In what is certainly a crucial year for head coach Brian Gregory, Georgia Tech is bleeding a lot of new blood. After another disappointing campaign in which the Yellow Jackets finished 16-17, at least 4 new faces will become major contributors. Tech will have to rely on an experienced, if underwhelming, backcourt and a new frontcourt that has some talent. If the Jackets are to keep Gregory’s job, they will need strong performances from the transfers and leading man Marcus Georges-Hunt.
Backcourt
Easily the most consistent returning player for Georgia Tech is the versatile Georges-Hunt. A bull of a wing, Georges-Hunt averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as a sophomore at the 2 and 3 spots. If he can raise his field goal percentage from 41.6 percent, he could make all-conference. Another wing, Chris Bolden has been a disappointment through two seasons. Starting 14 games a sophomore, Bolden averaged 5.4 points on under 30 percent shooting, which is a number that has to go up. One player that could take advantage of more Bolden woes could be incoming freshman Tadric Jackson. Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year could play at either guard spot, but is an athletic scorer who should see his time increase during the season.
Three players will compete for time at point guard: sophomores Corey Heyward and Josh Heath along with redshirt freshman Travis Jorgensen. Heyward is more of a combo guard, but is not scoring-inclined. Heath transferred from South Florida when his father was fired. He played 20 minutes a game as a freshman, averaging 2.6 points but struggled from the field. Jorgensen played in only 4 games before going down for the year with an injury, but shot averaged 4.3 points in only 19 minutes per game. Gregory badly needs one of the point guards to step up if the Jackets to make a postseason tournament.
Frontcourt
The post could be the strength of this team, even if the majority of the rotation are newcomers. The biggest name will be Maryland transfer Charles Mitchell, who unexpectedly gained immediate eligibility. As a sophomore, Mitchell led the Terps with 6.3 rebounds per game in less than 20 minutes. Senior transfer Demarco Cox was not a high scorer at Ole Miss, but was also a solid rebounder, averaging 3.9 in just over 16 minutes last season. Junior Robert Sampson transfers in from ECU after averaging 9.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and could claim the starting power forward spot as he provides a rare post scoring threat. Sophomore Quinton Stephens had a decent freshman season, scoring 3.6 per contest, but desperately needs to get his weight up from 190 lbs at 6’9”. He will likely play more on the wing until he can bulk up. Freshmen posts Ben Lammers and Abdoulaye Gueye are not likely to play much, and at least one of them may redshirt.
| Projected Starters |
|---|
| Travis Jorgensen |
| Tadric Jackson |
| Marcus Georges-Hunt |
| Robert Sampson |
| Charles Mitchell |
Schedule
Georgia Tech has a challenging nonconference schedule that should set them up well for ACC play, but it may make it difficult on Brian Gregory’s job security. Georgia, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Dayton, Charlotte and the Orlando Classic all provide challenges. A guaranteed game against Marquette and possibly a matchup with Michigan State in the tournament will certainly boost the strength of schedule. Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest are Georgia Tech’s home-and-home partners within ACC play.
Prediction
Nothing short of postseason play will likely save Brian Gregory’s job, and that may be a tall task. There is a definite influx of size (five players listed at 6’8” or taller joining the team), but a lack of scorers may come back to haunt the Yellow Jackets. They will win a lot of rebounding battles, but scoring may be too much of deficit to overcome. The ceiling for this team appears to be a top 10 ACC finish and an NIT berth. If Tadric Jackson or Robert Sampson can provide the necessary scoring, this could be a dangerous Georgia Tech team.
by Matt Purdy @UMWolfpack87
Fantasy Player to Watch
Marcus Georges-Hunt has all of the tools to be an impact ACC fantasy player. Georges-Hunt can beat players off the dribble, knock down the perimeter shot and is a decent free throw shooter. Our projections have his numbers moving up to the 14 pts/5 reb per game area making him a solid round 2 or 3 pick.
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only)
Explanation of Statistic Projections
| Name | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | % Correct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Georges-Hunt | 14.7 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 79 |
| Charles Mitchell | 10.4 | 1.1 | 7.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 74 |
| Chris Bolden | 9.5 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 87 |
| Corey Heyward | 6.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 90 |
| Quinton Stephens | 5.9 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 92 |
| Travis Jorgenson | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 97 |
| Brooks Doyle | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 97 |
| Rand Rowland | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 100 |
| Aaron Peek | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 99 |
Last Year's Player Statistics
| Georgia Tech | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | GP | Mins | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| Trae Golden | 31 | 30.5 | 13.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 39.7 | 32.4 | 78.3 | |
| Marcus Georges-Hunt | 33 | 31.2 | 11.7 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 41.6 | 34.1 | 67.4 | |
| Daniel Miller | 33 | 30.8 | 10.9 | 1.5 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 57.8 | 0.0 | 61.6 | |
| Kammeon Holsey | 33 | 20.9 | 7.5 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 53.0 | 0.0 | 67.5 | |
| Robert Carter | 23 | 26.8 | 11.4 | 1.1 | 8.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 46.5 | 25.9 | 65.3 | |
| Chris Bolden | 30 | 24.2 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 29.8 | 30.5 | 68.4 | |
| Quinton Stephens | 32 | 12.8 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 37.7 | 31.3 | 81.3 | |
| Stacey Poole, Jr. | 24 | 8.3 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 43.9 | 29.4 | 64.5 | |
| Solomon Poole | 15 | 17.0 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 38.6 | 35.1 | 60.0 | |
| Corey Heyward | 32 | 16.4 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 28.6 | 42.9 | 46.2 | |
| Ron Wamer | 10 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 66.7 | |
| Jason Morris | 9 | 11.4 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 27.6 | 21.4 | 20.0 | |
| Brooks Doyle | 8 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 16.7 | 0.0 | |
| Travis Jorgenson | 4 | 19.5 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 31.3 | 40.0 | 83.3 | |
| Aaron Peek | 3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Colin Gurry | 3 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Charles Mitchell | 1 | 15.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
More Previews
