him. There are some things he could do better, from reading the AJC over the last couple of months I don’t think is fair. Coach Hewitt is a good guy. Him and his staff as well as his players represent the Georgia Tech community very well. When was the last time you heard about a player in the middle of some kind of crap (like UGA football players). As a matter of fact, UGA basketball players get in some kind of trouble on such a regular basis that its not even a story that they get in trouble. Given that Coach Hewitt now has at least 3 or 4 solid NBA players on his roster, I do agree that the offense could be better. But you can’t ignore that he is getting players to the league (NBA). And those guys that are in the NBA are good young men. Coach Hewitt has a lot to do with that. So, give him credit, . . . not criticism. Oh yeah, he doesn’t have to win back fans because he never lost us fans!!!
chuck allison
March 29th, 2010
8:49 am
Hewitt, I am tired of wasted basketball seasons. Please go away.
Win Now
March 29th, 2010
10:39 am
hewitt needs to recruit a bunch of one and done types like calipari at UK—-all players care about now is going to the NBA and getting all that bling quick, so you might as well enjoy the 1 year they have to play in college! Building teams doesn’t work anymore—it’s 1 and gone baby!!!
FittyWaystoFireHewitt
March 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
Mark, man, you better get in here and write another blog. It smells like somethin’ died in here it’s so stale. Smells like the Uga mausoleum or somethin’
CoachK, give me a vowel
March 29th, 2010
7:12 pm
Mark, it was a great piece last week, and maybe we are spoiled by your previous Hewitt updates and tourney updates, but we need something new. I don’t think Hewitt’s pride will let him adopt many changes, or accept DRad’s or others’ advice, and it’s not clear DRad is man enough to impose change on Hewitt. So, assuming Favors, Lawal, and possibly Shumpert bolt, and Hewitt doesn’t make any big changes, what do you see for next season? With marginal improvement in guard play, and a drop off in forward experience and ability, I see a pretty challenging year. I don’t see another NCAA in the near future for Tech. What do YOU think, Mark?
Inspite Of
March 29th, 2010
7:13 pm
Great articles Mark! As a 28 year season ticket holder, I have seen a lot of good basketball played at GT. Unfortunately, not enough of it has been played under Coach Hewitt. In general, his teams are poorly coached and fundamentally unsound. They have lost more games in the last minutes than one could imagine. They lose because they don’t know what to do. Hewitt is outcoached day in and day out, period. All of the players do not give 100%. The player who makes the steal or the assist or the good play will go to the bench. We will never figure out his substitution reasoning. Yes, he can recruit players and we think they could be better prepared to play college BB. The same exact deficiencies are duplicated every year, with different players. The season ticket holders know this. We have not had a packed house in 5-6 years. I never thought I would see the day when every seat wasn’t taken for Duke or Carolina, but this is where GT BB is right now. Publicly, the games may be called sellouts, but they are not. Can GT afford to have a coach who alienates the ticket holders and fan base? We are alienated! I look to TN and Coach Pearl as a shining example of school enthusiasm and coaching skill. Hewitt cannot take criticism, cannot rally the fans and cannot coach fundamental BB skills. Thousands of us who pay the freight at GT, leave sick to our stomachs at what we see game after game. Many of us believe that the teams actually win inspite of Coach Hewitt, most particularly when Bynum and Jack carried the team to the Final Four. He may be a nice fellow, a great husband and father and a leader in his profession, but, a good coach he is not. The Old Gold was ready to wish him well at another school. The team played up to their potential for a few good games at the right time and we keep our coach for another year. Radacovich will make the call when the time is right.
And in the references to Coach Cremins; there were extenuating circumstances for Coach Cremins that made his last years difficult at GT. He will always be cheered and loved by all Tech fans for the good times he created at GT.
