Chris Mooney turns down Georgia Tech, hires Brian Gregory

Last week on my Facebook page I posted that Georgia Tech was in for some good news with confirmation from a reliable inside source that they were set to hire Richmond's Chris Mooney. From what I heard everything was agreed upon a couple of weeks ago and the deal would be announced whenever Richmond exited the tournament. Well Richmond finally lost in the Sweet 16 to Kansas and Mooney was expected to take the Georgia Tech job this week.

Well obviously that didn't happen. Yesterday Richmond announced they had signed Mooney to a ten-year extension. It appears Mooney used Georgia Tech to get a new contract and stay in Richmond. I've driven through Richmond many of times and have never had the desire to stop one time. Not even to take a piss. Mooney has to coach there for the next decade. Wow.

Last night Georgia Tech moved swiftly and hired their second choice in Dayton's Brian Gregory. Some people had lofty dreams of Butler's Brad Stevens coaching in the new Thriller Dome in 2012 but that was never going to happen. Stevens has turned Butler into a powerhouse with back-to-back Final Four appearances. Gregory and Mooney were the two realistic shots for a Georgia Tech basketball program who should be a perennial tournament team with the talent they can pull in the Atlanta area and playing in a major conference like the ACC. Gregory is not going to sell tickets. He took Dayton to the tournament two times in eight seasons there. Dayton went 48-48 in conference play in the last 6 seasons. Paul Hewitt got fired because he only had one winning season in ACC play. And Hewitt was a hell of a recruiter. I feel like Georgia Tech settled for a hamburger when they should be eating a steak.

Gregory could win big for Georgia Tech. Anything is possible. But I wouldn't bet on it. I loved it when Tech hired Paul Johnson to be their football coach because I knew he could win. I'm not so sure about Gregory. I'm sure athletic director Dan Radakovich feels the same way.