ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech is starting over.Again.Once an Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse and program that sent a steady stream of players to the NBA, the Yellow Jackets havent made the NCAA tournament since 2010 -- a streak that doesnt figure to end in Josh Pastners first season as coach.Even Pastner acknowledges that reality.Its going to take a couple of years, he said, but our mission goal is to get us back to a championship-level program year in and year out, so we have a chance to get back in the tournament, ACC championships and all those good things that go with it.Pastner left Memphis to take over the Yellow Jackets, who dumped coach Brian Gregory after five seasons produced just one postseason appearance (last years run to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament) and a dismal 27-61 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.With his job on the line, Gregory relied heavily on seniors and one-and-done graduate transfers in his final season. That forces Pastner to rebuild the program essentially from scratch, having lost five players who accounted for nearly all the scoring and rebounding.In the loaded ACC, which looks to have several national championship contenders and up to 12 teams that could contend for NCAA berths, Georgia Tech is expected to bring up the rear along with Boston College and Wake Forest.It definitely gives us a chip on our shoulder and some motivation, senior guard Josh Heath said.Pastner is known as a top-notch recruiter, but it wont be easy to persuade the type of prospects that Georgia Tech needs to compete in the ACC. The program has been down for so long -- first declining under Paul Hewitt, and then completely falling off the radar during Gregorys forgettable tenure -- that its going to take quite a selling job for the latest coach to turn things around.Since making it all the way to the national championship game in 2004, the Yellow Jackets have failed to post a winning record in the ACC or advance past the second round in three NCAA tournament appearances.---Some other things to watch for in Pastners debut season:HUGE LOSSES: The Yellow Jackets must replace their top four scorers from last season -- G Marcus Georges-Hunt (16.7 ppg), G Adam Smith (15.0), F Nick Jacobs (10.5) and F Charles Mitchell (10.1). Thats not all. Mitchell was the leading rebounder (9.7 rpg), followed by Jacobs (5.8) and another departed player, F James White (4.4).LOOKING FOR POINTS: Senior F Quinton Stephens, who made 14 starts, is the top returning scorer at 6.0 points per game. Hell need to do more, along with Heath (4.3) and junior G Tadric Jackson (5.4). Pastner will also be counting on players such as 6-10 center Ben Lammers to step up at the offensive end. He shot 65.5 percent from the field in limited minutes.NEWCOMERS: Kellen McCormick and Jodan Price are graduate transfers wholl get a chance to bolster Georgia Techs outside shooting. McCormick hit 42 percent from 3-point range over three seasons at Western Michigan, while Price averaged 4.2 points last season at Eastern Michigan. Pastner needs them both connecting at better than 40 percent beyond the arc.THINKING LONG TERM: Knowing that his team will likely struggle for wins, Pastners major goal this season will be installing a system that begins to win back fans and win over recruits. A fast-paced style of play would be a big step in that direction, especially after Gregorys teams often bogged down in a stilted, half-court offensive game.SCHEDULING MATTERS: After five straight home games to start the season, beginning with the Nov. 11 opener against Tennessee Tech, the Yellow Jackets go on the road to face Penn State, Tennessee and VCU. That stretch of games will give Pastner the first true indication of what hes up against before the ACC schedule kicks off Dec. 31 with a home game against North Carolina, followed by a trip to Duke four days later.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at
http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP College Basketball website:
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Wholesale Vans Authentic Shoes . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. PHILADELPHIA -- Gerrit Cole was in no mood for small talk after his first start in six weeks.Did he feel normal?Yeah.About the same since before he was sidelined with right elbow inflammation?Yeah.Concerned about further injury by pitching longer than he did?No ... umm ...Coles answers were nearly as short as his rocky first outing for the fading Pittsburgh Pirates. Looking to jumpstart the Pirates and give them a flicker of hope in the NL wild-card race, the righty was roughed up in a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.The 26-year-old Cole (7-10) allowed five runs in two innings in his first start since Aug. 2 and threw just 29 of his 55 pitches for strikes.I know hes not pleased with the result, and with the preparation he put into tonight, its understandable, manager Clint Hurdle said.The Pirates have lost 12 of 16 games and are about out of the wild-card picture.It was just a bad night, Cole said. Its not what we needed.A day after he was promoted to the big leagues, Roman Quinn had two hits, two RBI, a stolen base for the Phillies. Quinn, an accomplished base stealer and the Phillies second-round draft pick in 2011, could be a fixture in the outfield next season.With the Phillies long out of contention, manager Pete Mackanin is likely to take a long look in September at a player who could become a starter in 2017 when they hope to inch toward contention.Quinn doubled in the second and sixth innings to help the Phillies snap a seven-game home losing streak.I strained my oblique in June and didnt think I was going to get a call-up at all, he said. I just had good people around me. My parents helped me a lot and my fiance helped me a lot, too. They helped me keep my confidence and they encouraged me a lot.Quinns two-run double in the second one-hopped the wall as part of a five-run inning that made it a short night for Cole.Cole had two of his strikeouts against Ryan Howard.Once one of the most feared hitters in baseball, Howard is limping toward the finish line of his final season with the Phillies. He entered hitting .195 and each hitless game puts even a measly .200 average out of reach.Phiillies centerfielder Odubel Herrera also has slumped in the second half -- the All-Star saw an average that reached .dddddddddddd319 through 51 games dip to .275 on Monday.Its one more reason the Phillies want to play Quinn in September. He had his first career stolen base (he stole 31 for Double-A Reading) in the first inning to ignite his night.Its a nice feeling to have that kind of speed up front, Mackanin said. I dont want to get carried away but it was nice to see.Mackanin said Herrera would stay in center for the rest of the season. He would make a decision on where the outfielders play in spring training.Jeremy Hellickson (11-9) struck out six and allowed an unearned run over 6 1/3 innings for the win. Freddy Galvis hit his 18th homer of the season.NI-K-ASIOPirates reliever Juan Nicasio struck out five in two scoreless innings. He has at least one strikeout in 26 straight appearances.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: 2B Josh Harrison will likely miss the rest of the season with a strained right groin. Harrison was injured Saturday after legging out a two-run double. In 131 games this season, Harrison is hitting .283 with four home runs and 19 stolen bases.Harrison was expected to miss four to six weeks, which would cost him the rest of the season. But he hoped he could return if the sub.-500 Pirates made the postseason.Theres still a chance if we make a run, you may see me back if we somehow find our way, he said.UP NEXT
irates: RHP Ivan Nova (5-0, 2.53 ERA) pitches Tuesday night in the second game of the series. He has 32 strikeouts and walked only two in his first seven starts for the Pirates since he was acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1. He tossed a complete game against the Reds in his last start.Phillies: RHP Alec Asher (1-0) makes his second start of the season in his return from an 80-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Asher tossed six scoreless innings in a win against the Nationals. The Phillies acquired Asher last year from Texas in the Cole Hamels deal. ' ' '
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