Iman Shumpert, SG

One of the Atlantic Coast Conference's top defensive players over his last two seasons, Shumpert decided to forego his senior year and enter the 2011 NBA Draft. While he emerged as the team's top scoring option last season, the Yellow Jackets will sorely miss his dominance on the defensive end the most.

Usually assigned to guard the opponent's top wing scorer, the versatile and durable guard with the skills to play both the point and the wing, he relishes his roll in frustrating any shooter that got into the lanes. His 207 steals rank fourth in school history, as his career-high 85 thefts as a junior are topped by only Kenny Anderson's 89 (1990-91) on Tech's season-record chart.

Shumpert's all-around game saw him score in double digits in 55-of-92 contests as a Yellow Jacket. Unselfish to a fault, when he was not taking the clutch shot or preventing an opponent from doing so, he was creating opportunities for other teammates, as his 382 assists rank 11th in school annals.

For a back court performer, Shumpert was quite a physical presence under the boards, recording 413 rebounds. When he could not deliver with his inside game, he had the length and elevation to park along the perimeter and fire at the basket, as his 111 successful three-point field goals placed 15th on the school all-time record list.

His ability to draw contact on the way to the rim gave him more opportunities from the foul line, where his 141 free throws made last season rank 11th on Tech's annual record chart. He closed out his career as the 41st player in school annals to score over 1,000 points, placing 32nd all-time with 1,166 points.

In one of his final regular season performances as a Yellow Jacket, Shumpert recorded the fourth triple-double in Tech history on January 25th, 2011 vs. Virginia Tech, when he posted 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. That was also the first triple-double for a Tech player in an ACC game. He closed out his junior campaign with five of the seven double-double performances that he produced during his career.

When Shumpert first began playing basketball at Oak Park-River Forest High School, he stood 5:07 as a freshman. A growth spurt that summer saw him return as a 6:02 sophomore, but it was not until his junior season that recruiters began to take notice.

That season, Shumpert earned the first of two conference MVP honors, as he also became the first player in school history to be named All-State. He averaged 15.2 points per game before missing the final part of the season with an elbow fracture.

Al Allen, Shumpert's high school coach, said in a Chicago Sun-Times report, "I never saw a kid improve so much between his sophomore and junior years. Iman has an uncanny ability to shoot the three-point shot. But he'd rather win games and pass the ball and not shoot so much. I have to push him to shoot more."

And shoot more is what Shumpert did as a senior. He was rated the 15th-best overall prospect in the nation by Scout.com, again capturing conference MVP honors while leading his team to their third consecutive league title. He averaged 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, earning an invitation to play in the Jordan Capital Classic. He was also named to play in the McDonald's All-American game, the 16th Tech player to do so, and was a third-team Parade magazine All-American.

On October 18th, 2007, Shumpert committed to play for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

During 2008-09 season, he was Tech's fourth-leading scorer. In Atlantic Coast Conference games, he averaged 10.5 points, hitting 34.5% of his three-point attempts. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and made 8-of-14 shots from the floor in two ACC Tournament games. He also had 16 double-figure scoring games that season.

As a sophomore, Shumpert started 29-of-30 games at point guard. Bothered early in the season by knee woes, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a damaged meniscus in his right knee on December 3rd, 2009 and missed Tech's next six games. He was inconsistent upon his return, finishing with averages of 10.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but he did post 58 steals and 120 assists.

Shumpert was named All-ACC second-team and was a first-team choice for the league's All-Defensive Team in 2010-11. He became the seventh player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists and was the fourth to lead in those three categories and steals. He ranked fourth in the conference in scoring (17.3 ppg), 15th in rebounds (5.9 rpg), 10th in field goals made (177) and first in steals (85, which ranked seventh in the nation).

On May 3rd, 2011, Shumpert announced that he was leaving Georgia Tech and entered the 2011 NBA Draft pool, ending a three-year collegiate career in which he developed into one of the top players in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "I've decided to forego my senior year at Georgia Tech, keep my name in the NBA draft for this year and hire an agent," said Shumpert.

"I appreciate everything that Georgia Tech has done for me over my time here. I've tried to take advantage of everything we have available, from our academic support system to our coaching staff and strength and conditioning, to help make me a better person and player. I want to thank the Georgia Tech fans for their support of our program even though we haven't always met their expectations.

