G-Tech Hires New Coach

April 5, 2000 / 10:43 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Mirroring a move that occurred 19 years ago, Georgia Tech turned to a relatively unknown coach to rebuild its basketball program.

Siena's Paul Hewitt agreed to succeed Bobby Cremins as the Yellow Jackets' coach, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

A source familiar with the search, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hewitt would be introduced during a news conference Thursday. In Albany, N.Y, Hewitt boarded a plane for Atlanta but declined comment.

Officials at Georgia Tech and Siena also would not comment.

Hewitt, 71-27 in three years at Siena, becomes the first black basketball coach at Georgia Tech.

He rebuilt a Siena program that went 23-59 in the three years before he arrived. His contract at the Loudonville, N.Y., school runs through the 2002-2003 season, but includes a buyout provision that allowed him to take the Georgia Tech job.

The Macon Telegraph reported that Tech athletic director Dave Braine flew to Albany, near the Siena campus, to finalize the deal with Hewitt on Tuesday.

Cremins was a 33-year-old coach at tiny Appalachian State when Georgia Tech hired him as coach in 1981. He pushed the Yellow Jackets to national prominence, recruiting such players as Mark Price, John Salley, Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott and Stephon Marbury.

Under Cremins, Tech went to the NCAA tournament nine years in a row and 10 times overall, including the 1990 Final Four. The Yellow Jackets fell on hard times during the latter stages of Cremins' 19-year tenure, reaching the tournament only once the last seven seasons.

At Siena, meanwhile, Hewitt guided Siena to the NCAA tournament in 1999, its first appearance in 10 years. The Saints finished 24-9 this year, losing to Penn State in the second round of the NIT.

Hewitt, a 36-year-old former assistant at Villanova and Fordham, is known as a strong recruiter and favors a running, up-tempo style popular with fans. Siena averaged more than 6,500 per game over the last two years to lead the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in attendance.

Georgia Tech leaned heavily toward hiring a minority coach. In addition, Hewitt was able recruit effectively, a factor for a school like Georgia Tech with high academic standards.

Hewitt takes over a program that has fallen to the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference. To make matters worse, the Yellow Jackets (13-17) lose Jason Collier, their top scorer and rebounder, and shot-blocking center Alvin Jones may enter the NBA draft a year early.

Cremins announced Feb. 18 that he would not return, saying the Tech program needed a new direction. He accepted $1.5 million to buy out the final three years of his contract.

Hewitt was a late entry into the coaching search after higher-profile candidates Leonard Hamilton of Miami and Bill Self of Tulsa agreed to contract exensions.

Among the others mentioned as candidates for the Tech job were Appalachian State's Buzz Peterson, Delaware's Mike Brey and Dayton's Oliver Purnell.