With only 3 returning players from last season, there was a big need to bring in some talent and experience. Damon Stoudamire ended up bringing in 4 new faces to supplement the roster, a few of which should
play significant roles this season. Given Georgia Tech basketball’s NIL budget (or lack thereof), Stoudamire was mostly limited to either players who succeeded at lower levels and are looking for a jump up or players who struggled at a major conference school and are looking at a second shot. The transfers split evenly into two of each.
Kam Craft from Miami (OH) and Lamar Washington from Pacific figure to play major minutes for this team and I believe that both will be starting from game 1. Craft is a 6’6” wing who is at Georgia Tech to do one thing, drain 3 pointers. Craft played his freshman season at Xavier where he did not end playing very much. Then he transferred to Miami for his sophomore year where he played a major part on the team. He is an absolute sharpshooter. He shot 43.1% from 3 last year on high volume (6.6 attempts per game). Georgia Tech was average at 3-point shooting last year and Craft could really elevate that. The downside for Craft is that he doesn’t really do all that much else but shoot. Offensively he doesn’t create and he doesn’t get to the line. He spot up shoots and stretches the defense. Defensively he’s not that great either. He barely rebounds for a guy his size. I’m interested to see how Stoudamire moves him around to get him open for shots. If he wants to play as big of a role as I think he can then he’ll need to develop something else in his game and be at least usable defensively.
Lamar Washington is a 6’4” combo guard who I expect to play starting point guard for this team. Washington spent his first two seasons at Texas Tech playing on the bench and not making much of a statement. He transferred to Pacific last year and put up stats that seem really promising at first look. 13.5 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.1 RPG. The downside is that his shooting efficiency was low and he turned the ball over a lot. Part of the issue was that Pacific was dreadful last year. And the big issue was that Washington was the only decent guard on the team. Being on GT will provide some relief to him, but he’ll still be expected to create more than I am confident in. He started shooting better from deep last year, but still only hit 29.6% from 3. The reporting on this transfer focuses on Lamar’s connection to Stoudamire. Washington is from Portland, OR where Damon has a lot of connections. He believes that Lamar has potential that has not been unlocked yet. I hope that he’s correct because getting this team really needs someone who can create on the perimeter.
Peyton Marshall was a big time recruit out of Marietta and Overtime Elite who went to Missouri last year. He was ranked 70th nationally, a 4-star. But he barely played in his freshman season. Missouri played a lot of small ball lineups last year because they didn’t trust most of their big men, but he still couldn’t see the floor. Normally I’d be very pessimistic about his odds to make a difference this year, but there is one thing that makes me have hope. Marshall struggled to get playing time in part because of weight issues that harmed his athleticism and conditioning. He was listed at 300, but I don’t think there’s any way that’s accurate. He looked bigger than that. But from the pictures we’ve seen from fall practice he legitimately looks like he has lost 100 pounds. The team calls him Slim P now and they’re not saying that ironically. I’m astounded at his transformation and hopeful that this helps him live up to his high school billing. He’s a legitimate 7 footer who has some feel for the game. It helps that it seems like he will be starting the season as the first big man off the bench so he’s not being asked to do too much. But we will see if his new physique brings new success.
Chas Kelley III played his first 3 seasons at Boston College playing increasing minutes last year. That peaked last year when he played about half of all available minutes for the Eagles at point guard. He brings a lot of experience and comfortability in the ACC to the team. The problem is that he was not that good at BC (who were terrible last year). He shot only 37.9% from the field (although 32.3% from 3 on low volume). He was not an exceptional distributor. Perhaps a change of scenery and a stronger supporting cast (at least compared to last season’s BC squad) will help him get some more opportunities. But I expect that he’ll mostly play as a depth piece this year. He might play a decent amount early in the season as a steady hand at the point guard position behind Washington, but I expect one of the freshman guards to overtake as the season goes on. Or perhaps Jaeden Mustaf will take that role to start the year. If we get good minutes out of Kelley this year then this will be a pleasant surprise.
This isn’t a smash hit transfer class, but I think there’s serious potential here and at least 3 of the 4 could play a significant role if this team was going to make a run at the tournament.
