Georgia Tech is set to open up its season against the Hampton Pirates to kick off an eight-game home stand. The Yellow Jackets are looking to start their nonconference schedule off the right way and pick up early wins to add to its resume.
Hampton comes back as an experienced team under third-year head coach Ivan Thomas. The Pirates bring back Etienne Strothers, Aidan Haskins, Kellan Lewis, and Hamza Asadallah. Hampton does lose three of its top scorers from a season ago and will have to lean on new guys in that area. Besides that, the Pirates welcome in eight transfers and five freshmen to the roster, which means it will be a good blend of youth and veterans.
One transfer to watch for Hampton is Jayme Mitchell III. He averaged 14.4 points and 4.9 rebounds a season ago with Jackson State. He should be able to find a key role this season for the Pirates.
One of the players to watch for the Yellow Jackets in this game is Jackson Fields , who came over from Troy to join his former head coach Scott Cross. He brings a different type of energy and is the unquestioned leader on the team. His ability to bring the energy, intensity, rebound, and also be able to score will be invaluable to the success of the Yellow Jackets in 2026.
"I would say Jackson Fields has been instrumental. Like, we wouldn't even have a chance with the tagging probably, without Jackson Fields. Like, he does it. He believes in it. He's seen it work. He tells the guys it works. He's like just trust Coach Cross. I think he stands up and says the tough things that need to be said. He's an outstanding leader. One of the best leaders I've been around, and you know I'm super, super thankful he's here. He definitely has made my job a lot easier, and he's helped put out a lot of fires that, you know, could escalate if, you know, gas could get on it could it blow up. So he's done a really good job with that," said Cross.
Georgia Tech should be able to handle business at home. It is a new-look roster with only two players coming back in Kam Craft and Cole Kirouac, but Cross did a good job of addressing depth and plugging key holes in the roster to ensure they are at least competitive. It is year one for the Cross era, but one thing you can expect is a team that will play defense hard every trip down the floor. Regardless of how their offense looks, the defense will be prepared and hopefully lead to buckets down the floor.
Final Score: Georgia Tech 76, Hampton 63
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Matchup Preview and Final Score Prediction for Georgia Tech vs Hampton .
