THE FLATS – Damon Stoudamire, well-known all through the basketball world for his success as a participant and coach on the collegiate {and professional} ranges, has been named the 15th head coach in Georgia Tech males’s basketball historical past, Tech introduced on Monday.
Stoudamire involves Georgia Tech after most not too long ago serving as an assistant coach of the Boston Celtics, who at the moment sit atop the NBA’s Atlantic Division standings. He was with the Celtics for practically two seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23), after a profitable five-season stint as the pinnacle coach at Pacific (2016-21). At Pacific, he was named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2020 after main the Tigers to a 23-10 document in 2019-20, good for this system’s greatest successful share (.697) in 15 years, and a third-place end within the highly effective WCC (behind solely nationwide powers Gonzaga and St. Mary’s).
“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 stated. “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.”
“We are excited to welcome Coach Stoudamire to Georgia Tech,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera stated. “His impressive track record as a coach in college and the NBA, and his own experience as a student-athlete and professional player, will be invaluable assets for the Institute’s men’s basketball program and our student-athletes. His passion for player development and continuous improvement aligns with our culture of excellence and our commitment to student well-being and success.”
Stoudamire established himself as one among his era’s premier gamers when he was a three-time all-conference performer, the 1995 Pac 10 co-Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American at Arizona, the place he performed for 4 seasons from 1991-95. After serving to lead the Wildcats to the Final Four as a junior in 1994, he capped his collegiate profession by averaging 22.8 factors per recreation, en path to the co-conference Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-America recognition in 1995. He was a finalist for 1995 Wooden Award (National Player of the Year).
At the conclusion of his Arizona profession, Stoudamire was the Wildcats’ all-time chief in 3-pointers made (272) and ranked second in factors (1,849) and fourth in assists (663). He was the one participant in Arizona historical past with two 40-point video games.
His novice profession additionally included serving to lead the United States to the gold medal within the 1993 World University Games (the place he led the crew in assists and steals regardless of being the youngest participant on the roster) and the bronze on the 1994 Goodwill Games.
Stoudamire was chosen by the Toronto Raptors with the seventh total decide within the 1995 NBA Draft and averaged 13.4 factors and 6.1 assists per recreation over the course of a 13-year skilled enjoying profession that included stints with the Raptors (1995-98), Portland Trail Blazers (1998-05), Memphis Grizzlies (2005-08) and San Antonio Spurs (2008). He was named the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 19 factors and 9.3 assists per recreation in his first NBA marketing campaign, the primary of four-straight seasons that he averaged not less than 17 factors and eight assists per contest.
Following the conclusion of his NBA enjoying profession in 2008, Stoudamire instantly launched into his teaching profession, starting as director of participant improvement at Rice in 2008-09. He then went on to function an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies for 2 seasons (2009-11), earlier than getting again into the school recreation with stints as an assistant at Memphis (2011-13), his alma mater Arizona (2013-15) and once more at Memphis (2015-16).
After serving to lead Memphis and Arizona to 4 convention championships (two Conference USA titles at Memphis, two Pac-12 crowns at Arizona) and 4 NCAA Tournament berths (together with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances at Arizona) in six seasons, Stoudamire was employed as the pinnacle coach at Pacific in 2016. He inherited a program coming off an 8-20 marketing campaign and rapidly constructed it right into a WCC contender, highlighted by the 23-10 marketing campaign in 2019-20. The Tigers’ 11-5 convention document that season stays their most-ever wins in WCC play. Combined with a 9-9 document in league play in 2017-18, Stoudamire led Pacific to its solely two .500-or-better convention information because the Tigers joined the WCC in 2013-14.
After posting a 9-9 total document through the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season, Stoudamire returned to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Celtics. In his first season in Boston, he helped lead the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals. This season, the Celtics stand in first place within the Atlantic Division and in second each within the Eastern Conference and within the NBA’s total league standings. With Boston, he has coached a pair of metro-Atlanta natives in Malcolm Brogdon (Norcross, Ga.) and Jaylen Brown (Alpharetta, Ga.).
“I am humbled and honored to be the head coach at Georgia Tech,” Stoudamire stated. “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!”
A Portland, Ore. native, Stoudamire, 49, graduated from Woodrow Wilson H.S. in 1991 and earned his bachelor’s diploma from Arizona in 2008. He has a daughter, Kemeco, and two sons, Damon and Brandon.
THE DAMON STOUDAMIRE FILE
PERSONAL
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Family: Daughter: Kemeco; Sons: Damon and Brandon
Alma Mater: Arizona, 2008
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
1991-95: Arizona
1995-98: Toronto Raptors
1998-2005: Portland Trail Blazers
2005-08: Memphis Grizzlies
2008: San Antonio Spurs
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2008-09: Rice (director of participant improvement)
2009-11: Memphis Grizzlies (assistant coach)
2011-13: Memphis (assistant coach)
2013-15: Arizona (assistant coach)
2015-16: Memphis (assistant coach)
2016-21: Pacific (head coach)
2021-23: Boston Celtics (assistant coach)
2023-: Georgia Tech (head coach)
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DAMON STOUDAMIRE
“Congratulations to Damon and Georgia Tech. We are thankful for everything that Damon has contributed during in his time in Boston. He’s a great teammate – he works hard, he cares about everyone in the room, and he has a special feel for the game. We will all miss having him here, but are thrilled for him and will be rooting for his success with the Yellow Jackets.”
– Brad Stevens, President of Basketball Operations – Boston Celtics
“Damon is a great person, successful leader, and will be a great head coach. He has an ability to build genuine relationships, connect with players, and bring an organization together for a common goal. His loyalty, basketball experience, work ethic and personality made the Celtics better. We will miss him as a person and coach. Georgia Tech is lucky to have him.”
– Joe Mazzulla, Head Coach – Boston Celtics
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, offering scholarship, operations and services help for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be part of growing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and serving to the Yellow Jackets compete for championships on the highest ranges of school athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which straight supplies scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To study extra about supporting the Yellow Jackets, go to atfund.org.
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