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Georgia Tech Basketball: Curtis Haywood II moving on from the program

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

BLACKSBURG, VA - FEBRUARY 13: Curtis Haywood II #13 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shoots the ball in the first half during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum on February 13, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - FEBRUARY 13: Curtis Haywood II #13 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shoots the ball in the first half during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum on February 13, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /
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With a lot of seasons over, attrition is beginning to hit programs across the country including the Yellow Jackets as sophomore guard Curtis Haywood II is transferring.

Sophomore guard Curtis Haywood II has played his final game as a Yellow Jacket as it was reported by 247Sports Director of Basketball Recruiting Evan Daniels on Wednesday that the guard will be transferring out of the program. The AJC’s Ken Sugiura confirmed the departure via Twitter as well.

Haywood, an Oklahoma native played 29 games for the Yellow Jackets this season and made 19 starts while averaging 21.7 minutes per game. While the minutes he averaged did increase by just under three minutes per game, his games played and starts were both increased. So playing time definitely wasn’t a deciding factor in Haywood’s departure from the program.

For the Jackets, the loss of Haywood is a notable one. While he didn’t make a huge impact this season, the loss of Haywood dampers the Jackets depth rotationally heading into the 2019-20 season.

As Sugiura notes in his tweet, Haywood was a quality defender for the Yellow Jackets with a defensive rating of 98.1 this season but fell on hard times offensively. His offensive rating fell from 111.3 as a freshman to 91.8 this season as a sophomore. His true shooting percentage, however, went up despite the drop in rating as well as his effective field goal percentage. For Haywood, it wasn’t about shot selection but more of the fact the ball simply didn’t want to roll in the basket. He has a strong skill set that should be able to help another program, especially as a player who’s solid from the perimeter.

With Haywood’s departure, the Jackets are left with four scholarship guards for 2019-20 in Jose Alvarado, Michael Devoe, Shembari Phillips, and transfer Jordan Usher.