GT Hoops Notebook: Pastner restless after loss to Clemson, prep for UVA
ATLANTA- Georgia Tech men's basketball coach Josh Pastner was so sick after the Jackets' 79-66 loss to Clemson last week he slept in his car in the Peters Deck after spending most of the night in his office with his staff breaking down the offensive and defensive issues that have plagued his team in an 0-2 start in ACC play.
"I've got to give credit to Clemson, but I was really disappointed in our defense and that is why I didn't get home and pull into the driveway until the wee hours of the morning. I slept in the car in the parking lot afterward. I was just disgusted with our defense. Thankfully the GTPD and security let me stay in the parking lot. We met as a staff really late. I want to win every game and I want to win every possession and I'm as competitive as anybody, the one thing in my 14 years as a head coach is we get after it defensively and we mix things up and we didn't against Clemson at all. That's why I slept in my car basically in the parking lot or fell asleep in my car."
The Jackets' task doesn't get any easier on Saturday as they host #13 Virginia. The Cavs are the only program Pastner is winless against in the ACC during his tenure at the helm of the Tech program. The Jackets have lost nine straight games in the series with the last win coming in Brian Gregory's final season in February of 2016 in Atlanta 68-64. However, Virginia has finished first or second in the ACC in every one of Pastner's seasons at Tech except for last year when they finished fifth.
"We have 20 guaranteed games remaining 18 league games, Florida Tech plus the guaranteed first game of the ACC Tournament so there are a lot of things that can happen," Pastner said. "We really worked our guys hard this week and really ground them and they've accepted it and we've pushed them and I'm proud of our young men."
Defensively the Jackets are getting killed inside the arc with teams shooting a robust 56.8% inside the arc mostly around the bucket and a plus-nine in free throw attempts and a whopping plus-13 on free throw makes as well through two games.
"We've got to get better defensively," Pastner said. "We are one of the best in the country at three-point defense, but teams are hurting us in the paint in the Clemson and North Carolina games. I've prided our teams on our defense and we are guarding the three well, but we've got to shrink the court a little more, and if they make threes against our zone or man you live with it."
Tech's offensive struggles surprised Pastner after the team started hot in exhibition games and had more of an issue with turning the ball over. The Jackets have the best turnover ratio in program history to date going back to 1997 when the stat was first tracked, but the offense has been slow coming and outside shooting has been an issue, especially in ACC games.
"Teams are not guarding certain guys on offense and then we have to be better in transition offense. We are adding some wrinkles here and there, but you still have to make shots and it is really a make-or-miss game. That sounds really elementary but putting the ball in the basket makes a big difference," Pastner said.
Miles Kelly leads the team by shooting 37.9%, followed by Kyle Sturdivant at 36.7% and Deebo Coleman at 34% with Lance Terry at 32.4% from the core rotation guys. However, Sturdivant and Terry are a combined 3/15 from three in Tech's two ACC games, and outside of Coleman and Kelly who are shooting a combined 40% from three in ACC games the team is just 4/24 from three while Coleman and Kelly are 10/25 from the arc.
Several of the missed threes by Sturdivant and Terry against UNC and Clemson rolled in and out of the rim and that added to the frustration.
"Sometimes it is just the basketball gods sometimes they are for us and sometimes they are against us. I think when we play hard on defense those shots that rim out find their way into the basket, so we have to control our controllable things usually our defense. It is funny how that works," Sturdivant said.
TRAVEL WOES FOR TECH BIG MAN
Cyril Martynov attempted to go home to Canada for the holidays and due to the massive winter storm last week he was delayed returning to the US and he will miss the Virginia game. The freshman was unable to find a flight out of Buffalo or Toronto that would get him back in time for Saturday's tipoff. Pastner noted he will return to Atlanta on Saturday, but he will not arrive until Saturday evening thus missing the game.