Hoops Fix

Thanks to everyone for some good links. Here's a summary of things:

SI.COM / ATHLON SPORTS GT PREVIEW

"I like the pressure," junior point guard Jarrett Jack said. "We set the standard for ourselves for this year. The bullseye will be on our back every night, so it's on us to perform. When you get to the pinnacle of college basketball, everybody else wants to knock you off. That's just something we're going to have to deal with every night."

"Going as far as we did this year changed the standards," guard Will Bynum said.

"Coming into last season, at first our goal was to make the tournament. Now since we got all the way there, our goals are much higher."

ESPN PREVIEW OF TOP 25
Quote:

Best-case scenario: Georgia Tech can win the national title. Give us one legitimate reason why the Yellow Jackets can't. You can't, except to say that, like us, you might like Wake and Kansas a tad better. Georgia Tech has all of the talent and coaching staff in place to cut the nets down in St. Louis.

GT ENJOYS SPOILS OF FINAL FOUR
Quote:

Maybe you were one of the 300 folks who received the letter of regret in the mail, accompanied with the check you thought would secure Georgia Tech basketball season tickets.

It's the middle of June. And you've been told the tickets -- every one of them -- are gone.

It's a different era on the Flats. No longer does the challenge of purchasing a seat at Alexander Memorial Coliseum exist only for big games. With last season's glorious Final Four run a fresh memory, a new reality has gripped Georgia Tech's program.

GT'S JACK WORKS LONG LONELY NIGHTS
Man, this is a nice story. UPDATE - I found a version without registration - link here

Jarrett Jack spent many nights at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum when no one else was around.

He worked on his jump shot from all parts of the court, content with the lonely sound of a ball swishing through the net. When his legs grew weary, he donned a weighted vest to run up and down the stairs of the arena.
Breathing was a struggle. The pain was relentless. Sweat poured from his body. And, if the Yellow Jackets can win one more game this season, it will all be worth it.

"Getting that close last year, it drives you," said Jack, the team's point guard. "Could I have done any little thing that would have made a difference?"

Georgia Tech is coming off the greatest season in school history, but it's not enough for those who lived it. All they want to remember is the final game - the loss to Connecticut for the national championship.

"That game never leaves my mind," said senior guard Will Bynum, who hit the winning shot against Oklahoma State in the semifinals. "Even when I'm going through individual workouts, when I'm in the weight room, when I'm running, that's what I'm thinking about."

Here are some mentions of injury recoveries in the off-season:

Elder needed several months to recover from a high ankle sprain that kept him from making many plays in the Final Four. He has lost about 15 pounds, hoping a slimmer body will keep him healthier through his senior year.

Muhammad also was hurting at the end of last season. Tendinitis in his right knee kept him from pulling off his trademark dunks and doing much conditioning work. His weight ballooned 11 pounds during the NCAA tournament.

"Injuries really slowed us down in the tournament," said Muhammad, who went on a strict diet to get back to his playing weight. "Coach has put a lot of emphasis on staying healthy."

Bynum spent more time in the weight room than ever before. The stocky guard actually put on a few pounds, but looks leaner and more fit than he did last season.

This on Jack going head-to-head with Michael Jordan:

Then there's Jack, who is on the cusp of stardom. He was one of the most impressive players at Jordan's camp, and even spent some time matched up with His Airness. While Jordan's body has slowed down, his mouth still runs as fast as ever.

"There's (360) jobs in the NBA," Jordan told Jack at one point. "If you stop me, you can have one of them."

Said Jack, "The old man still has a few tricks in his bag. I thought he was over the hill, but he definitely proved me wrong."

FREAKY THINGS HAPPEN AFTER STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
Want to know one reason why Coach Hewitt doesn't like midnight madness? Read the article. But Coach has said he thinks you "lose" the kids for the next few days after all the build-up and hype. Frankly, I think he's right.

Jason Parker's college career vanished the night of Kentucky's 2001 Midnight Madness. The same basic thing happened three years earlier to Georgia Tech's Dion Glover. Last year, Idaho State guard David Schroeder suffered a season-ending torn ACL during Midnight Madness.

Glover was another top-10 recruit and potential NBA lottery pick whose college career ended after one season, and one Midnight Madness. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard had averaged 18.5 points, third-best among NCAA freshmen in 1998.

Glover was hurt as badly as Parker, but his earning potential wasn't nearly as damaged. He went down in the Jackets' first full workout of the 1998-99 season -- hours after the team had held Midnight Madness for the public -- when he stepped on a teammate's foot and felt the inner workings of his left knee explode.

Glover sat out that season but had more discipline than Parker and rehabilitated himself into shape for the 1999 NBA Draft. Atlanta took him late in the first round, and while Glover has never become a star, he has enjoyed a five-year NBA career.

TWENTY QUESTIONS FROM SETH DAVIS
On GT:

Georgia Tech: Who will provide the glue?
All we hear about these days is who the Yellow Jackets return from their national runner-up team -- Jarrett Jack, B.J. Elder, Will Bynum and Luke Schenscher. What you don't hear about is who they lost -- Marvin Lewis and Clarence Moore. You may not remember them, but Paul Hewitt does, because those two provided the kind of senior leadership that makes the difference between a first-round exit and a spot in the NCAA final. (Lewis, incidentally, was also the team's second-leading scorer.) Replacing their intangibles will be critical.

DON'T TAKE ONE DAY FOR GRANTED
Just ask AJ Price. Of course, a week ago, you couldn't ask him. He was suffering from an intracranial hemorrhage. He seems to finally be recovering and his basketball future is in doubt. He was considered one of the best east coast guards in his class. Message to recruits - don't take academics and what a school can offer OUTSIDE of sports for granted. Make it a high priority in your decision. You just may end up falling back on that in the end.

THE LARGEST PICTURE OF J.JACK EVER
...unless they have fixed it now.

GT WOMEN IN COSTA RICA - DAY 1