If you read the blog, you know I’m not a Josh Pastner fan. The Georgia Tech fan in me would be celebrating if he’s fired tomorrow. That said I’m going to try and be fair when I make the case for and against Josh Pastner to be retained at Georgia Tech.
Let’s start with against – as that will be easiest for me to write.
Josh Pastner has been a head coach for 14 years going back to his time at Memphis. He’s never made the Sweet 16 – ever. What makes anyone think he’ll get Georgia Tech there in the next 5? That would go against the entirety of his career. He is 109-113 during his tenure in Atlanta and is whopping 26 games under .500 in the ACC at 51-77.
In the last two years, he lost 29 regular seasons ACC. That is the worst of any ACC coach that was here the last 2 years. As a program, only Louisville lost more ACC games at 31.
Pastner hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game in his last 9 years of head coaching. He’s gone 8 straight years with his highest win total at Georgia Tech being a mere 17 games. Let’s face it, head coaches are judged by their win/loss and NCAA results, and they certainly aren’t in Pastner’s favor.
Is there a case for Pastner to be retained? Pastner apologists do have some things they can point to.
Pastner did manage to do something that hadn’t been done in more than 25 years at Georgia Tech. He won an ACC Title in 2021. That was Georgia Tech’s first ACC Title since 1993. I don’t accept it was just a COVID title either. If you penalize Pastner for that then just wipe out the 2021 year in all sports. His 2016-2017 Georgia Tech team which was the NIT runner-up and sniffed the bubble was probably his best coaching job. That Jacket team was pre-season picked 14th, and Josh Pastner was named ACC COY for his efforts that season.
The Jackets did show some potential at the end of this year winning 7 of the final 10.
He also coached Georgia Tech to back-to-back top 5 finishes in the ACC. That hadn’t been done in more than a decade before Pasther pulled the trick a couple of years back.
Another point I can admit is Pastner has been handcuffed by the lack of NIL money at Georgia Tech for the last 2 years. This has made it difficult for Pastner to properly utilize the transfer portal. You can argue he should get one more year with the potential NIL money in place in Atlanta for next year.
I know what I want to happen, but even if Pastner is given another year it better end in the NCAA Tournament.
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