DULUTH -- Brian Gregory talked about the growth of his players - even one who was suspended - after his successful debut as Georgia Tech's coach.
Brandon Reed had 16 points and Georgia Tech overcame the suspension of Glen Rice Jr., the team's leading returning scorer, to beat Florida A&M 92-59 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
"It's great to get something you'll always remember," Gregory said.
Georgia Tech announced less than an hour before the game that Rice, a junior, was suspended for the season's first three games for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
Rice, the son of the former Michigan and NBA star Glen Rice, started 23 games last season, averaging 12.8 points. Rice was not in uniform as he watched from the bench.
Gregory wouldn't say why Rice was suspended.
"Just a team violation," Gregory said. "Guys are learning that there are consequences but there's also going to be growth. We're going to help him learn from this and go from there.
"I think he's grown a lot in the six months that I've been here. He's not perfect and so a mistake was made and we need to grow from that."
Georgia Tech compensated for the loss of Rice with balanced scoring.
Mfon Udofia had 15 points and six assists with only one turnover. Daniel Miller had 12 points and seven rebounds, and freshman Julian Royal had 10 points to give Georgia Tech four scorers in double figures.
Georgia Tech took a 46-21 advantage in rebounds. Reed and Udofia combined to make five of eight 3-pointers.
Gregory wouldn't say if the win was a sign of Georgia Tech's improvement from last season, when a 13-18 finish cost coach Paul Hewitt his job.
"Last year, that's last year," Gregory said. "I look at how we improved from our first practice. We're getting better defensively, there's no doubt about it."
Avery Moore led Florida A&M with 15 points. The Rattlers had no other scorer in double figures in former NBA center Clemon Johnson's debut as coach.
Johnson was 28-74 in four years as the coach at Alaska Fairbanks before moving to Florida A&M. He played for four NBA teams from 1978-88, including the 1983 champion Philadelphia 76ers.
Johnson said playing Georgia Tech will make his team better "because we can't emulate that in practice."
Reed, a transfer from Arkansas State who sat out last season, joined Udofia and Jason Morris in Gregory's three-guard lineup. Kammeon Holsey and Miller, a 6-foot-11 sophomore center, completed Gregory's first starting lineup.
Georgia Tech led only 30-25 late in the first half before entering the break with a 13-4 run. Udofia had two 3-pointers and a fast-break basket during the run.
The Yellow Jackets kept their lead in double figures the remainder of the game.
D'Andre Bullard and Yannick Crowder each had 8 points for Florida A&M. Crowder and Jeremy Dean, who had 7 points, fouled out.
Rice had six games with 20 or more points last season. Gregory, the former Dayton coach, had not announced if Rice would have started against Florida A&M.
The elder Rice played on Michigan's 1989 national championship team and the Los Angeles Lakers' 2000 NBA championship team.
The game was played at the Gwinnett Arena, about 30 minutes north of the Georgia Tech campus. It is one of two temporary home arenas for the Yellow Jackets this season while a new arena is being built on campus.
Sunday
February 2nd, 2025
9:47PM
