The senior class of the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team begins its last ACC tournament Friday in Greensboro, N.C. All that’s at stake for the five accomplished Yellow Jackets is their legacy.
“We’ve made great history; we’ve made huge moments so far,” center Sasha Goodlett said. “So why sell ourselves short now?”
With a win Friday over North Carolina, center LaQuananisha Adams, guards Mo Bennett and Metra Walthour, forward Chelsea Regins and Goodlett will become the Tech class with the most wins, 92, breaking the record set by the 2011 class.
With a 12-4 record in the ACC, the No. 15 Jackets set a school record for most wins in league play and highest finish (tie for third with Maryland). The Jackets also tied a team record for regular-season wins with 22 (against seven losses).
Goodlett, along with sophomore guard Tyaunna Marshall, was named second-team All-ACC. Coach MaChelle Joseph called Walthour the most underrated player in the ACC and one of the top five point guards in the country.
The challenge for the Jackets, both in the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament that begins March 17, lies in the losses. Tech played eight games against teams in the Associated Press Top 25 and was 1-7. Its four ACC losses were to first-place Duke, second-place Miami and third-place Maryland. Should the seeding hold form in Greensboro, Tech would play in a Saturday semifinal against Duke, which has beaten the Jackets 34 games in a row.
It’s not an inspiring history. Goodlett looks at it a different way.
“I feel like everything that we need to prove to ourselves has been proven,” she said. “We’ve played the top three teams in the ACC, and we’ve been in the game with them every time.”
The Jackets’ desire to measure up against the best has, in recent seasons, been Joseph’s elusive ambition. While it has made five consecutive NCAA tournaments, Tech has yet to make the round of 16. The Jackets have reached the ACC title game once in school history, in 1992, when Joseph was completing her All-American playing career at Purdue.
“Three years ago, we became a top-25 program,” Joseph said. “Now we’re trying to get in the top 15, top 10. And the way you do that is you win and advance. You’ve got to win and advance when it matters, and that’s in the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament.”
In the past two seasons, Tech advanced to the ACC semifinals. The Jackets lost both times to Duke, which went on to win the tournament.
“We haven’t been able to get over that hump yet,” Walthour said.
Those losses led Tech’s seniors to make reaching the ACC finals a team goal, along with reaching the NCAA regional semifinals and becoming the most victorious class.
Tech is more equipped to knock down the barrier than in the past. The Jackets have a deeper bench with five capable reserves. Tech is on a five-game winning streak as the ACC tournament starts. Joseph calls this team her fastest and quickest and believes her team is hungry to make history.
“Our goal and our focus has always been on the postseason,” she said. “Now we’ve go to let our play do the talking.”
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