"I also want to extend my support to Coach Gregory and the new staff here going forward. I know the program is in good hands, and I look forward to following their progress. I'll always remember everything that Georgia Tech has done for me."

"Iman has been great during this entire process," said head coach Brian Gregory. "He has participated in our team's spring workouts and has continued to do well in his classes while also gathering the important information needed to make this decision. He's had a tremendous career here, and I support the decision he and his family have made.

"After working with him the last month or so, I'm confident that his workouts will be very good and he has a successful NBA career in front of him. Iman and I have already begun discussions on completing his degree here. It is important to him and to his family that he is a graduate of Georgia Tech."

Positives: At 6:05, he has very good size for a point guard, and while unselfish feeding the ball off to others, he might be a better fit as a combo guard due to a lack of accuracy with his jump shot … Strong, physical player who excels at applying pressure defense and that power is evident by the way he's had better success finishing around the basket than he's had trying to deliver with his jump shot or coming off the dribble … Has good court quickness and the long wingspan to defend vs. one-, two-, three- and four-types when challenging perimeter shooters … Has that deceptive burst to stay in front of his man and keeps his hands active to be a very polished ball thief … While he has good assist figures, he is less turnover prone when he plays the off-guard position than when being utilized at the point … Excellent team leader who is smart and does a good job of being a disrupting force in the lanes … Will also not hesitate to use his body and take a charge … Has that quick initial step and court speed to be more effective getting points in transition … Stays low in his stance and has great leg anchor and balance to deny even the biggest of opponents much penetration and uses his reach well to prevent his man from stepping back and gaining space to take a shot … Excellent rebounder for a one-guard, as he positions himself under the basket and has moves to slip under bigger guys to crash the boards … Has a well-built frame with solid upper body muscles, minimal body fat, great lateral agility, and tapered thighs and legs … Gets excellent elevation, showing timing on his leaps to attack the offensive boards … Applies great pressure defense and has the hand quickness to take his man off the dribble … Has good court vision and quick, natural hands to pass or catch the ball cleanly … Alert to double teams, doing a nice job of pushing the ball around in attempts to find the open teammate … Has more than enough strength to attack the rim vs. bigger defenders and drives hard to the basket, generally drawing contact on his way … Lacks the size of a small forward, but has the power to box out the bigger men when fighting for position … Has a quick first step to separate and slash to the basket, even when the defender matches face-up against him … Consistent finisher in transition, but is also comfortable passing the ball off rather than controlling in when playing in the half court … Generally shows the patience to wait for lanes to open, but does draw contact when operating inside the paint (poor free throw shooter who needs to generate a quicker release point, though) … Has the explosive initial step to attack the basket regularly on the fast break (rare to see him get pushed outside when in the lane).

Negatives: Built more in the lines of a two-guard, his lack of range and inconsistency from three-point territory is the product of adequate leaping ability … His shooting mechanics are good, but he will get into a rhythm where he will get impatient and shoot from the hip or unleash too far over his head, and this has led to minimal production from his jump shot (39.6% shooter) … What is troubling is that he takes close to 70% of his shots using his jumper … That accuracy is reduced even further due to his loose handle when trying to convert coming off the dribble (hit on just 19.36% of his pull-ups last year), as he gets into this thought process that he has to take his shot the first chance he gets to see the basket … Also needs to refine his release point, as that hitch in his shot has limited him to just a 73.8% success rate from the foul line … Is unselfish with the ball, but handles it loosely and when trying to look for the "perfect" shot for himself or others, he will keep it on the floor too long, leading to a high amount of turnovers (280 in 92 games) … Struggles with his shot selection, especially with a defender right in his face … Best in an up tempo attack, as he tends to "out-think" himself in a slower paced games and will force up his shots rather than look for the open outlet when he tries to get into the offensive rhythm for too long … Has decent mid-range shooting ability, but needs to improve the ball's trajectory shooting behind the arc (lacks the ability to consistently connect from outside the 12-15-foot range).

Compares To: ERIC SNOW, ex-Cleveland/Philadelphia -- Shumpert has experience at the both guard spots, and the ability to earn minutes as a combo type. Like Snow, his offense is a work in progress, as he is very inconsistent with his jumper or when shooting off the dribble. But he is a dominating face-up defender with excellent strength and overall athletic talent. He needs to bulk up more to play shooting guard at the NBA level, but is more the type that will get 15-20 minutes playing pressure defense rather than relied upon to attack the basket. He has a developing mid-range shot, but offers little shooting from the outside.

