Georgia Tech started to lay the groundwork for its 2025 class on Monday, when the program landed a commitment from four-star wing Brandon Stores Jr. Stores, who plays his high school ball at New York’s St. Raymond’s High, chose the Yellow Jackets over fellow finalists Rutgers and Xavier.
WHAT GEORGIA TECH IS GETTING
A powerful wing capable of bullying his way to his spots and scoring once there, Stores is a score-first prospect that plays with a striking form of aggression when hunting his shots in transition in addition to off the bounce. He’s not a particularly gifted long-range shooter as things stand, but there have been signs of development on that front as he’s taken positive strides over the past year. Defensively, he possesses the strength and athleticism to defend multiple positions and will improve on that front as he continues to re-shape his body and become more explosive. The 6-foot-4 Stores is a decent passer, but his strengths, at least for the time being, are his scoring ability and knack for finishing through contact at the rim. He’ll play the upcoming season with the NY Renaissance in the Nike EYBL.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE YELLOW JACKETS
The future of the Damon Stoudamire Era in Atlanta still appears bright despite a rocky first season that has yielded a 12-16 record so far. There’s a lot to be said for that, as a disastrous first season can sometimes lead to an uphill fight on the recruiting trail. Tech’s on-floor struggles have obviously not damaged the faith in Stoudamire, however, as the first-year head coach now has three top-100 players in the fold for the classes of 2024 and 2025. Extracting the New York-based Stores from his home area despite a push from hot-recruiting Rutgers, which recently signed his touted AAU teammate Dylan Harper, wasn't an easy task, but it was one Stoudamire and his staff were up to. If on-court success comes next season, the program’s recruitment momentum could compound quickly, as national-level prospects are clearly buying what the former NBA star is selling even now.
