Josh Pastner wins ACC COY with...

[okiemon]

Got 13 ACC games left. Would need to win 6 to get to 9 wins. We'll be underdogs in possibly all but BC. I'm not even sure if 9 wins locks in Pastner for COTY because of Notre Dame, but I'd be impressed. On the other hand, he could win it with 6-7.
I can see 4-5 wins in the remaining if I squint really hard. Can also see 3--we've been really lucky.

I agree with you. I think even if we win 9 or 10, they'll give the COTY honor to someone who has a better overall record. But that won't diminish what CJP has done with this squad.

 

[mstranahan]

@orientalnc you're spot on. we're not sneaking up on anyone now. Maybe people thought UNC win was a fluke. And they thought Clemson was a case of them being hungover from the football game. With Tech at 3-2, I think every team is going to come at us with full attention from now on. In a perverse way, I'm happy about that, as it means the team has outperformed and is viewed as legit and dangerous. Not speaking for others, but I certainly didn't see that coming and think it's great that CJP, staff and the players have all proven me wrong

 

[DvilleJacket]

I can't believe we have 3 wins this early. I didn't think we would win 3 conference games all year. Most of the games have actually been fun to watch too.

 

[Jacket4Life]

Looking at the rest of the schedule I think we win 7. Anyone who doesn't think CJP has done one hell of a coaching job is insane. I am really excited about the future of our basketball program.

 

[lv20gt]

I heard that segment and agreed with him all the way. Smith, Jr is a candidate for POY, so we need to temper our expectations on Okogie. I wonder why Smith did not get Rookie of the Week last week over Okogie. Especially since his numbers were over the top. He scored 46 points, 11 rebounds (for a PG), and nine assists. Of course, the way he plays D is indefensible.

For RotY I completely agree. I see little chance for Okogie to beat out Smith.

As far as RotW goes, Okogie in two games put up 40 points 8 rebs and 4 assists as a comparison. Okogie shot 52% to Smith's 47% and Okogie was 75% from 3 to Smith's 42%. To me those numbers are similar enough that the fact that Okogie's team won 2 games and Smith's team lost two games, especially when all the games were 8+ point differentials, and the head to head makes the difference.

 

[CuseJacket]

Sugiura: 5 reasons why Georgia Tech has surpassed expectations

“I think that guys, even ourselves, we’re saying, ‘Hey, man, we belong here,’” forward Quinton Stephens said. “’We’re here in the ACC. We can play with these guys, and they’re going to have to guard us.’”

 

[InsideLB]

I liked the Pastner hire, but more for recruiting than coaching. This year he is getting the most out of his guys and they are working hard and having fun. Great to see GT makings some unexpected noise in basketball. I like that Pastner is continuing to preach guard rebounding and contesting loose balls. Builds toughness.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I think the bar has changed. I think before ACC play began, people would have said 4-5 wins would be a masterful effort by CJP and GTBB. However, based on how we played against our competition thus far--sans Duke and L'ville--especially last night, people are beginning to look at this GT differently. I think expectations have changed (or are changing) now that we're 4-4 (and could easily be 5-3) with wins over FSU and UNC, while taking VT to the brink of victory in their house. I think if we get to 7 wins now, there might be some disappointment from the media that we weren't able continue on our current trajectory.

I think it takes 10 wins now.

 

[Jacket4Life]

I think the bar has changed. I think before ACC play began, people would have said 4-5 wins would be a masterful effort by CJP and GTBB. However, based on how we played against our competition thus far--sans Duke and L'ville--especially last night, people are beginning to look at this GT differently. I think expectations have changed (or are changing) now that we're 4-4 (and could easily be 5-3) with wins over FSU and UNC, while taking VT to the brink of victory in their house. I think if we get to 7 wins now, there might be some disappointment from the media that we weren't able continue on our current trajectory.

I think it takes 10 wins now.

I think we get in with 8 wins. Especially when we knock off ND this weekend!

 

[forensicbuzz]

I think we get in with 8 wins. Especially when we knock off ND this weekend!

I'm talking about Pastner winning ACC COY not getting into the Tourney. No way an 8-10 ACC record gets us in with our OOC this year. 10-8 or 9-9, maybe...depends on how far we go in the ACCT.

 

[AE 87]

Let's just win the ACC tourney

 

[BigDaddyBuzz]

if we go 10-8 in ACC play we will be a lock for the NCAA. If we go 9-9 and win a game in acc tourney, we are in. I never ever thought I'd be saying that this year but I love it! The excitement for GT basketball is back.

