Georgia Tech Buzz Magazine - Spring 10

F u t u r e

o f

T e c h

F o o t b a l l

Armed & Dangerous Andrew Robinson, Kevin Jacob and Deck McGuire headline a talented and experienced baseball pitching staff in 2010.

SPRING 2010

Calm, Focused and Ready to Rake A Study in Excellence

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SPRING

SPRING 2010 • Volume 3, Number 3 EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Cheryl Watts

David Johnson, Sam Morgan and Barry Williams

WRITERS

DESIGN & LAYOUT

Simit Shah Jack Wilkinson Adam Van Brimmer

Summit Athletic Media

2010

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In This Issue 4

20 Questions with Danny Hall

6

No Backyard Tennis Player

8

A Study in Excellence

17

Wes Durham Column.

A look into Dean O’Brien’s “wild” roots.

Deja Foster excels in life, despite the challenging upbringing.

10

Bringing the Heat

13

Calm, Focused and Ready to Rake

GT_Buzz_HPH_v1_June09.qxd:Layout 1

Tech looks to ride the veteran pitching staff back to Omaha in 2010.

Not Slowing Down D’Andre Bell would have hung up his shoes before changing the way he plays the game.

20

Future of Tech Football

28

Living and Loving the Experience

31

Meet the next crop of Yellow Jacket stars.

Turner Warmack has been a advocate of Tech for decades.

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3

BB Baseball

20 Questions With: Danny Hall

I

by Wes Durham

In some ways it is hard to believe that this spring will mark Danny Hall’s 17th season as Georgia Tech’s head baseball coach. It seems like just yesterday that Hall was tabbed as the Jackets new skipper and then promptly took Georgia Tech to its first appearance in the College World Series (1994). Now as he gets ready to embark on his third different decade as the Jackets field boss, I had a chance to catch up with the native of Coolville, Ohio, and get his impressions of coaching and other matters in “20 Questions”: Is every team different, every year?

DH: This year I think that a lot of our guys have played together, so that will help. Each team has a different personality. I’d like to think it takes the upperclassmen or your leaders to determine what kind of team you will have. Hopefully, the coach has a role in it. It’s hard to predict until you get into the season.

Do you know in the pre-season what kind of team it will be or do you have to play a few games to figure it out?

DH: Until you face someone in a different uniform or get challenged, you just don’t know how your team is going to react. Every time you post that lineup 10 guys are happy and the rest are mad because their not playing. It can be just about anything that creates that challenge in your team. From some guys it’s a different team, others it could be a specific inning of a certain game or something like that. The first time your team has to play from behind late in a game can be pretty revealing.

Is it more critical in college baseball to have good pitching or good hitting?

DH: Pitching. It is definitely the ultimate determining factor. You’d like to have balance, but pitching is usually going to win out.

What is the biggest adjustment players have to make from high school to college, then from college to the professional game?

DH: It is always the speed of the game. If you’re a hitter, your swing has to be more precise, and the same goes for pitchers. That curve needs to curve better. The total speed of the game is faster. Those principles

4

The Buzz

Danny Hall is in his 17th year at the helm of the Yellow Jacket baseball program. stay the same in the adjustment from college to pro ball. Plus, the ability level goes up as well.

I know players keep learning, do coaches keep learning too?

DH: Always. I have said all along that the day you want to stop learning as a coach is the day you need to do something else. I always enjoy watching, listening or talking with others in the sport about baseball.

There are so many things you can continue to learn every day.

What coach or coaches impacted you the most?

DH: My foundation in coaching was laid by my Dad (Danny Hall, Sr.).

He was a PE teacher, driver’s education, football and baseball coach for almost 40 years. He was my coach for most of my high school career. I was with Bud Middaugh for 14 years (as a player and coach), from Miami of Ohio to Michigan, and he really impacted me as well in what I do today.

When did you decide to coach? Was there a certain moment or other point when it hit you to do this?

DH: Not until almost my senior year of college. In my mind, I wanted to be a graduate assistant and see what it was about. But the summer before, I was coaching an American Legion team and I got hooked. We were competitive and I had a great time. It really helped confirm for me what I wanted to do. After my two years as a graduate assistant at

Miami, Coach Middaugh got hired at Michigan and he took a 24 year old assistant in me. I did a lot of stuff beyond the normal coaching things.

I worked on the field (laughs), seriously, mowed the grass, drug the field, you name it. There was a time I was shoveling dirt and thought, “I got a master’s degree to do this.” But it worked out pretty good in the end.

great stories. And Bobby Knight - it goes without saying why.

How did you arrive on wearing the #17?

DH: I wore it in American Legion ball growing up. I wore the number 10 in football and baseball and #32 in basketball. I wore #10 my first year at Miami and had a so-so year.

The number 17 came available after that year and I changed for my sophomore season and have been the same number ever since.

Do you have a favorite game that you have coached?

DH: Actually, there are two days that are my favorites. The first is the College World Series game in ’94 against Cal State-Fullerton – Nomar (Garciaparra) hit a homer in extra innings to get us to the national title game. That was an amazing game.

Then in 2003, when we won three games in the same day in Salem, Virginia, to capture the ACC title.

That is something that will never happen again.

Name a coach you watch and/or study today?

DH: I watch every baseball coach in our league. There are great coaches in the ACC. The coaching is good…the players are good.

The greatest thing ever is the MLB Network. I watch all of them, in any sport. I’m fascinated by Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Bill Belichik.

Can you give me the most successful non-professional baseball player that you have coached?

DH: Casey Close, who heads up the baseball agency for CAA. He’s Derek Jeter’s agent, and he gets credit for marrying a former Miss America, Gretchen Carlson (Fox News Channel). At Michigan, he started as a pitcher, but in the end was an outfielder. He was really a great player.

What’s your favorite ballpark to visit?

DH: Wrigley Field. Fenway Park is a close second, but there is just something about “the friendly confines”.

Name three other guys you would like play golf with in a foursome and why?

DH: Nick Saban, because he’s a fellow Kent State guy. (Hall was head coach at Kent State before coming to Georgia Tech). Lou Piniella, because I think he’d be funny and have some

Do you have a game day ritual or superstition?

DH: If we are on a winning streak, I wear the same clothes, hat, and usually eat at the same place.

A master of routine I guess, but it’s probably freaking some people out.

What is your favorite book?

DH: “The Mental Game of Baseball,” by Harvey Dorfman.

Favorite TV Show?

DH: SportsCenter (laughs), of course.

What about your favorite food or place to eat?

DH: I like all foods, but The Palm in Buckhead is my favorite. Willy Cellucci, who manages the place, does a great job. It’s just a great environment and excellent food.

What city you would like to visit?

DH: I’ve never been to Europe.

I would like to see Rome and Barcelona at some point.

What is your favorite athlete to watch?

DH: LeBron James. He plays like he’s 6-feet tall. Amazing.

What are your goals?

DH: To win the national championship. I think you set that every year and it is out there. But the biggest goal for me is to “get better each day.” If you do that and your team does that, you’re going to have the chance to reach the ultimate goal, which is winning the National Championship.

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Mt men’s tennis

No Backyard Tennis Player Dean O’Brien didn’t grow up playing tennis out back, but it wasn’t due to lack of space for courts

D

by Adam Van Brimmer

Dean O’Brien is one Atlanta transplant and Georgia Tech student who never fears what lies beyond his front door.

Traffic. Tests. Tricky weather. The carefree South African approaches such inconveniences with a “no worries” attitude.

When on holiday, however, O’Brien is sure to check before he opens the door.

