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.... because of a few boosters with zero patience and zero vision.....Very nice article from the New York Times on the Jackets. First, this is an interesting comment we haven't heard about the one-on-one time Coach Hewitt and staff spend individually with players:
That Tech has multiple offensive threats is a credit in part to the program's in-season individual workouts. Three times a week for 40 minutes a session, each player has one-on-one time with a coach to work on his offensive game.
"He lets you expand your game individually, and, in the long run, that's making the team better and better," Bynum said. "If you're serious about getting better, you love these workouts."
Hewitt first took advantage of individual workouts as a 10th grader at Westbury High on Long Island under his coach, Martin Reid. "I saw what it did for me," said Hewitt, who was a junior varsity coach at Westbury after graduating from St. John Fisher College. "I was not a very good shooter, but the constant work made me a decent shooter by the time I was a senior."
NOW, HERE'S THE REAL REASON TO READ THE ARTICLE: Quote:
It is the personal attention that has won Hewitt steadfast support from the Tech administration. When the Yellow Jackets struggled to a 16-15 record in 2002-3 despite having Chris Bosh, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2003 N.B.A. draft, a small group of boosters approached the Tech president, Dr. Wayne Clough, about overhauling the athletic department.
The boosters wanted Chan Gailey, the football coach, fired after a 51-7 loss to archrival Georgia. They also wanted Athletic Director Dave Braine removed, as well as Hewitt, who they felt underperformed with the talented Bosh.
Clough listened politely but told the group he had the right people in place.
Hewitt was especially secure. When he was hired in 2000, he drew raves from the scholarly side of the university for sitting down with the deans of each of the schools on campus to become familiar with the academic environment.
Hewitt didn't just keep his job after the 16-15 season. He was given a new contract. That deal was ripped up and replaced by a six-year rollover deal after last season's improbable successes ( Tech was picked to finish seventh in the A.C.C.).
The patience with Hewitt has paid off. Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with a capacity of 9,191, is sold out for the season, and the waiting list for season tickets has grown to about 1,000. Students started lining up at 12:30 p.m. for last week's game with Michigan, which started at 7 p.m.
You hear that people - "the patience with Hewitt has paid off". I'm very glad that Wayne Clough did NOT listen to a small group of dollar-paying boosters who think they know best. Guess what - you don't. We all have ideas about what's working, what's not, how many chances people should get, etc. But the bottom line is that Clough and Braine are the people empowered to make those decisions and they are in best position to do it. So trust them. Trust that they have the school's best interest at heart - the best interest of not only a winning program, but the right ethics, morals and direction it takes. I cannot tell you the shame I would feel if Georgia Tech were ever to go on probation for NCAA major violations. I think we are only one of six schools in the nation to have NEVER been on probation. Folks, that stands for something, and let us pray it is ALWAYS that way.
There's something else to consider. Georgia Tech fans have taken to booing during home games this past season. While many will say they are booing the coaches, the players do not take it that way. There is an interesting post over at the Hive from a student who tutored some football players at the athletic association last semester. I want to quote the item about why GT football seems to play better away than at home:
2. They told me they like away games better, because they said the team responds well to hostility. One player said they know they're only going to really get booed twice during an away game: once when they run out at the beginning, and second when they run out at the second half. The booing at the home games, sorry to say, really bothers them. I told them a lot of it is directed at the coaching, but they said the players tend to think it's directed at them.
The real bottom-line is this. Root for the Georgia Tech YellowJackets. Root for them to succeed. Cheer them on through triumph and adversity. You may be frustrated with performance, or the players. or the coaching, but always cheer the team. Always support the team.