Clemson gambled and won...

Check this out - Clemson brought in about 100 recruits this past weekend for the FSU game - a HUGE gamble, but I bet it will be paying off.

UNC review of their win over Wake Forest

Interesting re-cap of UNC and what we will face this weekend. Bottom line with UNC - they put up points and give up points.

Also, if you really want to read about the Duke game, here is a "good, bad and ugly" review.

ESPN Bowl projection update

The boys at ESPN now have 2 votes for us at the Humanitarian Bowl and one for the Tangerine Bowl. CFN also has us in the Humanitarian Bowl. Anyone like blue turf?

Where are they now - Mark Teixeira & Marlon Byrd get ROY votes

Mark Teixeira received 9 votes for AL Rookie-of-the-Year (5th place) and Marlon Byrd receive 6 votes for NL ROY (4th place). Nice going guys!!!!!!

If you are not sure you remember Marlon Byrd well (like me), click here for a detailed story about his history. Now I know why - he damaged his leg as a freshman at GT goofing off, had 3 surgeries, got over 300 lbs and lost his scholarship. Went to Georgia Perimeter Junior College (I thought this was a joke - some reference to GT) for re-hab and now starts for the Phillies. Hard to feel like he is a "GT guy", but congrats anyhow.

For complete ROY coverage, click here.

Jeremis Smith journal

Jeremis has entered his latest journal entry at the Dallas Star Telegram. Not really that much about GT and his thoughts on the program, coach etc.

GT / UVA game may be broadcast on ABC

ABC may broadcast the GT/UVA game - they have taken an "option" on it. If they don't, looks like Jefferson Pilot will however.

Hoops previews

More "informed" commentary from prognosticators on ACC hoops in the coming season. Basically for GT it is all about the loss of Bosh and Nelson and how the backcourt must step up.

- Article on the good sophomore class in the league (with mention of the loss of Bosh, BJ comments also)
- SportsNetwork preview of the ACC.

Also, here is an article on "Ish" (not sure why everyone uses this as his nickname since there is no "H" in his first name). Also gives brief mention about Tech's recruiting class. Hey, John Hollis, do you know why Tech's recruiting class has been "quietly" built, as you put it? One reason - you have not written squat about it!! To those close to GT hoops, it has not been "quiet".

Randolph Morris article from CNN/SI

Caught this today about Morris. All you can say, is after reading this, my hopes of him having a year in college are even smaller. Here is a link to the full story about players going pro early. It also mentions Marbury and Bosh as well. The Morris story is the sidebar piece. This kid sure has a lot of pressure on him.

Center of attention
One phenom's weighty NBA decision

Like most high school seniors, Randolph Morris is trying to figure out his postgraduation plans.

Unlike his classmates at Landmark Christian High in Fairburn, Ga., however, one of Morris' potential options involves making several million dollars by this time next year.

A 7-foot center with silky-smooth post moves whose resemblance to Tim Duncan goes well beyond his No. 21 jersey, Morris is considered one of the top 10 prospects in the high school class of 2004. Two of his Atlanta Celtics AAU teammates, center Dwight Howard and small forward Josh Smith, are widely expected to enter next June's draft, with Howard projected to go No. 1. Many wonder whether Morris will join them.

But here is where Morris' story differs from those of many others who have faced the same decision. He is a highly articulate 3.6 student from a stable family who scored an 1,100 on his SAT. He plays at an academically driven school where the team's cumulative GPA is a 3.5 and every player runs if any one of them gets a C in a class.

If any 18-year-old has the maturity to stave off the NBA's temptations for a year or two, Morris is it.

"If I don't take the money, it's still going to be there when I decide to go," said Morris. "You have to look at the NBA as a job," said Morris. "They don't care about you as much as a person, just how much you can score, how many rebounds you can get."

To that end, Morris often uses the word "family" to describe his two college finalists, Georgia Tech and Kentucky. ("It will come down to the location for Georgia Tech and the overall tradition at Kentucky," said Morris.) He plans to make a decision in the spring.

In the meantime, if he has as strong a senior season as expected, the NBA question will continue to linger. Representatives from several teams, as well as Marty Blake, the league's director of scouting, have already contacted Landmark coach Brian Bartley, and at least one agent has tried to approach Morris with gifts. Morris has consulted with previous players who have faced the same decision, including Donnell Harvey and James Lang, and he and Bartley have had several conversations about the many recent early-entry failures.

"He's a very intelligent guy," said Bartley. "I just pray he makes the right decision."
-- Stewart Mandel

Hoops team to start playing Sienna

Looks like we will begin adding Sienna to our hoops schedule in 2004-2005. Obviously there is a connection:

- they beat us in the NIT in 1994.
- Paul Hewitt used to coach Sienna

Of course it sounds like they are interested only in the Jackets making the trip to Albany NY. I used to live there are have been to the Pepsi Arena a few times. Nice place but sure is a long way to go.

Will we ever learn????!?!?

I had bittersweet feelings this weekend after hearing about the Jackets getting killed--absolutely embarrassed--by Dook and then looking at the ACC standings afterwards and thinking about where I had us picked to finish.

Yeah, I predicted a Duke loss (as I incorrectly did for most of the other games as well) since I had us finishing with a maximum of four wins (2 ACC victories) at the beginning of the season. Here's my favorite quote from Bryan on the comment page after I wrote about why we'd lose:

"Walt, you are wrong. Dead Wrong. Roof's defenses as a coach (not player) leaked like [a] sieve. Add to that the talent gap between Duke and Tech, and the Jakets (sic) roll, 24-3. Don't be confused by the fact that Duke hung with Tennessee for a half. Tennessee was playing Duke between a 4 OT road win and a trip to Coral Gables to play Miami. The combination of a letdown game and a look ahead game. The Vols woke up at halftime and blew Dukies out."

The problem with that post is that Bryan is RIGHT if you believed that the Jackets had elevated their game to be a team that wins the games they are supposed to. I don't think that Tennessee is a great team, but they're one of those teams that can have a bad day and win. We couldn't hold Duke to 17 points or less even though they don't have a passing game and we're supposedly a running defense to reckon with? We deserved to lose.

Moreover, we've been drawn into this illusion that Ball is actually a seasoned QB who might be immune to the 3 INT bad game that he had on Saturday. All of this adds up to discussions about how the Jackets will get into the Gator Bowl that we/I participated in...so I guess it's time to pick up the pieces and look forward to a more motivated team against UNC and then a competitive team against UVA. Strangely, the Jackets are still in this, particularly if they win their next two games to end up 5-3 in the ACC!

