Scott Cross found two of his kind in Georgia Tech basketball’s new backcourt
When Scott Cross assembled his first Georgia Tech roster this offseason, he prioritized two players who shared several traits: efficient, unselfish scorers with a hard-nosed mentality.
The potential complication: Nasir Whitlock and Colby Garland had both played point guard.
The path for playing together as Yellow Jackets was cleared when Garland and Whitlock watched film of each other.
“Usually people would be like, ‘OK, I wouldn’t want to play with somebody at my same position,’” Garland said. “I watched Nas’ film and I’m like, ‘Yo, me and him can really partner and pair well.’”
Through two games, that assessment has proved correct.
Whitlock finished Friday’s 95-83 victory over Georgia Southern with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Garland, who had 11 points and six assists Friday, led all scorers with 16 points in Tuesday’s season-opening win against Hampton.
The two have led the way statistically during Cross’ successful start at Tech (2-0). But their significance to the team goes beyond the numbers.
“Nas never gets rattled,” Cross said. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s having a good game, a bad game, he’s consistent. He’s a great teammate. He never says anything negative. He’s an uplifting guy.
“Colby is a fierce competitor. He brings a ton of energy. He’s the guy that can really motivate the guys and kind of get them going because he can be vocal at times. I think when he brings that positive energy, it does transcend the rest of the team.”
Whitlock spent his first three college seasons at Lehigh in the Patriot League. As a junior, he averaged 20.5 points per game and made 43.3% of his 3-point attempts.
His Tech debut against Hampton was far less productive. Whitlock scored four points on 2-of-11 shooting and did not record an assist.
“Nas didn’t have his best game, but I believe in the percentages,” Cross said. “He’s too good of a player.”
Whitlock delivered a much different performance against Georgia Southern. He took just 11 shots to pile up the points, drawing eight fouls and making 13-of-14 at the free-throw line.
“That’s probably going to go down as one of the most efficient games from an individual all year long, if I was guessing,” Cross said.
Garland, who averaged 20.3 points per game last season at San Jose State, also found ways to contribute Friday despite a difficult shooting night.
He scored 11 points on 1-of-4 shooting, made 9 of 10 free throws and added six assists.
Against Hampton, he made 7 of 10 shots from the field.
Their production has varied. Their approach, they said, has not.
“We don’t care about whose night it is, who’s doing what, we just want to win,” Whitlock said. “And I think that’s rare, especially when you have somebody at the same position as you.”
Garland and Whitlock quickly became friends when they arrived in Atlanta. They often ride together to campus each day.
During preseason practice, Whitlock told Garland the reason they had been brought to Tech was because they had been “taking the stairs” their whole lives.
It was a reference to Cross’ blue-collar motto, which defines his approach to basketball. It also reflected the paths both players took to reach the ACC.
“That’s my brother,” Garland said. “We built that camaraderie and relationship off the court, so when it comes to the court it’s very easy to play with him.”
Cross has described recruiting through the transfer portal as “speed dating.” There isn’t much time to vet backgrounds, and his staff had to decide quickly which players to pursue.
In Garland and Whitlock, Cross found two players who fit the mentality and style of play he aimed to build at Tech. Through two victories, they have lived up to that evaluation.
“I don’t see a ceiling,” Garland said. “Our ceiling is how far can we take it. I think we can go above and beyond.”