Ethan Peikes might just be the next great coach. He’s certainly got the confidence.
Then again, he is only 15.
The Stamford, Conn., teenager sent a letter to Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich applying for the job after Paul Hewitt and the school parted ways in March. Peikes was forthright about his age – it was in his first sentence – and inexperience, but offered his services cheaply as a bonus. Plus, think of all the free publicity! Georgia Tech hires 15-year-old kid!
Of course, Radakovich didn’t do it. He hired Brian Gregory instead. But Peikes doesn’t view that as a failure. He saw the attempt as a chance worth taking. From Mike DeCourcy at AOL-Sporting News:“The athletics director told me I’m going to need a college degree. That’s something to work on,” Peikes said. “I don’t know exactly what the qualifications are. I should probably look into that. I’ve got to study the game more, learn more about the game.
“He was very kind, sent me a brief little note saying to come visit Georgia Tech in a few years.”
“I sort of knew the likelihood of me getting the job -- it was not a big chance.”
As DeCourcy points out, Memphis coach Josh Pastner was running AAU teams and a scouting service when he was in high school. Peikes is playing AAU and not on the same track. Yet. He’s gonna give it a few years, get a college degree, etc.
“The athletics director told me I’m going to need a college degree. That’s something to work on,” Peikes told DeCoucy. “I don’t know exactly what the qualifications are. I should probably look into that. I’ve got to study the game more, learn more about the game.
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