“There could be a lion outside,” he said. “Or snakes. Lots of snakes.”

O’Brien holidays unlike any other Yellow Jacket. His family built a vacation home in the wilds of South Africa, within the gates of a private nature preserve. The Jejane preserve is home to what safari hunters call “the big five” game animals – lion, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo and

Tech last summer. He earned his conference’s player of the year award as a sophomore and longed for stiffer competition that would better prepare him for a pro career.

He’s found it. He’s gone from being the best player in his conference to the third or fourth best player on his team.

“But that’s the reason why I’m here,” O’Brien said. “Better competition; better schedule. I like the challenge.”

And when it comes to R&R, no one can challenge O’Brien.

Dream getaway

The O’Brien’s holiday home in Jejane is really five homes in one: A main house and four small “chalets” or guest houses.

O’Brien’s family travels via safari vehicles such as this one, shown in front of his house in the preserve. leopard – as well as giraffe, zebra and jackal.

To a nature-lover like O’Brien, Jejane is the equivalent of an island hideaway or mountain retreat.

“It’s just wild; there’s nothing really there yet. You never know what you’re going to see next,” O’Brien said. “The only problem is I live so far away and don’t get to enjoy it but a few weeks a year.”

A tennis career demands such a sacrifice, however. O’Brien is the latest player with pro potential to join Kenny Thorne’s program.

South Africa’s top junior player as a teenager, O’Brien moved to the United States at age 17 and enrolled at Tennessee Tech, an Ohio Valley Conference school.

O’Brien transferred to Georgia

6

The Buzz

Dean’s father Roye is a semiretired land developer and bought the property in the remote nature preserve four years ago. Jejane is a five-hour drive from the South African capital – and O’Brien family home – of Johannesburg.

The preserve lies just outside Kruger National Park, a sprawling 7,700 square mile game reserve considered among Africa’s finest protected wildlife habitats. Kruger stretches along the South African border, with Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique to the east.

Roye O’Brien transformed the homesite into the five-building compound in 2007. The family had visited friends with homes in nature preserves “for as long as” Dean could remember, and the Jejane

project was his father’s dream home.

“I was definitely familiar with the outdoors and the bush,” O’Brien said. “It’s very common for South Africans to have holiday homes in those areas.”

Little is common when it comes to visiting the nature preserve. O’Brien usually starts his day with a big breakfast followed by a “game drive” around the park in a jeep designed for the bush. He keeps an eye out for zebra, lions and giraffes. Then it’s back to the house for lunch and a nap before returning to the wilderness to stake out a watering hole in hopes of seeing more animals.

Dinner is cooked outside, weather permitting, on a Booma, or outdoor fire pit. After supper, O’Brien will often venture out into the preserve again to observe the nocturnal animals.

“If you want to see the predators,” O’Brien said, “you go out after dark.”

Jejane’s predators do not include humans. Hunting is banned in the preserve. The only things O’Brien points at the animals near the family home are cameras and large, handheld spotlights he uses during his after-dark game drives.

One species O’Brien rarely sees are other humans. Jejane includes about 50 homesites, but O’Brien acknowledges he’s much more likely to spot wildlife than the neighbors.

“Sometimes you bump into another resident but not too often,” he said. “It’s a great place to get away from tennis with family.”

Dean O’Brien

Class: Junior Major: Management Hometown: Benmore, South Africa Notable Athletic Achievement: 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.

Tennis draw

Tennis is a sport for the city, not the bush.

The O’Brien family moved into a house next to a Johannesburg tennis club when Dean was five years old.

He took an early interest in the game but devoted just as much athletic attention to cricket, rugby and swimming.

He got serious about the game around age 12. His skills developed quickly, and his parents did everything to help him improve. They even sent him to Florida for camps at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy,

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vs. Auburn Bill Moore Tennis Center at Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. vs. Georgia State Bill Moore Tennis Center vs. UNC-Wilmington Bill Moore Tennis Center vs. Miami Bill Moore Tennis Center at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. at NC State Raleigh, N.C. vs. Clemson Bill Moore Tennis Center vs. Maryland Bill Moore Tennis Center vs. Boston College Bill Moore Tennis Center at Duke Durham, N.C. at North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. vs. Virginia Bill Moore Tennis Center vs. Virginia Tech Bill Moore Tennis Center Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, Cary, N.C.

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Sights such as these in photos submitted by O’Brien - zebras, buffalo, rhinoceros, impalas and bucks – can be found in O’Brien’s backyard on the Jejane preserve. run by noted tennis instructor Nick Bollettieri.

At age 15, O’Brien joined the international junior tennis circuit.

He spent two years on the road, completing his secondary education through home schooling, and capped his junior career by winning an International Tennis Federation tournament in South Africa.

“But I knew to play professionally, I needed to come to the States,” O’Brien said. “The home schooling allowed me to complete three years of studies in two years. So at age 17, I decided to come over here.”

His coach, Earl Grainger, put him in touch with an American tennis coach, Tennessee Tech’s Barry Lewis. Lewis and Grainger attended the University of Tennessee together and Lewis had worked with both touring professionals and top junior players earlier in his career.

O’Brien adjusted easily to the move from South Africa to tiny

Cookeville, Tenn. Tennessee Tech is a small school with a correspondingly small social scene. Another South African, Lloyd Harris, was on the Tennessee Tech team, and a handful of other countrymen were in school there.

He often drives to Tennessee on his off weekends to visit his mates as well as his girlfriend, who lives in nearby Nashville.

Yet Georgia Tech is where he says he belongs. He’s seen improvements in his game in the little more than a half-year he’s spent on the Flats, and said the competition will prepare him well for a professional career.

The United States will be his base as a professional, he said, which brings up the lone drawback to the plan: He’s half a world away from Jejane.

“That just makes me appreciate the time I do spend there all the more,” he said.

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7

WB women’s basketball

A Study in Excellence Deja Foster has never had an easy life, but the basketball star has shown she can overcome the odds

D

by Adam Van Brimmer

Deja Foster can pinpoint the moment she recognized the principle that would guide her life. She was just a middle schooler and brought home a C on her progress report.

Her mother, Kia, saw the grade and sat her down for a talk.

“If you did everything you could and this is the best you can do, I will accept it,” mother told daughter.

“But she knew it wasn’t my best effort because I didn’t ask her for help or for tutoring,” Foster said in recalling the incident. “That’s when I realized anything less than my full effort is unacceptable.”

Foster has given her all ever since.

Now a Georgia Tech dean’s list student and starter on the Yellow Jacket

women’s basketball team, she’s also a case study in excellence through perseverance. And the poster child for head coach MaChelle Joseph’s player mentoring program, P.R.I.D.E. (Providing Resources and Intangibles that Develop Excellence).

“She’s a dean’s list student, she’s our hardest worker, she’s tremendously mature – she’s somebody our players look up to,” Joseph said.

“They see how important things like being on the dean’s list are to her and they think, ‘I need to do the same thing.’ If there’s a better role model out there, I’ve yet to meet her.”

Deja Foster is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field in 2010 and has shown improvement in her shot selection every year on the Flats.

8

The Buzz

Parental influence

Actually, Joseph has met Foster’s equal as a role model – the woman Deja modeled herself after, her mother Kia. Their bond is strong, even by mother-daughter standards, and to hear Deja talk about her mother is to listen to what love sounds like.

“Everything I am is because of her,” Deja Foster said of her mother.

“She’s the strongest, most inspirational person I know.”

