Georgia Tech Men's Basketball: Everything Josh Pastner Said at ACC Media Days
Today was ACC Media days for the men's basketball programs in the conference and when media days arrive, it is a sign that the season is just one step closer.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner spoke with the media and answered questions as he gets ready to start the 2022-2023 season in less than a month.
Here is everything that the Georgia Tech head coach had to say in Charlotte today.
1. On his approach to setting up a non-conference schedule this year...
"Last year when we scheduled, I was assuming that we were going to get Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright back and so I thought, schedule to play for seeding because I thought we had a realistic shot of going to the Final Four with those two guys because we would have had the whole team coming back. You know, obviously and unfortunately, those guys had left and they left really late and it has worked out for both of them. We struggled some last year, we were a little up and down because we did play a really tough schedule but it gave guys some great opportunities with minutes to really get great experience to really help us this year. So I felt for this year, scheduling-wise, to make sure that we had a little bit of a better balance. We still have a really tough schedule. In this day and age, there are no gimmes anymore, everyone is really good."
"Winning is just so hard, winning one game is just so hard but every possession is just a fight, to compete and try to win that possession and I think the ACC is going to be outstanding. I think the league is just... there has been a lot of guys in the league that probably should have left but because of the NIL and the extra COVID year, it gave them an opportunity to come back, when maybe two years ago, they maybe all would have vacated the league so because of that, the league is going to be that much better and I think North Carolina and I know this is probably crazy when I say this, it's not my only comment, I think North Carolina should be preseason ranked number one in the country but I think Virginia should be number one ranked in the ACC poll and you might say "well how can you do that?" but I am just telling you, Virginia is going to be really good and should be number one in the ACC and Carolina should be number one in the national polls but in the ACC, Carolina might be ranked two. That is how good I think the league is and I just think there are a lot of good teams and you say "how do you make that work". I coach at Georgia Tech, I'm not a student at Georgia Tech so how does that all add up but that is just kinda my theory on that."
2. On having eight returning players and the familiarity that they bring...
"Yes, and two of the eight are the guy to my left, Kyle Sturdivant, and the guy to my right, Rodney Howard. Both young men are fourth-year guys in college, each have two extra years left of eligibility because of the COVID so they are seniors, but with two years left. Both gentlemen have been really good, both were part of the ACC Championship team and yes we have eight guys back, but we are really reliant on these two guys to have a really good year for us and for our team to be successful, these guys have to be good and it does not have to be about scoring, but it has to be the little things that's about winning and we have talked about the key for our team this year and the star of the team is the team and that is the star of the team, it is the team."
I always say the open man is the go-to man and the go-to man is the open man and that has to be our philosophy in everything that we are doing and when we are playing and these two guys are a big part of that and they have gotten a lot better. I am excited to see them. I am excited for everyone to see them play and to see their improvement. That has been a staple of our program, player development and these two guys will model that this season."
3. On NIL...
"I think the NIL is a great opportunity for student-athletes, it gives them an opportunity to continue to get other opportunities so I think it is a really positive thing. I think the initial thing with the NIL you know was for name, image, and likeness, which you have a chance to benefit out of that. I think some of the NIL has taken a path of its own, where maybe they did not expect it to go down this road and things like that so eventually they will have guardrails come in and tell you what you can and cannot do so it is good for the student-athlete."
"What is interesting, they'll be, and of course it's legal and it is all allowed per rules, but there could be teams we play throughout the course of the season, we'll be playing a team that literally could be playing pros, and when I say pros, I mean financial pros and that will be an interesting dynamic where this is the first year which really, it was alive last year, but this is the first year which it is really hot and heavy so it is almost like some of those NBA teams, where it is a big market and small market teams based on the salary thing but its allowable so it is kind of the way it is, but I think it is a, it's a good opportunity for the student-athletes to do that and anything to give them opportunities to better themselves, I am all for."
4. On what he looks for in the transfer portal...
"In the portal, we are constantly trying to find the right fit. Georgia Tech is one of the elite academic schools in the world, I think it is one of the only FBS schools to play football that does not have a bachelor of arts, I think it is just a bachelor of science. To be a student-athlete, it is incredible, like it is amazing. It is a science, math, and technology school and to be able to do what these young men do and the rest of the students, it is remarkable. There are very few, if any, online classes at Georgia Tech and so by the time we get them for practice, they have had a full day. Look, a lot of people that graduate at Georgia Tech build the airplanes and build the bridges so you want them to learn in the classroom and not online on building those things, so that is what is so great about the school. Fourteen people went to space that are Georgia Tech Grads. They found water on Mars that is from Georgia Tech, that's what is amazing about this school, it is incredible. It is a real honor to be coaching here."
"When you are looking in the portal, you gotta have the right fit and the right fit is a special, special place academically and it is a real honor to be around these young men
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