Georgia Tech is abuzz (pun intended) with the beginning of the Josh Pastner era in Atlanta. Coach Pastner was incredibly successful during his first stint as a head coach at Memphis, where he never once had a losing season. However, it may take a couple of seasons for Pastner to get things going the way he wants at Georgia Tech. He has a lot to replace in his first year on the job and will more than likely take a step backwards before the Yellow Jackets can expect to compete in the ACC.

ACC Roundup

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Duke

Florida State

Last Season

Last season Georgia Tech had its best season under Coach Brian Gregory going 21-15 (8-10). The Yellow Jackets failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but did qualify for the NIT where they won their first two games before falling to San Diego State in the quarterfinals. In the end, it wasn’t the performance the university was looking for and the school parted ways with Coach Gregory.

Led by four seniors, the Yellow Jackets put together a solid non-conference schedule with wins over SEC foes Tennessee and Arkansas. Heading into conference play, Georgia Tech was 10-3 and were in position to battle for a tournament bid. The Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer (16.7 ppg) and playmaker (3.3 apg) last season was Marcus Georges-Hunt. Georges-Hunt proved to be an explosive scorer who scored at least 20 points in 12 games over the course of the season. The 6’5 native of Georgia made a living attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line where he shot 82% on just under seven free throws attempted a game.

The Yellow Jackets got off to a very difficult start in conference play, winning only three of their first twelve games in ACC play and fell to 13-12 (3-9). After starting slow, Georgia Tech finished the conference schedule strong winning five of their final six games in the regular season and finished with a record of 18-13 (8-10). After splitting a pair of games in the ACC Tournament, the Yellow Jackets received a four seed in the NIT. The Yellow Jackets Beat the Houston Cougars in the first round followed by the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second round before falling to San Diego State in the quarterfinals.

At the end of the season, the Yellow Jackets lost a ton of talent with six players that averaged at least ten minutes a game graduating or moving on. That group includes Georgia Tech’s four leading scorers and leaves the Yellow Jackets with a ton of questions heading into a new coaching regime.

Coaching

After firing Coach Gregory at the conclusion last season, the Yellow Jackets brought in a Josh Pastner to replace him. At 39 years old, Coach Pastner is still young for the coaching world, but he brings with him a winning pedigree. Pastner played for the University of Arizona from 1996 to 2000 including Arizona’s 1997 National Championship.

After graduation, Pastner started his coaching career under legendary Arizona coach, Lute Olson. Pastner left to take an assistant coaching and recruiting coordinator role at Memphis in 2008 after spending the first six years of his career in Arizona. During his time as an assistant for both Arizona and Memphis, Pastner earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top recruiters.

A season after arriving in Memphis, Pastner was promoted to head coach after John Calipari left for Kentucky. In his first season as a head coach, Pastner brought in an eight-man class highlighted by four top-100 players. Memphis missed the Big Dance in 2009 in Pastner’s first year, but returned in each of the next four seasons. In his first five years as a head coach, Josh Pastner never won less than 24 games, however, in his final two seasons the Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament and won less than 20 games. In his seven seasons as the head coach of Memphis, Pastner went 167-73.

On April 8th, Georgia Tech announced that they would make Josh Pastner the 14th head coach in program history.

Returning Players

It will be difficult for Georgia Tech to replace what they lose from last season, with their top four scorers all graduating. In the frontcourt, the Yellow Jackets return four players from last year’s squad, two of which redshirted last season. Quintin Stephens is the leading returning scorer and will look to see that number increase in his final season at Georgia Tech. The 6’9 Stephens is a long-armed forward with a solid basketball IQ and the ability to hit a jump shot when he gets open. He is a solid rebounder on both ends of the court and can create problems for bigger, slower forwards thanks to his athleticism.

As a sophomore last season, Ben Lammers developed into a quality backup center. When present with the opportunity, Lammers was able to convert scoring opportunities at a rate of 65.5%. He is a solid rebounder and is very good at sealing opposing players from the ball. Lammers runs the floor well for a big man and is able to capitalize when he beats opposing defenses down the court. On the defensive side of the ball, Lammers uses his length to disrupt his opponents’ shots. He has a solid defensive IQ and knows where to be at all times on that end of the court.

