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Georgia Tech hires former NBA standout Damon Stoudamire as next basketball coach

By WSBTV.com News Staff

Pacific v Gonzaga LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 04: Head coach Damon Stoudamire of the Pacific Tigers reacts during a quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gonzaga won 82-50. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech has finalized a deal to hire former NBA player Damon Stoudamire to be its next men’s basketball coach, succeeding Josh Pastner who was fired last week. Pastner finished his time in Atlanta with a 109-114 overall record and 51-78 conference record.

The 49-year-old Stoudamire heads to “The Flats” after a successful 13-season NBA career and leaves the Boston Celtics, where he was an assistant coach for the past two seasons. Prior to the Celtics, Stoudamire, a native of Portland, Oregon, was the head coach at the University of the Pacific from 2016 through 2021.

“I am humbled and honored to be the head coach at Georgia Tech,” Stoudamire said. “It is an incredible honor to be entrusted with leading such a tradition-rich program. I am excited to get to work with the goal of consistently having our team compete at the championship level that we all know we can and should compete at. I’m proud to represent Georgia Tech and can’t wait to walk out of the tunnel and onto the floor at the Thrillerdome in front of our fans. Go Jackets!”

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Stoudamire had a highly successful 13-season NBA career after being drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the seventh pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. That season he was voted NBA Rookie of the Year.

His playing career ended in 2008 after a short stint with the San Antonio Spurs.

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Stoudamire will be the 15th head coach in men’s basketball history at the Atlanta school. He is the second coach hired in the past few months by new Athletic Director J Batt.

“We are thrilled that Damon Stoudamire will be the head coach of our storied men’s basketball program,” Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt said. “Coach Stoudamire’s success and credibility as a player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels make him a great fit to lead our program. He will serve as an outstanding mentor on and off the court and will attract talented student-athletes to The Flats. We could not be happier to welcome Coach Stoudamire to the Georgia Tech family.”

The school did not release the terms of Stoudamire’s contract.

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