LIKE BROTHERS
BASKETBALL’S GEORGES-HUNT AND JACKSON HAVE A LONG-STANDING BOND THAT BENEFITS BOTH PLAYERS
The Place
To Be International student-athletes are coming to, thriving at, Georgia Tech in record numbers
WINTER 2015
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winter WINTER 2015 • VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2
2015
EDITOR Mike Stamus ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lauren Rupert WRITERS Jon Cooper Simit Shah Adam Van Brimmer Matt Winkeljohn PHOTOGRAPHERS Laura Bernard Clyde Click Danny Karnik DESIGN & LAYOUT Summit Athletic Media www.summitathletics.com ADVERTISING – IMG COLLEGE General Manager – Dave Bouteiller For information on advertising, please call (404) 733-1330
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In This Issue 4 10
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THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
International student-athletes are coming to, thriving at, Georgia Tech in record numbers
LIKE BROTHERS Though two years apart in age, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Tadric Jackson have a long-standing bond that benefits both players
Georgia Tech women’s basketball features seven new faces, one similar mission
TONY OF ARABIA Former Yellow Jacket football player Tony Robinson is coaching semi-pro football in the United Arab Emirates
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TIME MANAGER
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DONOR PROFILE: STEVE ZELNAK
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COMPLIANCE CORNER
Former Georgia Tech swimming star Nico van Diujn aims to make the Swiss Olympic team.
FAMILY TRADITION? Deep Georgia Tech ties are only a small part of what made heralded track recruit Avery Bartlett a Yellow Jacket.
Primary donor for the Yellow Jackets’ basketball practice facility demonstrated his entrepreneurial skills as a Tech student
CAMPAIGN GEORGIA TECH 17TH ANNUAL LIFE MEMBER PARTY NOONAN GOLF FACILITY GROUNDBREAKING
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MEN’S BASKETBALL ABDOULAYE GUEYE
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THE PLACE TO BE
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETES ARE COMING TO, THRIVING AT, GEORGIA TECH IN RECORD NUMBERS BY JON COOPER
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It’s no exaggeration when Georgia Tech coaches say they’ll leave no stone unturned to recruit the best and the brightest studentathletes the world has to offer.
WOMEN’S TENNIS PAIGE HOURIGAN
NEW ZEALAND
With technology making the world a smaller place, finding these talented and academically inspired kids is easier and easier and, as a result, more and more of
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them than ever are choosing to pursue higher education in Atlanta. At the beginning of the 2015 fall semester, a record 35 student-athletes from outside of the United States participated in Georgia Tech Athletics. Take a look at the rosters of just about every Yellow Jackets team, and you’re bound to find a representative born outside the United States. Be it football (defensive end Adam Gotsis, Australia), women’s tennis (Paige Hourigan, New Zealand), men’s tennis (Carlos Benito, Spain, among three others, all from different countries), men’s basketball (Abdoulaye Gueye, Senegal, and Sylvester Ogbonda, Nigeria), women’s basketball (Antonia Peresson, Italy, Efe Edeferioka, Nigeria, Irene Gari, Spain, amongst the six on the squad), volleyball (Gabriela Stavnetchei, Brazil, and Anna Kavalchuk, Belarus), swimming and diving (Yuval Safra, Israel, amongst the 13 from eight different nations), the list goes on and on. In all, six of the world’s seven continents are represented (North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia), and 24 countries have representation. Gender-wise it’s a near-even split, with 18 men and 17 women. “Our coaches are going after the best and the brightest not only domestically but internationally,” said associate athletic director for student services Phyllis LaBaw. “It is a win-win, and it is a special part of what we do and what we do for students but also just a combination, a diversity. But that’s what we should all be about. It’s absolutely beautiful to have the diversity we have across the board. “They are such dedicated students,” WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM
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SWIMMING AND DIVING she added. “They will not go home YUVAL SAFRA
ISRAEL
without their degree because, for many of them, their families have given up a lot for them to be here. Not all of them are full-scholarship student-athletes. They’ve given up their family in many cases because they don’t have the opportunity to come and go as so many of our domestic students.” One might think that those coming to a new country to study at a top collegiate institution might have a difficult time with simply communicating. Yet, with Georgia Tech student-athletes, that’s frequently not the case. Not being able to get home can actually be a bigger issue with international students than any issue with the language or even the curriculum. “When I was young I lived in Nigeria for, like, seven years, and I attended an American International school,” said Safra, a 2014 Academic All-American, who is top-five in school history in three different events (500 free, 1,650 free, 200 back). “So I think that’s why my English is better because until age eight I would speak only English. Then I went back to Israel, so I spoke only Hebrew. So my English isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad.”
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to write an assignment was really hard, harder than everybody else. But those are things that I’ve been through and I’ve gotten much better at. I can say that’s not tough anymore.” LaBaw says that the language barrier isn’t as great as might be expected, because it’s something that’s part of the recruiting process. “They come in and pretty much can meet all the qualifications as an incoming Georgia Tech student. So they’re very fluent in English and multilingual,” she said. “That’s what’s so amazing about this population. They’re not only fluent in English, but often times fluent in three and four other languages. They’re fluent in English and their test scores need to relay that also, and they take the same SAT, the same ACT so their scores are going to show that fluency in both reading and writing.” Inevitable struggles in grasping concepts in classes can be alleviated by something as simple as a tape recorder. Often a bigger issue is time-management. “The hardest part for me was trying to put 100 percent into tennis while also trying to put 100 percent into school work. It was really hard to get a balance,” said Hourigan, a 2015 second-team All-ACC selection as a freshman, whose sport requires her playing both a fall and spring season. “At first it was a little bit of a struggle. Academic advisors are awesome, and that’s what helped me last year a lot, because they always made MEN’S BASKETBALL sure I was on SYLVESTER OGBONDA track and doing WOMEN’S BASKETBALL everything right.” ELO EDEFERIOKA Sometimes, however, even the best student and most focused athlete has to deal with something that the finest onfield success and a highest-quality academic work can’t fix. That’s homesickness, something exacerbated by the extreme distance they are from their native country. “I miss my mom, I miss my brothers. I haven’t seen them in like four years since I’ve been here,” said Ogbonda, a freshman post player who hails from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, more than 6,000 miles away from Atlanta, and attended high school in Fort Washington, Maryland. “I miss the food. When I was in Maryland, I used to eat Nigerian food, but it wasn’t like home. So that’s what I miss. I ABDOULAYE GUEYE miss my friends at home.” Even upperclassmen have an issue with “I’ve been here the distance from their home countries. for a year and a “My sister just had a baby. I want to half, but the hardsee the baby. So, yeah, I miss my family est part for me is and the food,” said Edeferioka, a juthe English,” said Stavnetchei. “Since Geornior transfer from Hofstra, who also is of gia Tech is a really hard school, you have to go Nigerian descent. “There’s no food like home to class, and in the beginning, I couldn’t underfood. Even though I get African food here, it’s stand what the professors were saying. For me not like homemade food from my mom. I really
