ACC Basketball: Can Georgia Tech, Wake Forest rediscover their glory days?
By Amaar Burton
There are some solid young players in both programs, however, that may bode well for the future
The most promising at Wake Forest is junior center Olivier Sarr. The seven-footer is averaging 12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Full of potential, he shows flashes of greatness — like on Wednesday when Sarr made a graceful left-hand Sky Hook that got Duncan’s attention from courtside.
Georgia Tech’s two best players are junior guard Jose Alvarado (22 points against Wake) and sophomore guard Michael Devoe (24 points, five rebounds, five assists). ROOT SPORTS analyst Cory Alexander said Alvarado and Devoe might be a top-two backcourt in the ACC.
What kind of talent will these programs be adding to the mix?
According to 247Sports.com, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest have the 52nd and 60th-ranked recruiting classes for 2020.
Georgia Tech’s incoming group includes 7’0″ center Saba Gigiberia from California, 6’9″ forward Jordan Meka from Georgia, and shooting guard Tristan Maxwell from North Carolina. They are each 3-star prospects.
Wake Forest has signed a quartet of 3-star prospects: Chicago point guard Marcus Watson, 6’11” North Carolina forward Jaylon Gibson, New Jersey point guard Quadry Adams, and North Carolina combo guard Djimon Bailey.
Putting together a top-60 recruiting class when there are 347 men’s Division 1 college programs is relatively good. But not so good compared to the rest of the ACC. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest rank 12th and 13th in the conference for 2020 recruiting; only Boston College and Notre Dame are lower. Five ACC programs made the ranking’s top 25.
Wake Forest can offer the tradition of Tobacco Road; Georgia Tech can sell the appeal of metropolitan Atlanta. Both schools have produced well-known pros, both have had successful pasts, and both have the ACC platform on which to perform.
And yet Wake is bringing in a recruiting class that is ranked 53 spots below next-door neighbor NC State (seventh), and Tech got out-recruited by in-state mid-major Kennesaw State.