Jackets survive Penn State in ACC / Big Ten Challenge, minus Thaddeus Young

Well it wasnt pretty tonight, but we got the win 77-73 against Penn State. I managed to watch the game tonight on ESPNU, and it was pretty cool to see who was doing the color commentary for ESPNU. None other than former GT point Drew Barry, who is also a good friend of mine. Anyway, back to the game. First of all Thaddeus Young did not play because of tendinitis in his knee, but should be ready for Sunday's ACC opener at Miami. Second of all, let me say this: Penn State is a hell of a scrappy team, and there point guard is reminiscent of Steve Nash at times with some of his passes. The big stars of the game tonight were Lewis Clinch (20 pts) and Mario West. Mario played a hell of a defensive game, and was all over the floor. If you get a chance to see the facial in the 2nd half, it was beautiful. Defensively the Jackets let Penn State shoot lights out at 56% for the game. Penn State was led by Jamelle Cornley who had 20 points to match Lewis Clinch for game high. With all the talk about our bad defense, we did have 15 steals in the game, which is amazing. The biggest work in my opinion needs to be in the rebounding department. We had a total of 21 rebounds tonight......yes 21! I think Chris Bosh had 22 in one game the other night in the NBA. All in all, it was a scrappy performance by the Jackets tonight.

Georgia Tech vs Penn State Box Score

Yellow Jackets take on Penn State tonight in Big Ten / ACC Challenge at Thrillerdome, 8ET ESPNU

From Ramblinwreck.com

ATLANTA - Following a runner-up finish in last week's EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, Georgia Tech returns home Tuesday night to face Penn State at 8 p.m. in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

The game is being nationally televised on ESPNU. Radio coverage is provided by the Georgia Tech-ISP Sports Network, which can be heard in Atlanta in WQXI-AM (790, WREK-FM (91.1) and WTSH-FM (107.1). The broadcast can also be heard nationally on XM Satellite Radio Ch. 191.

The Yellow Jackets bring a 5-1 overall record and the nation's No. 21 ranking in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the coaches poll into Tuesday night's game. In Maui, Tech defeated Purdue, 79-61, and No. 11 Memphis, 92-85, before falling to No. 5 UCLA, 88-73, in the championship game.

Penn State is 4-1 following a 65-61 victory Friday night over St. Joseph's

Commentary: New College Basketball rankings prove some teams get more respect

Just last week, the #19 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets played in the Maui Invitaional in Hawaii. After a first round win against unranked Purdue, the Yellow Jackets took on #11 Memphis in the 2nd round. With a 92-85 win over Memphis, the Jackets advanced to the Championship game where they played currently #1 ranked UCLA. UCLA ended up beating us, but you could sense it was a great tournament for the team, and it would mean respect in the polls coming out this week. Well, well well, i guess when you're Georgia Tech, you really dont get the respect that The Duke's and Kansas' get. For instance, Duke was ranked 7th and 8th last week in the polls..they lose to Marquette......and now they are ranked 10th and 11th in the same poll. Syracuse, playing cream puff after cream puff continues to roll up the national ranking with a 6-0 record despite struggling in most of the games against WEAK competition. Kansas, who lost to Oral Roberts, but beat Florida is still a strong team according to the rankings at #5. Then you have Georgia Tech, who was ranked 19th in both rankings going in, and we go to the Championship game against UCLA, and are now ranked???? Ummmmm...............21st, and 23rd in the new polls???? Well, if this isnt bulletin board material for Paul Hewitt, then i dont know what is. Georgia Tech is definitely in the top 15 teams in the country. I am sick of the bias in the polls, especially for Duke, Syracuse, and UCONN. Another team who is ALOT better than 17 and 14 is Memphis. Guys i guess it wont matter come March but i can tell you for sure, that these Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be there!

ESPN / AP College Basketball Rankings, November 27th

Former Georgia Tech players in the NBA

Jarrett Jack - Portland Trailblazers

2006-2007 Salary: $1,137,960

Jarrett has become a really big part of the Trailblazers team. He is leading the team in minutes played and has really become a fan favorite. Last night Jarrett had a big game with 17 points, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers! That's right guys, no turnovers for the big guy. His work ethic definitely has paid off.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors

2006-2007 Salary: $4,235,220

Chris Bosh has become a star in the NBA. Although Chris only played at Georgia Tech for a year, he has developed into one of the NBA's best players, and last year played in the NBA All Star game in Houston. Last night's stats: 25 pts, 14 rebounds and 6 assists in a win over Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Matt Harpring - Utah Jazz

2006-2007 Salary: $6,500,000

Matt was one of my favorite all time players at Georgia Tech behind Tommy Hammonds. This was a guy who wasnt recruited that heavily out of high school, came to Georgia Tech and now is an elite role player in the NBA. He also plays for the best team in the NBA through the first month of the NBA Season, in the 11-1 Utah Jazz. He has battled through some injuries last season and is now back to being healthy. Last night stats: 16 points and 6 rebounds in a win over the Sacramento Kings.