NIGERIA
SENEGAL
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
hope I can go home this ChristIRENE GARI mas, because I haven’t been home WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VOLLEYBALL MEN’S TENNIS for Christmas for almost five ANNA KAVALCHUK ANTONIA PERESSON CARLOS BENITO years now.” the opporKeeping busy has proven the tunity to go home best cure for homesickness for and things like that,” Edeferioka’s teammate Gari, a he said. “At the end of the day, native of Oliva, Spain. Of course, Education, for their help in you’re here for a reason. That is to get Gari, a graduate student enrolling getting him and fellow interyour degree and play your sport. They’re at Georgia Tech after receiving her bachelor’s national athletes assimilated. degree at UTEP, also has been away from home paying for THAT. You can’t sit there and be “There are like two aspects. There’s upset about not having the opportunity to since age 14 when she moved to Barcelona to a social aspect and then there’s the go home when you’re getting a free education participate in the nation’s high-performances academic aspect here,” he said. “Acaand the opportunity to play on a big stage. sports center. demic-wise the A.A. does a great job of helping “I remember coming in and just seeing ev“Here I’m really busy, so I don’t have time international students get into the rhythm, if eryone and being like, ‘This is insane.’ I know to even think about home,” she said. “We no one. It was just a weird feeling. A lot of these it’s tutoring or extra sessions or whatever they wake up at 5:30 to do weights at 6, then I go guys know of each other or of each other’s high need. That helped me a lot, because when you to class, have lunch and then go back to class, schools or people that have come out of certain come here you’re in shock. You have no idea then practice and then study and go to sleep. what’s happening. You need to register for high schools,” he added. “I just came in, put So I don’t really have time. courses, and you don’t even know what that my head down and worked. That’s the biggest “I miss them at Christmas, especially, but thing you can do is just come in and work every means, so that really helps you. When I came in I just don’t think about it,” she added. “I’m they told me what I need to do, which was a ton day and live with the result. If you don’t make here and I have to enjoy this moment because of help for me at the beginning.” the most of the opportunity, make the most of probably next year I’m going to be back in Having a familiar dialect has been crucial. every day here, you’re just wasting time.” Europe and I’m not going to be able to enjoy Safra is especially making the most of his time Stavnetchei is in a unique situation, as volleyball all these moments in college.” head coach Michelle Collier and assistant coach in the United States. His four years in Atlanta Gotsis embraced the moment and seeing Marcela Oliveira are both from Brazil and both have allowed him to defer mandatory service in the opportunity coming to Georgia Tech preplayed at the University of South Florida. the Israeli military -something he will do when sented, but was sympathetic to those who do. “I think the fact that I was once in their he returns following his graduation. “I adjusted pretty easy but I know a lot of position helps me to have a better underHe’s grateful to Georgia Tech’s Athletic [international student-athletes] do struggle standing of what they are going through and Association and the Office of International with just the distance and not really having
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value to our domestic students.” The boom of international student-athletes is here to stay at Georgia Tech and likely will only continue to grow. LaBaw hopes it will lead to similar growth in domestic students venturing abroad. “I see this population as stimulating opportunities for our domestic students,” she said. “I look more at our domestic students studying abroad at maybe some of the home countries of some of these students and then also piquing the interest to speak another language for our domestic students. So they’re a great population for your domestic students to learn from.” Then there’s the thrill of the GABRIELA STAVNETCHEI hunt in finding the next big thing. “That’s what’s kind of exciting for our coaches, too. I know MaChelle Joseph spends time in Italy and wherever else. The same thing with [Men’s Basketball] Coach [Brian] Gregory,” LaBaw said. “Then, also, the added value is this group of 35 international student-athletes, they’re an educational experience for all of us. It’s amazing to talk to them in regards to their family and their experiences and how it’s different here, and then seeing them somewhat become Americanized but then vice versa. What they teach the others. That’s the special part of this relationship.”
“We have a very globally diverse institute in regards to student population, but then they’re coming to a family. They’re coming into a team,” she said. “So more than anything, the premise we work by and our philosophy is just that pure family aspect. That’s what really embraces them and captures them into the program and they do so well. They just continue to add
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help them accommodate better to their new experience,” said Collier, who starred at USF from 1998 through 2002. “Every student, whether national or international, will react differently to the transition into this new life experience. It helps to have lived a similar experience and be able to relate to them.” LaBaw cited several clubs on campus that are available for internationals for that occasional taste of home and feels that the team factor can be big in getting comfortable with college life.
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mb MEN’S BASKETBALL
LIKE BROTHERS THOUGH TWO YEARS APART IN AGE, MARCUS GEORGES-HUNT AND TADRIC JACKSON HAVE A LONG-STANDING BOND THAT BENEFITS BOTH PLAYERS
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impressions. “Ashburn is a smaller town, and everybody knows everybody. Everyone has a good relationship with everybody. “There’s not too much around, a lot of people playing outside, and they all knew each other. There was a neighborhood bond, I would say, with each other, and they just got along with each other. It was like one, big family.” Georges-Hunt had a special frame of reference on Jackson, and while he knew his roommate/teammate family bond was ruptured by his father’s death and compounded by his erratic play, he was careful not to over-counsel lest he compound the issues with volume.
