Spring football games allow college football teams to show off what they have worked on since the season’s end and showcase their talent in front of passionate fans. With some colleges opting not to partake in the storied tradition due to concerns surrounding the transfer portal, Tech elected to push forward and allowed plenty of players to step up in the wake of numerous unavailable players. The game was filled with highs, with team Wreck ‘Em outlasting team Swarm 20-19, thanks to a last-second goal-line stand.

The Jackets entered the spring game with many questions regarding depth. Tech was looking for a running back to step up and complement redshirt senior Jamal Haynes. Alongside running backs, wide receiver is a position with some question marks surrounding the group. On the defensive side of the ball, Tech looked to see how the defense looked under defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who took over from Tyler Santucci.

Redshirt freshman Trelain Maddox answered the running back question at the beginning of the game. Maddox bulldozed up the middle of the defense for an eight-yard gain on the game’s first play to set himself up for a highly successful spring performance. He totaled 39 yards on just 10 carries. Maddox entered the Institute with a knee injury, which sidelined him for much of his first season on the Flats, only featuring in two games. He hopes to become a more prominent part of the offense moving forward. Another running back that looks to make an immediate impact next season is junior Malachi Hosley. Although Hosley did not participate in the spring game, he brings plenty of pedigree. Hosley was regarded as one of the best running backs in the transfer portal in December and was seen as a major cop for Tech and head coach Brent Key. Alongside Haynes, Hosley and Maddox, the Jackets return junior Chad Alexander, who looks to improve after receiving a scholarship last season. With the host of returning talent, talented freshman J.P. Powell looks to round out the room with his youth. 

“We have a really deep [running back] group and I’m excited for those guys,” Coach Key said after the game.

Wide receiver has been a position that needed to be filled after the losses of key contributors, both due to graduation and the transfer portal. The spring game did not showcase much of the receiver talent due to contributors being inactive for the game. The redshirt senior duo of All-American receiver Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson transferred in but could not feature in the spring game. Alongside Rivers and Patterson, returners redshirt senior Malik Rutherford and sophomore Isiah Canion were also inactive. With the plethora of absent receivers, redshirt sophomore Zion Taylor stepped up. Taylor accounted for 156 yards on the day. His day was highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown reception from the running back (quarterback?) Haynes, which got the biggest crowd reaction of the day. Taylor played for both team Wreck ‘Em and team Swarm, showcasing his high motor. Alongside Taylor, redshirt sophomore Bailey Stockton continued his production from last year with 107 yards on six receptions. The receivers should give the quarterbacks plenty of talent for the upcoming season.

The quarterback play went as expected. Redshirt senior Haynes King showcased improved accuracy while remaining a threat on the ground. Redshirt freshman Aaron Philo showcased his arm talent while consistently delivering accurate deep balls. The Jackets enter the college football season with one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.

Defensive Coordinator Gideon showcased some of the defense that he will be running this upcoming year. Gideon looks to keep some of the areas that Santucci’s system excelled in, such as containing the run, while also looking for the defensive backs to be more aggressive. The defensive aggressiveness can be seen from the two interceptions, one from senior safety Clayton Powell-Lee and one from redshirt sophomore defensive back A.J. Cheeks. 

The spring game highlighted Tech’s depth and allowed players to showcase to the fans what the team looks like heading into the summer and highlighted the importance of spring games.

“Today was a perfect example of why I think it’s important to play spring games. There’s a lot of reason behind it, from external [noise], fans and the student body. The importance is when you go out and scrimmage and have people in the stands, it’s a different environment,” Coach Key said.

The post Spring football game showcases new talent appeared first on Technique.

Spring football games allow college football teams to show off what they have worked on since the season’s end and showcase their talent in front of passionate fans. With some colleges opting not to partake in the storied tradition due to concerns surrounding the transfer portal, Tech elected to push forward and allowed plenty of players to step up in the wake of numerous unavailable players. The game was filled with highs, with team Wreck ‘Em outlasting team Swarm 20-19, thanks to a last-second goal-line stand.

The Jackets entered the spring game with many questions regarding depth. Tech was looking for a running back to step up and complement redshirt senior Jamal Haynes. Alongside running backs, wide receiver is a position with some question marks surrounding the group. On the defensive side of the ball, Tech looked to see how the defense looked under defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who took over from Tyler Santucci.

Redshirt freshman Trelain Maddox answered the running back question at the beginning of the game. Maddox bulldozed up the middle of the defense for an eight-yard gain on the game’s first play to set himself up for a highly successful spring performance. He totaled 39 yards on just 10 carries. Maddox entered the Institute with a knee injury, which sidelined him for much of his first season on the Flats, only featuring in two games. He hopes to become a more prominent part of the offense moving forward. Another running back that looks to make an immediate impact next season is junior Malachi Hosley. Although Hosley did not participate in the spring game, he brings plenty of pedigree. Hosley was regarded as one of the best running backs in the transfer portal in December and was seen as a major cop for Tech and head coach Brent Key. Alongside Haynes, Hosley and Maddox, the Jackets return junior Chad Alexander, who looks to improve after receiving a scholarship last season. With the host of returning talent, talented freshman J.P. Powell looks to round out the room with his youth. 

