GT Hoops General Topics

jacketup

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More just a vent than anything. I still think that history should be kinder to Hewitt's time here than most seem to be. Really not sure I know the reason, although I have a guess.

Hewitt got his evergreen deal and then it seems like he didn't have the motivation to produce at a high level . That's his fault and he deserves to be criticized. (That is also true of the contract of another recent coach in my opinion, but I digress).

We hired Gregory on the cheap because of the Hewitt evergreen deal. It's not Hewitt's fault that this Athletic Board was (and is) made up of poor business people, but it's not Gregory's fault that we hired him for a job he wasn't up to because it's all we could afford.

It's not fair to Hewitt to paint him as a disaster, but your allegation that Gregory ran the program into the ground is also unfair. It's like a pilot (Hewitt) who puts an airplane into a deep and rapid dive and then says "your airplane" to the right seat (Gregory)--and then putting the sole blame on the crash on the right seat.
 

lauraee

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2,464
More just a vent than anything. I still think that history should be kinder to Hewitt's time here than most seem to be. Really not sure I know the reason, although I have a guess.

You are right, he should get more credit for the very early years & final 4. It's just those last years were awful, especially considering the talent he had.
I also am soooo bitter about the awful financial situation tech found itself in afterwards, which I think is why we haven't sniffed the ncaa in a decade. Probably unfair to put so much blame on Hewitt for all that mess- as the coach he's an easy target. I really hate that idiot braine for giving him that contract! You know it was a lawyer from uga that got him that deal. THWG forever for that.

I'm just unbelievably, maddeningly tired & resentful of tech's lack of basketball success for so long. As the guy in charge at time of the start if this long demise he's getting the blame.
 

kg01

Get-Bak! Coach
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Brian Gregory was a garbage hire. Pretty plain and simple. Some fonts on here much smarter than me can spin it however they would like, end of the day, plenty of coaches graduate players.

I'll never forget when we played Dayton while he was coach. I was like, 'Yeah them dudes beat us but they didn't run anything all night. I'd kill myself if that Gregory guy was our coach ..."

The funny part is I said the same about .....

(Hey, who cut my mic?)
 

BeeRBee

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
236
I also am soooo bitter about the awful financial situation tech found itself in afterwards, which I think is why we haven't sniffed the ncaa in a decade. Probably unfair to put so much blame on Hewitt for all that mess- as the coach he's an easy target. I really hate that idiot braine for giving him that contract! You know it was a lawyer from uga that got him that deal. THWG forever for that.

I'm just unbelievably, maddeningly tired & resentful of tech's lack of basketball success for so long. As the guy in charge at time of the start if this long demise he's getting the blame.
In theory, at least, the perpetual rollover contract was in lieu of paying the market annual salary Hewitt could command elsewhere. The original sin of GT athletics is trying to compete on an equal plane with other schools with much greater financial resources. Our current AD seems to be focused on fundraising for operations, for that very reason.

The fact that GT had the opportunity to get out of the contract and let Hewitt go to St. John's one year before firing him, and LazyAD ((c) DTM) talked him into staying, is in my opinion a greater sin than the contract itself.
 

MWBATL

Helluva Engineer
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6,546
Hewitt went 3 out of the first five years, plus an NIT appearance. The first Five Year Plan was good. People who don't like Hewitt generally try to distort this period as lucky or some other thing. I don't think that is fair or accurate.

The problem was the second Five Year Plan, the Plan of the Long and Lean, that lasted six years with two tournament teams. The first plan was not coming back.
I always had the impression that the turnover in assistants led to Hewitt’s decline. I think he came to see himself as the CEO who left the actual coaching to his assistants
 

MWBATL

Helluva Engineer
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6,546
Hewitt lost me when he started crying about "bullying fans". That was the lamest thing ever.
I came to resent him because he seemed to decide he’d rather be fired by GT so he could collect his buyout than seriously talk to St. John’s about their job.
Contrast that with how CPJ left...

One guy really hurt GTAA financially and the other didn’t
 
Last edited:

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,506
I came to resent him because he seemed to decide he’d rather be fired by GT so he could collect his buyout than seriously talk to St. John’s about their job.
Contrast that with how CPJ left...

One guy really hurt GTAA financially and the other didn’t

In an earlier post on this board, Hewitt wanted to take the St Johns job, had an offer and was going to take it, and Dan Radakovich talked him out of it (and fired him the next year).

(I think I captured the details correctly--think it was @CuseJacket with the story)
 

GTpdm

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Atlanta GA
Hewitt got his evergreen deal and then it seems like he didn't have the motivation to produce at a high level . That's his fault and he deserves to be criticized. (That is also true of the contract of another recent coach in my opinion, but I digress).

