Recruiting Update - another person's ranking of hoops classes

Another "expert" opinion ranking the hoops classes. GT comes in at #13 on this list.

Did we do this?????

Did we actually stomp on the "G" at last year's UGA game? Check out this article. I hope our guys will find something to motivate them this year. How about - Boise versus Charlotte.........how about 51-7..............how about respect...........how about sending out the seniors on a high note.........how about knocking UGA out of the SEC championship..........how about just stomping a dawg.....how about just shoving it up the nose of every media person and fan telling you how poor you were going to do this year.

Whatever it takes.......let's get it done.......take it to the hizzzz-ouse.

One last comment to remind you of who you are playing.

- on UGA football players
"We may not make a university student out of him, but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbage man when he gets through with his athletic career." - UGA defense attorney Hale Almand - referring to UGA athletes during an address to the jury in the Jan Kemp case

Daniels status updated to "probable"

Looking a little better now. Don't know about Houston at this point.

The burden of being #1

Article on UConn and their #1 ranking in hoops.

The Continental Tire board has gone nuts

I have seen some major flaming on message boards, but I have to say there are some creative folks posting messages on this board. Yes, there are some no-class idiots, but there are also some very funny posts

Examples:

- "Take UVA and VaTech or nobody will be going" - From governer of Virginia

- "I was excited for their game back in 2000, but I became very angry when Lee Corso picked the Hokies. So I struck down his car with a bolt of lightning. I didn't mean for the game to be cancelled. It is time for a rematch." - From God

- "Invite GT or a plague of locusts will rain upon your game" - From God again

- "Charlotte sucks. I want to go to Boise. Please pick GT". - From Matt Schaub's boyfriend (ok a little tasteless)

- "My school is too good for the Tire Bowl" - Thomas Jefferson

Bad news - PJ Daniels & Reuben Houston questionable for UGA game

NOT the news we want to hear. It appears PJ Daniels has some "undisclosed injury". Here is the link.

On Chan Gailey's website, he lists PJ AND Reuben Houston as questionable and says that Jonathon Jackson is definitely out.

Can we please catch a break here?

Recruiting Update - Football

A potential wide receiver recruit. Interesting story on Lionel Mitchell, son of former NFL running back "Stump" Mitchell.

Also, here is a story on a pair of twins who want to attend school together and are both good athletes. One is a wide receiver / punt returner and the other a rusher / kick-returner. Both are big-play guys on their team, although one has had some injuries.

Well, looks like we will have to wait until Saturday

The Continental Tire Bowl Website has posted the following message on their website:

Continental Tire Bowl officials are not expected to make an announcement of teams for this year's bowl until late Saturday or early Sunday depending on the outcome of Saturday's games involving Virginia vs. Virgina Tech, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh vs. Miami.

Well, what does that mean? It means we either need to beat UGA or hope UVA loses to VaTech if we lose. Either way, our game with UGA on Saturday not only will help determine the SEC champion, it will also determine where our bowl future lies.

Comments on ACC hoops

Round-up of the first week's activity in the ACC. Here are the comments about GT.

- from the article
Georgia Tech is off to a fast start, posting easy wins over Louisiana-Lafayette, Hofstra, and Cornell. Not exactly Murders' Row, but the wins do count. Those of us who thought Coach Paul Hewitt's Yellow Jackets could dominate on the perimeter have not been disappointed. Marvin Lewis, B. J. Elder, and Jarrett Jack are all averaging between 14.7 and 16.3 points per game. More importantly, Jack is dishing out 10 assists per game. Elder is not shooting particularly well, but he still finds ways to score and play defense. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Elder and Jack are also Tech's leading rebounders. Luke Schenscher showed some signs of life against Cornell, but is still averaging a puny 4 rebounds per game. He also has a total of 2 blocked shots in 3 games. This just won't get it done against opponents with any size, like, say, #1 ranked Connecticut, the Yellow Jackets' next opponent in the NIT Semifinals Wednesday night. It is hard to imagine anything but total domination by the Huskie's Emeka Okafor, the best big man in the nation.

The Goldline Report

For the latest edition of the Goldline Report, click here. I am behind on getting the link to everyone, so some of the info is a little dated.

NC ST headed to Tangerine Bowl

Well, the dominoes are falling quickly. NC ST is headed to Orlando, which should bode well for GT going to Charlotte for the Tire Bowl.

Time for GT fans to head over to the Continental Tire Bowl site and start putting you support on the message board about GT and our desire to be in Charlotte. I have. Just click on "Message Board" once you get there.

GT Hoops gets votes in latest ESPN poll

GT gets 5 votes in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, for a #40 spot. Not bad for a team picked to finish at the bottom. Of course the real competition starts now.

ACC Teams:

#2 Duke
#10 UNC
#18 WF
#24 MD
#29 NC ST
#40 GT

Clemson invited to Peach Bowl

Looks like the 2nd bowl invite has occurred - Clemson to the Peach Bowl.

What does this mean?? Well, because Clemson played in the Tangerine last year, NC State is probably going to get invited to the Tangerine. That means GT would Probably get invited to the Tire Bowl in Charlotte NC, while UVA would head to Boise. That is because UVA played in the Tire bowl last year, and generally bowls do not like inviting the same team back 2 consecutive years. On top of that, the Big East Rep is probably going to be Virginia Tech and I am sure they do not want to have a UVA/VaTech matchup again because those 2 teams play this week. So actually our chances are decent that we will NOT end up in the frigid winter. Heck, Charlotte is only about 4 hours from Atlanta. We could probably get a good crowd there.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Maryland accepts invite to Gator Bowl

Well, the dominos are starting to fall. I think Clemson fans are probably going to be a little peeved at this one - probably rightly so.

Speaking of Jarrett Jack - again

Wanted to add to Jarrett Jack love. Check out this CBSSportsline article on the super-sophomore surprises so far.

Where are they now - George O'Leary

It has been confirmed - O'Leary has been contacted about the UCF job.

Jack gets props

Jarrett Jack was chosen as the ACC player of the week in this early season. Obviously, we're about to get to some real tests, but you can't say enough about how solid he's looked so far with back-to-back double-doubles after being inconsistent (I thought) last year. The emergence of Jack could be a good omen for this team. Keep up the good work, JJ!

A possible solution to the NCAA hoops NBA problem

Driving in the Canadian back-country gave me time to think about some important things - like global warming, the war in Iraq, the importance of nano-technology in our future, and of course the nagging problem of players leaving the NCAA or high school early to head for the NBA.

While I didn't solve any of the other problems, I may have an idea for the NCAA. First let's lay things out. Kids go to high school for 4 years - that is a given. The world knows you have to at least have a high school education. College is generally needed for most people to succeed in the higher societal classes, but it is not a necessity. The purpose of NCAA basketball used to be to develop players, give them an education and win championships. While that is still true for the vast majority of players, now the cream of every crop either never goes to college or skips out early. For the best of the best, the goal is to showcase your talent to put you in the best position to get drafted - bottomline. So if going to college for a year helps position you probably for the NBA, then you go a year (Bosh). If you don't need to exposure and have the talent, you don't go at all. So who loses - the NCAA. Fact is - Lebron James could probably have gone to the NBA LAST year, but it was a given that he had to finish high school. Why should high schools actually benefit?

That all leads me to an idea. What if NCAA schools started signing up kids as juniors and seniors in high school, bringing them the campus and letting them finish their high school education on a college campus? They will be able to compete at the collegiate level in basketball, giving them the exposure and development they need as basketball players on a higher level. After all, what are all the summer camps and AAU circuits for - but to develop and showcase their talent against better competition. As for their education, they can finish their high school curriculum on campus, so they do not lose out.

Obviously there are potential issues. What about years of eligibility? What about kids who need another 2 years to develop (after 4) and don't have any years left, but they are only 20 years old? How hard is it to properly judge the most talented players in high school as juniors / seniors? How would colleges handle younger kids on campus and build a proper curriculum to get their high school diploma?

This is just some brain food. There are many pitfalls. But the NCAA needs to be competitive in getting the talented players to this level, and not having so many of them skip out. When we have a child prodigy in music, what do they do? They usually pull them out of school and send them to a place for gifted musicians. In general, kids that are super-gifted in a special area are given exposure in an environment that allows them to nourish and develop that ability. Was Lebron James better off playing a bunch of high-school kids and demolishing them his senior year, or would he have been better playing for Louisville for 30-35 games his senior year?

Just some thoughts on how the NCAA can be more competitive and not miss out on the best players. Maybe it could just start with new seniors, so they would only miss their senior year.

What do you think??

Bowl picture still up in the air

Looks like Viginia is NOT a lock for the Tangerine Bowl. Of course a win over UGA this weekend could get us out of Boise for sure.

All ACC team named

The All-ACC team has been named for football this year. Here are the GT highlights

1st team Offense
---------------------
RB - PJ Daniels
C - Hugh Reilly

2nd team Offense
----------------------
WR - Jonathon Smith

1st team Defense
----------------------
DL - Eric Henderson
LB - Keyaron Fox
DB - James Butler

Honorable Mention
------------------------
TE - JP Foschi
DL - Travis Parker
LB - Daryl Smith

For a rundown of which teams fared the best, here we go:

FSU.............5 1st team, 2 2nd team
GT..............5 1st team, 1 2nd team
Maryland......4 1st team, 6 2nd team
NC State......4 1st team, 1 2nd team
WF.............3 1st team, 2 2nd team
Duke............2 1st team, 2 2nd team
Viginia........1 1st team, 5 2nd team
Clemson.......1 1st team, 4 2nd team
UNC...........0 1st team, 2 2nd team

More info on the Duke coaching list

More on Duke's short list of candidates, including Ted Roof and Bobby Ross.

Recruiting Update - baseball

Short story on the GT recruiting class with a focus on Blake Dewitt.

Finally Dick Vitale is honest about Duke

Check out this review of some ACC teams by Dick Vitale. Notice the following comment:

And coach Mike Krzyzewski has bought in a blue-chip, multi-skilled freshman: Luol Deng

Notice he writes "bought in", not "brought in". It is nice to see Vitale being honet about the Duke program instead of slobbering over them like a dog in heat.

"The Game"

A review of the GT/UGA rivalry game as told by the Macon Telegraph.

Cornell - from their perspective

A review of the game from a Cornell point-of-view.

Recruiting Update - Jeremis Smith

Another personal journal entry from Jeremis Smith..

By the way, after pouring in 32 points in his first game, he scored another 24 in Saturday's win against Dallas Spruce. Evidently this is an area famous for NOT calling fouls. One comment I saw was that this was an "...ugly hack-a-Jeremis game". Still got his points and the W. Dunbar is now 2-0 and counting.

For a nice picture of Smith going up for the 3-point shot that sent the 1st game into OT, click here. Doesn't look like a desparation shot to me. In fact, looks like nice form as he is triple teamed.