I was hanging out with my friends in Atlanta after a bad Tech hoops loss in 1991 or so, and we had an interesting discussion about whether or not it was better to go to the Tournament every year and occasionally make the sweet 16 or to win the big one every 20 years and endure mediocrity after big names leave. I lobbied for the former, while others thought that without that magical championship (that we don't have in hoops) the fight is pointless. So I understand the vitriole that is surely spewing forth on other pages, but we're a young team so we should again ratchet down the expectations as I've tried to do in (most of) my postings and be happy that we are still positioned well to go to a bowl with some good performances in a year we were never given a chance. Isn't it fun to be talking about football in November despite the grim predictions at the outset of the season? Beats the heck out of talk of rebuilding....

Reports are that Randolph Morris will wait until spring to sign

Some recruiting sites are reporting that Randolph Morris will wait until spring to decide his hoops future. Certainly will not help GT's chance of landing this kid. This just gives KY and others (NBA) more time to pound other ideas into his head. Hopefully Hewitt can remain in the lead and hang tough, but time will tell.

Randolph Morris, a 6-11 center out Fairburn (GA) Landmark Christian, will not be signing during the early fall period. Morris’ father, when reached on Sunday evening, stated that his son would wait until the spring period to sign with a school. He confirmed that the schools involved are Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Clemson. There exists a chance others could get involved throughout the season but Morris’ father said that as of right now, that’s who the No. 11 prospect was looking at.

Critical week for our future with Randolph Morris

Well, keep checking back. This is a critical week in our recruitment of Randolph Morris. Check out this blurb from a Kentucky paper:

This week represents a signpost in the recruitment of Randolph Morris, a heralded 6-11 player from Atlanta. Georgia Tech has long been considered the favorite. His brother is a manager on the team. If he doesn't sign in November, that gives UK all winter to beat Tech for Morris.

Another short blurb in a SC paper said the following:

Basketball. Clemson played host to center Randolph Morris of Palmetto, Ga., for an official visit over the weekend. Morris’ father also was on hand for the visit which included watching the Tigers’ exhibition game Friday night. Morris also has made official visits to Kentucky and Georgia Tech. He will not sign until the spring and he continues to favor Georgia Tech.

So Randolph and his dad were at the Clemson/FSU game. Also, I don't think the writer in this case actually knows that Morris will sign in the spring. Looks like another case of the media making a guess. As soon as we hear something concrete, we will post details here.

Also, check out this national high school hoops team poll, released last Friday. You will find Jeremis Smith's team, Dunbar High, in Texas, at the #6 spot. Here is the blurb about the team:

6. Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) 37-1 (7)
Four senior starters are back from a Wildcat team that won its last 35 games and the state Class 4A title. The leader of the pack is 6-5 all- stater Jeremis Smith, who averaged 25.2 points and 12 rebounds. Other vets are 6-3 Dominique Williams (13.1 ppg), 6-3 Jeffrey Muriel (11.6 ppg) and 6-4 Jared Whatley (6.7 ppg). Last season's Student Sports National Coach of the Year, Robert Hughes, is the all-time winningest coach nationally with a 45-year record of 1,282-248.

Where are they now - Joe Burns

Buffalo Bills update: Second-year running back Joe Burns played on special teams at Kansas City and rushed three times for six yards vs. Washington and caught one pass for three yards at New York. The second-year back out of Georgia Tech recorded his first NFL start vs. the Eagles and established a career high in rushes with eight for 17 yards and also posted a career-best three receptions for 34 yards. On the year, Burns has posted 27 carries for 66 yards and five receptions for 43 yards.

In other sports....

The volley chicks beat Wake Forest 3-0. They are #7 in the nation with a 26-1 (14-1 ACC) record.

The golf team finished in 3rd place at the Hooters Championship.

Lastly, here is a look ahead to Monday night's hoops game against the SE All-Stars.

You have got to be kidding me....

The current odds (Sunday night) on GT/UNC is GT favored by 11.5 points. You are kidding! Obviously a win over WF (by UNC) does not matter and a thrashing of GT at the hands of Duke did not change much. Well the Jackets will have ANOTHER chance to prove they can win as a favorite.

Newest football recruit

Tech got another commit from a top 100 Georgia player. Jamal Lewis is a 6'0" 167lb cornerback with very good speed (4.44-40). Could make a nice compliment to Kenny Scott in years to come. Welcome Jamal - you made the right decision. GO JACKETS!!!

Crazy day in college football

What a crazy day

- Duke ends a 30 game ACC winless streak (wait a minute..that was against us)
- UNC beats Wake Forest
- Clemson beats FSU (FSU out of the title picture)
- VaTech loses to Pitt (VaTech out of the title picture)
- Miami loses to Tenn (Miami out of the title picture)
- OU wins 77-0

The current/future ACC looked pretty poor today.

Well what can you say about losing to Duke

The Tech nation is upset, disappointed and frustrated. What happened? Lack of preparation? Exucution? Bad game plan? Being favored? I don't think it really matters. Chan will work on fixing whatever the problem is.

I am disappointed because of what this season was becoming. But now we have to come back crashing to reality again and face what we have - a young talented inconsistent team. There will be much unrest on the discussion boards. All I can say is that I support Chan Gailey 100%. I can see a vision for where this team is going. We have to exercise patience and trust. We can be disappointed, but lets support our team.

So to the team - think about what happened, then shake it off. Lace'em up and practice hard this week. Realize the you are capable of beating anyone and losing to anyone. It will take your A-game every week. Get ready for UNC - there is still time to end the season on a high note. Two more ACC games and as always, the pups.

Show us what you are made of!! Go JACKETS!!!

Going to the NBA early....

Did you know that Carmello Anthony and Chris Bosh were the ONLY freshman to go to the NBA this year??? I certainly did not realize they were the only ones. This is a good article about the mentality of coaches going after those 5-star recruits. The bottom line is that you probably want a mixed group - 8-10 players that will stay 3-4 years, provide leadership and stability, then you want to bring in 2-3 guys that will be 1-3 year players (if they develop). That way you have some fluidity, but also have that high impact talent to take you to the next level.

Was Chris Bosh that high impact player - we have discussed this many times here. He had great stats and was hard to defend, but the offense did not flow effectively through him IMO. A 5-star center is not going to take you to the final four, but a wing scorer/slasher can - a la Anthony. Big men are just hard to integrate into an offense - it can take 2-3 years. But once they are "in the flow" watch out. UConn may be a perfect example of that this year with Ekafor.

Did you say Hooters???

We're not talking spotted owls here. The GT Golf team beats USC in the 1st round of match play at the Hooters Match Play Championship.

Another article on the challenge of expectations

Another story highlighting the difficulty this team has playing when expectations are high. And here are some misc. notes, including pontificating about ESPN's bowl prognosticators. Here is another short story on James Butler.

One other game on tap today: Colorado vs Missouri - wonder who will get 5 downs in this one (Tech fans know what I'm talking about).

