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BASEBALL Schedule at Clemson Altered Due to Weather

THE FLATS – Due to inclement weather in the forecast this weekend at No. 4 Clemson, Georgia Tech baseball will now play a doubleheader on Friday, May 3, beginning at noon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Game 2 will begin approximately an hour after the conclusion of Game 1, weather permitting.



The Yellow Jackets finale against the Tigers remains as scheduled on Sunday, May 5. All games will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.



Further weather and schedule updates will be available online at ramblinwreck.com and @GTBaseball on X.

OT: Xfinity losing Bally Sports

I have had Xfinity for 6 months and now they are removing Ballys because of a dispute with Diamond Sports Group. Have any of you with Xfinity seen this stuff with them in the past where they end up caving and adding it back? I left Dish because they’ll leave local channels off for years at the time, but Direct used to do it for a month until some big event or season started and they’d work it out at the last minute. The Xfinity notification says Diamond is filing bankruptcy, presumably to paint themselves as the good guys here, but I don’t want to miss Braves or Hawks, and CANNOT miss Tech games. Anyone know if these teams are switching stations or if I need to start looking for a different provider?
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Tech Golf to Compete in NCAA Chapel Hill Regional



No. 17 Yellow Jackets playing in an NCAA regional for the 26th straight year



Tech Schedule and Results | NCAA Golf Website | NCAA Scoreboard Rankings

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s No. 17-ranked golf team has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Regionals and has been made the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, which will be played May 13-15 at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The NCAA announced on Wednesday afternoon all 81 teams and 45 individuals who will competing for spots in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship finals, and the fields for each of the six regional qualifying tournaments, all taking place May 13-15 at different venues. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the finals, which will be conducted May 24-29 at the Omni LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Of the 81 teams, 30 were automatic qualifiers by winning their conference championships, and the other 51 earned at-large bids.

The Yellow Jackets are playing in an NCAA regional for the 26th straight year and for the 33rd time in the 35 years the NCAA has used a regional qualifying format for its championship. Tech has made it through the NCAA regional round each of the last four years (the NCAA Championship and regionals were not conducted in 2020 due to COVID-19), sharing the regional title in 2022 in Columbus, Ohio and winning the 2023 regional in Salem, S.C., by eight strokes.


The Chapel Hill regional in which Tech will compete has the No. 4-ranked team in college golf, North Carolina, as its top seed, and includes nine teams that are listed among the top 50 teams in the Scoreboard NCAA Golf rankings. In order of seed, the field also includes Alabama, East Tennessee State, Northwestern, Baylor, VCU, Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State, Clemson, Michigan State, Ball State and Howard. UNC is the host institution.


The other regional sites and their top seeds are Tennessee at Austin, Texas (The University of Texas Golf Club), Auburn at Baton Rouge, La. (University Club), Arizona State at Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (The Farms Golf Club). Florida State at Stanford, Calif. (Stanford Golf Course) and Vanderbilt at West Lafayette, Ind. (Birck Boilermaker Golf Course).


TEAM UPDATE – Tech has been ranked as high as No. 10 in the Scoreboard NCAA Rankings, at the start of the spring season, and currently sits No. 17 after finishing third at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship last month in Charlotte, N.C. Tech also has posted a runner-up finish at the Watersound Invitational, fourth-place finishes at the RE Lamkin Invitational, Linger Longer Invitational and the Calusa Cup, a fifth-place at The Goodwin and sixth-place at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate this spring.

Three of the five starters who teed it up for Tech in last year’s NCAA Championship are back for this edition, including All-American Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), fifth-year senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) and sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore). Only Forrester has played in all 11 stroke-play events for the Yellow Jackets this year. Lamprecht missed the Calusa Cup to play in the Masters, and Tai didn’t compete in the fall opener at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational.

Head coach Bruce Heppler, who has coached Tech to 19 NCAA Championship appearances in his 29 years on The Flats, has started freshmen Kale Fontenot (Lafayatte, La.) and Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) in six of the Jackets’ seven spring tournaments.

Lamprecht, a 6-8 junior from South Africa who is a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award for the second straight year, won the Olympia Fields event and the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in the fall, has four more top-10 finishes since then, and has not finished below 14th in any event this year. After tying for third place at the ACC Championship, he remains the No. 1 amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, No. 2 in the PGA Tour University list and No. 6 in the Scoreboard collegiate rankings.

