I was able to have a very informative conversation this week to shine some light on what is going on with the 2021 Georgia Tech recruiting effort. Here what what I was able to learn this week.
the priority
I hate to refer to any of the kids on the Georgia Tech radar as “the priority” because every kid I am going to talk about today has the potential to have a high impact on the program. However, it would be understating the importance of the recruitment of Dallan “Deebo” Coleman to refer to him as anything less.
Coach Pastner and the Yellow Jackets’ staff needed to address the future of the point guard position with Jose Alvarado entering his senior season in 2020. They did so during the offseason with the addition of former Norcross point guard Kyle Sturdivant after he transferred home from USC. While the Georgia Tech staff thinks Deebo can absolutely play the point guard position, his ability to shoot the basketball is where he is elite. The addition of Sturdivant means that Coleman will be able to play off the ball and will benefit both Coleman and the team if Tech is able to land his commitment.
Coleman stands 6’6 and is currently ranked #67 by 247sports ( #47 in the composite), and could also be a key cog in the recruitment of fast rising forward Alex Fudge.
Two other high level recruits the jackets “feel good” about
Just because Sturdivant has arrived in Atlanta doesn’t mean the Jackets aren’t still hot on the trail of lead guards. Along with Alvarado, Bubba Parham will be graduating after the season so depth will be very important in the 2021 class.
Along with Coleman, the Jackets are putting the full court press on Tyrese Hunter and Stevie Mitchell. Hunter is a lightening quick point guard being recruited by teams all over the east coast and all the way out to Arizona State. He is currently ranked inside the top 150 by 247 and #79 in the composite.
Mitchell, a 6’2 point guard, is ranked within the Top 125 by 247 and is also being courted by teams all over the map. His profile says “cool” on the site but Georgia Tech feels very good about where they sit with him.
The commitment of any of the three players mentioned above would be a huge win for the Jackets but they aren’t looking to sign just one of them. Georgia Tech is looking to sign two of the three.
moving out of the backcourt…
As mentioned above, Alex Fudge has absolutely blown up in 2020. Coach Pastner and staff have been on him since very early on but the 6’8 swing man has received offers from anyone who is paying attention over the last six months. Georgia Tech is in good shape with Fudge and potentially signing Coleman would do nothing but make Atlanta more attractive. The Jacksonville FL native looks to be taking his time with his recruitment so the Jackets will have to be patient and buckle up for a long ride.
While the Jackets may covet Fudge, they are in good shape with some other wings as well, most notably Atlanta native Robbie Armbrester. The 145th ranked player in the nation, Armbrester is an undersized forward at 6’6 but plays with a tremendous amount of energy and intensity. Robbie is another player the Georgia Tech staff was able to identify and get involved with early and are believed to be leading the pack in the pursuit of his commitment at the moment.
One name that I have been watching very closely is Jusaun Holt, a 6’6 wing out of Roswell, GA. Holt has been making a name for himself lately with his tremendous shooting, defense, and motor. He never stops. When the Jackets were crossed off of Matthew Cleveland’s list a few weeks ago, Holt immediately became the wing that I coveted the most. He seemed to have an affinity for the Washington Huskies, but recently tweeted out that his recruitment is still open. The Jackets are in the hunt (top 3) but this will be a tough hill to climb.
Two other names to keep an eye on are Kaleb Washington and James White. Right now, it is believed that the Jackets could be leading with Washington and it would be difficult for them not to take him if/when he is ready to commit regardless of where they stand with some other players on their radar.
White is another player that has seen his stock rise significantly lately. The 6’5 wing recently cut his list to 12 and is quickly moving up recruiting boards, rising from unranked in December to a top 100 player this summer.
What about the big boys?
When you are talking about Georgia Tech basketball and their coaching staff, one name comes up frequently: Eric Reveno. Whether it’s trailblazing the way to educating and encouraging college students to participate in elections or turning good post players in All-Conference performers, Coach Rev is the real deal. Much like his time at Stanford, you gotta feed him. These days you just feed him big bodies to mold instead of the ball.
In the 2020 cycle, the Georgia Tech staff brought Saba Gigiberia and Jordan Meka. Both talented, both have bright futures. That doesn’t mean that Pastner and crew aren’t swarming some talented bigs in 2021.
When discussing paint players, two names came up immediately: John Butler and Ryan Mutombo.
Butler is a top 60 player being courted by everyone including the Florida State Seminoles. I am not saying that Coach Ham and crew are leading but Butler is seven feet tall so…yeah. He needs to put on weight but he is an absolute block machine.
Mutombo, son of NBA Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo is an Atlanta native and another player that is seeing his stock rise in 2020. He is currently ranked inside the top 40 by 247 sports and would be a fantastic addition to the current run of great centers coming through Atlanta.
Other players of note
I was assured that the Yellow Jackets are still recruiting Jabari Smith. Given the circumstances we are all living with in 2020, there is an expectation that players in the 2021 class may be hesitant to travel very far from home. Smith, a top 5 player in the 2021 class, is a 6’10 power forward at Sandy Creek just Southwest of Atlanta.
Some other names I would continue to watch are Elijah Tucker and Chance Moore, though the latter feels like a big time long shot at the moment.
Georgia Tech will have at least four open scholarships at the end of the 2021 season. That number could potential increase by way of transfer or players, most notably Mike Devoe, pursuing professional aspirations. The 2021 class could be the most important recruiting class of Josh Pastner’s career and he looks to be in good shape with a number of high level recruits.
There is just one thing you need to remember:
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