Are you stunned by Georgia Tech’s loss at Siena? Me, neither
This marks the third time in 11 seasons Georgia Tech has lost five non-conference games before Christmas under Paul Hewitt. This is significant because Tech under Hewitt has only once done better than 8-8 in ACC play.
Simple math: Five non-league losses plus eight conference losses plus another in the ACC tournament — the Jackets have never won that event under Hewitt — and you’ve got 14. Fourteen is too many to get a team into the NCAA field. (Yeah, I know the field has expanded this season — by three. Same difference.) And Hewitt has said he believes this team is good enough to be an NCAA team.
More history: The two other times Tech under Hewitt has lost five non-league games before Christmas, it hasn’t just missed the NCAA — it has finished with a losing record. (The Jackets were 15-16 in 2000-2001, 15-17 in 2007-2008.) Should Tech have a losing season in 2010-2011, that would make three in the past four tries. That would be enough under ordinary circumstances to find a new coach, but the circumstances at the Flats aren’t ordinary. Hewitt has that perpetual rollover and his $7 million buyout.
On Wednesday the Jackets lost at Siena, where Hewitt used to coach. The Associated Press used the word “stun” to describe what the Saints had done to Tech, but why should anybody be stunned? Tech’s first loss of the season was by 17 points at Kennesaw State, which has gone 0-9 since. Its third loss came by 21 points at Northwestern, which just lost to St. John’s, which was so desperate for a new coach it spoke with Hewitt in March. (Against Tech, Northwestern scored 55 points in the first 20 minutes.)
Now Siena. The Saints played a zone and dared Tech to shoot from the perimeter, something the Jackets had done well in a loss against Syracuse, which plays the nation’s best zone. Tech made eight second-half baskets against Siena, only three of them on jump shots. When you have a team laden with guards, you should be able to make jump shots. Not this night, alas.
Oh, and here’s the really depressing part: Siena’s second-leading scorer on the season didn’t play (bad ankle), and its leading scorer played sick. (Also hurt. Ryan Rossiter caught an elbow in the first half. Still scored 19 points.) And while there have been good Siena teams in years past — the Saints have reached the past three NCAA tournaments — this wouldn’t appear to be one. The victory improved the Saints’ record to 4-6.
As for Tech, it was Loss No. 5 against a schedule that hasn’t been terribly imposing. The Jackets have faced one ranked opponent. The aggregate record of the six teams they’ve beaten is 35-39. Only one ACC team has lost as many as five games already, and at least Wake Forest has the excuse of playing under a new coach. Tech, as we know, is working under the same coach.
By Mark Bradley
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253 comments Add your comment
Herschel Talker
December 23rd, 2010
1:21 pm
MB:
Mark Fox > Paul Hewitt.
Please discuss.
HT
Ric Flair
December 23rd, 2010
1:21 pm
This is really disappointing They need to fire Hewitt.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:22 pm
Mark – Does GT have to pay that $7 mil in one lump sum? Or do the have perhaps 5 or 6 yrs to pay it?
GTman
December 23rd, 2010
1:22 pm
I know Braine-less is gone, but anyone else associated with approving that contract should be fired now. DRAD just needs to bite the bullet and make the change. Hewitt is not an idiot. He is not going anywhere. He is just going to half-A it until DRAD finally knocks on his door with the termination package. There is absolutely no evidence of coaching going on with GT basketball – no player development, no offensive structure, no defensive strategy or hustle, and no inspired play.
Time to make the change.
The Grinch
December 23rd, 2010
1:22 pm
Ah…I THOUGHT that seemed a little strange since they obviously seem to at least be trying with football. So that was also the same guy who hired Chan Gailey? Yikes! The next round’s on me.
JB
December 23rd, 2010
1:23 pm
The contract won’t even allow him to resign. Who walks on 7 MIL ?
GT Alum
December 23rd, 2010
1:23 pm
You had basically said earlier that getting on Hewitt again would basically be beating a dead horse, but I had a feeling there would be another article after this loss. Losing to the school he came from was significant, and it definitely doesn’t bode well for us contending for anything this year. This team doesn’t appear to be making significant progress, and the competition is about to get a lot tougher. I doubt we’ll even be a NIT contender this year.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:24 pm
Mark Fox > Paul Hewitt – no discussion necessary on that… its blatantly obvious.
