Paul Hewitt to George Mason

According to Jeff Goodman, the most connected writer in college hoops (the Wes without the Mess of the media?), former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt will be taking over for Jim Larrananga at George Mason. (Here's a full breakdown of all the head-coaching movement from this offseason.)

Hewitt took the Yellow Jackets to the national title game in 2004, but he once again struggled this past season. Tech finished the season 13-18 (5-11 in the ACC) and Hewitt was fired.

The situation he lands in at George Mason, however, may actually be better. The Patriots are coming off of a 27-win season and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They return everyone except for Cam Long and will be the preseason favorite to win the CAA and, in all likelihood, a top 25 team. Georgia Tech almost assuredly cannot say the same thing.

What is interesting about this move is that Hewitt has always had the reputation of being a recruiter more than a coach. He brought quite a bit of talent through Atlanta -- Derrick Favors, Thaddeus Young, Javaris Crittendon, etc. -- but with the exception of the 2004 run, Hewitt seemed more adept at getting his players fast-tracked to the NBA than at winning basketball games.

Also of interest is the ripple effect that Mike Anderson's decision to leave Missouri -- or, for that matter, Matt Painter's decision to stay at Purdue -- has had. Almost assuredly, if that Missouri position was filled, Frank Haith would still be at Miami, Larrananga would still be at George Mason, and Hewitt would be looking for a job as an assistant or a broadcaster.

I guess that's why they call it the coaching carousel.
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No. 23: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2008-2009 Record: 12-19, 2-14 ACC (12th)

Key Losses: Lewis Clinch (15.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Alade Aminu (11.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg)

Key Returners: Gani Lawal (15.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg), Iman Shumpert (10.6 ppg, 5.0 apg), Zach Peacock (9.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg)

Newcomers: Derrick Favors, Kammeon Holsey, Daniel Miller, Brian Oliver, Glen Rice Jr, Mfon Udofia

Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert will lead the Yellow Jackets this year.
(photo credit: NBC Sports)

It isn't that often that you see a team go from worst to first in any league, let alone the ACC. Georgia Tech finished in last place in the league in '08-'09, but with the talent they have returning and a loaded freshman class, there is a good chance the Yellow Jackets make a run to the ACC title.

The biggest reason for that is Derrick Favors. I don't generally like to weigh a team's chances based on freshman, but Favors - like a Kevin Durant or a Michael Beasley - just might be good enough to carry the Jackets. Favors, who many consider to be the best recruit in the country, is an athletic and strong 6'9" power forward. He can run the floor and finish in transition, but he also finishes very well in traffic. Favors is very good on the glass, using his size and athleticism to rebound over smaller opponents. He is a good defender and shot blocker, both on the ball and coming from the weak side. Where his game could stand to improve is on the offensive end. He has some solid back-to-the-basket moves and a pretty good touch from the perimeter, but he needs to improve his consistency.

Favors is far from the only talented kid Paul Hewitt will have in his front court. Joining him along the starting frontline is another 6'9" power forward Gani Lawal. Lawal, who probably would have been a first rounder had he entered the draft last season, has a lot of the same problems that Favors does right now. He's and excellent athlete that will play hard and hustle when he is on the court, but his offensive game is still raw. He doesn't have great hands or feet, he has a tendency to get flustered when posting up, and he has no face-up or perimeter game to speak of. That said, there aren't many bigs across the country with his combination of athleticism and energy. He and Favors form one of the best starting front courts in the country, and it isn't a stretch to see them averaging 35 ppg and 16 rpg combined this season.

The Yellow Jackets will be deep along their front line as well. Zach Peacock, who averaged 9.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg as a junior last season, is probably good enough to start for most schools around the country. His game is a bit more suited to the perimeter than Favors or Lawal because he can knock down jumpers, which is why Hewitt was able to go with three big men last season. 7'0" Brad Sheehan should also see some time up front. Two freshman will be in the mix as well. Kammeon Holsey is a slender, athletic, 6'8" power forward. He is much more of an energy/defense guy at this point. He can defend the wing and the post, runs the floor very well, and can finish above the rim. Daniel Miller is a big body in the paint with a nice touch inside, but may find it tough to earn playing time in this loaded front court.

Hewitt's back court will be anchored by Iman Shumpert. Shumpert, a sophomore, was a McDonald's all-american coming out of high school. Shumpert showed flashes of being a dominant lead guard at this level last season, but was too inconsistent. The biggest issue was his decision making. He had seven games where he turned the ball over at least six times and shot just 39% from the field. Much of that was a result of being forced to try and make a play at the end of the shot clock. But he does have the talent, not only to score but to set up his teammates as well. If Shumpert can ease into the point guard role, not trying to do too much and relying on the talent around him, he can be an above average lead guard.

One of the big question marks is going to be Moe Miller. Miller was solid, if unspectacular, playing as a more typical point guard last season, but he is coming off of a concussion he suffered in a car accident. He is much more of a distributor and typical point guard that Shumpert is, and the two should be effective playing together in the back court. If Miller is unable to go, Hewitt should be just fine with freshman Mfon Udofia playing major minutes. Udofia is a smooth lefty point guard that excels when he can break his man down. He isn't much of a shooter yet, but knows how to set up his teammates where they will be effective and how to run a team.

