Game Thread - @ Clemson, 3/6/2020

[wreckmaniac]

I was at this game tonight along with 2 other Tech fans. Sad , really. Clemson had a strong fan turnout.
Tech surged at the end of both halves.
Devoe finally took over at the end of the 2nd half after being pounded under the basket all night.
Its shameful that this team will not continue. Tech ends up 5th in league play and goes home ?
This would never happen to NC, Duke, Syracuse, Louisville, UGA or another 100 colleges.
Who does Tech need to pay off to stop the NCAA harrassment ? The suspension of the 2013 ACC
football championship because Demarius Thomas took $300 in clothing is another example.
Believe me, the NCAA dweebs know who they can pick on.

 

[The Doddfather]

When does Brownell add clown shoes and a red nose to go with that sport coat?

I thought I heard tonight that Brownell was now their leader in all time wins. Pretty sure Cliff Ellis still leads. It surprised me cause it doesn’t seem like Brownell has been there that long since Purnell left, but time does fly.

 

[The Doddfather]

Also, the way Clemson has owned us lately, it’s nice to sweep them this year. Great way to end the year. Excited for next season.

 

[Kmag]

https://t.co/2w8Rs8oHt0

 

[slugboy]

https://t.co/2w8Rs8oHt0

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[Kmag]

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Thank you!

 

[Connell62]

You're hoping for a unicorn then.

I don’t think so. Usually with Grad Transfers, they’re looking for a spot where they have a.) have a shot to make the postseason, b.) will get plenty of minutes, c.) have exposure for NBA scouts.

We need to see a ship open up before this even becomes a thing. If a ship opens, I’m not saying we will land a Kerry Blackshear level transfer, but we will be an attractive option for all the above.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

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Really great win. Watched the score while doing a charity event. Gritty to come back after losing a big lead.

Pastner is here for a while

 

[Rzunz]

Look - I hated the drop of the post season appeal because this team had got some swagger, but I think the reality is that the swag will persist.

Our back court next year is scary, some might say dominant, and frankly I can’t argue.

If Saba is 80% of what we are hoping, then we have got a shot at a real big.

Evan and Moses will take care of the inside - full stop - so we just have to find a dude to score from mid range.


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Usher, Moore, Sjolund, etc.

 

[dtm1997]

 

[MWBATL]

A few random thoughts:

1. I think I have taken for granted how good we have been defensively, not just this year, but through most of CJP's tenure. I get frustrated with what I see as poor offense, and forget how good they have become defensively. Mea culpa.
2. As great as the finish to the season has been, I find myself toning my enthusiasm because we had tough, close wins against....not great teams. None of the teams we beat (other than Louisville) will be an NCAA Tournament team, and many of the games were nail-biters against teams who rate in the 70's to the 90's.
3. Winning still beats losing, no matter what
4. I remain disturbed about how this team could lose so many double digit leads in the last 10 games or so. Miami and Clemson come immediately to mind.
5. To be fair, to GET those double digit leads, we played brilliantly. Earlier in the year, we basically never had a chance to blow a big lead because we seldom had double digit leads because we weren't playing well.
6. I hope, I seriously hope, that we figure out a way to reduce our turnovers. That is a clear achilles heel for us.

If everyone returns and no one transfers out, we should be a very interesting and exiting team next year and I look forward ot the season. I ESPECIALLY look forward to a decent pre-season record next season and no missteps against the Ball States and Gramblings of the basketball universe..

 

[g0lftime]

Duh. I missed that the game was on Friday. I was watching the ladies game and thought the men played today. What a great way to finish the season. They could have folded. That team had desire to win regardless of no post season. Sorry I missed it.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I was at this game tonight along with 2 other Tech fans. Sad , really. Clemson had a strong fan turnout.
Tech surged at the end of both halves.
Devoe finally took over at the end of the 2nd half after being pounded under the basket all night.
Its shameful that this team will not continue. Tech ends up 5th in league play and goes home ?
This would never happen to NC, Duke, Syracuse, Louisville, UGA or another 100 colleges.
Who does Tech need to pay off to stop the NCAA harrassment ? The suspension of the 2013 ACC
football championship because Demarius Thomas took $300 in clothing is another example.
Believe me, the NCAA dweebs know who they can pick on.

I know of at least 4 others who were at the game --- @chris975d and a friend, and @buzz_wiser© and his son. Still not many, but perhaps more than you thought.

 

[gameface]

Anybody have a gas station video?

 

[wreckmaniac]

Appreciate very much the attached Pastner interview after the game. Next year should be terrific BUT,
as some have already mentioned, this team remains a turnover machine. And they have not improved at
all. 19 turnovers last night. Gruesome.