Lastly, did you know Jeremis's coach is the all-time winningest high school boys coach? He has coached for 45 years and has an all-time record of 1282-248. Click here for short story.

Well - it was a hoax

Turns out some web programmer messed up and now the GT logo is gone from the Tangerine Bowl website. Here is the disappointing story.

Volleyball team falls short in ACC tourney

Even though they lost to the Twerps in the finals of the ACC tourney, the volleyball team deserves a round of applause. Great going!!

UGA / GT game to kick-off at 1:00 pm

I guess the match-up wasn't scintillating enough for ABC to put it in primetime. Kick-off is set for 1:00pm Saturday and it will be televised on ABC.

Humanitarian Bowl article

Here is a story on the H-Bowl, where we look to be headed. They are already spreading the smack, quoting Ball saying he didn't want to go there but it doesn't matter - we just have to win there. Remember the last time Ball made some strong statements (does Clemson ring a bell).

Looking ahead to UConn hoops

Our match-up with UConn will be GT's first game against a #1 team since Feb 2002. If you take out the games where we played an ACC team that was #1, we haven't played a #1 since 1995, when we played Georgetown in the NCAA tourney.

Explain this my friends...

...Can the Tangerine Bowl explain their official site? Click on the link ahead, then click on the "Tangerine Bowl" logo. Click here. If you will notice, they show 2 helmets going against one another. On one helmet is GEORGIA TECH logo!!!!!!! The other helmet is blank.......so is this just a goof? Is this an accident? Is this a major tease to Tech fans convinced that Boise is our destination? Or could it just be true????? Could it be that Orlando beckons?? I for one am not getting up my hopes (at least too high).

All time great Tech centers

All this talk of Luke prompts me to wonder where he rates compared with Tech's other centers. I'm not sure we've had a lot of talented players at the 5 spot. To wit, my "Top 5 Tech Centers Since the Cremins Era"

1. Yvan Joseph. Ever seen that "Best of Georgia Tech" video they used to sell at the bookstore? In it, Bobby describes how he saw Yvan walking around the campus and convinced him to walk on. He also comments that, "I figured anybody from Haiti who wanted to be an engineer had to be a winner." Not making that up. Anyway, if you ever see that '85 ACC tournament final on ESPN Classic, watch Joseph in the second half. He had some big rebounds and big free throws.
2. Matt Geiger. Sure we all complained, but he also got an ACC tournament title and then played 10 years in the NBA. He also had maybe the most exciting assist in Tech history when he lobbed it to Forrest against USC in '92. We just have to pretend that those missed free throws against Memphis in the next game didn't happen.
3. Alvin Jones. Solid post player and a true center.
4. Eddie Elisma (can you see where I'm going with this?)
5. Ummm...James Munlyn?
Yeah, I know we had some great, tough post players like Mackey & Hammonds, and role players like Johnny McNeill, Maurice Brittain, and Ivano Newbill. Salley was great, but I think he was more a 4 than a 5. Same goes for Collier and Bosh.
Even if I left someone out, this clearly this isn't a Lew Alcindor to Bill Walton to Mark Eaton type situation. But we've still had some great teams. The key for us is talented players in the backcourt. Between Jack, Elder, and Bynum, we should have that. I think that what we really need is someone to get the tough rebounds and a few garbage baskets. That may or may not be Luke. But either way, the key for us is strong backcourt play.

Guess who showed up in Snowy Ithaca???

Our hoops team deserves some congratulations after holding off a Cornell team that was shooting 50% in the first half in a packed house that got loud when they pulled to within one. BJ Elder, Isma'il Muhammed, and Marvin Lewis took over at that point and sent the Jackets on a 14-2 run that effectively iced the game.

Who deserves the biggest mention after a tough week in which his coach went on the air to defend him on sports talk radio in Atlanta? Luke Schenscher turned in a great night with 15 points, 7 boards, and only 2 personal fouls in 30 minutes of play. Since I've been quick to criticize Luke in his earlier two games, it was good to see him get in a groove...and not a game too soon with UConn coming up!

How about those Huskies? My take is that we keep it close and then lose by 5-10 points, but leave with a 3-1 record, some outstanding confidence, and an awesome RPI booster. Not to mention the team gets to spend a few nights in the big Apple and even play in Madison Square Garden--for (hopefully) the last time this year. I'll guess that we run, but they run faster and the score looks like 95-85 Huskies.

You GOTTA be excited by what these extremely underrated Yellowjackets are doing on the court so far, and if Luke shows some consistency, I think that we could make a move into the middle of the pack (or beyond) in the ACC where we belong.

Tiger fan, give me my medicine...

Yesterday's loss to the hated crapaliers was tough for me to stomach for one additional reason that most have forgotten...I laid down SERIOUS smack to Clemson fan throughout the year after they spanked us in our house. The biggest claim that I made was that we would end up tied with the Tigers in the ACC. Obviously, this was too much to put on the young Tech team that got blown out at Clemson, at Duke and BYU (although the score didn't show it there).

Where does that leave me? In the unenviable position of having to lay claim to the Tangerine Bowl for the Tigers. If they end up getting dissed by Tangerine without being given a chance to turn a bid down for the Tire Bowl, it's a disgrace. To say that Matt "6-6" Schaub and his crew deserves a trip to that bowl after being beaten by Clemson, who is ranked ahead of them and simply killed USC (not THAT USC) yesterday is ludicrous.

A few thoughts on the game/season:

1) Chan Gailey still deserves coach of the year. This guy took a team in utter chaos, made an unpopular choice for QB (Ball's own DAD disagreed with the decision), and went out there preaching the gospel against Auburn, FSU, Maryland, NC State, and Wake when no one else did...all teams that looked better than us on paper.

2) PJ Daniels might not jibe with the win-loss column, but what a weapon he's become looking towards the future. I look forward to us riding his back to another bowl bid next year and he did well yesterday when he was given the ball. The guy is a gamer.

3) Scott's point about the team relying on Ball is a good one, and a great omen for the future as well. I can't remember feeling better about the Jackets heading into the conclusion of a season, and I lay all the credit on Gailey for having the guts to put Ball in there and leave him alone--and let him screw up games in order to learn for the long run.

Let's hear it for snowy blue turf, 50 Tech fans in the stands, and an offseason in the weight room!

To hell with Georgia!

Look fast....

....we are #1 in the ACC in hoops. But don't wait too long to check out this link. Hopefully it can last awhile.

Where are they now - Chris Bosh

Raptors beat the Nets 81-80. Bosh goes for 11 points (4/6, 1/1 from 3pt), 6 boards (3 off), 3 blocks

Tangerine reps congratulate Schaub

In a display of ego-drive, the director of the Tangerine Bowl made a point to kiss Matt Schaub's rear, wash his locker-towel, then said in a soft voice "...I love you". Ok, maybe a bit much, but looking more like our boys will need to pack for cold weather.

ANOTHER great "make fun of DOOK" site

I just love this stuff. If there is one thing most people across the country can unite about it is this - DOOK SUCKS!! So here is another great Duke satire site. The lead headline "Parents Overjoyed at Seeing Child's First Sign of Heterosexuality". A warning - this is one of the more tame stories. Definitely off-color, but funny none-the-less.

Hoops update

Dook struggles in their opener against Detroit but wins 67-56. Their super-frosh Luol Deng scored 21 points. UConn rolled over Sacred Heart 11-64. Wow. Okafor went for 23. UNC also wins their opener against Old Dominion 90-64 as they shoot 62% from the floor (but only 1/7 from 3-pt range).

On the women's side...

Volleyball - GT beats FSU in ACC tourney quarterfinals, then beats UVA today 3-0 to advance to the finals. They will play the winner of the MD/Clemson match. The championship game will be televised on Fox Sports South Sunday at 3:30.

In women's hoops, GT won their opener against Florida Atlantic 73-62.

The ladies are holding their own. Keep it up. Go Jackets.

Where are they now - Joe Burns

....helping the community.

Jackets fall in Charlottesville

Well, the Jackets just couldn't get it done. They lost to UVA 29-17. Watching the game on TV was frustrating. Bottom line is that the offense did NOT make enough plays. A big INT and a big fumble hurt the Jackets. The O-line did not seem to perform well. Ball was under pressure most of the day. The defense played ok and managed to keep UVA out of the endzone most of the time (5 field goals). However, they did move the ball. And we just did not seem to get much pressure on Schaub. Also, how many times did we miss tackles - a bunch!! They had a TON of yards after the first hit.

Jonathan Smith had another good game (91 yards receiving and another punt return for TD), but other than that not much.

How about this - we are 6-0 when Reggie Ball throws a TD and 0-5 when he does not. We are 2-5 when he throws an INT and 4-0 when he does not. As much as we love PJ Smith, our success really depends on Reggie Ball. In PJ's best 5 games, we are 3-2. In his worst 6 we are 3-3. Not a ton of difference. But those stats on Ball with INT's and TD's are a BIG difference.

Well that puts UVA and GT with identical records and with the UVA win, probably means we will be headed to Boise. How disappointing.

Where are they now - Bobby Ross

Guess who is on the short list for the head coaching job at Duke - Ted Roof yes, but also our old friend Bobby Ross.

Georgia Tech Club

Georgia Tech is building a golf course / club. Here are details..

Here is a link to the Georgia Tech Club website.

ESPN Classic to televise 1998 GT / UGA game!!!!

You may want to set your VCR's and TIVO's to record ESPN Classic at 5:00 pm Monday night. They will be televising the 1998 UGA/GT game where we ended the 7 game losing streak with a 21-19 win with a Brad Chambers last-second field goal.

UConn game to start at 9:30 pm Wed

The Preseason NIT announced Friday that the UConn-Georgia Tech semifinal Wednesday at Madison Square Garden will be the late game. Utah plays Texas Tech in the opener at 7 p.m. with the UConn game to begin at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Calhoun said UConn has still not received word from the NCAA on the status of freshman forward Charlie Villanueva, who has sat out the first two games as the NCAA investigates whether he received travel expense money while working out for two NBA teams last summer.

Football notes

Article on the home field advantage, with a focus on today's game

Here is an article about VaTech and mention of Dave Braine's impact there before he became the AD at GT.

UCF is now pushing to hire O'Leary. Here is a story on it.

Funny year in football

Not only is this the first year ever that Penn State, Notre Dame and Alabama have 6 losses - This is also the first year since 1990 that no team from Florida will compete for a national championship. Of course in 1990 GT and Colorado were competing.

UGA suspension in hoops

Harrick's legacy lives on.

Dwight Howard dominates in first outing

24 points, 12 boards, 5 blocks and his team wins by 24. NBA here he comes.

The boards are hot with Hewitt's comments

A lot of positive reactions for Paul Hewitt standing up for Luke on the air in ATL this morning.

Maryland board thread.
North Carolina board thread
NC State board
Wake Forest board

Nice article on PJ Daniels

Nice story on PJ. But "P-Jizzle"????? Fo Shizzle my dizzle.