“We have a really deep [running back] group and I’m excited for those guys,” Coach Key said after the game.

Wide receiver has been a position that needed to be filled after the losses of key contributors, both due to graduation and the transfer portal. The spring game did not showcase much of the receiver talent due to contributors being inactive for the game. The redshirt senior duo of All-American receiver Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson transferred in but could not feature in the spring game. Alongside Rivers and Patterson, returners redshirt senior Malik Rutherford and sophomore Isiah Canion were also inactive. With the plethora of absent receivers, redshirt sophomore Zion Taylor stepped up. Taylor accounted for 156 yards on the day. His day was highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown reception from the running back (quarterback?) Haynes, which got the biggest crowd reaction of the day. Taylor played for both team Wreck ‘Em and team Swarm, showcasing his high motor. Alongside Taylor, redshirt sophomore Bailey Stockton continued his production from last year with 107 yards on six receptions. The receivers should give the quarterbacks plenty of talent for the upcoming season.

The quarterback play went as expected. Redshirt senior Haynes King showcased improved accuracy while remaining a threat on the ground. Redshirt freshman Aaron Philo showcased his arm talent while consistently delivering accurate deep balls. The Jackets enter the college football season with one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.

Defensive Coordinator Gideon showcased some of the defense that he will be running this upcoming year. Gideon looks to keep some of the areas that Santucci’s system excelled in, such as containing the run, while also looking for the defensive backs to be more aggressive. The defensive aggressiveness can be seen from the two interceptions, one from senior safety Clayton Powell-Lee and one from redshirt sophomore defensive back A.J. Cheeks. 

The spring game highlighted Tech’s depth and allowed players to showcase to the fans what the team looks like heading into the summer and highlighted the importance of spring games.

“Today was a perfect example of why I think it’s important to play spring games. There’s a lot of reason behind it, from external [noise], fans and the student body. The importance is when you go out and scrimmage and have people in the stands, it’s a different environment,” Coach Key said.

The post Spring football game showcases new talent appeared first on Technique.

After successful seasons from both the women’s and men’s tennis teams, Tech heads to Cary, N.C. to take on the ACC Championships. The Lady Jackets performed admirably and propelled into the top 25 rankings twice. The men’s team also performed well and was ranked in the top 50 from March 7 and beyond. Both Tech tennis teams are looking to wrap up their season nicely and bring some momentum into the NCAA Tournament.

Tech’s women’s tennis season was one filled with ups and downs. The Jackets started out their spring season with wins over in-state rivals Mercer and Georgia State before falling to u[sic]GA. After trading wins and losses, the Jackets faced one of their most challenging matches of the season against the No. 22-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Tech came out victorious off the back of junior Alejandra Cruz. The Jackets collected one more ranked win for the season, a 4-2 victory over the Clemson Tigers. With the strong results, Tech spent two weeks of the season in the top 25 and proved to be one of the most competitive in college tennis. 

Canadian sophomore Scarlett Nicholson leads the Jackets and is ranked No. 31 in the country with a 19-8 season record. Nicholson earned ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on April 1 after three ranked-singles wins over ACC opponents, the first of her career. Alongside Nicholson, freshman Taly Licht earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors when she won four matches against Virginia Tech and Virginia, two wins in both doubles and singles. Cruz and sophomore Given Roach are Tech’s more potent doubles pairing, ranked No. 78 in the country, and will look to make a deep run in the ACC tournament alongside the rest of the team.

Much like the women’s season, the men’s team faced turbulent times in the spring. The men started their season with a 5-2 victory over the UNC Charlotte 49ers before dropping their second match to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 2-5. The rest of the season could best be described as streaky. After the loss to Alabama, the Jackets won three matches in a row, two coming against Wofford with the other being over Arkansas. Starting on Feb. 22, Tech won six matches in a row, with the latter four coming in conference play. The streak consisted of wins over No. 35-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

After splitting matches against Duke and UNC Chapel Hill, Tech went on another streak, this time a seven-game losing one. Tech had hard-fought losses throughout but was unable to overcome the ACC competition. The Jackets are currently ranked No. 45 in the country despite the losing streak, which shows that the team still has the pedigree to perform in the future. The Jackets are led by the No. 11-ranked doubles pairing in the country with senior Nate Bonetto and freshman Gianluca Carlini as well as the No. 80-ranked junior Christophe Clement and sophomore Krish Arora. In singles both Bonetto and Clement feature in the top 115 players in the country. The Jackets enter the ACC tournament with little momentum, but the break should give Tech a chance to reset.

Tech looks to prove that it belongs amongst Tennis’s elites with both the men’s and women’s teams pushing for strong performances in the ACC Tournament coming up shortly.

The post Tennis slams into post season tournaments appeared first on Technique.

After successful seasons from both the women’s and men’s tennis teams, Tech heads to Cary, N.C. to take on the ACC Championships. The Lady Jackets performed admirably and propelled into the top 25 rankings twice. The men’s team also performed well and was ranked in the top 50 from March 7 and beyond. Both Tech tennis teams are looking to wrap up their season nicely and bring some momentum into the NCAA Tournament.

