If Hewitt goes, who might Tech target? Glad you asked
Both of these men are Tech legends, but they're not on my list. (AJC file photo)
I believe Georgia Tech will be in the market for a basketball coach within the month. I do not know this for a fact, but I work today on that assumption. But before I offer a half-dozen (or so) candidates I’d consider to replace Paul Hewitt, I should explain why some major names aren’t on the list.
• Brad Stevens isn’t on it because I’ll believe he’ll leave Butler only when I see it, and maybe not then. The same goes for Mark Few of Gonzaga.
• Tubby Smith isn’t on the list because the Tubby’s-coming-back-to-Georgia-to-coach-somebody rumor has become such an annual occurrence as to be discounted. (Didn’t take the Hawks job back in 2004, did he? Didn’t return to UGA in 2009, did he?) And Tubby Smith — who is, I should stipulate, among my all-time favorites as both a man and a coach — will turn 60 in June. I’m not sure you start over with a 60-year-old.
• Mark Price isn’t on the list because he hasn’t been a collegiate head coach and isn’t currently working in college basketball. (He’s the shooting coach for the Golden State Warriors.)
• Lon Kruger of UNLV isn’t on the list because he’s 58. Fran Dunphy of Temple isn’t because he’s 62. Blaine Taylor of Old Dominion isn’t because he’s 53. (Which is younger than I am, for the record.)
• Bobby Cremins isn’t on the list because you can’t go home again.
• Bobby Knight isn’t on the list because the great lure of Georgia Tech basketball — it plays in a prestigious conference and is based in the capital of a state that produces a slew of big-time basketball players (Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Derrick Favors, Trey Thompkins) — would be rendered null and void. Because no big-timer would play for Bobby Knight.
• Randy Bennett of Saint Mary’s isn’t on the list because he has never worked east of the Mississippi. (Though he did spent two years as Lorenzo Romar’s assistant at St. Louis, which is pretty darn close to the Mississippi.)
• Jamie Dixon of Pitt and Jay Wright of Villanova aren’t on the list. I’d love it if they were, but they have better jobs. And the Big East is a hotter conference than the ACC.
Which leads me to this: Three ACC programs hired new coaches last spring, and none elicited a “Wow!” Clemson hired Brad Brownell of Wright State. Boston College hired Steve Donahue of Cornell. Wake Forest hired Jeff Bzdelik of Colorado. This isn’t to say any were bad hires — Brownell and Donahue have done well — but none had the sizzle of Bob Huggins heading to West Virginia or John Calipari going to Kentucky. (FYI, Calipari was interested in the Tech job back in 2000.)
There’s the preface. Here’s my list:
That's Mike Anderson is on left. On the right is Tony Greene, the Atlantan who's the best ref in the business. (AP photo)
Mike Anderson, Missouri: He’s close to Dixon/Wright status in that he presides over a Top 25 program in a major conference. (And Missouri can throw money at him to stay.) But he grew up in Birmingham and coached at UAB and worked under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas, and he might have a hankering to return to the South. And I for one would love to see his full-tilt style shake up the rather staid ACC.
Scott Drew, Baylor: He coached under his famous dad Homer at Valparaiso and has worked since 2003 in Waco, where he inherited a program leveled by a scandal involving the murder of a by a former player. He’s 84-43 over the past three-plus seasons. Last spring he took the Bears to the Elite Eight, after which he signed a 10-year extension. Not sure he’d leave for Tech, but how much longer is a coach this young (40) and skilled apt to stay in Waco?
Brian Gregory, Dayton: He doesn’t fit the definition of a Hot Young Guy. He’s 44, which isn’t that young, and his Flyers are 5-6 in the Atlantic 10, which isn’t hot. But he’s 167-89 in seven-plus seasons at a mid-major that takes the sport seriously, and he apprenticed under Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
Cuonzo Martin, Missouri State: Here’s your Hot Young Guy. Martin was Glenn Robinson’s wingman at Purdue when the Big Dog was the best player in college basketball. Martin played in Europe and survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has become a coach of growing portfolio. He won 24 games last season at Missouri State, which as Southwest Missouri State perpetrated a memorable NCAA tournament upset of Clemson at the old Omni. Martin’s latest Bears are 20-6, tied with Wichita State atop the Missouri Valley Conference. Another reason to like Martin: He worked under Gene Keady at Purdue, and Keady assistants do well. Think Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt, Bruce Weber at Illinois and now Matt Painter with the Boilermakers.
