2008 Georgia Tech Basketball Predictions and Preview
Overview
Georgia Tech adds just one new man to their roster from last year’s 15-17 team. The interesting question about this team is whether or not this is a good thing. There’s certainly a lot to improve upon, including their 7-9 record in the ACC, but head coach Paul Hewitt is confident that, if the Yellow Jackets can stay healthy, they will improve significantly. The only addition to the team comes in the form of combo guard Iman Shumpert, a 6’4” McDonald’s High School All-American, that could very well have an immediate positive impact on his team. Tech has missed out on the post-season in 2 of the last 3 years and has struggled when they have made the NCAA tournament ever since their incredible run in 2004. The Yellow Jackets have plenty of questions to answer this year and they should be competitive, but it’s hard to imagine them making any kind of a run at the ACC title, especially when BetUs.com has them at +1000 odds to win the conference.
Frontcourt
Tech’s frontcourt has decent size, but they’ve struggled with rebounding and intensity under the basket. Case in point is starting center Brad Sheehan, who has tons of talent, but lacks the aggressive mentality that a successful big men need. Forward Zack Peacock is another example. Peacock is a point scorer and one of the best shooting big men in the conference, but he lacks physical play. The bottom line is, that if Georgia Tech wants to be successful this season, they simply must improve on their rebounding, which goes hand in hand with being aggressive under the hoop. The Yellow Jackets have 4 players on their roster at 6’8” or taller, which is a start, but the loss of their leading rebounder from last season, Jeremis Smith, only means the Tech big men are going to need to work harder.
Backcourt
Point guard Maurice Miller was probably the player that saw the most growth last season from beginning to end. This is a good thing for Georgia Tech, who is returning their starting PG for the first time in four years. Miller isn’t necessarily a playmaker in his own right, but he creates offense for those around him and has a very good shot from the outside when it’s needed. The newcomer to the Yellow Jackets, Iman Shumpert will share some point guard duties with Miller, but will likely be used mostly as a swing guard and should have a positive impact right away. D’Andre Bell is what you might call the defensive expert of the backcourt. His efforts inspire the rest of his team, so he will need to keep up the same intensity that he showed last year. Tech also has a great shooter in Lance Storrs, and their best offensive option is probably Lewis Clinch, who can create his own shots better than anyone else on the team.
Final Thoughts
Georgia Tech isn’t ready to head back to the glory days of the Final Four just yet. It hard to judge whether adding just one player to a team that lost three graduating seniors is going to be a good thing or not. It’s great to have that kind of experience with each other, but if the team chemistry and talent isn’t there, it’s probably not good to keep that same team together. Time will tell at this point. There should be an improvement on last year’s record with the talent the Yellow Jackets are returning. The NIT is likely, but, with a little luck and some improved physical play, Tech might just be able to sneak into the NCAA tournament, though it’s hard to see them getting much past the first round with BetUs.com giving them +30000 odds to win the NCAA Championship.
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