Georgia Tech’s options in the transfer portal are virtually limitless. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,150 Division I players had gone in the portal since January, more than three per team, according to Verbal Commits.
One of them, in fact, was Tech center Saba Gigiberia, who put his name into the portal Tuesday after two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, coach Josh Pastner confirmed. From the nation of Georgia, Gigiberia played 24 games for Tech for a total of 150 minutes, never finding a secure spot in Pastner’s rotation.
Gigiberia’s departure created a fifth open scholarship for Pastner as he tries to replace the minutes, points and rebounds that Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore contributed. There are dozens of players in the portal whom Pastner and his staff have contacted – Pastner vowed to look “under every rock and stone” to find the best fits for his team – as they look for players who not only could play for Tech and have interest, but also could meet the institute’s academic requirements.
Among more notable transfers that Tech is known to have reached out to are N.C. State center Manny Bates, Ohio guard Mark Sears and Illinois guard Andre Curbelo.
These are four who potentially could work out.
Will Richard, G, Belmont
Will Richard, a Woodward Academy graduate, averaged 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Bruins this season as a freshman. In Belmont’s final game of the season, he scored a season-high 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting with eight rebounds against Vanderbilt in the NIT, evidence that his game can translate to a higher level.
Richard, listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, could help fill the Jackets’ need for scoring with Devoe and Usher departing, and he shows scoring touch both at the basket and on the perimeter. He has a visit scheduled to Tech – Florida, Clemson and Wake Forest are among other schools he is considering, according to 247Sports – but his Atlanta roots could help Pastner as it has with several previous transfers.
Hayden Brown, F, The Citadel
If Hayden Brown were 5 inches taller, he would be an ideal fit to play center in Tech’s Princeton offense. He can handle the ball like a guard, has excellent footwork, is a creative passer and can hit from 3-point range. But he’s a solidly built 6-5, 225 pounds, which makes him a smaller forward at the ACC level. He could, though, play center if Tech went to a smaller lineup, as the Jackets sometimes did with Usher or Moore at center this season.
His assortment of skills – he averaged 18.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists this past season, when he was named All-Southern Conference for the second year in a row – make him an intriguing possibility. Brown, from Greer, S.C., has one season of eligibility remaining.
There is mutual interest with Tech and Brown; he has a campus visit scheduled. Loyola Chicago and South Carolina also are in a top three he announced Thursday.
Kalu Ezikpe, F, Old Dominion
Kalu Ezikpe, who has one season of eligibility remaining, looks like he could fit in the role opened by the graduation of Moore. Long and muscle-bound (he’s 6-8 and 240 pounds), Ezikpe plays with effort and energy, has good hands and showed some scoring touch in averaging 11.3 points with 7.1 rebounds per game for the Monarchs this season.
He can play in the low post, too, which would give him added value to the Jackets.
Ezikpe has commanded interest from a number of other power-conference schools since going in the transfer portal. One advantage Tech has is that Ezikpe is from Lawrenceville, playing at Discovery High.
Alex Fudge, F, LSU
Were Alex Fudge to become a Jacket, he might challenge guard Deivon Smith as the most physically explosive member of the team. Fudge, a wiry 6-8 and 185 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, can get off the floor. Tech saw that firsthand in the Tigers’ 69-53 win over the Jackets in December at State Farm Arena. In 16 minutes, Fudge racked up four blocks and five rebounds along with four points (on two dunks).
It’s not hard to imagine Pastner selling Fudge on the development plan that turned Moses Wright from a raw, athletic freshman into the ACC Player of the Year. Fudge, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14 minutes per game for the Tigers. He joined a mass departure out of Baton Rouge, La., after LSU coach Will Wade was fired.
Fudge, from Jacksonville, Fla., knows Pastner and his staff, having been recruited hard by Tech out of high school.