Tech’s women’s tennis season was one filled with ups and downs. The Jackets started out their spring season with wins over in-state rivals Mercer and Georgia State before falling to u[sic]GA. After trading wins and losses, the Jackets faced one of their most challenging matches of the season against the No. 22-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Tech came out victorious off the back of junior Alejandra Cruz. The Jackets collected one more ranked win for the season, a 4-2 victory over the Clemson Tigers. With the strong results, Tech spent two weeks of the season in the top 25 and proved to be one of the most competitive in college tennis. 

Canadian sophomore Scarlett Nicholson leads the Jackets and is ranked No. 31 in the country with a 19-8 season record. Nicholson earned ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on April 1 after three ranked-singles wins over ACC opponents, the first of her career. Alongside Nicholson, freshman Taly Licht earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors when she won four matches against Virginia Tech and Virginia, two wins in both doubles and singles. Cruz and sophomore Given Roach are Tech’s more potent doubles pairing, ranked No. 78 in the country, and will look to make a deep run in the ACC tournament alongside the rest of the team.

Much like the women’s season, the men’s team faced turbulent times in the spring. The men started their season with a 5-2 victory over the UNC Charlotte 49ers before dropping their second match to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 2-5. The rest of the season could best be described as streaky. After the loss to Alabama, the Jackets won three matches in a row, two coming against Wofford with the other being over Arkansas. Starting on Feb. 22, Tech won six matches in a row, with the latter four coming in conference play. The streak consisted of wins over No. 35-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

After splitting matches against Duke and UNC Chapel Hill, Tech went on another streak, this time a seven-game losing one. Tech had hard-fought losses throughout but was unable to overcome the ACC competition. The Jackets are currently ranked No. 45 in the country despite the losing streak, which shows that the team still has the pedigree to perform in the future. The Jackets are led by the No. 11-ranked doubles pairing in the country with senior Nate Bonetto and freshman Gianluca Carlini as well as the No. 80-ranked junior Christophe Clement and sophomore Krish Arora. In singles both Bonetto and Clement feature in the top 115 players in the country. The Jackets enter the ACC tournament with little momentum, but the break should give Tech a chance to reset.

Tech looks to prove that it belongs amongst Tennis’s elites with both the men’s and women’s teams pushing for strong performances in the ACC Tournament coming up shortly.

The post Tennis slams into post season tournaments appeared first on Technique.

The payment of student-athletes at colleges has been a hot button issue recently. With the lack of regulation surrounding NIL, the NCAA has multiple lawsuits against them looking to solve the same issue: how student-athletes should be compensated. The most prominent of the suits is Daniel House v. NCAA. The settlement, which will take effect on July 1, outlines three key changes to athlete revenue distribution: institutions sharing revenue with athletes, paying back former players and roster limits.

To gain greater understanding of the topic, the Technique sat down with junior Sabina Mrzyglod who is the vice-president of the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board (GTSAAB) and a former member of the swim and dive team. As a member of GTSAAB, Mrzyglod has been an active member of the Tech student athlete community and interacted with other institutions in discussing the future of college sports.

“I applied to GTSAAB at the end of my freshman year and got picked to represent the swim team. … I ended up running for Vice President and got picked to go to Atlantic Coastal Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Council (ACCSAAC) conferences,” Mrzyglod said of her GTSAAB experience.

Prior to the House v. NCAA lawsuit, the only way that student-athletes could get paid was through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. These NIL deals were the first above-board way that student-athletes could use their athletic success in order to help pay their bills which, at first, was seen as a good thing.

“NIL was so students could get money for their name, image and likeness, which I think is a great thing. For revenue generating sports like football or basketball, they bring in a lot of money for the school, so they should 100% be compensated for that,” Mrzyglod said.

Although NIL was at first seen as a positive, the lack of regulation surrounding the payment led both the student-athletes and the institutions wanting more guidance to navigate the new landscape. House v. NCAA  looks to adequately compensate student-athletes and former student-athletes. The first part of the lawsuit pertains to the sharing of revenue from the actual institutions. Before the conclusion of the settlement, colleges were generally not allowed to pay players directly, but this will change when the settlement gets finalized. Schools will be able to distribute up to 22% of athletic revenue to athletes; the sources of revenue includes media deals, sponsorships and gameday ticket sales. Alongside the 22% of cash, institutions will offer services which were not previously offered such as mental health resources, nutrition support, life skills development and medical coverage post college. 

The extra services are estimated to cost 28% of the athletic revenue meaning in theory, schools will be paying 50% of their athletic revenue back to the athletes — a figure that matches professional sports leagues. With the schools paying directly, the student-athletes can better trust the existence of the funding and could lead to more transparency. 

Even with the addition of direct institution payment, NIL will be getting some regulation. Every NIL deal worth over $600 will have to be reported and the NCAA will determine whether the valuation is “fair.” The idea of evaluating the fairness of NIL deals has led to some athletes, including LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, to question the process of evaluating one’s worth.

