PASTNER STAYS OPEN ABOUT HIS EMOTIONS

He hopped up and down. He slammed the scorer’s table (at least three times). He threw his fists (at least five times). After seeing mistakes or lack of effort on the floor, he made knee-jerk substitutions (many times).

When Georgia Tech’s 76-68 loss at No. 22 Virginia Tech on Wednesday night was complete, coach Josh Pastner remarked that his knee hurt from stomping the floor.

The Yellow Jackets lost for the sixth consecutive time Wednesday and will try again to end their slide today at home against No. 17 Florida State. (The Seminoles will be the fifth AP Top 25 team the Jackets will have faced in the past seven games.)

Watching Pastner and the Tech bench from up close, Pastner’s outsized gestures are what are most easily noticed, particularly the 1-2 punches he throws in the air in frustration, a reflection of the energy he pours into games, possession by possession.

“It’s just straight air,” Pastner said Friday. “Sometimes people throw things. I’m just punching air.”

But other less obvious gestures and comments hinted at where the Jackets are as they try to correct course.

With a little more than 12 minutes to play in the first half and Virginia Tech up 15-7, Jackets forward Moses Wright had the ball in the high post and found guard Jose Alvarado outside the 3-point arc, slightly to the left wing.

Alvarado had all the time he needed to set and launch — four Hokies players had at least one foot in the lane, converged on Wright, and the fifth was on the opposite wing.

Alvarado set his feet, rose up, released, held his follow-through and ... the ball bounced high off the back rim. Alvarado’s slump continued.

Watching from the sideline, Pastner’s shoulders literally sagged. Alvarado was caught in a horrendous slump, which continued through Wednesday night. In Tech’s past six games — the duration of the losing streak — Alvarado is 10-for-59 from the field and 3-for-26 from 3-point range.

Pastner described Alvarado as the team’s engine after the game and extolled his effort. But the impact of his slump is undeniable, as his coach’s slumped body language suggested.

“Jose’s got to make a couple 3’s for us,” Pastner said. “We can sit here and talk about anything else, (but) Jose’s got to make some 3’s for us.”