That’s not to say Deja Foster had the perfect childhood. Her mother and father split when Deja was seven years old, and Deja wasn’t raised in one of Memphis’s finer neighborhoods. She did grow up around plenty of family, though. A close family friend moved away to Alaska only to return with six kids in tow and no place to live. Kia took them in. The house soon got more crowded, with Kia’s sister and her children moving in after the sister lost her job. Kia later adopted a little girl.

“We had nine or 10 kids at a time living in a three-bedroom house, but that’s the way my mother is, always there for anybody in need,” Deja said. “And you know what? It was fun. We always had laughs, shared big home-cooked meals. She sacrificed, but she never let it show.”

Kia never gave ground on her expectations for her daughter. The two share a love of basketball – Kia played at the junior college level. But the mother prohibited the daughter from shooting hoops until her homework was finished and her book bag packed for the next day.

And that time in middle school Deja made a C on her report card?

Kia pulled her off the school basketball team.

“She punished me through basketball,” Deja said. “It was pretty effective.”

Kia still pushes Deja academically. Deja’s made the dean’s list every semester of her college career but promised her mother she’d earn faculty honors – all A’s – this year.

Three B-pluses spoiled her chances last semester.

“Once she heard about it, she made sure I heard about it,” Deja said. “I’m going to make it this semester.”

The Foster girls have gotten closer in recent years, even with Deja

Deja Foster

Class: Junior Major: Management Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

Notable Athletic Achievement: Started every game in 2010 and ranks in the top three on the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

going away to college.

Kia developed health problems when Deja was in high school. She suffered a heart attack during Deja’s junior year and suffered subsequent heart attacks the following two autumns.

“Every year around September and October, I start to worry,” Deja said. “My mother is my heart and I don’t know what I would do without her.”

Court sense

Foster is not without a support system at Georgia Tech.

Former teammate Chioma Nnamaka served as Foster’s “Big Sister” through the P.R.I.D.E. program during Foster’s freshman year. Nnamaka has since graduated, but her insistence on doing things “the right way” reinforced all Foster’s beliefs.

Foster has adopted Chelsea Regins as her little sister the last two years.

Foster is insistent that Regins be “an emblem of me.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Foster has made quite an individual impression on the court as well. She played sparingly as a freshman only to jump into the starting lineup last season. Joseph considered her the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most improved player

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Foster’s ability to move on the court makes her one of the toughest players to defend in the ACC. in 2009. She averaged nine points a game and ranked third on the team in rebounding.

Foster hasn’t made a similar quantum leap stat-wise this season, although that’s understandable as her role has changed. She’s the linchpin in a deep and balanced offense.

She’s become a much more balanced player, Joseph said.

“She fills up the stat sheet now: She might only score nine points but she’ll also have nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and no turnovers.”

Joseph said. “You’ll come away from a game thinking she had an off night then you look at the stat sheet or the tape and see that she was really productive.”

Foster’s focus is on seeing that the Yellow Jackets win. She’s played on two of the more successful teams in program history – 22 wins each of the last two seasons – and this year’s team is on pace to pass that win total.

The “smarter” she plays, the better the team plays, she said.

“I’m not forcing shots like I have in past years, and I’m seeing my teammates when they are open,” the 6-foot guard said. “I’m more of a leader, playing my role and doing what I do.”

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A tenacious defender, Foster is leading the squad with more than 50 steals this season. www.ramblinwreck.com

9

BB Baseball

Bringing the Heat The hips don’t lie for Kevin Jacob, Tech baseball’s B.O.D.

A

by Adam Van Brimmer

Around his Georgia Tech baseball teammates, Kevin Jacob is known as “Hips.”

“They say I have wide hips, childrearing hips,” Jacob said. “Not very flattering, huh?”

Imagine how flattered Jacob was, then, to hear his summer league coach issue him a new nickname.

“He called me B.O.D., or Bringer of Death,” Jacob, a relief pitcher, said. “He’d say, ‘Hey B.O.D., go warm up.’ I was cool with that.”

And like “Hips,” the B.O.D. nickname fits.

Jacob is 6-foot-6, with a torquegenerating elongated delivery. Once he lets the baseball go, it travels as fast as 99 miles per hour. And his repertoire includes a 90 mile per hour slider.

Put it all together, and Jacob is a real live grim reaper.

“Nasty, nasty stuff,” one Major League scout said about Jacob.

His stats as the B.O.D. back it up.

He made 24 appearances for the Anchorage Bucs of the Alaska Baseball League. He struck out 45 batters and allowed one earned run, nine hits and four walks.

His Alaska League play led Baseball America, the game’s bible, to give Jacob another flattering nickname: Top prospect.

“I’ll take what I can get,” Jacob said.

Justifiable accolades

Everything Jacob gets, he deserves, Georgia Tech pitching coach Tom Kinkelaar said.

Jacob came to Georgia Tech a confused and frustrated hurler. He’d gone undrafted out of high school, highly irregular for any hard thrower with his size and frame and almost incomprehensible for a pitcher who set strikeout records and posted a career earned run average under 1.00.

The critics cited his unorthodox windup and his poor mechanics, which ranged from arm slot issues to following through across his body.

“I cringed the first time I saw him throw; it looked like an injury waiting to happen,” Kinkelaar said.

“Then I noticed him tinkering. His summer coaches had told him to change his arm angle to impress the scouts.”

Kinkelaar convinced Jacob to try a different approach.

“Kevin, where do you feel more comfortable throwing?” the coach asked.

“Arm up,” Jacob replied.

“You’ve been throwing that way your whole life, that’s where you need to be,” Kinkelaar said. “Let’s focus on something else.”

That “something” was his acrossthe-body motion, which Kinkelaar blamed for Jacob’s inconsistency.

When Jacob was on, he was “lights out,” the coach said. But when he wasn’t, he could walk an NBA frontcourt.

As a freshman in 2008, he walked 17 batters, hit two more and threw eight wild pitches in 30 innings.

Kinkelaar, however, gradually helped Jacob “straighten” out.

“A hard thrower like him is never going to be a paint-the-plate guy; he’s going to throw a few more pitches than the other guy,” Kinkelaar said. “But we fixed his throwing across the body. And he gradually refined his control.”

The more fluid motion also boosted his velocity. By the end of

Arms Race A look at the 2010 pitching staff for head baseball coach Danny Hall: Name Class R/L Note of Interest Luke Bard Fr. RHP Brother of former UNC & current Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard Jed Bradley So. LHP Started eight games as a true freshman in 2009 Zach Brewster Jr. LHP Tied for 10th in school history with 32 appearances in 2009 Brandon Cumpton Jr. RHP Tech’s Saturday starter; appeared in 27 games in his first two seasons Clay Dalton Fr. RHP Alternate on U-18 USA team in 2008 Jake Davies So. LHP Had 19 scoreless appearances in 2009; Tech’s top lefty out of bullpen Sean Devine RS Sr. RHP Effective member of bullpen; oldest player on roster Jacob Esch So. RHP Pitched in 14 games as a true freshman; civil engineering major Buck Farmer Fr. RHP Four-year all-state honoree; could challenge for a starting role in 2010 Kevin Jacob Jr. RHP 2009 Alaska League Top Prospect by Baseball America Patrick Long Sr. RHP Made first mound appearance as a junior; saw action in 17 games Deck McGuire Jr. RHP 2009 ACC Pitcher of the Year; finalist for National Pitcher of the Year Ben McKinney Fr. RHP Posted a 1.20 ERA as a senior while earning all-state accolades Thomas Nichols Jr. RHP Made first mound appearance as a sophomore; pitched in 11 games Mark Pope So. RHP Posted eight saves as a true freshman while allowing just 4 of 23 inherited runners to score Andrew Robinson Sr. RHP Tied for 15th in school history with 72 career appearances Taylor Wood Jr. LHP Appeared in 28 games in his first two seasons while posting 3-0 record

Brandon Cumpton

10

The Buzz

Zach Brewster

Mark Pope

Deck McGuire

Patrick Long

Andrew Robinson

Kevin Jacob

Class: Junior Major: Management Hometown: Baltimore, Md. Notable Athletic Achievement: Named the 2009 Alaska League Top Prospect by Baseball America.

the 2009 season, he was hitting the mid-90s on the radar gun and had harnessed his breaking pitch. Kinkelaar and head coach Danny Hall installed him as the closer for the postseason.

