The Good News

Ok, so there was some good news. The NCAA released it's first "official" academic progress report that will result in loss of scholarships for those schools not meeting minimum standards. The good news - Georgia Tech will lose no 'ships in any sport. The full report will actually be released Wednesday, but Tech publicity decided that good news was needed to supercede the newly minted lawsuit just filed against them.

"We pride ourselves on being a good academic institution," Tech athletics director Dave Braine said. "We should have people who can do the work. This proves that we do."

UGAg chose NOT to release their results yet...........

Like a Bad Horror Movie

....... that just won't end. Now there are allegations of a cover-up high up in the athletic administration. As a bonus prize, why don't we throw in a wrongful termination lawsuit. No, I'm not kidding - check it out.

"It's unbelievable he'd accuse the president of a university of a cover-up," Braine said Tuesday. "[The NCAA] looked at it. There was never any intent to cover up anything. It's unbelievable he would say that. He might end up being sued for libel."

Want my opinion? I think the whole thing stinks. This could be sour grapes from a jilted former employee. This could be truth uncovering its head. Which is it? Personally, I hate to chose sides at this point. The old innocent until proven guilty seems fair. However, one thing has always bothered me about this sequence of events of this whole mess - the anonymous tip the NCAA got about issues inside the department. Well, we all know anonymous tips tend to come from "inside" - who else is going to know? Who else is going to worry so much that they want to remain anonymous? So if "someone" inside knew, that means many people inside probably knew. If the tip was "anonymous" then obviously "someone" didn't like what was going on and feared for their job. It seems pretty obvious to connect the dots and say that Shane Olivett must be the whistle blower (although the article does not blatantly say that).


Quite frankly, if Olivett slammed Braine and the administration during his interview with the NCAA during this process, then it is quite obvious why we got probation and a seemingly unfair punishment compared to worse violations at other schools. The NCAA must have sniffed cover-up. Quite frankly, this appears to put a nail in the coffin of a potential reversal of judgement by the NCAA. Of course you never know, but this just makes the whole thing worse.


Now, having said all that - check this out. This is not the first time Shane Olivett has been involved with the NCAA. There's this.

Old article just prior to Olivett taking GT job:

Nearly nine months after the NCAA first started making inquiries into South Carolina's football program, investigators still are asking questions.


Former USC academic counselor Shane Olivett, now in the same position at Georgia Tech, met with an NCAA investigator two weeks ago to discuss matters related to USC, a Georgia Tech official confirmed Tuesday.


Jennifer Condaras, Georgia Tech's director of compliance, said Olivett gave her a "courtesy heads-up" before his meeting with an unidentified NCAA enforcement official. Condaras knew none of the details of the meeting.


"He's not allowed to talk to us about it," Condaras said. "Usually with those cases you're not allowed to."


Olivett, who worked at USC for two years before departing last fall, did not return phone messages Tuesday.

Check out this quote from Olivett on the USC matter with Lou Holtz and how he was told to handle these matters:

"That the easiest way to say is, 'You don't have any knowledge or recollection, please refer to my supervisor," Shane Olivett, who left USC for Georgia Tech,told investigators. "That was explicitly stated in that meeting. ... Do not keep memos like that. Do not keep a file in your office about those things. Delete e-mails that could be harmful, was the way he described it."

Whever the truth lies, it stinks. We don't look good. Olivett is starting to smell. The whole thing just stinks..


NOTE TO DAN RADAKOVICH - WELCOME TO GEORGIA TECH!!!!! Glad to have you with us!!!

Beesball - ACC Sweeps the Polls

The ACC holds the top 3 spots on the new Baseball American top 25 poll.


#1.... Clemson
#2.... Georgia Tech
#3.... North Carolina
#10... FSU
#18... NC ST


Outstanding start to the season.

Hoops - Dennis Scott Makes a Proposal to Terrell Owens

How about this - Dennis Scott, now the GM of the Atlanta Vision, have offered Terrell Owens a professional basketball contract. Legit move to win or a publicity stunt? What do you think?

Football - Calvin Johnson - "Workout Freak"

ESPN thinks Calvin Johnson is the nation's #2 "workout freak" in college football.

2. Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech: The 6-5, 235-pound junior is the most dynamic wideout in the country and has the total package. "Along with freakish skills, he has an unbelievable work ethic to match," says Tech director of player development Eric Ciano. "Calvin leads by example and he never complains or quits. His athletic ability is second to none. His first semester at Georgia Tech, Johnson vertical jumped 43 inches and had a standing long of 11-2. He has run consecutive 4.3 40-yard dashes at 235 pounds. He also power cleans over 330 pounds with ease. His strength, speed, and explosiveness are unmatched."

Hoops - Jackets Knock off the Deacs

A nice victory for the Jackets on Saturday, knocking off the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the battle to stay out of the cellar. If you really want to know the impact of not having a top-notch Point Guard, watching this game surely hit it home for you - from a Wake Forest perspective for sure. Here we are grumbling about the inability of a bunch of freshman and sophomores to "get it together" and Wake Forest, with NBA caliber talents Justin Gray and Eric Williams is in the ACC basement. Go figure. Shows you how important Point Guards really are, no matter how much experience you have in other positions.


By the way, we just signed papers to put our house on the market in Greenville SC as we prepare for the move to Albany NY. Certainly a time of mixed emotions. Hopefully nothing a good sports satellite package can't cure.

Hewitt on the New AD

During Coach Hewitt's call-in show today, he had some pretty strong words to fans who are crying sour grapes over the new AD. At one point he said this:


- "If you want to complain and take your ball home, fine. Just give up your tickets and we'll give them to someone else"............ These comments were basically making the point that people just need to get behind the new guy. He's our guy, so give him your support.


- He met with both candidates. He was very impressed with Bill Curry and D-Rad had a lot of interesting ideas about on how to improve GT athletics. D-Rad told him one of his first goals was to improve marketing at GT.


In addition to this, he had VERY strong words about the hoops program this year.


- He said the season has not gone how he expected it and that it was NOT acceptable. He said that from what the coaches have learned, what the players have learned and from their desire not to go through this again, and from the current state of recruiting, that "we will never have a season like this one again".


- In addition, he said some players need to get in even better shape. Said Jeremis Smith needs to lose another 5-6 pounds. Didn't mention Zam, but we all know he could drop another 10-15 lbs easy.


- Said next year's recruits will really provide the depth the team needs to keep people fresh.


- Once again there was talk of M.Faye. Coach said he's coming along nicely and is a real unknown by others. Said he should be able to contribute next season. Coach said he is trying to develop a team with a power forward who can guard further out and even has a good mid-range jumper, and yet be big enough to mix it up inside. Wes Durham compared Faye to Jawad Williams. Coach Hewitt compared him to I.Evtimov.


Strong stuff!!!

Hoops - Recruiting Never Stops

In case you were wondering, there were a load of major in-state recruits at the game last night, including stars from the classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009. At least 8 major recruits watched last night and spent time with the team in the lockerroom after.

Hoops Template - Jackets Lose to (insert opponent here)

Well, the Jackets started off strong tonight against (insert opponent here). They went up by double digits through hot shooting and activity on defense as the (insert opponent mascot name here) seem to be cold from everywhere. However, in the 2nd half the Jackets seemed to go through a cold stretch at a critical time as (insert opponent name here) just took advantage of a stale offensive halfcourt game, turnovers and poor ball movement. In the end the Jackets lost in a fairly close game to (insert opponent mascot here), and just couldn't do the small things at the end to make the win happen. It was the big man (insert opponents center here) who really made the difference tonight for (insert abbreviated opponent mascot name here).





Ok, so maybe I'm a little hard on the guys because this did happen to be the #1 in the nation. But regardless of the fact that this was Duke, the loss was a blueprint, carbon-copy in so many ways of how this team loses. Thirty minutes of brilliance and 10 minutes of utter helplessness. All this proves is that this team has the ability to play WITH any team in the nation, but that's the problem - they're only learning how to play WITH their opponent (well, for most of the game), instead of living up to their potential.


The final was 73-64, but I'm proud of the group. They did NOT embarrass themselves at all. They just showed the impact of youth and lack of leadership. Same old, same old.