Hewitt has enough of the Luke bashing on the radio

Thanks to CrackerJacket at the Hive for pointing this recording on the radio (790 - our "flagship" station) - check it out. This is a great example of a coach standing up for his players. While at this site, we have been guilty of criticizing individual performances, I hope we have not been guilty of criticizing these players as people. That seems to be what Hewitt took offense to. It took some cahonies to call up these guys and bless them out on the radio. This is another reason why I am proud to have Hewitt representing GT. I for one will try to make sure I keep my comments pertaining to the performance and not the person. Way to go Paul Hewitt!!!

Where are they now - O'Leary back again?

Check it out

Back from the dead: Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik is the favorite to take over at Central Florida but another name has surfaced that night have some wings. George O'Leary -- remember him? -- has been mentioned. The former Notre Dame coach is currently a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. Central Florida AD Steve Orsini is a former Notre Dame captain who was an assistant AD at Georgia Tech when O'Leary was there.

Jackets pull off the upset in Charlottesville

I'll go out on a limb this weekend and figure that the Jackets actually feel the negativity of being called underdogs vs. Virginia and they go out fighting like they have the majority of the year. My guess:

Tech 28, UVA 24

-PJ excels again with another 100 yard+ game, setting the tone and taking pressure off Ball.

-Ball plays flawless but boring QB--which couldn't be more exciting to me. 150 yards, 50% completion, no or maybe 1 interception.

-The defense breathes fire and kills Schaub gently like they did Rivers...blitz to allow the underneath pass, then tackle, tackle, tackle and dare them to throw long. Schaub gets his numbers, just like Rivers did, but walks away a loser.

Go Jackets!

Lukewarm last night

Like I said after the ULL game, it isn't fair to pile on this guy since we haven't been in a clutch situation where we needed a basket, rebound, etc. that a good center can get you late in the game. Still, Luke Schenscher makes me wonder about the gaping hole that he leaves in the middle on defense and scoring. This from the AJC today:

"Tech's Luke Schenscher is 7-1 but didn't get much out of his five-inch height advantage. Schenscher missed three of his four shots and finished with two fouls, four rebounds, two points and three turnovers. Hofstra center Wendell Gibson had 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

"I think he just might be pressing," Hewitt said of Schenscher."

That's exactly what I was talking about below--even though Schenscher is taller, you have to discount him from your matchups since his aggressiveness either isn't there or hasn't been sparked. What good is a 7-1 guy who gets outrebounded by the point guard in two straight games?

Let's hope that Hewitt is right about him pressing. It's frustrating to watch/hear him get played by other, shorter and smaller, centers on subpar teams.

By the way, remember where you heard it first--Hewitt may be on the way to a coach of the year award in the ACC if he doesn't watch out. Expectations are probably WAY below reality and (I hope) he gets the credit since he's taken the heat for the past two years. Hewitt built this team and with the exception of big Luke (can C. Moore compensate?), I like what I see.

Go Jackets in upstate! Beat Cornell!

New links

I have added some new links - CyberBuzz, which has a gazillion links to all things Tech. Also I have added a link to the Rambin Wreck club, which does a great job of explaining Tech traditions - everything from George P Burdell to RATS to the Whistle to stealing the "T" - you get the picture.

UVA thinking Tangerines

That's right - UVA views this game as the key to their bowl future. It is really no different for GT. Our destiny is in our control. Make it happen team.

Meanwhile the debate rages on for who will get ACC football coach of the year. And this article tries to make a case it will come down to Tommy Bowden and Chan Gailey. Bowden??? Man, they wanted to hang this guy a few weeks ago. Now they want him for president.

Jonathon Smith getting some love since his record setting performance last Saturday against UNC.

Cornell getting ready for Sunday hoops match-up

Cornell is getting excited about our visit on Sunday. Check it out.

Recruiting Update - Jeremis Smith

Jeremis stepped back on the court Tuesday of this week. He finished with 32 points and 7 boards, including a half-court 3 pointer to send the game to overtime with one second on the clock. His high school, Dunbar, ended up winning 78-70. This guy got to the free-throw line 23 times (hit 15)!!!!!! Interesting because all the talk is that he will turn into more of a true 3-spot player, but I don't know if Hewitt will be able to keep this guy out of the paint. This is one aggressive guy.

UK fans talk smack

Check out the load-mouth UK fans spouting off about GT basketball. Yes, we had poor turn-out at our opening game on a bad weather night. Get over yourselves though. As for Hewiit being on the hot seat - give me a break. The fans clearly want GT to be a consistent tourny team, but Hewitt IS our man. He has proven his ability to recruit - HANDS DOWN!! He has had mixed success on the court, but I am convinced we will see improvement there this year. Experience and depth (everywhere but the 5-spot) will lead this team to clearly beat expectations of all the experts.

By the way, UK fans - what is it like to turn on ESPN and see the YellowJackets playing on prime-time? How do you think that impacts recruits? Where is KY playing on TV? That's what I thought.

By the way, if and when Morris comes to GT instead of UK, you can really kiss our collective ...................

Tech beats Hofstra 75-56

Well, the team looked strong again today (or should I say "sounded" strong).

The GOOD
Lewis shows up right from the start, bombing 3's. Ends with 23 on 8/13 (5/10 3pt). Also has 3 boards, 2 blocks, 2 assists and a steal. Jack shows up AGAIN and makes plays. Ends with 11 pointts, 2/5 from 3pt, 11 assists, 7 boards, 6 steals and only 1 turnover. That's quite a line. Two games - TWO DOUBLE/DOUBLE'S. Are you kidding me? Is'mail scores 12 (4/5) and hits 4/5 free throws. Good team defense - forced 24 turnovers. Team got out with a lead early and kept it. Way to finish.

The BAD
Elder has an off night shooting with 5/13 from the floor and only 1/7 from 3pt range. Jack led the team in rebounding. Ok, they were all defensive and probably long boards, but he still led the team in boards. Is'mail had ZERO boards. That cannot happen. In total GT was outrebounded 37-29. Got to do better - much better. A little better from the charity stripe, but needs work (12/18).

The UGLY
Ok, sorry Luke. But you've got to become a factor. Finished with 2 points (1/4), 4 boards (all defensive), 1 block, 1 steal, 3 turnovers. Just didn't sound great on the broadcast. Luke, this is YOUR time. You are the man. Show us you have it in you.

More on Is'mail
Liked Wes Durham's comment on Is'mail during the game "When they throw it up in the white square, the duece can flat go get it". In S.Hummer's recent AJC column, he says "Is'mail reminded the Jackets that he remains deadly from 18 inches in".

In the meantime, Gregg Doyel over at CBSSportsline thinks that NFL teams should take a serious look at Is'mail. HHHHhhhhhmmmmm. Here's the text:

Tech's Muhammad might have pro game -- in the NFL
Nov. 19, 6:15 p.m.

If he wants to compete at the highest level, Georgia Tech small forward Isma'il Muhammad will have to follow the career track of Preston Pearson and Rashod Kent.

At 6-feet-6, 230 pounds, Muhammad is one of the most physically impressive college basketball players in the country. Watch him for 10 minutes. You'll get the point. He's big, fast and jumps like he has trampolines for sneakers.

The thing is, he can't shoot outside of 10 feet. For a 6-6 guy, that's a problem -- but only if Muhammad chooses to make basketball his career. He could earn money at the game, no question about it, but he'd have to get a travel visa and learn a second language.

Or he could do what Pearson and Kent did -- follow solid college basketball careers by taking a shot at the NFL.

Pearson was a decent shooting guard for Illinois in the 1960s who became a dependable running back for the Dallas Cowboys, among others. Kent was a power forward for Rutgers, averaging roughly 10 points and 10 rebounds as a senior in 2001-02, before spending the 2002 NFL season as a tight end with the Houston Texans. Most recently he has been on roster with the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe.

With his size and athletic ability, Muhammad could play receiver, tight end, linebacker or defensive end in the NFL. His speed and football instincts would be the defining factors.

All it would take is for one NFL team to show some vision. Then, the choice would be up to Muhammad.

Where are they now - Nick Fergusen

Well Nick has finally landed a starting job with the Broncos. Turns out they just don't want him off the field. Good going Nick.

The importance of point guards

Oliver Purnell is re-focusing his points guards. This article focuses on Clemson hoops but mentions Jarrett Jack as a frosh guard given PT last year and has some quotes from Hewitt.

Recruiting update - baseball

Another review of GT's baseball signings. Definitely gives me hope that we can take our season further and further. Of course, the quality of the class will depend on how many of these kids actually show up on campus. Quite a few will be drafted. Time will tell.

Recruiting Update - hoops

A quick round-up on the remaining unsigned top players, including our favorite Randolph Morris. Here's the Morris re-cap:

Smith’s AAU buddies, Dwight Howard and Randolph Morris are spring guys that is if they ever sign. In Howard’s case, the Southwest Christian Academy center is very likely to bypass college and head straight to the League as a high lottery selection. Morris, a 6-11 big man out of Fairburn (GA) Landmark Christian, is down to Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Clemson.

In Morris’ case, no timetable has been set for a decision. Though unlikely out of high school, there exists a chance that he checks his NBA status as well. It would be unprecedented that three AAU teammates make the leap from high school straight to the pros.

Where are they now - Chris Bosh

Chris continues to improve as the season progresses. After the stellar game where he hit the 3-pointer that sent the Houston game into OT, then scored 10 in OT (25 total), he has followed up strong. On Wed. he had 16 pts, 6 boards and 6 blocks. I saw him interviewed while I was in Montreal and one thing struck me - how little I have I actually heard him speak. Very well spoken guy, deep voice, an intelligent guy who comes across well.

Here is a new story on him from MSNBC.
"Who's the Bosh" - blurb from Fox Sports
"Bosh's maturity extends beyond the court" from the National Post in Canada. How about head coach Kevin O'Niells' quote "He's never going to be an ass----". Wow - how......professionally said.
Here's one from the Globe and Mail.

Meanwhile, Bosh is friends with Univ Mich's soph guard Daniel Horton. And if you want to see his Converse web marketing highlights - click here.

Keep it up Chris. You might just sneak up on that ROY award AND be on a winning team.

Jackets short[er] tonight

Tonight is a great test of the theory that we've been talking about, even if the Hofstra Pride is not an ACC-caliber program (check out their schedule though...after us, they go play Providence, then Maryland!). They have some big men up front:

Walker, 6-6, 225 from Brooklyn
Gibson, 6-7, 260 from Far Rockaway, NY
Adeleke, 6-8, 230 from Brooklyn

It'll be interesting to see how the team reacts to three 6-6+ players under the net. Only McHenry and Brooks have that kind of height and can move (sorry, Luke). I personally feel that we'll win the game despite being outplayed in the paint, but maybe the Jackets can impress tonight. Hey, we're going to Cornell this weekend anyway, why not hang around the Big Apple for a few more days?