Chris Mooney, Richmond: Good young coach — he’s 38 — at another pedigreed mid-major. He played under the legendary Pete Carril at Princeton, which means, surprisingly enough, that he runs the Princeton Offense. Mooney led the Spiders to the NCAA tournament last season, but they were upset (Richmond was actually the better seed) by Bennett and Saint Mary’s. Richmond is 20-6, tied with Temple for second in the Atlantic 10 . Possible disqualifier: Richmond played Tech in December and lost. If you go by RPI, that’s the Spiders’ worst loss of the season.
Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M: Played under Larry Brown at Kansas, coached under both Brown and Roy Williams there. Turgeon also signed a contract extension after last season, in which he took the Aggies to the NCAA tournament for the third time in three tries. This appears to be his best A&M team — it’s 19-5 and ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll. Not sure he’d leave for Tech, either, unless he just wants out of College Station and into the ACC. (A&M is rumored to be bound for the SEC, which might or might not be a consideration.)
OK, there are six candidates, three of whom would surely see Tech as a step up. And you’ll notice I included only current head coaches. This kept me from including assistants Mark Montgomery of Michigan State, Steve Masiello of Louisville and Joe Dooley of Kansas, all of whom should be head coaches soon. But there’s one assistant coach who bears special consideration, and he is …
Good ol' days: That's Craig "Noodles" Neal in the background, his hand on Mark Price's head. (AJC file photo)
Craig Neal, New Mexico: Known as Noodles when he played at Tech, where he first served as Price’s backup before becoming an outstanding point after Price departed. He has been Steve Alford’s chief assistant in Albuquerque since 2007, and last season the Lobos were 30-5 and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. This year they’re 17-8. I cannot imagine a circumstance in which Neal would not crawl to Atlanta for a chance to coach his alma mater.
Oh, and one more name, this one a long shot but nonetheless intriguing:
Herb Sendek, Arizona State: He’s the dullest guy in the world, and he’s not a great recruiter. He left N.C. State in a snit because Wolfpack fans weren’t satisfied with five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. But things haven’t gone great for him in Tempe — he’s 85-70 in four-plus seasons and has reached the Big Dance only once — and his Sun Devils are 9-15 and hold last place in the Pac-10. There’s a chance Sendek could get fired this season. It’s not often a big-time program hires a coach who has just been canned at another school, but Sendek does have a history of winning in the ACC. He was 46-34 in league play his final five seasons at State.
And that’s it — a long post regarding a short list. And if you’re asking which of these names fascinates me the most, I’d think really hard and say:
Cuonzo Martin.
By Mark Bradley
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387 comments Add your comment
AWhiteCoach?
February 15th, 2011
7:56 pm
Still waiting for that white coach candidate. Any suggestions among the Tech money folks?
Supersize that order, mutt
February 15th, 2011
7:57 pm
well, that was an interesting response. LOL
No Mo Hewitt
February 15th, 2011
7:59 pm
Oh please, oh please, any of them would be better than Hewitt. This jerk has got to go.
AWhiteCoach?
February 15th, 2011
8:00 pm
Hey “Give me Liberty” try to describe the radical left without using talk radio mishmash. Betcha can’t. Go ahead and try anyway.
rxdawg79
February 15th, 2011
8:02 pm
@Whiskey Clear: Actually, UGA made the tournament in 2008, when Dennis Felton’s penultimate team managed to string together enough good games to win the SEC tournament. A fluke, certainly, but there it is. Sorta bad that it happened, because it postponed his firing by a year. Anyway, not 2001 as you guesstimated.
As for UGA being on Tech’s level, the argument can be made that it is Tech that is below UGA–at least with Hewitt in charge. He’s coached against 3 different UGA coaches and has a losing record against them all.
