Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt wasn't happy with his team's toughness in the Yellow Jackets' 73-71 victory Saturday against N.C. State. Tech led by 16 points in the second half, then wilted down the stretch under the Wolfpack's full-court pressure. It wasn't until N.C. State's Julius Mays missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that Tech prevailed.
Hewitt knows of an ACC player whose toughness his team should emulate: Duke's Kyle Singler. Playing with a sore wrist, Singler scored 30 points against Georgia Tech last week in an 86-67 Blue Devils victory.
"That takes a lot of toughness that, quite honestly, we haven't seen around here in a little while," said Hewitt, who coached Singler as a high school player for USA Basketball. "We see a lot of calls for 'I need touches' and 'I need more minutes.' That kid played with a bad wrist. I coached him...so I know that if he shaking his wrist, he is hurt. No complaints, no excuses, he dropped 30. That took a level of toughness."
Saturday's victory notwithstanding, Hewitt said Georgia Tech's last two games have not been anything he's been proud of.
"After (the Duke game), I told (the team) that was the most embarrassed I've been since I've been here, in the second half against Duke," he said. "Well, I topped that (against N.C. State)."
