Nell Fortner named to Naismith Coach of the Year watch list

Georgia Tech coach Nell Fortner was awarded a place on the late-season watch list for the Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award.

Tech is ranked 16th with a record of 19-6 going into its Thursday night home matchup with No. 19 Notre Dame. Through Wednesday’s games, the Yellow Jackets were third in Division I in scoring defense (50.1 points per game) and eighth in field-goal percentage defense (34.6%). They’ve defeated three Top 25 teams, including Connecticut, which at the time was ranked third and had its 240-game winning streak against unranked opponents snapped by Tech.

Fortner, who was a semifinalist for the award in 2020 (her first season at Tech), is one of 15 candidates for the award. Ten semifinalists for the award, presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, will be announced March 10, followed by the naming of four finalists March 24 and the winner April 2.