Tech's Udofia good at the point, wing, wherever

By Carroll Rogers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech freshman Mfon Udofia is playing point guard and shooting guard. Just don't ask his coach to make a distinction.

"Honestly I couldn’t tell you what position he's playing right now," Coach Paul Hewitt said. "He's just out there."

He's out there because of his hustle, his fearless style, and the progress he has made in his first six games as a college player. Udofia has scored in double-digits each of the past three games entering Saturday's game with USC.

He's coming off a 26-point performance against Siena. He made five 3-pointers in that game, adding some shooting touch to the high energy Hewitt has seen since the early days of practice.

"I had no intention of starting him at the beginning of the season, but he just kind of forced his way into the starting lineup by how hard he plays," Hewitt said.

The Miller Grover graduate is sharing ball-handling duties with Iman Shumpert and in some cases Moe Miller.

"We're interchangeable," Udofia said of Shumpert. "I feel like I’m a 1-2, and he's a 1-2. The Final Four team [of 2004], they had Jarrett Jack, Will Bynum, all those guys. They were running a three-guard offense the same way we do. I feel like all of us are point guards."

Big men match-ups

One thing Hewitt lamented about losing in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-off tournament was that the Yellow Jackets didn't face teams with more established big men, like Kansas State or Ole Miss.

Big challenges are coming for the post tandem of Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors once ACC play starts, beginning with Florida State on Dec. 20.

The duo hasn't really been tested yet, not that it bothers Lawal.

"Not to be cocky or anything, but whether they're the best or whether they're the worst, as a frontcourt we're going to go hard and try to dominate regardless," Lawal said. "That's the mind-set I know I take. I'm pretty sure Derrick and Zach (Peacock) take as well."

Shumpert sore

Shumpert has been playing with a strained muscle behind his right knee since the preseason. He said he aggravated it slipping on the court in Puerto Rico.

But Shumpert says it's not affecting his jump shot, despite his dip in scoring over the past three games. He averaged 13 points in the first three games and 3.7 points the past three.

"I think it might take a little bit of my jumping ability away, my explosion, but that'll all come back," Shumpert said.

Shumpert said lately he's more focused on his floor game, and that has improved. After committing more turnovers than assists in each of his first three games (for a total of six assists, 12 turnovers), he has had more assists than turnovers in each of the past three (22 assists, eight turnovers).

"Last year I was more of a chance-taker," the sophomore said. "This year I’m trying to be a lot more efficient."