July 10, 2015
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s basketball team will get a head start on its development for 2015-16 both on and off the court in August when the Yellow Jackets take a week-long tour of the Bahamas, head coach Brian Gregory announced Friday.
In the first trip out of the country for Tech’s basketball team since the summer of 1991, the Jackets will depart Atlanta on Aug. 5 and return Aug. 11. In between, three games are scheduled on Aug. 6, 8 and 9 against a Bahamian all-star team at Kendall Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau, and the team will stay at the Atlantis Resort. The Jackets also will participate in a community service outing and some of the activities available on the property.
“It’s going to be great for our team,” said Gregory. “It also gives us a chance to really start working on some things that we believe are important for our team to be successful this year, things that we identified at the end of last season that we’ve worked on more individually in the spring and early part of this summer. We get the 10 practices, but we also get a chance for the bonding, the camaraderie and building of the team chemistry. This is a good time to begin building our team’s identity and leadership.”
Gregory’s fifth Tech team returns three starters, including senior forward Marcus Georges-Hunt, the sixth-leading returning scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference and promising sophomore scoring guard Tadric Jackson, as well as one of the top double-double practitioners in the ACC in senior forward Charles Mitchell. All told, 11 letterwinners are back, including six of the team’s top nine scorers. The Jackets also welcome to their ranks the ACC’s top three-point shooter from last season, Adam Smith, who is transferring from Virginia Tech, and high-scoring forward Nick Jacobs, a transfer from Alabama who sat out the 2014-15 season.
The team is allowed by NCAA rules to conduct 10 practice days on campus in preparation for the trip, the first of which was held Tuesday. All of the players on Tech’s 2015-16 roster will be eligible to participate, with the exception of graduate transfer James White, who is not scheduled to graduate from UALR in time to join the Jackets for this trip.
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SUMMER CHATTER
From Jeff Goodman on ESPN.com
“Brian Gregory and his staff did a nice job adding a couple of quality players who will help immediately. Tech picked up 6-1 Adam Smith — who led Virginia Tech in both scoring (13.4) and 3-point shooting (42.4 percent) last season — and also beat out plenty of high-majors for Arkansas-Little Rock’s James White, a 6-8 forward who averaged 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. Smith will get a shot to start at the point for Gregory, and White could also wind up in the starting lineup. Smith led the Hokies in scoring (13.4 ppg) last season and can also shoot it from deep (42.4 percent). Even if he can’t play the point, he’ll help Georgia Tech.”
From Jon Rothstein at CBSSports.com
“Can a team go 12-19 one year and be in contention for an NCAA bid the next year? It’s very possible when you break down what the Yellow Jackets went through last season and what they’ve added since. Brian Gregory’s squad lost 13 ACC games last year by seven points or less including three games that were lost in overtime. Georgia Tech returns two potential All-ACC players in Marcus Georges-Hunt (13.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game in 2014-15) and Charles Mitchell (9.8 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game in 2014-15) while adding three transfers in Adam Smith (Virginia Tech), Nick Jacobs (Alabama), and James White (Arkansas-Little Rock). The 6-8, 260 pound Jacobs will give this team another option to throw the ball to in the low post while Smith (13.4 points per game, 81 3-pointers last season) should take immense offensive pressure off Georges-Hunt. The wild card for this team? Sophomore guard Tadric Jackson. The 6-2 lefty is a big-time talent, but needs to develop into a consistent scorer to put this team over the top. If Jackson develops as an offensive spark off the bench, things could get real interesting for this team in the ACC.”
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is beginning its fifth 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 here.