BY MATT WINKELJOHN
You might think you’ll need your eyes checked the next time you see Tadric Jackson, yet while he may look foreign to Georgia Tech fans, Marcus Georges-Hunt is quite pleased to once again find himself playing alongside the brother from a different mother that he’s known for years. The sophomore guard has a new body, but there’s more to the young man and his game now that there’s less of him. Cutting more than 20 pounds to a svelte 199 is only part of the story. Georges-Hunt, who first met a certain precocious seventh grader when Jackson played “up” on his older AAU team, says Jackson is back to being comfortable in his skin – his old skin – after a freshman season spent scuffling. There’s an especially warm and comfortable air when the senior swingman teases his roommate about his remaining vice, Oreo cookies. “He loves them, and he eats the Double Stuf,” Georges-Hunt said with a grin. “I definitely have a good feeling about him this year. What I call it is, he got his swag back.” Nobody in the Tech program knows Jackson better, so when he scuffled as a freshman, beginning when his father, Damedric Jackson, died suddenly before the season, Georges-Hunt had an up-close view of a roommate in pain. “The way the game is played with me [normally] is just play; don’t worry about other stuff on the outside,” said Tadric, nicknamed “Tot” by his mother, Natasha. “In the beginning, I had a couple difficulties. My dad passed away. That kind of killed my vibe for a long time.” It didn’t take long after they came together on that AAU team – the Georgia Stars with former Tech players Robert Carter, Jr., and Chris Bolden, Jackson’s cousin, as teammates – for Georges-Hunt to sidle up to Jackson, his mother and his three brothers like family. When Jackson lost his shot, and his confidence, last season, Marcus played sounding board – albeit with the gentle touch one might match with a sibling. “He had a couple good points ... and he taught me a little bit about the game,” Jackson said. “I was coming in as a freshman, trying to play. He would tell me, ‘This isn’t high school; everybody is faster and stronger.’ Small things like that. “When we played on the same AAU team ... my mom used to go to every game with us and take me to Atlanta or drive wherever. He would stay in the hotel room sometimes. He would just be with my mom, and my mom would baby him.” When Georges-Hunt wasn’t playing for North Clayton High School, where he was the AAAA state player of the year, or with the Stars, he visited Jackson’s hometown of Ash-
“THE WAY THE GAME IS PLAYED WITH ME [NORMALLY] IS JUST PLAY; DON’T WORRY ABOUT OTHER STUFF ON THE OUTSIDE.” —TADRIC JACKSON
“I THINK HE’S LEARNED, AS I LEARNED TO GAIN CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF, AND HE’S GOT CONFIDENCE IN HIS BODY. HE’S MOVING QUICKER. HE’S MORE EXPLOSIVE, AND HE STILL HAS JUMPING ABILITY.” —MARCUS GEORGES-HUNT
burn. That was not like his suburban Atlanta home, to be sure, and seeing Jackson in his home environment and then trying to adjust to college life and basketball left him in a conciliatory position. It didn’t take a keen eye to see something was amiss as he peaked at 222 pounds. When a player like Jackson, who averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a high school senior and the state player of the year, averages 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds keeps hoisting 3-pointers (16-of-90) even while making just 17.8 percent of them, alarms go off. Georges-Hunt learned something in those south Georgia visits other than the “country stuff, two traffic lights and cotton fields,” that Jackson recalled his friend marveling over. Marcus has seen Jackson when he’s right, as he was with the Stars and in his home element. “He was unbelievable for his age, and he did some spectacular things. The jumping ability, his IQ overall was just amazing; we were all in shock,” Marcus recalled of his first WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM
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“I’m pretty sure a lot of people outside of Georgia Tech just put a lot of pressure on him, asking what’s going on and stuff like that,” Marcus said. “I just kept it simple, just told him to go out there and fun and don’t overthink it. When you over-think it, things tend to go bad. When you play with nothing on your mind, everything will take care of itself.” Jackson’s offseason somewhat mirrored his work in the classroom at Tech, where he made the ACC Academic Honor Roll. He worked hard to re-design his body, and built confidence in the process. Gregory had a fair share of one-on-one chats with his young player over the course of last
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season, yet only after Jackson committed his offseason to tweaking his diet and working overtime with strength and conditioning coach Mike Bewley did the coach see true change. Jackson was slowed over the summer by a sprained ankle, yet showed signs in three preseason games in the Bahamas. He averaged 14.0 points on 42.5 percent shooting (17-of-40), and made 5-of-16 3-pointers (31.3 percent). “His shot selection and overall play were improved,” Gregory said. “The biggest thing with him and his offensive aggressiveness is maturity, learning a good shot vs. just getting a shot. One of the biggest differences between high school
and college basketball is statistics are kept. “It’s not just how many points you get, but how many shots you take. Sometimes, freshmen are amazed at their efficiency. With maturity, you hope he understands that the quality of each possession is important.” When the Yellow Jackets turn the lights on Gregory’s veteran team Nov. 13 against Cornell in McCamish Pavilion, there will be four newcomers. Perhaps no player will seem more different than Jackson. Freshman Sylvester Ogbonda and transfers Nick Jacobs, James White and Adam Smith will be new to the program, yet Jackson might deserve a spot on that list as well. He refuted his roommate’s tale about his sweet tooth with devilish confidence that belied his version of the events. “I don’t eat Oreos looking like this,” he said with a viceverifying smile. It’s all good; Jackson has a great look and a good feeling. The same goes for Georges-Hunt, who chats with his roommate’s mother when she calls her son. He said he sees Jackson now as if he’s back home, “around good people, and no drama. “I think he’s learned, as I learned to gain confidence in myself, and he’s got confidence in his body. He’s moving quicker. He’s more explosive, and he still has jumping ability,” Marcus said. “He’s understanding the game ... he’s more comfortable with what to expect.”
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wb WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
The class of newcomers is anchored by four freshmen – Martine Fortune (44), Ciani Cryor (5), Chelsea Guimaraes (15) and Dejoria Howard (23) – and has been ranked as high as the 14th-best in the nation.
BY JON COOPER
GEORGIA TECH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FEATURES SEVEN NEW FACES, ONE SIMILAR MISSION
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The sign of a really good program is being able to compete with the best in the nation during the offseason as effectively as it does during the season, so as to keep a healthy supply of talent coming in.
Elo Edeferioka (11) transferred from Hofstra, while Irene Gari (20) is a graduate transfer from UTEP.