Me, I long for the Omni games in the 1980s that had the old joint rocking. It’s just much better when both teams are good.
Freddy D
February 15th, 2011
8:06 pm
What about Jim larranaga at George Mason?
Would love Brian Gregory from Dayton are
Neal, are Anderson……….any of the four.
AWhiteCoach?
February 15th, 2011
8:16 pm
What Mark Bradley at AJCU? He seems to know his X’s & O’s. Or how about Bradley Mark at Bradley U? Same for him.
William Satterwhite
February 15th, 2011
8:17 pm
“Herb Sendek is to dull what the Titantic is to boating mishaps.”
And that exact type of thinking has worked out very well for NC State. I don’t think he’s going anywhere at all (prior to this season AZ St had 3 straight 20 win seasons and postseason appearances) but if there were a chance Tech could land Sendek, it would be a great move. He might not move the excitement meter much but we Tech fans need to ask ourselves what’s more important- a coach who brings excitement and flashes of brilliance (mixed in with flashes of something else) or a coach who might be boring but nevertheless provides consistent success.
Dadgum.....
February 15th, 2011
8:21 pm
Mark…..I mentioned this last week and again recently in a Robertson blog. Hewitt will be fired on or before March 14th. My sources around the GT program are solid. Have been for about 40 years. Put it this way I knew about Cremins’ about face via a phone call before it was ever announced back in the day. Also I will say you have mentioned the odds on favorite as the new coach. Won’t say who but you can cross off both Mooney and Sendek and raise Mark Price’s stock a bit. The new coach will be a young energetic type that can recruit but affordable. You are correct it ain’t Knight or anyone just south of his ilk. In other words don’t read a Roy Williams type.
Oh, and let me add also that there is no way Hewitt saves his job via a fast finish. It is a done deal but the replacement isn’t. Gonna be exciting. The Good Word……..
tar and feathers
February 15th, 2011
8:23 pm
the ajc is now paying its hacks by the word, so all the opinion writers are cutting and pasting like crazy, see cindy lou’s blog. Oh yeah, fire J now!
Kurdt Kobain
February 15th, 2011
8:23 pm
What about Geno Auriemma?
Just a thought.
Freddy D
February 15th, 2011
8:24 pm
Don’t give a flip about race, are boring…just get a winner with up side that fans, students and State will be proud of. Not another Bewitt.
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
8:24 pm
Dan
What the hell are you talking about. The other Big 12 teams out here (I live in TX) get mad at Drew and Baylor b/c he’s beating the pants off them for recruits. He has had two recruiting “issues” neither of which broke ANY rules….just made other coaches mad….one of which was Knight so I say good for him.
Scott Drew would be #2 on my list behind Turgeon.
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
8:30 pm
Mark,
There’s one thing you’re forgetting about Anderson. If A&M and Oklahoma bail for the SEC then GT lines up to be one of the schools (along with FSU I believe) to be offered a mirroring SEC East spot. That would leave Kansas, KSU, Mizzou, Baylor, Iowa State, TT, and Oklahoma State all in limbo.
I think with this very real possibility Scott Drew and Anderson are very real candidates. Plus Drew only makes $900k per year with a $1M buyout. Taz can handle that all by himself for the 1st year.
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
8:36 pm
Mark Turgean at A&M’s new salary is $1.5M per year. Has a $1M buyout.
aw
February 15th, 2011
8:36 pm
Tommy Amaker Harvard Coach (I think has baggage though)
I like Murray State and Missouri’s coaches
WORLD WIDE WESLEY ($ man for Calipari) you would have great players!
Realistically, I believe if GT offered paying around $2 million with some nice benefits or a long term deal they would have a real shot at New Mexico’s Steve Alford.
Tech Man
February 15th, 2011
8:37 pm
Hewitt is like Reggie Ball. Our competition loves them because they always find a way for Tech to loose.
bob
February 15th, 2011
8:38 pm
Mark Fox, all blades need two sides.
blazer
February 15th, 2011
8:40 pm
Stansbury would leave Miss. St.
