The Georgia Tech athletic department fired women’s head basketball coach MaChelle Joseph on Tuesday afternoon.
The latest turn in the MaChelle Joseph saga for Georgia Tech has been taken and it’s one that will change the future of the women’s basketball program. After being placed on leave last month, MaChelle Joseph has been fired as the head women’s basketball coach. The AJC first reported the firing.
The firing comes after allegations of Joseph creating what could only be described as a “toxic culture” inside the program. That being said, Joseph remains adamant about her innocence and continues to say that the issue at hand is not one of a toxic culture but that of a gender problem inside the Georgia Tech athletic department.
The firing comes at the end of Joseph’s 18th season with the program as she was one of the longest-tenured coaches at the university. Over her 16 seasons as head coach, Joseph went 311-204 overall with a conference record of 113-131. The program made the NCAA Women’s Tournament seven times in here 16-years, but have failed to do so since the 2013-14 season.
The Jackets this season started the season off with great promise but struggled down the stretch and in ACC play finishing with a 17-13 record overall and 7-9 record in conference play. The Jackets had the option of playing in the women’s NIT this year but declined the invitation.
The departure of Joseph from the program is a big one as it will completely change the culture and structure of the women’s basketball program. The program has been stable for well over a decade now. Luckily for the program, the Jackets are in a place to be a strong competitive team that could make the Women’s tournament as soon as next year. The athletic department will need to find a coach capable of leading a winning a program.