Damon Stoudamire’s time at Georgia Tech may have run its course

Hiring Damon Stoudamire as Georgia Tech’s basketball coach made sense at the time.

He was a former NBA star and came to Tech as a highly regarded assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, giving him instant credibility and cachet with the team he inherited, recruits and supporters. Further, he previously proved himself as a college coach at Pacific.

Even the salary that he agreed to wasn’t exorbitant compared to other potential candidates. It seemed that J Batt, then Tech’s athletic director, had threaded a needle. When Stoudamire was overcome by emotion at his introductory news conference in March 2023 and shared his plans to restore glory to the program, it was easy to believe those days were coming.

Unfortunately, though, it appears the marriage may have run its course after three seasons.

The team’s overall lack of competitiveness in his tenure has shrunk support for Stoudamire getting a fourth season. The team, heading into Wednesday night’s game against California, had a 10-game losing streak in which the average margin of defeat was 14.7 points per game.

Given Stoudamire’s record (42-53 overall) during a time in which quick turnarounds have become attainable, first-year AD Ryan Alpert may have little choice but to relieve Stoudamire of his duties with two years remaining on the coach’s contract. Through a spokesman, Alpert turned down a request from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for a statement this week regarding Stoudamire.

According to the terms laid out in a memorandum of understanding, Stoudamire would be owed about $2.9 million.

The Jackets, after facing Cal in their final home game Wednesday night at McCamish Pavilion, complete their season with a game at Clemson on Saturday.

Since his hire, Stoudamire has had currents to swim against. Principally, he returned to college coaching just as the industry was in the midst of a swift and historic transformation.

He replaced a highly personable figure in coach Josh Pastner and was overshadowed by the success of the football program under Brent Key. Batt left for Michigan State in June, though Stoudamire’s relationship with Alpert is said to be good.

But Stoudamire nevertheless has been responsible for the results, which have not come. His 42 wins tie him for the second-fewest wins by an ACC team in that span. The Jackets did earn a spot in the NIT last season, the team’s first postseason appearance since Pastner led the Jackets to the ACC Tournament title in 2021.

However, the Jackets have followed it up with what could be considered Tech’s least successful season since Bobby Cremins arrived in 1981 and ushered in Tech’s golden age.

Stoudamire did lose linchpin point guard Nait George to Syracuse, but also brought in two four-star prospects in center Mouhamed Sylla and guard Akai Fleming, touting the former’s NBA potential. In the preseason, Stoudamire didn’t shy away from expectations for the Jackets to make the NCAA Tournament.

But almost from the start, the season has been a disaster. Sylla was not a high-impact player and has been injured nearly all of the ACC season.

A team that Stoudamire touted for its togetherness and depth has had difficulty playing with any sort of consistent competitiveness or responding to adversity. Tech is 11-18 overall and 2-14 in the ACC and, as of Wednesday morning, was the lowest-rated high-major school in KenPom (166th).

The Jackets won’t be in the ACC Tournament, having failed to finish in the top 15 of the 18-team league.

There is, too, the reality that this season has lowered enthusiasm and interest in the team to a point not experienced in perhaps decades.

In the ACC coaches teleconference Monday, Stoudamire said he was learning from mistakes, particularly relating to player evaluation and recruitment. He spoke about bringing in players who are tough, know how to win and understand their role.

“You’ve got to be able to bring in your type of guy,” he said. “That’s the one thing that I’ve learned about this season for me, personally.”

He sounded like he already was looking ahead to the offseason, saying that it’s OK to tear off the Band-Aid, as long as there’s a plan to fix it.

“But you just have to reset it and move on,” Stoudamire said. “As I’ve said, there’s so many more instances of people flipping it and turning it, because you can turn over a team in one year.”

It was a hopeful message. But in a way, the problem is that he is right that it is possible to turn a program around in a year. That being the case, Stoudamire has had two chances — arguably three — to create a winner but has not.