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
8:43 pm
Tech is going to try and make an offer to someone in the $1.2M range with some excellent benefits. Now one would say oh then that leave Anderson and Turgeon on out of the mix. Not necessarily. The ACC’s TV contract is about $13.5M per school. The Big 12 is about $8M per school. This means more money is coming into the coffers as a whole which means a coach like Anderson and Turgeon coulod take less in salary and more than make up the difference in benefits, show contracts, camps, etc. because the ACC has a much more higher profile perception than the Big 12.
Jim in Murray
February 15th, 2011
8:43 pm
Marlon – When Kennedy came to Murray State, he had two returning players from the previous year. He has recruited well and coached well to keep the program going. As to Tyndall, he may be a good coach but Morehead does have some tradition. And other than Fareid, what above average player has he brought to Morehead? And last I looked, he has 8 recruits for next year. That is worse than the oversigning problems in football.
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
8:44 pm
Paul in RDU ,
No my friend, you are wrong….After the 2002 season Gary did not have a WINNING season for 3 years, after that he had 2 more losing seasons…2 over 500 conference records in 7 seasons..This is great for the big bad ACC huh?
2003-04 Maryland 20 12 .625 7 9 .438 6th NCAA Denver Regional Second Round (1-1)
2004-05 Maryland 19 13 .594 7 9 .438 T-6th
2005-06 Maryland 19 13 .594 8 8 .500 6th
2006-07 Maryland 25 9 .735 10 6 .625 T-2nd NCAA Midwest Regional Second Round (1-1)
2007-08 Maryland 19 15 .559 8 8 .500 T-5th
2008-09 Maryland 21 14 .600 7 9 .438 T-7th NCAA West Regional Second Round (1-1)
2009-10 Maryland 24 9 .727 13 3 .813 T-1st
Butts Wagner
February 15th, 2011
8:46 pm
Mike Anderson would be fun. If DRad wants fans back quickly, that’s a great hire. That doesn’t mean he’s the best hire overall though. I don’t know that answer.
I think this is a good list of names to consider. I wouldn’t be super thrilled with a princeton offense, but, at least the team would be getting coached in a specific style of play and look like there is a plan in each game as opposed to looking lost 90% of the time.
AWhiteCoach?
February 15th, 2011
8:46 pm
Albion State Junior College has a sleeper. Jumper Pentangeli. Look him up.
NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!!
February 15th, 2011
8:55 pm
NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!! NERDS!!! 42-34!!! 73-72!!! 14-7!!!
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
8:58 pm
@Paul in RDU
you are part of the problem with this program..no matter who GT hires next..No matter what COLOR, always stand up for your Players and Coaches..If Hewitt was white, i know everyone would have complained about the refs.. last year In the Acc championship game Singler(a jump shot shooter) shot more free throws than the entire GT team including #2 pick Derrick Favors..The Ajc worte an article with Favors explaining he could not deal with ACC officiating..no one read it..you all said he was overated….The refs in the ACC are terrible…And you dont care…you dont mind playing for 3rd every year behind Duke and NC.evn though GT has more talent..Big Luc was a nice young man who Hewitt developed into a good college center..GT fans never ever stood up this guy…Hewitt stood up for the kid….Its not coaching..No one in the ACC wins other than Duke and NC, i guess no one can coach in the ACC..
