College basketball season is just around the corner, and Georgia Tech is hoping to take a leap forward in Damon Stoudemire’s second season in Atlanta. One player who will be a big factor in determining that will be forward Baye Ndongo, who got off to a very successful start to his college career last season. Ndongo was named to the preseason All-ACC Second Team and just yesterday was listed on ESPN’s Top 100 Players for the 2024-2025 season, coming in at No. 73.
“After missing the beginning of his freshman season with a hand injury, Ndongo didn’t take long to show his talent. In his third healthy game, Ndongo had 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. He averaged 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds as a freshman in the upset win over Duke. ”
The 6-9 forward from Mboro, Senegal was the Yellow Jackets’ second-leading scorer (12.4 points per game) and top rebounder (8.2 points per game) last season, earning him a spot on the ACC All-Rookie Team. won the title and was selected as a finalist. He won the Kyle Macy Award as the nation’s top freshman. Ndongo ranked seventh in the ACC in average rebounds, sixth in offensive rebounds (2.55 per game), second in field goal percentage (55.8) and 12th in blocked shots (1.10 per game).
He paced the Jackets’ strong run, averaging 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds over Tech’s last four games, making 55.3 percent from the floor and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. I let it happen. He had six double-doubles during the season, but missed the other four with one rebound.
Duke was selected as the ACC winner in the poll, receiving 42 first-place votes. North Carolina, which finished second, received 11 votes, and Wake Forest, which finished third, received one first-place vote.
Preseason ACC Poll
school, points
1. Duke (42), 956
2. North Carolina (11), 924
3. Wake Forest (1), 800
4. Clemson, 765
5. Virginia, 743
6. Miami, 659
7. Pit, 636
8. North Carolina, 550
9. Louisville, 518
10. Notre Dame, 462
11. Syracuse, 454
12. Georgia Tech, 433
13. SMU, 344
14. Virginia Tech, 252
15. Florida, 251
16. California, 206
17. Stanford, 165
18. Boston College, 116
1st place votes are in parentheses. Total number of voters: 54 people
North Carolina’s RJ Davis escaped preseason ACC Player of the Year voting. Davis received 40 votes and Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg received 10 votes.
Preseason ACC Player of the Year Award
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 40 votes
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 10
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 3
Maxime Reynaud, Stanford, 1
Here are the remaining voting results:
Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 53 votes
Jeremiah Wilkinson, California, 1
Preseason All-ACC Team
first team
RJ Davis*, North Carolina, 54 years old
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 52
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 52 years old
Marcus Burton, Notre Dame, 41 years old
Nigel Pack, Miami, 37 years old
second team
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 36 years old
Chase Hunter, Clemson, 31
Jameel Watkins, Florida, 26 years old
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 21 years old
Ishmael Leggett, Pitt, 20 years old
This is going to be an interesting year for Damon Stoudemire and Georgia Tech. They return talented players like Ndongo, Knight George, Kowasi Reeves and Lance Terry, while also adding Oklahoma guard Javian McCollum, Colorado transfer Luke O’Brien and one of the best recruiting classes in the country. They will also bring in new players such as 1, so there is an opportunity here. To become an even better team than last year. Although they were voted 12th, they have room in the ACC and could finish even higher.
Additional links:
Additional links:
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Georgia Tech football: Aaron Philo finishes as one of the nation’s highest-graded true freshmen in Week 9
Georgia Tech football: Kickoff for Yellow Jackets vs. No. 5 Miami game on hold for 6 days
