Around the Hive

HOOPS
Whoops - not good for Kentucky fans. Another story here......... Is Luke going to get drafted? Here are some details, as evidently many teams are looking closely.


Quote from Luke's dad:

"The agent he's actually signed with said he's got a very good chance of probably going low in the first round to high-medium in the second round so he'll be in the mix that's for sure."

This story mentions him........ Here's more:

Lloyd says South Australian 214cm centre Luke Schenscher, playing at Georgia Tech, is a good chance to be a second-round pick in the NBA draft.

In case you didn't know, Schensher was selected for the Aussie Olympic team.......On the recruiting front, Javaris Crittenton and Tywon Lawson aren't the only talented PG's interested in GT. Sherron Collins is another one.

FOOTBALL
Will schools "follow Dave Braine's lead" and schedule a pansy with the new 12th game? They should. Hate it, but they should.

So it's a pretty good bet that a lot of I-A athletics directors will follow the lead of Georgia Tech's Dave Braine, who said the Yellow Jackets plan to use the 12th game as a home game every season -- probably against a I-AA opponent and certainly not against a I-A team that could be Top 25 material.

Honoring the old school - John Butler, a former GT player.


BEESBALL
Looks like we may not play UGA a 3rd time. It's already been rescheduled twice, and it would mean that Tech might have to play a bunch of games in a few days. Important decision for Coach Hall, but let's face it - it's not that important in the scheme of things. ACC games are priority #1...... Here's more....

Football

This is an interesting post over at the Hive comparing Reggie Ball and Joe Hamilton during their first 17 games. Remember that Joe Hamilton was redshirted so he had the benefit of an extra season. The numbers are very comparable and when you consider that extra season for Hamilton, we should all have some optimism in Reggie's game. I do....

Beesball: Jackets blow lead in 9th

Well, you're up 5-2 in the 9th, then self-destruct. Matt Wieters and co. give up 3 unearned runs in the 9th to take the loss 6-5. That hurts..... Self-destruction, we're headed for self-destruction. Kidding. Just an old-school hip-hop reference. Time to rebound on Sunday.....

I'm Back

Well, it's been a crazy week, and now I'm smack dab on the west coast - in Los Angeles, for a guy weekend with some old Tech buddies. We just got back from an LA Dodger game. In fact, if you watch Sportscenter, you will see JD Drew hit an HR that a fan reaches out and grabs Matt Holliday. Well, I'm standing 2 rows behind the guy to the left. I made Sportscenter!!!


Enough of that. Let me give you a few updates:


HOOPS
Bigman Theo Davis picks Iowa State.......... Remember losing CJ Miles to a recruiting battle with Texas? Well, he has now entered his name into the NBA Draft. How about that?........ Javaris Crittenton does have Georgia Tech in his new top 5.


BEESBALL
Jackets take down Clemson in a real pitching duel 18-14....


FOOTBALL
Here are all the free agent signing details from the NFL draft........ Looks like there will be a 12th game coming to a season near you....... Well, in the police blotter, our old WR Kelly Campbell is up to his tricks again. Nothing like drug and weapons charges to start the day....... Fox Sports has the Jackets optimistically ranked #16 in the nation pre-season:

Chan Gailey's fourth year in Atlanta should be one to remember as one of the nation's best defenses gets ten starters back from the Champs Sports Bowl winner. Tackle is the biggest issue on offense, but the skill players will be outstanding as WR Calvin Johnson is poised for an All-America caliber season as long as QB Reggie Ball can be more consistent. There are too many good running backs to backup P.J. Daniels.

Beesball: Taken Down...

...by the mutts at Turner Field 11-8. Not a great outing for the pitchers. The story of the night for Jacket fans was Wes Hodges returning to the site to play against the team he face a year ago where his season was ended with a beanball. Hodges went 3-4 with a grand slam, scored 2 runs, knocked in 4......... Although 24,750 paid, only 14,398 showed up, mostly due to the rain-postponement. But the money went to charity, so the paying customers is what matters most..... Disappointing outcome, but I'll take a regular season loss if it means beating them in the postseason when it counts (if that happens).


SLUMPING DOGS GET BOOST FROM WILD WIN


UGA TOPS GT

Hoops Recruiting

Bigman Theo Davis (high school senior) will announce on Friday. Georgia Tech is among his final choices, so stay tuned. However, personally, I see the odds of him heading to the ATL as very slim......

Watch "Countdown to Signing Day"

Late notice, but Alade Aminu will be a guest tonight. I cannot watch, but would love to hear a re-cap.

Strength & Conditioning Standouts

Nice recognition to some of our student-athletes on their dedication in the weightroom and in the classroom:

NATE CURRY:
"Throughout all of my years in coaching Nate is the hardest working athlete that I have ever coached. He is a team captain and was voted lifter of the year in 2003 and 2004," stated Eric Ciano, director of player development. "As well as Nate's performance on the field, he has graduated in four years and was an academic all-ACC student. Nate's excellent work ethic has helped him overcome a knee injury and become a solid player in the Atlantic Coast Conference."

JAMES BUTLER
"James' work ethic is not only evident on the field and in the weight room but also in the classroom. He has earned first team all-ACC in football as well as being an academic all-ACC selection," Ciano commented. "James is an outstanding leader being voted team captain and Most Improved Lifter. He sets examples for all those around him and is always willing to go the extra mile to succeed."

LUKE SCHENSCHER
"Luke has an outstanding work ethic and is a quality person as well. Luke is always working on improving his game," commented strength coach Scott McDonald. "Last year, he went from not starting the year before to being named to the Final Four All-Tournament team. He is definitely an example to the rest of his teammates of what hard work can do. It has been a pleasure working with him."

Where are they now - Karl Brown

Interesting blurb about Bronco players that transitioned from Hoops to Football, including an attempt by the English Bee, Karl Brown.....

Karl Brown, 1990: Brown had played football -- just not what Americans call "football." The Leicester, England native was a soccer player in his homeland, but began playing basketball as an exchange student in Homestead, Fla., which earned him a chance to play at Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Brown attempted to make the Broncos' squad as a defensive back after being a defensive stopper for a Yellow Jackets squad that made the school's first-ever Final Four appearance -- doing so at the since-demolished McNichols Sports Arena.

Track & Field

More on Chaunte Howard and here National Athlete of the Week award...... And here's a future Jacket and standout high jumper in his own right (#1 ranked in the nation), Juan Cave. Talk about career ambitions too:

Both were recruited athletes, understandable since they are among the best in the nation in their events. Even more complicated than their technical events, however, are their intended majors.


Cave is interested in studying biomedical engineering with hopes of building artificial limbs and organs.


"I've always wanted to do something with medicine and engineering," said Cave, who also considered Duke, Penn, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.

Georgia Tech Can detect concussions

Evidently we have developed a device that can detect concussions. So when the O-Line breaks down and Reggie gets crushed, we'll know if the noggin was pelted, or if it's business as usual....

Designed by researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, the device is being tested it in Atlanta emergency rooms. Its creators also hope to start testing it at the Georgia Tech football games next season with it becoming available for other teams within the next five years.


"If a football player takes a hit, it's not known if he has an injury or not," said Michelle LaPlaca, a creator of the device and assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech. "We're trying to catch those players that should not be back in the game."

What is the world coming to? Come on. If there's no major blood-letting, then put them back in!!

Beesball: Preparing for Turner Field

Short article getting you ready for Wednesday night....

"This is the classic UGA–Tech rivalry, showcased in the very best venue," said Greg Katulka, who plans to bring his 5- and 2-year-old sons with him from Braselton to tonight's game. "You have two of the country's best baseball programs and the experience of Turner Field; it doesn't get any better than this for the true baseball fan.

Where are they now - Nate Curry

Apparantly Nate Curry signed with the KC Chiefs.. Why was this so hard to come by? Well, when you get listed as "Nathaniel Curry" the search engines have a bear of a time....

WR Nathaniel Curry (5-10, 196) played in 44 games (27 starts) at Georgia Tech. He caught 92 passes for 1,185 yards (12.9 avg.) with eight touchdowns and rushed four times for 25 yards. He appeared in 11 games as a senior, finishing second on the club with 32 catches for 454 yards (14.2 avg.) with three TDs. The prep running back at Monsignor Pace High School in Miami, Florida produced 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.

Note he was signed to a 2-year deal......

Football: Get your juices flowing

Here's the link.

Football: Lunch with the coaching staff

Some select alums got to eat lunch with the football coaching staff. Some nice comments about them and the program over at the hive....

Hoops: More on J.Jack

More confirmation that Jarrett Jack will enter his name into the draft but not hire an agent, this time from the hometown rag.....

Draft analyst Chris Monter, publisher of Monter Draft News, said Jack is in the next tier of point guards, along with high school stars Louis Williams (South Gwinnett) and Monta Ellis (Jackson, Miss.).


"Jack is a likely late first-round pick, although by staying in school, he could go higher as the competition level is not nearly as a high at point guard in the 2006 draft," Monter said.


However, Jack will take the opportunity to showcase his wares during workouts with NBA teams.


