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Georgia Tech Basketball: Okogie, Jackson suspended by Pastner

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 04: Jayson Tatum
DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 04: Jayson Tatum /
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Georgia Tech starters Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson have been suspended for NCAA violations.

Late Thursday, news broke that Georgia Tech sophomore Josh Okogie and senior Tadric Jackson have been suspended by the NCAA for rule violations. The report was first broken by AJC’s Ken Sugiura. The length of the suspensions has yet to be determined according to Sugiura. Both players will not travel with the team to China next week for their season opener against UCLA.

According to the report, each player received “impermissible benefits” that in total came around the $1,275 price tag. Sugiura also noted that both players received the benefits from the same individual who was in no way connected with the program.

The Jackets were already set to be without Okogie for the foreseeable future as suffered a fractured finger in last Saturday’s exhibition against Georgia State. Following the injury, we took a look at the impact of the injury on the Jackets offense.

One of the players that had to step up his game entering this season was Jackson. Last season, Jackson averaged 12.1 points per game and was a major part of the Jackets rotation, averaging 23.8 minutes per game and appearing in 36 games but just starting five.

Combined, the Jackets will be down 28.2 points per game from the last season both Okogie and Jackson now out. That doesn’t account for the 10.4 points per game the now-graduated Quinton Stephens provided last season. The Jackets are now left with one player from last season that put up double-digit points last season, that one player is center Ben Lammers.

The good news for the Jackets is while Okogie and Jackson will most likely face rather lengthy suspensions, the program itself shouldn’t be penalized too much. According to Sugiura’s report, head coach Josh Pastner reported the violations as soon as he found out about them last month.

That being said, the NCAA is unpredictable when it comes punishing both players and programs. With Tech not being a blue-blood program in college basketball right now or a “cash cow” in the eyes of the NCAA, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jackets do get hit hard if the NCAA does try to punish the program.