2017–18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by second-year head coach Josh Pastner and played their home games at Hank McCamish Pavilion as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 13–19, 6–12 in ACC play to finish in 13th place. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Boston College.

2017–18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record13–19 (6–12 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcCamish Pavilion
Seasons
2017–18 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Virginia171 .944313 .912
No. 9 Duke135 .722298 .784
No. 22 Miami (FL)117 .6112210 .688
No. 20 Clemson117 .6112510 .714
NC State117 .6112112 .636
No. 10 North Carolina117 .6112611 .703
Virginia Tech108 .5562112 .636
Florida State99 .5002312 .657
Louisville99 .5002214 .611
Notre Dame810 .4442115 .583
Syracuse810 .4442314 .622
Boston College711 .3891916 .543
Georgia Tech612 .3331319 .406
Wake Forest414 .2221120 .355
Pittsburgh018 .000824 .250
2018 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Yellow Jackets finished the 2016–17 season 21–16, 8–10 in ACC play to finish in 11th place. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Pittsburgh.[1] The Yellow Jackets received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Indiana,[2] Belmont,[3] and Ole Miss to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.[4] At MSG, they defeated Cal State Bakersfield[5] before losing in the championship game to TCU.[6][7][8]

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Jordan Price2G/F6'7172RS SeniorIndianapolis, INGraduated
Josh Heath11G6'2"179SeniorTampa, FLGraduated
Quinton Stephens12F6'9"203SeniorAtlanta, GAGraduated
Christian Matthews23F6'9"190FreshmanClinton, MDTransferred to Mineral Area College
Corey Heyward30G6'1"210RS SeniorDuluth, GAGraduated
Kellen McCormick32F6'8"215RS SeniorWest Bloomfield, MIGraduated
Rand Rowland42F6'7"213SeniorCleveland, GAGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Shembari Phillips2G6'3"192JuniorAtlanta, GATransferred from Tennessee. Under NCAA transfer rules, Phillips will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Brandon Alston4G6'5"200SeniorVienna, VATransferred from Lehigh. Will be eligible to play immediately since Alson graduated from Lehigh.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Curtis Haywood II
#37 SF
Yukon, OKBrewster Academy6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)Dec 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jose Alvarado
#34 PG
Brooklyn, NYChrist the King High School5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)160 lb (73 kg)Dec 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Moses Wright
PF
Raleigh, NCEnloe High School6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)180 lb (82 kg)Apr 8, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A
Evan Cole
PF
Cumming, GASouth Forsyth High School6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg)May 2, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

