ADVERTISEMENT

HOOPS Men’s Basketball Hosts West Georgia to Open 2024-25 Season


Yellow Jackets and Wolves tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST Wednesday at McCamish Pavilion



Georgia Tech 2024-25 schedule | Purchase Single-Game Tickets | Media Notes (PDF)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TECH (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. WEST GEORGIA (0-0, 0-0 A-Sun)​

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. EST | Atlanta, Ga. | McCamish Pavilion

Live Stream:
ACC Network Extra | ESPN+ (Announcers: Wiley Ballard, Jon Babul)

Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan) | SiriusXM channel 383

Other ways to listen: Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn

Announcers: Andy Demetra, Randy Waters

Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com



________________________________________________________________________________________________________



THE FLATS – Beginning its second season under head coach Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech opens its 2024-25 season with three games in six days, beginning with a Wednesday night date against West Georgia at McCamish Pavilion (7:30 p.m. tip).

The stretch continues with a Nov. 10 Sunday afternoon tip against North Florida (1 p.m.) and a Nov. 12 contest against Texas Southern (7:30 p.m.). Those two games are part of an early-season home multiple-team event (MTE) in which those opponents also will play Georgia.

West Georgia, in its first year as an NCAA Division program and a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, has played in the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons in Division II and posted a 27-6 record a year ago.

North Florida, also a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, is coming off a 16-16 campaign a year ago, including a 9-7 mark in conference play.

Texas Southern, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, went 16-17 overall in 2023-24 and 12-6 in SWAC competition.

All three games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM). The Tech broadcast is also available in the SiriusXM app.

TECH AT A GLANCE

Second-year head coach Damon Stoudamire began a re-build the Tech roster last season and guided the team to 14 victories (seven ACC wins), including big wins over top-25 teams Mississippi State, Duke, Clemson and North Carolina, all of whom played in the NCAA Tournament.

Tech returns a strong core of four players, including 6-3 senior guardLance Terry (College Park, Ga.), who redshirted last season with an injury after averaging in double figures for the Yellow jackets in 2022-23. Also back are three of Tech’s top four scorers from last season, 6-7 senior wing Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (Macon, Ga.), 6-3 sophomore point guard Naithan George (Toronto, Ontario) and 6-9 sophomore forward Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal).

The three returnees from the 2023-24 team accounted for 42 percent of that team’s points, 40 percent of its shots taken and 56 percent of games started. If Terry’s numbers are added, those percentages become 55 percent of the points, 53 percent of the shots taken and 69 percent of the starts.

Stoudamire and his staff have built around those four by signing the 20th-ranked recruiting class in the nation (247Sports composite) - 6-5 guard Jaeden Mustaf (Bowie, Md.), 6-11 center Doryan Onwuchekwa (Dallas, Texas) and 6-8 forward Darrion Sutton (St. Louis, Mo.).

They also brought in four transfers who are expected to be key contributors in 6-2 guard Javian McCollum (Fort Myers, Fla./Oklahoma), the 31st-ranked player in the portal, 6-8 forward Luke O’Brien (Littleton, Colo./Colorado), 6-8 forward Duncan Powell (Dallas, Texas/Sacramento State) and 7-2 center Ryan Mutombo (Atlanta, Ga./Georgetown).

TECH CONNECTIONS

Roger Kaiser, Georgia Tech’s first All-American in 1961, was the head coach at West Georgia from 1970-90 and lead the Braves, as the athletic programs were known then, to the NAIA National Championship in 1974.

• Tech senior guard Lance Terry’s father (Lance) and sister (Kierra) both attended West Georgia and played on the basketball teams there.

THE TIP-OFF

110th season - Georgia Tech is playing its 110th season of basketball in 2024-25, having compiled an all-time on-court record of 1,451-1,324 (22 wins and one loss from the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions).

Tech in the ACC - Tech will play its 46th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, having won the conference championship in 1985, 1990, 1993 and 2021. Prior to that, Tech competed in the Metro Conference for three seasons from 1975-78, was an independent from 1964-75, and was a member of the Southeastern Conference for 32 years from 1932-64, winning one title in 1938.

• Tech was projected to finish 12th in the ACC standings last season by a vote of the conference’s official media panel. Tech has finished ahead of its media projection seven of the last eight seasons.

• Tech has a total of seven scholarship newcomers on its roster, including three freshmen who were judged the nation’s 20th-best recruiting class (247Sports composite), and four transfers in a class ranked 53rd.

