Georgia Tech has landed a significant transfer who looks like he could fill a pressing need for the Yellow Jackets – 3-point shooting. VMI guard Bubba Parham, who tied for sixth in Division I this past season with 3.63 3-pointers per game, will transfer to Tech, he announced Tuesday night in a tweet.
Parham made 39.7 percent of his 3-point shots for the Keydets (116-for-292), 54th in the country. Of players who attempted 250 or more 3-pointers, it was 16th. Coach Josh Pastner has been in dire need of a consistent 3-point shooter.
Tech was 331st of 351 Division I teams this past season in 3-point accuracy, at 30.7 percent, after finishing 325th in 2017-18 and 266th in 2016-17. A number of losses this season could well have turned out differently had the Jackets’ 3-point shooting been merely average. Tech’s inability to consistently make 3-pointers had the additional effect of allowing defenses to retreat back into the paint to make scoring at the rim more difficult.
Parham, a graduate of Brookwood High, has played two seasons at VMI. If he were to enroll at Tech as a standard transfer, he would have to sit out next season and have two more seasons of eligibility, starting with the 2020-21 season. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds.
This past season, Parham scored 21.4 points per game, which led the Southern Conference. He also led VMI with 3.5 assists per game (sixth in the conference) while also averaging 3.4 rebounds per game.
In a 92-82 loss at Kentucky in November, he scored 35 points on 10-for-16 shooting from 3-point range. The 10 made 3-pointers were one shy of the record for a Wildcats opponent. His 35 points were the most given up in Rupp Arena by a visitor since January 2013. It was one of nine games in the season in which he scored 30 points or more.
“He made some crazy ones now,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game.
No fewer than four of his 3-pointers were from at least three feet behind the arc, including one he took from the edge of the center-court logo with a hand in his face.
“We all dream of playing in big arenas like this,” Parham said after the game. “I’m just blessed to be able to have the opportunity, and my coach has the faith in me to shoot the ball and it’s a blessing.”
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