We're bringing you a showdown of of wits and powerful mental control. Bird vs Winfield. Winfield vs Bird. What should be done about Paul Hewitt?????
ZOMG! There's a twist! In this episode, Bird plays Bad Cop (Fire Hewitt) and I play Good Cop (Keep Hewitt!)
Should Paul Hewitt be fired? 10 reasons why or why not.
10.
Bird: Losing record against georgie. Out of football, softball, baseball, volleyball, and hoops. Only MaChelle Joseph and Paul Hewitt have losing records against Georgie. Even then, MaChelle Joseph is coaching against the Vince Dooley of Georgie basketball and is only down one game to the female dogs. There is no reason Paul Hewitt should have a losing record to a squad that has had more turmoil and NCAA sanctions than the SMU football team. NBA Draft Picks for Hewitt: 5. NBA Draft Picks for uga: 2.
Winfield: The pool of candidates is weak. This is a year where the big conferences are weak and would be prime opportunities to see the mid-majors sneak in and make their presences felt. However, this is not the case as college basketball seems to be down overall. Why fire a coach when there is no one out there? We don't want an NC State situation where they fired Sendek and got Sidney Lowe.
9.
Winfield: We can't afford it because of the infamous contract. DRad is still trying to pay our debtors including Chan Gailey and we just added the Zelnak Center and the AMC has planned future renovations. The economics simply do not support a revenue sports coach firing.
Bird: No wins in the NCAAT since 2005. Only one berth to the NCAAT since 2005. This includes an overall record of 6-9 in ACCT games. Georgia Tech has only advanced past the second round in the ACCT once in Hewitt's tenure. The only time he's advanced past the second round in the NCAAT was 2004.
8.
Bird: Poor free throw shooting costs Georgia Tech in close contests. Not since the 2004-2005 season, has Georgia Tech finished in the top half of the ACC in free throw shooting percentage.
Winfield: Recruiting. Paul Hewitt brings in the talent. Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack,, Thaddeus Young, Anthony Morrow, Mario West, Gani Lawal, and Derrick Favors all have, or will have, prominent positions in the NBA. Overall, we have had the 19th most players drafted to the NBA during the Hewitt Era. We are an NBA-feeder because of Hewitt!
7.
Winfield: He is influential. Paul Hewitt is a prominent African-American coach in a big-time basketball conference. In 2007, he served as president of the Black Coaches Association and continues to be a dominant figure in that arena. People listen to Paul Hewitt.
Bird: Since 2005, Georgia Tech is 9-18 in games decided by one possession. Poor end of game play calls and poor execution have led to 18 losses that most likely cost Georgia Tech additional NCAA tournament berths.
6.
Bird: No ACC regular season titles or tournament titles during Hewitt's tenure at Georgia Tech.
Winfield: He's been there before. He can get us there again. With NBA rules, college basketball has become a cyclical sport and all teams must have some bit of luck on their side. Hewitt has taken the Jackets to The Big Dance 3 times since he came on board.
See the rest of our debate after The Jump!
5.
Winfield: Only Roy Williams, Gary Williams, Paul Hewitt and Coach K have taken ACC teams to the Final Four appearances during Hewitt's tenure. Hewitt has put us in the elite company of the ACC.
Bird: Since 2005, Georgia Tech has been on the road in the ACC 40 times. We've only won 6 times. That's a 15% winning percentage. This is the worst road winning percentage over that span in the ACC.
4.
Bird: Paul only has a winning record against 3 current ACC head coaches: Dino, OP, and Sidney. Everyone has winning records against those three coaches.
Winfield: Predecessors. Bobby Cremins had 1 NCAA appearance in his last 7 years. Paul Hewitt has made it 3 times in the last 7 years.
3.
Winfield: Hewitt rebuilt Sienna. From 1995-1997, Siena went 22-59. Over Hewitt's tenure he built them into a program that is now on autopilot. They have been to 5 of their 6 total NCAAT appearances during or after Hewitt's tenure. He knows how to put a team together
Bird: Paul Hewitt's former team, Siena, has been to the NCAAT four times since Paul Hewitt left. Georgia Tech has been to the NCAAT four times under Paul Hewitt. Siena has been past the first round twice since 2008. Georgia Tech has not reached the tournament since 2007.
2.
Bird: Georgia Tech has the 19th most players drafted during the Hewitt Era (at 5) yet we have the 34th most wins in the NCAAT. This is classic under-utilization of talent. If the entire NCAA were ranked by number of wins in the NCAAT divided by NBA draft picks, Georgia Tech would be ranked 51st.
Winfield: He put us back in the national college basketball spotlight by making it to the Final Four and by continuing to bring in big name recruits. This exposure only helps the program and the Institute itself.
1.
Winfield: Hewitt may not be meeting your expectations but he is meeting reality. We have never consistently been better than North Carolina or Duke. Bobby Cremins kept us above average in the ACC while Paul Hewitt is keeping us in the ballpark of where we've always been in years of parity.
Bird: Frustrating half court offense is turnover prone. Lack of explosive transition offense since departure of Jarrett Jack. Defense fades in and out of conference play. Heavy reliance on underclassmen in offense because of poor recruiting and/or poor player development. All of these factors have led
