Georgia Tech's Ben Lammers taking on larger role

ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech fans might be watching their next center develop in front of their eyes.

Ben Lammers has started to play a larger role for the Yellow Jackets and is starting to show why he was so highly sought-after when coming out of school in San Antonio.

"The kid has a chance to be an outstanding player," head coach Brian Gregory said. "He does, and we're going to need him. We're a team that you're going to count on different guys every night. That's our best chance to be successful."

And that could mean more meaningful minutes for Lammers, a 6-foot-10 sophomore. Lammers played 18 minutes in the team's loss to Notre Dame on Wednesday and had seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

He has a team-leading 20 blocks, despite averaging only 14.6 minutes. He's averaging 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds.

"I was expecting to play a little more (this season)," Lammers said. "I want to be a solid contributor when they need me to come help, whether it's offense or defense."

Lammers has worked hard to be more of a presence in the low block, but at 230 pounds, he still can get pushed around by older, more mature players. He has worked hard on learning to establish a presence down low.

"I had problems getting down low and being physical," he said. "It's still a work in progress. (Assistant coach Momadou N'Diaye) has helped me learn to use my body as a weapon, using it to create space to make a shot."

Lammers' approach has been noticed by senior captain Marcus Georges-Hunt.

"Ben is quiet, but he wants to learn," Georges-Hunt said. "He's disciplined and doesn't say many words, but he plays hard. He does everything (Gregory) asks him to do. Everything and anything Ben gives us has been a plus."

The Yellow Jackets (11-6, 1-3 ACC) return home Saturday to play Virginia Tech (11-6, 3-1) in the first of two home games. While Virginia Tech isn't ranked, like three of Georgia Tech's first four conference opponents, it is one of the conference's surprise teams.

The Hokies are led by 6-foot-7 forward Zach LeDay, who averages 15.2 points and 9.1 rebounds. LeDay played two seasons at South Florida before transferring and sitting out last season.

Virginia Tech also features Seth Allen (13.3 points) and Justin Bibbs (12.8 points). Bibbs is coming off a 32-point performance in the Hokies' 93-91 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday. Freshman Chris Clarke (10.5 points, 7.4 rebounds) is out indefinitely with a broken foot.

Virginia Tech leads the series 15-6 and has won five of the eight meetings in Atlanta. Georges-Hunt has averaged 10.8 points in eight career meetings against the Hokies and has scored in double digits seven times. Charles Mitchell had 17 points and eight rebounds in last year's loss to Virginia Tech.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Georgia Tech's Ben Lammers taking on larger role ."