WATCH THE LOCKDOWN
When our opponent decides to lockdown the perimeter, it usually works. Not only do we miss shots or not take them, we forget how to pass the ball. The Jackets were 1-4 from 3pt range tonight. Let me type that again - 1-for-4. Duke played terrible D in the first half and we really exploited that down low. The 2nd half was a different story as Duke just did the same thing the Tarheels did -with similar results.


JEREMIS SMITH - WARRIOR!
Man, Jeremis. No, I mean Jeremis is a man. That guy is tough and boy does he work hard. He told Wes in the post-game show that he was doing fine. He said when he got hurt, as long as there was no broken bones you have to go back in the game. Smith ends the game with 18 points and 12 boards and a couple of blocks. Here's to you for yet another blue-color tough-man effort.


DICKEY - YOU DA MAN
Sean Dickey has really shown us something that past 10 or so games. It's interesting - we knew what he had in the post........... but he's got a dang good jump shot - even close to 3pt range. When Chris Bosh was here he would take about 1 or 2 long range shots per game, but he hit over 40% of them if I remember. But it was almost not right when he took them - like it didn't fit into a Paul Hewitt offense. What if Dickey could develop and take a consistent shot from about 10 - 15 feet out? What if he took a handful of those each game? Could it open up the inside even more? Could it change the dynamic of the game?


Key coaching question of the game - why didn't we design some better plays to get the ball down low to Dickey once Sheldon Williiams had 3 fouls? We tried the old "throw it into the post" a few times and had some key turnovers. Why didn't we go after him with something to get him the ball more effectively? What happened there? Dickey disappeared a bit in the 2nd half once the Dukies decided to play tough perimeter D.


ZAM - DAY AND NIGHT
Zam ends the night with 9 assists. Wow.......... Uuuhhhhhh........... 9 turnovers to go with that. Ouch.


WALKING WOUNDED
A-Mo thigh bruise.......... Rio cramps............. J-Smith back spasms............... Hard enough to win when everyone is healthy. A-Mo was MIA as he struggled with that thigh bruise.


Look at the bright side - the kids played hard. The fought. They don't give up. They just don't know how to close it out yet. They'll get there. The games might be ending in losses, but every game has offered hope. It's not like these guys are getting the floor wiped with them. They are close. They might not figure out how to get over the hump, but man they're close.


If that doesn't do it for you then how about this - we had some timeouts left at the end of the game. Well, I tried.

A Great Story

Now, you want to read a GREAT story? Read about Eric Massey. I'm telling you - this is what collegiate athletics is all about. READ IT!!!!!!!!

Meet your new Athletic Director

Dan Radakovich is your new Georgia Tech Athletic Director - per the AJC.......



It's hard to fault this choice. He's got all the credentials. The only issue that people will have to get past is not being a "Tech man", and coming from the SEC. Well, that and having to spell out his name, which I am already somewhat frustrated with........


Congrats Mr. Radakovich. Like I said yesterday, it's hard to imagine how we could have go very wrong with either choice, but I think the right choice was made.

Beesball - Jackets Sweep Double Header

Nice effort, taking 2 from East Tenn State yesterday......... Jackets are now 8-0

Hoops - If JJ Redeck Breaks the Record....

.... what do you think will happen? Will they stop the game? Will they continue play? Will he be honored? Will the audience cheer and clap for his accomplishments? Will they boo him? What do you think will happen?

AD Announcement at 3:00 pm today

Stay tuned because at 3:00 today we'll know who our next Athletic Director will be..............................

Editorial Time - Head or Heart?

Ok, I tried not to weigh in on this AD search too much. However, I have to give my two cents. We have a real spread of opinion about Bill Curry. The most general way to characterize this is that the older and more influential alumni want Bill Curry to have the job...... Period......... The vast majority of them are pressuring the administration for a "Tech man". Sorry, but I don't buy it. Dan Radakovich came a bit out of left field, but his qualifications for the job are CLEARLY superior to Bill Curry's. How can anyone possibly dispute that fact?


