Coming off a well-needed break for finals and healing nagging injuries, the Yellow Jackets are set to take on Florida A&M University on Sunday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion. The Florida A&M Rattlers better known as FAMU are 1-12 this season with their lone win over Albany State.
The leader of FAMU is Coach Robert McCullum. McCullum is in his first season, after spending the previous 3 years as an assistant coach for the Oregon Ducks. He knows that he has a rebuild on his hands and is focusing on changing the culture for the Rattlers.
The Rattlers tend to depend on three main players to succeed, starting with 7-footer #34, Isaiah Martin. He is a long lanky big man who does his job: rebound and try to affect shots at the rim. Another key player for FAMU is a 6’6” senior wing #0, Desmond Williams. Williams is just that solid upperclassmen that can do a lot for a team but doesn’t excel in any aspect. He is a player that McCullum can trust and will be on the floor for most of the game. For scoring, FAMU turns to senior guard #22, Marcus Barham. He is the shooter of the group and can score in bunches. In his last game against Stephen F. Austin he made 5 out of 7 threes while putting up 26 total points.
Prediction: Georgia Tech SHOULD dominate this game and win by double digits. I will be looking to see if Ben Lammers looks healthier and gets back to attacking the boards and blocks like we are used to seeing. I want to see Curtis Haywood II take more shots and be more assertive. He is arguably the best three-point shooter on the team and just needs to trust his skills and trust Coach Pastner that he will not be pulled for shooting the open shot. I imagine another solid game for Jose Alvarado as he can continue to grow as our point guard of the future and present. This game is set up for AD to have a huge game, but I have feeling Moses Wright takes advantage of the open 15 footers when the Rattlers sag off to help with Lammers. Speaking of AD, I want to see Gueye more assertive around the basket, and be on the perimeter about 0.0% of the time. He is a nice rebounder and enforcer around the rim, but does us no good when he drifts out to the three-point line. Lastly, it will be interesting to see if Josh Okogie dresses and warms up with the team due to Pastner’s comments on his conditioning levels. Personally, I think it would be a good morale booster for Okogie to dress and get that game feel again even though he technically is not playing yet. Deep down I had a weird feeling about the Grambling game, but they have way more talent than FAMU. Tech by 15.
Here’s to not playing Fletcher “Steph” Magee.
