Year 1 hasn’t been easy, but Tech and BG are making strides
Brian Gregory offers a friendly reminder. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
GT (Georgia Tech) had just beaten BC (Boston College), and BG (Brian Gregory) was in a GM (good mood). His Yellow Jackets had won their first game in three weeks and their second since Christmas, and when you don’t do it often winning comes to seem a very big deal. “You need tangible evidence sometimes,” Gregory said, and Saturday’s modest victory offered a snippet.
Everyone realized this would be a difficult season: A team that went 13-18 and lost two of its three best players (Iman Shumpert and Brian Oliver) would shuttle between arenas under a new coach, and not just any new coach but a temperamental and tactical departure. But knowing what was coming didn’t make being 8-14 less painful.
“It’s hard on the guys,” Gregory said. “I’m cognizant of that. And it’s not just this year [Tech has been losing] — there’s a piling-on effect. And I know I’m a lot different than what they signed up for. Not to say one way is better than the other, but they’re different.”
When a coach inherits a team and the team loses a lot, we look for signs of surrender. Have guys stopped listening? Stopped caring? On Saturday the Jackets didn’t always play well but they did play hard. They didn’t appear, as was the case in the latter days of Paul Hewitt, a collection of talented players who weren’t sure what to do; this was a team of more modest gifts trying — not always succeeding, but trying — to act like a team.
In those moments when attention to detail slipped, Gregory offered tutorials. He yanked Glen Rice Jr. for neglecting to block out. (Gregory: “A shot goes up and he’s at halfcourt — that’s unacceptable.”) After Boston College scored on a fast break and then on a drive, he called timeout. (”Just a friendly reminder,” he said, smiling.)
Then: “There are some things that are non-negotiable in this program. If you don’t do them … ”
It has been intriguing to watch Gregory’s handling of Rice. On the one hand, he’s Tech’s most talented player. On the other, he’ll try shots even Glen Rice Sr. — an NCAA champ at Michigan and an NBA player of long standing — couldn’t have hit. (Said Boston College coach Steve Donahue, surely thinking of Rice: “They took some difficult shots.”)
The younger Rice was suspended for Tech’s first three games (team violation), and Gregory has deployed him more in reserve than as a starter. If you were looking for someone who fits the profile of BG’s Type of Player — tough, selfless, steeped in fundamentals — Rice would not be first on the list. But …
BG is also a born-in-Chicago-and-schooled-under-Tom-Izzo pragmatist. At the end against BC he had Rice on the floor because Rice, for all his excesses, can make plays no other Jacket can. Sure enough, he made the game’s biggest. A missed Rice runner became a Rice putback with 47 seconds left. The guy who’d been pulled for not rebounding got the rebound that mattered.
Gregory: “We see different things that kind of symbolize that we’re making strides.”
Beating a bad Boston College team was in itself no great achievement — even in its weakened state, Tech is better than BC — but it put the Jackets in position to make a little noise this next month. Of their final seven regular-season games, only one will be against a team that ranks in the ACC’s upper half. (And that one is North Carolina State, which Tech has already beaten.)
As dark as this season has been, there’s a chance Tech could finish 6-10 in the ACC. That might not sound like much, but it’s better than the Jackets did a year ago.
“We want to end the year on a positive note and get some good momentum,” Gregory said. “We want to lay the foundation, and when you build a house you don’t start with a new roof or nice windows. You have to dig in the dirt.”
In Tech’s case, that’s not just a metaphor. The Jackets’ arena is under reconstruction. Next season they’ll again have a home of their own. They’ll also have better players, and they’ll have a coach who knows his business. It hasn’t always been easy to see, but there’s tangible evidence that this program is going to be OK.
By Mark Bradley
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
84 comments Add your comment
Skeezix
February 6th, 2012
2:15 pm
You can’t measure the coach based on wins/losses this year. The team is playing consistently harder, plays more like a team and is more focused.
I am real happy with what I am seeing so far. In two or three years, GT should be competitive again in the ACC.