“He relished that role,” Kinkelaar said. “When he left for Alaska, he had a certain confidence about him.”

The last frontier

Jacob became the “Bringer of Death” at Kinkelaar’s suggestion.

He encouraged Jacob to pursue a spot in the Alaska League, a circuit otherwise populated by players from West Coast colleges. Kinkelaar thought the league’s low-pressure atmosphere and Alaska’s rustic environment would suit Jacob well.

“He’s a down-to-earth kid who works hard and appreciates the little things in life,” Kinkelaar said. “It’s a neat experience, and that helps ease the strain of playing baseball every day.”

As much as Jacob enjoyed his mound success, he enjoyed the Alaska experience even more.

He fondly recalls the “midnight runs” he and his teammates would make a few times each week. Alaska sees 20 hours of sunlight a day in the summer, and Jacob and friends would celebrate victories by driving

After alternating between the starting lineup and coming out of the bullpen, Jacob’s role has been solidified as the Jackets’ closer in 2010

www.ramblinwreck.com

11

two hours south from Anchorage to the banks of the Russian River.

They’d strap on their waders just as the sun set around 1 a.m. and fish for salmon through the night.

“The fish don’t bite your hook,” Jacob said. “You just snag them instead. There are that many in the stream.”

Once they’d snagged a cooler full, they’d head back to Anchorage in time for the daily morning park cleaning. Then they’d sleep until it was time for Jacob to bring some death.

“I went up there not expecting much,” Jacob said. “I was pleasantly surprised.”

Great expectations

Jacob won’t surprise many with strong performances this spring.

He projects as a high round pick in June’s Major League Baseball Draft, possibly even a first-rounder.

He’s finally getting the hype he missed out on coming out of high school.

“Yeah, and he can handle it,” Kinkelaar said. “He’s got the confidence

Despite the unorthodox delivery, Jacob has proven to be an effective and dominating pitcher on the mound.

12

The Buzz

2010 Baseball Schedule Date Opponent Location Time Feb. 19 Missouri State Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Feb. 20 Missouri State Russ Chandler Stadium 2:00 p.m.

Feb. 21 Missouri State Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Feb. 23 Georgia Southern Statesboro, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Feb. 24 Georgia Southern Statesboro, Ga. 4:00 p.m.

Feb. 26 Xavier Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Feb. 27 Xavier Russ Chandler Stadium 3:00 p.m.

Feb. 28 Xavier Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 2 Western Carolina Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Mar. 5 Rutgers Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Mar. 6 Rutgers Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 7 Rutgers Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 10 Mercer Macon, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Mar. 12 Wake Forest* Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Mar. 13 Wake Forest* Russ Chandler Stadium 2:00 p.m.

Mar. 14 Wake Forest* Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 16 Georgia Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

Mar. 19 Maryland* College Park, Md. 6:00 p.m.

Mar. 20 Maryland* College Park, Md. 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 21 Maryland* College Park, Md. 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 24 Mercer Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

Mar. 26 North Carolina* Chapel Hill, NC 7:00 p.m.

Mar. 27 North Carolina* Chapel Hill, NC 6:00 p.m.

Mar. 28 North Carolina* Chapel Hill, NC 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 30 Georgia State Panthersville, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Mar. 31 Kennesaw State Kennesaw, Ga. 6:00 p.m.

Apr. 2 Duke* Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 3 Duke* Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

Apr. 4 Duke* Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 6 Kennesaw State Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

Apr. 9 Virginia* Charlottesville, Va. 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 10 Virginia* Charlottesville, Va. 4:00 p.m.

Apr. 11 Virginia* Charlottesville, Va. 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 14 Georgia Athens, Ga. 6:30 p.m.

Apr. 16 Clemson* Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 17 Clemson* (RSN) Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 18 Clemson* Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 20 Georgia Southern Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

Apr. 21 Georgia Southern Russ Chandler Stadium 4:00 p.m.

Apr. 23 Virginia Tech* Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 24 Virginia Tech* Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

Apr. 25 Virginia Tech* Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 27 Georgia Turner Field, Atlanta 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 30 NC State* Raleigh, NC 6:30 p.m.

May 1 NC State* (RSN) Raleigh, NC 1:00 p.m.

May 2 NC State* Raleigh, NC 1:00 p.m.

May 7 Illinois-Chicago Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

May 8 Illinois-Chicago Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

May 9 Illinois-Chicago Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

May 14 Miami* Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

May 15 Miami* Russ Chandler Stadium 7:00 p.m.

May 16 Miami* Russ Chandler Stadium 1:00 p.m.

May 18 Georgia State Russ Chandler Stadium 6:00 p.m.

May 20 Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.

1:30 p.m.

May 21 Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.

1:30 p.m.

May 22 Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.

1:00 p.m.

May 26-30 ACC Tournament NewBridge Bank Park, Greensboro, N.C. June 4-7 NCAA Regionals Campus Sites June 11-14 NCAA Super Regionals Campus Sites June 19-30 College World Series Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb.

and the demeanor.”

He’s also got a set role. He will resume the closer duties he took over late last year and performed in Alaska.

Georgia Tech’s Hall classified Jacob as an “elite” college closer.

“Honestly, it’s something we’ve been searching for, for quite a long time,” Hall said.

Jacob looks forward to a big season, too. He’d like to challenge Brett Binkley’s single-season saves record (14), but only because he knows it

equates to plenty of Yellow Jacket wins.

He’d also like to convince his teammates to call him “B.O.D.” instead of “Hips.” The nickname didn’t follow him south from Alaska, but if he racks up double-digit save numbers and posts anywhere near the 0.34 ERA he did for Anchorage, it might be on the next bus.

“That would be nice,’ Jacob said.

“I definitely prefer B.O.D.”

sb softball

Calm, Focused and Ready to Rake

Jen Yee’s leadership on the softball field has been a welcome addition to Sharon Perkins’ squad

G

by Adam Van Brimmer

Georgia Tech softball star Jen Yee brings more than a bat and helmet to the plate with her.

She brings a presence.

Be it in the early innings of a midFebruary game against Canisius or at crunch time in a NCAA Super Regional, Yee approaches each atbat the same way: Calm, focused and ready to rake.

“She steps in the batter’s box, and it’s as if there’s nothing else going on,” teammate Kelly Eppinger said.

“Watching her is enough to calm you down, no matter the situation. It’s really amazing the way she carries herself.”

If Yee carries herself like someone who’s reached the pinnacle of her sport, it’s because she has. She’s an Olympian, a star on Canada’s national team that reached the medal round of the 2008 Beijing Games.

The youngest player on the Canadian roster led the team and finished in the top-five in the tournament in batting average.

Yee followed up that performance with a record-breaking one for Canada in the 2009 World Cup of Softball, belting four home runs.

