THE FLATS – Georgia Tech basketball will host more than 50 former players and coaches Saturday for its annual basketball Letterwinners Weekend, and the Yellow Jackets’ very first All-American, Roger Kaiser in 1960, will be honored when Tech takes on NC State at McCamish Pavilion.
The Tech-NC State game, which is the Jackets’ annual White Out game, will tip off at 4 p.m. The annual Letterwinners Game will follow that on the floor of McCamish Pavilion. Tickets for the NC State game can be purchased here, and there is no cost to attend the Letterwinners Game.
The first 1,000 fans will receive replica jersey T-shirts featuring Kaiser’s retired No. 21 jersey, and he will be honored during the game. All letterwinners in attendance will be recognized during the game as well.
Roger Kaiser, Georgia Tech’s first All-American in 1960, led the Yellow Jackets to their first NCAA Tournament 50 years ago. (photos by Danny Karnik)
Kaiser led Georgia Tech’s very first NCAA Tournament squad in 1960, earning first-team All-America honors in the process. The Yellow Jackets went 22-6 and reached the Sweet 16 of the tournament by beating Ohio University in the opening round before falling to eventual champion Ohio State. The next season, Kaiser became Tech’s first consensus All-American, earning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors. He led the SEC in scoring as a junior (22.8 ppg) and a senior (23.4 ppg), and graduated with Tech career records for points and scoring average. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and won the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award in 1986.
Not only was Kaiser one of the nation’s top college basketball players of his time, but he was an All-SEC outfielder the Yellow Jackets’ baseball team and led Tech to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1959.
Kaiser and legendary point guard Mark Price, whose jersey No. 25 is also retired, will be on opposite benches, coaching the teams in the Letterwinners game, which will feature such stars as 2004 Final Four team members B.J. Elder, Marvin Lewis, Ismai’l Muhammad and Mario West, along with 1978 All-Metro Conference star Lenny Horton, late 1990s standout forward Jon Babul and forward Quinton Stephens, who played for head coach Josh Pastner’s first team in 2016-17.
Georgia Tech Letterwinners Game
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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.
Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