Tai (Watersound and RE Lamkin) and Forrester (Olympia Fields and Amer Ari Intercollegiate) have combined for five top-10 finishes this year and rank 1-2 on the team in stroke average. Forrester tied for eighth place at the ACC Championship, while Tai tied for 12th. Freshmen Fontenot and Kim have played in 10 events each; Fontenot’s top finish this spring coming at the Watersound Invitational (T-14) and Kim’s coming at the Linger Longer Invitational (T-22).

Tech’s alternate player for post-season is sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), who has competed in seven events, including five this spring, with a high finish of a tie for 12th place at both the Linger Longer Invitational and the Calusa Cup.

REGIONAL QUALIFIER FORMAT – Each regional is a 54-hole, stroke-play event with 13 teams and 10 individuals, or 14 teams and five individuals, competing. The top five teams after 54 holes and one individual not on those teams advance from each regional to the NCAA Championship finals in Carlsbad, Calif., which has a field of 30 teams and six individuals.


COACH BRUCE HEPPLER SAYS – “We've reached the point in the season that we all work for, and we're anxious to compete and see how far we can go. We have a great group that works hard and has the ability and talent. But we've got to play well for three days to get a chance to advance.”
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GT Golf: Lamprecht Named Recipient of Byron Nelson Award



Tech senior, the world’s No. 1 amateur, recognized for golf, academic work and community service



McKinney, Texas – Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, the world’s top-ranked amateur player, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Byron Nelson Award, which is bestowed annually to the outstanding Division I, II, III, or NAIA scholar-athlete of the year. The recipient, a graduating senior, is recognized for their achievement in the classroom, on the course, and in their community.

The senior from George, South Africa becomes the fifth Georgia Tech player to win the Byron Nelson Award, joining Anders Albertson (2015), James White (2012), Roberto Castro (2007) and Troy Matteson (2003). Lamprecht’s honor was announced Wednesday at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Luncheon at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

“It is truly an honor to be named this year’s recipient,” said Lamprecht. “To be named in the same sentence as Mr. Byron Nelson and so many others who have won this award is truly an honor. This award, which I view as the most prestigious, is one I really wanted to win because it means more than just hitting a golf ball.”

Lamprecht will graduate with honors Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in finance and one of the highest GPAs during head coach Bruce Heppler’s 29 years at Georgia Tech.

The two-time GCAA All-America Scholar from George, South Africa has volunteered in multiple Michael Isenhour Toy Drives with Georgia Tech Athletics, where over 2,000 toys and $8,000 donated on average assist with providing Christmas gifts for children in downtown Atlanta shelters. During the six weeks he was home in South Africa for spring break last year, Lamprecht assisted his mother with planning and preparing all spring activities, including academic, athletic, and social functions, for his high school. An already-decorated amateur and collegiate career has summited ever since.

“To me, this means more than the golf I put on the course,” added Lamprecht. “It’s so easy with the modern day of social media and everything else to just look at results, where people define you based on what your results are, so awards like these mean a lot to me personally. It’s more defining of the person that you are and the way you carry yourself. This is the highlight of my college career in terms of the awards and accolades that I’ve achieved. It is something that I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life.”

Lamprecht, along with assisting his department’s nutrition staff stock, prepare, and deliver snack bags for road trips across various programs as well as being the Yellow Jackets’ representative in the 2023 East Lake Cup Junior Clinic, has been the top-ranked men’s amateur golfer in the world since September of 2023. He won The Amateur Championship and was the low amateur at The Open last summer, competed in The Masters, was named a first-team All-American last season, and was a competitor in both the Arnold Palmer Cup (his second straight appearance) and World Team Amateur Championship, to name a few.

The 6-foot-8 senior won two collegiate events in the fall, the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational. He has since earned four more top-10 finishes, including a tie for third at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship last week, and is No. 6 in the most recent Scoreboard NCAA Golf rankings.

Tech head coach Bruce Heppler said, “I am certainly thrilled with Christo's being selected as the 2024 Byron Nelson Award winner. Mr. Nelson was an incredible player who carried himself with grace and class throughout his life. It is truly an honor for Christo to be selected based on the requirements of the award. The special nature of this award is that the selection process begins the very first semester of one's freshman year and carries on until the person graduates. It is truly a four-year decision to excel. Our motto is you are "The sum of all your Choices!" This award truly defines what our players try to live by.”

