This weekend Dennis Scott, one-third of Georgia Tech’s legendary “Lethal Weapon 3” team featuring Scott, Kenny Anderson and Brian Oliver, made good on a promise to his mother by returning to Georgia Tech and graduating.
On Saturday, Scott returned to the place where he and his teammates helped build the Yellowjackets into a national powerhouse. Only this time he was receiving his Executive MBA degree instead of receiving accolades for his jump shots.
For Scott, it was the chance to fulfill the wish of his 80-year-old mother, Elizabeth โLibbyโ Scott.
โIt starts with my Mom first. She asked me if she was going to be alive to see my jersey retired,โ said Scott. โI said, โMom, thatโs water under the bridge. Iโm 55 years old now, Iโve got a TV career and I like being a dad.โ I had just gotten over it, but I think when your Mom asks for something, it still resonates with you.”
But to have his jersey retired, Scott first had to earn his degree. Now that that box has been checked, the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame committee can officially start discussing hanging his No. 4 jersey alongside other greats such as Mark Price, John Salley, Tom Hammonds and Matt Harpring.
Scott left Georgia Tech after his junior year to enter the NBA Draft so that he could take care of his mother. Looking at his college resume, a bright NBA future was easy to imagine.
He was a McDonald’s All-American who averaged 15.5 ppg as a freshman. That scoring average jumped to 20.3 ppg the following season and 27.7 ppg his junior year. That year, Scott was named ACC Player of the Year and helped lead the Yellowjackets to the Final Four in 1990. That summer, he was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Orlando Magic and would go on to have a 10-year career in the NBA, averaging 12.9 ppg.
After his playing days ended, Scott moved into media and has had a successful career as an analyst for NBA TV.
But his mother’s goal of seeing his jersey in the rafters remained in the back of his head, so Scott finally decided to return to school to give his mother two gifts.
“Sheโs the sole reason I came to Georgia Tech and sheโs the sole reason I left after my great junior year, because I wanted to take care of her,” said Scott. “Now sheโs saying she wants to see it finished and the only way to finish it was to come back and go to school.โ
Step one is complete. Now it’s up to the committee to complete step two so that Scott’s mother can have her next wish fulfilled.
