#3 Ga. Tech 67 - #2 Oklahoma State 65

[Quentin Daniels]

Has any coach in the history of the NCAA gained more from a single basketball game then Paul Hewitt did that 2 point win over Oklahoma State in the 2004 Final Four?

To get to that game, they beat 14 seed N. Iowa in the first round, 6 Boston College in the second round, 10 seed Nevada, and 4 seed Kansas. Both 1 seed Kentucky and 2 seed Gonzaga were upset in the second round by UAB and Nevada.

The 2 point win over Oklahoma State was the only team Hewitt's Yellowjackets would beat the entire tournament with a better seed. Based on that win, Hewitt would negotiate his ridiculous $7 mill. renewing contract and land the Mason job immediately after getting fired, despite finishing with 4 consecutive losing seasons in the ACC and just 1 winning season in 11 years as the Ga Tech head coach.

Maybe I'm missing someone, but I'll be dammed if I can think of any coach, at any level, at any time, that's ever made out better from a single upset.

 

[GMUgemini]

I think focusing on seeding is a bad way to go. I think any team who makes the sweet 16 or Elite Eight is going to be a tough team to beat no matter the seed.

And there are certainly a raft of mid-major coaches who have parlayed one NCAA upset into multimillion dollar contracts with BCS teams.

 

[gmujim92]

I think focusing on seeding is a bad way to go. I think any team who makes the sweet 16 or Elite Eight is going to be a tough team to beat no matter the seed.

And there are certainly a raft of mid-major coaches who have parlayed one NCAA upset into multimillion dollar contracts with BCS teams.

His original point stands: None of those "flavor of the month" mid-major coaches have landed anything close to as ludicrous a deal as Hewitt got from GT.

Dave Braine literally lost his job as AD because the auto-rollover contract was his idea.

We're fortunate that TOC is at least smarter than him.

 

[Walter]

We're fortunate that TOC is at least smarter than him.

I don't think so. At least the Ga Tech AD agreed to a crazy contract after Hewitt had some success. TOC gave him a sweet contract after failure. So who is smarter?

 

[Quentin Daniels]

And there are certainly a raft of mid-major rlayed one NCAA upset into multimillion dollar contracts with BCS teams.

Name one.

 

[GMUgemini]

Name one.

Anthony Grant.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Anthony Grant.

3 regular season championships and 2 conference championships in 3 years, plus a conference record for most wins in a season and conference coach of the year.

Before that, the lead associate head coach for the back-to-back national champions and before that, 3 state titles and 5 nationally ranked teams as a Florida high school coach.

Try again sport.

 

[Petey Buckets]

Try again sport.

Andy Enfield. I'm not really sure what your point is. Are you saying they don't exist?

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Andy Enfield. I'm not really sure what your point is. Are you saying they don't exist?

Which single win was it that landed Enfield a multi-million dollar contract?

The one over #2 seed Georgetown? The one over #7 seed SDSU to advance to the Sweet 16? Or the regular season win over #5 ranked Miami? Which one single upset was it that "parlayed into a multi-million dollar contract?"

I'd have thought taking a crap program like Florida Gulf Coast to the conference championship in year on and the tourney in year two, or being named one of ESPN's "Five Super Assistant Coaches in College Basketball," or being an Asst. at Florida State and for the Boston Celtics would also have played a role too. I guess it was just that one yet unidentified win that did it alone?

Is that what you're saying?

 

[Petey Buckets]

If your criteria is that strict it doesn't make a lot of sense. Hewitt didn't get a fat contract because of his single win against Oklahoma State. He got a fat contract because he made it all the way to the title game. People generally don't give a shit who you beat if your team is playing for a championship. Anyone else who turned a first-round upset into a new job will also have some regular season accomplishments to go along with it.

If your point is that no one has made more money off of one single run, I don't think there's much of an argument. Hewitt has been a mediocre coach for his entire career aside from that five game stretch.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

The path however was smoothed that the teams he had to get by were 14, 6, 10, & 4 seeds. Not exactly the MSU, UNC, UCONN path our guys took in '06.

And had he not beaten OK State, does anyone really think he'd have gotten that ridiculous contract? That being the point you seemed incapable of grasping.

If however you'd like to take up Gemini's laughable argument that there's a "raft" of coaches out there that have been handed multi-million dollar contracts over a single upset, then by all means jump right in. The two example so far have been pretty weak though.

 

[GMUgemini]

The path however was smoothed that the teams he had to get by were 14, 6, 10, & 4 seeds. Not exactly the MSU, UNC, UCONN path our guys took in '06.

And had he not beaten OK State, does anyone really think he'd have gotten that ridiculous contract? That being the point you seemed incapable of grasping.

If however you'd like to take up Gemini's laughable argument that there's a "raft" of coaches out there that have been handed multi-million dollar contracts over a single upset, then by all means jump right in. The two example so far have been pretty weak though.

Well, considering you're reaching 15 years in the past for Anthony Grant, I'd say your argument is also pretty weak. I mean, Hewitt won conference coach of the year at Siena and had back to back regular season championships with them as well.

Anthony Grant so far has one real accomplishment in the NCAA in his career as a head coach -- HEAD coach -- and that's his upset against Duke. I don't really consider regular season championships or CAA conference wins all that impressive when you had such crappy teams at the bottom of the league.

