How Desirable Is The Georgia Tech Head Basketball Coach Job?

The Georgia Tech job came open on Sunday after the Yellow Jackets moved on from former head coach Damon Stoudamire after three seasons and not making the NCAA tournament. Stoudamire was hired under former AD J Batt, who is now at Michigan State. The current athletic director decided to move in a different direction and choose another head man for the institution.

This really is a loaded question when you think about the Yellow Jackets job in its totality. On one hand, you can make the argument that it is not a desirable job because it is not easy to recruit, you don’t have the resources at your disposal to put together a competent/competitive roster, you have to raise funds, and you don’t have the same support or backing that other sports do.

On the other side of the coin, you are in Atlanta, where top players are brewing every single season on the AAU scene or even the high school basketball scene that can play at a high level. When you look at the players that have come out of Metro Atlanta and made it to the NBA, the list is staggering. The list includes NBA superstar Anthony Edwards (Holy Spirit Prep). Other names include Stephon Castle (Newton), Scoot Henderson (Kell), Jabari Smith (Sandy Creek), Isaac Okoro (McEachern), Collin Sexton (Pebblebrook), Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy), and Ace Bailey (McEachern). That is just a few of the names and doesn’t include Caleb Wilson (Holy Innocents), who will likely be a top-five NBA Draft pick.

You also have Overtime Elite (OTE), which is less than a block away from McCamish Pavilion, that has all of the top prospects in the nation in close proximity. Yes, it is not easy to get all of those guys, and you will have to pay money to land them, but the previous coach, Damon Stoudamire, was able to do so with a low NIL budget.

I do think the job will be more desirable under athletic director Ryan Alpert, who is an innovative mind in leadership and always on the cutting edge of raising funds and getting the right support behind projects and endeavours. It is exactly what the Yellow Jackets need when trying to get the proper funding for a once-dominant basketball program that consistently made appearances in the NCAA tournament and even the Final Four a couple of times in 1990 and 2004. Alpert recognizes that history and wants to be the change for the program.

“Georgia Tech men’s basketball has a proud history and is an important part of our athletics department and community. We are committed to identifying an excellent basketball coach that will build a championship-level program and fulfill our missions of academic excellence and preparing our student-athletes for life beyond basketball. Georgia Tech’s commitment to men’s basketball is unwavering, and we will invest the resources necessary to compete for championships at the highest levels,” said Alpert.

When you look at Alpert’s resume and what he has done, you definitely believe what he is saying and his commitment to get the program back to the level it was prior. So yes, while to some it may be undesirable and not a great gig, the leadership is different, and it feels like it will be in complete support of the turnaround and help in doing so. I think people will look back and wish they had taken the job with all of the top athletes nearby, the institutional backing, great leadership, a chance to play in a top conference in college basketball, and a fanbase ready to support their team will be hard to overlook.