Why isn't this on television again???

GT researchers find monkeys can pick a champion as well as BCS

Check out this story. Is this where our bright minded students are now spending their time? My bad - it is actually an undergrad researcher along with 2 faculty advisors. Of course the BCS system is a mess and we really need a playoff system.

Fridge TV

According to this article in the Washington Post, Ralph Friedgen has his own internet TV network. No word on whether or not you need a large monitor to watch it.

Luke no Skywalker

I, for one, was not in Quebec during the game last night, and rather than break it down as Scott did, I want to provide a little more fuel for the fire: Luke Schenscher played scared last night and he will have to take on far tougher assignments than the Ragin' Cajuns.

What bothered me most during the game was not the stats, but the fact that he was:

1) Out of position for many rebounds, that were quickly snatched up by Elder, Jack, Muhammad, etc.

2) Passive and slow on defense, watching Cameron pivot around him for easy layups several times. Since the Cajuns were out of the game early, they didn't go to Cameron that much, but he was eating Luke's lunch and could have scored 20+ against him. What will Danelius do to him when we play Wake?

3) Unaggressive when he had the ball under the basket, electing to dribble (and lose it) rather than take it to the hole, even for a layup. If you can't get rebounds, Luke, at least provide some offensive production or get the other guy into foul trouble.

Besides that, dude has some annoying 'fro and chin hair that makes him look like the playa that he ain't. Luke: go to the barber on tenth street and he'll hook you up for 5 dollas. Read my lips--you (and I, by the way) are W-H-I-T-E, dude. Both on and off court.

This is what I'm afraid of: that this guy is incapable of playing center in the ACC because of his lack of aggressiveness and that we'll get eaten alive in the middle this year. Will we be running and gunning in every game because we can't go down low? What happens when we play a real team with height that can contest rebounds under the basket?

I thought Muhammad was great--he's my favorite player now. The heck with ESPN if they'd rather televise the "breaking" championships on ESPN2 than our game Thursday...you're missing a good team, guys.

Go Jackets, take down Hofstra!

Women's hoops lands top 5 class

Well, the women have lined up a national top 5 recruiting class this year under Machelle Josef in her first year. Nice going.

The UGA game really is important.....for the pups

Please don't accuse me of looking ahead. Obviously the UVA game is critically important for GT. That game will most likely determine our bowl future. However, the UGA game now means a ton for the Dawgs.

This year's GT / UGA game will have some national significance. If the Dawgs are tied with Tenn and Florida at the end of SEC play, the winner of the SEC east will be determined by the BCS standings. UGA has to stay within 5 spots of Tenn in the BCS for the right to play in the title game since they beat Tenn earlier in the year.

What does this all mean? Well, if UGA loses to either Kentucky or GaTech then Tenn would likely win the east. So my friends, it looks likely that we will have the power to really piss off a bunch of Dawgs this year. Don't you just love it.

Football notes

Well, Reuben Houston is getting offensive stars in his eyes. Didn't realize this guy was such an offensive talent in high school. Considering our weakness and depth at wide receiver might be an interesting addition. However, as Gailey brings also D.Bilbo, not sure he wants another project. But if there seems to be some who has a good feel for players and their ability to switch positions, it's Chan Gailey.

ABC is stalling its announcement on the GT / UGA time next Saturday (1:00pm or 8:00pm). It appears they will make their decision based on the results of our UVA game and UGA's game against KY. If we both win, bet that it will be a night game. Personally, to me there is nothing like a Sat night game for atmosphere and emotion.

Do you know the last time GT beat UVA on the road??? Try 1990, in the storied battle won on the foot of Scott Sisson 41-38 en-route to our National Championship. That's a long dang time!!!! Time to end the streak boys. Make no mistake - the defense needs to show up AGAIN!! Schaub is a playmaker, and UVA is like a wounded dog, losing 4 of the last 5. I have two words - "DUKE" and "CLEMSON". Ok team, get what I'm saying here????

Vikings play the Lions this weekend and there is a connection. Vikings’ defensive coordinator/defensive line coach George O’Leary and Lions’ special teams coach Chuck Priefer coached together at Georgia Tech from 1987-91 and with the San Diego Chargers from 1992-93

Recruiting Update - Jeremis Smith

Nice update on ACC recruiting, but check out the article on Jeremis Smith. I'll take a little liberty and paste it here, but here is the link.

Tech's Giant-killer

One of Georgia Tech's newcomers is "little big man" Jeremis Smith, who stands 6-5, but plays much taller.

"He's probably the most dangerous inside player in Texas," said Bob Hughes, Smith's coach at Fort Worth Dunbar High School. "Jeremis chewed up Kendrick Perkins (the 6-10 Beaumont center who went straight from high school to the NBA this year) and he embarrassed the kid from Seagoville (No. 6 senior LaMarcus Aldridge, 6-11, who has signed with Texas).

"Jeremis is a guy who plays anywhere. He's a solid 230 pounds and very strong. He goes past taller players and over the shorter, quicker ones, creating big match-up problems. The best way to describe him is just to say he's a basketball player."

Smith averaged 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists as a junior, leading Dunbar to a 37-1 record and the Texas 4-A championship plus a No. 7 national ranking by USA Today. He earned state tournament MVP honors by scoring 30 points in a 66-54 title game win over Beaumont Ozen and Perkins.

"He's an athlete," Hughes said. "He jumps well, handles the ball extremely well and, man, can he finish! He will probably be a small forward when he gets to Georgia Tech, but he plays so well in the paint that I don't know how much they're going to allow him to play out there."

Smith, ranked No. 114, visited Arizona and Oklahoma as well as Tech.

"He liked the whole scenario in Atlanta," Hughes said. "He feels good about the program, Coach (Paul) Hewitt's style of play and the kids they're signing this year.

"When people see Jeremis play in college, they're going to say, 'How did we miss him?' He's a lot better than his ranking."

How ACC teams stacked their hoops schedules

What approach did each ACC take this year in non-conference hoops games? This article highlights each ACC team, which ones went the tough route and which ones took the cupcakes. GT has a respectable non-conference schedule with games against Tenn, Ohio State, UGA and possibly #1 Uconn if we make it to the finals of the pre-season NIT.

North Metro Georgia Tech Club

I have added a link to the North Metro GT Club on the left. Check it out here. A great way to support Georgia Tech.

GT wins opening hoops game

Well, a solid performance from the Jackets as they beat Louisana-Lafayette 79-45 at the ThrillerDome. Unfortunately I was driving through Canada while the game was going on. Got to my hotel to turn on ESPN and catch the 2nd half - and guess what - Canadians don't like ESPN. What's that all about?? Although I was able to watch "World's Strongest Man" in French though - qui qui.

Back to the game. I was able to get online and listen to the 2nd half. So I'll make some comments based on listening in and the stat line. Luckily I recorded the game so I will check it out when I get back.

Seemed to be a balanced game from the whole team. Strong defense, balanced scoring against a depleted LL club.

Jarrett Jack - double/double with 11 assists and 12 points (5/6, 1/2 3pt, 4 boards, 4 to's, ). Nice outing. If JJ runs the club this way this season look out. However, you know when JJ's last double/double occurred? Try his freshman debut last year. So he has a knack for season opening games. Wes D. on the radio commented on how much stronger he looks this year. Evidently has been hitting the weight room. Great outing by JJ.

BJ Elder - 17 points (8/17, 1/4 3pt, 5 boards). A good start to BJ's season. I said before the season that he should average 17-22 points a game this year).

I'smail Muhammad - 13 points (6/9, 7 boards-4 offensive, 2 blocks, 3 assists, 3 to's). A solid effort for IM. If IM can truly become a slashing offensive threat this year that sure would add a dimension to the team. Combine that with his tenacious defense and he could be a pleasant surprise this year.

Marvin Lewis - One of Marvin's "where did he go" games. 8 points (2/9, 2/8 from 3pt, 2 board, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 to's). Usually Marvin disappears on the road. I sure hope this is not a preview of things to come his senior year. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt since it is the 1st game. Too much hoops to play yet.

Luke Schenscher - had 6 points and 1 rebound. I said 1 rebound. Yes, 1 rebound. really - 1 rebound. I'm not kidding.......Without watchinig the game I cannot comment on his aggressiveness, but 1 rebound against a depleted LL team is not much to get excited about. He did sustain a cut under his eye. I will comment later after watching the tape. However, Luke, at least outrebound Jarrett Jack, who had 4. Please..........really..........please. The Macon Telegraph even did a profile on you today.

Clarence Moore - I like this stat line - 6 boards (3 off), 3 assists, 4 steals. Only had 5 points (2/5) but did hit a 3-pointer. Clarence has said he is willing to do whatever the team needs to win. That is a stat line to me that shows a guy doing some dirty work. I love it. We know this guy can score and this will come as the season progresses.

"The rest" - Robert Brooks had 8 points (4/5) and 6 boards. I will take that ALL DAY my friend. Tony McHenry finished with 5 points (2/3) inlcuding 1/2 from 3-point range. Also had 5 boards, 1 block, 2 assists - reasonable outing from Tony. Would like to see his offense develop (as would all fans) as the season progresses. Jim Nystrom goes 2/2, including one from long distance. That could be a nice confidence booster. We keep hearing about how he shoot the lights out. Anything Jim can contribute adds another dimension as well.

General comments

Rebounding - Everyone talks about our weakness on the inside. Luke is going to have to do more than he did tonight, but check out the distribution of rebounds (Is'mail 7, Moore 6, Brooks 6, Elder 5, McHenry 5, Jack 4, West 3, Lewis 2, Luke S 1, Nystrom 1). A solid effort from all on the boards as GT outrebounded LL 45-29.

Turnovers - 16 total. Better than the pre-season games. I really expect our turnovers to be lower as the season progresses since we do have experienced people in the backcourt.

Free Throw Shooting - 4/10. Welcome to Georgia Tech.

OK - nice win. Love to start the season this way. And it looks like we will have another home game on Thursday against Hofstra as they beat Marist 79-74. If GT beats Hofstra, we could end up matched up against #1 UConn. We will get to see pre-season all-american O.Ekafor, who was almost a YellowJacket and our old "friend" Ed Nelson (on the bench watching of course).

For the complete NIT bracket, click here.

Trapezoidal foul lane??? What???

Does everyone realize that tonight's game will be played on a court with international basketball dimensions? Check this out:

"All games in the Preseason NIT games are being played under experimental rules, in which the three-point line will be at 20 feet, 6 inches, and the foul lane is trapezoidal. Both elements are part of international basketball rules, and the new three-point distance has been approved for all games starting in 2004-05."

Yet another reason to watch and learn..and another reason to defend well down low and let the Cajuns take threes all night!

Cajuns are beaten...