CoachK, give me a vowel
March 30th, 2010
12:09 am
Inspite of, you present an accurate take on the last several decades as experienced by most Tech fans, I believe. I share that sick feeling at the ends of games that are lost the same way game after game, year after year. Last year I started getting that sick feeling before games, which is why I cancelled my season tickets this year. I still bought a few single game tickets but I was not the least bit disappointed in skipping the season package. I felt much better knowing I wasn’t helping to pay Hewitt’s salary as much. Alums and season ticketholders are the ones who are empowering DRad to keep Hewitt. As the money continues to dry up then DRad will make the best business decision. I just hope his ambition to renovate and build doesn’t continue to cloud his judgment.
FullMetalJacket
March 30th, 2010
12:18 am
Radakovich was hired by Tech because of his expertise in finance and facilities, not for personnel management nor loyalty to Tech. He has served Tech fairly well since 2007, including the hire of CPJ and fixing some of the problems left over from the Braine drain. Radakovich’s magnum opus is the 30-45 million dollar renovation of AMC, which is something he (and his resume) can point to and say “See what I did!” That he is willing to put this costly renovation ahead of a coaching change that would help fill those luxury boxes and seats in the newly rebuilt colesium tells me he is either poised to leave soon after the completion of the facility, or that he is too consumed with paying for it to consider paying off Hewitt.
FullMetalJacket
March 30th, 2010
12:24 am
Wealthy alumni aren’t going to rush in and save us, Tech fans. They may shell out big bucks to get a renovation done to get their name on a plaque or a plaza or a hot dog stand, but who wants to be remembered as the man who paid off Hewitt? (Actually, fans might be far more grateful for the latter, but five or ten years hence, who would really remember?) Generally speaking, big donors don’t save schools by paying folks to LEAVE their alma mater. So, if you want to get rid of Hewitt, you’ll have to stop buying tickets and merchandise relative to the basketball program, and let DRad and the administration know why you are withholding your money.
FullMetalJacket
March 30th, 2010
12:32 am
D-Rad’s biggest mistake may be in underestimating the resolve of Tech fans. He can paint those who continue to call for Hewitt’s departure with a broad brush as “bad people” or “disloyal Tech fans”, but we know that Hewitt does not meet the level of professionalism or performance required of us as students, professionals, leaders, and alumni. We know that a man not only can, but should, be a good family man, leader, and overall stand-up guy AS WELL AS do his job. So DRad can talk all he wants about his buddy being a good man, but that does not relieve him of being a good coach. Hewitt doesn’t deserve the money, but more importantly he does not deserve to carry around the Georgia Tech banner everywhere he goes. He isn’t a Tech alum, which is fine. He isn’t even a student of a Tech alum, which is also fine. But he doesn’t lead and succeed like the proverbial Tech man is expected to do, and that’s a big damm problem.
Don't drink the H2O
March 30th, 2010
12:37 am
Hewitt has been pi55ing in the well for several years now with his agenda-burdened recruiting and coaching. We didn’t like the taste of the water but most Tech fans gave him the benefit of the doubt and kept coming back to the well. Then, when he twittered against the media and fans, and continued to make irrational excuses for his own shortcomings, he absolutely poisoned the well with more toxic brew. Don’t go back to the well, don’t buy season tickets, don’t buy Tech bball items, don’t give money to pay his salary.
i sure wouldnt eat the chili dogs
March 30th, 2010
12:38 am
Haha. NO telling what Hewitt did to the chili dogs at the Varsity. Just hope he hasn’t taken Jesse Jackson’s advice….
FullMetalJacket
March 30th, 2010
12:43 am
Hewitt’s greatest failure as coach is as an inadequate teacher. Teachers should teach students to think for themselves, how to analyze situations and devise solutions and improvements. A coach should be teaching players about the game, how to react and how to know what to do at the right time. Tech’s repeated collapse late in games, the obvious lack of fundamentals, and the absence of a strong floor leader over the last four or five years is testament to Hewitt’s failure in this regard. Radakovich may have to put his subjective feelings for Hewitt aside, and realize what is best for Tech may not be best for his buddy.
FullMetalJacket
March 30th, 2010
12:45 am
So, we can afford a 30-45 MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION of AMC but we can not afford a 7 MILLION DOLLAR PAYOUT to fire a problematic, unpopular, divisive employee?
