Stoudamire Debut Georgia Tech Faces: With the return of four of last season’s top five scorers, Georgia Tech’s new head coach, Damon Stoudamire, kicks off his inaugural season as the Yellow Jackets face Georgia Southern in Atlanta on Monday night.
Despite a slow start last season, Georgia Tech finished strong, winning seven of their last 10 games. However, the 15-18 overall record, including a 6-14 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference, led to the departure of former coach Josh Pastner and the entrance of Stoudamire.
Stoudamire, a 13-season NBA veteran, emphasizes attention to detail and demands a commitment to success from his players. He aims to maximize the potential of star guard Miles Kelly, the leading scorer last season with 14.4 points per game, who opted to return to Georgia Tech after considering a leap to the pros.
“I’m trying to get Miles to understand you gotta play hard every single play. If you want to be a leader, if you want to be the player that you’re capable of being, you got to play hard every single play,” Stoudamire stated.
In their exhibition game against Clark Atlanta, Kelly scored 12 points in 36 minutes, while transfers Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Amaree Abram led the way with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
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On the other side, Georgia Southern, led by new head coach Charlie Henry, enters the season after a 17-16 record last year. In their lone exhibition game against Division II Augusta, they fell 82-77. Freshman forward Avantae Parker impressed with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sun Belt Conference team, picked 13th in the preseason poll, faces a rebuilding phase under Henry’s leadership. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech, also predicted to finish 13th in the ACC’s preseason media poll, aims to defy expectations and make a statement in Stoudamire’s debut season.
Our Reader’s Queries
What happened with Damon Stoudamire?
Stoudamire has a 6-3 record at Tech. As head coach at Pacific of the West Coast Conference, he achieved a 48% win rate over five seasons, with a standout 23-10 season in 2019-20. He recently joined the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach on Ime Udoka’s coaching staff.
Who was the Georgia Tech basketball coach in 1980?
Tech joined the Metro Conference from 1976 to 1978 under Morrison’s leadership, then transitioned to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1980. Despite facing challenges in 1980 and 1981, Georgia Tech brought on Bobby Cremins as its basketball coach in 1981.
Who is the Georgia Tech basketball coach?
Throughout their 108-season history, the Yellow Jackets have had 14 head coaches. Bobby Cremins holds the title of winningest head coach in Georgia Tech men’s basketball history. Damon Stoudamire currently leads the team as head coach, stepping into the role in March 2023 following the departure of Josh Pastner, who was ousted after the 2022-23 season.
What year did Georgia Tech join ACC?
Georgia Tech parted ways with the SEC in 1964 and went solo until they helped kickstart the Metro-6 Conference in 1975. Three years later, in 1978, Georgia Tech made the move to the ACC and started squaring off against ACC teams in 1979.