Welcome toย The Sports Bankโs fourth annualย college basketballย season preview series where we break 111 teams in the 111 days leading up to the opening tip-off of the 2013-2014 season.ย We will rank the 84ย power conference teamsย (including the newย Big Eastย andย American Athletic Conferences) and top 27 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order.ย Weโll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
With a solid young core returning, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets should be an improved team.ย The pending eligibility of transfer point guard Trae Golden could be a major boost that the program will need in the growing and much more competitive ACC.
GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS
Last Season: T-9th, 6-12 in ACC, 16-15 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 12th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Daniel Miller (Sr)
PF: Robert Carter (So)/Kammeon Holsey (Sr)
G/F: Marcus Georges-Hunt (So)/Jason Morris (Sr)/Quinton Stephens (Fr)
SG: Chris Bolden (So)/Stacey Poole (Jr)
PG: Trae Golden (Sr)/Travis Jorgenson (Fr)/Solomon Poole (So)/Corey Hayward (Fr)
Gone: PG-Mfon Udofia, PG-Pierre Jordan, SG-Brandon Reed (transfer-Arkansas State), PF-Julian Royal (transfer-George Mason)
2013-2014 Outlook:
The point guard position was a weakness for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last season and Golden would add needed experience and stability to the position.ย The Tennessee transfer is awaiting word on whether he will be eligible right away or have to sit out a season per normal NCAA rules.
If Golden is not able to suit up this year, Brian Gregory will have a competition for the starting job among Solomon Poole, Corey Heyward, and Travis Jorgenson.ย Poole was seldom used during his freshman year while Heyward missed all of last season due to a torn ACL.ย Jorgenson is a crafty point guard who might be the most talented of the trio.
On the wing, G-Tech brings back Marcus Georges-Hunt and Robert Bolden who are looking to build off solid freshman campaigns.ย Georges-Hunt led the team in scoring and has the potential to be a breakout go-to scorer.ย Bolden is an aggressive scorer but needs to improve his consistency from the outside to take the next step with his game.ย There is experience behind the sophomores with former Kentucky transfer Stacey Poole Jr. and Brandon Morris.
The Yellow Jackets donโt have a ton of depth inside but do have quality talent.ย Starters Daniel Miller and Robert Carter bring size and physicality to the paint with Carter also capable of stepping out and knocking down three-point shots.ย It is a luxury to have someone like Kammeon Hosley coming off the bench due to his experience and skill in the post.ย Freshman Quinton Stephens will be used in a pinch but Tech needs to keep all three of their big guys healthy to make a move in the standings.
Gregory also picked up a transfer this off-season in East Carolina forward Robert Sampson.ย He must sit out this year but will add size next season to replace the losses of graduating seniors Miller and Holsey.
How Georgia Tech fares this season should depend on the eligibility of Golden.ย With him on the roster, the Yellow Jackets have the potential to be a middle of the pack ACC team with an outside shot at earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.ย If Golden is forced to sit the bench then G-Tech might have a repeat performance of being the best of the bottom tier league teams.
Player to Watch: Marcus Georges-Hunt
The 6-5 wing showed enough during his freshman year to be a go-to option for the Yellow Jackets during the next three years of his college career.ย He was invited to try out for the USA U-19 team this summer and survived until the final cuts so that experience should assist him in his all-around development and confidence as a still young player.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/15 at Georgia
11/20 vs. Dayton
11/29 vs. Ole Miss (Barclays Center Classic)
11/30 vs. St. Johnโs/Penn State (Barclays Center Classic)
12/3 vs. Illinois (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
12/21 at Vanderbilt
12/29 at Charlotte
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#78 Oklahoma
#79 Richmond
#80 Manhattan
#81 Belmont
#82 Texas
#83 Houston
#84 Washington State
#85 Iona
#86 Oregon State
#87 Louisiana Tech
#88 Towson
#89 Wake Forest
#90 Central Florida
#91 Rutgers
#92 Drexel
#93 USC
#94 Charleston
#95 Seton Hall
#96 Vanderbilt
#97 George Mason
#98 Clemson
#99 Penn State
#100 Nebraska
#101 West Virginia
#102 South Florida
#103 Mississippi State
#104 DePaul
#105 South Carolina
#106 Texas Tech
#107 TCU
#108 Virginia Tech
#109 Georgia
#110 Utah
#111 Auburn
David Kay is a senior featureย NBA Draft,ย NBA, andย college basketballย writer for the Sports Bank.ย He also heads up theย NBAย andย college basketballย material atย Walter Football.comย and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.ย David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu to Milwaukee.ย He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and theย most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draftย on the internet , AND the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft. (Yup, nearly 3peat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter atย David_Kmiecik.
