Georgia Tech head coach Scott Cross talked to the media before the Yellow Jackets' first game on Tuesday night. Here are the most important things that head coach Scott Cross said to the media on Friday. 

On Jackson Fields and getting him to Georgia Tech

Jackson Fields was one of the big transfer additions of the offseason and Cross and a lot of good things to say about him today:

“I would say Jackson Fields has been instrumental. Like we wouldn't even have a chance with the tagging probably, without Jackson Fields. Like he does it. He believes in it. He's seen it work. He tells the guys it works. He's like just trust Coach Cross. I think he stands up and says the tough things that need to be said. He's an outstanding leader. One of the best leaders I've been around, and you know I'm super, super thankful he's here. He definitely has made my job a lot easier, and he's helped put out a lot of fires that, you know, could escalate if, you know, gas could get on it could it blow up. So he's done a really good job with that,” said Cross. 

Special praise for Kayden Allen who is turning heads 

Kayden Allen is a talented first year guard and while it can be tough on first year players in the ACC, Allen has a chance to make an impact:

“Kayden made a big jump last Tuesday was his best practice by far. And I think that was one of the ones where you're like, "Oh, wow." Like if this guy figures it out, like he can be special. He's had a couple inner squad scrimmages where he's been, you know, the best offensive player on the floor. And so for him, it's just, you know, getting him to be in the stands, getting him to fly around, getting him to react to the basketball. Once he figures that out, then he's going to be a really special college basketball player,” said Cross. 

On Players Getting Opportunities 

When you have an almost completely new team comprised of first year playres and transfers, there is a lot to sort out, even when the regular season begins. Cross is still in the process of figuring out his rotation and how he is going to distribute roles and minutes:

“You have 13 scholarship guys out there, and they're all talented. They can all play. There's not much separation from, you know, one through 15 on the roster. So, you know, a lot of guys will get opportunities, guys. You know, like for example, Kam (Craft)had a really good game against Providence, so his minutes, you know, he played a whole lot of minutes. And so, you know, we're going to have to go with the flow in the game. There's certain guys maybe that are a little bit more experienced that maybe do things a little bit better defensively. Those are the guys that'll get the first crack at it, but um nobody can play more than 30 minutes; we're not in good enough shape yet to even come close to that. So, a lot of guys will get opportunities, and if they go out there and do the things that we need them to do, then their minutes could go up,” said Cross. 

On facing adversity early in exhibition games 

“We played some of the most the biggest, most physical, most athletic teams in the country. And we went on the road, and so there were a lot of adverse situations, and you know, I wanted to see how our guys would respond to that early on rather than figure it out Thanksgiving. So, now we know exactly where we are, what we got to do, and now we can get better every day,” said Cross. 

On a message to the fans to come out to the game on Tuesday night 

“It starts with the students. The students bring the energy. They bring the excitement. I think the rest of the community and the fans, they feed off of the students, and they can intimidate the opposing team as much as anybody. And so we want to have that great atmosphere and they can help us turn this thing around a lot quicker by being out there, by being loud, by being energetic, by bringing friends to the game. We're excited to see them out there. We are thankful for each and every one that shows up,” said Cross.