Okogie, Lammers help Pastner win Georgia Tech debut
ATLANTA (AP) Josh Pastner saw plenty of areas needed for improvement in his first game as Georgia Tech's head coach.
He wants the pace to speed up. He wants players making quicker cuts on offense. He doesn't want to call a play every time his team has possession.
''I want our guys to be able to play with freedom and structure and make plays, but with that comes lots of responsibility,'' Pastner said. ''They've got to understand how to play the right way.''
Josh Okogie scored 18 points, Ben Lammers added 15 points and Pastner won his Georgia Tech debut with a 70-55 victory over Tennessee Tech on Friday night.
Quinton Stephens finished with 12 points and six rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
Lammers' output was a career high, as were his five blocks. Okogie was 7 for 9 from the field and had five rebounds.
Micaiah Henry finished with 15 points and Ja'Cardo Hawkins added 10 points for Tennessee Tech.
Pastner went 167-73 and led Memphis to four NCAA tournaments in seven seasons before joining the Yellow Jackets last spring. He's beginning a major rebuilding project with one of the nation's least experienced rosters.
Pastner had four players making their first college start - Lammers, Okogie, Abdoulaye Gueye and Justin Moore. Stephens started 14 games last season.
The Jackets were without Josh Heath, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating team rules. Tadric Jackson missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Georgia Tech never trailed after Stephens' jumper gave the Jackets a one-point lead in the first 5 minutes of the first half.
Okogie's 3-pointer in front of the Jackets' bench pushed the lead to 61-48 with 3:59 remaining. Stephens' 3 made it 64-50 a couple of possessions later.
Pastner has high expectations for Okogie, who starred at nearby Shiloh High School in Snellville. Okogie played 21 minutes, about 10 minutes less than the other starters because he picked up three fouls in the first half. Pastner said two of them were 94 feet from the basket.
''I think Josh Okogie has a chance down the road to be a really good ACC player,'' Pastner said. ''I'm a big, big fan of Josh Okogie. I just didn't think he played real well tonight. He can play way better. He's got that ability.''
Tennessee Tech guard Aleksa Jugovic began the night shooting 39.4 percent in 259 career attempts on 3s, but he went just 1 for 6 beyond the arc and finished with five points.
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee Tech: The Golden Eagles went 19-12 last season, 11-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They were picked in preseason to finish fourth in the East Division for the second straight year.
''We lost three really good seniors last year off a good team,'' coach Steve Payne said. ''They are hard to replace. The guys that were our go-to were offensive guys, and everybody is playing a new role or we have some new guys playing.''
Georgia Tech: The departures of last year's most productive players - Marcus Georges-Hunt, Adam Smith, Charles Mitchell and Nick Jacobs - left a major scoring and rebounding void, about 53 points and 21 boards per game. Pastner said earlier that he likely will change the starting lineup a few times in November to decide who best fits the role.
UP NEXT
Tennessee Tech: Hosts Central Michigan on Monday. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Georgia Tech: Host Southern on Monday. Southern is the second of five straight home games for the Jackets.
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