Three Players Scott Cross Should Prioritize Retaining at Georgia Tech

A new era has begun at Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets hired former Troy head coach Scott Cross to take over the program and Cross is going to be responsible for trying to get Georgia Tech back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 and only the fifth time since the Yellow Jackets appeared in the national championship game in 2004.

In the age of the transfer portal and NIL, roster rentention is important for the players that you want to keep on your roster, but finding the right guys for the program through the portal and recruiting is crucial. During his introductory press conference, Cross mentioned finding "OKG's" or "Our Kinda Guys" and that is what he is going to be doing in the coming weeks before the transfer portal opens after the national championship game in April.

Let's look at three players that Cross should prioritize retaining for his first season in Atlanta.

1. Center Mouhamed Sylla- Rising Sophomore

Georgia Tech fans got to see glimpses of what Sylla could this season, but he could not stay healthy enough to play a full season and show why he was considered a potential one and done prospect.

Sylla is a 6'10 240 LBS center with high level shot blocking ability as well as the ability to finish around the rim and be a threat in pick and rolls. Tallied 10 double-figure scoring performances in his 16 games and registered five double-doubles. Opened his freshman season with a promising start, dropping double-doubles in the first three games to become the first Yellow Jacket freshman since 2002-03 (Chris Bosh) to do so.

Became just the third player in the ACC in the last 30 years to start his career with three consecutive double-doubles, joining Bosh and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (2022-23).

The sample size was small, but Sylla has the highest ceiling on the team and should be a priority to retain.

2. Guard Akai Fleming- Rising Sophomore

Fleming was the best freshman on the Yellow Jackets this past season and ended up starting 22 games. He was the leading scorer in terms of freshmen and was the fourth leading scorer overall.

Became the first Georgia Tech freshman to lead the Jackets at the free throw line (with a minimum of 50 attempts) since Josh Okogie in 2016-17. Averaged 10.5 points per game in ACC play, starting in 16 of 17 appearances against league opponents

He would be a great player for Cross to build the backcourt around for next year and a potential running mate with Sylla.

3. Guard Jaeden Mustaf- Rising Junior

Mustaf was one of the top recruits from the Damon Stoudamire era and he continued to show flashes in multiple areas that make him a priority to retain.

Mustaf was third on the team in scoring, second on the team in assists, and also added 4.3 rebounds per game. He shot 43% from the field and 39% from three and showed improvement in all areas of his game this past season.

I think that retaining the younger players with untapped potential should be the top priority for Cross this offseason and then hope to unlock more from them and get veteran additions through the transfer portal.