Tokyo jacket
February 6th, 2012
2:25 pm
Why are so many people saying BG can’t land the top players? Are you confusing him with CPJ? In his first year with no stadium to actually show and only a couple months on the job, he landed a top 15 class. Look for a top 10 class next year. This guy is bringing in the talent AND getting them to play the way he wants. I look for an early exit in the NCAAs or a strong showing in the NIT next year with a strong NCAA showing in 13/14 and thereafter.
wardo
February 6th, 2012
2:44 pm
Bravesfan79 – I never considered Hewitt to be a “great” recruiter. We throw the word great around waaay too much. A great recruiter is someone who recruits and lands good to great talent every year. In Hewitt’s case, he landed very talented players every 2nd or 3rd year and then watched as they turned pro leaving the program strapped. This happened again and again.
I would rather see an approach where we recruit “good” talented kids that want to play and get better and our coach actually coaches and teaches the kids the game and we are able to see improvement. Something that we rarely if ever saw under the always excuse filled Hewitt.
Just my 2 cents.
Go Jackets!
slydog
February 6th, 2012
2:50 pm
Now watch MB, the next article that comes out in the negative against Tech, their fans will swear you are a UGA homer, you can’t write, and you always bash anything to do with Tech. Just watch.
slydog
February 6th, 2012
2:52 pm
Anyway, I’m glad Paul Hewitt has left this state because he simply cannot coach basketball.Period. He is one of those front-runners, like Mike D’Antonio of the Knicks, who needs superior talent in order to win so he doesn’t have to coach. Tech basketball is in much better hands.
come on
February 6th, 2012
2:54 pm
dennis montecalvo to say dayton wanted to run out BG is ill informed. he had 4 20 wins seasons in a row. you don’t fire a coach with that kind of record. The fact we had to pay PH all that money to go away did limit the pool of coaches, but BG was at the point in his career where he had earned his shot to coach at college bball’s highest level.
GTBob
February 6th, 2012
2:54 pm
I support Gregory, but without landing the top players in the nation is the best we can hope for to be like VT and Clemson?
We have three rivals top 150 recruits coming in next year. One of which is a top 30 player. We also have a transfer who was a top 150 player two years ago. That is a pretty good haul in his first real recruiting year.
BobinBuford
February 6th, 2012
2:55 pm
For those of you who want to know if it is the players or the coach, I happened to watch George Mason play the other day against ODU. They looked like a Paul Hewitt coached team – no discipline or even a thought on what play to run. The only difference for this year with CPH at GT would have been Iman may have stayed for another year, but this team would not have been any better under Hewitt that it is under CBG – in fact, it may have been worse. All CBG has done so far is win at UGA and win an ACC road game. Two things in his favor already, and a great recruiting class coming in next year.
slydog
February 6th, 2012
2:56 pm
It’s ok to recruit one and done players, if the coach knows how to coach and develop the rest of the roster and, AND keep bringing at least one or two top shelf talents every year. See John Calipari. Since he’s been at Kentucky, he’ll lose 3-4 players a year, but he keeps the less developed talent around and happy by spreading out playing time. Look at OSU, UNC and Duke. Don’t they get one and done players too?
ignition
February 6th, 2012
3:34 pm
You failed to mention that George Mason won the game and record is 19-6….
Whats the Institutes basketball record again ????
Gordon
February 6th, 2012
3:54 pm
ignition = Hewitt Fan. I would recognize his nonsense anywhere. He perpetuates the lie that Gregory was about to be run off at Dayton, and ignores the fact that Gregory won more games in his last 4 years at Dayton than Hewitt did in his last 6 at Tech. As far as Hewitt’s record at GMU, he inherited a senior laden squad that was picked to win the conference. Check back on that program this time next year. I saw too much Hewitt basketball to be convinced by a hot streak with someone else’s players.
We are on the right track with BG. It will probably be year 3 before we get back to the tournament, but it is nice to have hope again.
ToeMeetsLeather
February 6th, 2012
3:58 pm
SlyDog, I don’t think Poole was very happy with what was going on at KY. Just my two cents, but KY, Memphis, etc. can have the guys with zero interest in an education.
Why subject yourself to TECH and doing schoolwork if you have NO plans in earning a diploma?
Bodidley
February 6th, 2012
4:07 pm
Mark,
Thanks for the article.
I believe that Coach Gregory has been making progress. The team plays hard. With a couple of good recruiting classes Tech will be in the top tier of the ACC.
GTBob
February 6th, 2012
4:18 pm
You failed to mention that George Mason won the game and record is 19-6….
