Aug. 19, 2014
THE FLATS – Paying respects to the mother of former Georgia Tech player Jon Babul, who is battling Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Yellow Jackets’ head coach Brian Gregory wasted no time joining in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Gregory recruited four of his players to assist on Saturday – Charles Mitchell, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Abdoulaye Gueye and Demarco Cox – and each of them doused him with a full cooler of ice water in succession on the McCamish Pavilion plaza. He also made a donation to the ALS Foundation.
Babul, currently serving as manager of event marketing and sports programs with the Atlanta Hawks, played for both Bobby Cremins and Paul Hewitt at Tech in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and graduated with a degree in Management. He later worked on the academic services staff at Tech. His mother, Joan, was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. Babul’s brother, Mike, who is an assistant coach at Wagner College, also took the challenge.
Gregory accepted the challenge from a Tech season-ticket holder, and in turn challenged Tech women’s basketball coach MaChelle Joseph, Dayton women’s basketball coach Jim Jabir and Oakland University basketball coach Greg Kampe, who coached Gregory in college.
The challenge has spread around social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, creating awareness and inspiring donations for the ALS Association.
Demarco Cox JOINS TECH NEWCOMERS
Dermarco Cox, a 6-8, 276-pound post player from Yazoo City, Miss., has joined eight other newcomers on Georgia Tech’s roster and has begun participating in conditioning workouts and individual instruction.
Cox enrolled at Tech as a graduate student for the fall semester after spending the summer completing his final 12 hours necessary for him to earn his bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss, where he was a general studies major but pursued three minors in legal studies, parks and recreation management, and education. He will pursue a master’s degree in building construction and facility management at Tech.
The Yazoo City, Miss., native played in 33 games and started 16 for the Rebels in 2013-14, averaging 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds. His best game, ironically enough, came against the Yellow Jackets in the Barclays Center Classic, in which he scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both career highs, and was named MVP of the event. He played three full seasons and was granted a medical red-shirt following the 2012-13 season when he played just seven games due to a foot injury.
JOINING THE ENEMY
Demarco Cox is not the only player transferring into the Georgia Tech program who faced the Yellow Jackets with his former team, though his performance was easily the best.
In two games against Tech in his career at Maryland, Charles Mitchell, who played at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., averaged 4.0 points and 6.5 rebounds against the Jackets, including six points and 11 boards last season in College Park. Nick Jacobs, and Atlanta native sitting out this season after transferring from Alabama, scored four points and grabbed four rebounds against Tech at Philips Arena during the 2011-12 season.
NBA MOVEMENT
It’s been a busy off season for some of the seven Georgia Tech alumni in the NBA last season. Most notably, nine-year veteran Jarrett Jack (2002-05) was traded from Cleveland to Brooklyn over the summer, while sharpshooter Anthony Morrow (2004-08) opted out of his contract with New Orleans and signed with Oklahoma City.
Chris Bosh, a Tech teammate of Jack’s in 2002-03, opted out of his contract with Miami but ultimately re-signed with the Heat, with whom he has won two NBA titles.
Others were the subject of trade rumors but remain with their 2013-14 teams, including Thaddeus Young (2006-07), a seven-year veteran with the Philadelphia 76ers, Derrick Favors (2009-10), who has played in the league for four seasons, the last three in Utah, and Iman Shumpert (2008-11), a three-year veteran with the New York Knicks.
Will Bynum, who played alongside Jack in Tech’s run to the national championship game in 2004 after transferring from Arizona, is under contract for another season in Detroit, where he has played the last six seasons. Glen Rice, Jr., is looking forward to his second season in Washington after earning MVP honors in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its fourth year under head coach Brian Gregory. The Yellow Jackets have 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 (@GTMBK).
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased
