As if starting the season without both last season's leading scorer and starting point guard was not enough to give Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins the aches, he had to endure yet another Maalox moment only 10 minutes into the season.
Tech sophomore Dion Glover, the leading returning scorer in the ACC, tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments during the team's first practice. Glover shortly underwent surgery and will redshirt this season.
The injury to Glover was a major blow to the Yellow Jackets. The former McDonald's All-American averaged 18.4 points per game and was selected as a finalist for National Player of the Year honors. The loss of Glover along with the graduation of All-ACC forward Matt Harpring and Michael Maddox has left the team with a huge scoring void. The trio contributed for nearly 70 percent of last year's scoring.
"I think everyone is over the initial shock of losing Dion," Cremins said. "I'm really proud what the team has done. We've moved on. The whole team has deep feelings for Dion because we know how much he loves the game and how hard he worked in the preseason.
"But we realize that he won't be with us. The other players are stepping up and doing a good job. I'm very pleased right now."
One player Cremins hopes can step up is center Alvin Jones. The sophomore received All-freshman and All-defensive honors last year as he set a school record for blocks in a season with 141 while averaging 6.7 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Jones was hampered with a stress fracture in the offseason, but he says he improved during the summer.
"I've been working hard on my scoring," the 6-foot-11 center said. "I'd like to raise my scoring and rebounding
Other returnees expected to make major contributions on offense include junior Jason Floyd and sophomore Jon Babul. The 6-5 Floyd, Tech's top reserve last year, is a streaky wing player who averaged 6.4 points per game. He will be called upon to be a more consistent player.
Babul, a 6-7 wing player, returns to the team following a medical redshirt season. The sophomore was expected to contribute off the bench but now will be a probable starter following the injury to Glover.
The Yellow Jackets will not be completely dependent on their returnees. Tech will receive inside help when seven-foot transfer Jason Collier is eligible in December. The post player averaged 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while at Indiana.
Collier transferred from Indiana after a tumultuous relationship with Hoosier coach Bobby Knight.
"With Coach Knight and me, it was like a sour marriage," Collier said. "When the marriage goes bad, you want to get out, and so that's what I did. I just couldn't take him anymore."
Despite his size, Collier has the ability to roam outside the paint. He has the ability to shoot from three-point range and will complement Jones inside.
With the addition of Collier, Cremins will now have the luxury of playing a slower halfcourt set that will allow Jones and Collier to carry the brunt of the scoring. It will also put less pressure on Tech's point-guard situation.
This season will mark the fourth consecutive year the Yellow Jackets will be starting a freshman at point guard.
Tony Akins will take the reins of the offense following the departure of Travis Spivey. The 6-foot Akins was selected as Georgia's Mr. Basketball last season at Berkman High School, where he averaged 28.6 points and 6.5 assists per game. But despite Akins impressive credentials, Cremins knows the guard will be put in the unenviable position of running this team as a freshman.
"It's been a real killer," said Cremins on his merry-go-round situation at point guard. "We didn't replace [Stephon Marbury] like we needed to. It's been tough. It's been a tough road."
This season could also provide a serious challenge to Cremins' credibility as a coach. Critics of the Georgia Tech basketball program have attacked Cremins' lack of ability in retaining his players. In the past seven years, seven players have transferred, including former point guards Kevin Morris and Travis Spivey.
This has caused some concern among Tech's administrators. There also is the problem of having to endure a tough schedule, with tests against Georgia and national-champion Kentucky before heading into the grueling ACC season.
Many feel this could be another difficult season for the Yellow Jackets, who have not been to the NCAA Tournament in three years. The media ranked the team seventh in the recent conference preseason poll and there have been murmurs that Cremins may be on the hot seat with new AD David Braine, who has already suggested to Cremins that he'd like to see a deeper bench. But despite the teams' problems, Cremins remains optimistic about this team as well as his job security.
"I'm fine," he said. "I've said this 100 times; job security is the last thing I'm concerned about. I'm committed more than ever in bringing Georgia Tech back.
"I don't want to coach off of my past accomplishments. I still think Tech and Bobby Cremins are a great match."
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