• Tech will open the 2024-25 season with seven consecutive home games, its longest homestand to open a season since 1980-81. After three straight games away from home (Oklahoma, North Carolina, Northwestern), the Jackets will have five more in a row at McCamish Pavilion, including conference tilts against Duke, Notre Dame and Boston College.

• Tech is 38-7 in season-opening games in its ACC Era, 36-5 when the opener is at home. The Yellow Jackets’ most recent losses in season openers - back to back in 2020-21 (Georgia State) and 2021-22 (Mercer).

• Tech will play 19 regular-season games at McCamish Pavilion, the most since the 2016-17 season, when the Jackets played 21 total home games, including two on the NIT.

• Of the three new members of the ACC, Tech has faced SMU the most (8-6 all-time, last meeting in 1986). The Jackets are 0-3 vs. California (last meeting 2012) and 1-2 vs. Stanford (last meeting 2000).
  • Like
Reactions: Ramblinwreck79

FOOTBALL Star Comparison for Miami at Georgia Tech...

Canes have some studs, no doubt about it. And Cristobal has really just gotten started getting his recruiting machine going in the last couple years.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING WAR ROOM GT FB Recruiting 11/3

Before I head out of town I figured I'd share the latest I'm hearing on a variety of prospects.

BTW there are a ton of fake ass offers being posted on X, be mindful of that if you are one of those who retweet these kids or comment on them posting offers. A pro tip is if no one on the staff follows them, it is pretty telling they are faking an offer.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

HOOPS Basketball Notebook 11/1

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech men's basketball coach Damon Stoudamire and new transfers Javian McCollum and Luke O'Brien spoke to the media on Friday as the Jackets prepare for the season opener against West Georgia next Wednesday.

According to sources, the Jackets played secret scrimmages against LSU in Atlanta and Mississippi State in Birmingham, winning the first game and falling in the second one. Stoudamire and his players didn't share a lot about the two scrimmages, keeping them secret, but he did share some thoughts on what they learned.

"It helped a lot," Stoudamire said of the secret scrimmages. "We got to see different lineups and then in the second game Javian played, he didn't play in the first and trying to get him up to speed and get him in rhythm with the main guys was something we needed to do. I was definitely encouraged and I liked what I saw."

Running a two-point guard lineup with McCollum and returning starter Nait George will be one of the big storylines this season and in the second scrimmage, the Jackets had too many turnovers for Stoudamire's liking.

"One area we have to do better in is turnovers; unforced turnovers are a killer. For me as a former point guard, we can't have that. We've got to get those numbers down. For me, I'd love to play with 15-plus assists and under 11 turnovers and we'll be fine and we've got to box out and get a little better collectively at rebounding and not giving up timely rebounds," Stoudamire said.

Along with improving depth and overall talent, the Jackets' big focus this offseason was improving defense and defensive rebounding. Stoudamire is monitoring that closely as the season begins.

"Our season last year to me was based on not being able to get stops when we needed to and then when someone missed a shot getting it off the glass and a lot of games came down to that. We've improved, but are got to keep getting better."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stoudamire said he fights the idea of doing two secret scrimmages vs playing one exhibition and getting a dry run that doesn't count and getting the cobwebs out. He felt this year it was important to play two SEC schools as a measuring stick to see where they are at and two teams with different styles of play and there are pros and cons. He said the pro now is they can come out on Wednesday with the excitement of playing in front of fans for the first time.

Stoudamire said there is no doubt that they are better defensively now and he is watching their habits when they get fatigued and the good habits have to kick in on D in those moments and not the bad. They lost a lot of games last year that came down to two or three possessions needing a stop to get a win and they couldn't get those stops or getting the stop and not getting the defensive rebound so that is really been a focus for him.

On the team's health they've had guys banged up, but Damon says they are pretty healthy going into Wednesday's opener. He thinks they also have depth this year and if they can keep everyone healthy they will be in good shape.

Stoudamire said adding McCollum and O'Brien helped with the leadership piece and he always wants more leadership on the team and they didn't have that last year and having a bigger voice in the locker room to hold everyone accountable and that is a key to winning.

I asked about the starting five, Damon says he knows what he wants to do and he feels like they are 10-deep now and they can just pull guys when they get tired now.

Stoudamire was asked if Lance Terry will start and he said he isn't tipping his lineup, but he talked about how James Posey came off the bench at Xavier and he was a first-round pick in the NBA draft. He said Kentucky just had two guys picked that were not starters last year in the top 8, so it doesn't mean as much to him as it sometimes does to kids, you have to star in your role.

