In an age where athletic departments are quick to jump the gun on firing head coaches, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire needed something to show this season for the hard work that he and the team has put in over the last two seasons. That hard work was awarded when the Yellow Jackets would be invited to the NIT Tournament.
The NIT Tournament, due to rules, can only invite two ACC schools to the tournament, and those two teams were the SMU Mustangs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
For the Yellow Jackets, this is presented as an opportunity to show people that would not normally be tuned in to Yellow Jackets games just how much the team has to offer heading into next season. A major contributor on the team, senior guard Lance Terry, will be graduating and this will be the last time that he will put on a Yellow Jacket uniform. This means that the Yellow Jackets will have a lot of returning production to the team next season.
A good performance in the tournament could be the confidence boost that Stoudamire and the younger players like Duncan Powell, Baye Ndongo, and Naithan George need going into next season. The Yellow Jackets could be legitimate ACC contenders next season, so momentum will be crucial for the team heading that direction.
The tournament will start Tuesday, as the Yellow Jackets will host the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at 7pm Eastern time. If the Yellow Jackets win that contest, they will face the winner of Northern Colorado and UC-Irvine.