Despite the fact that Luke is anything but a "cool hand" and fouls out with 5 minutes to go tonight, and that we turn over the ball 20+ times, the Jacket press and multiple fast breaks are too much for the Ragin' Cajuns, depleted by academic suspension. I pick us to win by 10, and 90-80 sounds about right.

Things that I'll be watching for:

1- [Insert Vitale voice here] "Elevator man! Muhammad takin' it to the HOOP!" We've heard a lot about how Isma'il is being more aggressive in the paint this preseason...take it to the hole early and often, Ismail. We want to see you take at least 16 foul shots tonight. The guys in the middle need to pick up a few fouls and you're the one to make them pay.

2- How many times Dickie V talks about Jarrett Jack. Hopefully, Jarrett gets some exposure tonight since he's been underrated since arriving here last year. He'll probably look sloppy tonight, but he should do enough (15 pts, 15 assists???) to help the team.

3- How quickly does Hewitt insert Moore and what kind of minutes does he give him? I see that he won't start, and I'm sure that he's being brought along slowly to let the other guys who've stuck around get some minutes, but he's a big key to the season, so I hope he gets a chance tonight.

What an unknown tonight's game is! I'm taping it for repeated viewings, for sure.

Where are they now - Nomar

Mr. Garciapara managed to garner one 1st place vote, two 2nd place and one 3rd place vote in the AL MVP balloting. That put him in 7th place. Here is a story mentioning Nomar and the fact that 3 Red Sox finished in the top 7 in voting.

Got some props on another site

Our site received some love from another blog at www.gtcrows.blogspot.com. It is called "tell me one thing you remember about me". Not exactly sure who these people are, but seems to be some Tech students. Check it out. Always willing to share the love.

Recruiting Update - baseball signees

A good update from RamblinWreck about the 11 GT baseball signees during the early signing period. Certainly seems like another great class from Danny Hall. A strong early group of pitchers and some multi-talented guys who can pitch and hit.

Recruiting Update - Jeremis Smith

Thanks to RamblinRed at the Hive for the tip on this article about Texas high school hoops with mention of GT commit Jeremis Smith. Couple of nice pictures as well.

Dwight Howard's team travelling big time

Just like the high school Lebron tour, the Dwight Howard tour has started. In January he will be in Greenville SC and play against Ra'Sean Dickey's high school team. I will certainly try to attend that one.

Georgia Tech nabs top weekly ACC awards

While PJ didn't get offensive back of the week, GT did get plenty of recognition this week. Frankly as great as PJ was, Philip Rivers (NC ST) and Josh Allen (MD) probably deserve it even more considering the level of defensive competition they were up against. Heck, Allen rushed for even more yards than PJ Daniels and of course Rivers played his heart out against FSU, only to have it stomped at the end. For details, click here. For the GT perspective click here.

However, here are the GT awards for the week.

DEFENSIVE BACK
Georgia Tech's Reuben Houston (Peachtree City, Ga.) made three key defensive plays in the Yellow Jackets' 41-24 win over North Carolina with an interception, a fumble recovery and a sack. The 6-0, 195-pound cornerback also had eight tackles and a pass breakup. With the Jackets clinging to a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter and North Carolina on the move into Tech territory, the redshirt sophomore's fumble recovery at the Tech 14-yard line preserved the lead.

SPECIALIST

Georgia Tech's Jonathan Smith (Argyle, Ga.) recorded three touchdowns in less than seven minutes of the fourth quarter in the Yellow Jackets' victory over North Carolina (41-24), including a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown. The 5-11, 185-pound wideout became the first player in Tech history to have a touchdown pass, a touchdown reception and touchdown return in the same game. After Saturday's performance, the senior now leads the ACC in punt returns with a 10.4-yard average. Smith accounted for a total of 157 yards in the game, including six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, five yards rushing, a 26-yard touchdown pass and 75 punt return yards.

ROOKIE

Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball (Stone Mountain, Ga.) threw a season-best three touchdown passes to lead the Yellow Jackets' to a 41-24 victory over North Carolina. The 5-11, 192-pound freshman completed 13 of 25 passes for 122 yards and three scores and rushed 12 times for 53 yards to total 175 yards of total offense. With the score tied at 17-17, Ball moved Tech down the field for the go-ahead field goal with an 81-yard drive on which he gained 32 yards rushing.

Gailey not focusing on bowls

Sounds like the fans and media are the ones really focused on the bowl possibilities and the players / coaches keep getting the questions shoved in their grill.

Meanwhile, here are more comments from the UNC side about what happened and why they couldn't stop GT in the 2nd half.

The "Georgia Tech Savannah" Campus

More on the new GT campus in Savannah GA.

Expansion & Hoops

Saw this in the Washington Post this morning. I can't help but think that if Krzyzewski doesn't like expansion, then it must be good.

Article on PJ

I'm sure we will be seeing more articles on this guy. By the way, PJ is back in the ACC lead in rushing at about 103 yards / game. He is 20th in the nation.

Also, J.Smith is now 2nd in the ACC in receiving and 19th in the nation. James Butler is #16 in the nation in INT's and #1 in the ACC.

Tangerine Bowl likely to send invite Saturday night

....and most likely to the winner of the GT / UVA game. So here it is. This game means the difference between Boise in winter and Orlando. The difference between a minor recuiting boost to a bowl game in the heart of football talent. And we may know Saturday night or Sunday morning who is going to play.

Strap the pads on tight this week boys - there needs to be some heavy hitting. You need to play like EVERYTHING is on the line. EVERYTHING. Go Jackets!!!!!

Recruiting Update - Baseball

Nice story on one of our new recruits Blake Dewitt - check out those high school numbers (.513 averge, 14 HR's, 45 RBI's, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 40 runs, 17 walks AND as a pitcher he was 9-0, 0.87 ERA in 48 innings striking out 62 and only walking 10). Wow.

Where are they now - A good day for GT in the pro's

Chris Bosh had BY FAR his best game as an NBA pro, hitting his 1st NBA 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Then he proceeds to score 10 of his season high 25 in the overtime periods (2). Check out Steve Francis's sour grapes quote - "He was lucky. He just threw it up and hoped it went in". Know what Stevie, IT DID GO IN!! So take that and your sore loser attitude and stuff it. By the way, I saw the highlights tonight and a couple of comments. First Bosh's 3-pointer was a wide-open baseline shot as Vince Carter passed out of an almost triple team. He did not hesitate and went right up with up and got nothin but net. Second, old Stevie Francis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win, THEN missed another 3-pointer in OT to win. So there are the sour grapes. Bosh's overall stats - 25 points on 7/11 shooting, 10/10 from the line (6/6 in OT), 9 boards (6 offensive). Here is another re-cap of the game, and here is one from the Canadian Press. Also, from Hoopsworld, this quote "Who is the smartest, most court-aware rookie? No, not King Hype. It’s Chris Bosh. Just watch this kid play. He doesn’t make mistakes. He has a nice shot, doesn’t force things and can do everything needed. He also has ice water in his veins. This kid will be a star, and soon." For an update on Rookie Stats so far (prior to this game), click here.

Meanwhile in the NFL, Kelly Campbell caught 4 balls for 115 yards including a TD in the Vikings loss to the Raiders. Nice outing.

Also in the NFL, Dez White caught 4 passes for 39 yards, including a TD as well in the Bears loss to St.Louis.

Tony Hollings returned 3 kicks for the Houston Texans for a total of 32 yards as he continues his comeback from an ACL tear. Houston beat the Bills. Nice story about Hollings and his rehab from a torn ACL.

Lastly, a story a GT transfer (out not in) Andy Hall, quarterbacking at Div I-AA Univ of Delaware. Had an outstanding performance Sat. earning his 3rd offensive player of the week honor in the Atlantic 10.

Story on Dwight Howard (mentions Randolph Morris)

Interesting story about how the recruiting trail has dried up for Dwight Howard since everyone thinks he will go pro. Guess what - he will. Mark it down. The story also mentions Randolph Morris and has a quote from Bobby Cremins.

Meanwhile, here is another general article about players leaving early. It is a popular topic because here is another one, which mentions some of Cremin's prized recruits. Speaking of Cremins, here is a nice story on his past and experiences with kids leaving early. Here is an article making the case that for some players staying in college actually hurt their stock. James Foreest is used as an example. Lastly, here is a story about Chris Bosh leaving early, with comments from Cremins and Hewitt again.

This is pretty cool. A serchable database of all the players that have left college early. You can search by team, college, year, etc.

Comments from the game

Comments from Gailey.
Comments from UNC players.
Comments from GT players.

My favorite quote comes from PJ Daniels - this guy has heart and represents what the game is about:

“I can believe it (the statistics), but I can’t take the credit. My offensive line did a great job. I can’t name everybody, but they all did a great job. This was not a P.J. game, it was a Georgia Tech game. I’m happy that I got 1,000 yards, but I didn’t get it, my offensive line got it. We got it together. I don’t look at record books and I don’t take all the credit. My offensive line and my fullbacks paved the way for me today. I’m not tired, not at all. I enjoy playing the game, and I enjoy running behind those boys.”

More photo's from the game.

Funny year in college football

Did you know this is the first time in history that Notre Dame, Penn State AND Alabama all have at least 6 losses. My how the mighty have fallen.

Where are they now - Chris Bosh

Speaking of Chris Bosh, he is not playing as well early into the season as he did in the pre-season, but hey, the competition moves up a level. He is leading all rookies in field goal percentage. Here is some comments about Bosh after their last road loss, where he was inserted into the starting lineup to shake things up, but still only managed 6 points and 6 boards in 32 minutes. Ahh, the life of a rookie.

Interesting article about players leaving early in hoops

Another story focusing on the changing landscape of college hoops. Mention of Chris Bosh and quotes from Paul Hewitt. It is just a fact of life, so we better get used to it. But if a head coach is trying to really convince anyone that he would not go after the top players because they won't stay, they are lying. If Lebron James had expressed a real interest in going to GT or UGA or Louisville or Podunk U, don't tell me someone would have turned him down. The challenge is to build a base on players that are skilled AND are 3-4 year players, then get that one or two special kids at the right time to take your program over the top.

Game notes

Here are some of UNC head coach John Bunting's comments after the game. Meanwhile, here is a story about Jonathon Smith's incredible 4th quarter (throws a TD, catches a TD, returns a punt for TD). Here are some photo's from the game. Well, as Gailey puts it PJ has a "heart bigger than Atlanta". Nice story about PJ's performance and that this guy NEVER gets tired.

Also note that reps from the Tangerine Bowl, Peach Bowl and Humanitarian Bowl were in attendence. Here is the bowl picture (before the game) from the Maryland perspective. However, as usual, let's just focus on UVA next week and let the bowl thing work itself out. Just win baby!!!

Is Gailey a supreme recognizer of talent

CollierHillsJacket at the Hive makes an interesting point about Gailey's ability to place talent in the right position. Click here for thread. There are some pretty strong cases for shifting certain guys to new positions with success. Is this keen recognition or knowing which guys are just athletes and can play many positions? Probably a bit of both.

Nice way to come back strong - Jackets beat UNC 41-24

Way to rebound Jackets! There were some sloppy plays and missed tackles but overall a good game. PJ Daniels runs for 240 yards - and 150 of those in the 2nd half. That's the 2nd best rushing performance in GT history - 2nd only to Eddie Lee Ivory's 356 yards in -78. WOW!!! Very impressive outing. At times he really explodes into the hole and he DOES seem to get stronger as the game goes along.

Jonathon Smith had a great game. Not a lot of passing yards, but about 130 all-purpose yards, including a great punt return for a TD late in the game to seal the victory. And they guy THROWS a TD also, on the "motion option pass". He goes in motion, Reggie hands him the ball, then you notice a defender is right in his way. Smith just stops, and I'm thinking, what are you doing? Next thing you know, he cocks back his arm and flings the ball about 28 yards on a perfect strike to Nate Curry. Speaking of Nate, he catches 2 TD's today.

Ball had a low key game, with 13-25 for 122 yards, but did throw for 3 TD's and no INT's. Did you notice that Ace actually caught a couple of passes and had another thrown to him in the endzone, where he ended up out-of-bounds. HHHhhhmmm.

Overall what was most impressive in my mind on the offensive side was 24 points in the 4th quarter. Here is the breakdown.

Score by Quarters......1....2...3....4......Score
------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina..........7....7...3....7.....24
Georgia Tech............3....7...7... 24....41


As for the defense, a decent outing. Bottom line is that UNC has a very good offense. Durant is the real deal and just always seemed to make plays. If they ever got a defense to go with their offense, watch out. Our defense got a couple of key turnovers and made enough stops at key moments to hold Tarholes.

What are we now? 6-4 (4-3 ACC) and bowl eligible. Game next week against Virginia - a very important game. Need to victory to finish strong in the ACC. Then on to the Dawgs.

How did we do on predictions:

Final Score GT 41 UNC 24
Walt.....GT 17 UNC 7
Scott....GT 31 UNC 14

Both predicted the win, but I get closer on the points

More pics from the GT / Nike hoops game

Along with pics from theGooley, here are some pics again from the Nike hoops exhibition game. Thanks to Charles at his photo dbase.

Micah Owings pre-season All-American (3rd team)

Nice props for sohpomore Micah Owings, named to the pre-season 3rd team All-America team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association.

Innovation at work???

So do you consider this the type of wonderful innovation that makes America great. Or do you consider it just another way for someone to plaster advertising in your face? The only way it passes the test imo is if the tray truly "brings value". If it really is an innovative tray that is more useful at games then you can get by with the advertising. That seems to be the case.

UNC freshman to get chance today

When you are last in the nation in defense, I guess it is worth changing some things.

Article on Clarence Moore

Nice story on Moore and his challenges off the court. I am certainly glad this guy is back on the court. He will add a great all-around dimension of play to the team.

Where are they now - Andy Hall and Tony Hollings

Andy Hall
Nice story about Andy Hall and his decision to transfer from GT. I'm glad he is doing well.

Tony Hollings
Short review of Tony's status as the back-up rusher for the Houston Texans. ---Hollings is the wild card. The Texans selected the rookie from Georgia Tech in the second round of a supplemental draft with designs on grooming him to be their back of the future. Because Hollings had anterior cruciate ligament surgery in October 2002 he has been brought along slowly, carrying the ball just 15 times for 71 yards this season. Although he has been active for eight of the Texans' nine games, Hollings has been limited mostly to special teams. The emergence of Domanick Davis, who leads all rookies with 587 rushing yards, has allowed the Texans to be cautious with Hollings, who has top speed and good running instincts. Nevertheless, the Texans would like to get Hollings more touches, and if he could add kick returning to his résumé, that would help.

AJC Review of the hoops team

Review of our team. Everyone has the same comments:

- great backcourt. Bynum will add toughness
- inside presence a big question mark. What will Luke do?

So Luke, are you for real this year? Are you a 12 point, 8 rebound per game guy? Theodis, when you return can you show that your play at the NIT was no fluke and that you are really developing into a solid post presence?

More questions -
Is'mail, can you continue you "take it to the rim, no prisoners" attitude? You are an incredible athlete. Can you develop a 10-foot jump shot to add another dimension to your game? I shudder to think how people would guard you if you added a mid-range jumper.
Marvin, can you even out the consistency of your play, particularly on the road? When you are on from the perimeter, you are unstoppable. When you are not, we cannot even find you.
Clarence, are you going to earn a leadership position again on this team? Show us that your all-around game is still in top shape. Tony, you are a great defender. Will you develop more confidence in your shot? You were a scorer in high school -we know you have skills.
Will, welcome home. Glad you came to your senses. I am excited about what you can add to this team. It is a clean slate - make your mark.
BJ, I am sick of reading EVERYWHERE that you are the most underrated player in the ACC. Would you just put it to rest and be one of the top 5? You have the game and will play in the NBA one day. Can you help this team make it to the next level while you are here. Jarrett, you are the floor general. Will you develop into the BEST point guard in the ACC by your senior year? I honestly think that might be shooting too small with your potential. The teams with experienced mature leaders at the point WIN, particularly in the ACC. Will you be that guy?
Mario, Jim and Robert. will you guys step up when given the opportunity? Your minutes will not be great, but when you get them, what will you do? Will you seize the moment?

I for one am excited and hopeful about this team. I think the potential is high. We can be a tourny team. GO JACKETS!!!

Georgia Tech Sports Today Show with Chan Gailey - re-cap

Recorded the show on Fox Sports South - here's a recap (not word for word, but close).

Opening w/Wes Durham and CG;
WES: Difficult loss to Duke - need to get ready for UNC.
CG: We have to be ready for them. They have thrown the ball well all year, but they found a strong running game last week as well. All our games are "BIG"for GT, and because of where we stand and because it is an ACC game, this one is very important.
WES: This loss shook everyone up (fans, players, etc)
CG: That's why we have the "24 hour rule". You better get over it quick because if we are not careful we will let one loss cost us two, which we cannot afford. It was a bad loss, nobody likes to lose, but it is only one loss - now we need to go find a way to win on Sat.

2nd Segment: Player profile of James Butler from Climax GA.
WES: He was going to be important this year no matter what because he would be replacing Jeremy Muyres, but nobody really expected him to have the year he is having, except maybe his coaches.
CG: Jon Tenuta picked him out right when he got here last year and thought he had a very bright future. Not only because of his size and speed, but because of how intelligent he is, the type person he is, the character he has and how he plays the game.
WES: He has a real nose for the football, and his interceptions have not been "gimmies". Some have come in traffic on plays he has made.
CG: I give him credit too because he studies the game. He anticipates. That's the key to being a great football player - can you anticipate where they are going with the ball, know the formation, know the route that's coming your way and be ready to break on the football. And he has run down a couple of guys preventing them from getting into the endzone too.
Butler speaking: I think free safety is the ideal position. You don't have too many responsibilities. You sit back and play the game of football. (yes he said this). ..... From film study, I usually know what plays are going on, but I still have to act on that on the field. I like to read the quarterback's eyes, and it helps that we have guys up front really putting the pressure on the quarterback.......... I learned a lot from Jeremy Muyres during my 2 years with him, on how to watch film and play the position.......... My goal is to stay consistent and be a good football player. If I do that the big plays and all that should come with it....... Me and Dawan and Cox are close. We are always going out together on Thursdays to eat, hanging out together during the week, watching film together. All that builds on our closeness.

3rd segment: game review of the Duke game.
WES: Everyone said this could be a dangerous game, especially with the long layoff and Ted Roof having this team playing so much better.
CG: It is easy for us to say the long layoff hurt us. Whether it did or not we will never know, but I guarantee I am not going to let them do it to us again though. But it doesn't matter if you have a 2 week or a 6 week layoff. You have to be able to line up and be ready to play. You have to give Duke credit - they did a nice job. They played very emotional and very physical. They did a very good job and we didn't.
WES: They started right out of the gate on the first drive with a 62 yard drive and a score, make a couple of 3rd downs and built momentum. It just seemed that GT never really got that momentum back.
CG: Even though we got it to 10-7 and scored on our 2nd time with the ball, things just kept falling their way. We drop a deep ball, they get a tipped ball - all those little things - when they had 3rd and 4, they got 5. In games past, we have normally been making those plays ourselves and getting wins. (went through highlights).

4th Segment: Mindset of the team
WES: Many would say that this is a team that cannot stand prosperity, plays much better as an underdog and with a chip on their shoulder. Is that true?
CG: Well, if you look at the facts, you would have to say that it is true. We have not handled that facet of it very well. I hope there is a lot more to it than that. I hope that we can learn how to play each week and it doesn't take a slap in the face for you to learn it - or 5 slaps in the face. You hope that we can mature and handle those things better. Bottom line is that there is a mental approach to the game, but you have to go out and play to your capabilities, prepare to your capabilities and bring an attitude onto the field. And all three of those things have to happen every week.
WES: One thing we notice in the media is that this team does not like to talk about what happened. They like to talk about what is going to happen. It has probably been tough for the team talking about the Duke game this week.
CG: Again, that is where the 24 hour rule comes in. You better get onto the next one. We have to be ready for this game this week.

5th Segment: More on UNC
WES: GT is riding a 5-game winning streak over UNC. But UNC had a big win over WF that surprised people. This is a very talented team, particularly on the offensive side.
CG: They have a lot of weapons. And they have added a big running game. We really have our work cut out for us defensively. We have faced some pretty good offensive teams in weeks past, but we better be ready this week.
WES: This is a team that can score and from a lot of lot of different places on the field. (went to highlight reels).
WES: UNC has struggled on defense, where they are not very good. That's where a lot of people get into a shootout with them. You have said you do NOT want to get into a scoring shootout with them.
CG: We have not gotten to the point offensively where we have proven we can get to a 40 or 50 point game. While I would like to see us get there at some point, we are not quite there yet. We have to take the game as it comes and methodically work ourselves down the field, control the clock and score points that way.
WES: Reggie Ball did not have a very good game last week. Is one of his challenges now to learn the bounce-back factor of being a college player?
CG: Well, I think he has learned that fairly well in weeks past, because even though we won, he hasn't always played well. He's tried to improve his game each week. He has had a couple of really good games and a couple of not so good games. Yes, he will have to bounce back this week, but I think he is the type of competitor that wants to improve and be better this week.

Various tidbits

Story about ACC hoops from the Devil's Den provides a little reminiscing about ACC moments, including the great point guards Cremins brought to "Point Guard U". If you want to see the entire schedule for the pre-season NIT, click here. The Jackets take on Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday the 18th. I believe tip-off is actually at 7:00 pm. and the game should be carried by ESPN.

