The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In-depth local news and details you won’t find anywhere else.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The ball flew past Jose Alvarado, bounced once and headed to the opposite sideline, Georgia Tech’s control of its ACC Tournament quarterfinal game going with it.
“I just saw the ball, and I was like, I’ve got to take off,” Alvarado said.
Jordan Usher, responsible for the errant inbounds pass after he and Alvarado appeared to misread each other, held faith in his teammate to cover the mistake.
“I knew Jose was going to get it because that’s my guy,” Usher said.
Alvarado did indeed chase down the ball after it bounced again just shy of the sideline, in one motion grabbing it and passing to teammate Bubba Parham. Parham dribbled once and passed out of Miami’s backcourt trap back to Alvarado, who threw ahead to Usher for the last of his team-high 15 points. With that — and a costly turnover by Miami on the ensuing inbounds —Tech was home free, with its first berth in the tournament semifinals since 2010 with an ungainly 70-66 win over the Hurri
canes on Thursday at Greensboro Coliseum.
A little out of sync and slow in their first game since Friday, the fourth-seeded Jackets traveled an unusual path to victory against the 13th-seeded Hurricanes. The ingredients included perhaps the poorest game of the season from freshly minted ACC player of the year Moses Wright, critical contributions from Tech’s backups, a scary knee-to-knee collision that temporarily knocked Alvarado out of the game, a seven-point Miami lead with 18 minutes remaining and five harrowing turnovers in the final 2:30. The turnovers fueled a Hurricanes rally from down 66-58 at the three-minute mark to 68-66 with 24.7 seconds left when Alvarado made his frantic rescue of Usher’s pass.
“I knew Jose was getting it,” said coach Josh Pastner, who earned his first ACC Tournament victory after losing his first three. “Anyone else, it might have gone out of bounds. But not Jose Alvarado. He’s made so many winning plays that don’t show up in the box score, I can’t even put a number on it.”
In winning its seventh game in a row, Tech (16-8) earned a semifinal matchup with No. 1-seed Virginia. The Cavaliers swept the Jackets in the regular season. They are the only ACC team that Pastner’s teams have yet to defeat.
Virginia won both games this season despite the Jackets leading for 53 of the 80 minutes of the two games and holding an 11-point second-half lead in their 64-62 loss to the Cavaliers on Jan. 23.
“We definitely owe them one, and getting a chance to get it back, that’s the basketball gods saying, ‘There’s your chance, go get it,’” Usher said.
Tech’s performance against Miami (10-17) was not the worthiest of tributes to the hoops deities. After earning the double bye that enabled them to sit out the first two rounds, the Jackets appeared out of sync and disconnected. Miami guards Isaiah Wong and Kameron Mcgusty found gaps in the Tech defense and combined to score 37 points.
Tech players had difficulty reading each other and setting each other up for open shots, normally a strength. Wright was off his game. Three days after being named conference player of the year, Wright scored a season-low seven points on 3-for-9 shooting and fouled out with 2:30 left. He was in for 25 minutes, a season low against ACC competition.
His fourth foul encapsulated his struggles. Wright tried to pass to forward Khalid Moore, who was not expecting the ball and did not come to it. Wright dove to the floor to recover the loose ball and picked up his fourth foul in the process, with 14:38 left in the second half. He pounded the court in frustration.
Center Rodney Howard played a season-high 18 minutes in his place, contributing two points, three rebounds, one steal and no turnovers, notable given the amount of ballhandling he was asked to do. Guards Kyle Sturdivant (five points in eight minutes) and Parham (nine points in 13 minutes, including a key layup in traffic with 39 seconds left) also helped hold off Miami.
“They stepped up when we needed them most,” Alvarado said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Tech survived a moment of terror when Miami’s Wong drove on Alvarado in the first half and the two hit kneeto-knee, causing Alvarado to fall to the floor in pain. He had to be helped off the floor and missed the final 3:38 of the first half.
With Tech down 33-29 at the half and lacking spark, the idea of the Jackets playing the second half without their heart and soul (also the ACC defensive player of the year) was particularly unappealing. But Alvarado returned to the floor and played all of the remaining 20 minutes, occasionally wincing and limping.
“It can’t hurt (Friday). It can’t hurt Saturday. It can hurt Sunday. It can’t hurt (Thursday), though,” Alvarado said. “I told myself that. It just can’t hurt right now.”
The Jackets can count themselves perhaps a little fortunate to need Alvarado to gut out a sore knee for at least one more game.
“We got our first win here, and we’ve just got to focus on Virginia on Friday because it’s going to be tough,” Alvarado said.
The Braves have three more weeks until Opening Day, giving them plenty of time to further evaluate the individuals competing for spots on their bench. The team is almost completely remaking that unit from a season ago after letting Adam Duvall, Nick Markakis and Tyler Flowers leave in free agency (the latter two are unsigned).