See pictures of the 1st exhibition hoops game

Here is a link to some excellent pictures from the Nike / GT game. This is "the Gooley" and there is a permanent link on the left.

Also, check out this link for more pics of the game - not as good quality, but good. Thanks for posting them.

Bear Bryant's 1974 pre-game speech before playing GT

Nice article on the role of the pre-game motivational speech. Notice the inset on the right that shows the Bear Bryant's pre-game speech before playing GT in 1974. Here is the text:

Bryant, at the pregame meal before Alabama beat Georgia Tech in 1974:

"Most of you will live another fifty years or more. I hope it's seventy, but if it's fifty that's still a good life, and what happens today you'll have to live with the rest of the way. You can't get it back if you don't win. It's sixty minutes and over. The losers are the ones who say, 'Oh I wish I could play it again.' You can't play it again.

Well, you're not really going to have to play sixty minutes. None of you. The longest play in a game is six and a half seconds. The shortest play is less than two seconds. That's barely a wink of the eye. You'll average five seconds a play. Five seconds of total effort, going all out, giving a hundred percent. You oughta be able to hold your hand in a fire that long.

If you're lucky enough to play seventy plays, that amounts to about six minutes. Six minutes of your time. Out of fifty years, six minutes doesn't seem like much. But a loser will regret it the rest of his life.

You've worked a long time for this. You've been playing since you were in the seventh grade. You go out there in front of all those people and don't give a hundred percent every play then you're cheating yourself, and your recruiters, and your parents, and your high school coach, and everybody whoever helped you. This is what you have been working toward. ...

In any big game there are five or six or seven key plays that will decide the outcome. If you put out for five seconds on every play, you'll get your share of those key plays. You never know when they'll come, so you have to go all out every time.

If you're reckless, and give that extra effort, and every play try a little harder, you'll see in the films on Monday that it was you who made those five or six plays that win. Play 'em jaw to jaw, and you'll win in the fourth quarter.

I don't think this game is as big for us as it is for Tech. We're on a longer road. We've got a bigger one next week, and the week after. Because the next game is always more important if you're going to to the top. And that's where we're going."

-- Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com

Also notice the story about how Brant motivated his troops at half time being down 15-0 in 1960 AGAIN against GT and they won 16-15.

non-sports news on Wesley Clark

Wesley Clark was at Georgia Tech this week spouting off about how we should not have gone to war with Iraq. I won't pontificate but just thought you might be interested.

Is Notre Dame regretting letting O'Leary go???

Story discussing the reversal of fortune for Notre Dame and George O'Leary since "resume-gate".

New additions to the site

I have added the men's basketball schedule on the left side. Also, notice that the game scores are actually now a live link to the game re-cap over at Ramblin Wreck. I will continue this for both football and basketball. Just a small touch.

Also, I have added a link to a new GT fan site I was tipped off to at Doyle Rainey's Unofficial Georgia Tech Fan Page. The link is on the left under "fan sites"

Duke writer's review of the GT/Duke game

Here is a write-up from a Duke writer's perspective on the Saturday game.

Caught "GT Sports Today" - recap with Chan Gailey

Worked at home today and caught the 30 minute show at lunch. Here is a re-cap of today's show.

Gailey is really hoping his team is mature enough to handle being favored on the road. We have some seniors that should help, but there are youngers players that need to learn what it is like to play at a high level every week. Ted Roof will definitely have this team ready versus his alma mater. Duke is a "good" team that leads the ACC in time of possesion because they can rush effectively. Rushed for about 180 yards against Tenn. Wes said that many are worried about this Duke team. Chan's response - "they should be. They are a good team. They may not have a good record but they are a good team.".

Did a special profile and Chris Ries. Chan said he does a lot of things for the team that "John Q Public" doesn't know about. Not only on the field but off - he is a good student and a leader on the team. He is also a spiritual leader as well. Just a great ambassedor for Georgia Tech. Actually said he was the first recruit Chan talked to when he got to GT to make sure everything was ok due to the changes. Came to Chan's hotel room with his family. Chris "stepped up and said - this is where I want to be". The interview with Chris focused on "Making Plays" - he said that is their focus. He is very happy with the offense and Reggie Ball - young but a lot of confidence, but the defense has really stepped up this year. Next he talked about a "bigger role". Yes he wants more minutes but he is happy with the situation. Now that the coaches know he can play, they are using him more in packages, blitzing him more and putting him in coverage. Next he talked about special teams - he likes to lead on the field, not with words. He said there are a lot of freshman so he likes to help out. If the guys want to accept him as a leader that's great and if not, that's ok too. Lastly, he talked about the fact that he loves the support he gets from his hometown of Roswell GA. He feels kind of like a hometown hero and he loves it.

Next segment talked about not looking ahead. Wes talked about how things are out on the table in a good way. Chan said we have to take things one game at a time. We are not even bowl eligible so it is premature to talk about bowls. Did say we "control our own destiny".

Next segment was on recruiting. Said he feels very good about the kids they are talking to. He said he is very clear with recruits that Georgia Tech does not run a "football factory". We are one of the top "academic athletic institutions in the country". Also said the re-vamped Bobby Dodd Stadium has already made a difference in recruiting - helped last year and is helping again this year. Also mentioned that bringing Miami and VaTech into the conference is making a difference. The kids know that by winning the ACC in future years, that means they can play for the "whole thing".

Next segment was a breakdown of Duke. Again, focused on their ability to control the ball through running. Said Ted Roof has instituted the wish bone - said Roof probably got frustrated with it from other teams, so he must have decided to put it in also now that he is head coach. They spent some time focusing on their defensive schemes. Said Duke's defense starts with a 4-3, 4 in the line, 3 back and then 4 in coverage. However, one thing Duke does a lot of is shift formations at the line. So to be successful running against Duke, we will have to recognize and adjust to their schemes.

Overall, a good show..........NOW LET'S CRUSH DUKE!!!!!

Recruiting - looking back

Check out this old article on the recruitment of Pat Carter, our back-up QB, who will likely be red-shirted this year. Notice the comment - "Gailey told him he would play during his freshman season". I wonder how reality sets in with these recruits? I mean, we only have 5-6 freshman quarterbacks in the COUNTRY starting this year. So it is a rarity. But Gailey DID prove that he will start a freshman - it was just Reggie B that won out.

I wonder how Pat Carter feels about the process. I wonder if he feels he got a real chance to win that job and will accept his back-up role. Obviously Al Pena did not like what he saw early on and transferred.

Anyhow, I am glad to see recruits impressed with Gailey, the school and the city. Winning this year should only improve our ability to attract the more talented players.

Hoops team wins exhibition opener

Well, a lot to be excited about and concerned about after our first game, an exhibition win over Team Nike 100-89.

