Ardossi a catalyst in Tech success
Brigitte Ardossi had no idea what she was walking into when she showed up on the Georgia Tech campus in 2006.
Coming to Atlanta from Melbourne, Australia, her familiarity with women's college basketball was limited. She just wanted to play ball. The Yellow Jackets' meager history wasn't on her mind.
"I didn't know any better," Ardossi said about joining a program that had two 20-win seasons and no NCAA tournament victories or winning conference records in 27 years before she arrived. "I thought we were as good as everybody else. Maybe the other players understood the reputation Georgia Tech had. I just came in thinking we're in the ACC, and we're going to be great."
It turned out to be close to the truth.
As her senior season winds down, Ardossi has been a part of four 20-victory seasons and four NCAA tournament appearances.
This season, the Jackets (23-9) posted a school record for regular-season victories (22) and received a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament -- the program's highest. Ardossi has been a major reason why the Jackets are gaining regional and national recognition.
"It's always a gratifying feeling to think you're helping to build up a program to the point where you can have the respect that a North Carolina and a Duke have," Ardossi said. "Every year, we've done better, so we can't settle for any less anymore. It's never going to be a step backward."
One of the obvious measuring sticks for Tech is Andy Landers' Georgia program, which has been among the top programs for many years. Last season was the second in which Tech won more games than the Lady Bulldogs -- the only other time came in 1991-92, when the Jackets won 20 to Georgia's 19. This year, the two teams have the same number of victories, and Georgia's NCAA seed is one spot better.
"I have tremendous respect for what Andy's done at Georgia," Tech coach MaChelle Joseph said. "Obviously, that's something we're striving for. I feel like the gap is closing. When I first took this job, I think there was a huge gap. For us making the tournament four years in a row, having four 20-win seasons, I think the gap is closing."
The next logical step is advancing in the NCAA tournament, where the Jackets have never been past the second round. On Sunday, Arkansas-Little Rock stands between Tech and a likely date with No. 3-seed Oklahoma, whom Georgia defeated 62-51 in November.
Joseph said she knows her program will be judged by its March performance.
"I think the next two to three years, we've got to continue to advance in the tournament," Joseph said. "Until we start beating top-10 teams on a consistent basis, I think we're going to have to earn our way in the NCAA tournament."
