2022-23 ACC Basketball Preview: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
© Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Josh Pastner (7th season)
2021 Year in Review
Record: 12-20 (5-15)
ACC Finish: 14th Place
KenPom Ranking: 156 (225 offense, 110 defense)
ACC Tournament: 84-74 L vs Louisville
Expectations weren’t very high for this club coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and ACC Tournament Championship because of the departures of stars Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado. Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher were back, but it would be a tall task for those guys to carry on the team’s success.
And a tall task it was. The Yellow Jackets struggled throughout the season and failed to win back to back games against D1 competition after the month of November. They lost nine ACC games by double digits. It was a year to forget for Josh Pastner and company.
2022 Outlook
Who’s Out: Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher, Khalid Moore (Fordham)
Who’s In: Lance Terry (Gardner-Webb), Javon Franklin (South Alabama), Freds Bagatskis, Cyril Martynov
Projected Starting Lineup:
Sr. G Kyle Sturdivant (6-3, 196 lbs)
Gr. G Lance Terry (6-2, 200)
So. F Dallan “Deebo” Coleman (6-6, 218)
Sr. F Ja’von Franklin (6-7, 214)
Sr. F Rodney Howard (6-11, 256)
Off the bench:
Jr. G Deivon Smith (6-1, 176)
So. G Miles Kelly (6-5, 175)
So. Jalon Moore (6-7, 209)
Jr. Tristan Maxwell (6-3, 205)
Jr. Jordan Meka (6-8, 219)
Fr. Freds Bagatskis (6-8, 175)
Fr. Cyril Martynov (7-0, 229)
The departures of Michael Devoe (17.9 PTS, 4.9 REB, 3.1 AST) and Jordan Usher (14.8 PTS, 6.5 REB, 2.9 AST) will sting. Those were by far the two best players on this team last season. Khalid Moore (5.2 PTS) was just a rotation player but his decision to transfer to Fordham won’t help either.
READ: Clemson Basketball Preview
No team in the ACC’s leading returning scorer averaged fewer points per game last season than Kyle Sturdivant. Sturdivant (7.6 PTS), started 28 games last season and will be a solid veteran presence in the backcourt. He's a nice player, but it’s a tall order to expect him to become the leader of this team.
#1 Kyle Sturdivant initiates the offense against Clemson
© Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Another returnee is big man Rodney Howard (6.5 PTS, 5.1 REB). Howard was essentially a non-factor until February, but hit a nice groove once his minutes saw a big uptick. He didn’t score in double figures in all of December and January, but from Feb. 12 - Mar. 3 he crossed that threshold in six out of seven games.
Junior guard Deivon Smith (5.7 PTS, 3.4 REB, 2.0 AST) transferred in from Mississippi State before last season and showed some flashes of strong play. On Feb. 5 in a Georgia Tech win over Clemson, Smith scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season high six assists.
#5 Deivon Smith is in line for an increased role this season
© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
READ: Boston College Basketball Preview
Pastner will need to see growth from the three freshmen who saw playing time last season. Deebo Coleman (6.2 PTS, .41 3PT%) was a factor off the bench and was the team’s best long range shooter. Miles Kelly (4.5 PTS) scored 16 and 19 points in the Yellow Jackets’ last two games of the season. Before March, his season high scoring output was 10. Sophomore Jalon Moore (2.8 PTS) is an athletic wing with potential, but his lack of involvement on last year’s struggling team provides some doubt.
Tristan Maxwell is in his third year at Georgia Tech, but has only played in six games due to various injuries and off-court issues. The highlight of his season came in January when he scored 22 points and knocked down seven three-pointers in a road win against Boston College. Junior Jordan Meka has scored 12 total points in his first two seasons in Atlanta, has dealt with injuries but hasnt’ shown much to get excited about in limited action.
Pastner brought in two mid-major transfers who were successful at their old stops. Javon Franklin rode the bench for Auburn for two seasons before starting for a 20-win South Alabama team last year. Franklin (12.2 PTS, 7.8 REB) is a versatile forward who brings experience to this young team and will likely start. Gardner-Webb transfer Lance Terry is also entering his fourth year of college basketball. Terry (14.3 PPG, .35 3PT%) is a scoring guard who can shoot the basketball at a high level.
This freshman class is the lowest ranked group in the ACC. Pastner brings in a lean big man who can shoot the ball in Freds Bagatskis from Latvia. 6-11 Canadian big man Cyril Martynov was a late signee who didn’t commit until this summer. These guys are definitely projects and it’ll be surprising if they play this season.
ACC Prediction: 15th place
All of a sudden, the Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright days seem like forever ago. Considering the lack of ACC-proven talent and experience on the roster, a ton has to go right for this team to have a shot at being competitive. Pastner did an unbelievable job building the ACC Tournament Champion squad in 2020, and he has shown he can bring this program to a high level. Strong player development is the key, so it’ll be interesting to see if anyone surprises and takes a big step forward. The guys I think are most likely to do so are Miles Kelley and Rodney Howard.
The two transfers, Terry and Franklin, are solid mid-major players, but things will be much more difficult for them this year. I’m projecting them both to start because of the lack of experience on this team, but it's a big question mark if their production will transfer to the ACC level.
Pastner has a real tough task at hand to make this group competitive this season. If I’m correct about their last place finish, Georgia Tech might enter a full rebuild.
READ: Florida State Basketball Preview
When does Georgia Tech play Wake Forest?
Feb. 11: Georgia Tech at Wake Forest
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