The following, a new weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find in informative, insightful and fun.
Give the kid a chance
The Hawks took a chance on newest rookie Mouhamed Gueye when they traded their 2027 second-round pick to the Celtics for his draft rights last month. The 20-year-old forward intrigued the Hawks with his raw skills despite having less than four years of experience under his belt.
Gueye already has impressed his young teammates with the skills that caught the eyes of the Hawks’ top brass. AJ Griffin, who is the second youngest player on the team, has noticed his maturity and readiness to compete. Griffin recounted a recent three-on-three game that he played with Gueye and pointed to the Senegalese forward’s intensity in that casual setting.
Gueye also has shown his new teammates that he has the skills to back up that intensity.
“That’s another thing like skill-wise he’ll be able to knock down 3′s in the corners. He’ll shoot off the dribble, too,” Griffin said. “So, there’s a play we were just running in practice. He wasn’t supposed to dunk it, he dunked it anyways. I was like, ‘You go ahead, Moe. You go ahead, go do your thing.’ So, it’s cool to see that.”
Gueye also blew away fellow draft classmate, Seth Lundy, who said that he was a better shooter than he thought.
“I did not expect it,” Lundy said. “I’m not gonna lie. Moe can shoot the ball. He’s 6-11, he can put it on the ground little bit. So, I feel like Moe can definitely, you know, play some ‘D.’ So pleasantly surprised.”
A Washington State product, Gueye will get to show off jumper when the Hawks play in the Las Vegas Summer League this week.
An early look at Ireland
Members of the Georgia Tech football team took a trip to Ireland this week ahead of the program’s scheduled contest Aug. 24, 2024, at AVIVA Stadium in Dublin.
Safety LaMiles Brooks, cornerback K.J. Wallace, tight end Billy Ward, kicker Gavin Stewart and punter David Shanahan, an Ireland native, arrived in the European country Monday. The crew visited Gaelic football team Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, Down Syndrome Kerry and Coolmore Stud stallion farm.
The Yellow Jackets ended the trip Thursday with a visit to AVIVA Stadium, the site of their ‘24 season-opening matchup with Florida State.
-Staff writers Lauren Williams and Chad Bishop contributed to this article.
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