🪖 (WHO WILL PREVAIL?) Defending home territory

Welcome to The Tech Way, a newsletter fueled by Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL) for Georgia Tech’s collective The Tech Way.

In today’s content:
- Welcome back 🫡
- Slate kick off 🏁
+ So much more 💪

⚾ Jackets kick off 2025 campaign against the Monarchs 

🐝 Hardymon returns to Tech new and improved 

🎙️ TECH TALKS: KOWACIE REEVES, JR.

🏀 STARTING FIVE: HOME STINT

Men’s Hoops (12-13) welcomes an equal 12-13 overall California Golden Bears team to open weekend action:

• The Golden Bears lead the all-time series, 3-0

• California has dropped its two most recent games, the most recent coming against No. 3 Duke, 78-57

• The teams last clashed at the 2012 DirecTV Classic in Anaheim

• Justin Cobbs (17 points), Allen Crabbe (13) and Richard Solomon (12) scored double figures to lead Cal to a 68-57 win

• The Golden Bears lead the ACC (34th nationally) with 13.2 offensive rebounds per game

• This being captained by trio of Mady Sissoko (2.83 ORPG, fifth in ACC), Rytis Petraitis (2.48 ORPG) and Lee Dort (2.08 ORPG)

• The Bears also lead the ACC (20th nationally) with 17.1 free throws made per game, shooting 80% or better at the line in nine games

No. 19 Women’s Basketball (20-5) sees back-to-back home play against Wake Forest (8-16) on Sunday (Play4Kay Pink Game) and No. 10 NC State (20-4) the following Thursday night:

• The Demon Deacons’ success this season has come on the backs of strong defensive play

• The team currently ranks in the top 150 in the country and seventh in the ACC in scoring defense as teams are averaging just 64.5 points per game this season

• Wake Forest also ranks top 90 in the nation with 9.3 steals per game

• In a Thursday night loss against No. 13 Duke, Wake Forest went 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe, their 10th game this season shooting above 80 percent

  • The team also closed out play shooting 15-of-35 (42.9 percent) from the floor, the sixth-consecutive game the team finished 40 percent or better

• NC State is on a nine-game winning streak and has won 16 of the last 17 games with three ranked victories

• The team is currently second in the ACC standings with a 11-1 conference mark

• Closing out the week, the Wolfpack’s guard Aziaha James became one of 30 players listed to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team

• Joining her in accolades is Saniya Rivers who is listed on the USBWA Midseason Player of the Year Watch List

• Rivers leads the Pack in steals per game (1.7) and blocks per game (1.1)

😤 PUTTING IN WORK

Tech Football defensive lineman Zeek Biggers and tight end Jackson Hawes have accepted invitations to participate in the 2025 National Football League Combine. The competitive event will be held Feb. 24-March 3 in Indianapolis (READ MORE).

🏃‍♂️ February 14-15 // Men’s Track & Field competes at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C.

🏃‍♂️ February 14-15 // Men’s Track & Field battles at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Mass.

🏃‍♂️ February 14-15 // Men’s Track & Field travels to face the Music City Challenge in Nashville

🥎 February 14-16 // Softball takes on The Snowman Tournament in Starkville, Miss

⚾ February 14 // Baseball welcomes Old Dominion in a three-game series at 4:00 pm ET on ACC Network X

⚾ February 15 // Baseball continues its three-game series at home versus Old Dominion at 2:00 pm ET on ACC Network X

🏀 February 15 // Men’s Basketball suits up against California at home at 4:00 pm ET on ACC Network

🏀 February 16 // No. 19 Women’s Basketball faces Wake Forest at home at noon ET on ACC Network (Play4Kay Pink Game)

⚾ February 16 // Baseball closes out its three-game series versus Old Dominion at home at 2:00 pm ET on ACC Network X