Don't drink the H2O
March 30th, 2010
12:49 am
Hey, maybe we can get Chick Fil A to pay off Hewitt and have the “Chick-Fil-A Georgia Tech Men’s Head Basketball Coach” as a sponsored position. Either that, or make him a fry cook in the Student Center and promote the fry cook to HC at their current salaries.
dawgwood sandwich
March 30th, 2010
12:50 am
FIRE HEWITT, or FIRE RADAKOVICH AND THEN FIRE HEWITT.
dawgwood sandwich
March 30th, 2010
12:53 am
I GUESS D-RAD MUST’VE ASKED MARK AND THE AJC TO JUST LEAVE THIS BLOG UP SO WE TECHIES COULD VENT AND SPEND ALL OUR VENOM AND VINEGAR. IT AIN’T GOING TO WORK. JUST WAIT TILL FUTURE EVENTS AND T-DAY ETC ETC AND SEE HOW FANS REACT THEN WHEN HEWITT COMES AROUND.
phoenix falcon
March 30th, 2010
1:32 pm
sad sad sad,
shane12205
March 30th, 2010
3:51 pm
I agree with most of the comments about sending coach Hewitt packing. I have a friend that he coached for 4 years and the player was a worse basketball player when he left GT than he was in HS. Bring back coach Warren or a big time coach..
dawgwood sandwich
March 30th, 2010
4:58 pm
Ho, hum. It’s never too late to do a good deed, Mark Bradley, and Dan Radakovich, too. Mark, you could still put up a new blog even though this one has been up for a couple of years (OK OK, maybe 5 days). And Dan, you can still fire Paul Hewitt and save both of your careers. He might still be able to get a good job and we might still be able to get a good replacement if you act quickly. If you don’t I’m afraid both of you will suffer.
dawgwood sandwich
March 30th, 2010
4:59 pm
TO EVERYONE CONTRIBUTING TO THE RENOVATION OF AMC: Withhold your donation until we get a coach who deserves it and deserves to wear the White and Gold.
DRAD Rules!
March 30th, 2010
8:41 pm
DRad should get a huge bonus this year for convincing Hewitt to stay at Tech—St. Johns wanted him bad with some big money on the table, but DRad was able to put up more money to keep Hewitt in Atl!!! DRad is the man!!!!!
Of course it's the contract
March 31st, 2010
8:50 am
BC fired a coach with better results based on lack of fans and style of play.
UGAisyesterdaysnews
March 31st, 2010
10:31 am
2000-01 through 2009-10 seasons (10 seasons), Hewitt’s Conference Away record is a staggering 19-61 !!! That is a 0.2375 winning percentage. Even more terrible, is that 4 out of his last 5 years have resulted in Conference Away records of 0-8 or 1-7 !
chuck allison
March 31st, 2010
1:47 pm
Let’s quit talking about Hewitt and let’s discuss who our next coach will be. Hewitt is not wanted at Tech.
If you love Tech basketball, you want Hewitt to just go away.