Stoudamire said the roster is more versatile 1-5 and they've got more length from guys like O'Brien who can guard 1-5 on the court and do it well. He has done it in games and that is one of the things that made him very valuable as a transfer along with knowing how to win.

I asked how Jaeden Mustaf is doing after his dad passed this week. Stoudamire said he is holding up as best he can. You only get one dad and his father was around a lot since he was living up in Charlotte close by. They are here for him just like they are for Ryan Mutombo who is going through something similar. It is bigger than basketball and it has brought them all together going through two tragedies like those passing. He as the CEO of the program ahs to understand each kid and what they need and they are there for both Ryan and Jaeden.

On how they played last year winning some big games with a flawed team, he said it gives him some confidence going into this season but they also had no expectations last year and he said they won games they shouldn't have on paper last year and lost games they should've won on paper last year and that the season could've been completely different if they just won more games against teams like GT to go with the big wins. He said finding consistency is a big thing they are focused on because they showed they can be a good team at times last year.

Georgia Tech Athletics Launches CDI Triple Play



Tech athletics once again partners with Georgia Tech Foundation to support student-athlete scholarships


THE FLATS – Georgia Tech athletics announced on Tuesday that it has once again partnered with the Georgia Tech Foundation for the third-annual installment of the successful Competitive Drive Initiative, known this year as CDI Triple Play.

CDI Triple Play has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31. As in the past two years, the Georgia Tech Foundation will provide financial support to the year-end scholarship drive.

“We’re excited to bring back the Competitive Drive Initiative for a third-straight year,” Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt said. “The overwhelming support of the first two Competitive Drive Initiatives has been essential to our goal of providing our student-athletes with life-changing academic and athletic opportunities. We are grateful to the Georgia Tech Foundation and, of course, Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, for their continued leadership, alignment and support of Tech student-athletes.”

In honor of the third year of the initiative, contributors will receive “triple” points for cash gifts that are received by Dec. 31. For example, a person who makes a $500 contribution to CDI Triple by Dec. 31 will receive benefits at the Wreck ‘Em giving level ($1,500) and receive 30 A-T Fund Priority Points, instead of 10.

To be eligible for the triple-point allocation, a donor must make a gift to the Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31. For donors who made previous multiyear pledges, those individuals will receive “triple points” for pledge payments received by Dec. 31.

Competitive Drive Initiative Triple Play is a part of Full Steam Ahead, a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. Both initiatives are a part of Transforming Tomorrow, Georgia Tech’s more than $2 billion comprehensive campaign advancing the Institute and its impact — on people’s lives, on the way we work together to create innovative solutions, and on our world — for decades to come. The increase in scholarship support for student-athletes through CDI Triple Play will further Transforming Tomorrow’s top priority of securing more scholarships and ensuring student success.

For more information on CDI Triple Play and to contribute today, visit www.atfund.org/tripleplay or call the A-T Fund office at (404) 894-5414.

FOOTBALL Notes and Quotes from Tuesday practice and Key media availability...

Key went a little longer today with his media. He really talked up Miami, Ward and Cristobal and knows what kind of challenge his team has in front of it. I think he has a little quiet confidence they can make it a competitive game on Saturday in front of the Homecoming crowd though.

No YouTube tonight, week ahead update

I’m flying out early tomorrow morning for a trip to NYC with one of my best friends from college to see David Gilmour at Madison Square Garden and to get a little break. Alex will be on GT duty Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll probably have a crossover episode with our Miami site at some point this week to help fill the video void.

I have a significant recruiting update as well on where things stand wi try multiple kids.

I have something else cool I’m doing later in the week as well but that is a secret for now… I’ll be at GT media on Thursday and Alex and I will be at hoops the night before.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Dinkins flip to UGA now official...

As mentioned in another thread this morning. The not-so-secret flip to the Bulldogs is done now. On to the next.

Look for Georgia Tech to continue to try to close on Jordan "JoJo" Crim from Camden, S.C. who I've heard from the coaches would be a four-star if he played in Georgia or metro-Atlanta.

Other DB targets are options as well. Getting info on those.

