3 worst head coach hires in Georgia Tech basketball history
Georgia Tech basketball has had its fair share of ups and downs, but lately, the downs seem to be never-ending. Here are some of the coaches that played a part on those tough times.
Georgia Tech has had six NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 25 years. Only once did the Yellow Jackets make it past the second round and that was in 2004 when Georgia Tech made it to the National Championship but lost to UConn. The run Georgia Tech had in 2004 was the further the team has made it in program history.
With how the football program has been going, I think it is safe to say Georgia Tech is a basketball school. While the Yellow Jackets have had a good amount of success over the years, there have been some seasons, especially lately that have not been so great.
Here is a look at some of the coaches who played a part in those years that were not so great.
3. 109-114 overall record. Josh Pastner. . 2016-2023. Josh Pastner. 436. Georgia Tech MBB. . player
Josh Pastner had a lot to deal with at Georgia Tech. He started out his career at Georgia Tech with an NIT appearance, and Pastner won ACC Coach of the Year and finished the season with a 21-16 record and 8-10 in the ACC.
Unfortunately, things started to go downhill from there. His next season, the Yellow Jackets went 13-19 and 6-12 in the ACC and then the NCAA sanctions happened. Georgia Tech has to deal with sanctions due to violations of recruiting rules by Pastner's friend Ron Bell. These sanctions limit on scholarships and banned the Yellow Jackets from the postseason.
In the aftermath, the NCAA reversed the sanctions thanks to a Georgia Tech appeal. Pastner was cleared of all violations. Things then took a turn for the better in 2019-2020 when the Yellow Jackets went 17-14 and 11-9 in the ACC, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all postseason activities were cancelled.
In 2021, Pastner continued his momentum with Georgia Tech by going 17-9 and 11-6 in the ACC and got the Yellow Jackets a bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, the joys of a tournament appearance were shortlived as Georgia Tech lost in the first round against Loyola Chicago.
After the loss, the Yellow Jackets went on a downward slide going 12-20 and 15-18 in his last two seasons. Georgia Tech won a total of 11 ACC games in those last two seasons leading to Pastner's firing in March 2023.
Even though Pastner had success at Georgia Tech, he still finished with a record under .500 and his time at Georgia Tech will always bring up memories of great controversy even though he was cleared of all violations.