Massive Insights As Georgia Tech 6-foot-8 Forward Earns Significant NCAA-recognized Award

October 16, 2024 Nero Scofield

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech forward Baye Ndongo has been selected for the Pre-Season All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team by the conference’s media panel.

The 6-9 forward from Mboro, Senegal was the Yellow Jackets’ second-leading scorer last season with an average of 12.4 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. He earned a spot on the ACC All-Rookie team and was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award, which recognizes the nation’s top freshman. Ndongo ranked seventh in the ACC for rebounding average, sixth in offensive rebounds (2.55 per game), second in field goal percentage (55.8%), and twelfth in blocked shots (1.10 per game).

He played a crucial role in the Jackets’ strong finish to the season, averaging 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds over the final four games while shooting 55.3% from the field and converting 14 of 17 free throws. He recorded six double-doubles during the season and narrowly missed four others by just one rebound.

Georgia Tech has been projected to finish 12th out of the 18 teams in the ACC. Ndongo joins two other returning starters from the 2023-24 team: 6-3 sophomore point guard Naithan George (Toronto, Ontario), who averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 assists per game, and 6-7 senior wing Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (Macon, Ga.), who also averaged 9.8 points and led the team in three-point shooting percentage at 38.3%. Additionally, Tech welcomes back 6-3 guard Lance Terry (College Park, Ga.), who redshirted last season after averaging 10.1 points and hitting 38.8% of his three-point attempts in 2022-23.

The 6-foot-8 Dennis Scott is one of only five players in Georgia Tech history to be named a first-team All-American by an NCAA-recognized organization, earning accolades in 1990 from Basketball Times, The Sporting News, the Wooden Award, the United States Basketball Writers Association, the Naismith Award, and The National. He also received second-team honors from three other organizations and was a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden Awards in 1990.

As part of the Yellow Jackets’ famed Lethal Weapon 3 trio, alongside Brian Oliver and Kenny Anderson, Scott led Tech to its second-ever ACC title and its first NCAA Final Four in 1990, achieving 28 wins before losing to UNLV in the national semifinal in Denver, Colorado.

Scott became eligible for jersey retirement in December after receiving his Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia Tech. He will be officially recognized, with a banner honoring him, at a home basketball game during the 2024-25 season.

“Dennis’ basketball achievements are outstanding,” said his legendary Georgia Tech coach, Bobby Cremins. “He has made Atlanta his home for over 20 years after his playing career. For the past two years, Dennis has been attending classes on campus, and with his mother Elizabeth, wife Rachael, and his children proudly watching, he graduated on December 16th in the arena where he played. I know Dennis well, and I couldn’t be prouder of who he is and how he represents Georgia Tech.”

Preseason ACC Poll

School, Points

Duke (42), 956
North Carolina (11), 924
Wake Forest (1), 800
Clemson, 765
Virginia, 743
Miami, 659
Pitt, 636
NC State, 550
Louisville, 518
Notre Dame, 462
Syracuse, 454
Georgia Tech, 433
SMU, 344
Virginia Tech, 252
Florida State, 251
California, 206
Stanford, 165
Boston College, 116
(First-place votes in parentheses; 54 total voters)

Preseason ACC Player of the Year

RJ Davis, North Carolina, 40 votes
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 10
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 3
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford, 1

Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year

Cooper Flagg, Duke, 53 votes
Jeremiah Wilkinson, California, 1

Preseason All-ACC Team

First Team

RJ Davis*, North Carolina, 54
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 52
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 52
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 41
Nijel Pack, Miami, 37

Second Team

Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 36
Chase Hunter, Clemson, 31
Jamir Watkins, Florida State, 26
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 21
Ishmael Leggett, Pitt, 20

TICKET OPTIONS FOR GEORGIA TECH FANS

Single-game tickets for Georgia Tech fans start as low as $12 f or u pp er - l e v e l se a t s, w hi l e l o w er - l e v e lt i c k e t s b e g ina t$ 38. All home games are available for purchase, except for Tech’s ACC home opener against Duke on December 21, which will be offered at a later date. The Yellow Jackets will also host important non-conference matches against Georgia (November 15) and Cincinnati (November 23), along with ACC games against Boston College, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Virginia Tech in January, and Louisville, Stanford, California, NC State, and Miami in February and March. The regular-season home schedule kicks off on November 6 against West Georgia.

For the 2024-25 season, partial ticket plans are offered, including a nine-game plan centered on key ACC matchups and a six-game plan featuring only weekend games. The nine-game plan highlights the December 21 game against Duke and includes matches against Notre Dame (December 31), Clemson (January 14), Stanford (February 12), and Miami (March 4), starting at $204. T h es i x - g am e pl an f e a t u res t h er i v a l ry g am e a g ain s tG eor g ia o n N o v e mb er 15 an d in c l u d es a dd i t i o na l A CC g am es a g ain s tB os t o n C o ll e g e (J an u a ry 4), L o u i s v i ll e (F e b r u a ry 1), C a l i f or nia (F e b r u a ry 15), an d NCSt a t e (M a rc h 1), w i t h p r i cess t a r t in g a t$ 171.

Season-ticket memberships for the 2024-25 season are currently on sale. The Yellow Jackets’ 19-game home schedule will feature new conference members California and Stanford, with six home games scheduled on either a Friday (Georgia) or Saturday (Cincinnati, Central Arkansas, Duke, Boston College, Louisville, California, NC State). Season ticket prices start at $290, an d t i c k e t s f or n e w a l u mni c anb eo b t ain e df or a s l o w a s$ 190.

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