Georgia Tech women’s basketball has a really good, healthy program. A look at head coach MaChelle Joseph’s incoming class of seven -- five freshmen, including point guard Ciani Cryor, forwards Martine Fortune, Chelsea Guimaraes, guard/forward Dejoria Howard, and walk-on guard Lilliann Andrews, and transfers junior forward Elo Edeferioka and grad student guard/forward Irene Gari -- and how much they could immediately contribute during the upcoming 2015-16 season proves that. It certainly was good timing as the Jackets needed to replace two significant scorers. The new faces offer a mix of talents and a hunger to get on the court and contribute (Edeferioka must sit out this season but is eager to do her part in in practice). The core of the freshman class are Philadelphia, Pa., natives Cryor and Fortune and South Carolina’s Howard, a trio that made Joseph’s WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM
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recruiting class her fifth straight top-20 class. It ranked as high as No. 14 according to Blue Star Basketball. “This incoming class of Martine, Dejoria and Ciani will provide our program with depth that is both athletic and versatile,” said Joseph, who begins her 13th season at the helm with a 232-149 record, 87-93 in ACC play. “The competitive spirit and desire to be a student-athlete at Georgia Tech has made this a special group.” Joseph is used to coaching special groups, as she’s led the Jackets to postseason appearances in eight of the last nine seasons, including the program’s first Sweet 16 berth in 2012. Last year’s team just missed the program’s eighth 20-win season in nine years, going 19-15 (7-9 in ACC play) and was selected to play in the WNIT. That was a more experienced group than Tech will field this season, which will be led by senior forward Roddreka Rogers and classmate guard/forward Aaliyah Whiteside, but Joseph expects another 20-win season and a return to the NCAAs. The kids are not afraid of that challenge. Cryor is especially fearless. The 5-5 point guard is slight of frame -- something she’s worked on in the weight room over the summer -- but is lightningquick, has superb court vision and can hit the
“THIS IS THE BEST CONFERENCE IN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL. IT’S KIND OF HARD TO KEEP UP, BUT IT’S VERY FULFILLING. I KNOW THE GIRLS ARE VERY STRONG. COACH JO IS ONE OF THE BEST COACHES OUT THERE, SO I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING ON THE FLOOR. ... I JUST WANT TO IMPROVE TO HELP MY TEAMMATES.” —MARTINE FORTUNE, F
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jumper if left unattended. As a senior, Cryor was PIAA District 12 AAA MVP and the District VII Philadelphia Public League MVP in leading Neumann-Goretti High School to its first PIAA District 12 (AA) Catholic League Championship in 36 years, a city championship, and a No. 1 ranking in Philadelphia (No. 17 in the country). She was rated a four-star prospect and ranked the No. 65 player in the country, while Prospect Nation rated her the 17th point guard prospect in the nation. She is enjoying the challenge of making the jump to college and playing for Joseph. “I love Coach Jo,” said Cryor. “We see eyeto-eye. She believes in me, and I believe in her. Hopefully we’re going to do great things. “It’s very intense,” she added. “In high school I basically knew everything. As far as the plays, as far as practice and things we do with Coach Jo and the team, it’s very intense.” Cryor’s personality fits the bill as far as meeting that intensity. “Ciani is one of the most intense, competitive kids I have ever recruited,” Joseph said. “She will embrace our system offensively and defensively with her desire to be the best. I am excited to have her at Georgia Tech.” While in Philadelphia, Joseph added depth to the front line by signing Fortune. “Martine is one of the most versatile mobile posts in the class of 2015,” said Joseph. “She will give us a defensive presence in the paint with high level shot-blocking capabilities.” Ranked as the No. 12 post player in the country (No. 68 overall) by Prospects Nation and given three stars and a No. 17 ranking from ESPNW, the 6-3 big played in 85 games, averaging 8.1 points per game, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while helping the Shipley School win the Friends League championship three straight seasons and back-to-back Pennsylvania Independent School State Championships. She showed her versatility last season by moving to center from forward and is eager to test the bigs in the ACC. “This is the best conference in women’s basketball,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to keep up, but it’s very fulfilling. I know the girls are very strong. Coach Jo is one of the best coaches out there, so I’m looking forward to getting on the floor. I hope I can assist with my defense and my rebounding. I just need to get stronger. I’m hoping to bring whatever I can to the table. Just find whatever I can do. I just want to improve to help my teammates.” Joseph sees Howard helping on both ends of the floor. “Dejoria is a versatile guard that can score,” Joseph said. “She fits our system and gives us another big guard that can play multiple positions in our program.” The 6-0 Howard was the top-ranked player in the class of 2015 by Southernhoops.net and No. 42 by Blue Star after leading OrangeburgWilkinson High School to three straight Lower State Championships appearances and
“WHEN YOU HAVE ALL NEW PEOPLE, THE BEST THING TO DO IS SPEND A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER. I THINK WE’RE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH THAT. WE GO OUT TO DINNER, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE GYM. I THINK THAT IS REALLY HELPING. I LOVE THIS TEAM. WE HAVE REALLY GOOD CHEMISTRY. I THINK WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS.” —IRENE GARI, G/F back-to-back championship games. She was a three-year captain, the South Carolina Player of the Year following her junior season, and a Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss South Carolina Basketball candidate as a senior. Also fighting for playing time among freshmen are Chelsea Guimaraes, a 6-3 forward who brings international experience, having played with her native Portugal in the 2013 and 2014 U18 European Championships, where she averaged 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds and converted 91.7 percent of her free throws (22-for-24). The No. 12 international player according to ProspectsNation.com for 2015, Guimaraes also got some exposure with Portugal’s U20 team at the Division B European Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, playing in nine games for the bronze-medalists. Georgia Tech also may have a gem in LIlliann Andrews. The 5-4 guard comes from FSU country -- the Tallahassee native’s father, Dennis, played football at Florida State (199496) -- but also has ties to Georgia Tech, as her brother, Dennis, Jr., played three seasons at A-Back for the Jackets. In four seasons at Amos Godby High School, Andrews was a multi-sport star (basketball, track, volleyball and cross country), who was MVP and captain of the basketball and track teams in her final two years at the school. A former National
Honor Society member, who will be majoring in biomedical engineering, Andrews averaged 17.0 points and 4.5 steals her senior year, even putting up a triple-double. Joseph added maturity and NCAA experience in transfers Gari and Edeferioka. Gari, 6-1, is enrolled as a graduate student at Tech and will provide immediate help at the forward and guard positions. She played three seasons at UTEP, averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 95 games (47 starts), pushing that up to 6.9, 4.4 and 1.1 her final season. Tech has sophomore point Antonia Peresson and junior forward Katarina Vuckovic to thank for finding Gari, as both knew her from international competitions. “Antonia knew me and she knew that I wanted to spend my last year of eligibility in a good school, in a good conference. Georgia Tech was the perfect fit for me,” said the native of Oliva, Spain. “I have three years of experience in the NCAA. Obviously, Conference USA is not the same conference, but I know how this works. I’ll always be cheering for my teammates and helping them in anything they want. I know what it’s like to be a freshman, what struggles they have. I know how I can help them. I think I have good basketball IQ. I’m always looking for the best pass to the post, to pick and roll, and I think I’m a pretty good shooter.” Gari also knows the Yellow Jackets, having
already experienced them from the opponent’s side, a not-so-enjoyable 102-77 thrashing on Dec. 20, 2013, while with UTEP in the Puerto Rico Classic. “I remember when I first saw them, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a huge team.’ They had a lot of tall players, they were big,’” she recalled, adding with a laugh. “I remember we lost by 30 points or something like that.” Edeferioka is glad to be with Georgia Tech, although she won’t participate in games this year. The 6-2 junior forward from Warri, Nigeria, is a transfer from Hofstra, where last year she played in 33 games (32 starts), and averaged 9.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, swatting away a team-high 32 shots in 25.6 minutes per game. She recorded eight double-doubles. Like Gari, Edeferioka brings international experience, having played with the Nigerian junior national team and this summer with the senior national team, which finished third at Afrobasket 2015, allowing them to compete for a berth in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Edeferioka, who was recruited originally by Joseph, is ready to take the next step academically and athletically. And while she’s a newcomer, Elo promises to bring experience to help the younger players. “I’m not a freshman, so I can’t act like a freshman on the court,” she said. “I have to try to help my teammates using the experience I have from Hofstra. I can’t be slacking
on the court. Even though I’m new, I can’t really act like I’m new because I’m a junior.” The entire group of newcomers knows winning and has learned that Joseph won’t accept anything less. They also realize the importance of working together and that the faster they come together the better. Gari feels the team has already made great strides in the chemistry department. “When you have all new people, the best thing to do is spend a lot of time together,” she said. “I think we’re doing a good job with that. We go out to dinner, we spend a lot of time in the gym. I think that is really helping. I love this team. We have really good chemistry. I think we can do great things.” The kids also are buying in. “We’re trying to help each other wherever we can and motivate each other in practice,” said Fortune. “Help try to learn plays and learn how to play with each other and just trying to jell as much as we can, trying to get to know each other.” “Coach Jo preached that from the moment we got together, and I think everybody is open-minded to the team being great,” said Cryor. “She always tells us this team is going to be great because the group of girls she’s brought together fits what she goes by. We’re like a family. Everybody’s cool. So that’s the first part. We click right there. On the court is going to be easy.”
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FB FOOTBALL
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TONY OF ARABIA T FORMER YELLOW JACKET FOOTBALL PLAYER TONY ROBINSON IS COACHING SEMI-PRO FOOTBALL IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BY ADAM VAN BRIMMER
Tony Robinson’s first clue that coaching semi-professional football in the Middle East would be significantly more challenging than mentoring high schoolers in the United States came when his players showed up for the first workout.
Several wore their shoulder pads outside of their jerseys. “That was strange, that they didn’t put the shirt over the pads,” Robinson said. “But they are eager to learn the game.” Robinson, a Yellow Jacket standout defensive lineman from 1997 to 2000 and longtime Atlanta-area high school assistant football coach, is teaching the sport he loves in one of the world’s unlikeliest locales. He’s the first-year head coach of the Abu Dhabi Wildcats, one of
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
six teams in the Emirates American Football League. The league opens its fourth season in November. The teams are based in three cities in the United Arab Emirates, a small nation on the Persian Gulf bordered by Saudi Arabia and Oman. Abu Dhabi, the island capital of the UAE, boasts two teams, including Robinson’s Wildcats. Three more teams are located in Dubai, the coastal vacation destination and global business center, and another in Al Ain, an inland city built around an oasis. The EAFL draws player talent from more than 30 countries, with a heavy concentration of ex-patriated North Americans and Europeans. Many Emirates play as well. Rugby and team handball, another contact sport, have long been played in the Middle East, so the
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physicality of football is not foreign to them. Even if the equipment is. And the rules, strategies ... “We are setting the expectations every day,” Robinson said. “We are out to make sure they have an authentic experience, but it’s hard because it’s not native to their culture.”
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GOING ABROAD
Robinson has tackled some hard adjustments himself since moving to Abu Dhabi with his wife and two sons this summer. The UAE first captured the Robinsons imagination in 2014. Tony built a successful logistics career following his graduation from Georgia Tech and received an employment offer that would require him to relocate to the Emirates. The job wasn’t right and he declined, but in researching the locale, he and his wife, an elementary school teacher, decided to pursue other opportunities in the region. Earlier this year, Robinson’s wife landed a position teaching English in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa City public school. The salary was significant, enough to support the family until Tony found a logistics job, and the Robinsons moved. Tony must wait until his residency visa becomes official to start working. He’s filling his time with his coaching duties. “I’m not getting paid, but I’m working just as hard as if I was,” Robinson said goodnaturedly. “This is pretty fun, working with players of all levels and backgrounds, and as long as I don’t get pressed into putting on the pads and playing, I’m good.”
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Robinson does not see the EAFL as a way to resurrect – or relive – his playing days. He hasn’t played competitively since training camp of what was to be his rookie season in the National Football League. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs, he tore a hamstring prior to the start of the 2001 season and gave up football. He’s adamant he won’t suit up like his fellow former-college-star-turned-EAFL-coach Andre Sommersell. Sommersell is the playercoach of the Dubai Stallions and was “Mr. Irrelevant” – the last pick overall – in the 2004 NFL Draft following an accomplished college career at Colorado State. He’s lived in Dubai since 2009, working for a business development company, and is in his fourth season coaching in the league. Even without strapping on a helmet, Robinson is treated like a football legend by his players. Several looked up his Georgia Tech stats on the Internet – 89 tackles and three sacks in 43 career games – and were duly impressed. “They seek me out for my knowledge,” Robinson said. “One of the things they have come to respect is my ability to watch film and pick up on tendencies to help them get better or exploit an opponent. That’s a skill we take for granted at home. That really built up their trust in me.”
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FUNDAMENTAL APPROACH
His players’ day jobs and the desert heat limit the amount of work Robinson’s team puts in on the practice field. The Wildcats have two mandatory practices a week, al-
though several players put in extra work on the off days. Robinson also helps coach the league’s youth clinics, in which Robinson and others teach kids as young as eight years old the positions, footwork, techniques and rules of the game. “We had a 15-year-old boy who it was his first time playing, and it was an eye-opening experience for him,” Robinson said. “All it takes is to be open-minded.” Robinson’s focus on discipline and fundamentals is invaluable for a growing sport, said the EAFL’s founder, former Canadian Football League player Dustin Cherniawski. Robinson’s approach is “perfectly in line with the ethos of the EAFL,” Cherniawski said. Robinson envisions spending a minimum of two years in the UAE. His oldest son is age 11 and a budding basketball talent. The family plans to return to the United States prior to him starting high school. “The basketball culture is not good here,” Robinson said. As for football, Robinson hopes to leave that sport’s culture in the UAE better than he found it. And win some games, too. The Wildcats played for the EAFL title the first two seasons but missed the championship game last year. “Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the head coach for a pro team in the Emirates,” Robinson said. “A Desert Bowl championship ring would be a good conversation starter back home.”
SD SWIMMING & DIVING
TIME T Competitive swimmers are in constant search of tenths of seconds.
Tenths are the difference between winning and losing, qualifying or not, and, in the case of soon-to-be Georgia Tech graduate Nico van Duijn, swimming for fun or racing for Olympic glory. The Yellow Jacket star and school recordholder in the butterfly is training for the 2016 Olympic Games. The Switzerland native will attempt to make his home country’s Olympic team beginning with events early next year. Swiss Olympians qualify on time rather than via the winner-take-all trials format employed by the United States team. Van Duijn’s personal-best time is just two-tenths of a second off the so-called “A cut,” a time that would all but assure him a spot. Even if he can’t find those extra few tenths, posting a time at or near his personal record would put him in position to make the team should Switzerland be awarded additional qualifiers. “I’m right there on time and will have plenty of chances with meets like the Swiss Nationals and the European Championships,” van Duijn said. “I need to get the A cut and seal the deal.”