If it appears he will be drafted in the bottom portion of the first round — in the No. 25-30 range — Jack will likely give serious consideration to returning to school, sources said. If it appears he'll be picked higher, it's more likely he'd remain in the draft.

Where are they now - Leon Robinson

Good news - from "Sam", a reader, that Leon Robinson has signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay. Nice....... After getting that note, I did a little snooping and found this:

Meanwhile, nine college free agents agreed to contracts. They were cornerbacks Kevin Arbet, Ukee Dozier and Dominique Morris; guard Doug Buckles; guard/center Jonathan Clinkscale; linebacker Matt Grootegoed; defensive tackle Lynn McGruder; running back Fred Reid; and guard/tackle Leon Robinson.

Here's a better article with some detail on Robinson:

The mobile Robinson could project to either guard or tackle on the professional level. He played both at Georgia Tech, starting a total of 29 games Robinson first stepped into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2001, opening five of the last six games at left guard. He stayed at that spot for every game in 2002, then was involved in a three-guard rotation in 2003. In 2004, Robinson moved to tackle on Tech’s starting line. In high school, he also played defensive line and was an accomplished wrestler. He calls Garden City, Georgia home.

Hoops: Next Year in the ACC

... from the Charlotte Observer:

An outstanding freshman class makes Duke the early ACC favorite in the Observer's team rankings for 2005-06:

1. DUKE: Super freshmen Josh McRoberts, Greg Paulus join J.J. Redick


2. BOSTON COLLEGE: Returns forward Craig Smith (18.0 ppg) after going 25-5


3. MIAMI: Guillermo Diaz, Robert Hite, Anthony Harris all return


4. N.C. STATE: Julius Hodge is a big loss, but Wolfpack is loaded with talent


5. WAKE FOREST: Ranking assumes Eric Williams withdraws from draft


6. MARYLAND: John Gilchrist's departure might help team chemistry


7. CLEMSON: Could this be the season the Tigers win in Chapel Hill?


8. GEORGIA TECH: Dangerously inexperienced if Jarrett Jack leaves


9. NORTH CAROLINA: Depleted Tar Heels rebuild after NCAA title


10. VIRGINIA TECH: Will miss versatile Carlos Dixon of Salisbury


11. VIRGINIA: New coach Dave Leitao's team lacks talent, experience


12. FLORIDA STATE: Will be wretched even if Von Wafer withdraws from draft

What in-depth analysis, but of course the chips are not all out yet.

Football: NFL Draft Stats

Found these interesting stats on a Wake Forest board:

1st Round
SEC - 10
ACC - 5
Big 12 - 5
Big Ten - 4
Pac 10 - 3


1st Day
SEC - 20
Big 12 - 17
ACC - 15
Big Ten - 13
Pac 10 - 13


Overall
SEC - 37
ACC - 36
Big 12 - 34
Pac 10 - 33
Big Ten - 30

We are not one to throw stones, since the Jackets are a very young team and didn't have anyone drafted, but it is interesting that Virginia had 7 players drafted, and the entire Big East only had 8 taken.....

Where are they now - Matt Murton

The former Jacket slugger was named hitter of the week

Diamond Jaxx outfielder Matt Murton won the BC Powder Southern League hitter of the week, batting .538 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.


The former Georgia Tech star currently ranks second in the Southern League in batting average (.469), first in hits (30), first in slugging percentage (.719), second in on-base percentage (.541), second in RBIs (16) and third in runs scored (15).

Where are they now - Kyle Wallace

More confirmation that the NY Giants reached a deal with Kyle Wallace.

The Giants signed or agreed to terms with several undrafted players yesterday: DE Bret Eddins, Auburn; TE Steve Fleming, Arizona; RB Ryan Grant, Notre Dame; RB Mike Jemison, Indiana (Pa.); DE Chris Mooney, Delaware; LB Joe Scott, Jackson State; WR Brandon Smith, Vanderbilt; CB Ahmed Treaudo, Southern; LB Derek Wake, Penn State; and T Kyle Wallace, Georgia Tech.

Football: Spurrier wants a piece of GT

That's right - he wants that 12th game, and he wants to create a little rivalry with the Jackets:

Spurrier also said he was in favor of the NCAA adding a 12th regular-season game. If the legislation passes, the former Duke coach would like to see USC schedule North Carolina for a home-and-home series. Spurrier also mentioned Georgia Tech and N.C. State as attractive, nonconference opponents.

I like this quote about SC vs FL:

"This is new territory for me. We never worried too much about a bowl game," said Spurrier, whose Florida teams averaged 10 wins a year and missed a bowl game only in 1990 when the school was on NCAA probation.


"That'll be one of our goals to qualify and go to a bowl game," he said. "Hopefully, we won’t be a team that every year that will be our biggest thrill is to win six games."

Don't forget the other sports

How about this - our Women's Tennis Team is ranked #4 in the nation. How 'bout that!..... Wednesday afternoon the team will hear about the NCAA tourney seedings.....


Chaunte Howard continues to dominate and was named National Athlete of the Week by the Female United States Track Coaches Association. Folks, this is a star here. She only captured her 26th collegiate competition in a row, only set the world mark at 6' 4.75", and only won her 6th consecutive ACC title. Oh yeah, she also came in 2nd in the long jump and 5th in the triple jump. Girl got hops.

Beesball: Wes Hodges - a year later

It was about one year ago at Turner Field that Wes Hodges was beaned in the face. A year later he returns to the same field, to face the same team....... He's making the most of his 2nd chance.

"I learned a lot about failing. You can't dwell on it. You can't get upset about it. You just have to move on. That's what's really helped me this year," Hodges said. "All that failing and not going that great, it really made me work harder."

Football: Tony Clark, Track Star

Incoming recruit Tony Clark will be a welcome addition to the football team next season. In the meantime, he's running 10.80 seconds in the 100 meters, and winning. He's running the 200 meter in 22.31 sec. and winning. Oh yeah, he also jumping 21'4" in the long jump, and winning. Did I mention he was the anchor leg of the 4x100 relay team, and his outstretched arm resulted in........ winning....... Sounds like a winner to me!!

Hoops: High School & Jeremis Smith

Jeremis Smith was blessed to have played for one of the most successful high school coaches ever, and he's now retiring.... Smith on Coach Robert Hughes:

"He meant the world to me. Not even just in basketball," Smith said. "He really taught me about growing up and being a man and owning up to my responsibilities."

Remember that Jeremis Smith is speaking the truth, as he did have a serious error in judgement his senior season that almost cost him his college hoops career......

Where are they now - NFL?

AJC reports that Andy Tidwell-Neal, Kyle Wallace and Darius Williams will all join James Butler at NY Giants camp....... Jimmy Dixon signs with the Titans......... Andrew Economos is ready to sign with the Jaguars and Jimmy Dixon is getting looks from Kansas City...... As I reported earlier, Levon Thomas signed with the Colts.....

Hoops: Jack to Enter Draft?

NBADraft.net says so, and they have been quite accurate on these stories the last few weeks. However, I will reiterate what I have been saying all along. This is no surprise. Entering his name into the draft has basically been a done deal. The real decision is whether he pulls his name OUT......... So don't jump off a cliff or draw any conclusions. This is playing out just as I said it would.


The reality is this - Jarrett Jack now has a chance to IMPROVE his draft stock with personal workouts. The truth is that he is very likely to do just that. He's that kind of player. Personally, I say if he improves his draft stock to 20 or better, he will go for sure.


One last note. Take the draft boards with a grain of salt. All it takes is one team to fall in love with him and he could go anywhere. There were rumors that he has been talking to Toronto. They have the #7 and #16 picks.


So don't act surprised. Just pay VERY close attention during the first week of June. That's the real decision.


By the way, over at NBADraft.net, Jack has moved up from 29 to 24 on their board.

Beesball: GT / UGA Game Moved...

... to Monday...

Where are they now - Leon Robinson, Kyle Wallace

Well, if you WANT to sign Robinson or Wallace, see here.

Kenton Johnson OT Georgia Tech, Walif Campbell DT Shaw U., Michael Broussard DB Toledo... interest in signing any/all of these players, please contact Core Sports Management 616-299-0053..


Kyle Wallace OT Georgia Tech, Jonathon Alston OL South Carolina... interest in signing any/all of these players, please contact Philip Wickerstrom 404-848-1604, 404-944-3833.

Where are they now - Levon Thomas

Levon Thomas signs a free agent deal with the Indy Colts.

The other offensive players are guard Jason Russell of Central Arkansas and tackle Lou Lombardo of Maryland; wide receivers Davon Fowlkes of Appalachian State, Levon Thomas of Georgia Tech and Kerry Wright of Middle Tennessee State; and tight ends Joey Hawkins of Texas Tech and Tory Humphrey of Central Michigan.

Wow, outside shot that Levon could be catching passes from Payton Manning. What a thought.....

Where are they now - James Butler

Sad to be sending James to the "where are they now" segment, but life rolls on. Well, he didn't get drafted, which was quit a shock to most Jacket fans. Of course we all know he fell victim to the "Mel Kiper Curse"........ The good news is that he has signed a free agent deal with the NY Giants.

James Butler had something to celebrate Sunday after all.


