Georgia
Men’s Hoops Cruises in Season Opener
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball opened the 2024-25 campaign with a 85-62 rout over visiting West Georgia on Wednesday evening at McCamish Pavilion.
Playing his first game in the White and Gold, Oklahoma transfer Javian McCollum led Georgia Tech (1-0) with a game-high 18 points. Kowacie Reeves Jr. added 15 points and Baye Ndongo chipped in 10 to round out three scorers in double-figures for the Yellow Jackets. Ten different players scored for the Jackets, who never trailed in the opener.
Thanks to five points from McCollum and four from Reeves, Tech raced out to an early 11-2 lead and never looked back. The Jackets closed the first half with a 26-13 run and led by 21 at the break, 50-29. The advantage never shrank to less than 20 in the second period, despite making just one field goal in the final nine minutes of the game.
Georgia Tech’s 23-point win was aided by seven assists from Naithan George and 10 rebounds from Colorado transfer Luke O’Brien, both game highs. McCollum had four steals to go along with his 18 points.
The margin of victory was the Jackets’ largest under head coach Damon Stoudamire, surpassing its 22-point win over Georgia Southern in last season’s opener.
Shelton Williams-Dryden led West Georgia (0-2) with 13 points.
Tech returns to action on Sunday when it hosts North Florida. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion and the game will be televised on ACC Network Extra.
Georgia Tech’s bench celebrates after Javian McCollum scores three of his game-high 18 points in Wednesday’s season opener vs. West Georgia. (photo by Eldon Lindsay)
POST-GAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Tech is 39-7 in season openers since joining the ACC for the 1979-80 season, 37-5 when those openers are at home.
- Tech is playing its first seven games of the season at McCamish Pavilion, the longest homestand to start a season for the Yellow Jackets since 1980-81 The Jackets do not play away from home until Dec. 3 (ACC opener at North Carolina).
- Tech posted its largest margin of victory under Damon Stoudamire – 23 points. Tech’s largest margin of victory last year was 22 points in the Yellow Jackets’ season-opener vs. Georgia Southern (84-62).
- Tech shot 63.4 percent inside the arc (26-of-41).
- Tech scored 50 points in the first half and connected on 56.8 percent from the floor.
- Tech assisted on 20 of its 33 made field goals (60.6 percent).
PLAYER NOTES
- Javian McCollum’s 18 points against West Georgia got him over 1,000 points for his career. He began the season with 990 (590 in two seasons at Siena, 400 in his one season at Oklahoma).
- McCollum has scored in double figures 45 times in his career.
- McCollum’s four steals against West Georgia were one more than any player had for Tech last season.
- McCollum stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals against West Georgia.
- Naithan George had seven assists vs. West Georgia, the ninth time in his career he has dished seven or more. His career high in assists is 11 vs. Notre Dame, Jan. 9, 2024.
- Luke O’Brien posted his sixth career double-figure rebound game with 10 vs. West Georgia (the previous five all in the 2022-23 season). Career high 14 vs. Seton Hall on March 14, 2023.
- Kowacie Reeves, Jr., scored 15 points against West Georgia, his 14th double-figure game as a Yellow Jacket and 33rd of his career.
- Baye Ndongo scored 10 points with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks against UWG. It was his 20th career double-figure scoring game.
- Damon Stoudamire is one of 19 head coaches at the NCAA Division I level who played in the NBA.
Naithan George dished out a game-high seven assists in the first game of his sophomore campaign. (photo by Eldon Lindsay)
MULTIMEDIA
PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
Georgia
Packers get Georgia DL Christen Miller in new ESPN mock draft
A two-round 2026 mock draft from Matt Miller of ESPN gave the Green Bay Packers some help for the defensive line in the second round. With pick No. 52 overall, Miller sent Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller to the Packers.
Green Bay does not have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the Micah Parsons in August of last year.
From Miller: “The Packers needed to deal Kenny Clark to put their Micah Parsons trade package over the top, but his absence created a need. Miller is a dominant nose tackle prospect with 1-technique ability to shoot gaps and disrupt.”
