Brian Gregory left a very good job at Dayton (and some success) to take the job at Georgia Tech. Now, Georgia Tech has been down since playing in the national title game in 2004. They have all the prospects in the world, but they don’t really seem to utilize them well. Paul Hewitt kind of wore out his welcome with weird coaching decisions, average recruiting, and a weird attitude.
Now, Gregory has a chance to turn all that around, but it’s going to be hard in an ACC that sports Duke and UNC. Also, the Jackets have been having a hard time with UGA, and that’s a game most fans expect them to win all the time.
As someone who enjoys Yellow Jacket basketball, I want them to improve, and I hope that Gregory stays this optimistic. He said recently that:
“This team was in the national championship game seven years ago. That’s not ancient history. It’s not like it was 30 years ago, so there’s already something to build on. I think everything already is in place here. We just need to get it going again.”
“Kids today are all about, ‘What’s in it for me?’ When you coach, you’ve got to make them understand it’s got to be what’s in it for the team. If they take care of that, the ‘What’s in it for me’ will come. But that’s hard. You need patience, and you need success to sell that message.”
I hope he can sell the message, and I hope he can get the right kids for the program. No more Chris Bosh. No more Derrick Favors. I just want to see good basketball, and I want the team to be competitive. No one who likes Tech thinks that they should be able to win a national title every four years, but they do expect a competitive team.
I think Brian Gregory can deliver.
photo credit: Will Folsom