After not being picked in this past weekend's NFL draft, the former Bainbridge High School and Georgia Tech star signed as a free agent with the New York Giants. According to Butler, he also had free-agent offers from Arizona, Tennessee, Buffalo and Dallas.


"That's the best opportunity for me to make the squad," Butler said in a cell phone interview from his home town of Climax. "I feel like I have a good chance to start."

Awesome Download

A must download for any sports fan. An absolute must, period...... I think this was something put together by ESPN, and someone has provided it as a download (link provided at the Hive).

The ACC: Dr.Pepper a sponsor

Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? Well, if you're in the ACC, you just became one. Cadbury Schweppes, who owns the Dr., along with ABC Sports, has partnered with the ACC to sponsor their first ACC Championship football game.


However, don't starting thinking we're special, as Dr.Pepper also sponsers the SEC and Big12 championship games. Guess this is one company that has decided that the confusion that is bowl season is not worth the hassle, but conference championships are where it's at.

Recruiting - Football

A west-coast RB who clearly favors the Bruins, but has GT in his top 3 - Ricky Thenarse.....

Where are they now - Jay Payton

Nice Q&A with Jay Payton. On playing with his college buddy Jason Varitek:

Question: Is it a big deal for you to play with (college teammate) Jason Varitek again?


Answer: It's great. It would've been nicer if me, him and Nomar (Garciaparra) could've all played together again, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. It's great to get the chance to play with Jason and, hopefully, I'll get to play with Nomar before it's all said and done.


Question: Is Varitek any different?


Answer: Nah, he's still the same guy he was in college. Same work ethic, same mentality and he's always been very knowledgeable.

Where are they now - Jon Babul

Babul and his brother are running their own youth hoops camp up in the state of Mass......

Babul Brothers Basketball Camp will be held Aug. 8-12 at North Attleboro High School and at the North Attleboro Middle School. Camp will run daily from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and is open to boys and girls 7-14 years of age. The camp is under the guidance of former Georgia Tech player Jon Babul and former UMass player Mike Babul. Register by contacting Mike Babul at 330-727-1481 or Jon Babul at 404-277-5571 or by email at mbabul@hotmail.com and www.babulbrothers.com.

Great to see them still involved in the game. There is a bit of speculation that Jon could be the next assistant at GT to replace Cliff Warren. Stay tuned......

Football: Leroy Hill's Favorite game?

Georgia Tech vs Clemson, last season:

What game did you have the most fun playing?
Hill: Even though we lost, the Georgia Tech game this past season was fun. I think I played pretty well. The crowd attendance was great, they were really into the game and plus I really like playing teams from Georgia.

Hoops: Head Coaching Contracts

Interesting article on new UVA Coach Dave Leitao's contract, including buyout clauses and provisions for thosae who think Leitao is the heir apparent at UConn. Is there a parallel with the Jackets?


Dave Leitao is to UConn as Paul Hewitt is to the New York Knicks?

Recruiting - Football

Looks like CB Jonathan Nelson, from Arlinton TX, has an offer from the Jackets.... He's got some wheels, as he was timed in the 40 three different times at 4.28, 4.24 and 4.3.

Where are they now - Kerry Watkins

Playing in the Canadian Football League, that's where.

Former Georgia Southern quarterback J.R. Revere, former Arkansas running back Fred Talley, former Auburn kicker Damon Duval and former Georgia Tech wide receiver Kerry Watkins also are on the Alouettes’ roster.

Here's the roster........ Here's his profile.

Where are they now - Starbury

A pretty harsh article on how the Knicks HAVE to trade Stephon Marbury is they are ever going to actually win again....

"This season," Marbury boasted to the Nets bench during the preseason opener, "the division is ours!"


It was for about two months, then things reverted to form for Marbury. In his nine pro seasons, his teams have finished with losing records seven times. He's never won more than 45 games. Regardless of his talent, that's an incredibly damning track record.

Football: What???!!!?

Someone want to try and explain this one to me?

Every conference has top team:


-- Here you SEC fans go again. You base your conference strength on one game or one good team. Every conference has a top team. That doesn't mean the rest of the conference is tough. As a matter of fact, the reason that one team is on top is because the rest of the conference isn't that good. That goes for the Pac-10, Big Ten and every other conference. You can't base your decisions on one game. For example, Auburn and Georgia Tech next year: Georgia Tech isn't exactly the best team in the ACC, but that doesn't mean the other teams aren't tough. With Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, the SEC has its weak teams, too.

Where are they now - Troy Matteson

Winning the Virginia Beach Open, that's where. He finishes 2 strokes ahead of the pack at 13 under. Congrats!!! Matt Weibring finishes tied for 13th at 5 under and Bryce Molder finishes tied for 37th at even par....... Not a bad showing for the Tech alums....

"This is a big step for me because I haven't won professionally," said Matteson, who earned $81,000 for his first win on tour. "This gets me into the brotherhood of professional golfers. It's important because this is just my second year out here and I think it solidifies that I'm in this peer group."

Tennis: ACC CHAMPIONS!!!

Congrats to the ladies tennis team on their first ever ACC title.... Coach Bryan Shelton and the team deserve props!!

Beesball: UVA Sweeps the Jackets

Well, how about that. The most prolific offense in the ACC scores a grand total of 5 runs in 3 games, and gets swept. Well, get it out of the way now...... The final game pitching gem ended up with the Jackets on the short end of the stick, 2-1..... Oh yeah, Virginia doesn't even have a winning record in the conference. Guess it shows you the nature of sports and the nature of match-ups.... You know the saying - on any given 3 days.....

Hoops: Facts about JU

Cliff Warren takes the job at Jacksonville U. Did you know that JU made the Final Four back in 1970, with "the 'fro" Artis Gilmore? Per Shawn Siegel, they are the smallest school (enrollment) to ever make a Final Four.....

Beesball: Jackets Drop Series to UVA

Wow, of all the teams to stop the streak of winning ACC series - the Cavaliers. Well, so be it. UVA takes the first two games of the series, holding Tech to 4 total runs over both games. UVA takes the continuation of the rain-delayed game 1, 4-2, then knocks Tech off again 9-2 in the nightcap. Well, maybe we can rebound on Sunday. Time for a new streak......

Hoops: funny comment on North Carolina

Thought this was pretty funny about the Tarheel's PG Quentin Thomas:

The Heels' most glaring weakness will be that Quentin Thomas, he who had as many minutes in the Final Four as turnovers – two – will play point guard.


That would be the same Quentin Thomas who lost the only game he started last year, a double-digit loss to Santa Clara that was forgotten by the world because it happened the same night as the Malice at the Palace. That would also be the same Quentin Thomas that showed up at the team's victory celebration at the Dean Dome wearing a white vest that had his likeness airbrushed on the back, a move that renders him unqualified to decide what to eat for dinner, let alone run Carolina's offense.

Where are they now - Troy Matteson

Nice little story on Matteson....... At the moment, he still leads the Virginia Beach Open, at 10 under, 3 strokes ahead of the field.....

Hoops: Trust Coach Hewitt?

Well, these head coaches make tons of money, and Coach Hewitt thinks the NCAA rules are a bit overdone:

"It is kind of funny," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "They pay us all this money, but yet they don't trust us. Look at all these rules they put on you, all the academic-reform laws. I find that hilarious. We've got a rulebook, 550 pages long. My thing is, if you don't like what we're doing, tell us or get rid of us. Let the individual campus deal with it."

Football Recruiting

A talented RB that has an offer from the Jackets - Glyndon Bolasky.

Where are they now - Matt Murton

The former Jacket beesball player (Matt Murton) is having quite the minor league season.

How impressive was the former Georgia Tech standout? Let's count the ways.


Murton is hitting .481 after going 2-for-5. Boston's first-round draft pick in 2003 - he was acquired in a trade by the Chicago Cubs before last season - was 10-for-16 (.625) in the series with a double, two homers and eight RBIs. He also drew four walks.

Hoops: Capital Classic

Lewis Clinch played in the Capital Classic last night. Hard to find details about the game, but someone at the Hive found this link to the boxscore. Clinch didn't have a great night but people commented that he was very athletic and quick. He scored 13 pts (6-15), 1-6 from 3pt range, 1 board (off), 3 fouls, 2 assists, 7 turnovers and 1 steal in 21 minutes......... Here's a story on the MVP, Uche Echefu (guzuntight).


Here's a story on the game, with this on Clinch:

The lead grew to 21 on three occasions, including when guard Lewis Clinch (Georgia Tech) dunked a miss.