To say her pedigree commands respect in the Georgia Tech dugout would be like accusing football coach Paul Johnson of having a basic grasp of the triple-option offense.

“It’s a huge benefit for our team because every player on the roster respects her,” Yellow Jacket coach Sharon Perkins said. “And it’s not like she sits back and lives on what she’s done in the past. She’s making big strides still, and when everybody else on the team is constantly watching her and sees that, there’s not much I have to say as a coach.”

Yee’s influence is a quiet one, however. She’s no introvert, but she’s uncomfortable bossing others around and refuses to “cheerlead like someone’s mom.” She worries that her business-like demeanor, accentuated by her success on the international level, can sometimes intimidate younger players.

Yet she also realizes that those who know her story will understand.

Jen Yee

Class: RS Senior Major: Materials Science and Engineering Hometown: North Delta, British Columbia Notable Athletic Achievement: 2009 Third-Team All-American at Georgia Tech after participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Trying road

Jen Yee led Tech with a .415 batting average in 2009 and also paced the Jackets in home runs (16), doubles (18), hits (73), runs scored (64), walks (41), total bases (143) and slugging percentage (.813).

Canada may be America’s neighbor, but for aspiring softball players, the nation to the north may as well be one of Saturn’s moons.

Yee was an accomplished junior player. Her summer traveling all-star squad, Team British Columbia, won regional and national championships. She twice slugged her way to home run derby titles at future stars events.

U.S. college coaches failed to notice. The Canadian tournaments weren’t on their recruiting itineraries. The only radars she showed up on were those she put herself on by mailing out game videos and success resumes to coaches.

“I sent out 50 of them and didn’t get much response,” she said.

“What connected me ultimately was the word of a family friend.”

The family friend played softball at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, N.Y. and recommended Yee to the coach. Yee ended up rewriting Niagara’s record book as a freshman www.ramblinwreck.com

13

– she broke the marks for batting average, hits, runs and home runs – and the coach felt like a lottery winner.

Yee, meanwhile, felt let down. She realized she was among Niagara’s most skilled players almost immediately, and the fact the school lacked an engineering program meant she was going to have to transfer eventually to follow her career path.

September.

“I didn’t know anything about her, other than the fact she was a pretty good hitter,” Perkins said of Yee. “You know what they say about ignorance being bliss.”

Yee maintained her recordbreaking ways on the Flats. She set the school mark for at-bats and had the second-best season in program history when it came to runs scored.

2010 Softball Schedule Date

Opponent

Location

USF-DeMarini Tournament, Clearwater, Fla.

Feb. 12 Feb. 12 Feb. 13 Feb. 14 Feb. 14

vs. Long Island Clearwater, Fla. vs. Florida Clearwater, Fla. vs. Canisius Clearwater, Fla. vs. Florida Gulf Coast Clearwater, Fla. vs. South Florida Clearwater, Fla.

Louisville Slugger Desert Claassic, Las Vegas, Nev.

vs. Northwestern Las Vegas, Nev. vs. BYU Las Vegas, Nev. vs. Hawaii Las Vegas, Nev. vs. Long Beach State Las Vegas, Nev. vs. California Las Vegas, Nev.

2:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

12:00 p.m.

Feb. 24

Kennesaw State Mewborn Field

6:00 p.m.

Feb. 26 Feb. 26 Feb. 27 Feb. 27 Feb. 28

vs. Central Florida Columbus, Ga. vs. Nebraska Columbus, Ga. vs. Arkansas Columbus, Ga. vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Columbus, Ga. vs. Iowa Columbus, Ga.

Buzz Classic, Woodstock, Ga.

14

The Buzz

She did have a glaring weakness, however.

“I didn’t know she could talk; she didn’t speak to me for a whole month,” Perkins said. “She would get it done on the field, but getting her to talk about it and share her game knowledge and show some leadership was like pulling teeth.”

Yee admits she found her first year at Georgia Tech “overwhelming.”

Perkins hadn’t recruited her. As a transfer, she hadn’t formed bonds with any players other than Lever before arriving. And the academics were rigorous.

“I had an OK season,” she said. “I felt like I could have done better.”

She’d have to wait two years to prove it. Her play at Niagara and Georgia Tech had not gone unnoticed by the Canadian National Team coaches, and the following January she joined her third team in three years.

By the time Yee returned from Beijing, she had become the team leader – not to mention superstar player – many hoped she would.

Leaving a legacy

Kelly Eppinger’s favorite hitting drill doesn’t involve a bat or a ball.

Whenever she’s struggling with her swing, she grabs a compact disc instead. Gripping the CD in her

1:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

6:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m.

Mar. 5 Mar. 6 Mar. 6 Mar. 7 Mar. 7

vs. Seton Hall Woodstock, Ga. vs. James Madison Woodstock, Ga. vs. Kentucky Woodstock, Ga. vs. Dartmouth Woodstock, Ga. vs. Mississippi Woodstock, Ga.

6:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m.

Mar. 9

at Georgia State Panthersville, Ga.

5:00 p.m.

Springhill Suites Buckhead Classic, Mewborn Field, Atlanta, Ga.

So in the midst of her stellar freshman season, she made plans to shop her talents again.

“When I signed the letter of intent, I did so thinking I was making a four-year commitment to Niagara,” she said. “It was kind of naïve of me, I guess. I didn’t know I had the ability to go on to bigger things. But when I got there and three months in didn’t feel challenged anymore, I knew I had to try.”

Soon after, she “stumbled” onto Georgia Tech. One of her Niagara teammates, Melissa Merkle, was best friends with Yellow Jacket player Caitlin Lever. Lever had mailed Merkle a Georgia Tech schedule poster, which Merkle hung on her dorm room wall.

Yee noticed it one afternoon and stood admiring it. The only promotional posters featuring Niagara teams were of the homemade variety, complete with glitter and paint.

She asked Merkle about it, and she related her friendship with Lever. Merkle put the two in touch, and after the season, Lever hooked Yee up with then-coach Ehren Earleywine.

Yee transferred to Georgia Tech only to see Earleywine leave for Missouri in the opening weeks of school that fall. Perkins, an assistant coach at Georgia, was hired that

1:30 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

Feb. 19 Feb. 19 Feb. 20 Feb. 20 Feb. 21

NFCA Leadoff Classic, Columbus, Ga.

Teammates help Yee celebrate her home run off USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie in the first game of the 2009 NCAA Super Regional.

Time

Mar. 12 Mississippi Valley State Mewborn Field Mar. 13 Fordham Mewborn Field Mar. 13 Mercer Mewborn Field Mar. 14 Georgia State Mewborn Field

7:30 p.m.

11:30 a.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

Mar. 17 Georgia Southern (DH) Mewborn Field 3/5:00 p.m.

Mar. 20 at North Carolina* (DH) Chapel Hill, N.C. 1/3:00 p.m.

Mar. 21 at North Carolina* Chapel Hill, N.C. 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 23 at Houston (DH) Houston, Texas 6/8:00 p.m.

Mar. 24 at Texas A&M College Station, Texas 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 27 Maryland* (DH) Mewborn Field 1/3:00 p.m.

Mar. 28 Maryland* Mewborn Field 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 2 Virginia Tech* (DH) Mewborn Field 5/7:00 p.m.

Apr. 3 Virginia Tech* Mewborn Field 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 7 Georgia Mewborn Field 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 10 Virginia* (DH) Mewborn Field 1/3:00 p.m.

Apr. 11 Virginia* Mewborn Field 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 14 at Kennesaw State Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 17 Boston College* (DH) Mewborn Field 1/3:00 p.m.