The settlement also looks to address paying back $2.8 billion to former student-athletes for their prior use of NIL. The NCAA will pay back the amount in installments and lead to compensation for student-athletes that competed in the past. 

The payment of student athletes has also raised the question of whether they should be employees . The topic has been hotly debated; the head football coach of the University of South Carolina Shane Beamer stated that they should not be considered employees. On the other hand, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team considered themselves employees and then proceeded to unionize. 

“I think it defeats the whole purpose of being a student athlete. You are a student and then an athlete. The whole point of being a student-athlete was to get to school, get an education, get a scholarship, all the while doing a sport that you love and are talented at. I think it defeats the whole purpose. If you’re an employee you’re a professional athlete. How will you distinguish between being a student-athlete and a professional athlete?” Mrzyglod said on the importance of classifying student-athletes.

The most controversial part of the settlement is surrounding roster constraints. Previously, the NCAA implemented scholarship caps, limiting the amount of scholarships institutions are allowed to give out, but with the settlement the NCAA will implement hard roster limits. With the roster limits being implemented immediately once the House v. NCAA settlement has been made official, many student-athletes could lose their spot on the team instantaneously. 

“I think it is the roster limit. I understand why they wanted to do revenue sharing. Unfortunately, I think that there were a lot of ways to do that, especially with grandfathering in seniors or allowing whoever is on the team to be grandfathered automatically and a slow progression of decreasing roster sizes to give more money to the revenue generating sports. So I think that was probably my biggest concern about [the House v. NCAA lawsuit],” Mrzyglod said.

One potential benefit of the roster limits could be the rise in quality of the smaller programs around collegiate sports. With the top programs being limited to a certain number of players, eventually the talent will trickle down collegiate sports.

“I think that a trickle down effect could happen. People like me, who used to be able to commit to division one schools but were on the cusp, as in those who were good but not the best, might start going down to mid-major or maybe even division two. The division 2 swimmers are going down to division 3. I think it could have a trickle down effect,” Mrzyglod said.

Roster limits will play a key role in commitments in the future and make people think twice about the security of their scholarship and roster spot. With the ongoing changes, some athletes in hindsight may have looked to attend a different school.

“I think everyone has been impacted differently by this situation. But personally, I would have committed to a smaller school where I could have been a major player on the team instead of towards the bottom. I think I would have a little bit more security as a member of the team and knowing that they’re not going to get impacted by these kinds of things. At a smaller school, they can’t pay everybody full-rides anyways. So they’re going to opt out of all this [revenue sharing],” Mrzyglod said.

House v. NCAA will determine the future of college athletics. With both student-athletes and institutions uncertain with what the future holds, people can only hope that the settlement will benefit college sports in the long run. 

“It’s definitely going to be a big change. We’re going to see over the next few years in college sports. I think it’s going to change really fast and I’m sure we’re going to keep seeing new legislation pass for it. I hope that college sports can still have that experience and that student-athletes can still have it, but I definitely think it’s going to be different,” Mrzyglod said on what the future holds.

The post House v. NCAA lawsuit reshapes college sports appeared first on Technique.

The payment of student-athletes at colleges has been a hot button issue recently. With the lack of regulation surrounding NIL, the NCAA has multiple lawsuits against them looking to solve the same issue: how student-athletes should be compensated. The most prominent of the suits is Daniel House v. NCAA. The settlement, which will take effect on July 1, outlines three key changes to athlete revenue distribution: institutions sharing revenue with athletes, paying back former players and roster limits.

To gain greater understanding of the topic, the Technique sat down with junior Sabina Mrzyglod who is the vice-president of the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board (GTSAAB) and a former member of the swim and dive team. As a member of GTSAAB, Mrzyglod has been an active member of the Tech student athlete community and interacted with other institutions in discussing the future of college sports.

“I applied to GTSAAB at the end of my freshman year and got picked to represent the swim team. … I ended up running for Vice President and got picked to go to Atlantic Coastal Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Council (ACCSAAC) conferences,” Mrzyglod said of her GTSAAB experience.

Prior to the House v. NCAA lawsuit, the only way that student-athletes could get paid was through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. These NIL deals were the first above-board way that student-athletes could use their athletic success in order to help pay their bills which, at first, was seen as a good thing.

“NIL was so students could get money for their name, image and likeness, which I think is a great thing. For revenue generating sports like football or basketball, they bring in a lot of money for the school, so they should 100% be compensated for that,” Mrzyglod said.

Although NIL was at first seen as a positive, the lack of regulation surrounding the payment led both the student-athletes and the institutions wanting more guidance to navigate the new landscape. House v. NCAA  looks to adequately compensate student-athletes and former student-athletes. The first part of the lawsuit pertains to the sharing of revenue from the actual institutions. Before the conclusion of the settlement, colleges were generally not allowed to pay players directly, but this will change when the settlement gets finalized. Schools will be able to distribute up to 22% of athletic revenue to athletes; the sources of revenue includes media deals, sponsorships and gameday ticket sales. Alongside the 22% of cash, institutions will offer services which were not previously offered such as mental health resources, nutrition support, life skills development and medical coverage post college. 

The extra services are estimated to cost 28% of the athletic revenue meaning in theory, schools will be paying 50% of their athletic revenue back to the athletes — a figure that matches professional sports leagues. With the schools paying directly, the student-athletes can better trust the existence of the funding and could lead to more transparency. 

Even with the addition of direct institution payment, NIL will be getting some regulation. Every NIL deal worth over $600 will have to be reported and the NCAA will determine whether the valuation is “fair.” The idea of evaluating the fairness of NIL deals has led to some athletes, including LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, to question the process of evaluating one’s worth.

The settlement also looks to address paying back $2.8 billion to former student-athletes for their prior use of NIL. The NCAA will pay back the amount in installments and lead to compensation for student-athletes that competed in the past. 

The payment of student athletes has also raised the question of whether they should be employees . The topic has been hotly debated; the head football coach of the University of South Carolina Shane Beamer stated that they should not be considered employees. On the other hand, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team considered themselves employees and then proceeded to unionize. 

“I think it defeats the whole purpose of being a student athlete. You are a student and then an athlete. The whole point of being a student-athlete was to get to school, get an education, get a scholarship, all the while doing a sport that you love and are talented at. I think it defeats the whole purpose. If you’re an employee you’re a professional athlete. How will you distinguish between being a student-athlete and a professional athlete?” Mrzyglod said on the importance of classifying student-athletes.

The most controversial part of the settlement is surrounding roster constraints. Previously, the NCAA implemented scholarship caps, limiting the amount of scholarships institutions are allowed to give out, but with the settlement the NCAA will implement hard roster limits. With the roster limits being implemented immediately once the House v. NCAA settlement has been made official, many student-athletes could lose their spot on the team instantaneously. 

“I think it is the roster limit. I understand why they wanted to do revenue sharing. Unfortunately, I think that there were a lot of ways to do that, especially with grandfathering in seniors or allowing whoever is on the team to be grandfathered automatically and a slow progression of decreasing roster sizes to give more money to the revenue generating sports. So I think that was probably my biggest concern about [the House v. NCAA lawsuit],” Mrzyglod said.

One potential benefit of the roster limits could be the rise in quality of the smaller programs around collegiate sports. With the top programs being limited to a certain number of players, eventually the talent will trickle down collegiate sports.

“I think that a trickle down effect could happen. People like me, who used to be able to commit to division one schools but were on the cusp, as in those who were good but not the best, might start going down to mid-major or maybe even division two. The division 2 swimmers are going down to division 3. I think it could have a trickle down effect,” Mrzyglod said.

Roster limits will play a key role in commitments in the future and make people think twice about the security of their scholarship and roster spot. With the ongoing changes, some athletes in hindsight may have looked to attend a different school.

“I think everyone has been impacted differently by this situation. But personally, I would have committed to a smaller school where I could have been a major player on the team instead of towards the bottom. I think I would have a little bit more security as a member of the team and knowing that they’re not going to get impacted by these kinds of things. At a smaller school, they can’t pay everybody full-rides anyways. So they’re going to opt out of all this [revenue sharing],” Mrzyglod said.

House v. NCAA will determine the future of college athletics. With both student-athletes and institutions uncertain with what the future holds, people can only hope that the settlement will benefit college sports in the long run. 

“It’s definitely going to be a big change. We’re going to see over the next few years in college sports. I think it’s going to change really fast and I’m sure we’re going to keep seeing new legislation pass for it. I hope that college sports can still have that experience and that student-athletes can still have it, but I definitely think it’s going to be different,” Mrzyglod said on what the future holds.

The post House v. NCAA lawsuit reshapes college sports appeared first on Technique.

The Atlanta Hawks’ season has been one full of ups and downs. The season started with little hope due to the lack of supporting cast around star point guard Trae Young, but thanks to the emergence of defensive wizard Dyson Daniels, dynamic small forward Jalen Johnson and rookie sensation Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks have been one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA this season. The Hawks being without their first-round pick this year, due to the Dejounte Murray trade, forced them into a win-now mode. Atlanta currently sits at seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 35-37 record and has all but secured a spot in the postseason. The final quarter of the regular season will determine the final seeding and decide the Hawks’ opponents come the end of the regular season.

The Hawks’ roster has changed from the start of the season to where they are now. The most notable is the lack of Johnson. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in what has been a breakout campaign for him, averaging 18.9 points and 10 rebounds a game before his injury. Alongside Johnson’s absence, dynamic sixth-man De’Andre Hunter was traded to the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline. Hunter has taken a leap this season, scoring 17.8 points per game on 46.8% from behind-the-arc.

To make up for the losses of Hunter and Johnson, veteran forward Georges Niang and explosive guard Caris LeVert have been integral members of the rotation. Both Niang and LeVert were acquired in the Hunter trade and have averaged 13.6 and 16.8 points per game since joining Atlanta, respectively. 

