With the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team's season now over, it is time to analyze exactly how Damon Stoudamire has been since his hiring two seasons ago: has it been good, on par with what we should expect, or has he been underperforming?
The first season that Stoudamire had on the Flats was not the greatest, as the team went 14-18, but it is worth noting that the team was losing key parts of the team, as Miles Kelly and Lance Terry were the only two players to return to the team that scored at least 10 points per game in the 2022-23 season. Terry would not play in Stoudmire's first season, so the only experienced veteran he had was Kelly.
The 2023-24 season was not supposed to be some home run season, with Stoudamire having to rely on freshmen Baye Ndongo and Naithan George to orchestrate an offense. Both players performed well and Miles Kelly averaged 13.9 points per game. The team would go 14-18 and make the ACC Tournament as a 13 seed, but lose in the first round to Notre Dame.
Entering year two, Stoudamire now had his freshmen duo of George and Ndongo with a year of experience under their belt. Terry would come back, and Kowacie Reeves Jr, a senior who averaged nine points per game in Stoudamire's first season, would be coming back.
It seemed like everything would be heading in the right direction this season, but the Yellow Jackets started the season slow, even losing to North Florida 105-93 in the second game of the season. Then injuries plagued the team, as Reeves Jr and senior transfer Luke O'Brien would both be out for the season after ten games.
So, I will give Stoudamire a little bit of a pass, and the fact that the second half of the season went the way that it did, with the Yellow Jackets winning eight of their last twelve, including a ranked win over Louisville and a tournament win in the second round to Virginia, I give him a little more credit than the average fan for keeping the season afloat, and even getting me optimistic for next season.
Could things have gone better for the team? Yes. However, I think that they could have gotten even worse if the coaching staff did not rally around the team the way that they did in the second half.