- 'Ish scores 21 and has 10 boards (good)
- BJ gets 20 (good)
- Lewis adds 19 (good)
- Luke - 13 pts, 9 boards, 3 blocks (nice)
- 24 turnovers (ouch)

Obviously you cannot make too many judgements after the first game against real competition. For a perspective from some Jackets who went to the game, click here.

In other news, former Jacket Jason Collier gets drafted in the 1st round for the NBA developmental league. Also, Matt Harpring's grandmother passed away and will not play Friday as he attends her funeral. Our prayers are with you Matt.

Tony Hollings update

Q&A w/comments on Tony Hollings.

Q. Do you think Domanick Davis will be the overall answer over Tony Hollings? I think they should play tight end Rashod Kent more. How good is he?

A. As you know, Macmay, Davis has been superb in recent games, but don't give up on Hollings. Remember, he only played running back at Georgia Tech a few games before blowing out his knee. Next season, we'll be able to judge him more accurately. Because of his experience, it might even be the season after that before he truly learns what it takes to play the position, including as a blocker and receiver. As for Kent, remember he was a basketball player in college. Imagine how difficult it's been for him just to learn to block and get smashed by NFL players. Keep being patient.

- John McClain

Story on Eric Henderson

Nice story on a talented player. Well done story on overcoming tragedy on pushing on. Another reminder to focus on what's important in life.

In other news, Tony Hargrove has decided against a return to the Jackets and enter his name into the draft. What a terrible set of circumstances. But life goes on.

Goldline Jacket Report

Click here to see the Jacket Goldline E-Newsletter. Nice audio from Paul Hewitt and other GT sports news. If you want to sign up for the newsletter, click here.

Give me a BREAK - Chris Leak best frosh in the country - PLEASE!!!

Chris Leak may have come on strong in recent weeks, but this is yet another case of the media falling in love with a guy. Chris was the #1 recruit out of high school last year and was sought after by all the big programs. But he only got the starting job after the 5th games of the year. Is he doing well recently - YES. Is he the #1 true freshman in the country and Reggie Ball not in the top 5? - I don't think so.

Let's compare numbers:

Leak...119/198 (60.1%).....8 int's.....1594 yards.....10 TD's......177.1 yards/game.......team is 6-3.....strength schedule=9 (Sag)
Ball.....113/222 (50.9%).....6 int's.....1374 yards......7 TD's.......171.8 yards/game.......team is 5-3.....strength schedule=7

Now I know stat's are for suckers, but let's not pretend their results are that dramatically different. Ball is the man every bit as much as Leak.

Our boy Joe Hamilton signs a deal.....

with the Orlando Predators of the Arena football league. Check here for details. Good going Joe - at least you will get some PT now to prove that someone should have given you a chance long ago. I didn't realize he played in Europe and had a season ending knee injury. Interesting that the head coach of the Orlando team is Jay Gruden, brother of John Gruden, head coach of the NFL Bucs, the very team that released him this year.

Reading all his accomplishments in that article made me nostalgic again. He was good!!!

Here is the link from the Predator's website.

GO JOE!!

Top 200 teams of all time

There are some serious number crunchers on the web. Check out this list of computer's listing of the top 200 teams of all time. GaTech made the list 3 times (1952 #10, 1956 #113, 1947 #197)

Once you're done there, check out this page, which shows the "best programs" of all-time. Georgia Tech's program comes in at #16

Updates

....................................Football:

- Here is the info on radio coverage for the GT-Duke game
- Here is a link to the ACC games on tap for this weekend. The key match-up for GT is the Clemson-FSU game. If we actually thought there was a way for FSU to lose 2 games, we should root for them to lose to Clemson. That would give GT an opportunity to compete for a share of the conference lead. With Clemson's performance last week though, I'm not sure they could beat most high school teams. The other game is WF/UNC. We should probably root for UNC to go ahead and win and put WF out of competition for the 2nd spot in the ACC.
- For a general overview of the Duke/GT game, click here
- AJC article about the speedy defensive line.
- Macon Telegraph article about the defense (lots of props for the D). By the way did you know that Travis Parker and Eric Henderson are nicknamed "Chico and the Man".
- AJC article about James Butler being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award.
- Reps from the Peach Bowl will be in Durham watching the Jackets this weekend.
- Macon T - GT Notebook.
- Here is an article on college expansion from USA Today

...................................Basketball

- For a preview of tonight's matchup with Team Nike, click here.
- AJC blurb on Luuuuuuuuke S. who "......resembles...Bill Walton". (sorry - red hair only). By the way John Hollis, surely you can do better than this small blurb about Luke. What about our new recruits? What about a better team preview?
- Make sure to read this thread on the Marietta Club lunch with assis. coach Dean Keener - lots of insight, info you won't read in the media. And it was updated today with more info
- Macon Tel. article on the game tonight against Team Nike. (Have you noticed the outstanding job the Macon Telegraph does covering GT sports?
- Did you know that Tech has added a new walk-on to the team? Keith Jones, a 6'2" freshman from Austell GA.

Historical Football Chart

How about this chart to look at GT's history in football. As much as I can figure out, here is the legend:

PFPG (Points For per game = points we scored?)
PAPG (Points Against per game = points allowed?)

The green and red lines tracks these points. So you can see in 1990 that the PFPG was much higher than the PAPG, and of course we won the whole shooting match that year.

The blue line is out winning %. What you can really see from that line is that this program has really been cyclical the last 20 years. Of course, like that's not something we didn't already know.

If conference expansion is about TV money.....

Here's how the Big East changed with the addition of their new teams. See the bottom of the link for details for the TV markets. Certainly did well in the hoops arena.

By the way, has anyone noticed that the Big East adding 57 teams (slight sarcasm) has not generated any talk of "watering down" their conference, while that's all we heard about ACC expansion? What gives???? I'm sure it is only looking at a basketball perspective.

Listen to the Men's hoop game on the internet

Make sure to tune in on the internet Thursday night (if you cannot be there in person). WREK is carrying the exhibition game. See the link list details. Broadcast begins around 6:50pm with a pre-game show, visit with Paul Hewitt, etc.

Want to see the FULL BCS Rankings?

We typically only see the top 15 or so in the BCS Rankings. Know where GaTech stands in the BCS System? #35, pretty much inline with where the writers have us.

Want to see the motherload of every possible ranking system known to man. Click here. However, notice you can scroll to the right. I count 92 different polls catalogued on this page. That's right - 92. Our average rating of all those polls - #32 in the nation. The high is New York Times, who has us at #12 and a low of #44 by MCubed.net.

Don't ask me where all this crap comes from. I added a separate category to the link list for polls for tracking purposes. Make sure to check out the links.

Want to know how any college team has competed against any other college team? Click on this link, click "Query college football records", and you can pick the teams and see their history against one another. For example, I found out that GaTech has beaten Duke 8 times in a row and 12 of the last 13.