Official Basketball Box Score
United States All-Stars vs Capital All-Stars
04/22/05 8:00 p.m. at Patriot Center (Fairfax, Va.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: United States All-Stars
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
10 McAlarney, Kyle..... * 3-7 2-6 0-0 1 3 4 0 8 3 4 0 0 19
30 Biggs, Tyrell....... * 8-11 1-1 3-4 1 2 3 2 20 2 3 1 1 19
32 Gordon, Jamont...... * 7-11 2-4 1-2 1 2 3 1 17 6 1 0 2 20
33 Payton, Kevin....... * 3-5 1-1 0-0 2 2 4 1 7 4 2 1 0 20
35 Mikalauskas,Laurynas * 5-6 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 3 10 0 1 1 0 16
20 Krabbenhoft, Joe.... 5-8 0-1 1-4 2 5 7 3 11 4 1 1 0 19
21 Hernandez, Sammy.... 1-4 0-0 0-0 1 5 6 2 2 1 3 0 1 13
22 Clinch, Lewis....... 6-15 1-6 0-0 1 0 1 3 13 2 7 0 1 21
23 McCauley, Ben....... 4-7 2-3 0-0 1 6 7 1 10 3 1 2 3 17
31 McDermott, Geoff.... 1-6 0-0 2-4 1 9 10 0 4 5 2 1 2 19
34 Egerson, Marc....... 9-12 1-2 2-2 2 1 3 1 21 0 0 0 0 17
TEAM................ 2 3 5Totals.............. 52-92 10-24 9-16 15 41 56 17 123 30 25 7 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 25-41 61.0% 2nd Half: 27-51 52.9% Game: 56.5% DEADB3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 8-16 50.0% 2nd Half: 2-8 25.0% Game: 41.7% REBSF Throw % 1st Half: 4-4 100 % 2nd Half: 5-12 41.7% Game: 56.3% 4,1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Capital All-StarsTOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
20 Matsui, KJ.......... * 0-6 0-3 0-0 2 1 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 13
25 Diane, Mamadi....... * 0-5 0-2 2-2 0 3 3 0 2 1 2 0 1 11
32 Echefu, Uche........ * 8-11 0-2 2-2 3 4 7 2 18 0 0 1 0 22
35 Cunningham, Dante... * 6-8 0-0 2-3 1 2 3 1 14 0 2 0 4 17
40 Sapp, Jessie........ * 5-10 1-2 3-3 0 3 3 0 14 2 2 0 1 17
21 Johnson, Paul....... 0-3 0-1 2-4 0 1 1 0 2 2 2 0 2 12
22 Ginyard, Marcus..... 5-14 1-4 2-2 1 3 4 1 13 4 0 0 4 24
23 Fleming, Chris...... 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 8
24 Brewer, Raymond..... 2-9 2-7 0-0 0 0 0 0 6 3 3 0 1 21
30 Neal, David......... 3-11 0-2 2-3 2 5 7 2 8 4 1 0 3 19
31 Hewson, Matt........ 2-4 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 3 4 0 2 0 0 8
33 Adedji, Desmond..... 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 10
34 Diggs, Robert....... 7-10 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 2 14 0 4 2 0 18
TEAM................ 3 3Totals.............. 39-96 4-26 15-19 16 27 43 13 97 18 20 3 16 200TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 18-47 38.3% 2nd Half: 21-49 42.9% Game: 40.6% DEADB3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-12 16.7% 2nd Half: 2-14 14.3% Game: 15.4% REBSF Throw % 1st Half: 3-5 60.0% 2nd Half: 12-14 85.7% Game: 78.9% 3,1--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Officials: Gary Stein, Richard Ogletree, Jim CagleyTechnical fouls: United States All-Stars-None. Capital All-Stars-None.Attendance:Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TotalUnited States All-Stars....... 32 30 33 28 - 123Capital All-Stars............. 24 17 28 28 - 9732nd Annual Capital ClassicUS MVP: Gordon (Oak Hill Academy - Mississippi State)Capital MVP: Echefu (Montrose Christian Academy - Undecided)Points in the paint-US 74,CAPITAL 66. Points off turnovers-US 34,CAPITAL 24.2nd chance points-US 15,CAPITAL 15. Fast break points-US 29,CAPITAL 29.Bench points-US 61,CAPITAL 49. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-6 times.Last FG-US 4th-00:13, CAPITAL 4th-00:27.


In other high school hoops tourney's, at the Kingwood Classic, Will Walker poured in 35 points, on 9-11 from 3pt range. He's not 6 feet tall, but he can score, has a nice stroke and wants to play at Georgia Tech.....

Football: Auburn talking Smack

From a "sound-off" article on an Alabama news site:

To the misinformed ACC fan: The Auburn Tigers open the season this
year against the mighty Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the ACC. We'll see who
has the best conference and who's scared of who.

Hoops Scheduling

You probably knew, but Kansas will be at Georgia Tech in hoops next season.....

Hoops: Cliff Warren Press Conference

Some nice quotes from Coach Cliff as he sets out to forge his own path.....

"This moment right now is not about me, it's about the players. If not for them, I would not be here today. I want to thank all the players, coaches and administration at Georgia Tech, Siena and Mount St. Mary's for giving me an opportunity and helping to shape my basketball career."

Hoops: Aminu and Clinch

Mention of Alade Aminu here, as his teammate signs with Cincy.....

Coleman and Aminu are the first Stephenson boys players to land major college scholarships directly out of high school. Dontell Jefferson, who graduated in 2002, signed with Arkansas after attending junior college.

Quote from Lewis Clinch here, on the Capital Classic:

"We have a lot of talent out there so we should win," said Clinch. "You can see that just by our scrimmage today. But [the Capital All-Stars] have had a few more days of practice than we have so we know they'll play together."

Football: R.I.P. Silicone Valley Bowl

Well, the Fresno State Bowl...... uh, I mean the Silicone Valley Bowl has been killed...... Here's more..... In case you are starting to worry that there are not enough bowl games, never fear, as the NCAA has approved a new bowl game in San Diego, called the Poinsettia Bowl....... Hey, is that pronounced "Poinsett-a" or "Poinsett-ee-a"? Let the debate rage.....

Where are they now - Injured Reserve

Football: Joe HamiltonLittle Joe separated his shoulder for his AFL Orlando Predator team and will be out for awhile. Poor guy just can't catch a break...


Beesball: Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar may have it worse. He "tore his left groin". That sounds painful, and just looking at the picture confirms the pain..... I hate to say it, but Nomar is becoming the next Ken Griffey Jr. Unbelievable talent, but not durable.

NFL Draft Notes

THE PICK OF THE LITTER

SAFETY


HEAD OF THE CLASS: Thomas Davis, Georgia. Played outside linebacker in college and will need to work on his pass defense in the NFL, but he's a great athlete and terrific hitter. He might not play right away, but he could play for a long time.


BEST OF THE REST: Ernest Shazor, Michigan; James Butler, Georgia Tech; Brodney Pool, Oklahoma; Donte Nicholson, Oklahoma; Sean Considine, Iowa.

FORMER JACKET ALFRED MALONE

Sleeper: Alfred Malone, Troy State: Transferred from Georgia Tech for his final season after being declared academically ineligible.


Teams shopping: 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Browns, Falcons, Lions, Ravens, Titans.

ERIC HENDERSON
He's back with the Jackets, but gets mention from CFN as a top college player to look for this season.

JAMES BUTLER PROFILE


JAMES BUTLER PROFILE #2


BUTLER INTERVIEW


LAST ONE ON BUTLER

Around the Hive

BEESBALL:
RC brings us the scoop with GT signee David Duncan. Nothing like a little underage drinking to ruin your draft status..... The Friday night GT/UVA game got to the 4th but was rain-delayed and will pick up on Saturday. The Jackets currently trail 2-1....... Story on the Hurricanes and Jim Morris, the former Jacket coach.....


FOOTBALL:
Ivan Maisel ranks the Techfootball team 24th pre-season. Since rankings in the pre-season are so important, we should all take these lists to the bank....... Hey, mark it on your calendars, we'll be playing Ole Miss in 2010 and 2011, a home-and-away series....... On the recruiting front, yet another QB we're talking to - Garrett Sutphen.......... Here's another QB, this one with an offer from GT - Christian Ponder........ How about one more QB - Demetrius Jones.........


HOOPS:
Buzz shared an interesting link from ESPN about the dark side of the draft, and those players who won't get picked who could become lost forever..... As you know, the Tarheels were gutted today, as Williams, May and Felton joined McCants in the mass exodus. Add the 3 graduating seniors and you are looking at a grand total of 8 returning points.......... One note about these players leaving early. Once again, only one freshman underclassman has declared (Marvin Williams). Why is this interesting? Because it is actually rare for a freshman to declare. There have only been 2 each season in the past 3 years. The year Chris Bosh declared, the only other freshman was.......... Carmello Anthony. I'd say they're doing just fine. The Marvin Williams situation is very much like Chris Bosh......... More on ACC defections and the impact on guys like Louis Williams..... This specifically on the ACC, and up to 9 underclassman testing the waters.... Honestly, I think Jack's decision has moved from 30/70 to 50/50 he stays...... Want more on the ACC?


GOLF:
Hey our boy Troy Matteson is leading the Virginia Beach Open heading into weekend play...... In fact, Matt Weibring is hanging in at 3 under....... In addition, Bryce Molder and Tripp Isenhour made the cut, although barely........ Here's more on Molder.....

NFL Draft: James Butler

I guess James Butler's philosophy about the draft is this - it is what it is, and what shall be, shall be.......

Not Your Typical Student

Another article on an outstanding rep for Tech - this time Nick Ferguson...

Catching Up with Greg Gathers

Great story on a great representative for Georgia Tech....