Stephon Marbury - New York Knicks

2006-2007 Salary: $17,275,781

Stephon is in a bad situation in New York and last year was voted as the most overrated player in the NBA by the Sporting News Magazine. Stephon also played one year at Georgia Tech before bolting to the big money in the NBA. 17 Million is BIG money too. What most people dont know about Stephon is he donated $500,000 to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund last year.

Maui Wrap-up: Jackets fall to UCLA in Final Game 88-73

The Jackets wont go undefeated this year that is guaranteed. After beating Purdue in the first round, and then #11 Memphis in the semifinals, the young Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fell to #5 powerhouse UCLA in the final game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday night. Not much good to say about last night's game. Sloppy play, alot of turnovers, alot of forced shots. We have to remember that we have 3 freshmen starters in the lineup and it kind of showed a little last night. Thaddeus Young still hasnt lived up to the billing that rated him #3 nationally in most rankings, but when he does this team should grow up quickly. Ra'Sean Dickey continues to be Ra'Sean Dickey where he hasnt met a shot he didnt like. All in all, i am happy and proud of the work this team did in this tournament. Again, we are starting 3 freshmen, and this team will mature come ACC play. I hope Coach Hewitt keeps the team in Hawaii to enjoy their Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Go Jackets. Next game Tuesday in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge against Penn State.

3-0 Jackets face Purdue in Maui Invitational opener; 5PM ESPN2

The Jackets have been impressive against weaker opponents to open the season, and tonight we'll get a chance to see how good these jackets really are. Tech will again start 3 freshmen in Thaddeus Young, Javaris Crittenton, and Zach Peacock. We have looked very good in the first 3 games, especiall the last 2 games. So, what does this mean?? Well if you ask Paul Hewitt, he says the Jackets are ready. "If you ask the team would they rather be at the beach, or playing Purdue, they will all say, "Playing Purdue". Hewitt continued, "I like the intensity the team has brought to Hawaii". This will be Tech's first appearance in the Maui Invitational, but Paul Hewitt was part of the staff at Villanova when they won the tournament. Is Coach Hewitt superstitious?? Well he says no. "We are staying in the same hotel, so hopefully that is a good omen". I have been in Virginia, and have not been able to update the page as i would like, but this week will have plenty of updates. Here is the homepage for the Maui Inviational to get it started. Go Jackets and bury Purdue!!

The Maui Invitational Homepage

Crittenton and Young Lead Georgia Tech to pasting of Elon 83-49

ATLANTA (AP) - It's no surprise Javaris Crittenton felt comfortable in his Georgia Tech debut. "I didn't have any jitters, personally," the freshman point guard said. "I'm in my hometown, and I know I've got a lot of support."
Crittenton and Thaddeus Young had impressive debuts for No. 23 Georgia Tech, combining for 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in an 83-49 victory over Elon on Friday night.
"Javaris and Thaddeus did a nice job, but they've got some things they need to work on, and they know it," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "Defensively, they can get a lot better, and taking care of the ball they can get a lot better."
Crittenton, a highly regarded recruit who played two seasons with eventual No. 1 overall NBA pick Dwight Howard at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, scored 17 points. He gave the Yellow Jackets their first 20-point lead with a fast-break runner early in the second half.
Young, the most talented freshman forward at Georgia Tech since Chris Bosh four years ago, finished with 13 points and six rebounds. His fast-break dunk with 4:33 remaining made it 77-43.
"I think it went great," said Young, who grew up in Memphis, Tenn. "We're just looking forward to the next game."
LeVonn Jordan led Elon with 15 points, and Chris Chalko finished with 13. The Phoenix, coming off a 15-14 season, a 10-4 record in the Southern Conference and a school-first division title, was without senior point guard Montell Watson, who twisted an ankle and won't return until early January.
Chalko was 3-for-7 on 3-point attempts, but Elon coach Ernie Nestor thought Georgia Tech's defense took away the perimeter threat.
"He just couldn't get free tonight, because they wouldn't let him free," Nestor said. "They came with a concerted effort to put the brakes on him. It was a tough, especially since they had a variety of guys that could guard him. They had a half dozen or more."
Swingman Lewis Clinch scored 14 points for the Yellow Jackets, who had a game-high eight rebounds from Ra'Sean Dickey.
Mario West scored consecutive fast-break layups, the second coming with 6:10 remaining, to make it 73-41.
Crittenton is poised to join a long list of stellar point guards, like Jarrett Jack, Stephon Marbury, Kenny Anderson, Travis Best and Mark Price, to play at Georgia Tech. But the freshman had four turnovers to go with five assists.
"I've got to limit my turnovers," Crittenton said. "My assist-to-turnover ratio needs to be better, like the carry turnover messed me up. I played OK, but there's always room to improve. (Our ball) rotation needs to be quicker."
Georgia Tech lost 13 of 15 to end last season with an 11-17 record, its worst under Hewitt. Now in his sixth year, Hewitt led the Yellow Jackets to their only appearance in the national title game in 2003-04.
According to Nestor, who coached Elon to an 81-69 loss a year ago at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Georgia Tech looked nothing like the team that struggled so much last winter.
"You sense that Georgia Tech is on a mission," Nestor said. "They are on a mission to show that they're a better basketball team than they finished last year. That's very evident in the way they played."