 

[Techster]

LOVED how Devoe closed out the last few games...I made a comment during the middle of the year that Devoe kinda seemed "zoned out", like he was frustrated somehow. The past few games he let his emotions come out, and joked around with his teammates during the games. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the team also seemed to play a lot better to finish out the season. Alvarado's heart on the sleeve is rubbing off on Devoe a bit. The guys seemed to be a group that just had fun out there as opposed grinding through long basketball season. Yes, you'd like to see our guys keep a big lead, but there's something to be said about the mental fortitude of losing a big lead, then battling back to win a game on the road.

Devoe and Alvarado will be a special backcourt tandem next year. I think they are starting to understand each other on an ethereal level. It's like brothers who play the neighborhood kids and absolutely school them because they just understand each other and know each others moves without having to communicate. I would struggle to find 10 better backcourts in the entirety of college basketball for next season.

Make no mistake, we will miss James Banks presence down low. The way he makes opposing players alter shots, and his physical presence isn't something we currently have on the roster, and probably will not have next season. Best case scenario is Wright and Cole develop their defensive presence over the offseason, and Saba can come in develop under Reveno to give us a good 10-15 minutes of defensive help. A 7 footer down low is hard to go around. The otherside of it is I expect us to be a better offensive team, so hopefully some of the defensive loss is negated by the offensive gain.

It sucks that we don't get to see what these guys can do in the ACCT and like NIT, but we closed the season with a promise of a VERY good team next season. Makes me want the next season to start ASAP.

Thanks to the Seniors, and let's all hold our collective breaths that the offseason is a quiet one.

 

[slugboy]

Anybody have a gas station video?

I don’t think they posted one. I can see why the last game of the season is different. We have this:


@accnetwork: .@GTMBB just won its 11th ACC game of the season.

The last time the Jackets had that many conference wins in a season, this guy was their starting PG [emoji3593]

@BrianOliver1313: Congrats @GTJoshPastner and @GTMBB on a great season!!! Proud of our Yellow Jackets!!! #TogetherWeSwarm


@GTMBB: THAT’S how you close out a winning season with your 11th ACC win and 5th ACC road win of the year!
[emoji618]️[emoji618]️[emoji618]️

#BuiltDifferent /// #TogetherWeSwarm


@AlvaradoJose15: Great Team Win !! I LOVE THIS TEAM[emoji1364]


@GTToddStansbury: Congrats to @GTJoshPastner, his staff & ESPECIALLY his outstanding student-athletes (led by two first-class seniors in @1jamesbanks & @idunkonu_2) on completing @GTMBB’s best ACC season in a generation! I’m very excited for the future of [emoji219][emoji459]. #BuiltDifferent #TogetherWeSwarm [emoji618]️

@accmbb: Devoe comes up clutch for the Yellow Jackets as @GTMBB outlasts Clemson on the road for a 65-62 win.

#ACCMBB

https://theacc.com/news/2020/3/6/georgia-tech-closes-season-with-65-62-win-at-clemson.aspx

@BrianOliver1313: Classy Coach @GTJoshPastner and a very resilient team @GTMBB !!! Makes Me Proud to Be An Alumni of @GTMBB !!! [emoji1487][emoji1487][emoji1487]


@GTMBB: .@mdevoe0 was CLUTCH last night [emoji123]

#BuiltDifferent /// #TogetherWeSwarm




@CabreraAngel: Congrats @GTMBB for giving us the best men's basketball season in years! Thank you seniors @1jamesbanks @idunkonu_2 for the hard work and the exciting moments. I wish you all the best in your new chapters. #TogetherWeSwarm


@AndyDemetra: What you saw this year from @GTMBB:

First win in Chapel Hill since 2010.

First win in Clemson since 2005.

Best ACC record since 2004.

Longest home ACC win streak (6) since 1996.

Most ACC wins (11) since 1996.

Best 3pt.% defense ever (28.5%).


@GTMBB: #GTMBB stat for today (shout out to @AndyDemetra @GTJoshPastner):
Jackets set a program record for 3-point FG% defense (28.5%), beating the 29.74% set by the 2003-04 Final Four team. Tech ranks No. 7 nationally in that category.

@TheAthleticATL: Josh Pastner: “We ended the year with a win. How many teams get to do that?” @JeffSchultzATL
https://theathletic.com/1660487/?source=twittered


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[lv20gt]

I don’t think so. Usually with Grad Transfers, they’re looking for a spot where they have a.) have a shot to make the postseason, b.) will get plenty of minutes, c.) have exposure for NBA scouts.