Hoops - Ewing Jr. to Georgetown

It's official - Patrick Ewing Jr. will sort of follow in his father's footsteps and head to player for John Thompson III. The father / son combo becomes the father / son combo part II.

Great Story

Ok, I have to steal this story from the Hive - from Buzzweiser. I love it. Ra'Sean Dickey was at the beesball game yesterday:

Last night during the second inning Dickey made his way to some seats behind home plate. He was eating a hot dog. after he had finished, 3 kids came up to him and asked him for his autograph. He obliged all three. Then another kid came up to him to ask for his autograph. This kid was wearing a goofy 'uga' hat with a Georgia baseball jersey. Dickey took one look at the kid and handed him back the pen and paper and said "Sorry!"


The kid was not traumatized but did go back to his seat bewildered.

I'm sorry, but that was great!!!!

Here we go again...

... with mention of Paul Hewitt and the New York Knicks.

Skeptics say college coaches can't make the jump to the NBA, but the Knicks would consider any of the Big Five of Izzo (Michigan State), Smith Kentucky), Rick Pitino (Louisville), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and recent champion Roy Williams (North Carolina). Hewitt (Georgia Tech) has also been the subject of discussions around MSG.

Well, I can tell you that word is Coach Hewitt's parents and brother are moving from NY City to the ATL (per JC). I don't exactly know if that cements Coach a little more solidly at GT or not, but it would seem so. We will just have to take solice in the fact that Coach has said repeatedly that he's not interested in the NBA........ right now, with his daughters too young for that kind of extensive travel.

Have you kicked your Dawg today?

If not, don't worry, our beesball team did. Tonight the Jackets crushed the mutts 12-2. Matt Wieters continues to be the man, finishing 4-4, with 2 runs, 5 RBI's, and an HR. He proved he was human by not actually pitching. He did however hand out towels and water to teammates after the game. He can do it all..... Ryan Turner pitches a strong game, going 6 innings with 5 k's, 1 earned run, and only giving up 4 singles. In fact, the mutts only had 7 hits, only one of which was for extra bases. Gotta love it!! GO JACKETS!!! Dawgs suck..


MORE FROM MACON TELEGRAPH
From UGAg Coach David Perno:

"This one, that lineup is probably as good as I've seen in a few years. They
played like the No. 3 team in the country," Georgia coach David Perno said, one spot off on Tech's national ranking.

MORE FROM AJC


Lastly, per JezebelJacket at the Hive, two Tech students had signs they held up during the game. One said "How many Dawgs does it take to screw in a light bulb?"............. The answer was on the other sign: "One, but he gets 3 hours credit"....................... Nice.


THE ATHENS-BANNER HERALD VERSION
Small but funny point. Notice the quote above from Coach Perno about Tech playing like "the no.3 team in the country". Notice that the hometown paper actually changed the quote to be accurate. Who says the media only reports the news.

Hoops: Another Transfer Possibility?

Well, in this case, nobody is leaving. But could Georgia Tech be a possibility for Marquette sophomore guard Dameon Mason? This story insinuates it is a possibility:

Sophomore guard Dameon Mason is leaving Marquette after just two seasons.
The move will be finalized once Mason finishes out the spring semester at
Marquette next month. Mason told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I just haven't
been enjoying it as much as I wanted to or as much as I thought I would and I
don't want to be in a situation where I'm frustrated or I'm not happy all the
time. I don't want to live like that for four straight years. I'm not saying it
would have been like that here for four straight years, but I don't want to put
myself in that position." Mason ranked third on the team in scoring this season
at 11.9 points per game and second in rebounding at 5.6. "It's not really a
matter of minutes or shots or anything like that," Mason said. "It wasn't really
a matter of that because I'm not selfish by any means. I know I got the
opportunity to do it. Just certain things just went differently than I thought
they would. I was always frustrated. It came from both parts: I was frustrated
with myself and with the coaches at some points." Mason becomes the third player
to leave MU prematurely since last fall and the 10th since Crean took over as
coach in the spring of 1999. The Journal Sentinel mentioned Kentucky, Georgia
Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma State or Ohio State as schools that could be in line
for Mason's services. But Mason wouldn't discuss the issue because he hasn't
been released from his scholarship by coach Tom Crean.

Around the Hive

HOOPS:
Deron Williams is gone from Illinois and has signed with an agent. Another guard to possibly push Jack down the board. He's already fallen to #29 at NBADraftnet...... With Cliff Warren gone, speculation has started as to his replacement. Don't look for a quick decision and keep your eye out for a possible former YellowJacket player....... Nothing new on Jarrett Jack. You can expect him to enter his name into the draft, not hire an agent, and then make his decision based on discussions with teams and private workouts. The only date that matters at this point is the week before the draft, when players can pull their names OUT. Cliff Warren leaving could hurt, as he has been very personally involved with the development of PG's at Georgia Tech (Willie Reese focuses's on big men).............. Well, while the rest of the country had a tough time dealing with ACC teams, now the ACC coaches are finding it tough dealing with the departing talent levels. Check out Rashad McCants' quote -

"I think," McCants told reporters, "me and him (Roy Williams) both know that four years was a stretch."

You can ignore it or you can face the truth - Duke is going to be favored to not only run away with the ACC, but probably be top 3 in the polls for next season. UNC will be gutted, Tech will be gutted, MD does not have a PG on the roster. In fact, don't be surprised to see BC come in as a strong competitor to Duke......... On the recruiting front, Willie Kemp is going to rise in the rankings as a top PG in the class of 2006, especially after being named MVP at the Fayettville ARK "Pump-N-Run" tourney. His top schools - GT, AR, LV, KY. Javaris Crittenton also had an outstanding tourney.......... Well, our old buddy Fred Barakat is giving up his duties as head of officiating for the ACC. Obviously this is a no-win job, but let's face facts. ACC officiating was not good nor has it been good for quite some time. This is a welcome change, IF they get the right person into that role.... Here's a nice blurb on our own Lewis Clinch, after his performance in the Jordan Classic:

Lewis Clinch
6'3", 190 pounds; Shooting Guard; Committed to Georgia Tech
13 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 4 of 7 FG, 2 of 4 3pt, 16 minutes


Jonathan Watters:
Clinch showed a beautiful stroke on a couple of three pointers, and showed some athleticism in the open floor. He could team with Anthony Morrow to become the new Lewis/Elder duo for the Jackets over the next 3 years. Showed a little bit of combo G to his game, which is what he will have to develop if he wants to become a real NBA prospect.

You might find this review of Randolph Morris's freshman campaign interesting, seeing as we lost him to the Cats by the skin of our teeth. Not exactly a glowing season, but there is scuttlebutt that he might attempt the draft.....


FOOTBALL:
Coach Gailey is an EagleScout and gets the Bobby Jones award from the Boy Scouts.......... Coach Brian-Jean Mary has an old roomie who just has his jersey retired at App.State..... The last time Pat Dye and Fran Tarkenton last talked during a pre-game meal before playing Georgia Tech in 1960........ On the recruiting front, QB Tim Tebow has more than 70 official offers, but it is noted that GT is "showing interest". Pretty funny if you ask me........ Here's a Palmetto State DL recruit that does have an offer from the Jackets - Adam Patterson......... Evidently "Smith" is a pretty common name, particularly in the NFL draft. Who woulda thunk it?

No matter when he is chosen, Alex will add to the lead the "Smith" clan holds over the first 69 NFL Drafts as the most-selected surname – 251 times. That ranges from Alabama halfback RILEY SMITH by the Boston Redskins in the first NFL draft in 1936 to Georgia Tech wide receiver JONATHAN SMITH, the most recent Smith chosen (in round 7 last year by Buffalo).

Great news - the Broncos have re-signed Marco Coleman, who is turning into an NFL ironman..... Remember when Adam "PacMan" Jones did the old hat switchero when everyone thought he was going to Tech? Well, if you believe this article, there is more to the story for the West Virginia standout, as he prepares for the draft.


BEESBALL:
Interesting stat:

Georgia Tech is among the nation's top 10 in batting average (3rd), home runs (6th), slugging percentage (.539), scoring (2nd) and doubles (2nd) to lead the ACC.

Eric Patterson and Matt Murton, both former Jackets, make the Baseball America "hotsheet". I guess that makes them a couple of real "hot sheets"......

13. Eric Patterson, 2b, Cubs (Low Class A Peoria)
Patterson fell to the eighth round in last year's draft, but received fourth-round money ($300,000) out of Georgia Tech. So far that looks like a bargain as the younger brother of Corey leads the Midwest League in runs (15), hits (18), on-base percentage (.596) and stolen bases (10).

18. Matt Murton, of, Cubs (Double-A West Tenn)
Seemingly lost in the eight-player trade that netted the Cubs Nomar Garciaparra at last year's trade deadline, Murton has begun the year with a 10-game hitting streak, including a two-homer game last night, to lead the Southern League at a .452 clip.

Here's a funny little intro to a story on Manny Ramirez:

Since he was an Academic All-American at Georgia Tech, the same institution of higher learning that produced Jason Varitek and his one-time college roommate, Nomar Garciaparra, Jay Payton's intellectual pedigree is unquestioned. He is smart enough, for example, to know that had he been the one to lose two fly balls in the same inning under a high sky yesterday afternoon, and not Manny Ramirez, he might have elicited a more hostile reaction from the full house at Fenway Park than Ramirez did.