 

[CuseJacket]

CPast and GT getting some pub during the UK/KU game. Greenberg in a halftime preview calls CPast ACC COY... Bilas continues during game play touting GT's accomplishments. We are a national story.

 

[MikeJackets]

Nice article by Gary Parrish of CBS Sports

http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...memphis-1-2-5m-castoff-to-georgia-techs-jewel

 

[CuseJacket]

Wolken: Surprising rise for Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech

But somehow, from the brink of personal breakdown and professional disaster, Pastner has suddenly emerged as one of the most surprising stories in college basketball. Restarting his career at Georgia Tech, which fired Brian Gregory after five mediocre seasons, Pastner has taken a team picked to finish 14th out of 15 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and improbably reeled off several impressive wins, positioning the Yellow Jackets (13-8, 5-4 ACC) to make their first NCAA tournament since 2010.

This is a big reason why many had doubts, myself included...

And for those who have followed Pastner’s career since the beginning, the level of execution and discipline Georgia Tech has displayed on a nightly basis is perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Though Pastner was widely praised for taking Memphis to the NCAA tournament four of his first five seasons, quickly restocking the program with highly ranked recruits and several McDonald’s All-Americans in the wake of Calipari’s departure, his reputation as a tactician and developer of talent had lagged far behind.

While always athletic and deep, Pastner’s Memphis teams too often relied on a helter-skelter, sometimes disorganized style of basketball that was routinely exposed against high-level opponents and experienced NCAA tournament coaches. Despite significant recruiting success early on, particularly with homegrown Memphis high school stars, Pastner didn’t break through for a tournament win until his fourth season and didn’t beat a top-25 ranked opponent until his fifth.

And the flip side others mentioned...

“The situation probably scared some people away, but I was on the other end,” Pastner said. “The culture here wasn’t screwed up. We’ve got great kids. They just needed an infusion of energy and enthusiasm. The boosters, the city, everyone needed a shot in the arm and it’s a different situation. In Memphis, it’s the DNA of the city. I wanted to win so bad because I knew what it meant. Here there’s other things going on, which is great, and it allowed me maybe to have a little more freedom in some areas that maybe I didn’t have. I can disappear a little bit. If I lose a game, I can go to a restaurant. I probably could in Memphis, but internally, I felt like I let the entire city down.”

 

[lv20gt]

IMO as big a reason as our own success that I think Pastner is very likely to win it is that there isn't really any standout option from the first half of conference play. UNC and Virginia are the only two loss teams but I think it'll be hard for either coach to win it again unless they win out. Hamilton for a while I thought was the front runner but the last two losses really set him back.

IMO CJP is certainly leading right now, but I'm not even really sure who is the biggest threat to him.

 

[CuseJacket]

IMO as big a reason as our own success that I think Pastner is very likely to win it is that there isn't really any standout option from the first half of conference play. UNC and Virginia are the only two loss teams but I think it'll be hard for either coach to win it again unless they win out. Hamilton for a while I thought was the front runner but the last two losses really set him back.

IMO CJP is certainly leading right now, but I'm not even really sure who is the biggest threat to him.

Agreed. Said this 2 weeks ago.

Deserves it at 6 wins, barring Brey, Hamilton or maybe anyone running the table the rest of the way or going 16-2.

Since that time CPast's resume has improved exponentially (relative to expectations). If we hold serve with a few more wins, and no other team wins out, I think he stays the clear favorite. Most importantly the media is already talking about it, so there'll be a lot of talk/run time leading up to actual voting.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Hell, the media are talking National COY honors. I was just thinking ACC, but whatever.

 

[CuseJacket]

Schultz: Pastner should be ACC coach of year (and a look at other state teams)

Georgia Tech may or may not make it to the NCAA tournament – more on that shortly – but if he doesn’t win ACC coach of the year honors this season, something is wrong.

The conference is filled with Hall of Fame coaches, numbers five schools among the nation’s current top 15 in RPI ranking — Louisville (4), North Carolina (5), Duke (11), Florida State (13), Virginia (15) — and could get nine schools in the NCAA tournament. But no coach has done more with less than Pastner. This makes no assurances for future seasons. But Pastner has been idea for Tech because his enthusiasm was needed in a down program — and, for that matter, a moribund athletic department.

 

[CuseJacket]