Georgia Tech - Elon Boxscore

Jackets Kick off season opener tonight 8PM ET at AMC!!

Well tonight is the start of what hopes to be a banner year for Paul Hewitt and the Jackets. ESPN ran a story the other day about the sleepers for this years college basketball season...right here....and it also seems that our Yellow Jackets traveled to Birmingham this week and scrimmaged UAB and apparently were torched 82-69 according to a blog report by Andy Katz over at ESPN.......The drama of the season about to start......And now you can even watch the game on the internet tonight for only $3.99....even if you cant make the tipoff, the game will be on ACC Select.......The Jackets kick off with Elon tonight, and here's a preview. Go Jackets!

Official: Georgia Tech signs 3!

Paul Hewitt made it official Wednesday when he announced that the Jackets have signed 3 studs for next season. The players signed were Lance Storrs, Gani Lawal, and Maurice Miller. Gani Lawal is the most talented player in the class ranking anywhere between number 27 and 40.

"This group fits every need that we identified going into this recruiting season," said Hewitt. "We identified Gani very early, and we watched Lance grow as a player. Mo Miller, after seeing him last January, became a major priority for us."

Hewitt on Gani Lawal:

"Gani is a very important young man for the future of Georgia Tech basketball," said Hewitt. "Not only is he an outstanding talent, but he's also shown us through his academic work and how he conducts himself in the court that he can be one of the future leaders of this program."

Hewitt on Maurice Miller:

"He's a throwback point guard who plays for a former college coach, Jimmy Adams, who does a great job at Raleigh Egypt High School," said Hewitt. "Mo is a very smart player, an excellent passer, and really knows how to run a team."

Hewitt on Lance Storrs:

"He's a shooter with size," Hewitt said. "I've always been very comfortable coaching big perimeter players, and Lance fits into that mold. He is also an honor student who should excel at Georgia Tech."

Georgia Tech signs 3 players (Ramblinwreck.com)

Will Bynum erupts for 29 points in Euro League Debut.

Former Guard Will Bynum in Europe: Looks like Will Bynum and Luke Schenscher were roster cuts this offseason, with Luke almost making the Bulls roster once again. Once the Bulls drafted Tyrus Thomas, you kind of knew it was the end of the road for Luke. Hopefully Luke can team up with Will in Europe. I will have an update on some former Georgia Tech players very soon. This article is from a European news site, and this game was a HUGE game for Bynuym's squad. I expect Will Bynum to be playing in the NBA soon.

Maccabi Tel Aviv edged out Unicaja Malaga 106-101 in an overtime thriller at Yad Eliahu yesterday, but it was a victory that left many questions hanging over Neven Spahija's new-look side.

Will Bynum erupted for 29 points in his Euroleague debut, while Nikola Vujcic hit 14 points, adding 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Jamie Arnold came off the bench for 17 points and 8 rebounds, Simas Jasaitis added 14, Derrick Sharp 13 and rookie Lior Eliyahu 12.

The second half was neck-and-neck, with Bynum taking the game on to his shoulders and setting the crowd alight with his driving runs. But Bynum failed in managing Tel Aviv's game and Cabezas penalized Maccabi time after time.

"We need to be in focus the whole time and not just for 10 or 20 minutes. Then everything will look much better," said Will Bynum. "We are still a new team. It was a great game. We played well, but we all need to focus more on defense and improve it."