Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
PG – Kenny Anderson (1989-1991)
Most people remember Kenny as a one and done, but that’s actually incorrect. He played two seasons on the flats. The 1989-90 ACC Rookie of the Year was dominant from the first day on the court. Together with Brian Oliver and Dennis Scott, he formed “Lethal Weapon 3”, a collection of scorers unlike any college basketball had ever seen before.
As a true freshman, the New York native averaged 21 points, 8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. He followed that up with a sophomore season of 26 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.7 rebounds before heading to the NBA. He was a 2x All-ACC first team member as well as a 1990 All-Tournament team member.
Kenny went on to be the 2nd overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. During a career decimated by injuries, he averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 858 career contests.
G – Mark Price (1982-1986)
Look, you’re not going to not put Mark Price on this list and you’re not going to not put Kenny on this list. Price is certainly capable of being a shooting guard. Price was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1982-83 and made either the second team (1x) or the first team (3x) every year he played in the ACC. He scored a total of 2,193 points without the 3-point line. In his NBA career he would make nearly 1,000 career triples.
Price is also considered the player that got the ball rolling for Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech and first of a tremendous string of point guards to come through the Institute.
SF – Dennis Scott (1987-1990)
D3. The name says it all. Scott is one of the most prolific shooters in ACC history, draining 351 triples in three seasons in Atlanta. Remember how we talked about Redick and his 139? In 1989-90, Dennis Scott made 137. So when you compare the next great shooter in college basketball to Redick, remember that Redick was the next Dennis Scott.
Mark Price’s 2,193 points are obviously impressive, Dennis Scott scored 2,115 points…in 27 fewer games. The 1989-90 ACC Player of the Year was a consensus All-American after averaging 27.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. His career 3-point shooting percentage was 42.2%.
Scott was the fourth overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft and eventually played on the Orlando Magic teams that featured Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Nick Anderson. He retired in 2000 as a career 39.7% shooter from behind the arc.
F – Matt Harpring (1994-1998)
Matt Harpring was one of the biggest recruiting coups in Georgia Tech history. The story goes he was a short, skinny, hard worker out of Marist who played incredibly hard. When he arrived on campus, he filled out and became one of the greatest players in Georgia Tech history.
When he graduated, he was second on the Georgia Tech career points list at 2,225 as well as second on the career rebounding list at 997. He currently sits at No. 3 in rebounds. He was also recognized as being one of the 50 greatest players in ACC history in 2002.
Harpring was the 15th selection in the 1998 NBA draft and played 665 career games in the league, averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Like many others on this list, injuries cost him a ton of games and took away a lot of the game we saw in Atlanta.
C – Chris Bosh (2002-2003)
There are a lot of names that could have gone here and I said at the outset that the one-and-dones would be hard to come by. Chris Bosh was exceptional. As a true freshman, he averaged roughly 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game to help Paul Hewitt’s young Yellow Jacket’s squad reach the NIT. He led the ACC in field goal percentage and blocks and was top 10 in points, rebounds, offensive and defensive win shares, and free throw attempts.
Bosh was selected 4th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He was an 11x All-Star and 2x NBA Champion. He recently retired due to blood clotting issues.
Others considered: Stephon Marbury, James Forrest, Jarrett Jack, BJ Elder, John Salley, Tom Hammonds, Travis Best, Tony Akins, Will Bynum, Alvin Jones, and Josh Okogie.