Do I have a problem with the fact that Bill Curry left Tech to coach at Alabama? No way, and you shouldn't either. That is not a good reason for him to lose this job. Does it bother me that people call him a Tech man but he hasn't been to Bobby Dodd Stadium but once or twice in the past 20 years? Well, a little, but not a lot....................However, there are some good reasons he shouldn't have it. First, he does not have the qualifications and experience to be a major college athletic director. If raising money and having great sound bites on television were the top requirements then maybe he's our guy. In my opinion, AD's are better neither seen nor heard when it comes to the media. So why are people so googly-eyed over Bill Curry's ability to talk good on TV? Curry just doesn't have the administrative experience to take care of the behind the scenes work of an AD. Just my opinion. Do you want a guy learning this side of things in the twighlight of his years? I just don't see it.


Ask yourself this question. If there was another candidate with the exact IDENTICAL qualifications as Bill Curry - with one difference - he went to school somewhere else - would you hire him? Would you hire a former player turned football head coach with a ok track-record, that bounced around to different schools, then decided to be a broadcaster? Would you do it if he was an Auburn grad? or an Oklahoma grad? Is being a "Tech man" so important to you that qualifications take a backseat?


Believe me, I understand that Bill Curry is a great embassador for Georgia Tech. I have no doubt what colors he bleeds. No doubt he's a Tech man to the core. Having said that I just don't think he's the best candidate for the job between these two.


Dan Radakovich has the experience and the credentials for the administrative side of the job. He's practically the AD at LSU now, overseeing football, basketball and baseball, including a national championship football team. He has been involved in all aspects of the AD job there, including hires, personnel issues, facilities upgrades, etc. He has a degree in finance and an MBA. He played football also (at Indiana U). He's the "young up-and-comer"............. Here is an interesting article where a UGAg sports business class actually did a project to identify who they thought should be the next AD at Auburn. Who did they pick? Try Radakovich. Pretty interesting. Of course it is from a bunch of mutts, so take it with a grain of salt.


So, I said my peace. Truthfully, there are pro's and con's on both sides. Is Radakovich going to focus on winning or be President Clough's "yes man". That worries some people. Does he truly understand the challenge that comes with succeeding at Georgia Tech and the unique acadmic / athletic balance? How can we be sure?...............Does Curry have the superior ability to raise money from alumni? If he has the older generations in his pocket, then the purse strings might open more for him. Is Curry going to know what to do to ensure that "flunkgate" and the other issues that have plagued the school won't happen again? Having said that, don't forget that LSU is battling lawsuits from those professors who were asked to change grades a number of years ago to keep players eligible. Remember that? The result was that a bunch of players played in the Peach Bowl a few years back and beat a certain Georgia Tech football team, when they should have been disqualified. Remember that? Now, Radakovich may have had nothing to do with that, but LSU hasn't had a perfect track record either............... Will Curry truly unite the fanbase split that has occurred the past few years? Folks, I'm sorry, but there is only one thing that unites a fanbase - run a clean program and win. Period. If we don't win and clean up our recent "messes", neither of these guys will unite anything...................... There are just a lot of questions that I'm not sure have easy answers.


Bottom-line....... You have a young but experienced candidate for the job skills required and you have an older, less experienced candidate as the sentimenal favorite because he's an alumni. Truthfully, I don't think we can go too wrong either way............... on one condition. If Bill Curry gets hired, we better darn well have an experienced administrator as his right-hand man. I don't know anyone in the current admin, but let's face it - we have had more problems the last 4 years than anyone wants to bring up, so they aren't getting it done. If Curry just takes over the current admin group, then I'm going to have that nagging feeling in the back of my head - is something happening right now that's going to screw up our chances 5 years from now. I have that feeling now. I want it to disappear.


In a one-on-one choice, winner take all, I give the nod to Radakovich. If Curry has a good "right-hand man", then I can buy into his choice as well. Stay tuned - should be interesting.............


One last note - hiring Radakovich will take MAJOR courage by Clough. I'm sorry, but I'm sick of hearing about "influential older alumni". I know money talks, but the safe move by our President would be to hire the guy that all the "big money" wants. If Curry fails, he can throw it right back in their face and tell them to shut up and let him do his job now. If he steps out and hires Radakovich, Clough is going to eat dirt publicly if he doesn't work out. I have a strong feeling Clough wants Radakovich, so we'll see what happens................It is also important to note that not all older alumni like or want Bill Curry. That is certainly a generalization, although it is certainly a vast majority.


