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 By David Dacus/ Student Publications |
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| Dion Glover's summer experience with the USA Goodwill Games team should help him adjust to his new role as the Jackets' primary scorer. | |
The coaches began laying out the pieces of the puzzle by recruiting and capturing freshman Tony Akins. Akins plays the point guard, a position that has unfortunately become vacated for the second straight year since New York phenom Stephon Marbury departed for the NBA.
Travis Spivey, 6-3, 203 pounds, was the starter for last year's 19-14 squad but left stating unhappiness with the whole academic environment as his reason, although it was never said that Spivey fell below the minimum GPA to play. Spivey was a solid and physical guard with excellent quickness. He averaged 7 points 5 assists, possessing a toughness about him that did not show up in the statbooks but did help the team win.
Stepping into his shoes will be Tony Akins, a 5-11, 183-pound guard from the Gwinnet Area who was, among other things, the Player of the Year in Georgia. Akins averaged 29 points and 6.5 assists a game, leading his Berkmar team to the State Championship where they lost. Watching Akins play the following things can be said about him. Don't leave him wide open from the outside, Akins will knock it down. This was one of the criticisms of the guards from the previous two years who people said couldn't shoot. Akins has a pure left handed jumper with a quick release, and his quickness is pretty high which will give bigger guards fits.
Akins' defense is not as physical as Spivey's, a drawback that will show when playing the big guards in the ACC like veteran Ed Cota. Other drawbacks involve his height. Akins may be able to get to the hole, but in attempting to finish the giants in the middle will be waiting for him to lay the ball up. Lastly, the lack of experience on this high level of game is a major drawback . The ACC is rough on most freshman, a tragedy avoided by people like Michael Jordan, Stephon Marbury, and Kenny Anderson which made these guards so special. Right now what the fans will see is an unseasoned Travis Best, but the ability to develop rather quickly is there.
Another very viable candidate for the point guard spot is redshirt sophomore Darryl LaBarrie. LaBarrie, who stands at 6-3, 195 pounds, had to sit out last year after transferring from Florida A&M. While at Florida A&M, Labarrie averaged 12.1 points while making All-Rookie team. Other accomplishments include leading Tucker to the AAA Championship in 1995. Labarrie has a very solid game controlling the ball with minimum turnovers and has worked on his jumper this summer in the gym. Dont be surprised if you see him getting a lot of playing time even if he is less heralded than Akins.
Filling out the guard spot is sophomore T.J. Vines. Vines played within himself last year showing that he can knock down the three pointer and provide solid minutes off the bench. While less athletically gifted than the aforementioned guards, Vines has the ability to make some very important contributions off the bench for Coach Cremins.
The Jackets have loads of experience and talent at the shooting guard position. Sophomore star Dion Glover and pure shooter Jason Floyd will provide a lot of points this year on the wing. Glover, 6-5, 235 pounds, was a McDonlald's All-American coming out of high school last year, and he did not disappoint finishing as the third leading freshman scorer in the nation. Glover averaged 18.5 ppg, 2.1 steals , 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The biggest criticism of "Glove" last year was his turnovers. Dion gave up the ball to the opponents 117 times last year but, he also got it back with 70 steals. Don't look for that to be a problem this year as experience will no doubt cut down on Dion's errors. Not only did he play 35 minutes a game last year he also played in on the twelve man Goodwill Games1998 USA Basketball team which won the gold medal. Glover saw a good bit of playing time with these all stars and most importantly in crunch time where his driving ability and quickness were important assets. There is no question that this is Dion's team, Glover being the first option on most offensive sets.
Jason Floyd stands on the other side of the perimeter with the pure jumper. Floyd is a 6-6, 195-pound junior who really hasn't had a chance to shine yet while here at Tech. The designated sixth man, Floyd looked to pass to veterans Mike Maddox and Matt Harpring last year. This year, Floyd will have to get back to his high school days where he scored over forty points several times and 63 one time in an AAU game. "J" possesses excellent jumping ability enabling him to finish strong at the basket and rebound well. His averages of 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds does not really reflect his ability as he only got 17 minutes a game. Instead, games like Seton Hall where he hit three three pointers on the way to 15 points are a better reflection of Floyd's ability. Like most shooters, Floyd is the kind of player who needs to play a lot of minutes so he can develop a rhythm and feel for the game rather than being subbed in an out. In order for Floyd to see more time this year he will have pick up his defense considerably along with his ability to break a defender down off the dribble. If Floyd has a good season, look for Tech back in the NCAA's.
Controlling the middle will be the twin towers Alvin Jones and transfer Jason Collier. Jones was last year's big surprise giving GT a much needed presence in the middle. The 6-11, 256-pound sophomore averaged 4.3 blocks a game finishing as the third leading blocker in the nation. Jones also averaged 6.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. This is where he needs to pick his game up. Alvin needs to at least average a double double in points and rebounds while maintaining his blocking ability. Hampered by a foot injury in the off season, Jones will have to work hard in camp to step up to that level.
Playing the four position will be transfer Jason Collier. Collier, 6-11, originally played under Bob Knight at Indiana where he averaged 9.7 ppg his first season. Ten games into the next season he averaged 10.7 ppg and 5.2 rebounds per game. After the tenth game he left Indiana stating personal problems with Coach Knight(who would have thunk it?) as his reason. Since he left half way through the season, he is eligible to play at the end of this fall quarter meaning he will start right at the beginning of the ACC schedule. Collier is not exceptionally athletic, but he has a soft touch around the basket and is big body in the paint.
It is arguable that this may be Techs biggest frontline in the past twenty years giving them a force in the post to go along with along with all the talented guards that Cremins always recruits.
Rounding out the notable players is returning forward Jon Babul. Babul was hurt last year and redshirted. However, he is now back to 100% and stands at 6-7, 218 pounds adding some weight in the offseason. Babul possesses excellent jumping ability and has scrappy defense. He works well in the open court where his athleticism can take over.
This year's team will be very successful finishing no worse than third in the ACC, and they will make it back to the NCAA tournament. They have a seasoned superstar in Glover whose back they can ride if things get desperate. They possess size in the post with Collier and Jones. Floyd and Babul are athletic players who can also shoot, giving the Jackets a boost off the bench.
Right now the only question mark is at the point guard spot where everyone is young. However, the combination of Akins and Labarrie will be solid enough to carry the team early in the season and as these two get some games under their belt, watch for Tech to go on a string of wins. Finally, after a two year wait, March Madness will return to North Avenue.