Cross gets transfer commitment from familiar face, F Valdes
Scott Cross, Georgia Tech’s new head coach, secured a big piece of the puzzle on Friday night as he received a transfer portal commitment from a familiar face. Former Troy forward Victor Valdes committed to the Yellow Jackets. He was the leading scorer for Cross’s Trojans last season and will have one season of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-7 Valdes played under Cross the last three seasons at Troy, seeing action in 98 total games with 44 starts and averaging 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in that time.
“I am very fired up to have the opportunity to coach Victor Valdés for his senior season at Georgia Tech,” Cross said. “Victor is 6-7 with the vision and passing ability of a point guard. He was our leading scorer and assist leader last season on a team that won back-to-back championships and went to two-straight NCAA Tournaments. Victor has the unique ability to create offense for others but also has the ability to create offense for himself and get to the free throw line. He will definitely make Georgia Tech better!”
Valdes’ breakthrough came this past season as he took a big step forward in production to be named All Sun-Belt Third Team following a junior campaign in which he led the Trojans in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg) while also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He was the lone Troy player to score in double figures (14 points) in the team’s NCAA Tournament opening-round loss to Nebraska back on March 19.
Who is Victor Valdes?
Valdes, who is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, came to Troy after playing for Zentro Basket Madrid in the Spanish basketball league system Tercera FEB. He played in 12 games with that team and averaged 12.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 2022-23. He has also played in the World Cup Qualifer and on FIBA’s Mexico National Team.
Valdes is the second transfer addition for Cross, who took the Georgia Tech job recently after spending the last seven seasons at Troy and going 125-99 over that time with back-to-back Sun Belt titles and NCAA Tournament appearances the last two years. He is expected to continue to be active in the portal as he tries to complete his roster build with the Jackets for the 2026-27 season with it being unclear at this time how many current Georgia Tech players will return under the new head coach.
