To Those Who Are Upset And Underwhelmed About Brian Gregory: What Did You Expect?

by Winfield Featherston on Mar 29, 2011 11:00 AM EDT in Georgia Tech Basketball

Dear Georgia Tech fanbase that is never satisfied with anything,

Please get a grip on yourself and understand the reality of the situation. We are now finally paying for the mistakes left by the previous administration led by one David Braine. A buyout of Chan Gailey, a $7 million buyout of Paul Hewitt, and a $45 million renovation on the ~~AMC~~ new basketball arena has put the basketball program in a situation where a new hire had to be made in a cost-effective manner. You are kidding yourselves if you thought we had pockets deep enough to go after the "hot topics" of coaching hires this year.

I'll be the first to admit I am not oozing enthusiasm but that' because I am confident in myself to admit that I do not know all there is to know about the coaching ranks in college basketball. I am not an individual is going to grumble about why we didn't go after coaches who got their on the right page suddenly at the end of one season, a season we needed a new coach. So I look at this hire from a practical perspective like all of you should as well. Gregory's contract comes out to 6 years and $6 million, manageable in both the length and the financial aspects.

We know that he comes from good stock. He was an assistant under Tom Izzo of Michigan State for a total of six years over two tenures. (95/96 and '99-2003). We know that the writers and so-called experts like the soundness of the hire. It's not sexy or exciting but let's call its sensible:

Brian Gregory is most like Tom Izzo in temperament and style of all of his former assistants. Nice solid hire by Georgia Tech!less than a minute ago via EchofonFran Fraschilla
franfraschilla

Georgia Tech hired really good coach in Brian Gregory. He gets after it, and will do a really good job.less than a minute ago via webJay Bilas
JayBilas

Brian Gregory: He's not a hot young guy, but he'll bring the heat to Georgia Tech. #gatech http://bit.ly/fbEWaLless than a minute ago via TweetDeckMark Bradley
MarkBradleyAJC

We also can see that he can put together squads that can win ballgames. In five of his eight years at Dayton, his teams reached the 20-win mark and he never had a losing season.

It's time to look at the situation and say "it is what it is" and pay off our debts and learn to never sign a contract that automatically rolls over. Give Brian Gregory a chance to prove himself and start winning games. Let 2011-2012 be the rediscovery year that we need so that we open a new home arena ready to take on the world.

And lastly, trust in DRAD. He hasn't failed us yet.

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by The_GT_LineageX11 on Mar 29, 2011 11:07 AM EDT reply actions

Brian Gregory will represent the Yellow Jackets well

I understand why Georgia Tech fans aren’t overwhelmed by the Brian Gregory hire, but you’ve got to give him a chance. I graduated from Michigan State in 1998. During my time there, I took a Coaching Basketball class. Understandably, Tom Izzo wasn’t leading the class, though he did teach a couple of times during the semester. Indiana coach Tom Crean, Izzo’s assistant at the time, taught several sessions, but the main man throughout the semester was Gregory. I’m telling you right now you’ve got yourself a very underrated coach.

Fraschilla is spot-on. Gregory is a LOT like Izzo: Intense, hard-working, dedicated, passionate … heck, he’s even got the same stature. He’s done an impressive job with the Dayton Flyers, as Winfield pointed out in this blog post. Georgia Tech simply gives him a bigger platform in the ACC.

There’s no such thing as guaranteed success, but I can promise you you’ll like Gregory, and the players will like him, too. You’ll see an energetic guy and a tireless worker. He’s not the hottest name among college hoops coaches, but talk to me in two years. I remember MSU fans — myself included — wondering what Spartans head coach Jud Heathcote was thinking when he named his no-name assistant as his successor before stepping down in 1994. I’d say Michigan State has been pretty satisfied with the choice.

by Philip Zaroo on Mar 29, 2011 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

This is just great

So now we’ve got a guy that’s so underrated, when he finally does really well for us, we’re going to go ahead and give him gigantic raises and then we won’t be able to afford to fire him when he sucks.

