Colorado Wing Joins Yellow Jackets For Final Season
This week Colorado transfer Luke O’Brien announced that is transferring to the Flats for his final season. The experienced wing was a solid starter on a very good Buffaloes team this year. His veteran presence will be much appreciated on a young team. He is 6’8” which gives a little extra size to the lineup.
O’Brien is a 3 and D guy. He shot 37.6% from deep last year (although just 29.1% in his previous season) and is a good defender at the 3 and 4, although he could struggle against teams with two conventional bigs (like Clemson last year) if he has to guard the 4. He doesn’t add much else on offense. He averaged 6.7 points per game with his highest scoring game against a major conference school was 13 against Miami. Only 14% of possessions end with him. He doesn’t turn the ball over or get many assists. He’s mostly a spot-up shooter who gets some scrap points. He is a high energy player who always gives 100%.
On a team with Nait George, Javion McCormick, and Baye Ndongo (and potentially Miles Kelly) doing most of the ball handling that should work just fine. I expect him to slot into the starting lineup at either the 3 or 4 depending on how things shake out. He plays similarly to Kowacie Reeves so I expect them to switch off a good amount, although they could both play together a lot to provide length and athleticism behind a backcourt that could struggle defensively.
This is a good pickup for Damon Stoudamire. He’s not a game-changer, but he’s a solid complementary piece who will help provide stability and leadership to the team. With his transfer in (and Ibrahima Sacko’s transfer out, story coming tomorrow) this leaves GT with 11 scholarships filled and potentially 12 if Miles Kelly returns. I expect GT to target a backup center in the portal.