When it comes to ACC Basketball, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets haven’t quite produced when it comes to placing players on the all-conference teams much less a player who is solid enough to garner national exposure.
There was a time not too long ago when the city of Atlanta was filled with future NBA superstars
But the past few years have seen players more ready for the YMCA or Penitentiary League than ones ready to wow their peers in the pros.
Well, that is all about to change because the Jackets have a stellar sophomore whose name you should learn now because you are going to hear it a lot over the course of the 2014-15 College Basketball season.
Quinton Stephens is a lanky 6-9 beast with tremendous skills. He can shoot lights out, he wants the ball in crunch time and he isn’t afraid to mix it up.
He is exactly the kind of player that is going to sneak up on a lot of teams in the ACC this season and give them fits.
Stephens is already in the top-20 in the conference in scoring and is one of the top two in three pointers made, percentage and attempts. That sweet touch pretty much won the game for the Jackets against their arch rival Georgia Bulldogs to open the season, and it has continued to carry Tech to a perfect record on the season.
But the one thing Brian Gregory and his team need to learn if they want to continue their success is to find away for every play to go through Stephens hand.
During Georgia Tech’s win over IPFW Mastadons last Friday it was clear things went well when Stephens had control of the play. Whether he was driving to the lane and looking for an open teammate or getting in space to hit a shot, Stephens had the “it” factor when he was on the court. He didn’t try to do too much and he wasn’t a ball stopper (that award goes to teammate Charles Mitchell… ball is going up when that kid gets it no matter what). He just knew how to play in himself and withing the flow of the game.
In short, Stephens is one of those players that is fun to watch for all the right reasons. He is a local Atlanta player from Marist High School and has a shot to be the guy that brings the Yellow Jackets back to relevance in the world of college hoops.
Tech has the potential to accomplish a lot this season.
But their chances of being truly great lie in the hands of Gregory and whether or not he hands the full run of the court over to Stephens. Let him make mistakes now and polish his line up with Stephens getting more than the 27 minutes he is playing right now. If Gregory does this and Stephens’ fellow teammates respond, the Triller Dome could once again be alive and kicking in downtown Atlanta.
*Photo credits to Daniel Shirey, USA Today Sports