--Dave-Te' Thomas

Defensive All-American second-team choice by The NBA Draft Report, adding Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive first-team honors … Was also an All-ACC second-team pick … The point guard registered 85 steals, ranking seventh in the nation while leading the league … That total rank second on the school season-record list … Made 177-of-436 field goals (40.6%), 42-of-151 treys (27.8%) and 141-of-175 free throws (80.6%), as his 141 free throws made rank 11th on the school annual record chart … Led the team in scoring with 537 points (17.3 ppg) … Also paced Tech with a 5.9 rebound average (184 total) and with 108 assists … Achieved a rare feat by becoming only the fourth player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists (3.5 apg) and steals (2.7 spg) … Ranked fourth in the conference in scoring average, 15th in rebound average, 10th in assists and first in steals … Was among the top 10 in free throw and field goal percentages … Successfully defended some of the opponents' top scorers this year, holding players like Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney, UTEP's Randy Culpepper and Richmond's Kevin Anderson (A-10 player of the year) well under their season scoring averages.

Started every game of his career until December 5th, 2009 vs. USC, missing that contest and sixe others after undergoing surgery that day to repair a damaged meniscus in his right knee … In 30 games, he started 29 times … Recorded 299 points (10.0 ppg) on 38.5% shooting from the field (104-of-270), 33.3% from the perimeter (37-of-111 treys) and 72.0% at the foul line (54-of-75) … Pulled down 108 assists (3.6 rpg), as he totaled 58 steals along with five blocks and 120 assists … Had five double-digit games in the final 10 games, including two in the ACC Tournament (14 vs. Maryland, 12 vs. Duke) … Named to the ACC All-Tournament second team after averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in four games.

Started all 31 games as a true freshman, ranking fourth on the team in scoring (330 points; 10.6 ppg), as he hit on 106-of-271 field goals (39.1%), 32-of-102 treys (31.4%) and 86-of-131 free thriows (65.6%) … Grabbed 121 rebounds (3.9 rpg) and tied for 12th on the school season-record list with 64 steals … Placed fourth in the ACC and 45th nationally in assist average (5.0 apg; 154 total rank 20th on the school season-record chart) … Had three double-digit assist games, as well as six other games with six or more … Finished third among ACC freshmen in scoring average, first in assists and second in minutes played.

Shumpert started 91-of-92 games at Georgia Tech, ranking 32nd in school history with 1,166 points, becoming Tech's fourth-all-time leader in steals (207), as his 85 steals as a junior are topped by only Kenny Anderson (89 in 1990-91) on the school career-record list … Made 387-of-977 field goals (39.6%), finishing 15th all-time in Tech annals by making 111 three-pointers (364 trey attempts rank 13th), adding 281-of-381 free throws (73.8%) … His 141 successful free throws in 2010-11 rank 11th on the school season-record chart … Grabbed 413 rebounds (4.5 rpg) and blocked 17 shots … His assists average of 4.15 is 11th-best on the Tech career-record list and his total of 382 assists rank 11th in school annals … Scored in double figures 55 times in 92 career games, and recorded the fourth triple-double in Tech history vs. Virginia Tech (1/25/11), scoring 22 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists. It is the only triple-double ever for a Tech player vs. an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

Attended Oak Park (Ill.) and River Forest High School, playing for head coach Al Allen …

Earned the first of two conference MVP honors during his junior season, as he also became the first player in school history to be named All-State … Averaged 15.2 points per game before missing the final part of the season with an elbow fracture that year … Was rated the 15th-best overall prospect in the nation by Scout.com, again earning conference MVP honors while leading his team to their third consecutive league title … Averaged 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, earning an invitation to play in the Jordan Capital Classic … Named to play in the McDonald's All-American game, the 16th Tech player to do so, and was a third-team Parade magazine All-American.

Sociology major … Son of Odis and L'Tanya Shumpert … Mother is an adjunct professor of art and design at Columbia College in Chicago … Born Iman (pronounced ee-MON) Asante Shumpert on 6/26/90 … Resides in Oak Park, Illinois.