JB
December 23rd, 2010
1:24 pm
You guys always have baseball !
Game Time
December 23rd, 2010
1:24 pm
Really, who cares anymore? Hewitt is doing the best he can — and that’s the sad and pathetic part.
IndyGT
December 23rd, 2010
1:25 pm
I recall reading a story in USA Today about how Fresno State’s football coach took a reduction in salary, with a more incentive based contract. Given how badly state budgets are doing, tuition rates going up.. I hope DRad is at least thinking about having a similar conversation with CPH. I don’t expect CPH to “do the right thing” and give up all that money.. would you? But, I hope DRad is thinking along those lines. I’m not watching a single ACC game this year.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
December 23rd, 2010
1:25 pm
I am a little surprised I expected tech to be better before the conference schedule started anyway. I am not a tech basher by the way I do enjoy good tech basketball and i would like to see both basketball teams in the ncaa
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:27 pm
We JUST signed a $7M Check to plant flowers around Stegeman Colisium.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:27 pm
Its amazing that the ACC has only 1 team in the top 25!
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:28 pm
Oh, lookey there.
Just received ANOTHER annonymous check for $7M from one of our successful Alumni.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:28 pm
Was the game on TV?
Paul in RDU
December 23rd, 2010
1:28 pm
If you guys think it is tough living in ATL and being GT b’ball fans, try living in RDU.
I wasn’t surprised that GT lost to Siena – I was shocked that they beat Richmond. What is really depressing is reading the quotes from Hewitt after a loss – “I just thought we had looks and couldn’t make them,” Hewitt said. “It’s just one of those things.”
With that attitude Hewitt is never going to turn things around.
The Truth
December 23rd, 2010
1:29 pm
Did anyone even think this team would be good this year???? They don’t have any post threats or any big guys that are good
82Dawg
December 23rd, 2010
1:29 pm
Seems like POAD, Old Gold, GT4Ever, and the rest of the Techies that are always bragging on how much their degree from Tech makes them would come up with the money and buy him out.
jfreak13713
December 23rd, 2010
1:29 pm
Hewitt will not be fired, yet? Got to get past the political correctness first. Money is an issue for sure but so is the polictical correctness behind hiring and firing a black coach.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:29 pm
Just signed another $7M check to sponsor a pee wee football team next fall.
82Dawg
December 23rd, 2010
1:30 pm
Enter your comments here
IndyGT
December 23rd, 2010
1:30 pm
I used to think CPH was the CMR of college basketball.. pull in these amazing recruits and do nothing with them. But, then I realized CMR has actually won some hardware. Its clear the brains of the Final Four operation was that asst. coach that went to Jax – Warren, I think? Hire him!
GTBob
December 23rd, 2010
1:30 pm
I just wonder how much damage to the basketball program DRad is going to put up with before firing him. Attendance numbers are significantly down. Public appeal is down. And the fans are beyond restless at this point. We are opening a nice newly renovated arena in a couple of years. Is DRad really going to let it open with average attendance in the 5k range or worse? He is close to letting it get to the point where even hardcore GT basketball fans are struggling to care about our team.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:30 pm
Oh, nice.
Just checked the spendable funds. $7M is about 1/300th of what’s available at the moment.
acowa
December 23rd, 2010
1:30 pm
It was on PPV. Mark, did you even watch the game? Be honest.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:32 pm
Just signed another $7M to expand the Athens dog park.
Ted Striker
December 23rd, 2010
1:34 pm
It’s a good thing Tech doesn’t have Walton, Marist, or Lassiter on the schedule. Because anything could happen and then the natives surely would be restless.
GT Alum
December 23rd, 2010
1:34 pm
It’s Time, acowa -
That’s been my question. I understand it’s hard to justify spending $7M to tell a coach to go away, especially in this economy, but I can’t believe Hewitt’s going to be here until he retires, so putting it off is just delaying the inevitable. In the meantime, team support and revenue are going down the toilet. A savvy hiring to replace Hewitt would bring a number of fans back to the Thrillerdome, and a successful season or two under a new coach would pack the place.
I can’t believe DRad would risk opening the new stadium with a bunch of empty seats. Right now, there’s enough fans who care about Tech basketball to raise a call for Hewitt’s head. If Radakovich keeps putting this off, the new coach might have to build a fan base basically from scratch.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:34 pm
Just signed another $7M check to supply free beer for this Spring’s Ath Fest.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:35 pm
YAWN……
Just opened 3 letters from donors, coming to right around $7M.
GTBob
December 23rd, 2010
1:35 pm
@UGA Athletic Department, I probably shouldn’t answer the trolling but you don’t even spend 7 mil on basketball in an entire season. If you have so much money maybe you should.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:36 pm
What did you say, secretary? The city of Athens wants to plant some trees in remeberence of the once great GT Basketball prgram??
Go on ahead. Cut me a check for $7M and I’ll sign it.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:37 pm
PPV – holy cow, I wonder how many buys they got. 14 maybe?
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:38 pm
Basketball needs tospend more money? Sure. Cut them a $7M check as well. We will call it an “experiment”.
Because if we lose the money, we won’t even notice.
Brock
December 23rd, 2010
1:38 pm
Tom Izzo quotes after a loss……….. to Syracuse none the less:
“We’ve turned into a pretty-boy, jump-shooting team instead of a blue-collar, fist-fighting team,” he said “That was as about as disappointing a performance as we’ve had in a long time.”
Izzo said he told his team their performance was embarrassing.
Then he took the blame in front of the media.
“That should solely go on me because if a team doesn’t play hard enough or tough enough, that is the coach’s fault,” he said.
Paul Hewitt quotes after a loss……… to Sienna? Really?:
“We just missed some shots in the second half,” said Hewitt, who coached for Siena from 1997-2000. “I thought we got some good looks and didn’t knock them down.”
“I just thought we had looks and couldn’t make them,” Hewitt said. “It’s just one of those things.”
Enough said!!! DRAD grow some nads and fire this idiot!!! Today!!!
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:39 pm
And, just signed another $7M check to donate school supplies and books to Clarke County Elementary Schools.
GT Alum
December 23rd, 2010
1:40 pm
Paul in RDU -
That’s the really disappointing thing and the reason I don’t really expect things to get better under Hewitt. When our football team struggled this season, CPJ said he was disappointed and basically called out his team, at least specific units, saying they weren’t playing as well as they should. Seems like all we ever get from Hewitt is excuses. He apparently has far lower standards for the Tech basketball program than most of the fans do, and that’s a situation that’s just not going to work for Tech.
Tony Ingle
December 23rd, 2010
1:40 pm
Hey, can we play Tech again? I gotta get another win to keep my job.
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:40 pm
I’m feeling festive. Let’s cut another $7M check to put a wreath on every sidewalk lamp on the beautiful campus.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:40 pm
Great comparison Brock!
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:42 pm
Another day, another $7M donation……. ho hum……
B
December 23rd, 2010
1:42 pm
Mark, maybe you could shed some light on this question, as it is confusing me: Tech is spending $45 million to renovate Alexander Memorial Coliseum. How is it that the money is “not there” to buy out Coach Hewitt’s contract? At this point, I suspect that spending $7 million on the latter would do more to help the cause of GT men’s basketball than spending $45 million on the former.
Pago Pago DAWG
December 23rd, 2010
1:43 pm
So….it looks like UGA isn’t the school having troubles with some football players…cna you say the great Ohio State. Pretty funny…
acowa
December 23rd, 2010
1:43 pm
A 7MM bill for red panties…what’s this? priceless
UGA Athletic Department
December 23rd, 2010
1:43 pm
uh oh…. just received our cut of the SEC ESPN TV deal…… I won’t say what it is, but $7M is just a drop in that bucket.
Ted M
December 23rd, 2010
1:44 pm
Does anyone know if the $7mil buyout is one lump sum up front at the time of termination? Or is it spread out over time?
acowa
December 23rd, 2010
1:45 pm
You’re probably right GT Alum. Until that time actually comes, I am going to support the guys we have.
acowa
December 23rd, 2010
1:46 pm
Ted M. It’s over time. His salary amounts to 1/2 the ticket revenues for our ACC games.
acowa
December 23rd, 2010
1:48 pm
UGA Athletic department is right. They pay 7MM in bail for their athletes and legal fees. It’s a drop in the bucket.