Adam Smith getting more comfortable with Georgia Tech
There is bad news for Georgia Tech’s future opponents.
Adam Smith is starting to become more comfortable with his role in the team’s offense.
The 6-foot-2 graduate senior already has shown why he was one of the top perimeter shooters during his days at Virginia Tech. He averaged 13.1 points in three seasons with the Hokies and last season led the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage.
He graduated in May and enrolled at Georgia Tech’s graduate program to pursue a Master’s degree in music technology.
“In practice, game-by-game, I’m getting more comfortable with the system we play, knowing where people are going to be,” Smith said. “Definitely getting more comfortable as time goes on.”
Georgia Tech (5-2) travels to Tulane for a 5 p.m. game Saturday. This is only the team’s second road trip of the season.
Smith is averaging 12 points and has shot 20-for-45 on 3-pointers (44.4 percent). By contrast, the team’s leading 3-point shooter last year was Chris Bolden, who made 32.6 percent before running afoul of team rules and being kicked off the club.
“Adam, he’s a game-changer,” head coach Brian Gregory said. “(Against Wofford) two were off of some set actions, and the other was him just making a play off of it. That’s what he does.”
Smith had a miserable shooting night against Villanova in the NIT Season Tipoff when he was 1-for-9 on 3-pointers. He bounced back to make 4-for-5 against Wofford.
“I try to do the same thing every day, feeling like it, not feeling like it, shooting the ball well, not shooting the ball well,” Smith said.
Tulane (5-3) is led by Louis Dabney, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who averages 12.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. Malik Morgan, a 6-4 junior who sat out last year after transferring from LSU, averages 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Dylan Osetkowski, a 6-8 sophomore from San Diego, averages 10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. He has four double-doubles, including one in the team’s 64-62 win over New Orleans on Wednesday. Jernard Jarreau, a 6-10 graduate senior who previously played at Washington and averages 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Georgia Tech has been led by forward Charles Mitchell, who averages 14.6 points and 12.9 rebounds and has has posted a double-double in each game.
The Yellow Jackets will need more production from Marcus Georges-Hunt, who scored only six points against Wofford — all from the free-throw line. It was the first time in his career that he has played a complete game without a field goal.
Forward Nick Jacobs, who averages 10.4 points, needs a bounce-back offensive game, too. He was hurt by early foul trouble against Wofford and scored only four points.
“We are a team that’s deep, and we’ve got to rely on other guys,” Gregory said. “For us to be up 25 points against (Wofford) with Marcus and Nick not scoring a lot for us was impressive. It was an important game for us, bouncing back after the (Villanova) loss. And now we’ve got to move forward and get ready to go on Saturday.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Adam Smith getting more comfortable with Georgia Tech ."