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MANAGER Count his Georgia Tech coach – a former Olympian herself – among those who predict van Duijn will be swimming in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year. Courtney Shealy-Hart cites van Duijn’s dedication to his training and penchant for grabbing those elusive tenths of seconds.
V V INGENUITY AT WORK
Van Duijn is the swimmer, after all, who devised a training device used in practice to measure relay takeoffs – the swimmer’s leap off the starting block at the start of his leg. Swimmers strive to start their leap from the platform before the swimmer in the pool touches the wall. As long as one foot is still in contact with the block when his teammate touches, the takeoff is legal. Those who can perform precision takeoffs will save several tenths of a second. But to practice relay takeoffs normally requires teams to set up the entire meet timing system. Van Duijn created a shortcut, wiring a microprocessor to one touch pad and one platform. “That saved us time in several ways: set-
FORMER GEORGIA TECH SWIMMING STAR AIMS TO MAKE SWISS OLYMPIC TEAM BY ADAM VAN BRIMMER
ting up and tearing down at practice and in improving our relay takeoffs at meets,” ShealyHart said. “He’s the type to see a challenge and find a solution.” Van Duijn downplays his ingenuity in the timing device. He can’t patent or market it, as the timing system manufacturer, Omega, sells a similar product. “It’s just terribly overpriced,” he said.
GOAL WITHIN REACH
Van Duijn is willing to pay the price for another Olympic opportunity. He missed the cut for the 2012 Olympics by, naturally, few tenths of a second. A week after the qualifying deadline, he swam the required time at the U.S. Open Championships. “That was great, but it also made me question whether it was worth all the work,” van Duijn said. “Fortunately, I was able to channel that into positive motivation. I was swimming for Georgia Tech at the time and the mix of success and disappointment pushed me to get faster.” That shift in mindset marked a milestone for
van Duijn. He started swimming at age 10, joining a club team in Zurich that focused more on the social aspects of swimming than competition. He became more competitive as his skills improved, but it wasn’t until his Olympic nearmiss that he found the motivation to reach his peak. He ranks first or second in the Georgia Tech record books in seven events, twice competed in the NCAA Championships, and swam for Switzerland at the 2013 World University Games and the 2015 World Championships. “I try not to make everything about the Olympics, because too much pressure is detrimental,” he said. “But obviously the Olympics is a big goal of mine.” Van Duijn will soon shift his training site from the Georgia Tech campus to Zurich. He graduates with a degree in electrical engineering in December and starts post-graduate work at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology early next year. He’ll study robotics and control while making his Olympic push from his club team home. “The timing is right for me because working out with the club, practices are individualized,” said van Duijn. “It’s a good spot to go back to as I try to squeeze those last few tenths of a second out of my time.” WWW.RAMBLINWRECK.COM
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tf TRACK & FIELD
FAMILY TRADITION? F
DEEP GEORGIA TECH TIES ONLY SMALL PART OF WHAT MADE HERALDED TRACK RECRUIT AVERY BARTLETT A YELLOW JACKET BY ADAM VAN BRIMMER
A family legacy can be a powerful influence.
From a young age, parents pass along their loyalties to their children, consciously or not – things like their favorite car brand, cereal flavor, sneaker label or sports team. Most often, the biggest impact is in college affiliation, especially when multiple generations of the same family attend the same school. For the Bartletts of Tallahassee, Fla., the Georgia Tech legacy stretches back nearly a century. Yet Avery Bartlett, whose father,
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THE BUZZ
mother, grandfather, great-grandfather and two great-uncles all studied on The Flats, felt no pressure to become a Yellow Jacket. That’s because his elder sister, Samantha, was already at Georgia Tech. “My dad wanted the tradition to go on, and it had with my sister,” Bartlett said. “I’d always been a big Tech lover, naturally, but that wasn’t what brought me here.” Bartlett is a Yellow Jacket in large part because the school’s track coaches have built one of the nation’s best middle-distance running programs. And Bartlett was a top recruiting target, even before coach Alan
Drosky discovered the family connection. Bartlett won three individual state titles running for Chiles High School in Tallahassee. He captured the 800-meter title in both his junior and senior years and the 1,600 meters as a senior. He was so highly regarded as a miler, he was one of 14 high school runners nationwide picked to run in the Adidas Dream Mile, an event held in conjunction with a professional event, the Adidas Grand Prix. “When I found out he was a Tech legacy, I certainly tried to play it to our advantage, but it became obvious that could work against us as
easily as it could for us,” Drosky said. “His whole family has gone here, so why not go somewhere else and blaze his own trail? So I had to sell him on the same things we sell everybody else on: the value of the degree, academic opportunities, the city and all the rest.” Bartlett bought, although only after thoroughly considering Georgetown, Florida and Mississippi. Georgia Tech’s computer science offerings, particularly computational media, and the Yellow Jackets’ 4x800-meter relay victory at the 2015 Penn Relays won his allegiance. And his family’s belated approval. “We tried our best to make sure it was Avery’s decision and tried not to influence him,” said Andrew Bartlett, Avery’s father, class of 1991. “But as soon as he decided Georgia Tech was the best fit, all the Yellow Jacket gear came flowing in right away.”
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INEXPLICABLE ATHLETIC PROWESS
Nowhere amongst all that memorabilia were any old Yellow Jacket jerseys or other athletic wear. While Bartlett is a Tech legacy, his is not an athletic one. None of his ancestors competed as Yellow Jackets, and he does not classify his family as particularly athletic. Georgia Tech’s track
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coaches approached Avery’s grandfather, Woody, about joining the team after watching him run as part of the school’s then mandatory physical training courses, but that’s the extent of the family’s sports prowess, at least until Avery came along. “We’ve been scratching our heads about his abilities for a long time,” said Woody Bartlett, class of 1961. “There’s nothing more than a glimmer of heritage there in the speed I showed, but even that was unproven.” The family didn’t push Avery into running either. As a child, Avery “had an overabundance of energy,” his father said. They enrolled him in a soccer league and martial arts classes “so we could tolerate him.” He played every sport offered by his middle school but wasn’t a standout in any one of them. His parents mandated that he play at least one sport in high school, and he picked cross country over soccer purely on the basis of cross country practice starting earlier in the summer than soccer, according to his father. He’s been hooked since. “I was a big soccer guy, but I wasn’t ever good enough in soccer to get to the level I am now as a runner,” Avery said. “It was a good choice.” He’s looking better by the day. Bartlett’s early returns at Georgia Tech show plenty of
promise for what’s to come. He ran the fastest time in the history of the track program’s fall aerobic fitness test. The annual event, run under the lights at the George C. Griffin Track since the 1980s, is a three-kilometer run with the first mile run at a set pace. His time bested the previous record by three seconds, and past winners had included Tech track legends Conrad Nichols, a national champion and seven-time All-American, and David Krummenacker, a two-time national champion and eight-time All-American. And in October, he won the Berry Invitational, a cross country meet. Bartlett competed as an unattached runner – he’s officially redshirting in cross country this season in order to focus on preparing for the indoor track season – and won the event by nearly two seconds. “I’m feeling really good about where I’m at considering the change in mileage and intensity,” Bartlett said. “I’m doing about 10 more miles a week now that I was in high school and running at a faster pace. I want to be competitive with everyone on the track come the season’s start.” And blaze a new trail for the Bartlett family at Georgia Tech.