FOOTBALL Georgia Tech’s stats under Brent Key

YearOffense PPA (
ACC, FBS Rank)
Offense Success Rate (ACC, FBS Rank)Offense Explosiveness PPA
(ACC, FBS Rank)

Defense PPA
(ACC, FBS Rank)
Defense Success Rate
(ACC, FBS Rank)
Defense Explosiveness PPA
(ACC, FBS Rank)
2022 (*MOBS)0.027039 (14, 124)35.5911 % (14, 124)1.267 (6, 51)0.137211 (8, 57)43.7644 % (12, 96)1.172 (5, 31)
20230.246739 (2, 33)44.6908 % (4, 42)1.319 (3, 29)0.240008 (13, 109)46.6216 % (14, 125)1.203 (3, 35)
20240.238816 (8, 44)45.7851 % (5, 37)1.237 (12, 87)0.121842 (7, 45)39.7412 % (7, 50)1.268 (6, 69)

Main thing that stand out to me is the improvement of the defense this season. It feels like a struggle at times but it has been a big improvement this year. Also interesting that we've dropped significantly in explosiveness offensively.
  • Like
Reactions: YacketsNatty2022

OT: RIP Quincy Jones


Probably the most influential person on pop music for the past seventy-ish years. He definitely had his finger on the pulse of pop music. RIP

FOOTBALL Surprise visitor at practice this morning...

While who was or wasn't back practicing today might or might not be the biggest news from Georgia Tech, a bigger surprise was which recruit was there watching.

I'll just Say it's a guy that the board might've given up on a feW weeks ago, but the Tech coaching staff hasn't. DEfinitely would be a great Kid to Add back to the cLass Before early signing day.

(Board members, please let me know how I did on my first attempt at reading between the lines.)

Brent Key Coach’s Show Returns to Campus on Thursday



Homecoming edition of head coach’s weekly radio show to be held at Reck Garage


THE FLATS – For the second time this season, the Brent Key Coach’s Show – Georgia Tech football head coach Brent Key’s weekly radio show – will air live from Georgia Tech’s campus, with this Thursday’s show originating from the Ramblin’ Reck Garage, located next to the John Lewis Student Center in the heart of Tech’s campus. The homecoming week show, which will preview the Yellow Jackets’ mammoth matchup with No. 4-ranked Miami (Fla.) on Saturday, will be held from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday.



Bringing the Brent Key Coach’s Show back to campus for the second time this season is in continued thanks and recognition of Tech students’ unprecedented support of the Yellow Jackets this season. Georgia Tech sold out its entire allotment of student season tickets prior to the first home game of the year, and the full amount of single-game tickets dedicated to Tech students have been claimed for each home game of the season to date, a trend that is expected to continue for Saturday’s homecoming showdown with fourth-ranked Hurricanes.



Thursday’s show at the Reck Garage (347 Ferst Dr. NW) is free and open to all Georgia Tech students and the general public. Public parking is available Visitor Areas 2 and 3 at the John Lewis Student Center (353 and 355 Ferst Dr. NW).



Fans that can’t make it out for the homecoming edition of the Brent Key Coach’s Show can listen live on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets app and on Georgia Tech Sports Network stations across Georgia, including 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan in Atlanta. Following the Brent Key Coach’s Show from 6-7 p.m., the live programming will continue at the Reck Garage with The Good Word, which can be heard exclusively on the GT Yellow Jackets app and 680 The Fan from 7-8 p.m.



Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3 ACC) hosts No. 4 Miami (9-0, 5-0 ACC) on Saturday at noon. A limited number of tickets for the homecoming showdown are still available and can be purchased by clicking HERE.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Another installment of Following the Future...

With another big performance by JP Powell.

I've deleted Rasean Dinkins out of this week's roundup. Didn't really ever get good info on his stats all year anyway.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Latest on Rasean "Duke" Dinkins...

Talked a little with the Jed May from the Georgia site in the past couple days about Dinkins. He went to see his game at Warner Robins on Friday and chatted with Dinkins after the game. Dinkins said the UGA offer that he received last week was "one that he and his position coach have been waiting on for a long time" and when he got the call while watching film in the coaches office at Warner Robins "there was a lot of celebration."

Jed said a Dinkins' visit to UGA is in the works soon, possibly for the next home game against Auburn on Oct. 5. UGA had a DB decommit recently with Rashad Johnson flipping to Texas A&M so it makes sense that the Bulldogs' staff had a plan in place for Dinkins if something like that happened.

Obviously, the Tech staff will fight to the end to try to keep Dinkins in the class, but they are also exploring other options in the case that they do lose him to Georgia. I will try to figure out what those other options are in the next few days.
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT