Anyone that follow this blog knows the Georgia Tech fan in me doesn’t care for Josh Pastner. My reasons are long and varied. He set expectations early on that it takes years to rebuild a basketball program with the get old stay old mantra. Through good recruiting basketball programs can turn things around in far less time than football programs.
After a NIT first season, his next two teams won 13 and 14 overall games while going 12-24 in the ACC. His high school recruiting has been lackluster to say the least, producing just 1 top 75 player in 4 years. The sanctions occurring during Pastner’s tenure effectively ended any remaining support I had for Pastner.
I was prepared to write a cut him loose at any cost article about Pastner once the season ended. At one point this season Georgia Tech was 8-11 (3-6), and I was ready. I’m still very much ready, but in true fairness I can’t do it.
Georgia Tech ended the season 17-14 (11-9) in a highly surprising (9-3) finish to the year accomplishing marks not seen at Georgia Tech in over a decade. From the AJC summarizing Georgia Tech’s season after the final win over Clemson…
The win clinched numerous accomplishments. At 11-9 in the ACC, Tech earned its first winning record in ACC play since the 2003-04 season (9-7), when the Jackets reached the national championship game. The Jackets will do no worse than a tie for fifth place in the league, their highest since a tie for fourth in 2004-05, when the league had 11 teams, as opposed to 15 now. The losing streak at Littlejohn is over.
Pastner owes everything to his team and AD Todd Stansbury for sticking by him, and seemed to realize it – from the same article
Upon his entry after Georgia Tech’s 65-62 win over the Tigers on Friday night, coach Josh Pastner was ambushed by his Tech players, who emptied water bottles on him as they screamed and jumped…
…Pastner’s voice caught with emotion, and his players, circled around him, clapped and whooped. It was only getting started.
Georgia Tech took the post-season ban for this year so that will not be hanging over their head next season. The only significant contributor departing is James Banks. The backcourt of Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe could be one of the sneaky best in the country. Pastner’s players didn’t quit on the season and didn’t quit on him. That counts for something, and Pastner’s should get some credit for the finish.
I’m still highly skeptical of Pastner long-term. A 12 game last-season surge doesn’t change the trajectory of a program in my eyes, but it did earn Pastner a quiet off-season. 2020 should be his best team, and all things in the past aside, year five is Pastner’s big chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
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