GEORGIA TECH (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. WEST GEORGIA (0-0, 0-0 A-Sun)
- Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. EST | Atlanta, Ga. | McCamish Pavilion
- Live Stream: ACC Network Extra | ESPN+ (Announcers: Wiley Ballard, Jon Babul)
- Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports (In Atlanta: 680 AM/93.7 The Fan) | SiriusXM channel 383
- Other ways to listen: Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
- Announcers: Andy Demetra, Randy Waters
THE FLATS – Beginning its second season under head coach Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech opens its 2024-25 season with three games in six days, beginning with a Wednesday night date against West Georgia at McCamish Pavilion (7:30 p.m. tip).
The stretch continues with a Nov. 10 Sunday afternoon tip against North Florida (1 p.m.) and a Nov. 12 contest against Texas Southern (7:30 p.m.). Those two games are part of an early-season home multiple-team event (MTE) in which those opponents also will play Georgia.
West Georgia, in its first year as an NCAA Division program and a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, has played in the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons in Division II and posted a 27-6 record a year ago.
North Florida, also a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, is coming off a 16-16 campaign a year ago, including a 9-7 mark in conference play.
Texas Southern, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, went 16-17 overall in 2023-24 and 12-6 in SWAC competition.
All three games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app. Radio coverage is on the Georgia Tech Sports Network by Legends Sports and flagship station 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM). The Tech broadcast is also available in the SiriusXM app.
TECH AT A GLANCE
Second-year head coach Damon Stoudamire began a re-build the Tech roster last season and guided the team to 14 victories (seven ACC wins), including big wins over top-25 teams Mississippi State, Duke, Clemson and North Carolina, all of whom played in the NCAA Tournament.
Tech returns a strong core of four players, including 6-3 senior guard Lance Terry (College Park, Ga.), who redshirted last season with an injury after averaging in double figures for the Yellow jackets in 2022-23. Also back are three of Tech’s top four scorers from last season, 6-7 senior wing Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (Macon, Ga.), 6-3 sophomore point guard Naithan George (Toronto, Ontario) and 6-9 sophomore forward Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal).
The three returnees from the 2023-24 team accounted for 42 percent of that team’s points, 40 percent of its shots taken and 56 percent of games started. If Terry’s numbers are added, those percentages become 55 percent of the points, 53 percent of the shots taken and 69 percent of the starts.
Stoudamire and his staff have built around those four by signing the 20th-ranked recruiting class in the nation (247Sports composite) – 6-5 guard Jaeden Mustaf (Bowie, Md.), 6-11 center Doryan Onwuchekwa (Dallas, Texas) and 6-8 forward Darrion Sutton (St. Louis, Mo.).
They also brought in four transfers who are expected to be key contributors in 6-2 guard Javian McCollum (Fort Myers, Fla./Oklahoma), the 31st-ranked player in the portal, 6-8 forward Luke O’Brien (Littleton, Colo./Colorado), 6-8 forward Duncan Powell (Dallas, Texas/Sacramento State) and 7-2 center Ryan Mutombo (Atlanta, Ga./Georgetown).
Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo was a second-team pre-season All-ACC choice. (photo by Danny Karnik)
TECH CONNECTIONS
- Roger Kaiser, Georgia Tech’s first All-American in 1961, was the head coach at West Georgia from 1970-90 and lead the Braves, as the athletic programs were known then, to the NAIA National Championship in 1974.
- Tech senior guard Lance Terry’s father (Lance) and sister (Kierra) both attended West Georgia and played on the basketball teams there.
THE TIP-OFF
- 110th season – Georgia Tech is playing its 110th season of basketball in 2024-25, having compiled an all-time on-court record of 1,451-1,324 (22 wins and one loss from the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions).
- Tech in the ACC – Tech will play its 46th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, having won the conference championship in 1985, 1990, 1993 and 2021. Prior to that, Tech competed in the Metro Conference for three seasons from 1975-78, was an independent from 1964-75, and was a member of the Southeastern Conference for 32 years from 1932-64, winning one title in 1938.
- Tech was projected to finish 12th in the ACC standings last season by a vote of the conference’s official media panel. Tech has finished ahead of its media projection seven of the last eight seasons.
- Tech has a total of seven scholarship newcomers on its roster, including three freshmen who were judged the nation’s 20th-best recruiting class (247Sports composite), and four transfers in a class ranked 53rd.
- Tech will open the 2024-25 season with seven consecutive home games, its longest homestand to open a season since 1980-81. After three straight games away from home (Oklahoma, North Carolina, Northwestern), the Jackets will have five more in a row at McCamish Pavilion, including conference tilts against Duke, Notre Dame and Boston College.
- Tech is 38-7 in season-opening games in its ACC Era, 36-5 when the opener is at home. The Yellow Jackets’ most recent losses in season openers – back to back in 2020-21 (Georgia State) and 2021-22 (Mercer).
- Tech will play 19 regular-season games at McCamish Pavilion, the most since the 2016-17 season, when the Jackets played 21 total home games, including two on the NIT.
- Of the three new members of the ACC, Tech has faced SMU the most (8-6 all-time, last meeting in 1986). The Jackets are 0-3 vs. California (last meeting 2012) and 1-2 vs. Stanford (last meeting 2000).
Senior guard Javian McCollum begins the 2024-25 season needing just 10 points to reach 1,000 for his career. (photo by Jalen Williams)
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 season 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 Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