Jason Collier, who had played with the Houston Rockets for the past three years, has landed in the NBA developmental league with the Fayettville Patriots who will be taking on the Michigan Wolverines tonight in Mich's last exhibition game. Also, in another "where are they now" exclusive - Michael Maddux. He can be found on Team Georgia, a traveling exhibition squad. Team Georgia consists of former college players, mostly from Georgia institutions. It is 0-1 after beginning its tour Tuesday with a 93-67 loss at Miami. Forward Michael Maddox of Georgia Tech led Georgia with 28 points and nine rebounds and made 10-of-20 field goal attempts. Who else has played for Team Georgia - James Forrest, Matt Harpring, Juan Gaston, Jason Floyd, Pablo Machado.


On the baseball diamond, see what former Jacket's head coach Jim Morris has done with Miami - heeeeee'ssss bbaaaacccckkk.

On the gridiron, here is a story about 5th year senior kicker Dan Burnett, finally getting his moment in the sun. Special teams gets "special" attention, as here is a story about Hal Higgins and how smart he is. Hey Hal, how about spending less time in the classroom and more time kicking those balls. Kidding of course - Hal, we would love to see you win your starting job back by booting balls 50-60 yards a pop. Also Reggie Ball only needs 147 passing yards to break Shawn Jones's freshman QB passing mark. Barring injury this WILL happen. Nate Curry and his fashion sense are highlighted here. Here is an article about possible further ACC expansion and the ramifications for the middle-of-the-pack teams that BETTER improve or else.

The GT Hall-of-Fame inducts 6 new members Friday night - football players Shawn Jones, Scott Sisson and David Lutz, golfer David Duval, hurdler Derrick Adkins, and track star Nelrae Pasha Ali. I was Scott Sisson's "RA" (Resident Assistant) at GT on Field Dorm, 1st floor back in the day. He and Jim Kushon lived next door. Scott was a fantastic guy and talk about a clutch kicker for GT. He sure hit some big ones. I remember a rough streak he went through in '91 where he missed some key kicks and the fans were on him BIG time - nasty letters, death threats, etc. Never talked about it but it seemed to be hard for him. Of course coming back to the dorm I'm sure brought a smile to his face, as he and Kushon were stockpiling beer cans to build a bar made of them (I think "Kush" was the instigator here). He sure had a rough go at New England when he went pro - missed a bunch of kicks early on his rookie season and had the always understanding and patient Bill Parcels as a coach. Great to see Scott and the others inducted into the HOF!!!! Go Jackets.

How about those Turtles?

I for one don't buy into the hype surrounding NC State battling for a spot in the BCS. Just because scheduling quirks don't have them taking on the big boys until late in the year doesn't make them instantly good. For my money, the second best team in the ACC this year is the Maryland Terrapins and they deserve the Gator Bowl spot now that we've forfeited it. Their only bad loss was to FSU after a devastating loss to NIU that had to really bring the team down.

Take away that heartbreaker that the Jackets put on them and they're tied with FSU. Their defense is outstanding, and their offense is very efficient. They put the hurt on the Cavaliers last night on national TV and they'll likely take down both Wake and NCSU to finish out a 9-3 season that looked BAD after losing to NIU early.

If my musings are correct and if (BIG IF) the Jackets can muscle up a couple more ACC wins, that puts the ACC standings at:

FSU 7-1
Terps 6-2
Jackets, Clemson 5-3
NCSU 4-4
UVA, Wake 3-5

Wow...with the exception of the overachieving Jackets and the underachieving Wolfpack, that's about where I might have put the standings at the outset.

Jackets edge Tarheels

Given my bleak outlook for most of this season, I'll lay this one out there: Tech will win on Saturday despite (perhaps because of) the demoralizing loss to Dook last week.

A few notes:

1- for once in history, our pass defense will carry us. Darian Durant will throw early and often, forcing us to adjust. I've liked what I've seen out of the backfield in our good performances this year.

2- P.J. will have a big game--200 yarder. He's been doing the work all season, but this D-line can't stop him, they can only hope to contain him.

3- Ball plays mistake-free football. It won't be flashy, but every other pass is a scramble/throw out of bounds--exactly what a freshman QB should be doing, especially after beating himself up all week. Put the ball in the hands of the tight end and/or J Smith and run/run/run to chew up clock.

Tech 17, UNC 7 - another win for the defense.

GO JACKETS!

Interesting article on video editing of game footage

Interesting read, with quotes from Gailey.

College players in the pro's

Comparing some of the major school's ability to get players into the NBA. This list shows how many players are on current NBA rosters that played at the following schools (I might be off by one but you get the idea). Georgia Tech certainly has a great track record and I think we have had about 28 players total that have been on NBA rosters all-time.

Kentucky........12
UNC...............12
Arizona..........10
Duke..............10
Maryland........8
Georgetown...8
UCLA..............8
Georgia Tech..7
UConn............7
Michigan.........7
Kansas...........7
Xavier.............6
Syracuse........6
Cal.................6
Mich St...........6

Other ACC

Wake Forest..4
Clemson.........4
FSU................3
Virginia...........1
NC ST.............1

Recruiting Update

Hoops
A review from John Hollis. Also, here is a re-cap of the best classes, with some commentary on the risks of losing some of these top players to the NBA. Here is a story about how the ACC stacks up against the new "Big East" in top 100 recruits. Here is another review of ACC recruiting. This story mentions Frederick and Dickey in the top 5 pre-season SC players. This is an even better profile of Zam Frederick. Here is an excerpt:

With Fredrick's commitment, Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt hit the "mother lode" by also landing another top Palmetto State prospect in six-foot-nine Marlboro County forward RaSean Dickey. Dickey and Fredrick have been friends for years after meeting on the competitive AAU hoops circuit.

"Ever since we started playing AAU ball when we were 15 we just developed a good chemistry together and as we got older we figured that we wanted to play somewhere together," Fredrick said. "We weighed the odds-and-ends and came up with Georgia Tech. It's in the (Atlantic Coast Conference) where we'll be seen and we'll try to take it to the next level."

Dickey joked with his friend by saying that playing with "Buck" is just fine, that is until he gets hot.

"I'm fine with how he's been getting (the ball) to me," Dickey said. "It's great playing with him until he gets in that hot streak and then he doesn't want top pass the ball. Then I have to do what I have to do."

The Yellow Jacket program has become known for producing notable NBA stars at the point guard position with Mark Price, Kenny Anderson, Travis Best and Stephon Marbury having called the Atlanta campus home, which made an impact in Fredrick's eventual decision.

"They've had a lot of good point guards so they definitely have a tradition and that factored into the decision," Fredrick said. "I just wanted to go somewhere where I can help the team win."


Baseball Recruiting
Brad Rulon will be joining the Jackets next year. Here is a short story mentioning him.

Where are they now: Stephon versus Dion

Dion Glover wins the head-to-head battle against Stephon Marbury as the Hawks beat the Suns and Glover scored his career high of 23 points. He was 8/14 and 4/5 from 3-pt and had 5 boards. Marbury scored 22, went 0/3 from 3pt, had 6 assists and no turnovers in the losing effort. Way to go guys.

Non-sports

Ever wonder why the management school is named the "Dupree College of Management"? The philanthropist who started Avado Brands, a restaurant conglomerate, Tom Dupree Jr, has resigned amidst financial problems. For the complete story click here. Just goes to show that even the "M train" is not safe.

Recruiting Update - ANOTHER QB???????

GT got a commit from ANOTHER QB - but he is actually committing to play GT baseball. Thought I would tease you a little. This is a talented kid named Michael Fisher, from the Nashville area. He also happens to be the QB on his football team. Obviously an athlete. He is considered one of the top national prospects with MLB potential because of his standout performances hitting with wooden bats in the camps.

CBS Sportsline reviews the ACC

Here is their take on ACC hoops in the coming year. Like everyone else, they have us picked to finish 7th. They do have BJ Elder on the 1st-team all-ACC.

On the decline: Coach Paul Hewitt seemed to have this program pointed skyward until a series of unexpected events: star-in-the-making Clarence Moore quit the team before last season, star-in the-here-and-now Chris Bosh entered the 2003 NBA Draft as a freshman, and former ACC rookie of the year Ed Nelson transferred after last season. The 6-foot-5 Moore is back, but Bosh and Nelson are gone, and with them went the Jackets' interior game. It's possible nobody in the country has a collection of five perimeter players as good as the above three, plus senior Marvin Lewis and junior Isma'il Muhammad, but can the Jackets rebound and defend against bigger teams -- which means everybody they play?

Here is another take on the ACC, from hoopsville.

Recruiting Update: New FB recruit commits

Just received a commit from Elris Anyaibe, a top 100 Texas prospect and a "horse" in the offensive line. Welcome to the JACKETS Elris. You have made a wise choice

Duke hands over to Vanderbilt the prestigous honor of......

.....the nation's longest conference losing streak. Duke snapped their 30-game skid, which leaves Vandy, now at 23 losses and counting.

Are AAU hoops coaches blackmailing college coaches?

Interesting story about recruiting "newsletters" from AAU hoops teams.

Notre Dame NOW wants into ACC - True Story

Check this out friends. From the USA Today, Notre Dame is now inquiring about full entry into the ACC. Well isn't this interesting. There is a part of me that just cherishes the idea of having ND in the conference. Talk about a conference with prestige and history adding a great program like ND. There is another side of me that says "screw'em". They had their chance and blew it. They wanted their cake and eat it too - now they can just eat it!

I want to pull up a quote from yours truly right on this website from

September 28:
Notre Dame better decide what horse they want to ride and not let the race pass them by.

October 2:
They'll be looking for a conference once their TV contract runs out. Mark it down.

So is 13 the lucky number? What do you think? Should the ACC add Notre Dame????

GT Volleyball sweeps UGA

I don't care if it is a frog jumping contest. It is ALWAYS a good day when we crush UGA at something. Click here for details.

Dawgs suck.

Funny article about UCF head coaching candidates

Funny story on the candidates for the head coaching job at UCF. Even gets O'Leary's name in there.

Interesting story on the most lopsided football game in history

Interesting article on the GT/Cumberland game. Of course they are trying to relate a "real" blowout against Ok's thrashing of Texas A&M last week.

For even more facts about the game, check out the link list under football extras for "Game of the Century".

See pics of the GT vs SE All-Stars

Nice pics from the game, as usual from "the Gooley".

Recruiting Update: Football

Found this blurb on a talented offensive line recruit GT has shown interest in:

The Raiders are led up front by big Drew Noe (6-4, 300), a major college prospect. Noe and Casey Martin (6-3, 265) are three-year starters for South Sumter on the offensive front while Steven Tyson (6-2, 275), Kevin Winters (5-9, 200) and Dwayne Adams (5-10, 230) are also solid. Noe, though, is the player to watch. He is smart with a 24 score on the ACT and a 3.9 GPA and also has great feet, which has helped him draw interest from schools such as Duke and Georgia Tech. "He's the best 300-pound player that we have had here," Sherman said. "You seldom see guys his size run as well as he does."