Ok, I lied - one last note. This decision is a heart / head thing. Almost any Georgia Tech fan or alumni deep in his heart likes Curry as the choice. But any sane person using their head can see that Radakovich is a better choice. So what's better - heart or head? I say go with the head, but what do I know.

Tech AD hunt gets down to two | ajc.com

Tech AD hunt gets down to two ajc.com

Interesting difference in choices - the older alumni former coach and the young non-technie up-and-comer. Seems like it will be hard to go wrong either way.


Who would you chose? Vote in the new poll in the right-hand column.

Hoops - Dickey versus Smith

I watched most of the replay of the game, only to find out my "TIVO" (actually Moxi) did not record the last 3 minutes of OT, even though I told it to stop recording 30 minutes late. Ouch.


Anyhow, I have one interesting point to discuss. I didn't see anyone talking about Ra'Sean Dickey's mid-range jumper making a stronger appearance against Maryland. I have to tell you, it's a good looking shot and even when he misses, it's usually pretty close. Nice form, nice arc - I like what I see. It's an element of his game I wasn't really expecting. All-in-all, I have to say that Dickey's offensive game has really developed this season and he seems to have conquered (for now) whatever mental lapses he was going through.


On the other side of the lane, there's Jeremis Smith. Our new AJC beat writer (doing a nice job by the way), referred to Jeremis as the "requisite garbage man". Honestly, that's not far off. He has some nice post moves and his patience on the pivot foot usually causes defenders to commit letting him score. However, his jump shot just looks bad. Sorry, I don't know any other way to put it. It looks so awkward, and it's obvious that this is a part of his game that his actually been dwindled down since entering college. Funny, because Smith was known as having a decent jump shot in high school. I just don't know where it went.


So you have Dickey developing a mid-range game as a bit of a surprise and having success with it. On the other side you have Smith, who's game is turning into a blue-collar clean-up one.


What do you think about what you've seen from their games? Has Jeremis Smith tapped out his potential? Where do you think we'll see his game go next? What about Dickey? Where do you see his game developing?

Hoops - Jarrett Jack / Chris Paul Mention

Article on Chris Paul with this mention about Jarrett Jack, as the two hung out recently:

(photo: Nate Billings for ESPN)

Perhaps that was never more evident than Tuesday night, when Paul chilled with Portland rookie and former ACC counterpart Jarrett Jack. The two NBA infants swapped stories about the first four months of their professional lives, discussing everything from the right way to address a referee ("Don't ever call him Mr. Ref," Jack explained) to Kobe's brilliance ("I remember when he had 19 in the first quarter on us and I was like, 'Speedy, we gotta do something. He's on pace for 76,'" Paul said.). In between, they ogled a pair of pink, purple and green pastel Nike Air Force Ones in Paul's living room while watching Duke hammer Wake Forest, Paul's alma mater.

But when it came time to talk about their lives in the league, things couldn't have been more different. While Paul lives in Oklahoma City with his brother, Jack lives in Portland by himself. "And it's lonely," he said. "You get so bored you can't stand it."

While Paul has become not only the featured guard but also the featured player on his team, Jack is fighting for playing time with three other guards, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon and Sebastian Telfair. While Jack, who played at Georgia Tech, is a cross-country flight away from home, Paul is only a couple of hours from North Carolina.

Even during Wednesday night's game, a 102-86 Hornets victory, a stranger could see the difference in the NBA lives of the two rookies. Paul drives the lane and draws a hard foul -- and his four teammates are there to help him up. Jack drives the lane and draws a hard foul -- and he walks to the free throw line without a teammate saying a word. Or even patting him on the back.

"When you stop to think about it," Chris says. "A lot of it is luck. It's just the way it worked out. I was blessed."

The Miss

Beesball Team Goes to 6-0

Alright, the beesball team is now 6-0. Murmers of starting pitching concerns should be somewhat quieted after Jacket pitchers only gave up 2 earned runs to Kennesaw in a 3-game series. Tim Ladd got his first collegiate start and made the best of it, going 5 shutout innings for the win. Story here. Keep it up boys.