Apr. 18 Boston College* Mewborn Field 1:00 p.m.

Apr. 21 at Georgia Athens, Ga. 5:00 p.m.

Apr. 24 at Florida State* (DH) Tallahassee, Fla. 1/3:00 p.m.

Apr. 25 at Florida State* Tallahassee, Fla. 12:00 p.m.

Apr. 28 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:00 p.m.

May 1 at NC State* (DH) Raleigh, N.C. 1/3:00 p.m.

May 2 at NC State* Raleigh, N.C. 1:00 p.m.

May 14-16 ACC Softball Championship Blacksburg, Va. (Virginia Tech) TBA May 21-23 NCAA Regionals Campus Sites TBA May 28-30 NCAA Super Regionals Campus Sites TBA June 3-9 Women’s College World Series Oklahoma City, Okla. TBA

right hand, the right-handed hitter makes a swinging motion, releasing the disc at what would be the point of contact.

Once she can get the CD to spin like a Frisbee and fly straight, she’s straight.

Yee introduced Eppinger and her teammates to the drill last fall.

“That’s where she’s really come out of her shell – sharing knowledge she has that other people don’t,”

Perkins said. “And she’s a great communicator on the field. I never worry about the right side of the infield.”

Yee plays second base and makes the infield calls – who is covering the bunt, who has the steal – during games. For all her offensive accolades during the Olympics, defense was her area of greatest improvement during that experience.

Her expanded range in the field and continued excellence with the

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Yee’s stellar defensive play helped the Yellow Jackets to their first appearance in an NCAA Super Regional. bat helped Georgia Tech advance deep into the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time. The expectations are even higher going into this season.

Another great season and deep tourney run would likely result in Yee going down as one of the greatest players in program history. Yet like the quiet leader she is, she’s

more concerned with a more immediate legacy.

“I hope the young players on this team take something from me, and that’s in the way I treat this sport,” she said. “I take it very seriously and hold myself to a high standard. I hope they follow that lead and hold themselves to a standard of their own.”

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15

mB men’s basketball

Not Slowing Down

If forced to decide, D’Andre Bell would have hung up his shoes rather than change the way he plays the game – fortunately for Tech, he didn’t have to

A

by Simit Shah

A little over a year ago, D’Andre Bell lay in a hospital bed on the opposite coast wondering if he’d ever play basketball again.

It was a difficult time for the Los Angeles native, as his career teetered on the brink of being cut short just as he was starting to come into his own after a strong finish to his junior season.

Just a few months earlier, Bell was preparing for his final season at

cal opinions, he opted for surgery after fall semester by a specialist in California.

Ironically, the basketball team was on the west coast at the time of his procedure. The coaching staff had scheduled a pair of December games in the Los Angeles area so Bell could play close to home in his final season at Georgia Tech.

Instead, his friends, family and teammates visited him in the hos-

After recovering from the surgery, Bell was cleared to resume workouts in the spring, but he made a pact with himself.

“It couldn’t change the way I play.

I told myself that if it did, I’d hang it up,” he explained, referring to his relentless style. “That’s me. I’m a tough guy and endured some things in my lifetime. It’s a true blessing to be able to play basketball at Georgia Tech, and I’m thankful for that every day.”

It certainly shows on the court, and Bell hasn’t dialed down the intensity a single notch. Among the Jackets, he’s the most likely to hit the floor for a loose ball or give up his body on defense.

“There are times I can’t look,” said Paul Hewitt. “Usually, it’s when I see it on tape that I’ll cringe, but that’s him. It’s his style, and that’s the only way he knows how to play.”

Bell has started every game for Tech this season, and he’s on pace to set career highs in just about every offensive category. In the win over Wake Forest in late January, he scored a career-high 16 points.

“To be honest, I was surprised (that Bell returned),” admitted Gani Lawal. “You see all kinds of injuries, some serious and some not so serious. This was no joke, and I’m not sure many people thought he could be back and playing at the level he is right now. I’m happy for him, but I wasn’t sure it would be possible.”

Amazingly, Bell seems to have picked up right where he left off prior to his injury. Always a superior defender, he started to develop his offensive repertoire towards the end of his junior season. Despite missing

D’Andre Bell

Class: RS Senior Major: Management Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Notable Achievement: Returned for his final season after missing all of 2008-09 following surgery to repair the congenital condition of spinal stenosis.

an entire season, he hasn’t missed a beat.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Hewitt. “I was hopeful that he would shake off that rust. It took a little longer, but he’s definitely playing his best basketball right now.”

Bell has been a key contributor this season, as the Jackets have been in the top 25 for most of the season.

He has found his niche with a midrange offensive game that includes spot and pull-up jumpers from 15 to 20 feet, an area of the floor where few players make a living in this day

While the mid-range jumper is Bell’s bread-and-butter, he’s shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Tech when a collision in a preseason workout revealed a condition called spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine that can cause undue pressure on the spinal cord and nerves.

In that instant, his career was put on hold. After multiple medi-

pital rather than seeing him on the court.

There were plenty of doubters questioning whether the 6-6 guard could come back to play again, but he was intent on returning for one final season.

Relentless effort on defense made Tech coaches take notice of Bell early-on in his career. www.ramblinwreck.com

17

Bell is currently pursuing a second degree at Tech after graduating last year. and age.

“I tell him that his mid-range game is like water,” said Lawal. “It’s consistent. He can shoot the three too, and that keeps people honest.

He’s got the full package.”

“What he’s doing for us makes us a lot more dangerous,” added Hewitt. “When teams scout us and see that, it’s going to force them to make adjustments that’ll create opportunities for other guys.”

Those other guys are still young, so Hewitt also appreciates the leadership that Bell provides. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“It’s huge,” said Lawal. “We really missed him last year. We didn’t have his defensive presence and leadership. We would have been a lot better off, and you can see the difference in the success of the team this year.

“He’s been through the fire, all the ups and downs,” added Derrick Favors. “He brings all that experience to the table every day.

He knows what it takes to win, and I’m thankful to have him as a teammate.”

Bell turned 22 this past summer, and he also earned his undergraduate degree in management. This fall he’s been working on a second degree while focusing on a strong finish to his collegiate basketball career.

Being a fifth-year senior makes him an old man in relative terms, and Bell often realizes that these “kids” are much younger.

“I’m reminded (of their age) every time I have a conversation with them,” he laughed. “That’s no disrespect to them, because it’s actually a beautiful thing. I’ve been mentored, so I like the fact I have a chance to give back. I like that I can be part of a great team this last season in college.”

Beyond his skills on the court, Bell is representing his fellow student-athletes, serving on both the ACC and NCAA Student Advisory Board.

“We’ve had some really good kids here,” said Hewitt, rattling off a half-

dozen names. “My daughter Kayla sometimes works behind the bench, and she was telling my wife that Zach (Peacock) and D’Andre are the two most polite guys on the team. Even an 11-year-old picks it up. He’s a special kid.”

His leadership on and off the court has endeared Bell to Tech coaches and fans alike.

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The Buzz

7/21/2009 4:44:02 PM

Proud partner of the Yellow Jackets

Fb football

The Future of Tech Football Meet the next crop of Yellow Jackets and those that are filling the roles for Tech’s departed players.

I

by Simit Shah It’s been over a month since Georgia Tech’s last football game, but there’s been plenty of action off the field for the Jackets in the new year.

The biggest question from the moments following the Orange Bowl was, “Will they stay?”