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DONOR PROFILE: STEVE ZELNAK
PRIMARY DONOR FOR THE YELLOW JACKETS’ BASKETBALL PRACTICE FACILITY DEMONSTRATED HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AS A TECH STUDENT BY SIMIT SHAH When Steve Zelnak says he’s always had an entrepreneurial streak within him, it’s no exaggeration. How else to explain an enterprising Georgia Tech student creating a newspaper delivery monopoly on campus? More on that later, but it’s clear that Zelnak’s vision and drive have always been a perfect match for Georgia Tech. Zelnak grew up in Aiken, S.C., just across the Georgia border from Augusta. His uncle, Joe Ward, had run track at Georgia Tech and was dead set on his nephew following in his footsteps to Atlanta. “Uncle Joe was a strong personality and was a father figure to me,” Zelnak remembered. “If he said something, I always paid attention to it. He told me I was going to Georgia Tech, so I didn’t argue with that. I filled out the application and applied, showed up when fall classes started. “I grew up a Georgia Tech fan, and it was just a given I was going there. I was a good student, so it made life pretty simple,” he added. “I didn’t even apply anywhere else.” Like many Georgia Tech students before and after him, Zelnak found that academic rigors were as advertised – “in a word, it was a brutal.” “I was a year young, so I was a 17-year-old coming to the big city,” he said. “You’re in awe of your surroundings, both Atlanta and Georgia Tech. It took me a while to figure it out. “I started out as a mechanical engineering major, and I couldn’t draw. You had to draw by hand in those days, and I just couldn’t do that. That coupled with Saturday physics lab and Friday night drawing labs, I figured there had to be a better way. I always had a bit of an entrepreneurial bent as a kid, so I switched to Industrial Management. It was a perfect fit for me.” Zelnak also played on the freshman baseball team but was defeated by physics again – this time curveballs. He counted a number of student-athletes among his friends, and the football team recruited him for their intramural basketball team. In fact, a football player, Jim Penley, introduced him to his future wife, Judy. He worked to pay his way through school, sometimes holding three jobs at once. As he neared the end of the academic career, he picked up a job with the afternoon Atlanta Journal signing up subscribers and delivering papers on campus. He set up an efficient operation managing a group of students. When a friend handling the morning Atlanta Constitution deliveries graduated, Zelnak swooped in to assume that role. Since the Journal was their competition, the Constitution refused to let him handle both. “Easy enough, I sent my roommate down there, and he signed up,” Zelnak laughed. “He took on the Constitution, so that lasted for about two quarters before they figured it out. ” The Constitution pulled the plug, but they came back to him just a few weeks later because they knew Zelnak was the only way to keep their numbers competitive. They had to pay Zelnak a significant sum to take it back. “The bottom line is that I wound up with a thousand newspapers per day,” Zelnak explained.
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THE BUZZ
“Frankly, it was the most profitable per hour job I ever had until I became president of Martin Marietta. It was a good business.” Zelnak continued the newspaper operation on the side following his graduation in 1969 as he also worked for a company owned by fellow Georgia Tech grad Paul Duke in the mobile home sector. In December 1970, he began a three-and-a-half year stint in the Army, which included explosives ordnance school. “We learned how to disarm all the nuclear weapons in the U.S. and NATO arsenals, and even the Russian stuff, as well as every conventional weapon out there dating back to World War I,” Zelnak told the Scheller College of Business earlier this year. “Actually it was very good training to be a CEO, because you need to be calm and focused under pressure — and believe me, in explosive ordnance disposal you’d better be calm and focused under pressure.” His Army experience led him to aerospace and defense contractor Martin Marietta. During his 28 years with the company, Zelnak rose to become CEO and president, and later chairman, of Martin Marietta Materials, which he took public on the New York Stock Exchange, before retiring in 2014. While based in Raleigh, Zelnak and his wife began to increase their support of Georgia Tech over the past 25 years.
“It’s such a challenging academic experience that many people want to just get away from it for a while,” he explained. “After some time, I became more involved and started buying football and basketball season tickets. When the project came up to build a new practice facility for basketball, which was clearly needed, Jim Hall, Gary Lanier, Paul Hewitt and I worked together on it. “My wife was excited about it as well, so we put some significant money into that. Gary deserves the credit for finding me, coming to visit me in Raleigh and getting me interested in supporting Georgia Tech Athletics.” The Zelnak Center, adjacent to McCamish Pavilion, provides both the men’s and women’s basketball programs with a state-of-the-art practice facility that also includes a 2,000 square-foot weight room and a theater to watch film. Additional contributions by the Zelnak family, which includes his son Brent (a 1994 graduate), have spanned nearly every sport at Georgia Tech. “We are now focused on helping some of the non-revenue sports – women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, track and field and swim and dive,” he said. “We’re excited about the prospects for those sports, and they’ve got good coaches. They need resources to reach their potential, so my wife and I are committed to that.” Zelnak’s support has allowed him to get to know many of the coaches and student-athletes on a personal level. They attend nearly every home football game, most basketball games and also host the women’s basketball team for a dinner regularly at their North Carolina home. “We just enjoy being around it,” he said with a smile. “Our young people are just terrific. It’s just fun. Georgia Tech is a special place, and it takes a special young person to come here to play athletics and make their way through school at the same time.”
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During the past 11 years, Campaign Georgia Tech has made a significant and lasting impact on athletics. More than $268 million has been raised, exceeding a $250 million goal that was increased three times. From state-of-the-art facilities such as McCamish Pavilion, the John and Mary Brock Football Facility, the Zelnak Basketball Center and the Byers Tennis Complex to the creation of hundreds of endowed scholarships totaling more than $67 million, Georgia Tech is well positioned to remain highly competitive in the ACC and to continue nurturing the academic success of its student-athletes.
