The biggest stories of 2011 revolved around the termination of Paul Hewitt, the early NFL Draft departure of Jerrard Tarrant, Tech's successful regular season in baseball followed by a postseason egg, the early departure of Iman Shumpert to the NBA Draft, the first football season without Joshua Nesbitt as starting quarterback, and the 2011 Sun Bowl.
Hewitt's termination was an inevitable event in most Tech fans' opinion prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season. His average to poor regular performances in the regular season coupled with low to non-existent NCAA tournament seedings meant his post-season success was completely relegated to one amazing season. If you were to really rewrite his Georgia Tech bio, it would say, "2004 March Madness and a bunch of NBA talent." I was Hewitt's biggest fan for as long as possible but as the pressure mounted, Hewitt flat-lined on the court. His most creative offense of his Tech tenure featured Iman Shumpert, Brian Oliver, and Glen Rice, Jr. spreading the court and allowing Tech's bigmen to play some one on one. Unfortunately, this offense was inconsistent, unmotivated at times, and paired with a poor defense (see Northwestern game film).
It was only natural that Hewitt's departure meant several players would leave. Brian Oliver was a national recruit Hewitt pulled in so Oliver leaving made some sense. Iman Shumpert's departure puzzled Tech fans initially but his success in the NBA early goings is proving most critics wrong.
Player departures and acquisitions were not limited to Georgia Tech's basketball team. From the Rumble Seat successfully added approximately 6 new contributors to the fold to lighten the load for Winfield and Bird.
In conjunction with adding new contributors, From the Rumble Seat engaged a steady stream of SBN and non-SBN affiliated blogs including: Boston College Interruption, Tar Heel Fan Blog, From Old Virginia, Block-U, Siena Sports Blog, Duke Hoops Blog, The Key Play, Riddick and Reynolds, Blogger So Dear, Testudo Times, Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GoMiddle.Com, and Sippin' on Purple. Working with opposing bloggers really brings a good, in-depth perspective to our blog and we really appreciate all of the insight from our opponents.
The football season was a yarn or widely varying quality capable of spinning championship cloaks but also capable of making $5 old navy sock-hats. We ascended the first foothills of the season only to hit the Rocky Mountains in the latter part of the season. The high points included a historic whoopin' of the Kansas Jayhawks, knocking off a top 5 Clemson Tigers squad, and securing a fairly reputable bowl game. To me, there were three major low-lights: getting stomped by Miami, punching Logan Thomas in the head, and putting up almost no fight defensively against Georgie.
2011 was an eventful year in the Georgia Tech sporting world. Tech hosted a regional in baseball, hired a new head basketball coach, and made it to the Sun Bowl. From the Rumble Seat even hosted a blog-log for the Ramblin' Reck's trek from Atlanta to El Paso (1,400+ miles!). And somehow amongst all the sports, blogging, and commenting I found time to get hitched. I hope everyone had as good a 2011 as I did. Let's hope 2012 can live up to our expectations on the court, on the Flats, and on the recruiting trail. Go Jackets! Happy New Year!
Hewitt's termination was an inevitable event in most Tech fans' opinion prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season. His average to poor regular performances in the regular season coupled with low to non-existent NCAA tournament seedings meant his post-season success was completely relegated to one amazing season. If you were to really rewrite his Georgia Tech bio, it would say, "2004 March Madness and a bunch of NBA talent." I was Hewitt's biggest fan for as long as possible but as the pressure mounted, Hewitt flat-lined on the court. His most creative offense of his Tech tenure featured Iman Shumpert, Brian Oliver, and Glen Rice, Jr. spreading the court and allowing Tech's bigmen to play some one on one. Unfortunately, this offense was inconsistent, unmotivated at times, and paired with a poor defense (see Northwestern game film).
It was only natural that Hewitt's departure meant several players would leave. Brian Oliver was a national recruit Hewitt pulled in so Oliver leaving made some sense. Iman Shumpert's departure puzzled Tech fans initially but his success in the NBA early goings is proving most critics wrong.
Player departures and acquisitions were not limited to Georgia Tech's basketball team. From the Rumble Seat successfully added approximately 6 new contributors to the fold to lighten the load for Winfield and Bird.
In conjunction with adding new contributors, From the Rumble Seat engaged a steady stream of SBN and non-SBN affiliated blogs including: Boston College Interruption, Tar Heel Fan Blog, From Old Virginia, Block-U, Siena Sports Blog, Duke Hoops Blog, The Key Play, Riddick and Reynolds, Blogger So Dear, Testudo Times, Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GoMiddle.Com, and Sippin' on Purple. Working with opposing bloggers really brings a good, in-depth perspective to our blog and we really appreciate all of the insight from our opponents.
The football season was a yarn or widely varying quality capable of spinning championship cloaks but also capable of making $5 old navy sock-hats. We ascended the first foothills of the season only to hit the Rocky Mountains in the latter part of the season. The high points included a historic whoopin' of the Kansas Jayhawks, knocking off a top 5 Clemson Tigers squad, and securing a fairly reputable bowl game. To me, there were three major low-lights: getting stomped by Miami, punching Logan Thomas in the head, and putting up almost no fight defensively against Georgie.
2011 was an eventful year in the Georgia Tech sporting world. Tech hosted a regional in baseball, hired a new head basketball coach, and made it to the Sun Bowl. From the Rumble Seat even hosted a blog-log for the Ramblin' Reck's trek from Atlanta to El Paso (1,400+ miles!). And somehow amongst all the sports, blogging, and commenting I found time to get hitched. I hope everyone had as good a 2011 as I did. Let's hope 2012 can live up to our expectations on the court, on the Flats, and on the recruiting trail. Go Jackets! Happy New Year!