Taking An Early Look At Georgia Tech's Roster For The 2023-2024 Season
The Georgia Tech basketball roster has seen a lot of turnover since the hire of Damon Stoudamire and this team is going to look a lot different on the court this season.
Will Georgia Tech be better with all of this roster change? I think so. The new players in Stoudamire's 10th-ranked transfer class are light on experience, but bring length and athleticism on defense and scoring potential on offense. While none of these players were stars for their teams last season, I am banking on Stoudamire being able to develop these players and bring their game to a higher level. I think he is going to be a good player development coach along with his staff and all of these players, both the transfers and the ones on the roster, have room to grow and Stoudamire can get something out of them.
Let's take an early look at the roster that Stoudamire has at his disposal right now.
Departures
Miles Kelly was the leading scorer for Georgia Tech last season
There have been plenty of losses on the roster. Guard Deivon Smith, guard Tristan Maxwell, center Cyril Martynov, forward Freds Pauls Bagatskis, forward Jordan Meka, and center Rodney Howard have all entered the transfer portal. Howard and Smith have been contributors over the past couple of seasons, but the others had small roles.
Guard Miles Kelly, the Yellow Jackets leading scorer last season, declared for the NBA Draft, but is maintaining his collegiate eligibility and could return.
Losing Kelly to the NBA would be a massive blow, but this roster is more athletic than it was a year ago and I think there will be a big step up defensively.
Smith and Kelly are going to be the biggest losses for Georgia Tech. Meka could not stay healthy and get on the floor and both Bagatskis and Martynov were raw as prospects and not ready to contribute.
If Stoudamire gets Kelly back on the roster, this has a chance to be a much better team than in previous years.
Returning players
Lance Terry will be a big part of the Georgia Tech rotation next season
While there have been a lot of departures from Georgia Tech, there are still returning players that will contribute to the Yellow Jackets.
Lance Terry, Kyle Sturdivant, Deebo Coleman, and Jalon Moore are the scholarship players coming back to the team as of the time this is being written. Stoudamire has a special relationship with Sturdivant and he spoke about it in his introductory press conference:
"Me and Kyle... before Kyle was born, me and his father were really good friends and you know whats crazy is that there is so many backstories to be honest with you of people I know in Atlanta, not knowing this day would come when I would be sitting in front of you guys and talking about being the head coach here at Tech. But I knew Kyle's dad for the longest and I held him as a baby and known him for years and I have always been proud of him.
You know the thing about it is... I'll say this... I know this year he had some bumps in the road, you know he would call me and he don't know this but sometimes when he called, I would not answer on purpose... I did. Because sometimes you gotta be a man and figure it out because after a while, you gotta look in the mirror and know who is really the culprit.
I have always said this... and I believe this and I tell my kids this and I tell Kyle this and I tell my closest people who ask me questions... I don't know a coach in the world who is not going to play a guy who is going to help them win a game. Ok, now there is things we have to do. We have to exude confidence and do different things and I understand that but there is not a coach in the world, I don't care what level you play on, that is not going to put the manager in if he can help you win, so that is what I tried to get Kyle to understand that I would pick the phone up when he played better and I am like whats the difference. That is all I would ask, I never asked questions because No.1, I know how hard coaching is, but I also know how student-athletes can get in their own head about certain things."
Terry, Coleman, and Sturdivant were three of the five leading scorers for Tech last season and were playing large minutes toward the end of the season. Moore was the only player that would get reliable bench minutes and averaged nearly eight PPG. Terry led the Yellow Jackets in three-point percentage and Sturdivant was second in assists. Adding the new transfers to this core of returning players could be exactly what GT needs.
Newcomers
Amaree Abram will be an impact player in the backcourt for Georgia Tech next season
Georgia Tech has brought on six new transfers this offseason and each of them has a chance to be an impact player on the team next season.
There were a lot of holes to fill on this roster with the departures, but Stoudamire has done a great job of acquiring talent.
The first guy that committed and signed with the Yellow Jackets was NC State transfer Ebenezer Dowuona. Dowuona is a 6'11 225 LBS big man, which is something that Georgia Tech has been lacking. I don't know how big of a role he is going to play next season, it could be as someone to provide depth to the frontcourt or he could challenge for a big role on this team.
