On Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. in Sayles Hall, the University and the Black Coaches Association will sponsor an open forum featuring Paul Hewitt, head men's basketball coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Lorenzo Romar, head men's basketball coach at the University of Washington.
Hewitt and Romar are the last two recipients of the Fritz Pollard '19 Award, which is given annually by the BCA to the top male college coach that season. Also at the forum will be Kevin McNamara, who covers basketball nationwide for the Providence Journal, and as BCA director Floyd Keith.
Hewitt guided the Yellow Jackets to the National Championship game in 2004, making him the inaugural winner of the Fritz Pollard Award. Before accepting the Georgia Tech job, Hewitt led Siena College to a 66-27 overall record and two Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season titles. He also led the Saints to the NCAA tournament in 1999, their first appearance in 10 years. After a three-year run at Siena, Hewitt accepted the job at Georgia Tech in the spring of 2000. In 2001, Hewitt helped the team go from 13-17 to 17-13 and gain an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. That season, he was also named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year.
Romar joined the Huskies in 2002 and has amassed a 70-35 overall record, with NCAA Tournament appearances in three out of his four years. In 2005, he led them to a 29-6 record and the team's first-ever number one seed in the tournament. Currently, Romar and the Huskies are in the Sweet Sixteen and will take on the University of Connecticut on Friday.
Before elevating the Huskies to a Pacific-10 Conference power, Romar played for them from 1978 to 1980. He was then selected in the seventh round of the 1980 National Basketball Association draft by the Golden State Warriors and went on to play five seasons in the league.
- Justin Goldman
