Though we are still a good ways away from the start of Josh Pastner's first season of basketball on The Flats, now is as good a time as any to take a moment and get to know new assistant coach Tavares Hardy. Hardy, who came over from John Thompson III's Georgetown staff after a few years with the Hoyas, brings with him a wealth of coaching experience and a proven recruiting track record that few coaches can boast. He's the exact type of coach that will complement Pastner's somewhat unique skillset very nicely, bringing a little bit of everything to the table for a program that needs a whole lot of everything to get back on track.
Thought the struggling offensive line has garnered most of our attention so far this offseason, the position battle with the biggest implications very well could be the fight for playing time in Tech's secondary. In fact, the secondary very well could be the most fluid part of Tech's 2016 team. No one really knows who, if anyone, will be able to fill the holes left by key departures such as Jamal Golden, Chris Milton, and other longtime linchpins. I'm quite honestly hesitant to call it a position battle at all in the traditional sense, considering that most of these guys will be competing with themselves as much as anyone else. The open slots are there for the taking and we have a general understanding of who is expected to fill them, but whether or not the development is fully there remains to be seen.
It's official: we have our first satellite camp cancellation due to concerns over the Zika virus. Poor Jim Harbaugh, who just wants nothing more than to eat, sleep, and breath high school athletes, was forced to cancel a trip to American Samoa, a U.S. territory located in the Pacific. The real question is whether or not the return on investment of hosting a satellite camp on a tiny island is worth it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, Samoans make up a rapidly-growing percentage of players in both the NCAA and NFL. The thing is that none of them actually come from, well, Samoa. It's all California and other West Coast states, for the most part. Even Roman Reigns, Tech's resident Samoan, is from Pensacola. Same difference, I guess.