In its lone exhibition of the preseason, Georgia Tech tested itself against Morehouse on Sunday afternoon, prevailing 89-52 at McCamish Pavilion. Of more importance, coach Josh Pastner was able to look at 11 of his 13 scholarship players (Bubba Parham was out recovering from knee surgery, and Tristan Maxwell was not available because of a medical situation), try out different combinations and honor the late Grady Brewer, the longtime coach of the Maroon Tigers who died in May at the age of 63.
Brewer, an Atlanta native, was an iconic figure in the city’s basketball circles and a friend of Pastner’s. Their teams had played in January 2020. After Brewer’s passing, Pastner sought to schedule the exhibition as a way to give Morehouse players the opportunity to play in McCamish and also to help the team financially. Brewer’s memory was honored with a moment of silence before the game. Sunday also was the Maroon Tigers’ first time on a court in a competitive setting since March 2020, as the Division II team did not compete last season because of COVID-19.
“Just a great man a great coach, great for the city,” Pastner said. “We just lost him too young.”
Five takeaways from the exhibition:
1. Post players audition
Pastner’s three post players, vying for playing time with ACC player of the year Moses Wright now in the professional ranks, were under close watch. With all three lacking in significant experience, it is a critical spot for the defending ACC champions.
Junior Rodney Howard started and looked the most comfortable and decisive in handling the ball on the high post, a key task for big men in the Tech offense. He was active on defense with his hands and playing help defense on Morehouse players who had gotten free to the basket. He was credited with three steals, three rebounds and a block. However, he didn’t look to score and finished with no points and one field-goal attempt in 17 minutes.
“I think Rodney can do different things defensively,” Pastner said. “He can guard on the perimeter. He’s got to be a better rebounder for us, even outside of his area.”
A sophomore who played sparingly as a freshman, Saba Gigiberia showed good hands and more of a scoring propensity. He rebounded well and challenged shots, but he doesn’t have Howard’s strength and at times was tentative. He finished with eight points (2-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line) with six rebounds in 14 minutes.
“If he keeps it simple, he can be really effective, but he’s got to use his size to his advantage because he is long and he gets his hand on lots of balls, which is a good thing,” Pastner said. “And he’s a smart player. He’s just got to keep things simple and be a defensive presence.”
Sophomore Jordan Meka, who was put in the game last among the three, had his playing time limited by an apparent ankle injury. He ran the floor well and had two points and five rebounds in nine minutes. Last season, Meka played one game before undergoing season-ending back surgery.
“He’s just got to continue to get better skill-wise,” Pastner said.
2. Transfer Deivon Smith makes debut
Deivon Smith, the point guard who was a four-star prospect at Grayson High and transferred to Tech from Mississippi State, distinguished himself with his speed and quickness up the floor. Smith ran the break, created for teammates and played effective on-ball defense.
He made one of the plays of the game, leading a fast break and delivering a bounce pass to Jordan Usher in stride for a dunk. Coming off the bench, he finished with 10 points, eight assists against one turnover, three steals and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
“I’m a pass-first guard,” Smith said. “I look to get my teammates involved. That gets me going and gets my motor going.”
Pastner said he can envision Smith and Kyle Sturdivant sharing minutes at the point as they attempt to succeed ACC defensive player of the year Jose Alvarado.
“I’m hard on him and Kyle Sturdivant because we need those guys,” Pastner said. “You’re losing Alvarado, who was defensive player of the year and set the tone for us defensively. Those two have got to set the tone for us defensively, especially guard rebounding.”
3. Freshmen show their stuff
Pastner’s three freshmen, guards Deebo Coleman and Miles Kelly and forward Jalon Moore, all showed signs that they could contribute. Coleman, noted for his range, was 2-for-4 from 3-point range and totaled 10 points. Moore had four points and five rebounds with two steals. Kelly showed a scoring touch with seven points on 3-for-7 shooting.
They moved the ball effectively and weren’t out of control, as sometimes happens with freshmen playing in this new setting. Coleman, named Florida’s Mr. Basketball as a high-school senior last year, might be the most ready to play of the three, followed by Kelly and Moore.
The three checked into the game together for the first time at the 15:21 mark of the first half with Smith and Gigiberia. They played as a unit for the next 3½ minutes, building the lead from 13-3 to 23-8.
“It was definitely exciting because last year, I was in those shoes, as well, and I had to learn from somebody,” said Smith, speaking of his freshman season at Mississippi State. “So just to be out there with them in my second year, I feel like I helped them a lot today, just being poised out there and being calm and making good decisions. And I feel like even Miles and Deebo, they hit very big shots and they played very good defense.”
4. Experiments with combinations
Pastner tried a variety of lineup combinations. Perhaps the most intriguing was a lineup midway through the second half of Michael Devoe, Usher, Sturdivant, Smith and Coleman, in which Usher was the tallest player on the floor for Jackets at 6-foot-7. That lineup and subsequent iterations (Sturdivant fouled out and was replaced by Kelly, who himself was subbed out for Moore) enabled the Jackets to spread the floor and have speed at every position to apply pressure and get up the floor quickly.
“We’ve tried it on different occasions in practice, but for me to play with a group just as fast as me and everybody gets out and run, that’s one of my strengths,” Smith said. “I want to get out, push the ball, find open teammates as I did (Sunday), get everybody else going, like I said, and create for myself as well.”
5. Longer rotation a possibility
Even in losing Alvarado and Wright, Pastner believes that this team could be deeper. He typically plays a six- or seven-man rotation, “but I think for this year, we’re going to have to get into an eight-, nine-man rotation and figure that out.”
Playing more players could allow the Jackets to play at a faster pace, as Pastner likes the team’s overall speed. The Jackets also tried out a few full-court presses, which may also be incorporated into the defensive scheme.
The likely players in the rotation would be Khalid Moore, Devoe (who led Sunday with 23 points and committed only one turnover in 21 minutes of play), Parham (who did not play as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee), Sturdivant, Smith and Usher. That’s six.
Howard and Gigiberia would seem to be the leading post candidates to play, making eight. That could leave spots for perhaps one of the freshmen, perhaps Coleman.
Pastner acknowledged that, as the team adjusts to the loss of Wright and Alvarado and bring the post players up to speed, there will be an adjustment period through the non-conference season, which begins with the season opener against Miami (Ohio) at home Nov. 9.
“We have some opportunities to just kind of see where guys are at,” Pastner said. “But we play good teams, so it’s going to be a dogfight.”
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