Member of Tech’s 1990 Final Four team earned All-America, National Player of the Year honors
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Dennis Scott, the 1990 Atlantic Coast Conference and Sporting News National Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and a first-team All-American by six organizations, will have his jersey No. 4 retired by the Institute.
Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt and men’s basketball head coach Damon Stoudamire surprised Scott with the announcement on Thursday live on NBA TV, where Scott is a longtime on-air personality and analyst for TNT Sports.
The 6-foot-8 Scott is one of five Georgia Tech players ever to be named a first-team All-American by an NCAA-recognized organization, named in 1990 by Basketball Times, The Sporting News, the Wooden Award, the United States Basketball Writers of America, the Naismith Award and The National. He also earned second-team honors by three other organizations, and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards in 1990.
Scott, part of the Yellow Jackets’ legendary Lethal Weapon 3 trio with Brian Oliver and Kenny Anderson, led Tech to its second all-time ACC title that year, and to the first NCAA Final Four in program history, winning 28 games before falling to UNLV in the national semifinal in Denver, Colo.
Scott became eligible to have his jersey retired in December when he received his Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia Tech. Scott will be officially honored and have a banner hung in his honor at a Tech home basketball game during the 2024-25 season.
“Dennis’ basketball accomplishments are off the chart,” said his legendary Georgia Tech coach, Bobby Cremins. “He has made Atlanta his home for over 20 years in his post playing career. For two years Dennis has been taking classes on campus, and with his mom Elizabeth, wife Rachael and his children proudly watching, he graduated this past December 16th in the arena where he played. I know Dennis very well, and I couldn’t be prouder of who he is and how he represents Georgia Tech.”
Dennis Scott - Georgia Tech fall commencement, December 18, 2023; McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, Ga.Arriving at Tech from Reston, Va., Scott immediately made his mark on the Tech program, winning the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in the 1987-88 season, then earning third-team All-ACC and third-team All-America honors as a sophomore. Tech played in the NCAA Tournament both years.
His 970 points scored in the 1989-90 season remain the ACC all-time record, and his scoring average of 27.7 is second only to Rich Yunkus (30.1 from 1968-71). He set the ACC record for three-point field goals in a season with 137, a mark that still stands second in the conference’s all-time annals, just two shy of the new record of 139 (Duke’s J.J. Redick – 2005-06). His career scoring average of 21.36 ranks 19th in conference annals and fourth in Tech history. Scott ranks fourth in Tech history in career points (2,115) despite playing just three seasons, and he holds the Tech career record for three-point field goals (351) and highest three-point percentage (42.2).
Scott becomes the seventh Georgia Tech men’s basketball student-athlete to have his jersey number retired, joining Roger Kaiser (No. 21), Yunkus (No. 40), Mark Price (No. 25), John Salley (No. 22), Tom Hammonds (No. 20) and Matt Harpring (No. 15).
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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.
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