Georgia Tech has parted ways with head basketball coach Damon Stoudamire after a season that spiraled into complete disaster for the Yellow Jackets program.
The dismissal comes after Georgia Tech finished dead last in ACC play with a 2-16 conference record and an overall mark of 11-20, according to ESPN's Pete Thames. The Yellow Jackets endured a crushing finish to the regular season, losing their final 12 ACC games in a slide that sealed Stoudamire's fate.
Stoudamire's three-year tenure at Georgia Tech concluded with an overall record of 42-55 and a conference mark of 19-39 in ACC play. The program never found consistent footing under his leadership, despite occasional glimpses of potential throughout the campaign.
The former NBA point guard brought significant basketball credentials to Atlanta when he was hired. Stoudamire played 13 seasons in the NBA, averaging 13.4 points per game during his professional career. His coaching resume included previous head coaching experience at Pacific, where he went 71-77 over five seasons from 2016-21.
Before taking the Georgia Tech job, Stoudamire also served as an assistant coach at several high-profile programs, including Arizona, Memphis, and with the NBA's Boston Celtics. This extensive background around elite basketball made his struggles at Georgia Tech particularly surprising.
Despite the disappointing overall results, there were moments this season when the Yellow Jackets showed they could compete. Georgia Tech managed to knock off NC State on the road in January and came close to defeating Clemson in their regular season finale on Saturday.
However, these flashes of competitiveness were far too infrequent to save Stoudamire's job. The program struggled with roster construction issues and failed to maximize the talent available, leading to the extended losing streak that defined the season's conclusion.
The poor performance has significant immediate consequences for the program. Due to recent ACC realignment rules, only the top teams in the conference now qualify for the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Georgia Tech joins Notre Dame and Boston College as the three teams excluded from postseason play.
This early elimination from conference tournament consideration represents a new low for a Georgia Tech program that has struggled to find its identity in recent years. The Yellow Jackets now face the challenge of conducting a coaching search while other ACC programs prepare for March competition.
The timing of Stoudamire's departure allows Georgia Tech to begin its search for a replacement while the transfer portal and recruiting cycles are still active. The new coach will inherit a program in need of significant rebuilding after this historically poor season.
With most ACC teams heading to Charlotte for conference tournament play, Georgia Tech's attention immediately shifts to finding leadership capable of restoring competitiveness to a program that showed it could occasionally hang with quality opponents but lacked the consistency needed for sustained success.