Good comments on the hoops team

Good update on the YellowJacket hoops team from "TOP10B" at the Hive after a Marietta Club lunchean with assist-coach Dean Keener. Good to see Tarver will probably not miss too much time and that Luke has elevated his game (in their eyes). And I'm getting more and more excited to see Will Bynum play. Let's remember that he has a highly sought after recruit out of high school. It just took his a little while to realize he chose the wrong team (AZ over GT). But he's home now.

Quick - go vote for the GaTech fight song at the ESPN "Fight Song Frenzy"

Quick - head over to ESPN here and vote for the GT fight song over Northwestern and Idaho!!!

Georgia Tech Hoops recruiting rankings move BACK out to #15

OCSN had us as the #10 recruiting class in the nation earlier in the week. Now they have moved us to #15. Not exactly sure who moved ahead of us, but I'm sure Duke is one (now #5), as today they landed Shaun Livingston, who almost all the "experts" consider one of the top 3 players in the country - and THE #1 point guard. Crap - last year they only landed one recruit (out of 'ships) - who did they get - the best guy BEHIND Lebron James. Crap.

Of course at the end of the day, these rankings don't mean a thing. Bottom line - we got some major game coming into the program next year. And if Randolph Morris does commit to Tech, I would put our ranking around #5 anyhow.

New link - Google news search

I have added a new link under "news" - a google news search for "Georgia Tech", sorted by date (most current links at top). Thought it might be a time saver for some of you searching for GT news on the net.

Bowden's final 3 games at Clemson will determine his fate

This article summarizes the current situation at Clemson. Sorry Tommy, I still think you are toast.

Notice the new search engine on the left pane

I have added a new search capability to the site. However, not sure how useful it will be. When you search for a term, it lists all the entries fine, but since this is a blog, it takes you to the page with the entry, which might have 30 other entries. I'll have to think further about how to make this more useful.

Thanks to Mark Lee at This Guy Falls Down for the tip on the search engine.

Hoops updates

Well, this guy may have gotten his journalism degree from GaTech. He misspells player names, gets stats wrong (like Jack was 2nd in the nation in assists????). "I ain't be no english major". Click here for story.

In other news, Hewitt has been named to best dressed coach in the ACC by collegeinsider.com. The story mentions that Hewitt was tabbed the "unluckiest man in the ACC" by Street and Smith in their preview edition. That is absolutely correct. This was a good story about Hewitt. KEEP THE FAITH - THIS GUY IS THE REAL DEAL!!!

Want a little proof of Hewitt's bad luck that you might not have known about? You know about Bosh, Nelson leaving, injuries,etc. How about this - see this article. Check out this paragraph:

Of great concern to coaches since its institution is the NCAA's "five-eight rule," which allows a school to give out no more than five scholarships in one year and no more than eight in two years. The rule was created to keep coaches from running off players they don't want and replacing them without repercussions. But there have been several cases where coaches trying to adhere to the spirit of the rule were not allowed exceptions for extraordinary circumstances. Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt faced such a situation two years ago when one of his players, Michael Isenhour, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and left basketball. Because of the rule, Hewitt was not allowed to recruit a player to take Isenhour's place on the team.

Do you know the punchline of this story??? RamblinRed on one of the boards said that they player we were trying to sign but could NOT because of this rule was - get this - Emeka Okafor!!! That's right - the pre-season #1 player in the country. Hewitt actually had 7 available scholarships his first year, but could only sign 5. He tried to get an exception for a 6th (because of the Isenhour situation) but was denied. Now tell me how lucky THAT is???

S.Hummer at AJC recognizes NY Times poll

Hey - remember my post on Monday about the New York Times poll that had GT ahead of UGAy using a computer model? Well, the AJC picked up on the story. Here is Steve Hummer's story using it to talk about the Jackets turnaround this year.

Wonder where the AJC picked up on the story?

Our man James Butler is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award

Kudos to James Butler. He is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award. Butler is the 3rd GT player to be a semi-finalist (Willie Clay and Ken Swilling finished 3rd).

Great recognition for the Tech "D", who was referred to as the "no name D" on Fox SS last night.

I have been calling him James "Big Play" Butler for a long time now. Now the media is recognizing that as well. See the AJC article.

The "Band of No-names" Rocks on "D"

Caught a nice feature on the Georgia Tech defense on the "Southern Sports Report" on Fox SS last night. Profiled the Tech D. Here are some quotes and comments:

- Referred to as a "Band of No-names", "over-achievers"
- "D creating a buzz nationally"
- KFox, DSmith were interviewed. Basically said they are in-synch now.
- "strategy - to rely on each other"
- "sound fundamental defense working for this surprise team in the ACC".
- "Gailey appears to be a lock for ACC Coach of the Year".
- "Tenuta might be assistant coach of the year".

Ryan Stewart was one of the desk commentators (who was a GT captain in the 90's). He made a couple of interesting comments:
- "We (players) didn't have respect for Bill Lewis. It was George O'Leary that kept us fired up".

By the way, also a short highlight of the chaos at Clemson. It mentioned the irony that a loss to his dad might mean the firing of Tommy Bowden. That guy is hanging on by a string.

If you really hate Duke (like me), you need to bookmark this site

This is candy for Dook haters. Check out this site, called www.truthaboutDuke.com. Absolutely classic stuff. I am sure this will come in handy during basketball season. Three cheers for Duke-haters!!! Hip-hip horay......hip-hip horay......hip-hip horay!!!!

Go Jackets!!

John Foschi story

Nice story on tight-end John Foschi.

The media machine cranks up again

While there will be plenty of positive articles about the Big East regrouping and strengthening themselves, I thought I would post one that is more negative. Why, because I'm an ACC guy, not a Big East guy.

New GT football link

Check out the new link for the GT Data Football Warehouse. Good site to see past records and history. I have added it to the links under "Football Extras" as "FB GT Data Warehouse".

Thanks to Walt for the tip on the site. We always welcome input on interesting sites pertaining to Georgia Tech. Just post a comment.

Vote for the ACC on ESPN

With the Big East expanding I'm sure there are going to be lots of Polls like this to get the fan's feel for who is the best conference, etc. So why not get our votes in for the ACC.

Here is one: ESPN vote.

Interesting look at our offense versus our opponents defense

If you look at how many points we have scored against our opponents and track that against where they are ranked nationally in total defense, here is the picture

Team..........Defense Rank...........GT Points
Auburn...............5...........................17
FSU...................12..........................13
Maryland............14..........................7
BYU...................21..........................13
Clemson.............38..........................3
Vanderbilt..........56..........................24
NC State.............89.........................29
Wake Forest.......100........................24

Remaining
Duke...................57
UNC....................116
UVA....................73

So what does this tell us??? Our offense struggles against teams that are in the top 50 defenses in the country and we can score points against those that are not. We know our defense is good enough to stop anyone. Just a matter of the offensive flow. Not exactly rocket science, but look at the remaining games. All NOT in the top 50 in defense. A good sign for GT.

