Come for Marc Weiszer’s excellent dive into what led to the hire of Caryl Smith Gilbert as Georgia’s new head coach of track and field (Josh Brooks sounds serious about organizing some sort of master plan for facilities and apparently reached out on his own to start the hiring process). Stay for this exquisite backhanded slap at Greg McGarity, Master Talent Evaluator:
Brooks said part of his pitch to Smith Gilbert was “you’re my first hire, there’s no way I’m not going to let you be successful.”
Athletic directors are more apt to be remembered for who they brought aboard for the most high-profile jobs.
At Georgia, that was Smart and men’s basketball coach Tom Crean for Greg McGarity.
The former UGA AD’s first hire? That would be volleyball coach Lizzy Stemke in December of 2010. She went 79-105 as coach in six seasons.
It’s amazing how far you can go when nobody cares about the job you’re doing.
Get The Picture 
I have high hopes for Brooks. He certainly seems to “get it” more than any AD in my lifetime.
But it’s going to take some time, especially with regards to facilities.
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Lizzy was SO BAD, she put an ad on a local radio station for an assistant coach.
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Will be interesting to see what happens the first time we are put in one of those “take one for the good of the conference” situations that McGarity so loved to capitulate on. I’ll be curious if Brooks shows more mettle.
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I’ve been concerned that Brooks would be just an extension of McGarity. I’m one of those weird alumni who cares about success in all sports, wants a better experience for fans of all sports, and does not think attention to non-football issues necessarily takes away from football. This hire is very encouraging.
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Agree and interested to see what happens now with Lu Champer and the softball program. She has been really successful in building a consistent winner on the diamond in what has become the sport’s toughest neighborhood.
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Think Mr. Brooks has picked up on CKS’s ability to perform some crootin’….
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great post. hope for the facility master plan is gaining momentum.
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