Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2012-2013 Overall Rank: #63
Conference Rank: #7 ACC
Georgia Tech Team Page
Georgia Tech struggled through the 2011-2012 campaign during Coach Brian Gregory’s first year at the helm. The offense just never got rolling effectively and the defense could only do so much. The result was just four ACC wins and some pretty lopsided losses. But there is reason to be optimistic. Year two under Coach Gregory should go a little smoother with four starters returning. The Yellow Jackets lack star power, but Coach Gregory does not need a superstar to win games. Point guard Mfon Udofia has never lived up to the hype and he has just one year left to turn into the scoring point guard that everybody thought he would be. Udofia did average 9.9 points per game last season and can score by attacking the basket or from long range. However, he has not developed into an explosive playmaker. His turnovers are high and he often struggles to create shots for his teammates. That will need to be fixed if he hopes to turn into a senior leader and take this team to the postseason.
2011-12 Record: 11-20, 4-12
2011-12 Postseason: None
Coach: Brian Gregory
Coach Record: 11-20 at Georgia Tech, 183-114 overall
Who’s Out:
Glen Rice was booted off of the team after leading Georgia Tech with 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest. Rice was not the most consistent shooter around, but he did knock down the most long balls on the team and had the easiest time of any player attacking the basket. The Yellow Jackets did survive without Rice for ten games last year and he even came in off of the bench for most of the season. Rice took the headlines, but there are players who are capable of stepping up and filling the scoring void. They just need to be a little more assertive and take that responsibility. The only other losses are little used guard Nick Foreman and center Nate Hicks.
Who’s In:
Coach Gregory inherited a team that did not shoot the ball particularly well, which is something he is not used to having on his teams. This group of newcomers attempts to rectify that issue by adding a lot of talent on the perimeter. Wings Chris Bolden and Marcus Georges-Hunt will immediately look for quality minutes. If one of them starts knocking down the long ball, they will see an increase in playing time even if it is off of the bench. Stacey Poole, a transfer from Kentucky, will be eligible after the fall semester. Poole barely played during his brief stint as a Wildcat, but he is a talented shooting guard who will step right into the mix. Walk-on Brooks Doyle and point guard Corey Heyward will add even more depth to a suddenly deep perimeter. Depth on the perimeter is nice, but the star of this class is power forward Robert Carter. At 6-8 and 245 pounds, Carter is a player who can throw his body around in the paint. He is already a good post scorer and will only get better with time. Carter will look to score and could step into a starting role sooner or later if his defense improves.
Who to Watch:
The frontcourt will only get better with the addition of Carter. Kammeon Holsey, Daniel Miller and Julian Royal may see their playing time slip with Carter around, but those three were forced to play quite a few minutes and keeping the big guys fresh is always a good thing. Holsey is the best interior scorer of the bunch, averaging 9.4 points per game last season. The 6-8 junior stepped up his game as an upperclassman and will look to do the same again this time around. Miller averaged 30 minutes per contest and that is a lot for a player who is pushing seven feet. Miller is the shot blocking threat on defense and a very good rebounder. Even though he averaged a decent 8.1 points per game last season, Miller is not that aggressive trying to score. His free-throw shooting is better and with the increased depth behind him, Miller now has the luxury of picking up a few more fouls without much of a drop in production behind him. Royal had a quality debut season at Georgia Tech, picking up just about all of the minutes off the bench in the frontcourt. He is a good scorer and a tough rebounder who should be ready for a more productive sophomore season. His numbers may not go through the roof since minutes will be harder to come by in 2012-2013, but when he is on the floor, Royal could outplay the starters.
Final Projection:
The new found depth on the perimeter may drop Pierre Jordan down the depth chart a ways, but Brandon Reed and Jason Morris will likely return to their starting roles on the wing. Reed put up some big numbers as a freshman at Arkansas State before suiting up for the Yellow Jackets in 2011-2012. He was inconsistent at shooting the ball, which is the norm for this group, but he still had some quality outings and earned 28 starts on the season. If Reed can find his shot again, he could be the scorer that replaces Rice. Morris can fill that role too. The 6-5 wing had a decent sophomore season, but Georgia Tech fans were excited about his potential after he finished his freshman campaign on such a high note. That hot shooting came to an end during the 2011-2012 campaign. Morris is still a big, strong wing that can get to the basket and score. There are shooters on this team. Yet, for some reason, the shots were not falling last year. The interior scoring threats do create some space for the potential shooters on the perimeter. They just need to knock down their shots. If they do, the woeful offensive droughts of the 2011-2012 campaign will be a thing of the past and Coach Gregory will have this group ready for a postseason berth in 2013 and even better things in 2014.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Mfon Udofia, Senior, Guard, 9.9 points per game
Brandon Reed, Junior, Guard, 7.5 points per game
Jason Morris, Junior, Guard, 7.8 points per game
Kammeon Holsey, Junior, Forward, 9.4 points per game
Daniel Miller, Junior, Center, 8.1 points per game
Madness 2012 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#25 Robert Carter
#92 Marcus Hunt
#132 Chris Bolden