“They” being B-back Jonathan Dwyer, defensive end Derrick Morgan, receiver Demaryius Thomas and safety Morgan Burnett, as they pondered whether to return for their senior season rather than testing the NFL draft waters.

After a few weeks of suspense, the unanimous answer was no, as all four juniors entered the draft. Their departures bring up the obvious questions about who will replace four key contributors.

Granted, Burnett, Dwyer, Morgan and Thomas were among the best players to come through the

depth at safety. This is an area where a true freshman could see some action or might necessitate a returning player to switch positions.

Along the line, all four defensive linemen from 2008 will be in NFL in 2010 with Morgan being the latest (and possibly greatest) of the crew.

As the Jackets switch to a three-man line, the need to fill Morgan’s shoes isn’t as pressing as it might have been.

Anthony Egbuniwe, a rising senior, showed flashes of potential this past season, while true freshman Izaan Cross started two games and played in all but one. Emmanuel Dieke was impressive early in camp before taking a redshirt, and he possesses the size (6-6, 248) and speed to take on opposing tackles.

On the offensive side of the ball, Dwyer was Mr. Everything for the

2010 Recruiting Class Name Pos. Catlin Alford OL Jeremiah Attaochu LB Ryan Ayers CB Morgan Bailey OL B.J. Bostic CB Synjyn Days QB Shawn Green DT Deon Hill AB Fred Holton S Isaiah Johnson S Denzel McCoy DT Justin Moore PK Quayshawn Nealy LB Charles Perkins BB Jake Skole ATH Anthony Williams DE Louis Young CB Tony Zenon AB

Ht. 6-3 6-3 5-10 6-4 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-1 5-8

Wt. Hometown (High School) 275 Adairsville, Ga. (Adairsville HS) 223 Washington, D.C. (Archbishop Carroll HS) 178 Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding HS) 298 Loganville, Ga. (Loganville HS) 165 Louisville, Ga. (Jefferson County HS) 205 Powder Springs, Ga. (Hillgrove HS) 270 Grayson, Ga. (Grayson HS) 205 Phenix City, Ala. (Central HS) 198 Thomasville, Ga. (Thomasville HS) 175 Tyrone, Ga. (Sandy Creek HS) 268 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Northview HS) 160 Atlanta, Ga. (Marist School) 220 Lakeland, Fla. (Lakeland HS) 205 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Collins Hill HS) 175 Roswell, Ga. (Blessed Trinity HS) 221 McDonough, Ga. (Union Grove HS) 190 Washington, D.C. (Good Counsel HS) 174 Albany, Ga. (Deerfield Windsor Academy)

program in recent years, but the fact that there were only six scholarship seniors on the team in 2009 underscores the program’s relative youth.

On defense, wholesale changes are afoot with a new defensive coordinator and scheme (more on that later), so replacing Morgan and Burnett won’t exactly be an applesto-apples proposition.

Freshman Jamea Thomas backed up Burnett, who rarely came off the field in his three seasons at Tech, so there’s not a lot of experience or

20

The Buzz

Jackets the last two years and needs multiple reels to showcase his highlights. Preston Lyons and Richard Watson will battle for the role in the spring, and it’s possible that Anthony Allen will take snaps behind Nesbitt as well.

Thomas hauled in more than half of Tech’s receptions the last two years, often being option 1A and 1B on every passing play. There haven’t been many chances for anyone else to distinguish themselves, but true freshman Stephen Hill opened some

2010 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date 09/04/10 09/11/10 09/18/10 09/25/10 10/02/10 10/09/10 10/16/10 10/23/10 11/04/10 11/13/10 11/20/10 11/27/10

Opponent Location Time vs. South Carolina State Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. TBA at North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. TBA vs. North Carolina State Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. TBA vs. Virginia Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA vs. Middle Tennessee State Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA at Clemson Clemson, S.C. TBA at Virginia Tech TV Blacksburg, Va. TBA vs. Miami Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA vs. Duke Bobby Dodd Stadium TBA at Georgia Athens, Ga. TBA

eyes when he touched the ball.

Tyler Melton caught only five passes, but he proved to be a good blocker, a must for Tech’s running game. There are a handful of other candidates for playing time, but competition will be wide open among a group of five or six heading into spring and fall.

Mirroring the changes on the field, there will be a handful of new faces on the sidelines, as the coaching carousel took a few turns on

Johnson’s staff.

The most notable change is the hiring of Al Groh as defensive coordinator. The former Virginia head coach takes over for Dave Wommack, who was dismissed after two seasons.

Groh brings with him a 3-4 defensive scheme that relies on linebackers making more plays. That will require some players to change positions, and spring practice will See The future page 22

Josh Nesbitt will again run Paul Johnson’s option-based offense this spring, but he will have a few new faces to work with in 2010.

the future from page 20 be crucial in making strides toward a successful switch.

“With the defensive change, we’re going to need more linebackers too,” explained Johnson. “In a 4-3, a couple guys who were defensive ends are going to be outside linebackers for us.”

Defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Giff Smith took a job with former Tech head coach Chan Gailey, who is now the coach of Buffalo Bills. Strength coach Eric Ciano will also be heading north to join the Bills staff.

A third defensive assistant, Brian Jean-Mary, left his linebacker coaching job to become assistant head

Anthony Allen made a name for himself in 2009 and is expected to be a main cog in Tech’s offense again next season.

coach at Louisville.

A-backs coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Monken is taking over as head coach at Georgia Southern, prompting Johnson to promote graduate assistant Lamar Owens to A-backs coach.

At press time, Johnson had not named hires to replace Smith or Jean-Mary, as well as designate someone to oversee special teams.

Most of the coaching changes happened right before or after signing day on February 3, but they appeared to have no tangible effect on recruiting.

The Jackets signed 18 players built around the needs on defense.

The class will get Tech close to the 85 scholarship limit for the first time under Johnson, who held back a few scholarships for current walk-ons.

Though his preference is to redshirt as many freshmen as possible, Johnson hasn’t been shy about using true freshmen if they are ready to contribute. Seven of the 21 newcomers saw action in 2010, and he was quick to point out that defense struggled late in the season, so there may be a need to inject new talent in the lineup.

Also notable is the signing of kicker Justin Moore, signaling a shift in strategy. He’ll get a chance to compete for the place-kicking job See The future page 24

Brad Jefferson should have more chances to get fired up like this in 2010, with the new defensive scheme that defensive coordinator Al Groh brings to the team.

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The Buzz

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the future from page 22 right away in an attempt to shore up some of the specials teams deficiencies that surfaced last season.

Cornerback B.J. Bostic, safety Isaiah Johnson and B-back Charles Perkins will have a leg up on their classmates as early enrollees, affording them the chance to participate in spring practice.

“You don’t ever know who is going to play and help early,” noted Johnson. “That’s part of the beauty of it, but everyone will contribute before they leave Georgia Tech. The new defense might help them some, but maturity and strength factor more than that.”

Georgia Tech’s 2010 football schedule was released in early February. The opponents, seven of whom played in postseason last year, have been known for sometime, so there were no big surprises. Last season, Tech didn’t get a bye week until the week before the Georgia game, playing 11 straight weeks including back-to-back Thursday night games early in the season.

In 2010, the Jackets play three of their first five games on the road, including a trip to Kansas the second week of the season. Their bye week comes in week nine of the season, but they travel to Blacksburg the following Thursday to face Virginia Tech.

24

The Buzz

That game is sandwiched by Clemson on the road and Miami at home. Arguably, Tech will play their four toughest opponents over the last five games of the season.

“I think it’s an extremely challenging schedule, but one we are very much looking forward to,” Johnson said. “Just within our division, there are four teams that could be ranked in the preseason top 25.”