Lamprecht also is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Ben Hogan Award, which annually awards the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA, or NJCAA college golfer on all collegiate, amateur, and professional events over the last 12 months, and is one of 15 on the watch list for the Fred Haskins Award, which goes to the nation’s top college player.

GTWB: Women’s Basketball Adds Zoesha Smith

Tuesday, April 30, 2024


Post player from Brunswick, Ga., signs grant-in-aid with Yellow Jackets


THE FLATS Zoesha Smith, a graduate transfer forward from Brunswick, Ga., has signed a grant-in-aid with Georgia Tech women’s basketball for the 2024-25 season. Smith transfers to Georgia Tech after playing four years at Georgia.

During her time at Georgia, Smith helped the Bulldogs to three consecutive NCAA Tournament second round appearances (2021, 2022, 2023). She starred in 74 career games as a Bulldog and capped her four years averaging 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

This past season, Smith appeared in 16 games and earned the start in 13, contributing 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 67.9 percent from the free throw line. The future Jacket scored a season-high 18 points three times and finished with eight double-figure scoring games.

As a junior in 2022-23, Smith tossed in a career-high 21 points against Georgia Tech, hitting 10-of-13 field goal attempts. As a junior, Smith took the floor in 28 games, starting six, and averaged 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

The Brunswick, Ga., native attended Glynn Academy before signing with Georgia and earned multiple accolades including Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AAAAAA Player of the Year and first-team all-State and Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) AAAAAA Player of the Year.

Smith joins Tech’s recruiting class that includes fall signees 5-9 guard Dani Carnegie (Conyers, Ga./Grayson High School), 5-9 guard Gabbie Grooms (Sharpsburg, Ga./Landmark Christian), 5-10 guard Tianna Thompson(Mableton, Ga./The Galloway School) and 5-4 guardChazadi “Chit Chat” Wright (Decatur, Ga./Wesleyan). Tech’s recruiting class was ranked No. 19 by ESPN.

OT: Falcons are a joke

You just lost picks next year for tampering, signed Cousins, who left Minnesota because he didn’t want to play mentor, to a 4 year deal, and then you draft a 24 year old qb with 2 ACL injuries with the 8th pick in the first round when he graded out as a late 1st or early 2nd round pick. You need defense, could have gotten Bowers, a Center, a WR….but no, you got cute and showed how terrible you really are to everyone. The guy was a great college qb, but there is no way in hell the Falcons needed Penix Jr over other available options. He wasn’t close to BPA either, so you can’t lean on that excuse.

The GM, the Coach and the owner should all step away from football.

Key, Johnson, Gailey All Set to Compete in 2024 Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge

Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge



Nation’s premier collegiate coach golf event to feature

current and former coaches teeing it up for $300,000 in charity





Greensboro, Ga. (April 16, 2024) –
Georgia Tech football head coach Brent Key and former Tech head coaches Paul Johnson and Chan Gailey will represent the Yellow Jackets in the 17th annual Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament held April 28 – 30at Reynolds Lake Oconee outside of Atlanta. A field of 23 current and former college football coaches will compete for a share of a $300,000 charity purse.



The nation’s premier collegiate coach golf event will be played in two-man scramble format in an 18-hole tournament. The Stableford scoring system will be used to help balance handicaps and encourage aggressive play.



Proceeds from the competition benefit charitable foundations selected by the coaches. Coach Key’s winnings will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is the leading global organization harnessing the power of research, advocacy and community engagement to advance life-changing breakthroughs for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Coach Johnson and Coach Gailey will play for the Paul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation and Fellowship of Christian Athletes- Georgia Region, respectively.



Since its creation in 2007, the event has contributed a total of $9.3 million in scholarship and charity, helping make the Peach Bowl college football’s most charitable bowl organization.