Given his size, I can envision where Dowuona could be the starting center. He is going to be the talent person on the team with the departures of Martynov and Howard unless Stoudamire makes another addition.
One of the big-time signings that Stoudamire has made this offseason was former Florida wing player Kowacie Reeves. He is a 6'6 192 LBS guard that is a former four-star recruit and a top 50 player nationally according to 247Sports.
Here is the scouting report coming out of high school on Reeves courtesy of 247 director of basketball scouting Jerry Meyer:
"Possesses nice length and athleticism for a wing shooter. Top notch shooter with a quick release. Shoots well off catch and dribble. Has niche shot turning or dribbling right where he doesn't fully square up. Much prefers to go right. Comfortable with the ball but is an upright handler. Needs to develop a more physical side as a rebounder. Comes up with steals defensively. Fits the mold of valued shooters with length and athleticism."
I think Reeves has work to do in his development, but Stoudamire might be just the coach to bring it out of him.
Western Carolina transfer Tyzhaun Claude is hoping to be a solution to the rebounding problems that Georgia Tech had last season. The Yellow Jackets were tied for 171st in rebounds per game last season and Claude averaged nearly nine per game last season.
Claude played in 31 games for the Catamounts last season and averaged 15.4 PPG and 8.6 RPG in 26 minutes played per game. His best scoring game came against Samford this past season when he put up 24 points. There was only one game all season where Claude failed to score double-digit points. His season-high in rebounding came in a loss to the Citadel, where he gathered 17 boards.
UMass transfer Tafara Gapare is a three-star transfer according to 247Sports and while he is light on experience (like most of Georgia Tech's transfer class), the potential is there. He is an intriguing 6'9 205 LBS forward who originally hails from New Zealand. Gapare played one season for the Minutemen last season and averaged 3.4 PPG and 2.1 RPG last season. He played in 31 games and averaged a little over 12 minutes a game last season. He is still raw and I think he is going to come off the bench next season for the Yellow Jackets.
Ole Miss transfer Amaree Abram and Presbyterian guard Jalen Forrest were brought on by Stoudamire and Abram was one of the highest-rated players in the portal:
"One of the hardest things about evaluating transfers is blending in the evaluation of both current impact and long-term impact. Amaree Abram falls into this challenging category as he wasn't a major impact player in his freshman season on a bad Ole Miss team but there's a lot of potential that could make him a big impact down the line.
He's long, fast and plays with a motor on both ends of the floor. He can attack and create off the dribble, can get others involved and has potential to be an impact defender." (Per 247Sports).
Last season at Presbyterian, Forrest averaged 11.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.4 APG for the Blue Hose. He played in 27 games and averaged 26.3 minutes per game. He shot 37% from the field and 31% from three.
The backcourt is going to be interesting next season with the additions of Abram and Forrest. It is a good situation to have and it looks like the strongest position on the team.
Current Outlook for 2023-2024
Will Kowacie Reeves be a starter for Georgia Tech?
With all of that being said, here is the breakdown for the Georgia Tech roster as it currently stands:
Lance Terry
Kyle Sturdivant
Deebo Coleman
Kowacie Reeves
Amaree Abram
Jalen Forrest
Jalon Moore
Ebenezer Dowuona
Tyzhaun Claude
Tafara Gapare
If Kelly comes back, this roster looks like it will be filled out. If he leaves, that could mean that Stoudamire goes back to the portal for one more addition.
I don't know if this is going to be a team that contender in the ACC next season because of how raw and inexperienced some of the portal additions are, but I think this team will be more athletic and be better on the defensive end. If Kelly returns, there could be enough offense for a much better team next year. Sturdivant played better towards the end of the season and Terry is a good three-point shooter. Abram and Reeves are raw offensively, but they have a high ceiling on that end.
Gapare, Claude, and Dowuona are athletic and will bring length to the defensive end. I am still concerned about the rebounding on this team, but there could be enough improvement in other areas where they can make up for it.
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