2008 Georgia Tech Basketball Preview & Predictions
Written October 5, 2008 by Jack Jones
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball program has had to struggle with many players departing over the last few years. Ten players have either transferred, graduated, or left early over the last two seasons. This year the team saw Ra’Sean Dickey forgo his senior season to play professional ball in Ukraine. Anthony Morrow graduated after scoring 14.3 ppg last year, and Jeremis Smith ran out of eligibility after scoring 10.5 ppg. With five total players gone you would expect to see a lot of new faces coming in, but Paul Hewitt only chose to bring in guard Iman Shumpert. At least Shumpert has talent, he was a McDonald’s All-American in high school. If you think Georgia Tech can win the national title, a $100 bet at BetUS would net you $10,000 at year’s end!
There is a lot of size and depth up front for the Yellow Jackets. The team did not do a very good job at rebounding a year ago, and their leading rebounder from a year ago, Smith, is gone. Gani Lawal should have a breakout year. He was a McDonald’s All-American in high school but didn’t produce all that much as a freshman. Zack Peacock is a good defender who can shoot from the perimeter, but isn’t very good at grabbing boards. Alade Aminu is the most athletic of the bunch and should contribute bigger numbers in his senior season. Brad Sheehan is big at 6′11″, but he did not see very much playing time last year as a freshman.
Maurice Miller finally gives Georgia Tech some experience at the point guard position. He was the most improved player over the course of his freshman season, and should continue to grow into a solid contributer. He is athletic and can shoot the ball effectively from outside. Lewis Clinch was a solid contributor as a sophomore, but missed half the season due to academics. Then last year Hewitt did not do a very good job of getting him involved. If Clinch can return to form this team has a chance to make the Big Dance. Shumpert should get a good dose of playing time right away as will D’Andre Bell and Lance Storrs. Bell is the team’s best perimeter defender while Storrs can shoot the ball well from long range.
Final Analysis
If the Jackets want to return to the NCAA Tournament then they are going to have to do a better job rebounding and on the defensive end. It will be interesting to see how this team shakes out with so few scholarship players, but we see them in the middle of the pack in our ACC basketball predictions. If they stay healthy then getting by with an eight or nine man rotation shouldn’t be a problem, but if anyone gets hurt it could spell trouble. We see them just missing out on the tournament and ending up in the NIT. If you want to bet on Georgia Tech this year, do it at BetUS where you can get up to 145% in signup bonuses!
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