Today I had the opportunity to sit down with the Georgia Tech bloggers at From the Rumble Seat for a Q&A in anticipation of tomorrow night's match-up in Atlanta. They should be posting my answers to their questions tomorrow morning, so be sure to check it out. In the meantime you can get a jump on the baseball season as they have some good articles posted on their site.
One of their questions was about our football recruiting class, so hopefully I got everything right. Maybe one of you football guys can set me straight.
Their answers to our questions are posted after the jump.
1. A few weeks ago Georgia Tech was sitting at 2-2 in conference, and had just dismantled UNC and Wake. Since then they're 1-4. What happened?
Nothing has really changed since the outset of the season. We're still talking about a team that has lost to three 200-ish or worse RPI squads in Siena, Charlotte, and Kennesaw State. Paul Hewitt has a knack for defeating Roy Williams so we're throwing that game out. Tech is a very average, inconsistent team with a mediocre front court.
2. Despite struggling from beyond the arc this season, Brian Oliver does a lot of good things for your team. How is his loss going to affect the rotation and strategy for this game?
Brian Oliver presents an interesting mismatch problem for Tech opponents. He finds himself wide open a lot on midrange jumpers when matched against slower, big men. Defensively, he doesn't provide Tech with much assistant at low post so true 5's (Daniel Miller and Nate Hicks) are preferred on D.
3. It seems like Iman Shumpert is playing better without big stars around him. How has his game changed, and what has Paul Hewitt done to adapt to the loss of Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal who overshadowed Shumpert last year?
The focus has been on spreading the floor with Glen Rice, Jr., Moe Miller, Mfon Udofia, and Brian Oliver to allow Iman to slash into the lane and vice versa. Some games it works and some games we shoot 2 of 15 from beyond the arc.
Iman's scoring has been fairly consistent while his assists have been all over the board. The key to a Tech victory hasn't necessarily been watching Iman's individual effort because it's always there it's been watching the effectiveness of his lesser-known compatriots.
4. From the outside it appears Paul Hewitt isn't too far behind NC State's Sidney Lowe in terms of ACC coaches on the hot seat. What is the point-of-view of Tech's fans, and what, if anything, do you see going down?
If we were to fire Paul, it would require $8.1 million for his buyout. He has a revolving 6 year contract that renews every April. It is what Tech fans have dubbed the "mega contract" and it truly is the elephant in the room as far as Tech athletics are concerned.
Tech fans would like to see Hewitt depart Tech by any means necessary besides a buyout. Many fans were rooting for St. John's to sweep him off our doorstep but alas Hewitt's family kept him in ATL. Maybe in a couple years when Gailey's buyout is complete and the AMC repairs are complete, we'll worry about Hewitt.
5. Finally, a struggling FSU team vs a struggling GT team. Who ya got, and what's the final score?
I don't see Tech winning. We haven't lost 4 in a row since two seasons ago but Tech is also pretty bad against good front courts. I expect excellent play from your forwards and a 15 point loss for the Jackets.