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
9:02 pm
we made it to the Coach K conference championship game….You and i both know the refs was not about to let Duke get beat..so, they put them on the line…A lot
Official Basketball Box Score
Georgia Tech vs Duke
03/14/10 1:00 pm at Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
——————————————————————————–
VISITORS: Georgia Tech 22-12
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 Shumpert, Iman…… * 4-9 2-6 2-3 1 4 5 2 12 5 4 0 0 33
13 Bell, D’Andre……. * 2-3 0-1 0-0 0 3 3 3 4 0 0 0 1 18
14 Favors, Derrick….. * 8-14 0-0 6-7 4 7 11 3 22 2 3 2 0 36
31 Lawal, Gani……… * 3-8 0-0 0-1 3 2 5 0 6 0 4 1 0 22
41 Rice, Glen………. * 2-2 1-1 0-0 1 1 2 2 5 3 2 0 1 26
00 Udofia, Mfon…….. 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
03 Miller, Maurice….. 3-7 2-4 2-2 0 3 3 1 10 2 2 0 0 27
11 Oliver, Brian……. 0-1 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 0 0 15
35 Peacock, Zachery…. 0-6 0-0 0-1 2 2 4 3 0 0 2 1 1 22
TEAM……………. 1 1
Totals………….. 22-50 5-13 12-16 13 22 35 20 61 13 17 4 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-23 34.8% 2nd Half: 14-27 51.9% Game: 44.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-6 33.3% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 38.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-8 50.0% 2nd Half: 8-8 100 % Game: 75.0% 1
——————————————————————————–
HOME TEAM: Duke 29-5
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Smith,Nolan……… * 7-13 2-4 0-0 0 3 3 2 16 2 2 0 0 30
12 Singler,Kyle…….. * 3-15 0-2 14-16 3 3 6 3 20 2 2 0 1 39
30 Scheyer,Jon……… * 4-13 2-9 6-8 1 2 3 1 16 1 1 0 2 38
42 Thomas,Lance…….. * 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 0 3 0 1 23
55 Zoubek,Brian…….. * 0-0 0-0 2-2 4 5 9 4 2 2 1 1 2 28
05 Plumlee,Mason……. 1-2 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 1 2 1 0 1 0 17
20 Dawkins,Andre……. 3-5 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 1 7 0 1 0 0 13
21 Plumlee,Miles……. 0-2 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 12
TEAM……………. 2 2
Totals………….. 18-51 5-17 24-28 13 18 31 17 65 8 10 2 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-29 41.4% 2nd Half: 6-22 27.3% Game: 35.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-8 25.0% 2nd Half: 3-9 33.3% Game: 29.4% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 3-5 60.0% 2nd Half: 21-23 91.3% Game: 85.7% 2
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
9:06 pm
Hewitt Fan
You’ve made the same tired post for three straight days now but not once have you told us what the answer is. You’re quick to point out it doesn’t matter who coaches at Tech because the refs in the ACC are so bad. So what do we do then? Keep Hewiit? What?
kbrab
February 15th, 2011
9:13 pm
I love the idea of Noodles, but he would be a good pick only if he was guaranteed to have a very good assistant coach at his side. For that, I’d bring in Sendek.
some sense
February 15th, 2011
9:17 pm
Tech, old Atlanta, alums won’t hire a guy named Cuonzo.
Marlon
February 15th, 2011
9:20 pm
Jim in Murray
Leon Buchanan, Demonte Harper, Maze Stallworth have been All OVC second team players. Morehead State has never had back to back 20 win seasons. I lived on the floor with the team that went to the NCAA tournament in 83 and 84. It took Murray State’s best team in history to beat us last year in the title game or the Eagles could be looking at 3 straight trips to March Madness. You gotta great coach! I think he would do great at GT! I think the OVC is very underrated right now. I am partial of course to Donnie but I would love to see an OVC coach get a chance and clear the way for others.
Marlon
February 15th, 2011
9:24 pm
Jim at Murray
Why didn’t Kennedy move up after last year’s success? The Racers killed Vandy and had Butler but couldn’t hang on. Last year’s team was the best the OVC has had since the Western KY teams of Clem Haskins and Jim McDaniel.
Paul in RDU
February 15th, 2011
9:29 pm
Hewitt Fan
There you go again. You were posting all day yesterday that Gary Williams had an overall losing record in the ACC during the last 11 years. You even posted Gary’s record that clearly showed that you were wrong. Now you are changing it to saying that he has had several losing records since MD won the NCAA championship.
If you pull out your calculator and add up the results for 2003 to 2010 you will find that Williams is 60-52 with a regular season ACC championship.
Let me give you the regular season ACC records of each school since expansion in 2005 – doesn’t include 2010-11. I’ve put them in order from best to worst records.