The current field of competitors for this year’s Peach Bowl Challenge is projected to include:



COACHCURRENT OR FORMER
FBS SCHOOL(S)
CHARITY
Shane BeamerSouth CarolinaThe Beamer Family Foundation
Manny DiazDukeDurham Public Schools Foundation
Dave DoerenNC StateOne Pack Empowered
Eliah DrinkwitzMizzouCarePortal
Randy EdsallMaryland, UConnEdsall Family Foundation
P.J. FleckMinnesotaRow the Boat @ Masonic Children’s Hospital
Hugh FreezeAuburnFor Others Collective
Chan GaileyGeorgia TechFellowship of Christian Athletes- Georgia Region
Jim GrobeOhio, Wake Forest, BaylorFisher DeBerry Foundation
Paul JohnsonNavy, Georgia TechPaul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation
Brent KeyGeorgia TechJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Dan LanningOregonOHSU Foundation- Knight Cancer Institute
Urban MeyerBowling Green, Utah, Florida, OhioStateUrban And Shelley Meyer Family Foundation
Jeff MonkenArmyLauren’s First and Goal
Dan MullenMississippi State, FloridaMullen Family 36 Foundation
Pat NarduzziPittUPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Rick NeuheiselColorado, Washington, UCLALord Wedgwood Charity
Mike NorvellFlorida StateKeep Climbing Family Foundation
Houston NuttBoise State, Arkansas, Ole MissChickasaw Foundation
Tom O’ BrienBoston College, NC StateNational Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center
Kirby SmartGeorgiaThe Kirby Smart Family Foundation
Steve SpurrierDuke, Florida, South CarolinaHBC Foundation
Tommy TubervilleOle Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, CincinnatiTommy Tuberville Foundation

BASEBALL Jones Named Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week



Cam Jones pitched complete game, hit .417 against Miami (Fla.)




LUBBOCK, Texas – Senior two-way standout Cam Jones (Houston County, Ga./Houston County (Georgia State)) was named the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week for his terrific performance against Miami (Fla.), as well as also being named to the Two-Way Player of the Year watch list, it was announced today.



Jones shined against the Hurricanes, throwing a 111-pitch complete game on Saturday, in addition to hitting .417 over the three games to help Georgia Tech baseball take its fourth-straight ACC series.



Over the nine innings, Jones scattered six hits for four runs, walking none and striking out seven on the day.



His performance on the mound marked his second time Jones has gone the distance this season, but first nine-inning CG – also a career-long for him. It’s the first nine-inning complete game since Andy Archer pitched a four-hit shutout against Indiana State in the 2021 NCAA Nashville Regional (June 6, 2021).



Jones also recorded five hits on the weekend, two doubles and an RBI, while scoring three times. When not pitching, Jones played first base and right field during the weekend.



Jones has been one of the top two-way players in the country, joining the 23-player Olerud Award watch list as one of only two representatives from the ACC. The Houston County native is currently third on the team, hitting .331 with 54 hits, 11 doubles and three home runs for 25 RBI, reaching base at a .433 clip. He also ranks third in the ACC with 23 stolen bases on the season, having been only caught once.



On the mound, Jones leads the Jackets with a 4.07 ERA over 13 appearances and four starts with a 3-1 record, three saves and two complete games. In his 42.0 innings of work, the southpaw has allowed just 38 hits and 19 runs, walking 13 and striking out 34. Opponents are hitting just .247 against him, holding a 1.19 WHIP, which is good for fifth in the ACC.



The semifinalists for the Olerud Award will be announced in mid-May, with the five finalists being announced during the NCAA tournament. The winner will be announced on June 17.



Georgia Tech takes the midweek off for final exams, but will return on the road for its three-game series at No. 5-ranked Clemson on May 3-5. First pitches are scheduled for 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. with the series broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

JOL Mailbag 4/29 Sponsored by Auto-Owners Insurance

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In your opinion, what was worse for CFB; Portal or NIL?

KQ- It is the portal. NIL is controllable eventually and there will be some pushback over time as results don't meet the lofty expectations of boosters who are funding some of this. There are limits to how much people are willing to give especially if the results are not what they expect.

The portal sort of defeats everything that college sports is about and I think they need to switch to a model where you have to sit a year if you transfer before completing your junior year or third year in a program unless there is a definite and specific hardship (family death/medical thing/etc.). I think that would force teams to improve their scouting and develop kids and give them a far shot at actually graduating which is supposed to be the PRIMARY goal of college athletics.

How many sacks does GT need from the rush end spot to get 8 wins?