We hired Gregory on the cheap because of the Hewitt evergreen deal. It's not Hewitt's fault that this Athletic Board was (and is) made up of poor business people, but it's not Gregory's fault that we hired him for a job he wasn't up to because it's all we could afford.

It's not fair to Hewitt to paint him as a disaster, but your allegation that Gregory ran the program into the ground is also unfair. It's like a pilot (Hewitt) who puts an airplane into a deep and rapid dive and then says "your airplane" to the right seat (Gregory)--and then putting the sole blame on the crash on the right seat.
You forgot to add the part about said pilot popping open the bulkhead and leaping out of the plane with a golden parachute, and then re-negotiating his rate of descent partway down, in such a way as to put the plane into a steeper spiral...
 

dtm1997

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You forgot to add the part about said pilot popping open the bulkhead and leaping out of the plane with a golden parachute, and then re-negotiating his rate of descent partway down, in such a way as to put the plane into a steeper spiral...

Braine gave Hewitt the contract.

LazyAD made the call on the renegotiated contract via his magic spreadsheet.

Your comment should really be directed at air traffic control.

Let's not get it twisted.

It was certainly Paul Hewitt's time to go for a variety of reasons. Honestly, it was probably a year too late, another bungle by air traffic control.

That said, let's not pretend like he didn't leave talent behind for BG to build a foundation if BG had coached an attractive style of basketball.
 

GTpdm

Helluva Engineer
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Atlanta GA
Braine gave Hewitt the contract.

LazyAD made the call on the renegotiated contract via his magic spreadsheet.

Your comment should really be directed at air traffic control.

Let's not get it twisted.

It was certainly Paul Hewitt's time to go for a variety of reasons. Honestly, it was probably a year too late, another bungle by air traffic control.

That said, let's not pretend like he didn't leave talent behind for BG to build a foundation if BG had coached an attractive style of basketball.

Good point, but if you're going to bring air traffic control into this:

...the whole PH/BG fiasco suggests that particular AD picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue...;)
apAee7G.gif
 

tbglover

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
741
Braine gave Hewitt the contract.

LazyAD made the call on the renegotiated contract via his magic spreadsheet.

Your comment should really be directed at air traffic control.

Let's not get it twisted.

It was certainly Paul Hewitt's time to go for a variety of reasons. Honestly, it was probably a year too late, another bungle by air traffic control.

That said, let's not pretend like he didn't leave talent behind for BG to build a foundation if BG had coached an attractive style of basketball.
It wasn't an attractive style nor was it a winning style either.
His hire produced 2 reactions. A thank God from Dayton fans and a WTF form Tech fans and everyone else. And graduation rate withstanding everybody who initially went WTF at the hire understood the thank God reactions eventually. I don't know that anyone understands why he was hired outside of he came cheap to this day.
 

dtm1997

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<------ Lazy


It wasn't an attractive style nor was it a winning style either.
His hire produced 2 reactions. A thank God from Dayton fans and a WTF form Tech fans and everyone else. And graduation rate withstanding everybody who initially went WTF at the hire understood the thank God reactions eventually. I don't know that anyone understands why he was hired outside of he came cheap to this day.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,506
It wasn't an attractive style nor was it a winning style either.
His hire produced 2 reactions. A thank God from Dayton fans and a WTF form Tech fans and everyone else. And graduation rate withstanding everybody who initially went WTF at the hire understood the thank God reactions eventually. I don't know that anyone understands why he was hired outside of he came cheap to this day.

There was a sliver of hope that he might be a Junior Izzo. Then some promising recruits that didn’t pan out. Then a descent into lethargy. Gregory wasn’t a slam dunk hire, but you could imagine that he might turn into a respectable coach. He didn’t. Hope held out until year 3, maybe?


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Peacone36

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There was a sliver of hope that he might be a Junior Izzo. Then some promising recruits that didn’t pan out. Then a descent into lethargy. Gregory wasn’t a slam dunk hire, but you could imagine that he might turn into a respectable coach. He didn’t. Hope held out until year 3, maybe?


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Nah. He was bad in the A-10 during a pretty lengthy period of time. People were just excited to get rid of Hewitt. The whole search was garbage. Cuonzo Martin turned out to be the best option. Chris Mooney turned out be a one hit wonder and the other guy (drawing a blank) went downhill as well. Driscoll?
 

kg01

Get-Bak! Coach
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Nah. He was bad in the A-10 during a pretty lengthy period of time. People were just excited to get rid of Hewitt. The whole search was garbage. Cuonzo Martin turned out to be the best option. Chris Mooney turned out be a one hit wonder and the other guy (drawing a blank) went downhill as well. Driscoll?

Doug(?) Wojick
 
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