Both Sylvester Ogbonda and Abdoulaye Gueye sat out last season with redshirts and will be looked to for depth down low. Ogbonda is a 6’10 redshirt freshman center who was born in Nigeria. He is very agile around the rim and is a presence on the defensive side of the ball. Gueye is a 6’9 forward that redshirted his sophomore year after sparsely playing as a freshman. The native of Senegal has a 7’3 wingspan and is known more for his shot blocking ability than anything else.

At the guard positions, the Yellow Jackets return three players led by Josh Heath, son of Boston College assistant Stan Heath. Heath is a 6’2 guard with the basketball IQ that comes from being a coach’s son. He has excellent court vision and is a willing passer who can make plays for both himself and his teammates. As a junior last season, Heath averaged 2.7 ppg and possessed a 3.2 assist to turnover ratio in 17.6 minutes of action a game.

The 6’2 junior, Tadric Jackson, also returns in the backcourt for Georgia Tech. Coming out of high school Jackson was ranked as a top-100 recruit, but has yet to truly live up to those lofty expectations. Jackson is an explosive athlete that can get by defenders with his quick first step and finish through contact at the rim. While he is not a traditional point guard, Jackson has solid court vision and is capable of finding the open man. Jackson has not been a big shooting threat during his time at Georgia Tech, shooting only 22% from behind the arc for his career.

The final returning guard for Georgia Tech is the redshirt senior, Corey Heyward. Heyward saw his role reduced to next to nothing last season when he only played in eight games. On the team’s trip to the Bahamas this summer, Heyward averaged 10 ppg and will provide experience and depth for Coach Pastner in his first year at Georgia Tech.

Incoming Players

The Yellow Jackets are set to bring five players into the program this season. Three of which will be freshmen next season, while the other two are graduate transfers whom Coach Pastner brought in this summer to add depth and experience next season.

Coach Pastner addressed the lack of depth on the perimeter with his first class at Georgia Tech. Two of his commits, Christian Matthews and Josh Okogie are holdovers from the previous coach. Matthews is a long, athletic wing who has improved throughout his entire high school career. At this point in his development, Matthews is a slasher that scores attacking the rim. He can hit an open three, but is by no means a consistent threat from downtown. He is a solid passer in transition when his head is up and has shown signs of being a solid rebounder from the perimeter when he is engaged. On the defensive side of the ball, Matthews is quick enough to stay with most opposing wings and has the strength to keep bigger players from pushing him around.

The other holdover is Josh Okogie, a 6’5 shooting guard from Snellville, Georgia (About two hours from Atlanta). Okogie a strong guard who bullies past defenders and finished well through contact. He has a solid post game for a guard and is comfortable setting up and going to work on defenders. Okogie is a solid spot up shooter that forces his defender to respect the shot. On the defensive side of the ball, Okogie is capable of guarding all three perimeter positions thanks to his length and high basketball IQ.

Justin Moore is the final freshman the Yellow Jackets brought in this summer. The 6’4 point guard was originally committed to Tulane on October 6th of last year, but reopened his recruitment in May. Moore has excellent size for a point guard and uses it to his advantage to see over the defense. He is a willing passer that plays with his head up at all times. Moore can score when attacking the basket, but must add weight if he wants to be effective. As of now, he is a better playmaker than scorer who could see some early time due to the lack of a true point guard on the roster.

Jordan Price and Kellen McCormick are a pair of fifth-year seniors that will provide some depth in the Yellow Jackets’ frontcourt. Price is a 6’6 forward who was a highly touted shooter out of high school, but has failed to live up to that billing in each of his two previous stops. At Eastern Michigan, Price only averaged 4.3 ppg over the course of 63 games during his time in Ypsilanti.

Kellen McCormick joins Georgia Tech after spending the previous three seasons playing for Western Michigan. The 6’7 forward shot 46% from behind the arc and will help provide spacing when he is on the court. McCormick has appeared in 95 games over the course of his college career and brings a wealth of experience to the Yellow Jackets.

Season Outlook

Expectations are low in Atlanta for this season, and rightly so. With the loss of their top four scorers and a brand new head coach, Georgia Tech almost certainly will go through a rough transitional period. Josh Pastner has been one of the bright young coaching stars for years and he is still only 39, but time will tell if he has what it takes to compete night in and night out against the ACC.