Is the offensive output the last 4 games (minus Maryland) really a function of the quality of the defenses or the development of Reggie Ball in the offense. I would like to believe both, but I think the quality of defense plays a larger role. The Maryland game kind of confirmed that fact. Not taking away from Reggie, but let's be somewhat realistic here.

And lastly, once again, we all know that statistics are for suckers.

Bill Curry spews forth

Bill Curry sounds off about his view of the shabby treatment given to Ted Roof before he left GT.

"Ted's been in tough positions before, just like he was at Georgia Tech," said Curry, an ESPN analyst. "Unfortunately, my alma mater treated him very shabbily. And you can write that." - Bill Curry

Let's remember a couple of things though.

- Ted Roof played under Bill Curry, so there is some nepotism here
- I think Roof was planning on going to Notre Dame with O'Leary, then got hung out to dry
- He wanted to stay at Tech after that, but Gailey came in and built his own staff
- That's what new head coaches do - they build their own staff. They do not typically keep guys from a previous regime. Just a fact of life in the coaching ranks.
- Gailey didn't fire the guy. He offered him a job as linebacker coach. Ted just wanted more.
- Bill Curry probably feels he himself was shabbily treated, but he had the 2nd worst coaching record at Tech in the last 100 years (only Bill Lewis was worse).

Tech fans respect and appreciate Ted Roof. We all would love nothing more than to see this guy get the head coaching job at Duke and get their losing streak monkey off their backs (obviously not this week). While we will never know all the detailed "goings-on" that occurred that led to Roof's departure, even Roof says there are no hard feelings. That is just a fact of life in the coaching ranks.

Big East fight back - a Hoops power-conference

Here is the official news on the Big East changes after the ACC raided them. This will be a SERIOUS hoops conference - Louisville, Cinn, Marquette, Georgetown, Syracure, UConn, St.John's, Seton Hall, etc. They will have a 16 team hoops conference. They certainly didn't replace the football talent but hoops is strong. Pretty impressive.

One question ACC fans will want to know. Now that the Big East has a plan, will they let Boston College off the hook financially so they can join the ACC sooner?

Toughest places to play in the ACC

I'm sorry, but GT is NOT the 6th toughest place to play in the ACC. It is a MUCH tougher place to play than this guy indicates.

The "ThrillerDome" is and has always been one of the toughest in the ACC. I put it in the top 3. Let's just look at the past season. Tech finished the year a medicre 16-15. HOWEVER, we finished 13-2 at home!!! That includes 6-2 in the conference at home. And some of these wins were not nail biters.

1/11.....NC State....win....85-61....24 point win
1/14.....FSU............win....81-74
1/29.....UNC...........win....88-68....20 point win
2/1.......UVA............win....80-60....20 point win
2/9.......Maryland....win....90-84
2/20.....WF.............loss....67-75
2/26.....Duke..........loss....58-77
3.8.......Clemson.....win....66-56...10 point win

Now you tell me we just play OK at home???? Give me a break putting NCST, WF and MD ahead of us!!!

Georgia Tech Sports on the tube

Tonight - CSS - 6 pm - Shawn Jones on Sports Unlimited
Wed 5th ESPN Classic - 8 pm (run again at 11pm) - re-run of Heisman Trophy race (where Joe Hamilton finished 2nd to Ron Dayne.)
Fri 7th - Fox SS - 12:30 - Georgia Tech sports
Fri 7th - FSA - 12:30 pm - Georgia Tech Coaches Show (hoops)
Fri 7th - 4 pm CSS - GT Sports this week.

Tangerines in December???

Looks like ESPN's wizards have upgraded us from Tire/Humanitarian to Tangerine this week.

As long as I'm wrong about the Duke game, we should be able to solidify a claim to the third-best non-BCS bowl the ACC is locked into. Not that this guarantees us a spot, but it's fun to see how the stock is rising...I hope that we can take care of bidness this weekend! You really couldn't complain about a trip to Orlando around Christmastime after how things looked at the beginning of the year.

Shawn Jones to appear on Sports Unlimited tonight

Make sure to turn to CSS tonight at 6:00 pm. Shawn Jones will be a guest on this call-in show.

Harpring drops 32 against the Timberwolves as the Jazz win

Way to go Matt - right after being named the new team captain (see post below)

Basketball previews

InsideCarolina did a piece of the Jackets, an interview with Hewitt - here is the link. Thanks to RamblinRed on the Hive for the tip. Great read.

Also, here is an acc.com preview of the team. There is a link at the top for a video interview. The written article is just a re-cap of the quotes in the video

Morris cancels another visit

Randolph Morris already cancelled his visit to Louisville (although there are reports he may reschedule) and now he has cancelled another visit. This time I believe it is UCLA - probably just too far with his folks in the Atl area. He still has Clemson on the schedule for a visit this weekend.

Dook pulls off the upset in Durham

Like a blind squirrel who finds an acorn, like a broken clock being right twice a day, like a...you get the point. Dook will pull off a stunner this weekend against our recently mighty Yellowjackets. Here is why:

-You think Jonathan Smith is a workhorse? Forget about it--check out Chris Douglas' numbers with no O-line and playing some tough teams. 163 carries for 739 yards, and average of 4.5 ypc--slightly better than PJ. This guy accounts for as much of their offense as JSmith does..on a very bad team.

-Contrary to popular opinion, they have an offense. Sure, they were losing efforts, but the Devils rolled up 20 against Maryland and 21 against NC State in a tight loss. If we can hold their running game, we should be OK, but what if....

-The inactivity problem: the Jackets have played one game in about a month. Lots of time reviewing game tape, going to class, practicing without pads, talking to the media, etc.--everything but playing game intensity football. This scheduling quirk of having nearly back to back bye weeks may bite them...and this game is where we'll see.

-The revenge factor. This is Ted Roof's first game against his old staff. He knows the players, he knows how to motivate his team, and it isn't easy to convince these guys that they are the underdogs. Besides that, he'll make them watch Rudy reruns 3 times. Remember what happened when the fridge rolled into Atlanta the first time? Case closed.

It'll be tight, but very disturbing: Dook 17, GT 14

Get ready for Clemson fan's triumphant return to our weblog...

Good re-cap of GT recruiting

Good story on hoops recruiting and interviews with Dickey. Here is what I like the most:

- Averaged 14.8 rebounds
- 56% field goal shooting
- 82% free throws!!!
- "a tremendous drop step" - great footwork - I love that
- Can hit the 15 foot jumper
- good hands, good passer
- UNC decided they didn't want him, which should add fuel to Ra'Sean's fire

By the way, one of his teammates is Caseen Breeden, a 6'8" guy (mentioned in the article). He is on Tech's radar screen for next year - you can bet.