Duke 59-21 with a best of 14-2 and 4 winning seasons in conference
UNC 55-25 – best 14-2, 4 winning seasons
MD 46-34 – best 13-3, 2 winning seasons
FSU 43-37 – best 10-6, 3 winning seasons
Clemson 42-38 – best 10-6, 3 winning seasons
BC 40-40 – best 11-5, 3 winning seasons
VT 40-40 – best 10-6, 3 winning seasons
WF 35-45 – best 11-5, 2 winning seasons
UVA 32-48 – best 11-5, 1 winning season
NCSU 30-50 – best 12-4 (under Sendek), 1 winning season
Miami 30-50 – best 8-8, 0 winning seasons
GT 28-52 – best 8-8, 0 winning seasons
Some people would interpret these numbers to say that GT under CPH has been the worst performing team in the ACC since expansion.
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
9:30 pm
@Tech Forever
Do you care? When Gt hires the new coach what makes you think things will change? look at that box score i posted, we were bigger, faster and more skilled but we lost..how does it make you feel to see your student athletes not given a fair chance?
Axe Grinder
February 15th, 2011
9:31 pm
This makes 3 posts in a row re: Hewitt. Has this gotten personal for you, Bradley?
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
9:36 pm
Hewitt Fan
Again, what is your solution to the problem? A new coach? Keep the coach? Petition the ACC to make wholesale changes to their officials? What?
This is what I believe will change if Tech hires a new coach. I believe our shooting will improve. I believe our free throw shooting will inprove. I believe our inbounding the basketball will improve. I believe our assist to turnover ratio will improve. I believe all the areas that HAVE NOT IMPROVED ONE IOTA under the current coaching leadership in the last 10 years will in fact improve. THAT is what I expect out of Georgia Tech Basketball. I don’t expect to win every game or even win the ACC….ever. I expect our kids to be coached at the highest level possible and to perform at the highest level possible. Period. If we can’t win because of officiating then that’s a whole separate issue.
Now stop acting like a leftwing victim and start demanding some excellence with the GT Basketball Program.
Jacket Backer
February 15th, 2011
9:37 pm
Please, no coach named Cuonzo…….Mark Price gets my vote!
Go Jackets!!
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
9:39 pm
@Paul in RDU
I proved my point…In the last 7 years Gary Williams has 2 winning seasons….you posted GT has never had a winning season in ACC under Hewitt..but…. GT WENT TO THE NATIONAL TITLE GAME AND STILL DID NOT HAVE A WINNING RECORD IN THE ACC…That has to seem strange right….Just use that good ole thinking cap sometimes…How does a national title caliber team, full of NBA players not be over 500 in the ACC…Only in the coach K conference..stand up for your next coach Paul
GT hulk
February 15th, 2011
9:42 pm
Noodles Neal would be the man!!!!, GT grad, great recruiter and young!!!! Can relate with the kids—not no Al Groh
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
@Tech Forever
I watch or ATTEND 95% of GT games.. most games GT lose are due to bad calls..Last year was terrible, Bosh only year was terrible..Best team he had..He complained, you guys did not support him…I know you probaly have not, but have you noticed how Hewitt subs in and out?its for a reason. ..Did any one other than me see the Virginia tech game..It was terrible..but any way..you refuse to answer my ?s…Why only 2 teams (Maryland 2 over 500 seasons in 7 years do not qualify) win in the ACC? How many bad coaches do you see in the ACC?
Hewitt Fan
February 15th, 2011
9:49 pm
@Tech Forever
You seem like a true GT fan, how does box score make you feel..did it make you mad?
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
Hewitt Fan
I don’t answer your questions because they have nothing to do with improving GT basketball and that is what I care about; Tech being as excellent as can be on the hardwood…and we are FAR OFF that benchmark, regardless of officiating.
Please, do me a favor, I want to be there the day you walk up to CPH and whine about the officiating after a loss.
Cremins
February 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
When Hewitt goes we can name the toilet floor in the men’s restroom “Hewitt’s Court”.
William Satterwhite
February 15th, 2011
9:54 pm
“we were bigger, faster and more skilled but we lost.”
“Bigger, faster and more skilled” don’t automatically equal “better”, it should be noted. Put last season’s Tech team on the court with Butler, West Virginia and maybe Michigan St and I dare say Tech would have had “bigger, faster and more skilled” players than the rest of the Final Four as well but they would not have been a better TEAM. That comes down to coaching, pure and simple.
