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What could be the most intriguing lineup for Georgia Tech Basketball this season?
USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech Basketball has undergone plenty of change this offseason and there is still plenty of speculation on how Damon Stoudamire's lineup and rotation will look this season. I projected the starting lineup last week, but the lineup could go in a completely different direction. 

247Sports college basketball analyst Isaac Trotter wrote a piece recently detailing not what he thought the starting lineups would be, but what he thought were some of the most intriguing five-man lineups in the ACC this season. 

He discusses a potential lineup of Kyle Sturdivant, Miles Kelly, Kowacie Reeves, Amaree Abram, and Tyzhaun Claude. Here is what he had to say about what makes this potential lineup so intriguing: 

"An unselfish, pass-first point guard like Sturdivant with a rebound machine like Claude surrounded by three, talented bucket-getters? Yeah, the bones of a Georgia Tech renaissance is obvious. Kelly is an obvious candidate to jump into a completely different tier next season after a dominant finish to his sophomore season. But a pair of SEC transfers will be massive X-Factors for new Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire. Abram (an Ole Miss transfer) and Reeves (who bounced from Florida) both have stardom in their range of potential outcomes, but consistency has been lacking. If Georgia Tech can unlock Reeves' two-way potential, Stoudamire could follow Jerome Tang's footsteps and be the next first-year coach who outplays preseason expectations in a significant way."

I actually agree with this take and I think this could be a very fun lineup for Georgia Tech if Stoudamire decides to utilize it. I think it would hinge on Reeves taking a bigger step as a scorer, but it has the potential to give teams problems. Stoudamire has a history with Sturdivant and he spoke about that at his opening press conference:

"Me and Kyle... before Kyle was born, me and his father were really good friends and you know whats crazy is that there is so many backstories to be honest with you of people I know in Atlanta, not knowing this day would come when I would be sitting in front of you guys and talking about being the head coach here at Tech. But I knew Kyle's dad for the longest and I held him as a baby and known him for years and I have always been proud of him.

You know the thing about it is... I'll say this... I know this year he had some bumps in the road, you know he would call me and he don't know this but sometimes when he called, I would not answer on purpose... I did. Because sometimes you gotta be a man and figure it out because after a while, you gotta look in the mirror and know who is really the culprit.

I have always said this... and I believe this and I tell my kids this and I tell Kyle this and I tell my closest people who ask me questions... I don't know a coach in the world who is not going to play a guy who is going to help them win a game. Ok, now there is things we have to do. We have to exude confidence and do different things and I understand that but there is not a coach in the world, I don't care what level you play on, that is not going to put the manager in if he can help you win, so that is what I tried to get Kyle to understand that I would pick the phone up when he played better and I am like whats the difference. That is all I would ask, I never asked questions because No.1, I know how hard coaching is, but I also know how student-athletes can get in their own head about certain things.

Kyle is a great young man and a great student, he's a great ambassador of this university and I look forward to coaching him."

Sturdivant and Kelly were playing well towards the end of last season and surrounding them with players like Reeves, Abram, and Claude could take their games to another level. Given how Stoudamire has praised both Reeves and Abram, they might be the keys to how dangerous this offense could be: 

"I think that Amaree Abram will do well, I really like him. He is a shifty guard and able to make open shots and as crazy as that sounds, he is a great playmaker. One of the things that I always think about and I know he only averaged eight points at Ole Miss, but I was really surprised at the way he could shoot catch and shoot and that is one of the things that I love about him, he can play with it or he can play without it. I think that he is going to have a big, big impact.

But honestly, I think all of the guys that we added, I brought in length, I wanted long guys, I wanted athletic guys, I wanted three and D type of guys so I think that Kowacie Reeves will make an impact as well. I really like his athleticism, I love his energy and I think his ability to keep improving on his three-point shot. I think those two will make an impact out the gate."

media for the latest on Georgia Tech Athletics!

This article first appeared on FanNation All Yellow Jackets and was syndicated with permission.

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