Only one of the ten commits so far are for the offensive line. I assume this is an area that will pick up in recruiting as time goes along.

Recruiting update: Baseball

Our ACC frosh of the year Micah Owings has a talented brother in high school who just decided to go to Clemson instead of GT. His father also went to GT. I guess everyone makes mistakes in life. Just like Will Bynum in hoops, hopefully he will realize it soon enough.

Can't wait for the hoops team to surprise people this year

This is what most people think of GT basketball this year - click here. That from a UNC board. I am convinced we will be better than the "experts" have us pegged, although I do see us as a "bubble team". We have a real shot to the dance, but it will take some real coaching from Hewitt this year. He can do it though.

Reggie Ball bouncing back

Story on Reggie Ball trying to rebound from his "off day" (understatement).

Also, here is a story about the dangerous UNC kick return game. And here is a complimentary article about our poor kick-off coverage. These 2 don't go together.

Hhere is a story about preparations for the UNC game.

Many cities are lining up to get the ACC football championship game. Now Jacksonville is getting louder than ever about it.

Recruiting Update: Where our hoops recruiting class stacks up...

Recruiting "expert" Dave Telep has ranked to top classes so far - GT comes in at #17 (minus Randolph Morris of course).

Bill Hodge, another "expert" has us at #15.

Bob Gibbons has us at #6 Van Coleman has us at #7 (same link as Gibbons).

Why the disparity?? It comes down to the rankings of the individual players. Telep does not even have Jeremis Smith in his top 100, while other services have him at #41 and #55. Most of the services have Zam in the top 90, but a couple don't have him in the top 100.

No doubt if Morris signs, we should be close to everyone's top 5, not that any of this really means anything. What will matter is how they do on the court. That will just have to wait until next year.

By the way, Telep has 6 ACC teams in the top 25 for recruiting classes. The Big Who????

Recruiting Update - All 4 national letters of intent have been received

GT received the official national letters of intent from all 4 verbal commits today (Z.Frederick, A.Morrow, R.Dickey, J.Smith). R.Morris will wait until spring to make his decision. This is great news for the Jackets and great going Paul Hewitt. GO JACKETS!!

For details about each of these guys, click here.

Remaining top hoops recruits

Story pointing out the key uncommitted recruits in the top 100.

Also found this blurb about a junior college player that Hewitt has keyed in on:

Aaron Pettway, 6-10, 230, BF, Hutchinson Junior College (Kan.) – Mobile, Alabama native never played a minute of high school ball and spent a few years in the military before landing at Hutch. Upside is the word of the day here. Mississippi State, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Maryland and Florida State are just some of the schools involved. ``He’s very athletic, is quick off the floor, has a great body and is agile and versatile. He’s absolutely an NBA player.” – Division 1 assistant coach

I assume the interest would be for next year, but not sure - I will find out more.

Also, notice in the article linked above how the different leagues are stacking up in top 100 recruits:

2004 TOP 25 PROSPECTS: ACC (5), Big 12 (4), Big Ten (3), SEC (3), Pac-10 (2), Big East (2), C-USA (2), Undecided (4).

2004 TOP 100 PROSPECTS: ACC (19), SEC (14), Big 12 (13), Big Ten (12), Pac-10 (12), Big East (9), C-USA (6), MNT WEST (1), WCC (1), A-10 (1), WAC (1), undecided (11).

The Pat Riley of college volleyball at GT

Man, this guy sounds WORSE than Pat Riley. Next, he might want to start some Tai Chi and worship sea monkeys. Seriously, whatever works. He has the team believing and WINNING. Hard to argue.

For a GREAT review of the hoops team.....

....click here - and read "BEESerk's" thoughts on the team and the players. He has been to the scrimmage and both pre-season games, so he has seen it first hand. Nice post BEESerk.

Tenuta being considered for a head coaching job

The newly vacated Central Florida job now has a short list of candidats being considered. One on the list - Jon Tenuta, our highly touted defensive coordinator. Maybe after his performance against Duke, he'll not be so high on their list. By the way, the AD at Central Florida - former GT assist. AD Steve Orsini. ......and there's the connection.

Duke snapped a GT streak.....

GT has prevented an opponent from scoring a TD on their opening drive for 30-something games (not sure of the actual number). Well, Duke scored a TD on their opening drive, snapping the streak.

..............As if you cared

Does John Hollis read this site????

I posted this statement on Monday (see posting below titled "Hoops Previews"):

"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". "

.....and what appears on Tuesday? A short story on the hoops recruits. Coincedince????Click here to read it. Now, there is not much in the article - no profile of the players, details about making their choice, etc. Nothing new here. John H., this is a start, but Tech fans want more. Hopefully once they ink their names, you will do some interesting profiles about these kids. Tech fans would like to know about them.

GO JACKETS.

Where are they now

The Vikings / Raiders line up this Sunday. Here are the GT connections: Vikings’ defensive coordinator George O’Leary and LB coach Brian Baker coached with Raiders’ defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan and special teams coach Bob Casullo at Georgia Tech

College transfers - comments on Will Bynum

Found this blurb re: too much talent and how bad things can impact good teams:

Bad chemistry. Too much talent is an enviable problem to have -- but it can still be a problem. Players don't just sulk anymore when they don't get playing time. They transfer. Most of the time, they do it in December so they can get an early start on the year they'll have to sit out. That's what happened at Arizona, when sophomore guard Will Bynum left for Georgia Tech and sophomore forward Dennis Latimore transferred to Notre Dame. Those defections shrunk Arizona's rotation from 10 players to eight, and they made the 'Cats a tad less invincible.

Here is the full CNN/SI article.

UNC getting familiar with the Jackets

For UNC fans, they have published this "Meet the Jackets" report.

Pat Swilling - by Tom Law

Nice story about Pat Swilling in his high school days at Stephens County.

There are BABES at GT!!!!

How about this!!! A GT babe just won Miss Georgia USA. Of course, she is on the "M-train". Those alums know what I am talking about. The article gives her personal website here. Can't understand why she turned down a chance to appear on Fear Factor. I thought everyone liked to eat horse rectum. Oh well.

First AP hoops poll

Click here for list.

The "future" Big East has 7 teams in the top 25, including #1 UConn. ACC has 4 in top 25 (including overrated Duke and UNC in the top 10), with Maryland coming in at #26, just off the list. The SEC has 2 teams.

On a side note, there is a new site dedicated to hoops recruiting in the Carolina's. They have a "top 25" for NC/SC. Dickey is #2, Zam #6 and Morrow #12. Not bad, but just another "expert's" opinion.

Updated profile on Randolph Morris

PrepStars has written an updated profile on Randolph Morris - link here.

Here is the higlight:
The progress of this strong 250-pound low post over the course of the spring and summer was quite noteworthy, and similar to his more heralded Atlanta Celtics frontcourt mates Dwight Howard and Josh Smith, he now looks like a probable McDonald’s All-American. Randolph’s combination of power and quickness on his post moves is better than any senior except Al Jefferson, but the Georgian still is prone to miss easy shots, perhaps because of lapses in concentration. Nevertheless, he does a whole lot of good things, such as drilling soft turnaround jump shots and jump hooks, attacking the glass with ferocity, hustling up and down the court, blocking shots and punishing less sturdy foes with one powerful dunk after another. He travels occasionally on his quick first step, but his deft footwork, increased explosiveness and ability to get to the rim in a hurry are quite impressive. Big-time plus prospect.

Averaged 23points, 16 boards, 4 blocks his junior year of high school.

Some insight into GT academics and athletes

Nice update on the latest "Lunch Bunch" report from "JezebelJacket" at the Hive. This one was with Larry New, GT's senior director of athletics. Lots of interesting points about recruiting, academics and athletics.

Nice update on the hoops game from people who were there

GT beat the SE Atlanta All-stars 11-75 last night. You can read the game re-cap by clicking the on that game in the schedule on the left side below. For a nice re-cap of the game from someone there, click here. Nice to see Cremins was there cheering on the Jackets. Nice to see Luke showing some improved skills as well. I think we will have a very interesting team this year, particularly when Bynum and Tarver get back to the team.

CBS Sportsline - "Hire Roof NOW!!!"

Check out this story about hiring Ted Roof permanently at Duke. Some highlights include:

on Roof's "networking" ability
"Roof, showing networking skills that eluded Franks, already has sought out Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski for advice -- matching the number of in-depth conversations Krzyzewski had had with Franks in five years. To friends, Franks said Krzyzewski didn't know who he was. Franks was wrong, of course. Krzyzewski knew. He just didn't care."

On Duke AD Joe Alleva's track record hiring coaches:
Duke athletics director Joe Alleva already has said Roof will be among the four or five candidates to be interviewed. That's an obvious move, but then, Alleva hasn't exactly shown the best instincts. He fired two-time national coach of the year Fred Goldsmith in 1998 and replaced him with Franks, a Duke alum who had never been a coordinator in college. In the process, Alleva turned down inquiries from two of the hottest coaches in the country, Ohio State's Jim Tressel (then at Division I-AA Youngstown State) and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen (then offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech). This time around, Alleva says 50 coaches have called about the position -- which means he needs to start making a whole lot of rejection calls.

Wow - fired 2-time national coach-of-year Fred Goldsmith, hired Carl Franks, passed on Ralph Friedgen AND Jim Tressel. That's quite a track-record!!!!

Where are they now - Richard Lewis continues to battle for a spot in the "bigs"

Nice story on Richard Lewis a GT baseball player trying to make it with the Braves.

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.

Was Yesterday Our Worst Loss Ever?

Not even close (but props to Walt for predicting it). In an effort to cheer myself up yesterday, I tried to put this into perspective. When I think about the worst losses I've endured as a Tech football fan, yesterday doesn't make my top 5.
My top 5 nightmare games since 1988:

1. FSU, 1992. No explanation necessary.
2. UGA, 1997. I don't know what was worse, the penalty that nullified the interception, or the fact that UGA ran the same play, a flanker screen to Champ Bailey (I think), two consecutive times for big yards during their game winning drive.
3. Penn State, 1991. I was really psyched about this game, because I was sure we would win and prove that we were a powerhouse and not just a one year flash in the pan. I was wrong.
4. Clemson, 2001. Up to that point, I had delusional thoughts of Tech going to the Rose Bowl. Then I watched this game and realized we still couldn't stop anyone.
5. UNC, 1993. We got blown out home. Began to realize that the Bill Lewis era would not go down as a great one for Tech.

I'm sure I've forgotten some, and that there were some more egregious ones before I started following Tech in 1988.

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.

QB Commitment

I hope this guy is good. Apparently one film session was enough for us to make him an offer.

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.