Quick question- Did Jared Sullinger come into this season that much better a player than Derek Favors was at the beginning of last season? They’re both the exact same type of player yet one has been a National POY candidate while the other couldn’t even make All-ACC.
andre
February 15th, 2011
9:56 pm
bradley your talking about tech like its not a good job why wouldnt those guys leave to coach in acc and be able to recurit top notch talent thats in ga. Maybe you should leave with hewitt you traiter.
Tech'84
February 15th, 2011
9:57 pm
Love to speculate. I like some of your suggestions, Mark, but I think the absolutely best choice has the initials ABH: Anybody But Hewitt. Go Jackets!
Tech Forever
February 15th, 2011
9:59 pm
I remember commenting on the officiating of the game and I do think that a lot of times Duke and UNC get the “Larry Bird Treatment”. But I’m smart enough to know officiating has nothing to do with shooting below 65% from the FT line, avergaing 15+ turnovers per game, and not being able to run a simple inbound play. All of those are a result of poor coaching. We had two big men anyone in the country would have wanted and neither averaged 14 ppg…..poor coaching. Hewitt blamed their lack of chemistry for the Lawal/Favors problems, that lack of chemistry is a result of…..poor coaching.
Paul in RDU
February 15th, 2011
10:00 pm
Hewitt Fan
How does EVERY team in the ACC have a better conference record in the last 5 years than GT?
Tech'84
February 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
With all due respect, andre and fellow Tech fans, Mark is being realistic in suggesting that there are some limitations in the Tech position, namely the willingness and ability to pay really big bucks to a top-tier candidate. DRad can do some creative compensation structuring, I am sure, and the league and location are certainly appealing, so I believe we can get a good guy…but we can’t get into a bidding war with another strong Div. I school.
Derek
February 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
Just a few things about MP. There is much more than this to MP coaching abilities. He should be named asap as the GT coach.
Mark Price began his coaching career during the 1998-99 basketball season as a community coach under head coach and friend Joe Marelle at Duluth High School for the varsity boys team. After Marelle discovered he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Price became a primary factor in the team’s return trip to the final four of the class 5A GHSA state tournament. It was the first time Duluth High School returned to this point in the state tournament in 16 years. Price then went on to be an assistant coach to Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech during the 1999-2000 season.[9]
After Cremins retired from coaching at Georgia Tech, Price then went on the following year to be the head coach at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta for the 2000-01 season leading the team to a 27-5 record and the final eight teams of the state Class A tournament, a 20 win improvement over the prior season and 27 win improvement two seasons before Price arrived.[10] NBA player Josh Smith also played at Whitefield Academy the same season Price was coach.[11] [12]
In 2003, Price was a consultant for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets before moving on to become a NBA television analyst and color commentator for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks.
In March 2006, Price was named the inaugural head coach of the Australian NBL’s South Dragons, a new franchise for the 2006–07 season, for a short period of time before the position was taken over by player Shane Heal, in a controversial decision made by majority owner Mark Cowan. Heal was fired the following year after the Dragons finished last in the NBL for the 2007-08 season.[13]
Price was the shooting consultant for the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2007-08 season and named the shooting coach for the Atlanta Hawks for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.[14] Price helped to improve the Hawks offensive output in their first return to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in nearly 10 years during the 2009 NBA Playoffs.[15] Price also trains other NBA players in partnership with the Suwanee Sports Academy, one of the largest basketball training facilities in the United States, during the basketball off-season in Atlanta specializing in shooting and point guard skills.
Price is credited with helping Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo improve his jump shot. Rondo’s scoring was a key factor in the Celtics reaching the 2010 NBA Finals, where they pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to a full seven game series.[16] For the 2010-2011 season, Price joined the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach with the primary task of improving the Warriors shooting and free throw percentages.[17]
Price was a key factor in developing the overall teaching philosophy for On Court Player Development [18] – a basketball skill development and character building program – in 2006 held at the Suwanee Sports Academy. The academy is also home to the Mark Price Shooting Lab.[19]