The 6-foot-2 point guard made his decision Saturday to come back home and finish his final season as a Yellow Jacket. With the loss of Mfon Udofia, the point guard position looked a bit concerning up until this point. The players slated to enter the season as point guards were rising sophomore Solomon Poole, freshman Travis Jorgenson, and redshirt freshman Corey Heyward. While all three are exciting choices, all lack a bit of experience. Furthermore, Heyward and Poole are rehabing injuries that limited them last season.
Golden was a 4 star recruit out of high school, graduating from McEachern HS, and highly recruited. Golden started approximately half of the Vols games in 2013, averaging .397 FG% with 9.7 ppg and 3.6 assists per game. The strong point guard is known for his ability to drive and draw contact in the paint and he is a good perimeter shooter. His experience at Tennessee will aide to the young Jackets team.
The only question left to answer is whether or not Golden will actually play next season. Currently, he is hoping for a waiver that would allow him to exempt his customary redshirt season for all transfers. It seems that this will be granted and he will be able to play in the upcoming season, but things haven't been finalized yet. Sources say that his father is "severely ill" and he will be moving to Atlanta to be close to his father and help his family. Rumors suggested that his academics were an issue at UT, however those have been dispelled.
As for my take on this, I think this is a great opportunity for the Yellow Jackets. While Solomon Poole was probably most fans' number one choice at PG, this allows the team to not have to rely on Poole completely. Furthermore, Heyward will be healthy and ready to contribute. As for which player will stand on the court when the tip is thrown is still left to be seen. With a team that had a strong perimeter presence with Marcus Georges-Hunt and Chris Bolden, as well as the paint domination with Carter Jr., Holsey, and Miller, this might be exactly what the Jackets need to be a contender in the dominant ACC in the winter- depth and options at the point. With the addition of two historically successful teams, Pitt and Syracuse, teams will be fighting more than ever to stay successful in the ACC.
What do y'all think? Are you excited for Tech's addition? Who do you think will step into Mfon's role in November? Do you think Tech can be a contender in the ACC this season?