Last year, Georgia Tech improved within the season like no other team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Ramblin' Wreck turned an 0-7 conference start into a 7-9 finish, transforming themselves from the doormats of the league into a young and hungry group.
This year, Georgia Tech hopes to emulate last season's finish and forget about the dismal start. With a young team whose focal point is frontcourt star and returning ACC Rookie of the Year Ed Nelson, head coach Paul Hewitt's squad hopes to pull it off.
Nelson, who last year averaged nearly nine points and seven rebounds a game, will be in an even better position to dominate games this season. He will be able to play power forward, the position he abandoned last year to take over as center for the height-challenged Yellow Jackets.
Nelson's replacement in the paint is another reason Tech fans are looking for a big year. Freshman center Chris Bosh, a 6-foot-10 lefty from Lancaster, Texas, joins the Yellow Jackets as part of a heralded freshmen class. Bosh and his inside-outside game look like the best hope to keep Nelson's Rookie of the Year trophy in Atlanta. A highly-touted recruit, Bosh played his way onto several All-America teams and Basketball America's Player of the Year honors in 2001-2002. His Lincoln High team won the Texas state championship last year.
Hewitt is enthused about Bosh's presence on the team, but is cautious about putting too much pressure on the freshman.
"He'll have his moments of really good basketball," said Hewitt. "But when he doesn't have those moments, it's not going to all fall on him. Chris has an opportunity to have an impact on the program, but he doesn't have to be the program."
Bosh is joined in the freshman class by Jarrett Jack, a point guard whose floor leadership will likely constitute the biggest question mark for Georgia Tech. He will have to replace Troy Akins, the Yellow Jackets scoring and assists leader last year.
"He's physically mature... but if I could add one thing, give me a senior point guard," said Hewitt.
The 6-foot-3 Jack is a cousin of Duke guard Chris Duhon, and attended high school in Durham.
Nelson is one of three returning starters for Georgia Tech, including two sharpshooters: Sophomore B.J. Elder and junior Marvin Lewis. Lewis led the ACC in treys last year.
These five starters are complimented by a strong Yellow Jacket bench that reflects the recent influx of foreign players into American basketball. Guard Jim Nystrom, a 6-foot-5 former Swedish club star, joins the team as a freshman. Luke Schenscher, a 7-foot-1 Australian center, will help both Nelson and Bosh.
"The games can tell a whole different story," Hewitt said.
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