Do you want to quibble about Florida only having to beat 11 seed George Mason for their first trip to the championship game?

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Actually Florida had to beat #1 see Villanova to advance, so you're facts are still wrong. It then proceeded to blow out #2 seed UCLA, so you're Florida/Ga Tech comparison looks even dumber.

But if you want to argue that the reason Anthony Grant was offered the Alabama job was because of a single upset 3 years earlier and not 15 years of continued success at multiple levels and positions, go ahead. You have every right to say ridiculous statements.

 

[GMUgemini]

Actually Florida had to beat #1 see Villanova to advance, so you're facts are still wrong. It then proceeded to blow out #2 seed UCLA, so you're Florida/Ga Tech comparison looks even dumber.

No, see, they didn't have to face the number one overall seed in UConn in the Final Four, because they were upset by lowly No. 11 seed GMU, thus giving Florida an easy way into the Championship Game.

But if you want to argue that the reason Anthony Grant was offered the Alabama job was because of a single upset 3 years earlier and not 15 years of continued success at multiple levels and positions, go ahead. You have every right to say ridiculous statements.

Face it, Hugh, your point is silly and doesn't take into consideration the full scope of the 2004 season. You want to cherry pick one win based on what the NCAA selection committee thinks should have been who advanced to the championship game.

I mean, let's take a look at their season:

Top 25 RPI wins that season

at UConn (RPI 2) 77-61 W
Maryland (RPI 20) 81-71 W
at Wake (RPI 14) 73-66 W
UNC (RPI 18) 88-77 W
at Maryland (RPI 20) 75-64 W
Boston College (RPI 23) 57-54 W
Kansas (RPI 10) 79-71 W
Ok. St (RPI 5) 67-65 W

Top 50 RPI wins that season

Texas Tech (RPI 30) 85-65 W
Ohio State (RPI 42) 73-53 W
Nevada (RPI 27) 72-67 W

Now, Hewitt has failed at both Georgia Tech and now Mason, so he's cooked as far as I'm concerned. But the premise of this whole thread stinks.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

So Ga Tech loses to OK State and he still gets that same contract after going 9-7 in conference? Since that was my point, let's focus on it instead of you changing topic yet again.

It is funny how quick you dropped your Grant was hired solely on the Duke win 2 years earlier and '04 GT='06 UF BS. Couldn't even get yourself to believe those huh?

 

[GMUgemini]

So Ga Tech loses to OK State and he still gets that same contract after going 9-7 in conference? Since that was my point, let's focus on it instead of you changing topic yet again.

It is funny how quick you dropped your Grant was hired solely on the Duke win 2 years earlier and '04 GT='06 UF BS. Couldn't even get yourself to believe those huh?

Nope, same situation, Grant doesn't win against Duke, he's probably at vcu for a few more years. Alabama jumped the gun on him, because he hasn't done a whole lot while there so far, has he. He's about .500 this season. So we'll see how long he's their coach before they make a change.

I'd say taking Georgia Tech to the Final Four, losing against Ok State probably gets Hewitt a very lucrative contract. Maybe not quite a lucrative as the Championship Game, but still a great contract.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I'd say taking Georgia Tech to the Final Four, losing against Ok State probably gets Hewitt a very lucrative contract. Maybe not quite a lucrative as the Championship Game, but still a great contract.

1. He already had a lucrative contract.

2. My very sentence was "Has any coach in the history of the NCAA gained more from a single basketball game then Paul Hewitt did that 2 point win over Oklahoma State in the 2004 Final Four?" So in your zeal to argue with me, you've come full circle to agreeing with what I said 2 days ago. Congratulations.

P.S. Grant would've been hired at Florida w/out the Duke win had Donovan left. They sure as hell would've snatched him up at Alabama. Look no further then Hewitt at Siena for your model.

 

[GMUgemini]

1. He already had a lucrative contract.

2. My very sentence was "Has any coach in the history of the NCAA gained more from a single basketball game then Paul Hewitt did that 2 point win over Oklahoma State in the 2004 Final Four?" So in your zeal to argue with me, you've come full circle to agreeing with what I said 2 days ago. Congratulations.

P.S. Grant would've been hired at Florida w/out the Duke win had Donovan left. They sure as hell would've snatched him up at Alabama. Look no further then Hewitt at Siena for your model.

Not agreeing with you, Grant's win against Duke is what I was focusing on with the "same situation" statement. And you have no idea if Florida would have hired Grant had he lost to Duke.

And you also don't know what the GT AD would have done had they lost to Ok St. He very may well have done the exact same thing. It's not like Georgia Tech was ever a perennial power in the ACC Hewitt is responsible for a third of all their NCAA tournament appearances since they began playing in 1906 -- that's pretty incredible considering how horrible of a coach you think he is.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

You're easily impressed. I'd say one winning ACC season in 14 years is more incredible.

 

[GMUgemini]

I also missed a top 25 win that year:

at Duke (RPI 1) 76-68

And let's not make Georgia Tech's AD a time traveler. He didn't know Hewitt was going to fall off the rails. I suppose had you been AD you would have played hardball?