Also a point of interest - on Ra'Sean's high school web page (link here), there is a poll asking "Will Ra'Sean Dickey stick with Georgia Tech until signing day?". 77% think yes (10 votes).

Lastly, it mentions in the article that Dickey's high school will be playing against Dwight Howard January 19 in Greenville, SC. Since that is where I live I will have to figure out where the game is. Should be interesting to see Dickey and Dwight Howard on the court.

Article on Robert Brooks as our back-up center

Article on Robert Brooks trying to guard Luke in practice. This story also mentions that Randolph Morris is expected to decide soon between GT and UK. Don't know if the writer knows anything or is just spreading rumors.

Volleyball falls from #4 to #7

The lady Jackets in volleyball get to play Duke next. They dropped from #4 to #7 in the polls.

Another high school QB chooses GT - Taylor Bennett

Gailey has pulled in another high school QB. Here is his profile. He is 6'3 about 200lb. Tech is the biggest program that has offered him so far (Boise St). Says he didn't take a snap as a Junior (broken bone in his hand), but made a name for himself at Nike camps. He will enroll early, which will actually let his 'ship count against last year's signings, not the upcoming year.

Here is a nice story on the kid.

Obviously with Ball and Pat Carter in the mix, it will be hard for him to get snaps, but by coming in next year, then redshirting, never know what can happen 3-4 years from now.

Speaking for the Tech faithful, Taylor, welcome to the flats - we are glad to have you on the team. You made the right choice.

The craziness of high school basketball

Check out this comment from a review of high school hoops by Dave Telep, a big name in recruiting:

Sophomore of the Summer: Easy pick. In fact, it’s quite conceivable that this is the best prospect in all of high school basketball. Greg Oden, at 6-11 and 235 pounds is a freak. There’s no telling how good he’s going to be but the smart play is watch him as much as you can for the next three years before it starts costing money to attend his games.

I actually found a message board where they were discussing the best 7th graders in Texas hoops. The following of these kids is amazing and probably way overdone.

On the other side - are you kidding me???? This kid is STARTING his sophomore year in high school now and is already 6'11", 235 lb. Holy crap.

National Signing day for different sports

Thought you might be interested about the official signing days for high school players picking a college. Here is the official list of dates. The early period for hoops goes from Nov 12-19 and this is an important week for Tech fans. Remember, all four of the talented hoops players that have "verballed" to Tech are not "official" until they put their name in ink. November will be their first chance to do that, although they can also wait until the Spring period.

CFN now has us going to the Continental Tire Bowl

Well, not much faith in GT still. CFN has us going to the Continental Tire Bowl. They actually have NC St. going to the Gator Bowl, which really surprises me. But these are just people's opinion's at the end of the day.

By the way, CFN does have us ranked 27 in their recent poll.

Check out the New York Times ranking of Georgia Tech #12

Now how do you like that!! It is a computer model. Here is an excerpt from how it is caclulated:

The New York Times's computer football ranking is based on an analysis of each team's record with emphasis on who won and against what quality of opposition. The quality of an opponent is determined by examining the opponent's record against other teams.

The Times's computer model takes note of a home-field advantage. Recent games count more than earlier games.

The top team is assigned a rating of 1.000; the ratings of all other teams are percentages reflecting their strength relative to the top team. This week, for example, there is a very large difference between Oklahoma (No. 1) and Southern Cal (2), while the difference between Ohio State (3) and Virginia Tech (4) is much smaller.

The coup-de-gras........UGA is ranked #17 by their system. I think the NY Times really knows their sports!!!!

To give you an idea of the top ten:

OK, USC, OhSt, VT, Miami, Fl, FSU, LouisSt., Mich, Tenn, Texas.

ACC Teams:
FSU 7, GT 12, NC ST 15, MD 27, WF 34, CU 47, UVA 57, Duke 87, UNC 100

Where are they now? Dez White

Even though he dropped a touchdown pass and 2 other passes in the Bears win against the Chargers, Dez is heating it up at wide receiver. He better keep heating it up though. There are a couple of young rookie receivers on the Bears pushing him for PT.

An analysis of the Duke / Tenn game

A good analysis of Duke's strengths/weaknesses, etc.

Ted Roof has earned an official interview for the Duke job

Well, I would hope so, since he is actually coaching them right now. Anyhow, I sure hope Ted can get the job, but I think his youth will probably preclude this from happening. Interesting that the article specifically mentions that George O'Leary will NOT be interviewed.

Reggie Ball has 2 brothers playing high school ball

Could the Ball name become a standard at Georgia Tech for years to come??? Reggie has 2 brothers who play a Stephenson High School. The oldest is Raeshon Ball, and he has a scholarship offer to play at Tech already - he is a cornerback. The youngest is Marcus Ball, and he is only a sophomore, currently playing linebacker. He could be the most talented of them all. Nothing like a good old family tradition.

For a nice AJC story (older story) on the family, click here.

The ACC's most "indispensable" players

By team, here is one man's opinion on each ACC team's and the player they cannot do without. For Tech, he chose BJ Elder and I agree with that selection. He is a tenacious defender, creates offense and is our #1 scorer. And Bottom line, he is the guy at the end of the game that I want to have the ball.

Clemson Fan An Easy Target

As Scott pointed out below, I appreciate him reserving a spot for me on the all-time Clemson fan ragging team, but that's not what I'll do here. Instead, let's reflect back on how EVERY SINGLE domino fell our way this weekend:

-Maryland beat the crap out of UNC with an outstanding McBrien outing...a team we beat on national TV played well.

-Florida State beat the crap out of Division 1-AA Notre Dame showing again that the ACC can play ball and that the currently ignored second tier teams in fact do challenge the Semi-holes, getting them ready for games like this.

-Dook was trailing 9-6 in the third quarter before folding to 18th ranked Tennessee in UT's kitchen. Impressive showing and that's got to make us nervous heading into next weekend.

-NC State tagged the Wa-whos , allowing Matt Schaub to inflate his numbers in another loss. Some of you disagreed with me, but this was a game that we wanted NCSU to win. Another team that Tech beat soundly takes down a so-called contendah...we get mop-up in a few weeks hopefully.

...and who could forget...

-Wake's open-handed slap of the Clemson tigers. Despite the claims to greatness, Whitehurst (see the Heisman candidate references by Clemson fan below) was benched after tossing three INTs, then the backup came in to score 17 meaningless points. Next up for the paper Tigers: FSU, baby.

