THE FLATS – Four-star 6-4 guard Akai Fleming from Marietta, Ga. and three-star 6-5 guard/forward Brandon Stores, Jr., from the Bronx, N.Y., highlight a four-player class of basketball prospects who signed grant-in-aid papers Wednesday to join Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball program, head coach Damon Stoudamire announced. Cole Kirouac, a 6-11 center from Cumming, Ga., and 5-11 point guard Eric Chatfield from Atlanta also signed scholarship documents to attend Tech.
Tech’s class is ranked No. 20 in the nation in the 247Sports Composite listing, and No. 4 among Atlantic Coast Conference teams. It comes on the heels of the Yellow Jackets’ current freshman class, which was rated 20th-best in the nation.
“This is a skilled and talented group of players, and will give us great depth up and down our roster,” said Stoudamire. “We’re getting better at every position. These are guys who can come in and play, and they believe in what we’re trying to do with our program at Georgia Tech. We’re excited to have them all become Yellow Jackets.”
Fleming, ranked No. 56 nationally by 247Sports, is playing the 2024-25 season at Overtime Elite after starring at Osborne High School in Marietta, Ga. As a junior at Osborne, Fleming scored 22 points per game to go with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block per contest. As a sophomore, Fleming averaged 18.1 points per game. He was selected in May 2023 for the FIBA Under-16 Men’s Americas Championships. He chose Tech over Alabama, Cincinnati, Georgia and Indiana, according to 247Sports.
“Akai is a great example of the type of in-state player we like,” said Stoudamire. “He can dribble, pass and shoot well. He has a natural feel for how to play, and he’s a bigger guard. He’s going to be a good player for us. He’s improved his strength over the past year, and we’re lucky to have him. He believes in our vision, and was one of the first guys in this class to commit.”
Considered a three-star big guard/small forward prospect by the 247Sports Composite and the sixth-best player in the state of New York at the time of his commitment last February, Stores, Jr., averaged 19.8 points per game as a sophomore and scored 18.2 points per game in 25 games last season at St. Raymond High School for Boys. Stores was named to the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association all-league team, and in a game against Cardinal Hayes, he had 37 points and 15 rebounds. Stores also considered offers from Rutgers, George Mason, Syracuse and Washington, according to 247Sports.
“Brandon believed in our vision right away. He’s from a legendary program at St. Raymond’s, and another good guard from the New York area,” said Stoudamire. “He’s a big, physical guard who can defend well. He can shoot the mid-range and shoot the three, and has a competitive edge. He brings versatility, can guard multiple positions.”
Kirouac, a three-star prospect last year and now, originally signed a letter-of-intent to attend Tech last fall while attending Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, but re-classified and decided to attend Overtime Elite in 2024-25. The former North Forsyth High School star played a little less than 13 minutes per game in 31 appearances this past season and scored 2.7 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds per contest. Kirouac chose Tech over Boston University, Georgia, Georgia State and Loyola of Maryland.
”Since last year, Cole has put on 10 to 15 pounds, which is big part of his development,” said Stoudamire. “We love Cole because he believes in us. He decided to go to OTE to get better and have more of an impact when he does get here. He’s bigger and stronger, and can run the floor really well. He’s a good rebounder and is solid at both ends of the floor.”
As a junior at Pace Academy, Chatfield scored 15.2 points per game to go along with four assists and 3.2 steals per contest. During the summer, he competed at the NBPA Top 100 camp and the Adidas 3SSB Championships. At the latter event he averaged 12.5 points and six assists over four games while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Chatfield also had offers from Georgia State, Kennesaw State and Richmond.
“Eric may be under the radar, but he’s one of the more skilled guards in the country,” said Stoudamire. “He’s got a great skill set, can dribble, pass and shoot very well. He’ll be able to shoot from deep and stretch the floor. He makes good passes with his right hand or his left. He’s going to be able to contribute here.”
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is 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. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 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.