2018 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Kristian Sjolund
SF
Katy, TXTompkins High School6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)190 lb (86 kg)Aug 21, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Devoe
SG
Orlando, FLMontverde Academy6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg)Sep 23, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Khalid Moore
SF
Briarwood, NYArchbishop Molly High School6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)175 lb (79 kg)Oct 24, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G0Justin Moore6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)162 lb (73 kg)SoMission Bay HSSan Diego, CA
G1Tadric Jackson6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)203 lb (92 kg)SrTift County HSTifton, GA
G2Shembari Phillips  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)202 lb (92 kg)JrWheeler HS/Tucker HS
Tennessee
Atlanta, GA
F3Evan Cole6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)211 lb (96 kg)FrSouth Forsyth HSCumming, GA
G4Brandon Alston6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg)SrHerndon HS
Lehigh
Vienna, VA
G5Josh Okogie6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)213 lb (97 kg)SoShiloh HSSnellville, GA
G10Jose Alvarado6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)174 lb (79 kg)FrChrist the King HSBrooklyn, NY
F11Evan Jester (W)6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrSandy Creek HSRiverdale, GA
F12Moses Wright6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg)FrWilliam G. Enloe HSRaleigh, NC
G13Curtis Haywood6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)198 lb (90 kg)FrMustang HS/Brewster AcademyOklahoma City, OK
G23Jon Brown (W)6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)172 lb (78 kg)FrSports Leadership and Management AcademyMiami, FL
F24Sylvester Ogbonda6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)238 lb (108 kg)RS SoNational Christian AcademyFort Washington, MD
C32Avi Schafer (W)6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)231 lb (105 kg)RS FrBrewster AcademyOsaka, Japan
F34Abdoulaye Gueye6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)218 lb (99 kg)RS JrCentral Park ChristianDakar, Senegal
C44Ben Lammers6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)231 lb (105 kg)SrAlamo Heights HSSan Antonio, TX
G55Malachi Rice (W)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrBrebeuf Jesuit PrepIndianapolis, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2017*
12:00 pm
Georgia State
A-Town Showdown
L 58–65 
 14  Lammers/Jackson  9  Lammers  4  Moore McCamish Pavilion (2,112)
Atlanta, GA
Nov 2, 2017*
7:30 pm
FaulknerW 78–60 
 17  Wright  13  Wright  6  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (1,243)
Atlanta, GA
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
11:30 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 21 UCLA
Pac-12 China Game
L 60–63 0–1
 24  Lammers  10  Lammers  3  Alvarado Baoshan Sports Centre (4,011)
Shanghai, China
Nov 19, 2017*
2:00 pm, ACCN Extra
Bethune–Cookman
Ramblin' Wreck Showcase
W 65–62 1–1
 19  Lammers  13  Lammers  5  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (5,154)
Atlanta, GA
Nov 22, 2017*
7:30 pm, ACCN Extra
Texas–Rio Grande Valley
Ramblin' Wreck Showcase
W 78–68 2–1
 20  Alston  7  Lammers/Gueye  6  Alvarado/Haywood McCamish Pavilion (4,504)
Atlanta, GA
Nov 24, 2017*
4:00 pm, RSN
North Texas
Ramblin' Wreck Showcase
W 63–49 3–1
 19  Alvarado  7  Alvarado  4  Alvarado/Haywood McCamish Pavilion (4,867)
Atlanta, GA
Nov 28, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Northwestern
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 52–51 4–1
 13  Lammers  7  Jackson  4  Alvarado/Jackson McCamish Pavilion (5,562)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 1, 2017*
7:30 pm, ACCN Extra
Grambling State
Ramblin' Wreck Showcase
L 63–64 4–2
 22  Alvarado  9  Lammers  7  Moore McCamish Pavilion (4,925)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 3, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPNU
TennesseeL 70–77 4–3
 17  Lammers  9  Lammers  6  Haywood McCamish Pavilion (6,514)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at WoffordL 60–63 4–4
 26  Jackson  7  Lammers  3  Haywood/Jackson Benjamin Johnson Arena (2,419)
Spartanburg, SC
Dec 17, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPNU
Florida A&MW 79–54 5–4
 19  Okogie/Wright  8  Lammers  7  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (5,156)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 19, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Georgia
Rivalry
L 59–80 5–5
 21  Okogie  8  Lammers  2  Alvarado/Jackson Stegeman Coliseum (10,048)
Athens, GA
Dec 22, 2017*
9:00 pm, RSN
Wright StateL 81–85 5–6
 23  Alvarado  10  Lammers  3  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (4,522)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 27, 2017*
7:20 pm, ACCN Extra
Coppin StateW 76-62 6–6
 22  Lammers  11  Lammers  4  Alston McCamish Pavilion (5,341)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 30, 2017
2:00 pm, ESPN2
at Notre DameL 59–68 6–7
(0–1)
 16  Okogie  12  Lammers  4  Alston Purcell Pavilion (8,441)
South Bend, IN
Jan 3, 2018
9:00 pm, RSN
No. 15 Miami (FL)W 64–54 7–7
(1–1)
 30  Okogie  9  Okogie  2  Lammers/Alston/Jackson McCamish Pavilion (5,568)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 6, 2018*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
YaleW 74–60 8–7
 23  Alvarado  9  Gueye  4  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (6,630)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Notre DameW 60–53 9–7
(2–1)
 17  Okogie  10  Lammers  5  Okogie McCamish Pavilion (7,771)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 13, 2018
2:00 pm, ACCN
at PittsburghW 69–54 10–7
(3–1)
 16  Gueye  16  Lammers  5  Alston Petersen Events Center (3,544)
Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 18, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN
No. 2 VirginiaL 48–64 10–8
(3–2)
 14  Jackson  8  Lammers  5  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (8,600)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 15 North CarolinaL 66–80 10–9
(3–3)
 18  Okogie  7  Okogie  4  Jackson Dean Smith Center (20,334)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 24, 2018
7:00 pm, RSN
at Florida StateL 77–88 10–10
(3–4)
 23  Alvarado  16  Okogie  5  Okogie Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (9,879)
Tallahassee, FL
Jan 28, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 18 ClemsonL 70–72 10–11
(3–5)
 26  Okogie  7  Lammers  5  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (8,600)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 31, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN
SyracuseW 55–51 11–11
(4–5)
 20  Okogie  12  Lammers  5  Alvarado McCamish Pavilion (8,600)
Atlanta, GA
Feb 4, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPNU
at Boston CollegeL 72–80 11–12
(4–6)
 14  Lammers  12  Lammers  4  Alvarado Conte Forum (4,763)
Chestnut Hill, MA
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at LouisvilleL 54–77 11–13
(4–7)
 25  Okogie  10  Okogie  4  Alvarado KFC Yum! Center (16,533)
Louisville, KY
Feb 11, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 DukeL 69–80 11–14
(4–8)
 29  Okogie  8  Lammers  4  Okogie McCamish Pavilion (8,600)
Atlanta, GA
Feb 14, 2018
9:00 pm, RSN
at Wake ForestL 62–79 11–15
(4–9)
 20  Okogie  8  Lammers  4  Jackson LJVM Coliseum (6,133)
Winston-Salem, NC
Feb 17, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN2
Virginia TechL 56–76 11–16
(4–10)
 17  Jackson  8  Wright  4  Alston McCamish Pavilion (8,600)
Atlanta, GA
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 1 VirginiaL 54–65 11–17
(4–11)
 22  Lammers  7  Lammers/Wright  4  Okogie John Paul Jones Arena (13,873)
Charlottesville, VA
Feb 24, 2018
3:00 pm, ACCN
at No. 15 ClemsonL 67–75 11–18
(4–12)
 22  Okogie  8  Okogie  6  Okogie Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Clemson, SC
Mar 1, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN
NC StateW 78–75 12–18
(5–12)
 22  Jackson  9  Lammers  7  Lammers McCamish Pavilion (6,907)
Atlanta, GA
Mar 3, 2018
12:00 pm, RSN
Wake ForestW 64–56 13–18
(6–12)
 22  Okogie  10  Cole  4  Jackson McCamish Pavilion (7,422)
Atlanta, GA
ACC tournament
Mar 6, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN2
(13) vs. (12) Boston College
First Round
L 77–87 13–19
 29  Jackson  8  Gueye  5  Jackson Barclays Center (10,612)
Brooklyn, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References