So the mathematics is harsh, but it can't be denied, even at this point in the season: As I mentioned below, Clemson will NOT finish ahead of the YellowJackets despite their excellent play against Tech in one game. They simply aren't as good of a football team and the statistics and records for both teams bear that out. Good luck against Free Shoes University, Clemson, and thanks for playing this year.

Harpring named the Jazz Team Captain

Nice story for a great guy - glad to see Harpring's work ethic paying off.

Blurb on Dickey / Frederick from The State paper

From The State (SC paper): Basketball news. Georgia Tech picked up its second major commitment from the Palmetto State last week when 6-9 Ra’Sean Dickey of Marlboro County made his pledge. Dickey is rated the top prospect in the state. He picked the Yellow Jackets over Auburn. Earlier last month Calhoun County guard Buck Frederick committed to Tech.

Bad news - GT a 12.5 point favorite against Duke

So far this year it has NOT been good news when we are favored. Tech is 0-2 (against the spread) when favored this year. We are 4-2 when an underdog, and we have covered the spread in 5 or 6 games.

This is probably the biggest spread we have been favored all year (guess). So here are the current odds. These guys better change their "MO".

Andrew Brackman - why he chose NC State

Article on why the 2-sport star decided to go to the Wolfpack. Of course for us, we did not offer him a hoops 'ship, only baseball for his first year.

Brackman article

Another article summarizing Andrew Brackman's decision to go to NC ST. over GaTech.

Morris post - just keeping the rumors flowing

Saw this and thought I would just continue to spread internet rumors. As reported already, Morris cancelled his visit to Louisville this weekend.

Andrew Brackman picks NC State

Well, NC ST won the recruiting battle for Andrew Brackman, the two-sport start (baseball, hoops). I guess Tech can't win them all. Tech did not offer him a hoops 'ship, but said he could join the team next year. I guess that wasn't good enough.

Latest Update on Polls

AP - no votes (were #34 last week)
Coaches - #34 (were #36)
CBSSportsline - #34 (were #31)
Congrove Computer - #37 (were #41)
Athlon Sports - #36 (was #44)
Craig James (Yahoo) - #22 (same as last week).
CFN - #27 (based on how good teams are NOW)

All of the different polls are starting to converge in their ranking of Georgia Tech - basically mid-30's (except Craig James at Yahoo, who in my mind is an exceptionally gifted sportswriter). Obviously we are going to have to beat Duke AND UNC to crack into the top 25 of most of these polls.

Updated Hoops rankings - GT #10 (with Morris yet to verbal)

In Bill Hodge's latest recruiting class update, Georgia Tech has moved to #10 in the nation. And that is of course without Randolph Morris giving a verbal yet. Should he verbal I'm sure the class will be close to #5. Of course, this does not really mean much, but it does show that Hewitt and Co. are able to attract the best and the brightest.

Great going Paul H. and team.

Who is getting bad vibes with Duke

Personally, I am getting the willies about our upcoming game with Duke. Check out what they did against Tennessee this weekend. While they did not win, they gave them all they could handle (in TN with 110,000 hostile fans). Let's not let Roof get his first taste of glory this weekend against GT. But I smell a potential of an upset. So the Jackets better be ready. They better treat this team like FSU, like Auburn, like everyone we have played as an underdog. Gailey says this team is all about character. It will be put to the test this weekend. GO JACKETS!!!.

Some Maryland fans think Gailey is the Coach-of-Year in ACC

We will still wait until all the games are played, but check out this thread. It appears many MD fans think Gailey is the leader for Coach of the year in the ACC. I guess some of them know football.

Good background on our recruits in hoops

Good posting with comments from the players, stats, etc. of the 4 hoops ballers who have commited to GT.

Theodis Tarver dislocates his kneecap

Uh-ohh!! Luke - now you really ARE the man in the middle. Hopefully Theodis can recover quickly.

GT Volleyball finally loses

Well, Maryland finally broke the Volleyball team's unbeaten streak. Major props to the chicks, who are now 23-1 (11-1 ACC). It took 5 hard fought games, but MD eeked out the win.

Clemson fans - where's your Gator Bowl nooowwwww!!

Wow - 45-17 loss to Wake Forest, and it wasn't even that close. I just can't see Bowden keeping his job now. That loss certainly helps the GT cause. I won't rag on Clemson fans too much who viewed their team as a small notch below FSU, but hopefully they all got a dose of reality. I'll let Walt do the real ragging.

However, Clemson fans will be glad to know that they only need 6 wins to become bowl eligible, not 7. See this link for details.

More props for O'Leary in the Vikings turnaround

O'Leary may get another head coaching job next year if he keeps this up.

Once again - ignorant writers

Once again, the media shows its ignorance. Check out this article. For the media PARITY = MEDIOCRITY. The ACC teams have beat up on each other and for that we are a bad football conference. Yes, there have been a few bad out-of-conference losses by ACC teams. But let's not forget some bad ones by the SEC as well (I seem to remember GT beating Auburn as a matter of fact).

I just love his ignorant comments about Reggie Ball: "Although inexperienced and error-prone...." The whole point about Reggie's success this year is that he has NOT been error prone like typical freshman QB's. He throws the ball away when he needs to and does not force passes into coverage and he does not fumble.

Again goes to show, perception of strength of a conference is determined by wins against other conferences and making sure 2-3 teams in a conference dominate all the others.

ESPN article about hoops recruiting - establishing a pipeline

Bobby Cremins gets nice props in this ESPN article about coaches that were successful building a pipeline of talent from certain region. Tech fans will always be greatful for what Sir Bobby did for Georgia Tech. He brought respectability, excitement, flair, and just plain happiness to Tech hoops. Cheers to Bobby Cremins!!

Here is the excerpt on Bobby:

But, when it comes to college basketball's all-time great recruiters (and there are too many to mention), in my mind no one did a better job than Bobby Cremins. And it shouldn't come as a surprise that Cremins played for Frank McGuire at South Carolina.

Before Cremins arrived at Georgia Tech for the 1981-82 season, the program had made just one NCAA Tournament appearance and had notched a 1-29 record in its first two years of ACC play. But, starting with Mark Price, Cremins recruited eight ACC Rookies of the Year in the 14 seasons from 1983-96, not to mention 12 first-round NBA draft picks.

Cremins also piped into the NYC talent pool. Bruce Dalrymple, John Salley, Kenny Anderson, Eddie Elisma and Stephan Marbury all came from the city. With these guys leading the way, Tech made 10 NCAA appearances, won three ACC titles and went to the 1990 Final Four.

Bosh hits the game-winning lay-up

Bosh's stat line was unimpressive (5 pts, 2-5, 2 rebounds, 23 minutes), but he did happen to hit the game winning layup with 33 seconds left on a great no-look pass from Vince Carter. The Raptors beat the Wizards to go 2-0 for the 1st time in their history.