Miller (6-4, 310) could help immediately improve the interior of the Packers defensive line. At Pro Football Focus, Miller finished ranked second in run defense grade (90.2) among defensive linemen with at least 100 run defense snaps in 2025. Despite playing only 1,000 snaps over the last three seasons, Miller produced 44 stops, 11.5 tackles for loss, 45 total pressures and 4.0 sacks.
The Packers rotated through defensive tackle options over the second half of the 2025 season and struggled at times stopping the run after losing Devonte Wyatt to a season-ending injury. Miller could give the Packers a legit run-stopper to team with Wyatt, a disruptive pass-rusher.
From Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire: “If Christen Miller ever becomes the sum of all his parts, he’s going to be a force on the interior. The Georgia defensive tackle has good quickness of the snap and the power in his hands to work off contact to be an active force against the run. With his blend of quickness and power, it’s easy to see why he’s viewed as a potential Top 50 pick. If he is still on the board when the Packers are on the clock with the 52nd overall pick, he’ll likely be the sixth Bulldog that Gutekunst has drafted.”
From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com: “Miller is an even-front nose tackle who can rattle pads and gain early advantages at the point of attack. He has good stack-and-shed against single blocks but lacks the prototypical mass of a space-eater. He will lose his anchor to double teams and strong angle blocks at times. He’s average at matching lateral movement off the snap but is generally aware of play design and hustles across gaps to squeeze run lanes. He’ll continue to bulk up and should become a good starter who is more consistent than dominant along the interior.”
With the 20th overall pick from the Packers, the Dallas Cowboys got Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker.
Georgia
Police officer killed, another seriously wounded in hotel room shootout in Georgia
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A man being questioned by police at a suburban Atlanta hotel Sunday shot the two officers after inviting them into his room, killing one of them and seriously wounding the other, authorities said.
The suspect, who was shot by one of the officers, was undergoing medical treatment and expected to survive, Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure said during a news conference.
The shootout happened Sunday morning near Stone Mountain, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. The officers were dispatched to the hotel after a caller in another state reported someone had fraudulently used their credit card there, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The agency said the front desk clerk directed the officers to the room of the person who had used the credit card.
McClure said the suspect greeted the officers at the door to his room and invited them inside.
“They began discussing the scenario or the incident with him,” McClure said. “And at some point the suspect produced a handgun and, in an unprovoked attack, fired at our Gwinnett County police officers.”
Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, died of his injuries at a hospital, McClure said. A native of Nepal, Tamang had joined the Police Department last year.
Office David Reed was hospitalized in serious condition but stable Sunday afternoon, the police chief said.
“This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Georgians,” Gov. Brian Kemp said on X.
McClure identified the shooting suspect as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, Ga. It was not immediately known whether Andrews had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
The investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which customarily handles shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. McClure said it would be up to the GBI and local prosecutors to decide what charges to bring against Andrews.
Georgia
Georgia brothers sentenced for Georgia Lottery fraud scheme
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. – Two Georgia brothers have been sentenced after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they defrauded the Georgia Lottery more than a dozen times over a years-long period.
Brothers accused of lottery fraud
What we know:
Quinton Watts, 27, and Phillip Watts, 31, both of Sparta, were sentenced Thursday after being arrested for defrauding the lottery.
The GBI began investigating the men in August 2024 at the request of the Georgia Lottery Commission. Agents said the brothers stole money from video poker-style machines—commonly known as Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAM)—across more than 12 counties between June 2021 and September 2024.
The two were charged with multiple felony charges, including racketeering, lottery ticket fraud, theft by taking, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.
Lottery fraud sentencing
What’s next:
Columbia County Superior Court Judge Barry A. Fleming sentenced Quinton Watts to 20 years in prison, followed by 45 years of probation. Phillip Watts was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 35 years of probation. Both men were ordered to pay $86,000 in restitution to the Georgia Lottery Commission. Judge Fleming also banned both men from Columbia County, prohibited them from entering any stores involved in the case, and barred them from playing COAMs.
What are COAMs?
Dig deeper:
COAMs are arcade-style machines regulated by the Georgia Lottery and are typically found inside gas stations and convenience stores. The machines award points that can be exchanged for in-store items, gas credits, or Georgia Lottery tickets. The machines are legal as long as they are properly licensed. Under Georgia law, customers may only redeem credits for specific non-cash rewards.
The Source: Information in this article came from a release posted on the GBI’s website.
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