KQ- I think the number you quote is what I would think would be a successful floor at that position. Around eight sacks and at least two to three pressures a game from the primary duo playing that spot is my floor there. I think if you are below that you are in trouble.

Now that we have less than five days left, how do you grade our portal efforts now and how do expect that to change once all is said and done?

KQ- I explained this elsewhere but you are talking about the deadline for kids to go into the portal not the deadline to take kids from the portal. Two different things. The deadline to take kids out of the portal as commits is the last day of drop/add in AUGUST.

Any chance to land Christen Miller?

KQ- Congrats to him for holding Kirby hostage.

Is it crazy to ask if coaches make NIL deals for 2-3rd year? This is illegal, but I’ll ask anyway.

For example: Daquan Davis chose FSU as they gave him the most. Do you think coaches will approach players like him now and say hey I’ll give you 250k but only after you hit these metrics first year.


KQ- I think it would be crazy for a school to agree to do that and crazy for the SA not knowing how their value will go up or down. Would a school promise that? Absolutely I'm sure it happens.

Any hints of upcoming football verbal commits? Timing?

KQ- RJ referenced this last night on our YouTube show, but I expect we will start seeing more commits in May as the evaluation period heats up. Coaches are going out to see kids and as Russell put it, it is red light, yellow light or green light. That is not only GT but other schools. I can tell you from talking to kids even this weekend in Texas many are expecting offers from new schools and those offers don't always happen or schools fill up and that also forces some decisions to be expedited and schools and start squeezing as well as numbers tighten up. Right now with the portal, the schools are in the driver's seat in most recruitments because of space limitations due to the option of the portal. That has changed the dynamic all over including at GT.

Do you (or Russell) have a funny story or something that has made you laugh recently? GT/Sports related or not.

KQ- I think the thing that made me laugh the hardest in the last few days is this tweet.

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Chances on Wesley Walker coming back?

KQ- I don't see it being in the cards at the moment.

With Santucci taking over as DC, what scheme or philosophical changes do you see? What positions (or players) are most impacted by these changes? What positions or players does this help most?

KQ- So they are going to be more physical at the LOS and more attacking on the second level and aggressive. That is the best way I can describe it. Expect the DL to get bigger and bigger, they had DEs under Elko/Santucci that were the size of some of GT's DTs of years past. Key wants to get bigger and more physical upfront and the three pure DLs the DE, DT and NT/DT will control the LOS and the LBs and the edge/rush clean up the rest of it and set edges at times as well. That is a huge difference. The LB run fits a constant sore spot for @ibeeballin and many of us watching the game are now a heavy focus and Santucci doesn't play around with guys screwing those up. If you screw it up he is going to blow you up and sit you as well. They want the CBs to be more aggressive in coverage and a little less of the sitting back and letting it happen type coverage as well. Just overall more aggressive play. They are scheming also to the personnel at some spots so they will call coverages differently if Kyle Efford is at the MLB spot versus E.J. Lightsey as an example of Tren Tatum/Jackson Hamilton/Tah'j Butler all get things tweaked more toward their skillsets.

When gauging player development under the new defensive scheme and staff, what are you looking for? Beyond stats, what are you looking for that signals that this is coming together effectively?

KQ- Every play they are running the same play from 1-11 on the field. That seems like a low bar but that was like 50% of the issues GT had defensively post-2018. Communciation, guys not trusting each other, not covering their assignments and dudes having to play hero ball getting wildly out of position. DLs not squeezing the pocket and getting too far upfield or too leveraged outside. All of that stuff.

I'll come at this from a different angle: You have seen a lot of defensive coaching / scheme changes thru your time covering uga / gt / other teams, what early signals told you that a defensive change was on the right or wrong path?

KQ- I think the attention to detail with Santucci has impressed me. I remember the first Collins practice and he told me "we just go fast and we will clean up the mistakes in the film room." I was ****ing shocked. That is not how everyone learns. People have different learning styles especially in spots and you need to adjust teach on multiple levels to make sure you are reaching everyone in the room. Instead they ran around like idiots for a year and a half at every practice running multiple huddles, playing music with a DJ and doing everything other than coaching with the exception of the OL/DL groups.

You have more perspective than many on here. Do you feel like we’re on track for a great ‘25 recruiting class?