Whats the Institutes basketball record again ????
Hewitt inherited a golden situation. Gregory inherited a complete mess. It’s not exactly the same. Hewitt might not have won an ACC game this year if he was still at Tech.
GT
February 6th, 2012
4:36 pm
We have adults in charge that is a good start.
Techster
February 6th, 2012
4:50 pm
I wouldn’t hold out Calipari as a gold standard to compare anyone to. He’ll probably leave Ky. in a year or two in the same kind of mess he left U.Mass. and Memphis.
Goldenrod
February 6th, 2012
4:55 pm
Hey, we beat UGag in hoops and WE RUN THIS STATE in basketball!
Goldenrod
February 6th, 2012
5:01 pm
Paul Hewitt was like Mark Richt, could win against lesser opponents but just couldn’t win any big time games (save last year’s domination of UNC).
Richt seem to be bigger pansy than Hewitt and is more prone to wearing his faith on his sleeve.
Those leghumpers disgust me!
Cosmo
February 6th, 2012
5:14 pm
Like the hard work and discipline of the coach! Tough year, but it will make the program stronger. We are with CBG and the Jackets!!
William Casey
February 6th, 2012
5:22 pm
This is a good article and most comments are rational. I’ve seen real progress this year. CBG doesn’t have much offensive talent but he’s coaching guys up (especially Miller, Holsey and Royal.) The problem is that guys must play out of position, i.e.- Udofia is a two-guard rather than a PG and Holsey isn’t big enough to play power forward in the ACC. I believe that GT will make the NIT next year and be a NCAA “bubble team” the year after. CBG has to keep working to get Rice & Morris to buy into his system. Progress!
Proud-Dawg
February 6th, 2012
6:03 pm
GT basketball is going to be fine under BG. It’s all about recruiting in CB and he seems to have a great incoming 2012-13 class.
Messin with Sasquatch
February 6th, 2012
7:13 pm
Point guard U again someday…….
Mark Bradley
February 6th, 2012
7:36 pm
I would say that a point guard would be welcome at GT.
yellow britches
February 6th, 2012
8:39 pm
Mark, I was thinking. If Tech just discontinued football or went the Duke route, would the AJC be able to reduce its sport staff so the remaining writers could concentrate entirely on UGA? Such a move would probably not increase the number of four and five star in state recruits that UGA gets now since Tech signs none but it might allow the journalism majors from UGA to put more color, up close photos of UGA athletics above the fold. You should like that,
gt45
February 6th, 2012
9:28 pm
there is no comparison between the hustle and effort from last year to this. even the games we have lost by a bunch, the effort was there, just not the execution.
GT65
February 6th, 2012
9:32 pm
BG is on the right track and players look more schooled in the sport than Hewitts teams. Keep up the good work Coach and Team.
it is what it is
February 6th, 2012
11:19 pm
yeah Mark Price couldn’t hold a candle to this, good thing you GT fans adamantly opposed his hiring..
BartBuzz
February 7th, 2012
10:50 am
I remember when Paul Hewitt would call a timeout for no apparent reason. At least Coach Gregory knows how to use TOs. Next year starts on Thursday. Go Jackets!
Scott
February 7th, 2012
1:09 pm
Like the article Mark, and I agree. By year 3 or 4, if Robert Carter doesn’t go pro we should be a solid team. Carter, Poole, Hunt, and a solid shooter in bolden should be a hard team to beat if CBG is doing his job.
GT Girl
February 7th, 2012
1:34 pm
Thanks for the nice positive article Mark! Looking forward to more wins!
GTR
February 7th, 2012
4:44 pm
Imagine….Iman Shumpert, Derrick Favors this year. Who else left early that could have been apart of this “should have been” squad this year?
Robert Barron
February 7th, 2012
4:47 pm
More minutes for Jason Morris.
Disappointed he has not been better utilized after his good games against Georgia and Duke.
GT
February 7th, 2012
6:16 pm
GT has a top 15 class coming in next season, then the following year they need to take a leap into the top 10. Do not recruit 3 star players, go for the gold. That stabilizes a program
wes
February 8th, 2012
2:42 pm
Does Glen Rice Jr. hate CBG because he’s a Michigan State guy?