Nell Fortner Unbothered By Lack Of Ranking
Prior to beginning of the 2019-20 women's basketball season, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were projected to finish no higher than 11th in the ACC rankings by the end of the regular season. Under first year head Nell Fortner, the Jackets are currently tied for second in the ACC at 4-1, and are 13-3 overall.
However despite exceeding expectations so far this season, including going 2-1 against top 25 teams, The Institute themselves have yet to receive recognition from national pollsters. As of this week's polls, Georgia Tech is still not among the teams ranked in the Top 25. In fact, it was only until this week that they even started receiving votes in either poll (9 in Coaches Poll, 5 in AP Poll).
Many might be quick to demand answers as to why the Jackets continue to be excluded from the poll, but if you ask Fortner herself, that's the last thing on her mind.
"I do not care about that. Not one bit," she said after her team's 49-47 win over the Clemson Tigers on Sunday. "It does not matter to me at all. I don't even think about it."
What is on her mind? Like many coaches, she takes the "one game at a time" mentality.
"I'm thinking about tomorrow. It's all about the next game," she said. "That is all it's about: your next opponent and how you can get another win."
If Fortner and Co. continue on her winning ways, they have a chance to accomplish something that the program has not done since the 2012-13 season. The last time that they were in either the AP or USA Today's Coaches Poll was in the both preseason polls, with the AP ranking them 22nd and USA Today having them just ahead at 20th.
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