Miles Kelly had all sorts of options this spring when contemplating his basketball future.
Georgia Tech’s sensational scorer tested NBA draft waters in May after a 2022-23 season that saw him pour in 14.4 points per game and shoot 37.9% from long-range. He certainly could have elected to remain among the pool of NBA prospects, and even had he not been selected in the league’s annual event he could have even opted to play professional ball internationally.
Furthermore, in this transfer portal era, facing the prospects of returning to program that won just six conference games and is starting anew with coach Damon Stoudamire, it would have been understandable had Kelly opted to find a different college basketball home for the 2023-24 season.
Instead, Kelly announced May 31 he will be putting on a Yellow Jackets jersey for at least one more season.
“I’m a pretty loyal guy,” Kelly said Friday after he and a couple teammates had completed individual workouts inside McCamish Pavilion. “I stay loyal to my roots and I stay loyal to whoever is loyal to me. Georgia Tech has been really loyal to me — the fans, the community. I’m from Atlanta so I wanted to stay here and I feel like I can get it done here. I feel I can make a big jump and be a top NBA draft pick next year and I can do it right here at Georgia Tech.”
Kelly, a 6-foot-6, 175-pound guard, had a breakout last season for Tech. After scoring less than five points per game as a freshman, the Stone Mountain native became his team’s main offensive weapon and a top-20 scorer in the ACC.
Kelly scored in double figures in all but eight games, dropped 30 in a win at Syracuse in February and had at least one made 3-pointer in 29 of 33 games.
Because of those numbers Kelly decided to see how he was viewed in the eyes of NBA brass. In April, he officially declared for the NBA draft.
“It was a great learning experience for me, just going through the whole process and learning what it takes to be an NBA draft prospect and just be an NBA prospect in itself,” Kelly said. “One thing that I knew going into it was that I had to work on my body and get stronger, not necessarily a lot bigger. I am 6-5 so I am a lot bigger than a lot of guards, but making sure I can take the bumps that the NBA has. That was the main thing.”
Kelly, who also said he has begun to make a more concerted effort to take care of his body in terms of nutrition and recovery, remained in touch with Stoudamire throughout the spring as Kelly pondered his future. The first-year head coach and Kelly discussed how Kelly would fit inside the former Boston Celtics assistant’s vision for the Tech basketball.
Throughout the NBA draft process, Kelly also vetted Stoudamire and heard enough positive reports to conclude playing for the veteran coach would do more good than not in ‘23-24.
“I feel like with what coach Damon Stoudamire has planned for me and what he’s building here, I feel like I need to be a part of that,” Kelly added. “I feel like who he is as a person, and this staff we have, that can really help my game and take it to the next level of how I want it to be.”
The former Parkview High star Kelly is one of just four returning Yellow Jackets on the Tech roster going into the upcoming season. He said in order to have his best campaign yet he has continued to work on the skills that not only will translate to the next level, but will make him a problem to guard each night in the ACC as he strengthens his professional profile.
If he does that, Kelly believes Tech will return to the form its supporters expect it to be.
“I think the season is going to be really good. I think we have some special pieces and this team could be really special,” he said. “I think we can get Georgia Tech back to March Madness, win a few games and win an ACC championship.”
