The best freshman duo in the ACC may be found farther south of Durham than just nine miles down U.S. 15-501.
Instead of North Carolina's Ty Lawson and Brandan Wright, Georgia Tech may have the ACC's top pair of incoming freshmen in point guard Javaris Crittenton and forward Thaddeus Young. The two will be critical to the Yellow Jackets' efforts to rebound from last season's disappointing 11-17 record.
"They are two very talented young men on the offensive end, and I'll be surprised if they don't contribute significantly," head coach Paul Hewitt said.
Crittenton-a 6-foot-4 point guard who was high school teammates with current Orlando Magic power forward Dwight Howard-was ranked ahead of Lawson as the top player at his position in the class of 2006 by Rivals.com. The McDonald's All-American is expected to immediately step into the starting point guard role and contribute for a Georgia Tech team that was plagued by ball-handling problems last season.
"He can compete with any point guard in the country," senior guard Mario West said. "He has a tremendous first step, and he actually loves playing defense and getting up into you. It's almost shocking to me to see someone come in who can score and pass but also loves defense just as much."
Young, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Memphis, Tenn., will give the Yellow Jackets a long, versatile wing player who can work on the inside and defend on the perimeter. The No. 5 player in the class of 2006 according to Rivals.com, Young was selected by the media as the preseason ACC Freshman of the Year.
"Thaddeus Young is a great player," junior guard Anthony Morrow said. "He has a lot of upside and a lot of ability."
Despite the ability of these two players, it will be critical for the Yellow Jackets' veterans to step up and assume leadership roles to foster the growth of the two top-10 recruits. Morrow, who led the team with 16 points per game last year, should be penciled in to start at shooting guard, while big men Ra'Sean Dickey and Jeremis Smith will patrol the paint.
These veterans know they must serve as excellent mentors to the team's newcomers if they plan to finish near the top of the conference.
"Physically [Crittenton and Young] are ready to compete with anyone in the country, but they really don't know what to expect," West said. "For the core group, the junior class and myself, this is déjà vu for us.... We have to lead by example and make sure that we follow good habits that the freshmen can follow."
With a challenging non-conference schedule that includes a Thanksgiving-week trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, the pair of young Yellow Jackets will be thrown right into the fire of Division I competition.
"It's going to be a good experience," Hewitt said. "Either way, we can't lose."
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