We need to see a ship open up before this even becomes a thing. If a ship opens, I’m not saying we will land a Kerry Blackshear level transfer, but we will be an attractive option for all the above.

The problem isn't our attractiveness to a a grad transfer like that. The problem is there being a transfer like that to begin with. Lets look at the center transfers from last year and see if we can find someone who was immediately eligible, had prior history of good production, and turned out good for their new team

Daniel Giddens - Not much production before or after transfer
DJ Burns - transferred after redshirtting freshman year. No prior production.
Jayce Johnson - Marginal production at Utah, and declined after transferring to MU
Joey Brunk - okay production (7 and 5 in 20mpg) before and after transfer but not a rim protector by any means.
Uros Plavsic - transfer after redshirtting freshman year. No prior production.
Barret Benson - No real production prior to transferring. Was good at his new school though (Southern Illinois)
Yuat Alok - Not immediately eligible and no real production prior to transferring
Jethro Tshisumpa - No real production before or after
Derrik Smits - Solid production as a junior at Valpo (12-6 with 1 bpg in +20 mpg) but played less than mpg at Butler.

The closest I found was Chris Vogt who put up 11-6 with 1.6 blocks for Cinci this year. However even then he was a guy that played just 12mpg as a sophomore for Northern Kentucky. There was also Nate Sestina who went to Kentucky from Bucknell where he was very good and basically lost most of his production.

 

[Techster]

The problem isn't our attractiveness to a a grad transfer like that. The problem is there being a transfer like that to begin with. Lets look at the center transfers from last year and see if we can find someone who was immediately eligible, had prior history of good production, and turned out good for their new team

Daniel Giddens - Not much production before or after transfer
DJ Burns - transferred after redshirtting freshman year. No prior production.
Jayce Johnson - Marginal production at Utah, and declined after transferring to MU
Joey Brunk - okay production (7 and 5 in 20mpg) before and after transfer but not a rim protector by any means.
Uros Plavsic - transfer after redshirtting freshman year. No prior production.
Barret Benson - No real production prior to transferring. Was good at his new school though (Southern Illinois)
Yuat Alok - Not immediately eligible and no real production prior to transferring
Jethro Tshisumpa - No real production before or after
Derrik Smits - Solid production as a junior at Valpo (12-6 with 1 bpg in +20 mpg) but played less than mpg at Butler.

The closest I found was Chris Vogt who put up 11-6 with 1.6 blocks for Cinci this year. However even then he was a guy that played just 12mpg as a sophomore for Northern Kentucky. There was also Nate Sestina who went to Kentucky from Bucknell where he was very good and basically lost most of his production.

Let's remember that James Banks averaged less than 2 points and 2 rebounds a game at Texas before transferring to us. Texas was happy to see him go. Banks developed into a completely different player at GT.

Honestly, I'm more than fine with Moses/Cole/Saba all rotating at the 5, with Usher/Cole/Wright filling in minutes at the 4 as well. The one thing I worry about with Wright having to play a bigger role on defense next season is how it will affect his offense. If he gets in foul trouble on the defensive end, will it make him tentative on the offensive end? IMO, Wright is more valuable to us offensively than defensively, but maybe he develops into a better defender next season.

 

[lv20gt]

Let's remember that James Banks averaged less than 2 points and 2 rebounds a game at Texas before transferring to us. Texas was happy to see him go. Banks developed into a completely different player at GT.

I agree with all of that. But what Banks was when we added him isn't what is being suggested. He wasn't immediately eligible until after the season had already started nor had he proven to be able to produce at this level. In some ways he was taken with a similar mindset as a recruit. Taken on developing his potential, and so the redshirt wasn't a huge deal. Turns out that he was immediately eligible, and was a great rim protector right away. Could that happen again? Sure. I think there is a better chance of Gigiberia transitioning better than expected to the college game though than us finding that situation again though.

Admittedly, I don't like grad transfers. I think the problems caused by increased roster turnover and potentially guys only looking to get theirs, outweigh the benefits they bring. For example, next year we are already going to lose 5 seniors who will likely be rotation players. Adding a grad transfer just compounds that issue. Now if it's a guy like Blackshear then absolutely. Because at that point you're not talking about getting back to the NCAAT. You're talking about competing for an ACC championship and asking how far can we get in the NCAAT. But most likely it wouldn't be a guy like that, and I don't think it's worth it for the program. I'd rather go with Gigiberia and deal with him struggling through his freshman year some. Because if we are going into 20-21 and our only post players are Meka and Gigiberia neither with significant minutes, guess what the call will be for us then? That's how you get into a cycle of dependency on grad transfers.