Strange: Georgia Tech got it right with Hewitt

In 1982, Georgia Tech hired Bobby Cremins from little Appalachian State. Not exactly a headline-grabber.

Cremins stayed 19 years and once he got it going, Tech went to the NCAA tournament 10 times in a 12-year span, including a 1990 Final Four trip.

When Cremins ran out of gas, Georgia Tech had to make another hire. Athletic director Dave Braine - an old football coach - thought small again.

He almost went back to Appy State for his next coach. Yes, Buzz Peterson was in the mix, perhaps even first runner-up to Paul Hewitt, according to someone close to the search.

Like Cremins, Hewitt wasn't a household name who would make the turnstiles spin in Atlanta. A native of Jamaica who moved to New York City as a child, he was, on paper, a risk.

In his late 30s, he'd been a head coach for only three years at Siena College, a school of 2,300 students in Albany, N.Y.

Right out of the gate, the Yellow Jackets returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years and Hewitt was named Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year.

Then came 15-16, followed by 16-15. Braine never wavered, rolling over Hewitt's contract each year.

"If that's not a show of faith, I don't know what is,'' Hewitt said Saturday.

Even in the quiet years, Hewitt was assembling talent. And in his fourth year, Tech nearly broke the bank.

The Yellow Jackets played their way to the national championship game, losing to Connecticut.

Hewitt was rewarded with a new contract that puts him in the millionaire's club. Anybody who hires Hewitt away from Georgia Tech will be said to have hit a home run.

Not that it's likely anyone - this side of the NBA - is going to hire Hewitt away from Tech.

Hewitt, whose fifth-seeded team plays Louisville here today in a second-round NCAA tournament game, said Tech gets it.

"The people, the administration, the fans, they really have things in perspective,'' Hewitt said Saturday.

"They know we're going to do it the right way. We'll sign solid student-athletes. We'll obey all the rules. We'll put teams out on the court that play hard and unselfish.''

Five years ago when he had an important hire to make, Braine got it, too.

He recognized excellence, even though it wasn't sexy to hire a young up-and-comer from obscure Siena. Although the ACC is a shark tank, Braine was willing to gamble that his young coach would rise to the occasion.

Hewitt admitted Saturday he had to do some growing on the run.

"At Siena,'' he said, "I was all about offense, getting up and down the floor. We averaged 88 points.

"When I got in the ACC, I realized you're not going to outscore anybody. You've got great coaches on the other side. You've got to defend. If you don't make a lot of stops, you're not going to beat anybody.''

Exceptional communication skills - Hewitt was a journalism major - enhance recruiting. Emphasizing player development is the natural complement.

"If you play the style we play, up-tempo and relentless defense,'' Hewitt said, "you've got to teach people how to play the game.

"You can't stop and call every play and diagram every cut.''

Said Louisville's Rick Pitnino, "He's exactly what you want in a basketball coach.

"If I was an athletic director, he'd be one of my top three guys I'd go after.''

Tennessee can't realistically go after Hewitt. But there are other potential Hewitts out there at places like Siena, or, perhaps, Wisconsin-Milwaukee or UAB.

Of the four coaches working here today, only Pitino was a legend before his most recent hire. The other three came from Siena, Marshall and Hofstra.

Georgia Tech isn't the only place that got it right.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.