THE FLATS – Luke O’Brien, a 6-8 wing player who developed into a key member of the rotation at Colorado the last three years and helped the Buffaloes to four post-season appearances, has signed a grant-in-aid to join the Georgia Tech men’s basketball program. He will have one season of eligibility with the Yellow Jackets.
O’Brien has played 111 games in his college career, and the Buffaloes earned bids to the NCAA Tournament and NIT twice each during his career. He helped lead Colorado to a school-record 26 wins in 2023-24, advancing to the championship game of the Pac-12 Tournament and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He played in 35 games, starting 19, including the final 10 of the season.
“Luke brings good experience and shooting to our team,” said Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire. ”He’s played in the NCAA tournament and knows what it takes to compete and win at a high level. His leadership will be invaluable as we go into the 2024-25 season.”
The Littleton, Colo., native averaged career bests in points (6.7) and rebounds (3.8), while connecting on 45.6 percent of his shots from the floor, 37.6 percent from three-point range and 65.8 percent from the foul line. O’Brien scored in double digits 10 times, two of those against Pac-12 teams and one in Colorado’s second-round NCAA Tournament win over Florida, when he went 5-for-5 from the floor and scored 12 points. After the season, O’Brien was awarded the team’s Tebo P.A.S.S. Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the virtues of Perseverance, Attitude, Selflessness and Success.
As a junior, O’Brien led the Colorado team in total rebounds (185) with his 5.6 average ranking second. He topped the Buffaloes in rebounds 12 times, including 10 of the final 15 games of the season. He started 10 games, including seven of the last 10. He averaged 9.0 points and 8.0 rebounds over the team’s final seven games.
O’Brien is the second transfer to commit to the Yellow Jackets, joining 6-2 guard Javian McCollum from Oklahoma. They join a team bolstered by a recruiting class that has been rated the 12th-best in the nation with high school prospects Cole Kirouac, a 6-11 center from Cumming, Ga., who attended Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., his senior year, Jaeden Mustaf of Bowie, Md., a 6-4 guard who also attended Overtime Elite, Doryan Onwuchekwa, a 6-11 center from DeSoto, Texas who attended Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff, and Darrion Sutton, a 6-8 forward from St. Louis, Mo., who attends Overtime Elite in Atlanta.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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.
