| | ATLANTA -- Bobby Cremins wanted one more chance.
The silver-haired, mop-top coach was sure this would be the year
Georgia Tech returned to the NCAA Tournament. He was convinced this
would be the year the Yellow Jackets reestablished a kinship with
their glory days, symbolized by the banners hanging from the
rafters at Alexander Memorial Coliseum that pay homage to players
like Price, Salley and Hammond.
Instead, it became a sad farewell for the man who built a
program from scratch 19 years ago but lost his winning touch.
"It seems like 50 years ago," Cremins said nostalgically,
glancing toward the roof of the arena where even more banners
recount the 10 NCAA appearances, four Atlantic Coast Conference
titles and a 1990 trip to the Final Four. "But it's not right to
live off your past. What's right is Georgia Tech having as
competitive a program as possible in the present."
So, what went wrong?
The Yellow Jackets haven't played in the NCAA tournament since
1996 -- when Stephon Marbury made his one-year stopover in Atlanta -- and they won't this year without a miraculous victory in the conference tournament next month.
Heading into this weekend, Tech was a dismal 18-41 in the ACC
since Marbury left, the last three seasons coming on the watch of
athletic director Dave Braine.
Clearly unhappy with the direction of the program, Braine met
with Cremins after the Jackets went 15-16 last season, losing in
the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The coach
asked for one more chance.
"He told us at the beginning of the year that if we didn't get
to the NCAAs, he would call it quits," Braine said.
Cremins didn't wait that long. On Friday, he announced his
retirement from Georgia Tech, accepting a $1.5 million settlement
to buy out the final three years of his contract.
"I have learned success is not forever," he said, "and
failure is not fatal."
Cremins had a close relationship with previous AD Homer Rice,
who hired Cremins in 1981 when he was a 33-year-old unknown from
Appalachian State. At the time, Tech's program was in shambles,
coming off a 4-23 season and losing 27 of 28 ACC games since
joining the conference.
By Cremins' fourth year, the Yellow Jackets were ACC champions
and beginning a run of nine straight invitations to the NCAA
tournament. National TV appearances, sellout crowds and a knack for
landing a top recruit every year became Tech trademarks.
Mark Price and John Salley were the foundation, followed by
Duane Ferrell, Tom Hammonds, Brian Oliver, Dennis Scott, Kenny
Anderson, Jon Barry, Travis Best, James Forrest, Drew Barry, Matt
Harpring, Marbury and Dion Glover.
"I feel for Bobby," Price said. "In some ways, he's a victim
of his own success. There were no expectations for this program
before Bobby Cremins, but he set a pretty high standard. Now that
we've had a couple of years below that, everyone is unhappy. It's
pretty ironic."
Cremins nearly left Georgia Tech in 1993, accepting an offer
from South Carolina, his alma mater. But, after 48 agonizing hours,
he returned to Atlanta, admitting he made a mistake and wanted to
finish his career with the Yellow Jackets.
Things would never be the same.
Tech's NCAA streak came to an end in 1994, and the Yellow
Jackets were overlooked again the following year. Marbury's
presence carried Tech to the round of 16 in 1996, but he left for
the NBA after only one season and the Yellow Jackets slumped to
9-18.
After Braine arrived, the Yellow Jackets struggled to
consecutive 6-10 seasons in the ACC, leading to a make-or-break
year for Cremins.
Even though Glover followed Marbury's lead, jumping to the NBA
after playing one season at Tech, Cremins felt there was still
enough talent to turn things around.
The Jackets seemed imposing up front with 7-foot Jason Collier
and 6-11 shot-blocker Alvin Jones. Point guard Tony Akins was shaky
as a freshman, but figured to improve with a year of experience.
Transfer Shaun Fein provided a much-needed outside shooting threat.
Senior Jason Floyd was a three-year letterman.
"I thought we had some good players coming back," Cremins said.
He also found a link to the past, convincing Price to join the
staff as an assistant following his retirement from the NBA.
But the season seemed to fall apart in December after the Yellow
Jackets lost three in a row to Michigan, Georgia and Stanford by a
combined total of eight points.
In the past week, Georgia Tech demonstrated just how far it has
fallen in relation to the top programs, losing to No. 3 Duke and
No. 22 Maryland by a combined 41 points. Two new starters haven't
changed the fact that Tech is a terrible shooting team (hitting
barely more than 40 percent) and extremely sloppy with the ball (21
turnovers against Duke led to 38 points).
Unlike Rice, Braine wasn't bound to Cremins by friendship,
loyalty or pleasant memories, only their mutual desire to turn the
program around.
That's the way it should be, Cremins said.
"He has nothing to do with the team playing so poorly," the
coach said. "He wants to see the team playing well, and we're
not."
Cremins lost his magical recruiting touch, yet he was resistant
to change. He continued to focus on one or two top prospects a
year, leaving the Yellow Jackets without the necessary depth to
compete in this era of one-year-and-gone-to-the-NBA players.
"He won't recruit two kids for one position," Price said.
"Whether you agree with that or not, that's the way he does
things. He doesn't want unhappy kids. Some coaches don't care, but
that kind of thing bothers Bobby."
While Cremins tried to maintain his smiling, upbeat facade in
the waning days of his regime, those closest to him knew he was
hurting. While the fans are generally kind and the big-money
booster were still in his corner, Cremins didn't have to look hard
to find thousands of empty seats for most games in Atlanta.
"I know there have been come critics," he said. "But the
positives far outweigh the negatives."
Cremins is only 52. Basketball is the only thing he knows.
Georgia Tech is the only place he wanted to coach.
But it's time to move on.
"I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life," he said. | |
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Cremins to resign as Georgia Tech coach
Bobby Cremins' career highlights
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