Mario Butler is one of the more experienced players returning in Tech’s secondary.

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Living – and Loving – the Experience Turner Warmack’s uphill climb to attend the Institute has paid dividends for the athletic department

T

By Simit Shah Turner Warmack’s first memory of Georgia Tech is one our chief rival would rather not remember: in 1944, as a senior at Murray County Georgia High School, Warmack witnessed the Yellow Jackets “stomp” the University of Georgia 44-0. To this day, that victory by Tech is one that Georgia refuses to acknowledge. But the win served as the beginning of a long relationship between Warmack and Georgia Tech.

Warmack was born and grew up in Chatsworth, Murray County, Georgia, about 75 miles north of Atlanta. His father, Edgar Warmack, was a small businessman drawn to mechanical pursuits, so Warmack grew up around repair shops, garages and a car dealership.

When time came to choose a college, Warmack bucked the prevailing trend of his hometown. He recalls about seven members of his graduating class choosing the University of Georgia; Warmack was the only class member selecting the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Like many others before and since, Warmack found the rigors of Georgia Tech’s curriculum as challenging as advertised.

“It was tough, and I wasn’t the brightest student,” he said. “I went to night school one summer to make up some credits. Earning a degree in Industrial Management was a struggle, but I made it.”

He, and later several younger men from Chatsworth, joined Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Planning on entering the work force immediately after graduation from Tech, Warmack’s plan was changed instantly when Uncle Sam wrote to him.

“I was in my final quarter, the summer of 1950,” he remembered. “The Korean War broke out June 26, and I ended up in the first draft call for the state of Georgia. They drafted 50 men; I was one of them.”

Inducted into the U. S. Army, Warmack began a two-year stint which included action in Korea. During his last training location, Warmack won a rifle sharpshooter’s competition, earning a three-day pass. He encouraged his hometown sweetheart Joann Anderson to come to Louisiana where he was stationed at Camp Polk so they could be married.

The couple married December 24, 1950, at a downtown Baptist church in Alexandria, Louisiana. In weeks, Warmack was shipped to Japan and Korea.

After earning his 1952 discharge from the Army, Warmack returned to the Tech campus to seek the advice of legendary Dean George Griffin.

“We had developed a relationship

28

The Buzz

Turner Warmack was an original member of former athletic director Homer Rice’s “Edge Group” while I was a student; so we talked, and I told him what I was interested in as a career,” Warmack recalled. “He helped me get a job in the shadow of Tech’s tower on Luckie Street with Philadelphia-based Moffatt Bearings Company.”

After working with Moffatt for ten years, Warmack joined the neighboring company, Ziegler Tools, Inc., first as a salesman. (The Ziegler family sent seven sons to Georgia Tech.) At Ziegler Tools, his sales territory included Georgia Tech.

“Given the size of Georgia Tech, a myriad of tools are needed to keep the campus running,” he explained.

“Over the years, I got to know a lot of people at Tech; that fact really helped me stay close to the school in more than proximity.”

Eventually becoming the Sales Manager and Vice President of Zeigler Tools, Warmack found many ways to stay engaged with Georgia Tech activities.

During the 1970s when Tech alum Pepper Rodgers returned to lead the football program, Warmack pointed out that Tech did not have an official booster club. It was at this time the Yellow Jacket Club was born; Warmack was one of the charter members. In one short year, the Club recruited 500 members and steadily grew the roster over the years.

In the early 1980s, as Tech’s athletic program was struggling financially, the new Athletics Director Homer Rice called Warmack and a handful of other alums to help raise much-needed funding for the football program.

“Georgia had just beaten us pretty badly - 44-7 - in 1981. Homer called a group of us together, telling us, ‘We’ve

got to have an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator,’” Warmack recalled.

Rice told them there were “no funds available for those jobs. We’ve got to raise it.”

“Homer picked ten of us to be table captains for a fundraiser,” Warmack said. “The first meeting was held with a meal at the Piedmont Driving Club.

Ten table captains received pledges from approximately 100 alumni, enough pledges to hire Rick Lantz and Dwaine Painter. Homer referred to the ten table captains as the Edge Group.

The group continued to have periodic meetings for several years.”

As the campus prepared for the World Olympics in 1996, Warmack was instrumental in lining up support for several of the Olympics’ associated campus projects. In recognition of Warmack’s efforts on those projects, he was asked to represent the Alumni of Georgia Tech at the rededication of the renovated Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

In 1998, already a Life Member of the Alexander Tharpe Fund, Warmack was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Athletic Association.

“It was quite an exciting experience during that period,” he said. “There was a lot of change, including bringing in new football and basketball coaches, plus the expansion of Bobby Dodd Stadium.”

Throughout the years, Georgia Tech has been a family affair for Warmack.

His daughters, Karyn Roof and Melissa Warmack, grew up around Georgia Tech events.

His granddaughters, Kelsey Roof and Leighton Howard, are now part of the tradition. In addition to attending almost every home game, the clan has hit the road for numerous out-of-town/ state games, attended ACC Tournaments, bowl games, traveled to both of Tech’s Final Four basketball tourna-

ments, and made plane/train junkets to Notre Dame in 1997 and 2007.

“Georgia Tech has always been a part of my adult life,” he said. “My wife and I tailgate every chance we have with our family, including sons-in-law Pruett Roof and Michael Howard, Kentucky and Indiana alums, respectively.

“I’ve told my granddaughters there are a lot of other colleges to consider, but if you are going to stay in the south and want to hang that Georgia Tech diploma on your wall, you will have earned academic standing with anyone who sees it.”

While Warmack is well into retirement, he’s always active and responsive to help Tech whenever asked.

“What I am, where I am -- if it had not been for my Georgia-Tech experiences, I wouldn’t be here. I believe that,” Warmack noted. “College experience means different things to different people. If you had grown up in Atlanta in the years I attended Tech or had graduated from Tech or Boys High, your going to Georgia Tech wasn’t a big leap. Growing up in a rural town like Chatsworth, as I had, made going to Georgia Tech like climbing a dang mountain. I struggled, but rallied. It was quite an experience. I’m still living that experience and loving it.”

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Compliance Corner

By Katreshia Louis

Georgia Tech Assistant Director of Compliance

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At your leisure type “recruited student-athlete” in any search engine and you will be amazed by the number of sites offering assistance to guide high school student-athletes and their parents through the college recruiting process. To some, the recruiting process can be a financial investment. Each year, many families invest in recruiting sites and often spend the most when developing, editing and shipping recruiting DVDs to several Institutions. Despite the increased popularity in the art of marketing one’s self, or in this case one’s child, the definition of recruiting is fairly simple consequently - the core of what a “recruited student-athlete” is has not changed.

NCAA Bylaw 13.02.12.1 defines a “recruited prospective student-athlete” as any actions by staff members or athletics representatives that cause a prospective student-athlete to become a recruited prospective student-athlete at that institution are: (a) Providing the prospective student-athlete with an official visit; (b) Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospective studentathlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians;

the prospective studentathlete, the prospective student-athlete’s relatives or legal guardians on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment; or (d) Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of athletically related financial aid to the prospective studentathlete. Issuing a written offer of athletically related financial aid to a prospective studentathlete to attend a summer session prior to full-time enrollment does not cause the prospective student-athlete to become recruited.

NCAA Bylaw 13.02.12 defines recruiting as any solicitation of a prospective student-athlete or a prospective student-athlete’s relatives (or legal guardians) by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospective student-athlete’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.

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