Another Mark
March 31st, 2010
6:08 pm
He’s not going to win anyone back. All he knows is his BS excuses. I’ve never seen a coach at any level, much less Division 1 basketball, make so many excuses and use them repeatedly for an alarming number of years.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:17 am
The only way to win back the fans is for Hewitt to quit or DRad to fire him. Prior to the St. Johns episode, if Hewitt had been fired he would have still had the respect of many fans. Now, after showing he still has no clue about either his ability or his perception by the fans, Hewitt probably can not leave on good terms. DRad has also squandered all the good will he generated for hiring CPJ by not firing CPH.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:20 am
Paul Hewitt is his own worst enemy. If he had a grasp on reality he would have already done many of the things Mark suggested last week. But he displays no accurate sense of self- or team-awareness. Hewitt is a fired coach walking…it is only a matter of time now. Maybe a few weeks, maybe even a couple of years, but he is toast. DRad is the one who should be concerned about regaining favor with fans. He can do so by firing Hewitt and acknowledging that he misread the fanbase’s dissatisfaction.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:21 am
St Johns ended up much better off than Tech: they got Lavin and we still have Hewitt.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:22 am
Firing Hewitt is a no-brainer, which leads me to wonder about DRad.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:34 am
Hewitt is a spoiled child whose daddy gave him a Ferrari to learn how to drive, and every time he wrecks it he gets a brand new one. He was given too much too early for doing too little by Braine, and instead of working harder and improving the program to rise up to the level of his compensation, he has kicked back in his chair, played around in the BCA a little during his considerable spare time, and allowed the program to sink into mediocrity on his watch. He is basically daring Georgia Tech to fire him, and it’s working. I am embarrassed for my alma mater and for Dan Radakovich who is more ocncerned with getting credit for renovating buildings and building new facilities than taking care of the student-athletes and programs entrusted to him.
dawgwood sandwich
April 2nd, 2010
3:35 am
Apathy reigns, no new blogs here.
Tony
April 6th, 2010
3:56 am
Nice article Mark. I am a longtime Tech fan. What I am discouraged about is all of the so-called Tech fans who complain about this program as if they have always been a championship caliber program. Last I checked Tech has made the Final Four a couple of times, and a national championship game once. Two of these appearances have come under coach Hewitt. I think that what needs to be understood is that Tech is a unique school in that it takes a lot for a player to commit unless there is a coach Hewitt there. And that he is well respected around the bball community especially in AAU ball where so many great athletes come from.
On the contrary, coach Hewitt would probably be well suited further expanding his recruiting extensively past the Mississippi. This year, they were a true PG and Center away from at least the Final Four. I too am frustrated with the outcome of past seasons but I am also aware of dynamics in college bball. In time, with a little tweaking coach Hewitt will provide some good results as he is capable of doing.
Inspite Of
April 6th, 2010
11:33 am
I watched a great basketball game last night, played by two teams that played their guts out. They didn’t whine or cry when they got an elbow in the face. They played team ball all night. The coaches didn’t call stupid time outs. I didn’t see any chest pounding or “me, me, me” to the cameras. I’m still disappointed that Hewitt is the GT coach and I know there was nothing in that game last night that GT could have done, except lose by 35 and cry and whine at every foul they were called for. Short of Butler having a few problems with the inbounds play, the teams were everything GT isn’t: well coached, disciplined, fundamentally sound, relentless, tireless, driven to win, team players trying to win, not trying out for the NBA. And needless to say, Coach K helps his players rise up to the occassion and the Butler coach knows the game at his young age better than Hewitt will when he’s retired.
FINAL FOUR
April 7th, 2010
10:57 pm
to make matters worse, CLemson and Wake now get a chance to hire top knotch coaches, do not be surprised if the Butler coach takes the Wake job..and we are stuck with “nothing special” for the upteenth season..and if they are going to allow 96 teams in the tournament, big whoopty do if GT gets in it, who isn’t? THIS SUX
Tech First
April 8th, 2010
8:45 am
If anyone listening last weekend Findlay High School played Montvere High School for the High School National Champion. Montvere point guard Michael Clayborne is being recruited by a bunch of small school because of his size please take a look at this kid BIG HEART on a team with 3 division one recruits not a relative just a fan.
GTman:
April 8th, 2010
1:29 pm
WonderDawg: Hey wonderbread! Your team played in what post season basketball tournament? Oh, my apologies, your team was too pitiful to get into any tournament, let alone the big dance. Say what you want to about Hewitt, but he has Miller, Shumpert, Rice Jr. Oliver and others coming back. Those alone are better than you sorry azz team.
Also, take a look at the baseball season cranking up. GT is #2 and UGA is what?
You better stick to the GYM Mutts, as that’s your only hope for any NC in any sport. THWG! You all suck azz!
pcb mike
April 9th, 2010
10:01 am
I have my rubber stamp out again. Fire Coach Hewitt.