The Hawks are coming off the back of two close wins over the Indiana Pacers. The first game, on March 6 was a 124-118 win where Young exploded for 22 points and 16 assists to lead the Hawks to the win. Niang was a heavy contributor, leading Atlanta in scoring with 24 points. The game was characterized by the Hawks allowing the Pacers to get out to a strong lead and eventually clawing themselves back to the win.

The game on March 8 was much different from the prior. The Hawks started the game extremely hot, erupting to a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Atlanta was led by the guard pair of Young and LeVert who scored 13 and 10 points in the first quarter, respectively. Young got banged up late in the third quarter and without their star point guard, the Hawks started to flounder. Despite Young returning near the start of the fourth quarter, Atlanta’s lead was severely diminished. The Pacers earned their first lead since the first minute of the game with 7:06 remaining in the game. The final minutes of the game were very tight with neither team able to pull away, but the Hawks stayed strong. Led by nine points from Young in those seven minutes, Atlanta led 119 to 116 with six seconds remaining in the game. The Pacers drove up the floor needing a three-pointer to tie the game, but Pacers all-star forward Pascal Siakam drove for a lay-up which effectively won the Hawks the game. On Women’s Empowerment Night, the Hawks stayed strong and won the game 120-118 and made their record 30-34.

After two straight wins, the Hawks are riding momentum for the late season run in. The Hawks currently hold the third easiest strength of schedule in the NBA, determined by the winning percentage of remaining opponents. The weaker opponents are highlighted by the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trailblazers who are either not in a position to make the postseason or have sabotaged their team such that they are now actively trying to lose (Dallas Mavericks.). Thanks to an easier schedule, Atlanta should be poised to not fall out of a play-in position with a slim chance of securing an automatic playoff spot, currently sitting 5.5 games back of the sixth-placed Detroit Pistons. 

The Hawks have been one of the more intriguing teams of the NBA this year and have a chance to make a late-season surge to earn an automatic playoff spot for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.

The post Hawks make a final push ahead of playoffs appeared first on Technique.

The Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame is full of names that have shaped Tech athletics into what they are today. From legendary coaches to players, many have been recognized due to their exceptional athletic feats, but three people stand alone as “Pioneers in Women’s Athletics”: Teresa Anne Caron, Denise Heitman Pool and Carolyn Thigpen. Caron, Pool and Thigpen led the way in creating a women’s basketball team at the Institute. Their persistence and mindset inspired people around Tech and the country in growing women’s sports.

Tech’s women’s basketball was not always the formidable force that they are today. The inaugural season for the team, nicknamed the Jackettes, was in 1974-75. The creation of the team was led by McClure who was not satisfied with simply partaking in intramural sports at the time. “We thought intramurals was for the birds. …We wanted a real team,” Caron said.

Motivated to provide women with an intercollegiate basketball option, Caron sought out faculty to help bring the team to fruition. Jim Culpepper, the director of intramurals at that time, provided Caron, Pool and Thigpen with guidance in order to bring their dream into reality. Culpepper was instrumental in the creation of the Jackettes and later served as the inaugural head coach of the team.

In order to drum up interest in women’s basketball, an intramural league was started, with the winner of the league facing off against Georgia State. After the successful intramural league, the athletic department was the next barrier. Caron, Pool and Thigpen met with famed Tech athletic director and football coach Bobby Dodd to campaign for a women’s basketball team.

The meeting with Dodd was productive with some hesitancy from the athletic director at first. “Finally, at the end of the conversation, Carolyn [Thigpen] said, ‘Coach Dodd, are you aware of Title IX?’ He was not. That’s when we said, ‘You might oughta look into that.’” Caron said.

After a few weeks of anxiously waiting, Culpepper and the team found out that they would compete in the Georgia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (GAIAW), not the NCAA. Tech joined the GAIAW due to the relatively small female enrollment at Tech. The Jackettes became a member of the NCAA in 1980 and started awarding scholarships at the same time.

Despite accomplishing their goal of creating an intercollegiate women’s basketball team, Caron, Pool and Thigpen had a lot of work left to do. The first goal was to fill out the roster. The team gathered people to try out mostly through conversation, which led to 16 people trying out for the team with 11 people being selected.

After gathering enough players to fill out the roster, the Jackettes ran into other issues regarding their equipment. “We had no basketballs. Dwayne Morrison, who had become the men’s basketball coach, gave me seven basketballs — two held air, the other five we had to pump up every day. Somewhere along the third week of practice, somebody got in and stole all of our basketballs. I think they ended up at a fraternity house, but that’s beside the point. When they found out about that, [Associate Athletic Director] John McKenna went out and bought me 12 new basketballs,” Culpepper said.

The team practiced hard in order for them to be ready for their first competitive season. The Jackettes practice regiment consisted of a two-mile run followed by a two-hour practice and then ended the day with sprints. The team was ready to get into shape all without the ability to get water. “When we were practicing in the freshman gym, which was attached to the Coliseum, we were not allowed to go down and get water because it was near the arena court and we would distract the men,” Caron said.