"Unless," Payton said wryly, "I hit two home runs like Manny did today. When you drive in 130 runs a year, you're entitled to miss a ball or two, regardless of the sun or not."

Tech's RPI ranking is a mere 0.001 from being tops in the country..


GOLF:
An interesting look at the GT/Duke rivalry and how the tables turned at this year's ACC tourney versus 1985.....


MISC:
"The thin line between optimism and delusion". A story on dating an arch-rival. Link courtesy of FanBlogs........

Hoops: Hear that sound???

....listen closely.... sounds like dripping water..... very slurpy.....


..... it's Clemson fans salivating at the possibility of actually beating North Carolina at Chapell Hill for the first time in 51 tries, now that they will be losing their top 7 players (it appears May and Williams are gone).

Hoops: Lookalikes

Some pretty funny body doubles here.

Hoops: Jarrett Jack...

... well, the AJC had a link for about 5 minutes stating that Jack would "declare" his intentions in a press conference today. That does not jive with past reports....However, the link is now gone. Maybe a bit premature? Stay tuned....

Hoops: Cliff Warren to JU

The Florida Times-Union out of Jacksonville is reporting that Cliff Warren will be the next head basketball coach at Jacksonville U - story here. He breaks down another color barrier, becomeing the first African-American coach at that school.


Mixed emotions here. Coach Warren seemed to be quite a stabilizing force, working with players, taking pride in personal development of our big men, spent a lot of time in the film room with Jarrett Jack. He will be missed. On the other side, it is a good sign when your head coach is "producing" the kind of coaches that are valued as head coaches elsewhere. That is #2 for Coach Hewitt, with Dean Keener heading up the James Madison program.


Coach Warren, congrats!!!! You will be missed, and you'll always be a YellowJacket!!!

Football Recruiting

More on Robert Hall, our 2nd football recruit, and first from the state of GA.......


1. 6'2", 210lb.


2. Started last two years at HawkInsville HS, GA on D-Line. Had 14 sacks as a junior. Same school as 2005 recruit Trey Dunmon.


3. Team won state championships last two seasons.


4. Smart kid, interested in engineering, good GPA.


5. Offered by Ole Miss, and interest from many other high level schools, including Auburn, UGA and others.


6. Was voted to Region 4A All-Region defensive team.


7. Here's a blurb on their latest championship game (a tie)

End Robert Hall and linebacker Vic Bray led an Hawkinsville defense that held Clinch to 149 yards of total offense on 45 snaps.

8. Here was arguably his best game in the Ga Dome, with 5 sacks:

Last week, it was sophomore end Robert Hall who surprised Clinch County quarterback Joe Louis Mingo for five sacks. Hall now has 10 for the season.

9. Runs track also (per someone at the Hive), 4x100, so has some speed.


HIGH SCHOOL HOME PAGE
HAWKINSVILLE SPORTS SITE


Looks like we picked up a good prospect who is likely to end up a 3-4 star recruit once the services get around to finding out who's offering who, so they can release their rankings.

Softball: Jackets "stun" Mutts

Outstanding. Doesn't matter if it's chess club or football. Kicking a mutt is always a good thing. Tonight the gals did us proud by beating the mutts 4-3. Jessica Sallinger pitches a complete game with 10 k's.


Next up, the men try and kick the mutts again.....GO JACKETS!!!

Hoops: Replay of Jordan Classic

I contacted ESPN about the replay of the Jordan Classic and here is the response I received:

The 2005 Jordan Classic is currently scheduled to air on ESPN2 on 4/20 at 2:30 PM ET and on 6/25 at 1:30 PM ET.

The best source for scheduling information is the searchable tv
listings on ESPN.com:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/index

You can search, by sport, for a week's worth of programming at a time. Just scroll towards the bottom of the page and you'll see 3 search boxes: Network, Daily and Weekly. Click on Weekly and choose the sport you want in the dropdown box. To get to the following, or previous week's listings just click on the calendar in the right hand column once your there.

Football & the NFL Draft

Check out this site - "the Football Genius". Well, at least he's modest. Evidently, he's a Yellow Jacket fan, because he provides quite the in-depth analysis of the following Jackets:


ANDY TIDWELL-NEAL
JAMES BUTLER
KYLE WALLACE


Worth the read for sure. In addition, here are the Jacket NFL combine stats.

James Butler S Butler, who worked out at the combine, measured up at 6-1½ and 212 pounds. He ran a 4.49 and 4.55 in the 40, had a 44-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-8 long jump, a 4.04 short shuttle and a 6.71 three-cone drill.


Nate Curry WR Curry was 5-9 7/8 and 196 pounds. He ran his 40s in 4.52 and 4.55. He had a 36-inch vertical, a 9-foot-5 long jump, a 4.22 short shuttle, an 11.46 long shuttle and a 6.84 cone drill.


Leon Robinson OG Robinson (6-3¾, 317) ran 4.99 and 5.03 in his 40s. He had a 36-inch vertical, a 9-foot-5 long jump, a 4.98 short shuttle, a 7.98 three-cone drill and 29 reps.


Andy Tidwell-Neal OG Tidwell-Neal (6-3 7/8, 311) ran his 40s in 5.43 and 5.49. He added a 30-inch vertical, an 8-foot-4 long jump, a 4.74 short shuttle, a 9.94 three-cone drill and 21 reps.


Kyle Wallace OT Wallace (6-5 5/8, 305) ran his 40s in 5.17 and 5.12. He added a 32-inch vertical, an 8-foot-8 long jump, a 4.55 short shuttle, a 7.86 three-cone drill and 26 reps

Around the Hive

A bunch of misc stuff to update you on.


In hoops recruiting news, Wayne Ellington, the talented SG, looks like he is going to choose between UNC and Villinova - the Jackets look to be out of the running............ It also seems that the Jackets have been eliminated from Isiah Dahlman's list, 6'6" wing player with great shooting ability........ Javaris Crittenton looks like he has the Jackets in his top 3, along with WF and UNC............ John Tiller, a SG fom the ATL Celtics AAU team, likes the Jackets, along with other schools.......


In football recruiting, the Jackets landed their 2nd overall commitment and 1st from the state of GA, 6'2" 210lb DE/LB Robert Hall, from Hawkinsville GA. He has started on the D-Line 2 years now and his team has won the state championship both seasons. Had an offer from O.Miss. There is no doubt a change in philosophy in recruiting is underway with Chan Gailey and crew. Last few years were about patience and grabbing kids late in the process. This season, the offers are flowing early. I'll find more on Hall later......... The Jackets have another offer out there for QB since Zach Frazier commited to Notre Dame - Harry Betsy, from Florida, a 6'1" 193lb standout with offers from NCST, FSU and MD. So he's getting the bigtime looks. Guess who he likes the best right now :-)............


Nate Curry was honored GT AA's highest honor, the "Total Person" Award, along with volleyball standout Jayme Gergen..... Rumors over on the Auburn boards that our game with them will be an ESPN night game. Cool if true.


Nice video of our student-athletes in the non-core sports.


"GTJT622" at the Hive summarized well why it's such a good time to be a Jacket fan:

Football...bowl win (and appearance for the 8th straight year).


Volleyball...regular season ACC title (and appearance in NCAAT for
so many years in a row I've quit counting).


Mens hoops...ACCT championship game appearance and 2nd straight NCAAT appearance.


Beesball...ranked 4th in the nation and atop the ACC (and have appeared in 19 of the last 20 NCAAT's).


Golf...ranked in the top 3 and have appeared in 18 or 19 of the last 20 NCAAT's.


Mens tennis...ranked 28th and is now an annual participant in the NCAAT.


Womens tennis...ranked 6th and is now an annual participant in the NCAAT.


Softball...ranked 19th and has made the NCAAT the last 3 or 4 years in a row.


Chaunte Howard...'nuff said.


What a great time to bee a Jacket fan and alum!

Eric Patterson has a nice article over at BaseballAmerica.com, and was on their front page as well.

Football: Loyall - aka Drew

We have known him as Running Back "Drew Gause". Evidently he wants to go by Loyall. His full name is Andrew Loyall Gause. Just trying to keep everyone up to speed.

Hoops: "the Next Paul Hewitt"

This is a phrase we've heard a lot recently. What does it mean when people say it? Well, it typically means a young, up-and-coming, hotshot, black coach who has coached at the mid-major level or as an assistant with a big school, who can take their team to the promise-land. Thank goodness for Georgia Tech fans we don't have to look for "... the next Paul Hewitt". They're using it with Virginia's new coach:

Can Leitao deliver? The Cavaliers hope he's their Paul Hewitt, a former Villanova assistant with limited head-coaching experience (three seasons at Siena) who took Georgia Tech to the Final Four in his fourth season. The Cavaliers hope he's not their Matt Doherty, a former Kansas assistant with minimal big-whistle background (one season at Notre Dame) who lasted all of three years at North Carolina, his alma mater.

