By Andy Demetra | Voice of the Yellow Jackets
They may be an ACC newcomer, but the sight of Stanford will surely stoke some nostalgia in head coach Damon Stoudamire.
That’s because Stoudamire’s career high in scoring at the University of Arizona came against the Cardinal – 45 points, which he did as a senior on January 14, 1995 in Palo Alto. Eight of them came in overtime as the Wildcats rallied from an 11-point deficit to down the Cardinal 89-83 at Maples Pavilion.
“It was probably one of my more memorable college games because [Stanford] had a really good team. They were a tournament team that year. I know that they were pointing to that game [for] getting over the hump to get national respect,” Stoudamire recalled.
But like so many times before, the Cardinal’s quest for respect ran into a 5-foot-11 roadblock. It may not approach Kendrick-versus-Drake levels of lopsidedness, but Stoudamire finished a perfect 8-0 in his career against Stanford, then 4-0 as an assistant at Arizona.
He’ll try to bring that same magic to Georgia Tech (11-13, 5-8 ACC) for its first-ever ACC matchup with Stanford (16-8, 8-5 ACC) at McCamish Pavilion. Enjoy the top notes from my chart as the Yellow Jackets gear up for their first meeting with the Cardinal since 2000 (7 p.m. ET, Georgia Tech Sports Network):
Damon Stoudamire says that the more he relies on Duncan Powell (31), the better he gets. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Stanford’s first year in the ACC will feature a first-team All-ACC performe, and were it not for Duke’s Cooper Flagg, a likely ACC Player of the Year.
Seven-foot-1 forward Maxime Raynaud, a native of France, leads the ACC in both scoring (20.4 ppg) and rebounding (11.7) and leads the nation with 20 double-doubles. He’s the centerpiece of a Cardinal team that has been the ACC’s top overachiever based on preseason projection – Stanford sits in 6th place after getting picked to finish 17th.
Maxime Reynaud – NCAA Ranks
- PPG: 4 (#11 NCAA)
- RPG: 7 (#3 NCAA)
- Double-doubles: 20 (#1 NCAA)
He’s not simply a paint technician – Raynaud leads Stanford in three-point attempts, and the Cardinal like to run him through the top of the key in a manner similar to former Boston College center Quinten Post. He’s a clever shot faker who can face up and hit pick-and-pops in addition to making elegant moves in the post.
Stanford has played its last three games without second leading scorer Jaylen Blakes (14.5 ppg) due to a head injury, but fellow guard Oziyah Sellers (14.3 ppg) has a profile similar to Clemson’s Chase Hunter in the way he comes off screens and shoots deft pull-ups.
The Cardinal run a five-out, misdirection-filled offense that does a good job occupying defenders off the ball. Tech will need to limit paint touches from Stanford’s guards, and they’ll need to defend Raynaud and Sellers with early, active hands. Can they also cause more disruption than they did against Virginia’s rhythm offense? Stanford averages 9.5 turnovers in its ACC wins. In its losses, that number jumps to 14.5.
Ibrahim Souare lit up when he gazed at the wall of Virginia’s practice gym and spotted a slice of home.
On the wall hung a series of flags representing the countries of various Virginia basketball players over the years. Third from the left, Souare spied the unmistakable red, yellow and green flag of his native Guinea. Former Virginia All-ACC forward Mamadi Diakite, a starter on the Cavaliers’ 2019 national championship team, also hails from Conakry, the country’s capital.
Souare says his Mom faithfully watches every game back home, time of night be damned. Last Tuesday, though, she had to accompany her sister to Türkiye for an operation on her shoulder. She wound up missing her son’s 9-point, 12-rebound performance against Clemson.
(Not to worry – Souare said he called her on the bus to give her the recap.)
Back home in Guinea, Ibrahim Souare’s mother faithfully watches all of her son’s games, and lately she has seen him a lot, to the tune of nearly 30 minutes per game. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Stoudamire isn’t the only one with experience facing the Cardinal. In his second game of the season last year for Sacramento State, Duncan Powell had 14 points and 13 rebounds against Stanford in Palo Alto.
As injuries continue to chop down Georgia Tech’s rotation, Powell’s Swiss Army knife skills have taken on even greater value. He even ran the point for several possessions against Virginia to give Nait George a breather.
“He’s way more versatile than what I even imagined,” Stoudamire said.
“Duncan’s one of those guys that I’ve figured out too, now. The more you rely on him, the better he gets,” he added.
That versatility can lead to flexibility, especially when switching on ball screens. Georgia Tech outrebounded Clemson by 10 but struggled to rebound out of its switches against Virginia, allowing its highest offensive rebounding percentage of the season (41.9%). Can the Jackets avoid that same pitfall against the Cardinal?
Three-pointers may be an equalizer, but two-point efficiency has often been the bigger barometer of Georgia Tech’s success.
Case in point: The Yellow Jackets are 1-11 this year when shooting 50% or worse from two-point range.
They’re 10-2 when they shoot better than 50%.
Stoudamire admits some short-range misses deflated his team against Virginia. The Jackets’ “find a way” offense will now face a Stanford team that also favors switches and doesn’t get in rotation easily, which underscores the need to set good screens against the Cardinal’s guards. Why else might two-point field goals be worth monitoring Wednesday? Stanford allows the lowest volume of threes in the ACC (33.5%).
Stoudamire knew about his career-high 45 points against Stanford. He also remembered his NBA career high of 54 points, which he set against the New Orleans Hornets.
What Stoudamire didn’t realize until recently? Those games happened on the exact same date, 10 years apart. Stoudamire dropped his 45 against Stanford on January 14, 1995. His 54 against the Hornets came on January 14, 2005.
Now that we’re prepared, we hope you are as well. Join us for pregame coverage starting with the “Ramblin’ Wreck Tipoff Show” at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Georgia Tech Sports Network. See you at McCamish.
-AD-
Hump day at home
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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 X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.