The team continued to face challenges such as getting kicked out of their practice gym for an intramural game. Their biggest challenge came with scheduling opponents. Since Tech’s women’s basketball team had just started, few universities were willing to play the Jackettes. Culpepper scraped together a 22-game schedule to kick off the program. The trials continued to pile up with the team having to pay a lot of money out of pocket just to be able to be at games. The team’s uniforms consisted of blue shorts and old men’s team jerseys. In order to attend games, the team had to drive in their own cars and pay for gas. For home games, the Jackettes saved up money to pay officials. 

The Jackettes’ inaugural season ended with a 6-16 record which on the surface is unremarkable. The first season of the women’s basketball team is much less about on-court play, but about the passion and leadership that the members of the team exhibited to make their dream a reality.

After coaching the Jackettes, Culpepper played an instrumental role in developing women’s sports at Tech. He started the women’s volleyball, women’s tennis and softball programs. Culpepper used the women’s basketball team as inspiration to make room for more female athletes at Tech.

The Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame is reserved for the most impactful athletes and athletic staff that have shaped the institute. Caron, Pool and Thigpen exceed the criteria by being some of the most inspirational people to attend the Institute and were trailblazers in women’s athletics.

The post The Jackettes: Women’s Basketball Pioneers appeared first on Technique.

The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has been a feature of American culture and entertainment for decades. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Cars” are NASCAR-inspired box office hits, and Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are drivers that became American icons. 

Despite being steeped in tradition, the racing series has faltered in popularity recently. Viewership of the Daytona 500, one of the most highly anticipated races of the year, peaked at just under 20 million in 2007, and in 2024, less than nine million people tuned in. The decrease in viewership is because of several factors, from the constantly changing playoff format to failing to modernize and adapt to the new media landscape. Despite NASCAR no longer drawing the same attention as it did in its heyday, the Atlanta Motor Speedway still hosts two races a year, with the Ambetter Health 400 consistently delivering thrilling racing to the around 100,000 spectators.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Format has changed numerous times. In 2004, NASCAR implemented a format called “Chase for the Championship.” This format takes the top performers of the season and resets their points, with the best performing drivers starting the postseason format with more points. The chase format remained in place until 2018, with several experimental iterations. After “Chase for the Championship,” NASCAR piloted the Playoff format, of which is still used in the sport. The Playoff format awards points based on different stages within the race. Stage one and two total to around half of the race, and stage three is the final half. On top of awarding points based on performance during different segments of the race, the Playoff format prioritizes race winners. If drivers win a race before the start of the format, they automatically qualify for the postseason, no matter how well they perform in the other races. Emphasizing race wins gives everyone a chance to qualify independent of previous results, hopefully providing intense racing to the very end. Since implementing the Playoff format, NASCAR has tinkered with the number of points to award and number of drivers that qualify, but the main idea stayed the same. In search of the perfect format, NASCAR’s lack of continuity from year-to-year makes the viewing experience difficult to follow. 

Outside of the constantly changing postseason format, NASCAR has failed to take advantage of newer media to capture new viewers. NASCAR failed to adapt to social media and streaming services and is paying the price in terms of the overall audience watching the races. A comparison to another high-level racing series is Formula One. NASCAR had a head start in the United States due to the brand that was built during the golden era of the series, but despite the larger starting platform, Formula One is slowly creeping up on NASCAR. The main reason behind the growth of Formula One in the United States is the use of new media. “Drive to Survive,” the Netflix docuseries, engaged new viewers, and approximately half of the Formula One fans in the United States attribute their fandom to the hit Netflix series. NASCAR is attempting to recreate the same success that Formula One has with “NASCAR: Full Speed”, a Netflix docuseries that follows drivers throughout the season. Outside of Netflix, NASCAR has taken advantage of the moments that propelled the series into the national eye. The most notable moment was driver Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” wall riding move, which garnered global attention. Despite the delay, NASCAR has begun to use Netflix and social media to promote the series.

And the Atlanta Motor Speedway has hosted some of the most exciting NASCAR races in recent memory. Just last year, the Atlanta Motor Speedway set a new track record with 48 lead changes in the 2024 Ambetter Health 400, with Daniel Suárez winning the race by just 0.003 seconds, the third-smallest margin of victory in NASCAR history. The 2025 Ambetter Health 400 had the same level of excitement. Stage one of the race was 60 laps and stages two and three both consisted of 100. Stage one had clean racing with no caution flags being flown. The first stage was taken by Josh Berry, with Georgia native Chase Elliot rounding out the top five. Stage two was more chaotic, with four caution flags being issued. The first was due to a tire blowout for Ty Dillon. The second involved Erik Jones being turned around, but luckily, he didn’t bring any other drivers with him. On lap 150, fan favorite Elliot was forced into the wall and collected Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie. After Joey Logano led 83 of the 100 laps in stage two, Kyle Larson snagged the win at the end, putting to bed the notion that Larson can not win in bigger oval races. Despite the exciting second stage, the third stage was when the real action started. With five wrecks and exhilarating racing, the last 100 laps were some of the most exciting of the race. After a victorious race last year, Suárez tried to overtake Ty Gibbs, but the two collided and collected five other racers on lap 184. Just 13 laps later, Chase Briscoe nudged Chris Buescher, who proceeded to wreckcollect Alex Bowman to bring out another caution. Ryan Blaney was the next victim of the chaos when Carson Hocevar turned him around, but thanks to brilliant driving from Blaney, he failed to collect any other cars. With just five laps till the end, Austin Cidric and William Byron collided, forcing the race to go to overtime. The race ended just as the entire third stage went — chaotically. Christopher Bell, Larson and Hocevar fought for the lead when a caution flag was flown just half a lap from the end. The winner of the race was decided by milliseconds once again. After a long replay, Bell was announced the winner of the photo finish and capped off a thrilling race weekend. The 2025 iteration of the Ambetter Health 400 outdid the previous year, setting a new track record of 50 lead changes throughout the race.

