Season in Review

Georgia Tech

13-18 (5-11 ACC)

The season went about as expected for Georgia Tech. They lost a lot of talent from the previous year, especially down low, and didn't have the horses to really compete in the ACC. That ended up marking the end for Coach Paul Hewitt. Hewitt had some success at Georgia Tech, making it to the championship game in 2004, but he couldn't win with the talent he recruited and couldn't keep that talent in school for more than a year or two.

As for this past season, it was a struggle from the beginning. Georgia Tech lost their second game to Kennesaw State by 17 points. In Kennesaw's only other game against a major conference team, they lost by 40 points to Iowa State. The Yellow Jackets couldn't really pick up any momentum all season. They had a decent non-conference win against Richmond, but followed that up with a loss to Siena.

In conference, Georgia Tech had a couple good home wins, against UNC and Virginia Tech. But they once again couldn't win on the road, with their only conference road win coming against Wake Forest. At one point they lost 8 of 9, with the only win being a non-conference game against Chattanooga. The one bright spot for the team this year was Iman Shumpert. He averaged more than 17 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was Georgia Tech's best offensive and defensive player. Georgia Tech's main problem was a complete lack of inside scoring. Their top six scorers on the year were all guards, and you have to go to Daniel Miller's 4.4 points per game to see the top scorer on the inside.

Biggest Win:

78-58 vs. UNC on 1/16

This one was a head-scratcher. North Carolina was playing very well, but had a real hiccup here in a 20 point loss down in Atlanta. Georgia Tech held UNC to 27% shooting for the game, and got 30 points out of Shumpert. They were able to follow this up with a 35 point win over Wake Forest.

Worst Loss:

80-63 at Kennesaw State on 11/15

How could this not be the worst loss? I mentioned earlier how bad Kennesaw State was this year. They only won 8 games, and this was their second largest margin of victory all year. You could tell after this game that Georgia Tech was not headed for a good season.

Postseason Play:

Georgia Tech's stay in the postseason was very brief. They played Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament, and had a terrible effort. The team had no life, got down big early, and managed only 43 points in a 16 point loss.

Looking Ahead:

Georgia Tech is starting fresh next year with a new coach. The hiring of Dayton's Brian Gregory brought mixed reviews. Gregory had some success with the Flyers, but had been an NIT team of late. He will need to change the culture of losing and fanbase apathy in Atlanta. How successful Gregory is in his first season will depend largely on what Shumpert decides. He has entered his name for the NBA draft but has not hired an agent. If he leaves, that leaves a big hole in the backcourt. If he stays, most of the team remains intact. The only other seniors that had significant playing time were Maurice Miller and Lance Storrs, who combined to score 8.6 points per game. If Georgia Tech can find some frontcourt players they can have a decent year.