Credit to MBob

Techster

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Now that Pastner is THE guy, and we've brought in Labarrie, Reveno, and Hardy to assist, what's the opinion on MBob decision to go with CPast?

My opinion: MUCH better than when the announcement was originally made. Looks like MBob had a hand in addressing Pastner's weaknesses that did him in at Memphis (Reveno hire), able to get a group of assistants that address the ability to recruit locally (Labarrie) and nationally (Hardy, Reveno), and Pastner seems to be more open minded than he was at Memphis. Oh, and he's embraced GT and our academic centric students like a fish in water.

In the end, it's all about W's and getting back to the Big Dance, so really it's still TBD, but I'm much more optimistic about our program going forward than when we bowed out to San Diego in the NIT.
 

collegeballfan

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Now that Pastner is THE guy, and we've brought in Labarrie, Reveno, and Hardy to assist, what's the opinion on MBob decision to go with CPast?

My opinion: MUCH better than when the announcement was originally made. Looks like MBob had a hand in addressing Pastner's weaknesses that did him in at Memphis (Reveno hire), able to get a group of assistants that address the ability to recruit locally (Labarrie) and nationally (Hardy, Reveno), and Pastner seems to be more open minded than he was at Memphis. Oh, and he's embraced GT and our academic centric students like a fish in water.

In the end, it's all about W's and getting back to the Big Dance, so really it's still TBD, but I'm much more optimistic about our program going forward than when we bowed out to San Diego in the NIT.
And the academic background of the assistants, GT, Stanford, Northwestern, add to the embrace of the academics at GT. They been there and done that!
 

jacketup

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Bobinski seems to have done as well as he could have given the financial constraints and the hole that his predecessors (and GT Presidents) dug.

Maybe he will turn his attention to eliminating the pervasive mediocrity that has infiltrated other GT sports programs since Homer retired.
 

CuseJacket

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I'm fine with the hires and not moved either way. I think the assistants are getting a lot of attention right now much like the VP picks. It means something, but ultimately the President/HC drives the ship and means a whole lot more.

So, as it relates to this thread, I'm still in a position where I think we swung and missed a bit but am willing to get on board. It's up to CPast to effectively use the tools he's been given. I see the upside/vision and am cautiously optimistic it will be realized.
 

flounder

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I'm fine with the hires and not moved either way. I think the assistants are getting a lot of attention right now much like the VP picks. It means something, but ultimately the President/HC drives the ship and means a whole lot more.

This is certainly true, but we had some pretty outstanding results the last time we paired a great recruiter with a solid bench staff.
 

Buzz776g

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Now that Pastner is THE guy, and we've brought in Labarrie, Reveno, and Hardy to assist, what's the opinion on MBob decision to go with CPast?

My opinion: MUCH better than when the announcement was originally made. Looks like MBob had a hand in addressing Pastner's weaknesses that did him in at Memphis (Reveno hire), able to get a group of assistants that address the ability to recruit locally (Labarrie) and nationally (Hardy, Reveno), and Pastner seems to be more open minded than he was at Memphis. Oh, and he's embraced GT and our academic centric students like a fish in water.

In the end, it's all about W's and getting back to the Big Dance, so really it's still TBD, but I'm much more optimistic about our program going forward than when we bowed out to San Diego in the NIT.
+1. Especially if CJP will continue to remain more open-minded, and open to assistance/advice than he was at Memphis, I'll be happier than a pig in ****.
 

GTRX7

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I actually psyched myself to get pretty optimistic after the hire. The assistants have not moved me one way or the other. They seem solid, not necessarily home runs, but what do I know?

On the positive side, I think CJP has done a great job of getting out in the media and promoting his hire. It also seems true that he is a very good guy and a tireless worker.

On the negative side, he seems less polished and a bit less media savvy than I had anticipated. Based upon his success at such a young age, I sort of expected him to be a mini-Calipari slick salesman type. I have not really seen that. I also have concerns based on what I have seen and read that he might not be the easiest guy to play for/coach for. The golf thing got blown WAY out of proportion, but it seems like he holds himself up to near impossible standards, and also expects the same from his assistants and players. While it is great to have lofty goals, and it certainly seems that he practices what he preaches in terms of hard work, not everyone is wired like that. I have concerns that his demanding personality may have been what led to his player troubles at Memphis. If that is the case (and I am just sort of guessing based on what I have read and seen), I hope he figures out a better way to relate to the kids and to try to get the best out of them without alienating them.
 

Techster

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I actually psyched myself to get pretty optimistic after the hire. The assistants have not moved me one way or the other. They seem solid, not necessarily home runs, but what do I know?

On the positive side, I think CJP has done a great job of getting out in the media and promoting his hire. It also seems true that he is a very good guy and a tireless worker.

On the negative side, he seems less polished and a bit less media savvy than I had anticipated. Based upon his success at such a young age, I sort of expected him to be a mini-Calipari slick salesman type. I have not really seen that. I also have concerns based on what I have seen and read that he might not be the easiest guy to play for/coach for. The golf thing got blown WAY out of proportion, but it seems like he holds himself up to near impossible standards, and also expects the same from his assistants and players. While it is great to have lofty goals, and it certainly seems that he practices what he preaches in terms of hard work, not everyone is wired like that. I have concerns that his demanding personality may have been what led to his player troubles at Memphis. If that is the case (and I am just sort of guessing based on what I have read and seen), I hope he figures out a better way to relate to the kids and to try to get the best out of them without alienating them.

Probably why he was paired with an older vet like Reveno. "Let the kids have some ice cream, Josh!"
 

GTRX7

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Probably why he was paired with an older vet like Reveno. "Let the kids have some ice cream, Josh!"

There is definitely something to be said for the good cop, bad cop routing within a coaching staff. I think it is okay to have a head coach that is demanding, but you better balance that with some assistant coaches that are there to soften the message and make sure the kids know that coach has their best interest at heart and is just trying to get the best out of them. Different kids react in different ways too. For some, they need a military type approach to get them focused and to achieve their best. For other guys, that will just turn them off. It is up to a coach to learn different motivation styles for different players and to be able to identify them. Fortunately, that is the type of thing that also comes with experience, and I am sure CJP has learned from his experiences at Memphis.

Aww, heck, I am still optimistic : ) First time since going into the Favors season I can truly say I am hopeful (though not confident) regarding the future of GT basketball.
 

Techster

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There is definitely something to be said for the good cop, bad cop routing within a coaching staff. I think it is okay to have a head coach that is demanding, but you better balance that with some assistant coaches that are there to soften the message and make sure the kids know that coach has their best interest at heart and is just trying to get the best out of them. Different kids react in different ways too. For some, they need a military type approach to get them focused and to achieve their best. For other guys, that will just turn them off. It is up to a coach to learn different motivation styles for different players and to be able to identify them. Fortunately, that is the type of thing that also comes with experience, and I am sure CJP has learned from his experiences at Memphis.

Aww, heck, I am still optimistic : ) First time since going into the Favors season I can truly say I am hopeful (though not confident) regarding the future of GT basketball.

Kinda surprising he didn't learn the swift kick in the butt/fatherly love from spending all those years with Lute Olson. Maybe overcompensating for being almost as young as his players, or his players didn't respect him for being so young.

I think he'll get a different kind of player at GT (think MGH type) than he would have at Memphis. Sometimes, that's all the difference.
 

RamblinRed

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I don't give much credit to MBob because I still think he messed this up.

The HC hire is a D. The asst hires avg out to a B-.
MBob missed on every guy he wanted to hire and in a panic hired Pastner as he was the only one willing to take the job. Memphis wanted to get rid of him so bad they basically paid $1.7MM to get him another job (500K forgo buyout and $1.255MM payout to Memphis).

i think the assts make alot of sense as a group and bring a wide range of experiences and strengths, but at least 2 of them i would have chosen someone else. The amount of time taken to get the hires made (which i think is largely due to the admin being very involved and likely nixing a couple of candidates) was too long and could have a short term negative impact on recruiting.

I think recruiting will improve, hopefully the staff gels and ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. There is a fighting chance the program could get to middle of the pack, but i'm still not overly optimistic. Just not drinking the kool aid quite yet.
 

GTHomer

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The HC hire is a D. The asst hires avg out to a B-.

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think your HC grade is harsh at this time. If anything, the appropriate grade is an 'I' as we don't know how things will turn out. I'm willing to wait until his first full recruiting class to make an assessment as to the direction I think CPast will take the team

This job is only as good as the coaches willing to apply for it, factoring in the salary offered also.
 

mstranahan

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Will be interesting to see how season ticket sales go this year. I hope they are at least as good as last year, given the change in coach. Ultimately, if CJP is able to put an entertaining team on the court, it should help ticket sales and attendance.
We've got a gorgeous facility. It would be great to have the energy and noise level the way it used to be back in the ThrillerDome heyday. Fingers crossed we'll start to see that in a couple of years.
 

Techster

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I don't give much credit to MBob because I still think he messed this up.

The HC hire is a D. The asst hires avg out to a B-.
MBob missed on every guy he wanted to hire and in a panic hired Pastner as he was the only one willing to take the job. Memphis wanted to get rid of him so bad they basically paid $1.7MM to get him another job (500K forgo buyout and $1.255MM payout to Memphis).

i think the assts make alot of sense as a group and bring a wide range of experiences and strengths, but at least 2 of them i would have chosen someone else. The amount of time taken to get the hires made (which i think is largely due to the admin being very involved and likely nixing a couple of candidates) was too long and could have a short term negative impact on recruiting.

I think recruiting will improve, hopefully the staff gels and ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. There is a fighting chance the program could get to middle of the pack, but i'm still not overly optimistic. Just not drinking the kool aid quite yet.

In another thread, you agreed that top tiered coaches were not going to any school not a "blue blood" in the P5 world:
Actually I thought the article was pretty good and quite true.
It is difficult to hire top coaches unless you are a blue blood. The sport has changed where it is in general better for them to stay where they are, then to take any non blue blood power 5 job.​

That said, no one expected Gregg Marshall, Chris Mack, Archie Miller to come walking through our door. It's been widely reported that Mbob made a play for both Mack and A Miller...and both said "No thanks." I believe he approached Mack twice. To me, that's the only way MBob would have gotten an A+ to A- grade, was to land one of the "big fishes".

Knowing that, I think we all understood GT had 2 options:

1. Hire an up-and coming lower level coach that was good with X's and O's, surround him with good recruiting assistants.

2. Hire a stud recruiter to stock the cupboard and surround him with high level X's and O's assistants.

Among the coaches associated with the GT search, Bryce Drew and Jay Larranaga fit #1. Capel and Counzo Martin (later proven to be all Martin tying himself to GT than GT with genuine interest) fit #2. By all accounts (whether it's true or not), Drew was our top realistic candidate and Capel was a close #2. It's reported that MBob bungled both and Pastner entered the picture at the 11th hour and sought GT out for the job.

IMHO, Bryce Drew was always going to be the best GT could have gotten, and the "cleanest" coach in terms of no questionable history (see Capel's last years at Oklahoma, ditto Pastner). A proven head coach that won big, albeit on a lower level. That would have given MBob a solid B to B+, given how tightly the search had been run up until the Drew/Vandy poop in the face. Then we started hearing guys like Chris Holtman (who would have been a good plan B) and Pat Kelsey. It was going to be hard for MBob to rebound from that.

By default, there we no more realistic candidates that fit into category #1. Guys in that category were either happy where they are at, or already made their moves that late in the game.

Between Capel and Pastner (category #2), Pastner had the "cleaner" history and actually won big at Memphis. That he couldn't win the support of Memphis fans is what led him to GT door steps in the first place, it wasn't because of scandal or that he had a string of losing seasons (see: Capel). His problem was he wasn't John Calipari and he didn't win 30 games every year.

I said in another thread, GT was always going to get the imperfect coach. No way with our current roster, daunting challenges in the ACC, and awful record under CBG (2016 notwithstanding) we were going to land a top tier coach or up and comer...and that's probably why Drew went with Vandy.

Getting Pastner is MUCH better than getting another CBG. This is a guy with high upside, proven recruiter, and he's a machine that lives and breathes basketball. We don't get a guy with Pastner two years ago, of course, there's a reason why we got Pastner now as well. With the assistants now on board, and since they appear to either fill in Pastner's weaknesses or complement his strengths on a national level, we are SO much better now than we were with CBG.

To me, that's the key. How has MBob improved GT from where we were with the last coach. I can't give MBob an A+ to A-, because there was no way those elite non P5 coaches were walking through our door. He bungled the Drew negotiations (and possibly Capel...though that could have been a blessing in disguise) which means you can't give him a B+ for missing out on our top realistic target.

Given the parameters of what we had to work with, getting Pastner with a few dents and strengthening his weaknesses with the assitant hires has me a LOT more optimistic about the future of our bball program. There is a LOT of upside to the moves that were made.

Like @GTHomer said earlier, it's hard to give any definitive grade right now as Pastner could crush it for GT and have us back to the Dance every year...or fall flat on his face. We won't know the direction for another 2+ years. But for me, given that there's actual optimism for our program after CBG, I can't help but say MBob certainly has GT bball moving closer to the right direction than where we were. From someone that's harsh on his own alma mater (just look have to read my posts in the Football Forum to see that), I'm optimistic about our bball team for the first time in a long time.
 

Tdrake

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" but it seems like he holds himself up to near impossible standards, and also expects the same from his assistants and players. While it is great to have lofty goals, and it certainly seems that he practices what he preaches in terms of hard work, not everyone is wired like that. "

This part of your response really gave me pause, and to consider this hire a bit differently. Given the state of this program, and the way he filled out the coaching staff (strong bench, coach, national & local recruiters, strong academic pedigree), I think i'm ok with the head coach having high standards. We admire CPJ's standards, and willingness to call out less than optimal effort.

I'm on board with Pastner setting a high standard, and leading by example. Not disagreeing with you, just saying you caused me to rethink my thoughts on this hire.
 

Northeast Stinger

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MBob missed on every guy he wanted to hire and in a panic hired Pastner as he was the only one willing to take the job.
You say this with such certitude it makes me wonder if I should have been following this story more closely. Who was it that revealed to the media that MBob was hiring in a panic or that CPJ was the only one who would take the job? To be honest, I missed that source.
 

collegeballfan

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"MBob missed on every guy he wanted to hire..."

Why? Is it because no one wanted to coach at the broken down joke of a program you represented? Is it because you could not afford to pay a candidate what that candidate thought he was worth?
The GT basketball program on March 25, 2016 is where the UGA basketball program was a few years ago. Rock damn bottom of the pile.I am sure all of you noticed that no one who mattered came begging for the job. Bobinski was flying around the country begging for a coach; no one was flying to Atlanta begging to be the coach at Georgia Tech.

If I am wrong I am sure some of my friends will tell me.
 
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