The Real Story Of Why Head Coach Damon Stoudamire Recruited Cole Kirouac

Head coach Damon Stoudamire is getting nice returns from his 2025 center Cole Kirouac, who is beginning to come into his own. Coach Stoudamire talked about what led him to recruit Kirouac, which was Luke Kornet, who played at Boston in Stoudamire’s coaching days.

“Well, I just came from Boston, so he reminded me of Luke Kornet. So that was the whole thing. That's the reason I took him. Because I thought I could teach him everything that we were talking about. I could teach him how to play out of corners. He was good in the short role, I've seen that. The only thing he needed was strength, you know what I mean? So when you put him with good guards and people who can make him better, he would be even better. And so that was like my projection for him. With Cole, it's been a process. He went to Brewster, then we reclassified him,” said Stoudamire.

“He went to OTE. Then he came here. So it's been a whole build-up to where we at. And so he's bought into the process, his family's bought into the process. So it's just been a beautiful thing to see. That's, again, what I've seen. Had I not been in Boston, I can't say that I felt the same way. You gotta have a vision, you gotta know what you wanna do with them. I think that we had that here, and I think that's why he'll be successful."

Not a bad comparison with Kornet being a 10+ year veteran in the NBA. Kornet is currently having a career resurgence with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds on an average of 25 minutes. The Spurs are one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season.

Kirouac was +10 yesterday when he played against Boston College. His dunk ignited the team and gave them much-needed momentum to spark an improbable run.

“Well, it ignited us now. When Cole comes in the game, now Cole is a crowd favorite. You can kind of tell, but he does a lot of great things out there. He gave the little fake DHO, and he went down there and ducked, and it definitely got us going. I think Wasey came back, excuse me, got a layup, and then he came back, but yeah, it ignited us. It was great to see. And it's always great to see, especially a young fellow like him, have a defining moment. I think that's something that can carry him for the rest of the season."

He also finished with six rebounds and two assists. With the injuries to Peyton Marshall and Mouhamed Sylla, he stepped up and was the jolt of energy for the Yellow Jackets. His growth is paramount to Georgia Tech becoming a tournament team in 2026. There are still more games to be played in conference play, but when coach Stoudamire goes to a small-ball lineup, he has a center he can lean on down the stretch to close out games.

“Can't say enough about Cole. Cole gets, you know, happy for him because one, I think everybody got a chance to see him play extended minutes. And now you see what he does when nobody's looking. He does a good job, and he works. He's gonna be a really good player. The reality of it is, the only thing that holds him back right now is strength. It's just that there's moments where he might get a little overpowered or not, but that was a heck of a dunk he had, and that ignited us, ignited the crowd. I'm proud of him and happy for him,” said Stoudamire.

Kirouac has the chance to be one of the cool recruiting stories we talk about years later. He has bought into the process and is beginning to see the early dividends from his hard work.

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