Hoops: Paul Hewitt Report

Paul Hewitt was in New York City last night and took time to speak to Yellow Jacket alums. He spoke about a variety of topics and said a lot of things of interest to Jacket fans. One of our readers, "JC", was there and sent me his re-cap of the night. However he wanted you to know these thoughts are from memory and will not capture the exact wording. We will try to capture the spirit of Coach Hewitt's comments though. There are some things that obviously could not be reported on this public forum:


1. He mentioned that he had signed Buck Fredrick's release yesterday morning.


2. We are recruiting another PG, and have been because of the Jack / Fredrick situations. No names mentioned of course. (However, keep your eye on Devin Stewart, a name I posted here some time ago before all this Fredrick fiasco).


3. Hewitt has a strong feeling that Austin Jackson will in fact be playing college basketball next season. The family is very education oriented. Nice things to say about him. Also, the beesball coach confirmed - he can hit!


4. Coach talked a lot about what a character person Jarrett Jack is - how he is a real ambassador for the Georgia Tech program. Also, Jack going to the NBA is not as much of a done deal as some might think (even Coach Hewitt it turns out). Coach did sit down with Jack a couple of weeks ago and Jack was very undecided. Jack loves Georgia Tech and would like to graduate and get his jersey retired. He also is hoping to be drafted higher and is currently projected 20-30...... We should fully expect Jack to declare for the draft in early May, not hire an agent, but then decide in early June if he will withdraw his name or not. It all depends on his workouts and where he moves on the draft boards. If he stays 20-30, there's a decent chance he will be in a Jacket uni next season........


5. Theodis Tarver was really coming on before his knee injury. Since that time, he was moved to the 4-spot because of Dickey and Luke at the 5-spot and was shaky there. He was willing to change for the team in order to add depth, but was really out of position. Coach thinks that he will be better next season, as he moves back to the 5-spot.


6. Anthony Morrow is a shooter, but deferred to the upperclassman during the season. Coach was not surprised at that based on the high school he attended (Charlotte Latin), and he expects a lot more from A-Mo next season.


7. When he first committed, Alade Aminu was not expected to contribute a lot his freshman year. However, as his season progressed, every game Coach Hewitt saw him play (except one), he kept getting better and better. Coach expects that Aminu could be a major contributor this season.


8. Coach praised both Jeremis Smith and Ra'Sean Dickey. He said that without Jeremis, we don't get to the ACC tourney finals and to the NCAA's.


9. Luke Schenscher is considering working out this summer in California to help his draft stock.


10. Through all the adversity this past season, the team never lost focus and never fell apart. They stayed focused on winning and Coach had nothing but praise for everyone.


11. T-Mac wants to play pro ball (in Europe or wherever) and Coach wants him back as a graduate assistant. If not now, it is likely to happen in the future, as Hewitt really thinks highly of T-Mac.


12. Georgia Tech needs a real practice facility to help with our recruiting. It is a real disadvantage when recruiting against the Duke's, Carolina's and other majors. To consistently land these McDonald AA's that are interested in Tech, we need upgraded practice facilities.