NASCAR may not be as prosperous as it previously was, but the series can still deliver thrilling racing. The drivers’ skill is unmatched and can best be seen by attending the race and feeling the atmosphere, soaking in the passion of the crowd and the roars of the cars.

The post What is going on with NASCAR? appeared first on Technique.

With the basketball season coming to a close, both the men’s and women’s teams ready themselves for the ACC Tournaments. The Lady Jackets are already set as the No. 9 seed with their first game of the tournament coming against the Virginia Tech Hokies on March 6. The men’s team still has one game left where their seeding or opponent could both change. Both Tech teams look to position themselves as a team to watch in March Madness.

Tech’s women’s basketball team had a successful season for much of the year, one mostly characterized by streaks. The Jackets started their season on a 15-game win streak, which was both the best start and longest win streak in program history. Due to the historic success, Tech was ranked No. 13 in the country, the highest ranking of the program since 2022. After the win streak, the Jackets dropped their first game of the season to Virginia Tech in a double-overtime thriller. After the loss to the Hokies, the Jackets lost the next two games to the Louisville Cardinals and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tech got back on course, going 6-2 in their next eight games, highlighted by wins over the Boston College Eagles and Virginia Cavaliers. To close out the season, the Jackets went on another streak, but this time a losing one. Tech dropped four consecutive games to end the season with each team taking advantage of the Jackets’ lack of size. Despite ending their season on a four game losing-streak, Tech finished regular season play with a 21-9 overall record and 9-9 in the ACC.

The Lady Jackets earned the No. 9 seed in the ACC and faced off against Virginia Tech in their first matchup of the ACC Tournament. The game against the Hokies was a rematch from the regular season, where the Jackets lost a heartbreaking double overtime game 94-105 for Tech’s first loss of the season. In the game, Virginia Tech were extremely efficient on offense, shooting 46.8% from the field and 44.4% from behind-the-arc. On top of their efficient offense, the Wolfpack attacked the Jackets defense, earning 23 free throws. Despite the loss, the Jackets can take away some positives from the earlier game. Tech dominated the board, securing 14 offensive rebounds which resulted in 19 second chance points. On top of the relentless rebounding, the Jackets bench contributed 22 points compared to the Hokies seven. The Lady Jackets hope to take advantage of their skills and make a run in the ACC tournament.

Tech’s men’s basketball season also had an eventful season. The Jackets’ season did not start up to expectations when they dropped their second game of the season to the North Florida Ospreys. The struggles continued in ACC play, where Tech started the season with a 2-6 conference record. Despite the early tribulations, the Jackets found their footing to end the year. Tech currently owns a 8-3 record since Jan. 22 which includes upset wins over the No. 11 ranked Clemson Tigers and No. 14 ranked Louisville. In the Jacket’s last home game of the season against the University of Miami Hurricanes, Tech dominated 89-74. The Jackets were led by senior guard Lance Terry with an impressive 31 points on senior night. The Jackets cap off their regular season with a visit to Winston-Salem, N.C. and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Tech currently sits at No. 8 in the ACC and holds a record of 10-9 in the ACC and 16-14 overall.

With one game still left to play, Tech is pretty much locked into the eighth seed with a chance of the ninth seed in the ACC tournament. Holding the eighth seed, Tech would play the ninth seed in the first round of the postseason. The ninth seed in the ACC is still very much up for grabs with one game left to play for each team. The two teams competing for the ninth seed are Virginia Tech and Virginia. The ninth seed in the ACC tournament is the last seed that doesn’t have to play on the first day and only needs four wins to be crowned Conference Champions. The Jackets played each of the teams competing for the ninth seed once and held a 1-1 record in those games. Tech beat Virginia Tech 71-64 on Jan. 22 and Pitt 73-67 on Feb. 25. The Jackets loss was 61-75 against the Cavaliers. Tech should feel confident going into the ACC tournament as they look to prove that the late season run was no fluke. 

Despite their seasons seemingly going drastically different ways, both Tech basketball teams ended up in very similar places within the ACC. The Lady Jackets started off the season on a historic winning streak but have since struggled at times in conference play. The men faced an almost polar opposite experience, having started off the season poorly but rounding into form in recent times. The ACC Tournament is just the start of March Madness for the Jackets with both teams hoping for strong showings and proving that they belong amongst the college basketball elite.

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