Big Return
By: Matt Sowell | Categories: Alumni Achievements
Dennis Scott, MBA 23
Before Dennis Scott walked across the stage to get his diploma, he was already a part of the Orlando Magic and Washington, D.C., Halls of Fame. His high school number, No. 24, was retired from the Flint Hill School in Oakton, Va. And though he was a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, he had one unfinished goal that still haunted him. “My mom would bring it up. If I was at a Tech game or talking about college basketball, it would come up. People would ask why No. 4 wasn’t in the rafters. I’d tell them: Because I haven’t graduated,” says Scott.
Scott started his collegiate basketball career at Georgia Tech but left after his junior year. “I was raised by a single mom, who pretty much did everything possible to provide and do things for me. I knew it was time for me to leave and provide for her,” he says. He celebrated a successful career in the NBA and after 16 years of working in television, his mom again inspired him. This time, it was to return to campus.
“She turned 80 years old and said, ‘Hey, you know, I’d like to see you graduate before I pass.’ And when your mom puts that type of pressure on you, you get back to work,” he says.
Scott credits Tech’s faculty for helping him finish his degree. Professors like Jonathan Clarke, senior associate dean for Strategic Initiatives and associate professor of finance in the Scheller College of Business, pushed him and allowed him to grow. “When I started, [Clarke] was like, ‘I’m gonna be hard on you, and I will push you because I know you can do it. And I want you to do it.’ And that was just pretty inspiring.”
The first few months of the program were tough. Scott says the transition from working professional to student was hard. In the end, it was worth it. “To put on a cap and gown actually made me feel young again. It took discipline to show up every Friday and Saturday for 18 months. It was surreal.”
Today, Scott’s number is eligible to hang in the rafters of the McCamish Pavilion, all because of his perseverance on campus.
Matt Wieters, BA 23
Matt Wieters arrived at Tech in 2004. He left three years later to pursue his dream of playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). “From the moment I got on campus, it has always felt like home,” says Wieters, whose career includes major milestones like being one of three players in Tech baseball history to become a two-time first-team All-American and being the fifth overall pick of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
He retired from baseball in 2020, and that’s when he started to feel Tech calling him. “Coach Hall was always so welcoming anytime I wanted to come on campus. Coming back was always a goal of mine, I just didn’t know when or how that was going to happen,” he says.
This time, Wieters arrived on campus with years of life experience that helped guide him toward his degree. He saw how applicable what he learned in class would be to real life. This didn’t make the classwork any easier, though. “Tech tests you in every facet. There is no easy way to get through. You just have to work hard and be prepared the best you can,” he says.
Wieters joined the Georgia Tech baseball coaching staff in 2022 when he began working toward his degree. He explains that knowing he will be able to help young people navigate the world makes it worth it. “Being back in college helps me see what they are going through clearly,” he says.
What I Learned
Returning to Tech teaches Yellow Jackets more than how to solve the problems of tomorrow. Dennis Scott shares some lessons he learned while working towards his degree as an adult:
Don’t take things for granted.
Scott traveled to South Africa while completing his MBA. While there, he saw power load shedding, which would cause the electricity to go out daily.
Be a sponge.
Accumulate knowledge and never stop learning.
Listen well.
Scott is naturally outgoing, but he says returning to Tech taught him how to listen well. “I’m more open to listening to the people around me who have ideas because I think we all have great ideas. Now I think about how to bring those ideas to life.”
Get your work done early.
“I should have gone to summer school every summer. I went once and it was my best overall year in the classroom and on the court. It gave me more focus,” says Scott.
Go deeper, think deeper, and stay outside the box.
“That’s what I took away from my marketing classes.”
It’s never too late.
“I’m 55. You get to a place where you’ve already made mistakes and you’ve already had failed businesses. You’ve already probably been fired once or twice, but you still stand on your two feet. You’re still eager to learn.”
