What Does Mouhamed Sylla Bring to Georgia Tech Basketball?

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are in the third year of the Damon Stoudamire era after finishing 17-17 last season and 10-10 in the ACC, good for eighth in conference. They have struggled overall for the last decade and a half, making just one tournament appearance since 2010-2011, and last year, had their season ended by the eventualy Final-Four-bound Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Essentially, Georgia Tech was painfully average in 2024-25, matching their general output for the last 15 or so seasons. They will look to improve and compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament this year, doing so with a revamped roster that includes a mix of transfer portal talent, returners, and freshmen.

For 2025-26, the Jackets added shooting guards Lamar Washington (Pacific) and Kam Craft (Maryland), center Peyton Marshall (Missouri), and guard Chas Kelley (Boston College), as well as a highly touted freshman in center Mouhamed Sylla, a Senegalese native who played his high school basketball at Bella Vista College Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sylla was a sought-after player in the class of 2025, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center with elite physical tools and the ability to affect the game at a high level defensively. He was the no. 41 player in his class, the no. 5 center, and the no. 3 player in the state of Arizona at the time of his signing with the Yellow Jackets.

He earned a 95.31 score according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, and had offers from plenty of top schools in the country, including Arkansas, Kansas, Washington, Arizona State, and Oregon. He eventually settled on Stoudamire's Yellow Jackets, and will bring a level of excitement to the burgeoning ACC team's front court.

What makes Sylla a potential NBA player starts on the defensive side of the ball, where he is both a great shot blocker and a player that has the ability to defend the paint either on or off of the ball. What this means essentially is that he can be a primary shot deterrent or someone that rolls over and plays help side in the paint.

He is surprisingly mobile for someone his size, and though he is a bit more raw on the offensive end, he has still shown the ability to be a play-finishing big and someone that can be a lob threat and effective player as the roll man in PNR sets. He will likely see a limited role on offense considering some of the other talent the Jackets possess, but will certainly see plenty of action due to his immense potential as a rim-runner.