What I will miss about Hewitt's teams

[gmuphan]

4 years ago I was at a business meeting in GA and a colleague down there was a GT graduate..we were talking basketball and I mentioned that the new GMU coach was going to be Paul Hewitt...her response was "I feel so sorry for you, Good Luck"..those words have haunted me and this program ever since.

 

[Dawgs99]

Folarin and Thomas were getting some court time in while on break from their respective teams and leagues. I doubt they were there to say hello to Hewitt.

Not pouring on anything, just making it known that his past player alumni relations were pretty bad. You all can take it for what its worth.

I hope the next coach realizes we have had some special players and teams here.

I'm pretty sure if former players felt like they weren't welcome or we being treated like dirt by our new HC they wouldn't be back as often to use the facilities. We all agree he sucks a** as a basketball coach but I agree this all seems like piling on.

 

[dr. gunnie]

I've always felt that Hewitt was an excellent representative of the university and he impressed me as a person. I really wanted him to succeed here. Some will disagree, but I thought there were many times in his post game pressers that he took the blame for mistakes players made. Right after he was hired, my family was visiting N. VA and we went to the basketball office to meet him. We sat and spoke with him for about 15 min - mostly about our families, not much about basketball. He won us over very quickly. I'll be sad to see him go from a personal standpoint, but you can't argue with the results. My only gripe personally was he took down our address while we were there because he told my son who was probably 6 at the time that he wanted to send him some Mason gear to wear - he never got anything.

 

[Haxormax]

well said Guns, but I gotta confess. I took your kids stuff. I just got jealous and Jollay told me that you'd probably just pawn the gear for drugs...

 

[psyclone]

I've always felt that Hewitt was an excellent representative of the university and he impressed me as a person. I really wanted him to succeed here. Some will disagree, but I thought there were many times in his post game pressers that he took the blame for mistakes players made. Right after he was hired, my family was visiting N. VA and we went to the basketball office to meet him. We sat and spoke with him for about 15 min - mostly about our families, not much about basketball. He won us over very quickly. I'll be sad to see him go from a personal standpoint, but you can't argue with the results......

This captures my sentiments as well. While I didn't have the same level of personal contact with him that you did, he strikes me as a very genuine person. Hence, I have more sadness than anger that this didn't work out. The rants and name-calling that seem to typify many of the posts is a real turn-off for me; behind the terrible record is a person with a family who conducts himself in gentlemanly fashion. I can only wish him well.

As for the Mason swag, perhaps Hewitt subsequently saw the pictures that you've posted and realized that you already had more than he had access to!

 

[Vurbel]

This captures my sentiments as well. While I didn't have the same level of personal contact with him that you did, he strikes me as a very genuine person. Hence, I have more sadness than anger that this didn't work out. The rants and name-calling that seem to typify many of the posts is a real turn-off for me; behind the terrible record is a person with a family who conducts himself in gentlemanly fashion. I can only wish him well.

As for the Mason swag, perhaps Hewitt subsequently saw the pictures that you've posted and realized that you already had more than he had access to!

I know it was an agreed upon contract and none of us would turn it down, yada yada yada, but just out of principle I still think it's wrong to get paid $600,000 not to coach. I would simply feel "it's the right thing to do" to just walk. Especially if I already had 7 million in the bank. But that's just me. Naive, I know.

 

[dr. gunnie]

As for the Mason swag, perhaps Hewitt subsequently saw the pictures that you've posted and realized that you already had more than he had access to!

It's funny you say that, because when he told my son he was going to send some stuff out to him, he then turned to me (and I was wearing a Mason polo) and says "Sorry Dad, you probably have more gear than I do." You nailed it!

The other thing I remember is I got a couple things signed by him and then my family went into the Patriot Center so I could show my son what it looked like (it was set up for graduations). About two minutes later Hewitt comes running in because he had accidently kept my sharpie and gives it back to me.

Man, I wish it would have worked out. Good dude.

 

[BandWagon18]

I'll miss having comparatively great first halves

 

[phoenix-arizona]

I do hope he lands on his feet, finds a coaching situation that fits his skill set, allows him to thrive and do well. Maybe he is

not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use, 115
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.

 

[CLP]

I'll miss being the team that made Fordham feel good about basketball for the first time in decades.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I like Hewitt personally but since about the South Florida game last year I've been frankly unable to control myself from yelling at the bench multiple times, so much shit has been so f**king outright basic coaching 101 stupid.

I will miss owning LaSalle. Hewitt owned them for some reason and they are not bad.

 

[gmujim92]

I will miss owning LaSalle. Hewitt owned them for some reason and they are not bad.

Hewitt owned LaSalle. Fordham owned Hewitt.

Like everything else over the past four years -- especially substitution patterns -- life with Hewitt was totally random.

 

[TweederGMU]

I'm pretty sure if former players felt like they weren't welcome or we being treated like dirt by our new HC they wouldn't be back as often to use the facilities. We all agree he sucks a** as a basketball coach but I agree this all seems like piling on.

Have you ever played a competitive sport before? Free facilities use, the chance to talk to your old strength and conditioning coaches, see old friends, convenience, etc. are just some of many factors an old athlete returns to use the facilities. This is their "home". Of course a coach is not going to tell old players to stay away from the school and program. All I'm saying is Hewitt and company never went above and beyond to reach out to them and make them feel welcome.

 

[Dawgs99]

Not going "above and beyond" and treating the former players like "dirt" don't really balance. You've already back tracked from your original statement. It is what it is, not worth arguing about. Oh, and yes I have played competitive sports ...full scholarship college athlete to be specific.