NC State hosts Georgia Tech today in the RBC Center today at noon, but there is a lot more going on in Atlanta than just a game today.
We discussed GT Athletics Director, Dave Braine’s retirement earlier in the week, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Jeff Schultz weighs in with some interesting Hewitt-related thoughts today.
Some excerpts:
Regardless of what you think of Chan Gailey in general or his contract in particular, regardless of how you perceive the seemingly re-circulating disenchantment within the Georgia Tech fan base, there are at least two favorable things that can be said of athletics director Dave Braine: He hired Paul Hewitt and he has kept Paul Hewitt.
Now that Braine has announced what Hewitt has known for “a month, maybe two� — that the Tech athletics director is retiring because of health issues — it’s logical to wonder if the basketball coach will soon follow him out the door.
Understand something: The relationship between a coach and athletics director in today’s college atmosphere might be even more vital than a coach and his superiors in the professional ranks. Academic issues are forever evolving. A university’s priorities are forever changing. Presidents are taking an increasingly active role in athletics. The athletics director can’t just be a cushion and a fundraiser, particularly at a place like Tech. He needs to be fluent in politics — in two languages, academics and athletics.
And understand this: Paul Hewitt has two escape clauses in his current contract, which runs for another 5 1/2 seasons. One is fairly typical — he can leave for an NBA job without being subject to a buyout. One is fairly atypical — he can leave within two years of Braine’s exit. So start the clock.
Now, a coach can have an ironclad, no-escape contract signed in vampire blood and it wouldn’t make a difference. Contracts are broken every day, particularly by college coaches. They demand loyalty from recruits and boosters, then weasel out of rollover contracts and jump across the street for a raise. Go figure. Really, all escape clauses do is make it cheaper for a guy to leave.
…Just guessing here. The question is not whether Hewitt leaves Tech, but when. The timing depends largely on his next boss. A coach doesn’t just put a potential get-me-out-of-Dodge clause in his contract unless it’s a significant concern.
At Georgia Tech, there are always issues, usually revolving around academics. Most recently, Yellow Jackets senior Theodis Tarver was declared ineligible by the school, even though he remained above the NCAA bar. Tarver’s mother died recently. But Tech faculty isn’t big on extenuating circumstances.
If you’re Hewitt, how much do you put up with?
