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Former Wildcat Damon Stoudamire named head coach at Georgia Tech

By Eric Townsend

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 27: Boston Celtics assistant coach Damon Stoudamire watches in place of interim head coach Joe Mazzulla during the second half against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden on December 27, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 27: Boston Celtics assistant coach Damon Stoudamire watches in place of interim head coach Joe Mazzulla during the second half against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden on December 27, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /
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After spending two seasons with the Boston Celtics, former Wildcat Damon Stoudamire has been named the head coach at Georgia Tech.

It has roughly been a week since former Wildcat Josh Pastner was let go as head coach at Georgia Tech, and already the Yellow Jackets have found its next head coach, coincidentally hiring another former Wildcat in Damon Stoudamire.

Making news via social media on Monday afternoon, it was reported that Damon will officially become the program’s 15th head coach in school history.

Leaving the Boston Celtics organization after serving as an assistant coach for the past two seasons, Damon will be returning to college basketball.

Before his transition back to the NBA, Damon was head coach at Pacific from 2016-21 where he led the Tigers to a 71–77 (34–47) record with his best season coming in 2019-20 where the team went 23–10 and finished third in the West Coast Conference.

The former Wildcat great Damon Stoudamire will have a perfect opportunity to continue to build off of his success.

Now 49, Stoudamire returns to the college game after being a standout player at Arizona from 1991–95, and coach that served on several staffs including Rice, Memphis, and Arizona before becoming a head coach at Pacific.

Sporting a 71–77 (34–47) head coaching record, Damon possesses deep coaching experience, and it will be interesting to see how he does as he transitions to an even bigger program.m

Coming in, Damon inherits a group that could use a bit of improvement, especially after finishing 15–18 (6–14) and in 13th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Beyond that, the team currently has just one commitment for 2023, which is four-star shooting guard Blue Cain from IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL).

If he can develop talent and recruit well, he could prove to be a good hire for the Yellow Jackets. Either way, fans of Arizona Basketball can continue to find intrigue in the Georgia Tech basketball program.

More. First Look at Arizona Basketball opponent, the Princeton Tigers. light

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