KQ- Hoops absolutely, if we are talking football, yes. I think I explained this well in the video last night. I talked to probably my favorite player in the 2026 class who has no interest in GT really, but I asked and this time he didn't laugh and has been impressed with the changes at GT. He will end up at Texas, LSU or A&M because he is a Louisiana kid, but they are picking up on GT's improvement and it the school isn't an afterthought for top kids.

GT related loss of life

Many may remember Randy Gay from Lowndes Co. Was the starting QB there for his 4 yrs of high school. Committed to Tech under Curry, was a stud. Probably a 4 or 5 star, won the National Punt Pass and Kick competition in San Diego. Was in a tragic car accident before arriving on campus, in a coma and never the same. Went to Tech for a bit but I don’t think graduated. Passed this weekend. He was thought to be the future at QB for us, but it never happened. RIP Randy Gay.

Q's Take: Sponsored by Inteleca: Portaling testing fandom for some

Thanks to our sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.


GA Tech Large Ad copy-660x150-px.gif

Conference realignment has been a big issue for me and many other traditionalist fans, but the open-ended free agency seems like an equal menace to college football and men's basketball in particular. I'll focus on those two sports since that is my lane of expertise.

We are in this weird portal era. It is not going to last because it is not possible for this to be the future of college sports, it will simply implode and things are moving toward contracts and some limitations on movement once again when all the dust settles but it is annoying to cover, frustrating for fans at times and a minefield for student-athletes trying to navigate life at one of the most difficult times for anyone in their life as they adjust from being a kid to adulthood and like most of us make horrible choices.

The analogy I will give goes with my favorite band Rush. For those who don't know Rush had basically different eras as a band, a very raw early phase sort of Led Zeppelin-esq band, then they went prog and brought in keyboards and extensive percussion and then they had a full 80s synth out phase and that time period highlighted by two albums I dislike a lot "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire" had them on the extreme end of keyboard cheese. Then they slowly drifted back to rocking, but they lost some fans along the way and it took time to gain some back. Eventually, pretty much every fan came back and by the end of the band they were rolling again and making good music that appealed to the hardcore old crew, the newer people who came along during the early 80s popular period and then newer fans who found them after the late-80s synth phase like myself who got into Rush as a pre-teen in the early 90s or later.

Unfortunately, the shitty oversight and leadership of the NCAA and then the breaking of the water pipe to flood the basement on NIL has led to the Wild West and we will suffer through the college spots equivalent to Rush's keyboard phase or KISS going disco on "Dynasty" or bands like Chicago or Bon Jovi who went soft as they aged up into middle of the road music/muzak.

I watched the Bon Jovi documentary on Hulu and it is great by the way. I saw them once before they went soft rock and Jon could still sing well and Richie was still in the band in the early 00s and JBJ sang like a foot away from me and friends in the crowd on the side of the arena which is something I've never seen any other artist do. He just popped up in the crowd.

Back on topic, this is going to be rough sledding for a minute for all of us. The joy we got in tracking young men as they progressed through their careers and developed into players will be intercut with drama on NIL or poaching attempts or whatever.

I think both Damon Stoudamire and Brent Key have a solid approach to trying to protect their most valued young assets and once there are enough data points to show how moving around and chasing money is an iffy proposition that should cool some of this stuff off as well. GT is more homegrown than many of their peers and I think you will see that pay off on both playing surfaces this fall and winter (for hoops).

It doesn't make our lives any easier though. I was standing on a field at Coppell HS covering a rough camp thanks to a horrendous storm system that moved through the area in the last 48 hours shutting down interstates and dropping tornadoes in unfortunate areas. I was more annoyed that I had to deal with the story than I was thinking about the impact it had on the GT program. That is the cold truth though.

Ride out the storm, stay with it and things will normalize away from the synth era of college sports. At least so far we have not reached the Allman Brothers with the keytar player era.

If you have never seen that and are a fan of the Brothers, you might throw up. See below

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2024 GT lacrosse

The team is ranked #2 in the nation behind Virginia Tech and is 8-0 so far this season. They head to California next weekend to take on Cal Berkeley and Texas.

Ranking: https://mcla.us/news/2024/02/d-i-poll-totally-tech
Team website: https://gtlacrosse.prestosports.com/landing/index
Game streaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTmenslacrosse
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GaTechLAX
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