With last season's leading scorer Lewis Clinch graduating, there will be a lot of minutes opening up on the perimeter, and quite a few candidates to fill the role. The first of which will probably be senior D'Andre Bell. Bell missed all of last season as he battled spinal stenosis, the same injury that has hampered TJ Ford through out his career. Bell is a one of the best perimeter defenders in the ACC. Junior Lance Storrs started a few games last season, but generally was the Jackets sixth man. He is a 6'5" wing with the ability to knock down some threes, but also gained a reputation for being a tough defender. Sophomore Nick Foreman was thrust into playing time early during his freshman season due to injuries to Clinch, Bell, and Miller, although never really proved the ability to be a scoring threat.

Two freshman will be in the mix on the perimeter as well. Glen Rice Jr. is a 6'5" guard, and while he doesn't have his father's jumper, he has a reputation for being a tough, physical kid that can mix it up in the paint and finish inside. Brian Oliver is a 6'6" wing with a solid jump shot, something that could be valuable this year. Georgia Tech doesn't have many shooters, and having Oliver on the court to spread the floor for the big guys inside could be very important for the Jackets.

Outlook: I really like this Georgia Tech team. They are big at every position, have a bunch of athletes on the team, and will play with a loaded front line that includes Derrick Favors (a kid some pundits are already predicting will be a first team all-american). The key to this team will be the back court. Will Iman Shumpert turn into a star? Can Udofia and Miller handle the point guard responsibilities, spreading the ball around and getting guys good shots? Will someone be able to replace Clinch's scoring and shooting ability? But the biggest question won't be on the offensive end, where Tech has plenty of talent. Will this team be able to get enough stops to win some games?
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Paul Hewitt talks with Steve Cohen

Last week, we talked a bit about Steve Cohen, a congressman from Tennessee, and the letter he sent to the NBA regarding their age limit. Cohen, in my opinion, was completely, 100%, correct in his conclusions about the NBA's age limit.

But for a congressman, Cohen probably could use a lesson in being a bit more politically correct.

He may have gotten one from Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt.

In an interview with the New York Times, Cohen had some pretty inflammatory things to say:

“It’s a vestige of slavery. Not like the slavery of 150 years ago, but it’s a restraint on a person’s freedoms and liberties.”

“There’s something wrong with keeping kids, who are more likely to be African-American than not, from playing professional basketball and football when they can help their families and communities immediately. They’re forced to go to school when they have no desire or interest in going to school.”

“I think the odds of either of them coming back and getting a degree is probably less likely than the Grizzlies winning the N.B.A. title next year.”

“He [referring to former Georgia Tech player Thaddeus Young] could have gone straight to the pros. I don’t think he’s going to be an engineer. It’s just kind of a mockery.”

Thaddeus Young was at the center of a controversy involving comments
made by a Congressman from Tennessee.
(photo credit: SoulHonky)

First of all, I don't think I even need to mention the problems with Cohen, who is white, comparing anything to slavery. I understand the point he is making, and I am not disagreeing with it, but to compare "forcing" a student-athlete to attend college for free for a year because he can put a ball through a metal rim to slavery is down right absurd and completely inappropriate. It makes it worse that the people he is referring too are, in general, african-american youths.

That isn't the quote that upset Hewitt. It was the other three, specifically the way that Cohen spoke about Thaddeus Young. Young, who happens to hail from Cohen's district in Tennessee, was a 4.0 student in high school and left Georgia Tech in good academic standing.

It wasn't just the fact that Cohen blatantly insulted a former player of Hewitt's. Cohen also basically said that getting an education is worthless endeavor for these kids, and that the majority of them simply do not care about schooling. Again, I don't know what he was intending when he said it, but even I got a sense of racial undertones when reading it.

Not surprisingly, Hewitt was upset when he learned of these comments and demanded an apology from Cohen (follow the link, Hewitt's comments are long and, for the most part, scathing in nature).

"Saying a young man choosing to go to school at Georgia Tech, whether it’s one year or four years, is a mockery, I just didn’t think that was an accurate statement and I thought it was somewhat damaging," Hewitt to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We know what we have here and the type of kids we bring here. ... The value of an education for a college basketball player is as significant as for anyone in the country, and I don’t think we should ever downplay that."

Hewitt and Cohen spoke over the phone, and apparently they were able to hash out their differences peacefully. In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, Hewitt said that he was "satisfied with their conversation", but didn't get into what was actually said.

The most ironic part of all this? Hewitt and Cohen agree on the age issue. Hewitt supports a system similar to that of baseball, where players can go straight to the pros, but if they go to school, they need to spend three years there (personally, I say two years, because it will mean more talent will end up in the college ranks, but the three year argument makes it very easy for a kid to earn his degree in that time if he attends summer classes for each year).

This is what I will leave you with. The gist of what Cohen was saying was essentially correct, and if those quotes came from a group of friends (regardless of race) talking sports, then it is what it is. But if you are a congressman representing a region that no doubt has a black population, then you cannot be quoted in the New York Times using such rhetoric.

The bottom line is that there is a perception that "jocks are dumb", which isn't entirely untrue. But there are plenty of kids playing a division 1 sport at a very high level that are incredibly intelligent and that could succeed in another career path, just as there are plenty of morons out there that simply are not athletically gifted.

People drop out of college all the time. Musicians, actors, construction workers, and even guys like Bill Gates leave school before earning their degrees to pursue careers. There are also a lot of professional athletes that go back to school to earn their degrees. Remember the uproar over Vince Carter's decision to go back to North Carolina to graduate during a playoff series?

So while the NBA's age limit is an exploitative rule that is in place to allow the NBA (and, to a certain extent, the NCAA) to maximize their profit margin, using stereotypes and generalities to argue the issues is not the way to go about changing it.

There is a silver lining, however. Maybe this little dust-up will bring the problems of the 19-and-1 to the forefront, and will help in eventually getting it overturned.

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