Oct. 26, 2005
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s basketball teams will hold their annual HoopsFest celebration at 7 p.m. Friday at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The evening will include an intrasquad scrimmage by the Yellow Jacket men’s team, and admission is free.
Tech’s men will scrimmage at 7 p.m. for approximately 45 minutes. Following that, both teams will sign autographs on the main concourse. Interactive games and a Halloween costume contest will be held for kids, and concession stands will be open.
Fans will be able to enter the arena through gates 2 (Fowler Street side) and 3 (Coliseum parking lot side).
The Yellow Jacket men, coached by Paul Hewitt in his sixth season, are coming off a 20-12 campaign and their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Seven letterwinners return, led by 6-9 senior center Theodis Tarver of Monroe, La., and 6-4 junior guard Mario West of Douglasville, Ga. Also returning on the men’s side are sophomores Ra’Sean Dickey, a 6-9 forward-center from Clio, S.C., Anthony Morrow, a 6-5 guard from Charlotte, N.C., Zam Fredrick, a 6-0 guard from St. Matthews, S.C., and Jeremis Smith, a 6-6 forward from Fort Worth, Texas.
Friday will be the first public competition in a Tech uniform for freshmen Alade Aminu, a 6-9 forward-center from Stone Mountain, Ga., D’Andre Bell, a 6-5 wing player from Los Angeles, Lewis Clinch, a 6-3 guard from Cordele, Ga., and Paco Diaw, a 6-6 guard from Dakar, Senegal.
Tech’s women, coached by MaChelle Joseph in her third season, return 12 letterwinners, including four returning starters in 5-9 junior guard Stephanie Higgs and 5-11 sophomore guard Chioma Nnamaka, 5-9 sophomore guard Jill Ingram, and 6-1 senior center Jessica Williams.
JACKETS ADD THREE WALK-ONS
Three walk-on players have earned spots on the Georgia Tech squad through a campus tryout that took place prior to the start of practice on Oct. 14.
Guards Gary Cage of Atlanta, Ga., and Steven Wolcott of Marietta, Ga., as well as center Le Geren Toomer of Dawson, Ga., bring to 14 the number of players on Tech’s roster.
Cage, 6-0, and Wolcott, 6-2, attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and played with current NBA second-year player Dwight Howard. Wolcott, 6-2, attended Wheeler High School in Marietta. Both played on state championship teams in 2005 in their respective classes. Toomer, 6-5, helped Albany High School win the region 1-AA title in 2005.