Hoops: Thanks a lot Matt Doherty

Well, while Matt Doherty will be announced as the next head coach at Florida Atlantic, this quote just came out from Cleveland Cavalier center DeSagana Diop:

Cleveland Cavaliers center DeSagana Diop said he would have attended North Carolina or Georgia Tech if he hadn't jumped to the NBA out of Oak Hill Academy. He said the clincher came when former Tar Heels coach Matt Doherty showed him the NBA's rookie pay scale.

Uuuhhhhhh..........Mattt..... what were you thinking?

Hoops Recruiting - Class of 2007

Well, is it ever too early to look at the class of 2007. Not if the #1 guy in that class is considering Georgia Tech. Who is he? OJ Mayo, and he's good.

"2005 - O.J. Mayo, Cincinnati North College Hill, 6-foot-5, sophomore. Averaged 28.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.4 steals for team ranked No. 1 in state both of his varsity seasons. Becomes only second sophomore to win the award, behind LeBron James. Led North College Hill to first state tournament appearance in 16 years." (AP).

Ranked by Rivals.com as the #1 player in the 2007 class. Considered the #1 prospect in Ohio for 2007. O.J. has expressed his desire to go to college rather than the NBA in the past. O.J. is listing Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina and West Virginia. Ohio State is actively recruiting him."

Of course if he's this good, then he could be showing up in an NBA arena (or maybe NBADL) soon.

Beesball: More on Teixeira

The kudos continue to flow for the former Jacket 3rd baseball. This story focuses on his transition from 3rd to 1st and how is now one of the top defensive 1st baseball in MLB.

"He's putting on a clinic over at first base," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said earlier this week. "You see him over there and it's hard to believe he's only been playing over there for a couple of years. I think he's going to win a Gold Glove.


"Maybe this year."


Teixeira made the switch after playing third base in college. He was named national Player of the Year by Baseball America and The Sporting News in 2000 while at Georgia Tech, but the Rangers already had Hank Blalock at the position. Blalock was selected as the team's top minor league player the same year Teixeira was drafted.


"Basically, if I was going to play, it was going to be at first [base]," Teixeira said. "It was an easy transition for me, and an easy way to accept the possibility of playing first, because it was going to give me the chance to play every day."

Hoops: Jarrett Jack - A Man of the People

I went over to www.icerocket.com, which is a great search engine for Blog content on the web (we are indexed over there). I did an image search on Jarrett Jack, and interesting enough, he's quite the "man of the people"

JACK WITH FAN #1
JACK WITH THE LADIES
JACK WITH FAN #2
JACK WITH LADY #3
JACK YUCKING IT UP WITH FANS
JACK MOBBED BY FANS



Also, I ran across this year-old article on Jack - good reading.......... I also found this blurb on Jack from insiders.com when he announced he was goint to GT.


And if you think recruiting rankings are solid, set in stone lists, think again. Check out the 2002 rankings, where Jack was #32. Hard to argue Amare Stoudemire at #1. Who's Lenny Cooke at #3? Shavlik Randolph at #6 in the country? Ahead of Chris Bosh at #15? Uhm, hello, is anyone out there? Just goes to show you how inexact this science is.

Football: Where is Kyle Wallace? Keton Johnson

Evidently they've been meeting with a couple of NFL teams:

GEORGIA TECH senior offensive tackle KYLE WALLACE has had private visits with Atlanta and NY Giants.


GEORGIA TECH senior offensive tackle KENTON JOHNSON has drawn additional interest of late, even had a private workout with Atlanta earlier this week.

Beesball Recruiting

Another kid we might lose to the MLB draft. Wow, if he doesn't pan out on the mound, maybe he can play the 5-spot for Hewitt - he's 6'9".

As if David Duncan doesn't have enough going for him on the mound, he's starting to gear up at the plate.


The New Richmond senior lefthander, who will pitch for Georgia Tech next season unless he gets an offer to his liking in Major League Baseball's June draft, turned in what has become his usual effort on the mound at Western Brown Tuesday afternoon.


What was startling was what he did with his bat. Duncan (3-0) hit a two-run home run off Brian Randall (3-2) in New Richmond's three-run first inning and added a triple in the seventh as the Lions snapped the Broncos' seven-game winning streak, winning 5-2.

Beesball: Jay Payton / Jason Varitek

Both Payton and Varitek hit long balls against Randy Johnson the other night. During the broadcast they showed a picture of those two along with Nomar from the 1994 Jackets.

New Academics AD

Phyllis LaBaw comes to Tech from USF, and looks like she has some good credentials. What will she do? The same thing she did at USF:

A member of the athletics staff at South Florida since 1994, LaBaw oversaw academic support services for more than 400 student-athletes in 18 NCAA-sponsored sports and was involved in numerous other administrative duties.

Evidently she's looking to recruit some talent of her own:

Phyllis LaBaw , USF's associate athletic director for academic services and a key contributor to the Bulls' recent success with the NCAA's academic progress report, is leaving to take the same position at Georgia Tech. LaBaw, a USF grad who has worked in the athletic department since 1994, will work under former USF athletic director Paul Griffin .


"A big chunk of my heart will always be here," LaBaw said.


LaBaw said she hopes to take assistant athletic director Cindy Moore with her to Georgia Tech. Also leaving USF is Marvin Caston , compliance coordinator for the past three years. He will fill the same role at Arkansas.

Golf: Matt Kuchar finishes 10th...

... at the MCI Heritage and got some nice coin at $130,000.

Hoops Recruiting

Paul Hewitt was in Fayettville Arkansas this weekend, watching the "Real Deal on the Hill". He attended one game that featured Javaris Crittenton's Atlanta Celtics face the Playaz program, featuring Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark and others. Javaris had a standout game with 25 points and 10 assists, but his team lost. The real questions around his game are his outside shot. Of course that was the knock with Jarrett Jack, and we know how that has turned out.


The night before, another potential GT target, local PG/SG Jodie Meeks, hit what looked like the game-winning 3-pt shot for his Georgia Hurricanes. It appeared he was fouled on the play. Not only did they NOT call a foul, but they ruled it a two point shot, leaving the Hurricanes 1 point away from the tie. Meeks scored 24 points. This was Meeks' first game with his new AAU team. Interestingly, Meeks is a guy that plays both the PG and SG spots well, and while Jacket fans salivate over the Tywon Lawson's and Javaris Crittenton's of the world, this kid in our own backyard is not one to overlook.

Golf: Jackets finish 2nd in ACC Tourney

Well, Duke won the ACC Tourney in another sport - golf. Ryan Blaum was clearly the man all tourney, shooting under par every round, including a final round 67 (5 under). The Jackets battled throughout and closed to within one stroke but couldn't get over the hump. Chan Song shot 4 under in the final round. Here are the final results. Jackets finish 4 strokes from Duke and 11 strokes ahead of NCST in 3rd.

Beesball: Jackets Sweep FSU

Nice change of pace - a sweep..... of FSU. That's bigtime. Of course we did it last season too, and post-season is what counts the most. Anyhow, Jackets win 9-4. Blackwood goes deep and drives in 4 RBI's. Matt Wieters pitched the 9th and struck out 2.... Blake Wood gets the W.


More on the game here.

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Football: More on the Scrimmage

JACKETS GETTING DEFENSIVE IN PRACTICE
Folks have been raving about the play of Philip Wheeler


JOHNSON DAZZLING
Funny quote from Reggie Ball, in CJ making the impossible regular:

"It's kind of hard for him to impress anybody with some of the junk that he did last year," quarterback Reggie Ball said.

PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO GALLERY 2
... from a fan on Spring Day.


BALL ENDS QB CONTROVERSY
Chris Reis on losing D.Richard:

"Losing Richard, that really tore us apart," Reis said. "People have to step up behind him and play and perform. We always bounce back and we always come back big, and that's what we're going to do."

GAILEY CAN'T REST TOO LONG


CHRIS REIS TO ATTEND ROSWELL HIGH SCHOOL EVENT...
... celebrating 55 years of football.

Hoops: Jordan Classic

If you got ESPNU, then you saw the Jordan Classic. If you don't, you can catch the tape-delay on ESPN2 today at 4:00pm......


First, the important stuff. Lewis Clinch finished 13 points (4-7, 3-4 from 3pt range). He had a nice, understated game. I will watch it later today, but here's what "Billy", one of our readers, had to say:

Clinch played very well. He had about 13 points, and showed a very nice stroke from 3 and the FT line. He also had a nice dunk. I was VERY happy with what I saw from him, as I had never seen him play before. Bilas had wonderful things to say about him.


Clinch seemed a lot more agile, and had a much quicker release than Elder. Elder likely had a better post game, but Clinch seems like more of an athletic 2 guard. If you remember, Elder really struggled this season, so that's why I'm looking forward to Clinch.

Jay Bilas raved about Clinch during the game, mentioning how he watched him practice and how he could be a bigtime scorer for Georgia Tech next season.


The "stars" were out in MSG, including Spike Lee, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Doug "E" Fresh, Styles P, NBA players Vince Carter and Jamal Crawford, NFL WR Terrell Owens, and of course Michael Jordan himself. In addition there were other MJ Classic alum, including Rudy Gay, Rashad McCants, Justin Gray, Chris Paul and Jarrett Jack.


That's right Jarrett Jack, who was reportedly sitting next to Vince Carter and McCants. Could he possibly pick two bigger head cases? If I were you, I wouldn't read too much into it. We can still expect Jack to declare, not sign with an agent, then decide by early June if he's coming back. Hey, for all we know, he was checking out his future teammate Clinch (wishful thinking). For what it's worth, Bilas said Jack was gone.


In true media-hype fashion, all the media stories focused on the potential NBA kids, and not one article I could find, including from our local outlets, even mentioned Clinch in their write-up. I don't know what it is - Clinch was the only top 50 player last summer not to get invited to a shoe camp. Well, just more motivation for Lewis to show people what they missed.


JORDAN CLASSIC SHOWCASES TALENT


MARTELL WEBSTER POURS IN 22 POINTS
With abbreviated box score.


BLATCHE SHARPENS SKILLS FOR NBA
By the way, this was Blatche's 3rd all-star event, so college eligibility is shot..... This article says he will not sign with an agent, so some confusion here.


STORY ON THE UNDERCARD MATCHUP


NOT A CLASSIC ENDING...
... for Keith Brumbaugh


PUTTING HIGH SCHOOL TALENT ON DISPLAY


WILLIAMS STARS, EXPECTS TO GO PRO


A FITTING END TO STORIED CAREERS


WILLIAMS SHOOTS FOR GRAND FINALE
Great coverage from the AJC for Williams / Mercer, but nada for Clinch.

Golf: ACC Tourney Day 2

EDITED - NEW STORIES ADDED:


DEVILS, JACKETS TIED

DUKE STRUGGLES ON BACK NINE

Well, the Jackets made up some ground on day 2 of the ACC Golf Championship, ending the day tied with Duke for 1st place. For awhile it looked like Duke would try to run away with it, but Tech made a charge on the back nine, shooting a -2 as a team score. What's impressive is that the Jackets have not had to count a score higher than 74 in either round, even in the windy conditions.


In other golf news, Matt Kuchar got the last sponsor's exemption into the MCI Heritage Tourney and he's making the best of it. He's currently tied for 12th heading into the final round, at 2 under. Stewart Cink is tied for 51st at 6 over.

Beesball: Jackets take a thriller from FSU

EDITED - NEW STORY ADDED AT BOTTOM


Wow, a great way to cap off Spring day. After the football scrimmage the beesball team rallies in the bottom of the 9th, scores 3 runs and wins 9-8. Danny Payne gets the game-winning 2-run single with the bases loaded and 2 outs to bring in the final two runs. And let me tell you, that was one tough at-bat. He fought and fought, fouling off a bunch of nasty pitches, until a fat curve ball was left up high. Payne whacked it right over the 2nd base bag.


The Jackets took the lead early 5-1, but FSU battled back. In fact FSU tied the game in the 5th inning and only had one hit at that point. Very strange, but chalk it up to inconsistency by our starting pitcher. Jason Neighborgall was a bit wild, but hung tough. He was either striking people out (7 k's), or plunking them (2-3 hitbatsmen), or walking them (5 bb's). Having said that he only gave up 1 hit in 4.1 innings and kept FSU to 2 earned runs.


Just an outstanding game, good drama, the Jackets get the W and clinch yet another ACC series. Maybe we can gets the brooms out on Sunday.


GT RALLIES, FRUSTRATES FSU

Hoops: Cliff Warren Finalist for job at...

...Jacksonville college. Story here.

The school plans to announce a new head coach by the end of next week. The Dolphins are replacing Hugh Durham, the school's winningest coach, who retired last month.


"In the committee's eyes, these two candidates separated themselves from the rest of the pool," Jacksonville athletic director Alan Verlander said. "We are confident that either candidate will take the program in the right direction."

Football - Final Scrimmage Results

Well, another day, another dominating performance by Calvin Johnson. Folks, just be thankful we will have him for 3 years. CJ catches 6 passes for 121 yards and 1 TD. You know.... average........ Even Coach Gailey has stopped with the "... he can be good" stuff:

"I think we've come to expect everything that Calvin does," said Gailey. "He's obviously a great player who can go out and make some big plays, and he tends to do that every time he's on the field."

Drew Gause was actually the most productive RB on the field today, going 10 carries for 61 yards. However, the offensive was focusing on the passing game........... Reggie Ball has a solid outing, going 16-29, 3 TD's, 1 rushing TD, but did toss 2 INT's. Just more confirmation that Reggie is the clear #1. Pat Clark and TE Mike Matthews caught the other TD passes from Ball.


Coach Gailey on Reggie's decision-making:

"There's a definite one and two, no question. I see him throwing to the right people. Sometimes he gets a little bit behind the receiver, like the interception he threw (to Joe Gaston). It was a little bit behind Calvin, but it was the right decision.

On a VERY positive note, Coach thinks this was the best the O-Line has played all spring....... J.Tenuta is trying to build depth on the defense, and it seems that Gary Guyton and Joe Gaston are making positive strides.


All in all, a pretty encouraging day.


Before the game: ALL EYES ON O-LINE AT SPRING GAME

Golf & Matt Kuchar

Matt Kuchar was granted the final sponsor exemption to play in this week's MCI Heritage.

Matt Kuchar, a former Georgia Tech standout who won the 1997 U.S. Amateur following three consecutive victories by Tiger Woods, has been granted the final sponsors exemption to play in this week's 37th annual MCI Heritage.


Kuchar was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and was voted the Fred Haskins Award winner in 1998 as the top college player of the season.


After turning pro, Kuchar went on to win the Honda Classic in 2002, which gave him a two-year exemption. He won better than $500,000 last year, just missing his card. Kuchar is making his third appearance in the MCI Heritage.

Fooball Scrimmage

Final spring scrimmage Saturday - and it's open to fans. Some notes on the team::


1. Reggie Ball has distanced himself further as the #1 guy at QB
2. Although nobody is saying it flat out, James Johnson is looking like our #2 WR. He continues to impress in practice. D-Bo is certainly physically gifted, but seems to have a little trouble hanging onto the ball.
3. Tight End, Fullback and punter are the 3 positions still very up in the air.
4. Many players in our recent recruiting class have started to watch recent practices including Voss, M.Johnson, Howard, Dunmon, Sellers, Frierson, Martin and others.
5. T.Choice continues to impress. He just might move up the depth charts. He really is a player.
6. Kenny Scott looks like he might finally be turning into the bigtime cover db we always envisioned.

Hoops: Coach K Hurting AMEX???

Interesting post from a Illinois discussion board. Don't know if it's true, but fun to believe it is:

From the Illinois board....


I've been with AmEx for 25 years, and they are my financial planners. I recently called my planner and the AmEx corporate Office to express my extreme displeasure with their support for the Duke University Basketball program - telling them I would seriously consider both cancelling my card and moving my assets to another company.


I got a call back from someone fairly senior saying the entire ad campaign had been much more controversial and counterproductive than they imagined. I was told they have seen card cancellations up almost 15% since the ads started running.


Express your dissatisfaction with AmEx - it will have an impact - even if you dont' have a card, let them know you don't appreciate their ads and it will affect your decisions in the future.

Beesball: Jackets take down FSU

Well, the Jackets beat FSU. Matt Wieters continues his incredible play by hitting the game-winning HR, knocking in 4 RBI's and getting the save. Right about now I'm liking this 3-year rule in college. This is a kid that is blowing up right now. Catcher Andy Hawranick also went deep and Lee Hyde pitched a solid 6 2/3 innings....... Now, can the Jackets take game 2 of a series? That is in doubt. If patterns hold up, we'll get blown out Saturday, then come back and score 20 to win on Sunday. Of course, taking 2/3 from FSU is nothing to be ashamed of.


WIETERS LIFTS NO.4 GT OVER FSU


TECH, FSU RENEW DOMINATING RIVALRY
I did not know this:

Tech or FSU has won the past nine ACC baseball championships, with the Seminoles grabbing six and the Yellow Jackets three.

This is interesting also - the number of players drafted by year. Hard to decipher, but it's a bunch:

Georgia Tech and Florida State led the ACC in total players drafted the last dozen years.

1993 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 2000 '01 '02 '03 '04 Total

Tech 2 6 2 5 6 6 3 1 8 6 4 10 59

FSU 4 5 10 3 6 4 4 4 2 3 8 5 58

Golf: ACC Championship - Day 1

Jackets sitting in 2nd place at +5, right behind Duke. It took 3 Duke birdies on the finishing hole to take the lead. Of course the Jackets made up ground with 3 birdies of their own on 18...... Here are the individual scorecards.... Here the full team leadership with individual scores........ Clemson is viewed as one of the favorites along with Tech, but check out Tanner Ervin. His score didn't count today (only top 4 each day are counted), but check out 18 - quadruple bogey - ouch.......... Lastly, I was not aware that Miami did not have a golf team....


TECH ONE STROKE BACK


CLEMSON, GT FAVORITES


BLUEDEVILS SHOOT FOR LEAGUE TITLE
... and they're in the lead after round 1.