Men's Basketball Hosts Georgia College in Exhibition

Georgia Tech Preseason Game Notes  |  Watch online

THE FLATS  –  Georgia Tech’s basketball team takes the court for its first contest against outside competition when it hosts Georgia College in an exhibition game at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.

Tech (14-18, 6-12 ACC in 2018-19), about to begin its fourth season under head coach Josh Pastner, returns all five players who started the final two games of last season, and eight players who started a total of 123 games. Tech returns its top three scorers from the 2018-19 season – 6-foot junior guard Jose Alvarado, 6-9 senior center James Banks III and 6-4 sophomore guard Michael Devoe – who accounted for 48.4 percent of the Yellow Jackets’ points, 41.6 percent of the rebounds and 47.2 percent of the minutes.

Altogether, Tech returns eight of its top 11 players, who combined for 73.2 percent of its points, 66.4 percent of its points and 73.7 percent of its minutes. Most promising among the rest of the returning group is 6-9 junior forward Moses Wright, who reached double figures in four of his last five games, including a career-high 25 vs. Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament, 19 at Miami and 18 at NC State. He averaged 15.6 points (36-of-58 FG) and 6.2 rebounds over that stretch.

Georgia College, beginning its sixth season under head coach Mark Gainous, went 17-12 last season and 12-10 in the Peach Belt Conference. The Bobcats return two of their top three scorers from 2018-19, 6-1 junior guard Jordan Thomas (19.2 ppg) and 6-7 senior forward Kohl Roberts (14.0 ppg).

Sunday’s game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

TECH 4-0 IN SUMMER TOUR OF SPAIN

Georgia Tech went 4-0 in its seven-day August tour of Spain, winning two games each in Barcelona and Madrid against a collection of players from Spanish professional leagues.

The tour took place from August 8-16, coinciding with the break between summer and fall academic terms. The Yellow Jackets spent the first three days (Aug. 9-11) in Barcelona, took a high-speed train to Madrid, where they stayed from Aug. 12-16.

The Yellow Jackets won their four games by an average of 19.8 points, the closest game being an 87-83 win in the final contest, and averaged 93 points per game while working to play an up-tempo style.

Tech shot 55.8 percent from the floor overall, 34.5 percent from three-point range while hitting an average of 10.5 three-pointers per game.

The Jackets’ top three-point shooters in the tour were Jose Alvarado (8-of-16), Shembari Phillips (6-of-12) and Michael Devoe (8-of-19).

Tech assisted on 84 of 138 field goals – 60.8 percent, 21 assists per game.

Along with the basketball competition, the Yellow Jackets visited the professional soccer facilities of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and the La Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona among other activites.

Tech has made summer international tours twice previously, most recently to The Bahamas in 2015. The Jackets traveled to France in August of 1991.

GET OLD AND STAY OLD

While Georgia Tech returns eight of its top 11 players from last season, the Yellow Jackets become an even more veteran team with the addition of two high-level transfers in 6-7 forward Jordan Usher from Southern California and 5-11 guard Bubba Parham from VMI, both of whom hail from the Atlanta area and were successful with their former schools.

Usher, a former 4-star high school prospect, averaged more than eight points a game last year at USC, while Parham, an All-Southern Conference selection, led the SoCon in scoring at 21.4 points per game. The Jackets also signed an all-state high school guard from South Carolina in 6-5 Asanti Price, and 6-9 junior college forward David Didenko.

TEAM NOTES

• 105th season – Georgia Tech will play its 105th season of basketball in 2019-20 and has an all-time record of 1,354-1,243.
• For the first time in 2019-20, Georgia Tech’s roster is entirely composed of student-athletes recruited by head coach Josh Pastner and his staff.
• Georgia Tech returns its top three scorers, and six of its top eight, from the 2018-19 roster. Next year’s team will include two seniors, four juniors and three sophomores among its scholarship players.
• Tech has sold out 12 games at McCamish Pavilion over the past three seasons, including a facility-record five games in 2017-18 and four in 2018-19. Tech’s 40 homecourt wins over Pastner’s first three seasons are more than any three-year period for Tech in its ACC era except the 2004-05 through 2006-07 seasons (also 40).

SEASON TICKETS, ACC PACKS, NON-CONFERENCE SINGLE-GAME TICKETS AVAILABLE

Single-game tickets for Georgia Tech’s non-conference men’s basketball games are on sale currently, as well as full season tickets and 10-game ACC Packs.

The Yellow Jackets’ non-conference schedule at McCamish Pavilion features visits from Arkansas (Nov. 25, 7 p.m.) and Nebraska (Dec. 4, 7:15 p.m.) for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tech opens its home schedule Nov. 11 against Elon (7:30 p.m.) and also hosts Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 1, 6 p.m.) and Ball State (Dec. 18, 7 p.m.) before January.

Tickets for non-conference games start at $12 and can be purchased here.

Full season tickets for Georgia Tech men’s basketball and 10-game ACC Packs remain available for Tech fans. ACC Packs include all 10 ACC home games, and the packages start at $250, or $25 per game.  Season tickets start as low as $290, and offer the best seating locations at McCamish Pavilion. All ticket options can be viewed here.

ACC Network has launched!

The ACC Network is a linear and digital platform dedicated to 24/7 coverage of ACC sports that launched on Aug. 22, 2019. It will exclusively televise approximately 450 live events each year, including 40 football games (beginning with Georgia Tech’s 2019 season opener at Clemson on Aug. 29), as well as 150 men’s and women’s basketball contests.

Don’t get shut out! For more information and to learn if your cable/satellite/digital provider is carrying the ACC Network, visit GetACCN.com. Georgia Tech fans whose cable/satellite/digital providers aren’t carrying the ACC Network are urged to contact their providers and ask for the ACC Network to be a part of their subscription.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its fourth year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.

Season tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.