Dayton Game Thread

[Peacone36]

Gregg Marshall was 4 years ago.

We would really have to pony up to get him.

Boals, Payne, White and Noodles or those in similar situations are more likely than a coach from a top 25 program unless they're aspiring to be in the ACC. I only include Noodles for obvious reasons.

 

[orientalnc]

Do whatever it takes to get Gregg Marshall!

Just so you understand, his name is not a secret:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/99081/what-would-it-take-gregg-marshall

 

[dtm1997]

You know, when we signed Hewitt, I was actually happy with that decision. For quite a while it looked like a good one. I honestly think his rollover contract freed him to coast along with little or no fire. When we finally invited him to clean out his desk, I was happy with that decision as well. But not as happy as I will be to see BG leaving with a box in his hands.

Gotta admit, I think this is a little over the top. I'm envisioning you as a rabid dog calling for BG's head and regardless of poor performance, I don't think he deserves a comment like that.

I was a Hewitt apologist for a long time and I think BG needs to put up some results or he's in trouble, but I think he's still busting his rear out there.

 

[orientalnc]

Call me that if you wish. I want to see this program be successful and do not believe BG can accomplish that.

 

[dtm1997]

Call me that if you wish. I want to see this program be successful and do not believe BG can accomplish that.

Why couldn't you have just said that in the first place instead of boasting your fervor to see BG removed? It would have been a totally rational & fair statement.

I've got no problem with people wanting BG out. He's got to prove he deserves to stay, but at least he's putting in hard work and trying to keep a positive atmosphere around the program, unlike the end of the Hewitt era.

 

[orientalnc]

Why couldn't you have just said that in the first place instead of boasting your fervor to see BG removed? It would have been a totally rational & fair statement.

I've got no problem with people wanting BG out. He's got to prove he deserves to stay, but at least he's putting in hard work and trying to keep a positive atmosphere around the program, unlike the end of the Hewitt era.

Fair enough.

 

[RamblinCharger]

Its hard to watch this team, especially when the hawks are on at the same time playing the exact opposite (fantastic team basketball). I think Gregory is a good guy doing things the right way, unlike some coaches in the ncaa (cough cough... Calipari), but he doesn't recruit well and whetever we call "offense" isn't an offense. We can't pass or shoot and that's kind of the entire game of basketball on the offensive side. We have to move on soon. Until then, I'll be "stuck" (gladly) watching coach Bud make a group of B+ players (other than Al and maybe Shroder one day) on the Hawks play like a championship caliber team.

 

[SecretAgentBuzz]

I think all this talk of a new coach is a bit premature and probably irrelevant.

Coaches are not judged on a single game, but a season. Let's see how the season plays out before we start listing coaching candidates. You don't have to like him, and you certainly don't have to listen to me, but he is the head basketball coach at Georgia Tech, so let's be civil and at least show him a measure of support and respect.

Here's my amateur analysis of the game:

• As good as we looked against Vandy, we looked just as bad against Dayton.
• Dayton is a really good team. They were in the Elite Eight last year, weren't they? Even without their big men, they played smart and shot the ball extremely well.
• We have to defend better to win. Our perimeter defense was HORRIBLE. Absolutely pathetic attempts to close out on perimeter shooters. Even after they were shooting 67% we still could not recognize and get there.
• Dayton (surprisingly) played little zone. Instead, they would crash the interior and double our big men. We...did..not...adjust. When we do actually get a decent entry pass, our big men would just force the ball up. Very frustrating to watch. Quick passes to the perimeter would have been effective, but they rarely happened.
• Jackson and Mitchell played well, and MGH had a pretty good game on the offensive end.
• Fouls? What fouls? One reason they got away with their strategy of crashing our big guys is that the refs apparently swallowed their whistles for most of the game. We got hammered time and time again on the inside without any fouls being called. It seems like the refs were like, "Eh...they are big guys...just let em play and bang around...no need to blow the whistle."
• I don't like watching Chris Bolden play basketball. He is a pretty good shooter, but everything else about his game...I don't like.
• Home-court was a big advantage for them. They shot well, they got the calls, and their crowd was into it. Good for them.

This was an ugly game, no doubt. But that doesn't change the fact that this is OUR team and I will continue to cheer for them. And for what its worth, I think they can play a lot better, and I think they will. 8-3 is not bad at this point in the season. The jury is still out on whether they will make any kind of run at an NIT or NCAA bid.

Edited to add this: According to this link, before the game the Jackets had an RPI of 38. That's pretty darn good, if you ask me. http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_125_Men.html

 

[Peacone36]

How about the prior 3 seasons? How about the time he spent not making the tournament in th a-10?

And we didn't look good against Vandy just because we won. We closed out better but not great. When we do close out out we don't rotate fast enough on help side to stop penetration. We play well in spurts but overall the skill level, coaching, recruiting and development in this program is seriously below average when compared to the rest of the league we play in.

He will "coach" the rest of the season and results will be what they are. Do yourself a favor and temper your expectations. I can't help but laugh hysterically at the suggestion by some of going 8-10 or 9-9 in the league and being a bubble team.

Ya ya I know, shut up Peacone, wait it out. Que sera, sera.

 

[Jacket4Life]

I'm still routing for CBG to turn things around. I really like the guy but it's becoming obvious he might be over his head coaching in the ACC.

 

[RamblinRed]

That was not a pretty game last night. Certainly did not help Gregory's case.
I"ll still support the team and the coach because I think they are all working hard.
Funny enough, the RPI is still 42. I don't expect to see it there come March but at least it is there now.

Alot would have to get better.
If a move has to be made at the end of the season it will be interesting to see what Bobinski does in March.
I'm a big Marshall fan, always have been, but I doubt you can pry him from Wichita. I'm not a huge Smart fan. He is a one trick pony - and i don't think the one trick would be as effective in the ACC. He relies almost completely on forcing a ton of TO. Any time a team can handle the HAVOC defense VCU loses. ACC has more higher level perimeter players that can deal with it.

 

[orientalnc]

Looking at the recruits BG has brought in:
2012: Carter, Bolden, MGH, Stacey Poole, Solomon Poole
2013: Travis, Q, Golden, Sampson
2014: Tadric, Lammers, Cox, Mitchell, Jacobs, Heath

This is all from memory, so maybe I left someone out. The first class looked really good at that time. Carter and both Pooles are gone. Bolden has never played like we expected except in one-game streaks. MGH is a solid player who is only marginally better than his freshman season.

Golden was solid. Sampson looks like a competent reserve. Travis would be a good backup PG. I think Q could be good player with 20 additional pounds. I like his attitude.

Tadric is a pretty good player, but he has not show the shooting touch we expected. He plays like a 3* freshman. Lammers is a project layer. Cox and Mitchell are pretty good players. Heath is similar to Travis.

Of all these guys, taking out the one year transfers and the guys who left the program, only MGH is a legit ACC caliber starter. This incoming class is a huge question. He has signed one 3* guy and it's doubtful about everyone else he is recruiting. I wish I could look beyond this season and see the potential with him as our coach. But it seems we are going in reverse.

 

[kg01]

I really like Smart but I can't argue with you RR. Hewitt was a similar coach when we hired him (similar but different, if that makes sense).

This is like the 3rd game this year I've totally missed. As a lifelong GT bball fan that's unheard of for me. Apathy is creeping in I guess.

Oh well, still just waiting out the string ...

 

[collegeballfan]

My two cents.

The question on the table is who is going to want to take over the #11 team in the ACC and turn them into a top 3 ACC team?

 

[orientalnc]

The thing that makes me hesitate a bit is that the current players are giving a ton of effort. It's not like we have a team going through the motions. With only a couple of minor picky things, I think each of our players is trying hard to do exactly what is asked of them. The issue is that I do not think they are being asked to do the things that could make this a competitive ACC team.

 

[orientalnc]

My two cents.

The question on the table is who is going to want to take over the #11 team in the ACC and turn them into a top 3 ACC team?

That is exactly what Bobby Cremins did.

 

[dtm1997]

That is exactly what Bobby Cremins did.

Disagree. Cremins took a bottom dweller to the upper ranks, but it was an 8-team league for almost half of his tenure. 15 teams is a different story and in addition to dealing with 4 Hall of Fame coaches, which you can make the case Cremins pretty much did as well, you're dealing with much better depth of coaching.

Also, Cremins had some astoundingly good years, but we're not talking Top 3 consistently. He did finish Top 5 11 times out of 19 seasons and I would gladly take that over the course of time, regardless of who's in charge, in a 15-team ACC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Cremins

 

[up state jacket]

Tech needs an elite PG. It is that simple. Blewits final four team would not have gotten there without Jarret and Will. The ncaa is a guard game now. We get a good PG results will change. Being cbg is not recruiting one, he is digging his own grave.

 

[orientalnc]

We can debate how correct I was with my statement, but GT basketball was at its all-time nadir when Cremins arrived. Tech had only one winning season in the previous 10 years, and had just suffered the worst season in school history—a 4-23 overall record and winless the ACC. It took Bobby a couple of rebuilding years, but he took Tech to post season play ten years in a row, missed a year, then won the ACC Championship outright.

Our plight now is nowhere near as bad as it was then. When Cremins was coaching here, the ACC was at its pinnacle as the very best basketball conference in America.

 

[dtm1997]

We can debate how correct I was with my statement, but GT basketball was at its all-time nadir when Cremins arrived. Tech had only one winning season in the previous 10 years, and had just suffered the worst season in school history—a 4-23 overall record and winless the ACC. It took Bobby a couple of rebuilding years, but he took Tech to post season play ten years in a row, missed a year, then won the ACC Championship outright.

Our plight now is nowhere near as bad as it was then. When Cremins was coaching here, the ACC was at its pinnacle as the very best basketball conference in America.

Bobby Cremins put GT's modern day reputation on the map. Without a doubt.

The dynamics of college basketball have changed drastically since he last roamed the sideline.

On the one hand, pining for the days of Bobby Cremins is unrealistic. On the other hand, we most certainly should be doing better than we are.

Either way, we've got a heckuva ride ahead of us until March.

Have a great Christmas everyone.