Okay, I’m just kidding. I really appreciate this comment, because it puts the situation in a different light. Really the only other vibe we’ve been getting from this guy was the Dayton twittersphere celebrating Brian Gregory’s good riddance.

I said yesterday that I’m very underwhelmed by the hire, but after Hewitt there’s nowhere to go but up (both in terms of basketball and fan support). Really the only bad thing about the hire is that the fan base has been on the ropes for years, and they need shock therapy to get excited again. This isn’t shock therapy, this feels like the radiation treatment that’s actually going to kill the cancer and make us better — but after a long, slow, grind.

by Portmanteur on Mar 29, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel like we won’t see anyone satisfied until we start seeing wins (against powerhouses like our KSU bout this year) next year, just due to the amount of apathy most fans have come to expect due to the never-ending contract.

I do like this new hire, although I’m curious to see how a new coach + new temporary venue plays out for attendance next season.

by Eric Scott Sembrat on Mar 29, 2011 11:56 AM EDT reply actions

Really, when I saw Bilas' tweet I knew everything was gonna be okay.

by Portmanteur on Mar 29, 2011 1:52 PM EDT reply actions

Is it possible that Dayton fans were just spoiled?

I mean, if you’re at Dayton do you honestly expect to go to the big dance every year? I would think that going to the NIT (and winning it) is more realistic for a school like that. If BG could take Dayton talent to the NIT, extrapolate that. He should be taking GT talent to the NCAAT. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but we need it with all the negative nancy comments I’ve heard in the past 24 hours.

by Gotcurry04 on Mar 29, 2011 2:02 PM EDT reply actions

Dayton has more fan support and at least as much money and as good of facilities as any of the top programs in the A-10, if not better.

Gregory arguably recruited the 2nd most amount of talent in the A-10 to UD, only behind Xavier. The A-10 sportswriters voted Dayton prettyy high preseason the last two years, and even #1 I believe the year following their last NCAAT appearance. Dayton failed to come close to reaching those rankings. Dayton has everything it needs to finish above .500 in the A-10 more than once in the last 6 years and Gregory couldn’t. I don’t think they’re spoiled. The program took a step back when he took over for Purnell.

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by tricknole on Mar 29, 2011 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not saying but this is very similar to...

All those folks at Auburn complaining and griping after the hiring of Gene Chzick a few years ago. I wonder what they had to say after the Tigers won the BCS NC Game this past season? Nobody is saying that Brian Gregory will win a final four in a few years, but let’s see what he can do with the GT basketball team. He worked under Tom Izzo at MSU who is one heck of a basketball coach, before getting the head job at Dayton where he had good success. So I’m confident Mr. Gregory knows what he is doing as a head coach. Give it a rest! Nice article by the way.

by cuttysark on Mar 29, 2011 5:29 PM EDT reply actions

I've discussed this extensively with more or less

everyone I know that cares about sports, and I’ve come to the conclusion that we hired Tom Izzo. Which D-Rad deserves an extreme high-five for.

Paul Johnson: not giving a crap about what you have to say since 1987.

by GTNate on Mar 29, 2011 9:53 PM EDT reply actions

Way back in '81, CBC's hire was like, "Who the F%^& did Homer Rice hire?"

A yankee from Brooklyn who played for the Cocks and coached the Boone Goons? His real claim to fame was playing for McGuire.

Well, we know how well that turned out. Just look at the writing (decals) on the floor, CBC’s still with us, and the rafters are filled with his men.

Fans, it is now OUR TURN.

TURN OUT next season. YELL like it is the THUNDERDOME, imagine Lefty the Bald is on the other bench.

Talent will come, wins will come, we will have THE ACC facility in arguably the most dense, talent rich recruitng city in the ACC.

by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Mar 30, 2011 7:15 PM EDT reply actions

Nothing but up

Hewitt’s gone. Gregory doesn’t have to be the second coming to do better than that. Based on what’s coming out he has an opportunity in a great environment to make a big impact. Get behind him and let’s bring back what GT basketball used to be.

by ee8384 on Mar 30, 2011 7:30 PM EDT reply actions