Mailbag 12/28

RamblininAlb: Is Josh Pastner on the hot seat, next? If not, why?

Ben: It probably won’t be right away for money reasons.

Jack: The money factor is a huge holdup right now. He’s admitted that last year’s roster (and therefore this year’s) makeup was his fault because of not anticipating Moses & Jose leaving for the NBA when they did, and it crippled his recruiting ability going into the season. If they come back, we’re having a very different discussion. Instead, we’re in the middle of rebuild and praying young dudes can make it work. If I’m making the call, I do not have him on the hot seat unless he loses the locker room.

DressHerInWhiteAndGold: Favorite memory of 2022? (sports or not)

Ben: I got married this year, so it would definitely have to be that, but this year was honestly really great for me, so I am grateful to have a lot of things I can point to.

Jack: The whole time around graduation was really fun for me. I got to interview President Cabrera while hosting the Tech Lively podcast, had some very good gatherings with friends, had my job lined up, not many responsibilities, and got to just enjoy life for what it was. Of course the universe thought I had too much fun and gave me Covid the week after graduation.

DressHerInWhiteAndGold: Resolutions?

Ben: My wife and I bought a house that we will be moving into after the first of the year, so all of my resolutions (if you even want to call them that) are new-house related. Mostly I want to work to be more self-sufficient, making food things for myself.

gtbadcarma: What do you eat for good luck on New Year’s.

Ben: Black-eyed peas for luck, greens for money.

Jack: I don’t believe in luck, so probably whatever is in my fridge.

Frodo Swagginz: are there any leading names for the WR coach position and is Megatron available?

Ben: I know you said the question became irrelevant since it looks like Josh Crawford will be Tech’s new WR coach (great hire by the way), but I wanted to talk about Megatron for a second. Why are people so obsessed with him being a coach on Tech’s staff. It’s not to say that he couldn’t do it, but he has absolutely zero coaching experience. At least with Tashard Choice, he worked his way up before coming back to Tech. The last thing Georgia Tech should try to be is a Good Ol’ Boys Club. That’s how we got Ted Roof as a defensive coordinator. That’s how we almost got Ken Whisenhunt as a head coach and George Godsey as an offensive coordinator. Just get good coaches. Ask yourself: if they didn’t go to Georgia Tech, would you consider them? If not, don’t consider them.

Jack: Ben nailed it. Calvin Johnson has no business being a full-time coach at Georgia Tech right now.

Jack Purdy: My turn to put a question in here! What’s your favorite GT sports memory of the year?

Jack: I’ll answer my own question: This is a niche moment but I think it deserves the spotlight considering baseball, softball, and volleyball all got close to the next level of their sports, but never made the move. But, WBB put themselves in striking distance last season during the January games with a 5-game win streak before tough losses against NC State and VT. After those games, Clemson came to town in what arguably was a schedule loss (3rd game in 7 days) with Digna Strautmane out. Lotta-Maj Lahtinen hit a driving layup on the left side of the paint that gave us the first lead in the final two minutes, which did enough to send us to overtime and win. That bucket was the strongest in a resilient moment I saw a Tech team all year, even with volleyball wiping the floor against most teams.