Taken from my post from our home game Tech is not deep, but they are VERY experienced. They play 7, of which 6 are juniors or seniors and the other is a sophomore. They have virtually no size, and really they ride their starters as long as possible. Of note, they could be a fantastic team next year if their seniors decide to return.
Defensively, Pastner uses a lot of junk defense. Most notably he goes 1-3-1 a decent amount. That leads to turnovers (they force a lot of them), but it also leads to a high shooting percentage. Basically, aside from forcing TOs, they do nothing well defensively other than not foul. Unfortunately, that plays to two of our big weaknesses offensively. In aggregate, they are a decent but not great defensive team.
On offense, they are fairly perimeter-oriented, albeit with one post scorer. They handle the ball extremely well, and shoot it really well. They play a pretty slow pace, and work to get good shots. It is a VERY good offensive team.
Centers: Moses Wright (6’9”, 235lb senior from Raleigh) is the center. Wright has really improved in his 4 years. He now has shooting range legitimately to 3pt range. He doesn’t create his own shot much. In the post, his go-to is a jump hook. Everything else is a catch-and-shoot/finish. Defensively, he is rangy and athletic. They ask him to play 35+ mpg, so he works hard to stay out of foul trouble. If he is out, Rodney Howard (6’10”, 240lb soph) or Saba Gigiberia (7’1”, 250lb frosh from Georgia - the country) are emergency options. But neither is good.
Forwards: Jordan Usher (6’7”, 215lb senior) is the starting forward. He is a high-energy player with good strength and athleticism who has expanded his range to the 3pt line. In a pinch, he can even play a de facto center. Like Wright, Usher is a rangy and athletic defender who picks up steals and some blocks. He is sort of the player we want Wendell Moore to be. ln a pinch, Khalid Moore (6’7”, 200lb junior) will slide up from the wing to forward. Moore is built like Cam Reddish, and he is a versatile defender. Offensively, he is limited by poor shooting touch and limited handle. So he tends to be more of an energy guy than anything else. Nobody else is relevant at forward.
Wings: Moore is the starter, but if Tech goes to its bench they go pretty small. Bubba Parham (5’10”, 160lb senior transfer from VMI) is the first wing off the bench. Parham is super quick but really small. He is a bit like a smaller, quicker version of DJ Steward. More of a volume scorer than a shooter, but he is quite capable of making 3s and is not shy about taking them. He also rebounds surprisingly decent for his size. Parham was a starter for much of the year before ceding his spot to Moore the last few weeks. Now, he plays about 15 mpg. Next is Kyle Sturdivant (6’2”, 195lb soph transfer from USC). Sturdivant is a combo guard with decent FT touch who hasn’t quite found his sea legs at the major college level. He plays 8-12 mpg as minutes filler for the starters.
Guards: The engine of the team is their two-headed PG combo. Jose Alvarado (6’0”, 180lb senior) is the captain and team leader. He is a bit of a cross between Carlik Jones and sophomore Tre Jones. An NYC PG, he has an incredible feel for the game and undying confidence. He is also extremely tough, and can get under opponents’ skin. But along with a high bball IQ, he has developed into a great shooter with an outside shot at the 50/40/90 club. He is a steals machine on defense. The dude can ball. Not to be totally outdone is Michael DeVoe (6’5”, 195lb junior). DeVoe is kind of like Tech’s version of David Johnson from Louisville. A terrific ballhandler and passer with size who can also rebound and score from inside or out. These two guys are really really good and will give any team fits.
We played a fantastic defensive game against them in Cameron. Hopefully the team comes back from the Saturday loss focused and ready to give it their all for a win.