It’s a fluid situation. The bench’s first iteration won’t be its last. It’s entirely possible the Braves’ bench is completely different in September. Such is the nature of the sport. In this instance, the Braves are going to keep trying players until somebody sticks. They’ve added multiple experienced players in hopes that at least one rejuvenates his career.
“It’s a good group,” manager Brian Snitker said of the bench candidates. “All the guys we’ve brought in are guys who have had success in the major leagues. That’s exactly what you’re looking for in these roles. It’s kind of new roles in their career. It serves them well to have had that experience, being everyday players. I think it’s a pretty good group that we’ll evaluate and choose from.”
So, given what the Braves currently have — and that can and probably will change by opening day April 1 — what’s the best bench group they can assemble to start the season?
Starting with the obvious, William Contreras or Alex Jackson will fill the backup catcher spot. The team believes in Jackson’s receiving ability, and he provides theoretical power, which matters considering how little of it this bench projects to possess. Contreras possesses more athletic ability and potential. Neither player has separated himself this spring, so this will be an ongoing evaluation.
Ender Inciarte, barring an unexpected transaction, will be the fourth outfielder. The Braves haven’t named Cristian Pache their starting center fielder, but that almost certainly will be the case. Inciarte, owed $8 million this season, would become an expensive backup. He told reporters last week he’ll be a supportive teammate regardless of what decision the team makes.
“I’m just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get,” Inciarte said. “I know the team is going to put the best team out there, whether it’s me or someone else. I’m just going to be ready to play any day.”
A situation to monitor: Inciarte hasn’t played in a week because of a “thumb issue,” Snitker said Thursday. “It’s been a slow process to get him treated up and get the bat in his hand again. He’s progressing, but he’s not to the point he can go out and get a game at-bat right now, so we’ll have to see.”
Utilityman Johan Camargo is on a non-guaranteed deal. He’s still likely to make the Opening Day roster as a versatile backup. It would help his case if he shows he can handle shortstop, being that the Braves don’t have many other options there. Camargo also can play second base, third base and even outfield in a pinch.
If that’s how three bench roles shake out, as expected, that’d leave two more openings for the bevy of veterans vying for jobs. Jake Lamb, signed to a non-guaranteed major-league contract, should be considered a front-runner. He can play the corner infield positions while also providing more power than any of the Braves’ other options.
Lamb, who was an All-star in 2017, would be a valuable lefthanded power-hitter off the bench. Since hitting 59 homers across the 2016-17 seasons, Lamb’s career has been spoiled by injuries. He showed signs of life late last season in 13 games with the A’s, launching nine homers in just 45 at-bats.
“That time in Oakland helped me,” Lamb said, referencing his career and free-agent market. “It gave me a few options. I wanted to go somewhere where I can play, but I also wanted to go to a winning team. Watching this team on TV, and watching them from afar, it’s no joke. They have what it takes to get to World Series and hopefully win a World Series. From position players to pitching staff to leaders in the clubhouse, they have everything over here.
“If I can come in and just be a guy, whether it’s off the bench, platoon somewhere, I’m here to help out, be a good teammate, help some young guys. Bottom line is I want to win, and we’re going to win some games here.”
The final opening is up for grabs. It could go to a player who’s not yet on the roster. Remember: The Braves acquired Matt Joyce just before opening day in 2019, and the outfielder played a pivotal role throughout the season. Under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the team has done an excellent job identifying and extracting the best from low-cost contributors.
Other competitors include former All-star Jason Kipnis, who hasn’t done much thus far this spring, and switch-hitter Pablo Sandoval, whose roster bid was hurt by the Lamb acquisition. Ehire Adrianza can play around the infield and would give the Braves a better defensive option at shortstop than Camargo, so he’ll have a case. Outfielders Abraham Almonte, Phillip Ervin and Guillermo Heredia, all on the 40-man roster, are solid depth players but likely won’t make the Braves’ initial roster.
It is possible, because of off days, that the Braves begin the season with a four-man rotation if Mike Soroka opens the season on the injured list. They could carry an additional bench bat in that scenario, but for now, we’ve operated on the assumption that they’ll use five starters.
Snitker has repeatedly stated confidence in the team’s options, citing their experience. The Braves undoubtedly have an interesting group of players from which to choose, but they could easily add another name or two to the list before opening day.
For now, their best bench looks something like Jackson/contreras, Camargo, Inciarte, Lamb and another player. Adrianza might make the most sense, though that bench would lack juice at the plate. Ultimately, if the team’s mix-and-match approach doesn’t yield results over the first portion of the season, expect the Braves to be seeking bench help at the trade deadline.