There always has been something different about Akai Fleming where basketball is concerned. “He was able to spin the ball on his finger at age 4 or 5,” Fleming’s father, Atibah Fleming, laughed.

Akai Fleming, now a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard who turned 18 on Monday, signed with Tech and coach Damon Stoudamire in November. That signified the culmination of one part of his career and the ...