“Reaching our goal early is a huge achievement,” said Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski. “And it was only possible because of the generosity of so many people — alumni, friends, and fans who are deeply committed to supporting the Yellow Jackets.” Bobinski noted that, while there is much to celebrate, there is also much work still to be done. “It is crucial that we take this momentum and build on it,” he said. “There is no time to rest on what we have accomplished.”
THE VISION AND DRIVE BEHIND CAMPAIGN GEORGIA TECH CONTINUES UNABATED, AND WILL NOT SUBSIDE UNTIL 11:59 P.M. ON DECEMBER 31, 2015. THE TOP PRIORITIES IN THE MONTHS THAT REMAIN ARE COMPLETING THE FUNDING FOR RENOVATION PROJECTS TO RUSS CHANDLER STADIUM AND THE EDGE CENTER, ENDOWING MORE SCHOLARSHIPS, AND INCREASING ANNUAL GIVING VIA THE ALEXANDER-THARPE FUND.
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THE BUZZ
17TH ANNUAL
at
LIFE MEMBER PARTY
ALEXANDERTHARPE FUND
JIMMY & MICHELE ETHEREDGE OPENED THEIR DRUID HILLS HOME TO GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION, COACHES, STUDENT-ATHLETES AND DONORS FOR THE ALEXANDER-THARPE FUND LIFE MEMBER PARTY HELD SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015. Contributions by Life Members and other A-T Fund donors have made and continue to make significant impacts on the lives of Georgia Tech student-athletes by providing them with scholarships and state of the art athletic facilities, allowing for a winning combination of academic and athletic excellence.
GOLDEN LIFE MEMBERS
LIFE MEMBERS HONOR SOCIETY A-T donors that have become Life Members have given a minimum of $200,000 in cumulative cash gifts to athletics and/or made a pledge of $125,000 payable within five years. Benefits of reaching this status include: • Maintaining active status and consecutive years of giving to A-T / GTAA for life of donor. • One complimentary priority parking spot for basketball season ticket holders.
• One complimentary priority parking spot for football season ticket holders.
A commitment of $500,000 to A-T payable in equal annual installments within a five-year period will provide the donor access to this level of distinction. In addition to the benefits of the Life Member Honor Society, Golden Life Members receive the opportunity to pass priority points to one heir and enhanced service with ticket and lodging needs for post-season football and basketball events.
• Invitations to special events. • Annual State of the Athletic Association luncheon with Director of Athletics.
PLATINUM LIFE MEMBERS
• Access to great seats and parking via influx of priority points.
A commitment of $1,000,000 to A-T payable over five years will earn donors Platinum Life Member status with the added opportunity to split their priority points between two heirs.
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ATHLETIC FACILITIES UPDATE
PHILANTHROPY AT WORK
Please contact the AlexanderTharpe Fund at 404-894-5414 with your interest to support any of these facility projects.
NOONAN GOLF FACILITY GROUNDBREAKING President G.P. “Bud” Peterson honored Kim P. (IM 1983) and Thomas E. Noonan (ME 1983) and other donors to the Noonan Golf Facility with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 8, 2015.
BRUCE HEPPLER
Georgia Tech golf head coach Bruce Heppler gave his heartfelt appreciation to donors and discussed the positive impacts the facility will have on recruiting and the golf program.
Approximately sixty-five guests gathered to hear words from the President Bud Peterson, Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski, Coach Bruce Heppler, and lead donor Tom Noonan. Guests received golf hats as gifts.
PRIORITY FACILITY PROJECTS: RUSS CHANDLER STADIUM RENOVATION
46%
Percentage of funds raised towards meeting the $2.5 million challenge grant for Phase I of the renovations which include enhancements to the locker room and lounges, training room, coaches’ locker room and study room.
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THE BUZZ
ARTHUR B. EDGE CENTER RENOVATION
FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOM UPGRADES
Percentage of funds raised towards meeting the $3 million challenge grant created to inspire gifts to be used for upgrades focused on enhancing the academic center and the sports medicine and rehabilitation center.
The vision for the upgraded locker room is threefold. First, the new locker room will allow Georgia Tech to compete at the highest level for recruits. Second, the new locker room will provide Tech with a modern space that functions properly for players and coaches on practice and game days. Third, the new locker room will allow Tech to raise the bar and provide its football program with a locker room worthy of its stature as one of the best in the country.
32%
In A Sport So Rough That Even The Ball Has Stitches,
You Need a Great Health Care Partner.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
BY SHOSHANNA ENGEL, ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE
Behind the Bylaws – Boosters and Social Media Shoshanna Engel Associate Athletic Director for Compliance
Popular social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat – are part of how we disseminate news and communicate with each other every day. They are also utilized in creative ways within the college athletics recruiting landscape. NCAA regulations concerning correspondence and publicity govern much of this activity, so we urge you to partner with us in protecting the eligibility of our current and future Yellow Jackets. Representatives of athletics interests, or boosters, are considered third parties in recruiting. All recruiting activity must take place directly between a prospective student-athlete and Georgia Tech’s respective coaching staff. Social media platforms represent one of the most informative and complex areas of recruiting, both for coaching staffs and especially third parties. In 2014, more than 300 NCAA violations were filed regarding impermissible booster contact with prospective student-athletes via social media. So, where do you fit in with social media and our current and future student-athletes? Institutions are responsible for impermissible recruiting contact between boosters and prospective student-athletes. Any impermissible booster activity must be reported by Georgia Tech as an NCAA violation.
On social media, you MAY: • Friend/follow Georgia Tech staff members and current student-athletes; • Tweet about/congratulate Georgia Tech teams and accomplishments of individual or groups of current student-athletes; • Retweet or reply to a message from a current student-athlete; • Follow/friend a prospective student-athlete; • Send congratulatory messages to Georgia Tech signees only after officially announced and publicized by Georgia Tech. On social media, you MAY NOT: • Tweet about prospective student-athletes who have not been confirmed as signees; • Send messages of any kind to prospective student-athletes and/or their family, friends, coaches, etc.; • Create a social media account (e.g.: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) aimed at recruiting and/or encouraging prospective studentathletes to consider Georgia Tech; • Publicize any activity, including campus visits, involving prospective student-athletes; • Encourage current student-athletes to endorse or mention your business or any other commercial venture.
Your assistance in promoting our programs is much appreciated – please continue to help us spread The Good Word. You can find us @GT_Compliance! Shoshanna Engel Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance sengel@athletics.gatech.edu (404)894-8792
Marquita Armstead Director of Compliance marmstead@athletics.gtaa.edu (404)894-5507
Bret Cowley Associate Director of Compliance bcowley@athletics.gtaa.edu (404)385-0611
Shardonay Blueford Assistant Director of Compliance sblueford@athletics.gatech.edu (404)894-0416
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