Brian Gregory's first season on the bench for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets may in fact be a transitional season for the program. However, neither Gregory nor his staff is making any excuses about this season.
"We've had some good practices," Gregory said. "They're learning a new system and doing all the things they need to do. The effort has been good, and the energy, at times, has been good. The chemistry is something we're working on, and we're making some strides in that department."
Since taking over as head coach for the Yellow Jackets, Gregory has tried to instill a blue-collar work ethic on his players. They aren't taking anything for granted and are taking a business like approach to their preseason practices.
One of the biggest challenges the Yellow Jackets face is learning Gregory's offensive and defensive systems that he brought with him from Dayton where he took the Flyers to the post season in five of his eight seasons on the bench. Freshman Julian Royal talked about learning to play defense at the college level in Gregory's defensive system.
"Learning to play defense at the college level is a lot different for me," he said. "Man [to-man], definitely man. Coach Gregory's defense is hard to explain. You're either in shallow, you're on your man or you're in the `help line.' You're never allowed to be still."
For more on Brian Gregory and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball, be sure to check out From The Rumble Seat.