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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team has had its fair share of triumphs and setbacks over the years. The team first rose to prominence under Coach Chapman in 1905, and later, under John Heisman, who improved the team's winning percentage. The Yellow Jackets have since seen several successful seasons, including a historic win over Kentucky in 1955, an NCAA tournament appearance in 1960, and a Final Four run in 2004. However, they have also experienced coaching changes and disappointing seasons, such as the dismissal of Paul Hewitt in 2011 after an underwhelming 2010-11 season. With a rich history and notable alumni, the Yellow Jackets continue to compete in NCAA Division I basketball.
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What You'll Learn
Georgia Tech's first basketball club and coach
Georgia Tech made its intercollegiate basketball debut on February 17, 1906, against Auburn University at the Peachtree Auditorium. The Yellow Jackets, as the team was known then, lost their first game. The team's first coach is not mentioned in the sources available, but the team's first four seasons, except for 1906, were coached by John Heisman, who was also the head football and baseball coach.
Heisman had a winning percentage of .142 in his first season, improving to %.500 in 1912 and 1913. However, he was unable to keep up with the basketball team alongside his other coaching duties, and stepped down after the 1919 season. The team did not play between 1915 and 1919, and basketball returned for good in the 1919-20 season under coach William Alexander, who revived the Georgia Tech basketball program. Alexander coached for the 1920 and 1922-1924 seasons, and the team played their home games at various locations, including the City Auditorium, the Atlanta Athletic Club, and the YMCA.
In 1924, Harold Hansen, who was also the football team's backfield coach, took over as head coach until 1926. He was followed by Roy Mundorff, who coached from 1927 to 1942.
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The team's tournament wins and losses
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team has had its fair share of wins and losses throughout its history. The team first organised a small basketball club under Coach Chapman, losing to Auburn in the first college basketball game played in Atlanta but winning the other two games that season against rival Georgia.
In 1909, continuous dribbling and shots off the dribble were introduced, and famous coach John Heisman led the team, improving their winning percentage to .500 in 1912 and 1913. However, Bill Alexander is credited with reviving the Georgia Tech basketball program in 1920. The team has had several notable coaches since, including Roy Mundorff, who coached from 1927 to 1942, and Roy McArthur, a former Tech quarterback who took over after the war.
The Yellow Jackets played their first NCAA tournament game in 1960, defeating Ohio University under all-American Roger Kaiser before losing to the eventual champion, Ohio State, in the second round. The team continued to perform well in the 1960s and 1970s under Coach John Hyder, who led them to 292 wins in 22 seasons. In 1964, Georgia Tech's final season in the Southeastern Conference, the team went undefeated at home and finished as conference runner-up.
The Yellow Jackets have also had success in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), appearing nine times with a combined record of 14-10. In 1971, they reached the NIT finals but lost to the University of North Carolina. The team made significant strides in the 1980s and 1990s under Bobby Cremins, who led them to their first ACC tournament victory in school history in 1985 and their first Final Four appearance in 1990. Cremins retired in 2000 with the school's best winning percentage as a head coach.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets continued to shine in the 2000s, reaching the Final Four again in 2004 under Paul Hewitt but falling to UConn in the national title game. During the 2009-10 season, they played for the ACC tournament championship game and earned Hewitt's fifth NCAA tournament appearance. However, they lost to Ohio State in the round of 32. Hewitt was dismissed in 2011, and his successor, Brian Gregory, led the team to an 11-20 record in their first season together. Overall, the Yellow Jackets have won 1,352 games and lost 1,226, giving them a .524 win percentage.
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Coaching changes in 2011
On March 12, 2011, Paul Hewitt was dismissed as the head coach of Georgia Tech's men's basketball team after eleven seasons. Hewitt had led the Yellow Jackets to their first Final Four appearance in school history in 2004, where they lost to UConn in the national title game. During the 2009–10 season, the team also played for the ACC tournament championship game and earned Hewitt's fifth NCAA tournament appearance at Tech.
Brian Gregory was appointed as Hewitt's successor and Georgia Tech's 13th men's basketball coach on March 28, 2011. Gregory had led Dayton to 97 victories in his last four seasons there and had worked under Tom Izzo at Michigan State when the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA championship. In their first season under Gregory, Georgia Tech finished 11–20 and 11th in the ACC while playing without a true home court as the McCamish Pavilion was under construction.
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The Yellow Jackets' players
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team has a long and storied history, with many talented players representing the team over the years. The team first organised a small basketball club under Coach Chapman, losing to Auburn in the first-ever college basketball game played in Atlanta. However, they quickly improved, winning their other two games that season against rival Georgia.
One of the most notable figures in the team's history is Coach John Heisman, who also coached Tech's baseball and football teams. While he only had a winning percentage of .142 in his first season, he improved the team's performance to a .500 winning percentage in 1912 and 1913. After Heisman, his successor Bill Alexander revived the Georgia Tech basketball program in 1920, and the team continued to develop over the following decades.
In 1955, Coach John Hyder's team defeated Adolph Rupp's Kentucky team, ending the Wildcats' 129-game winning streak at home and putting the Yellow Jackets on the national map. The team played their first NCAA tournament game in 1960, defeating Ohio University before losing to the eventual champion, Ohio State, in the second round.
The Yellow Jackets have had several notable players over the years, including Dennis Scott, who was the 1990 National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year, and Jarrett Jack, the 2005 Basketball Times All-South player. The team has also had success in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), appearing nine times with a combined record of 14-10. In 1971, they reached the finals but lost to the University of North Carolina.
The Yellow Jackets returned to prominence in the early 2000s, reaching the Final Four in 2004 under coach Paul Hewitt, before losing to UConn in the national title game. This era also produced a Basketball Hall of Famer, Chris Bosh, who played for Georgia Tech from 2002 to 2003.
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The team's home venue
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team plays its home games at the Hank McCamish Pavilion, located on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena, which opened in November 2012, was built on the same site as the historic Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which hosted Tech basketball games for 55 years. The new pavilion features state-of-the-art audio-visual technology, a luxurious club area, and a seating capacity of approximately 8,600. The lower level has 6,935 seats, while the new balcony level offers 1,665 seats. The lighting system is designed to illuminate the court while keeping the stands darkened, creating a theatre-like atmosphere for games.
The Hank McCamish Pavilion is named after the late Atlanta insurance executive Hank McCamish, whose family provided a significant donation of $15 million towards the $45-50 million facility. The pavilion has a rich history, having hosted the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1968 to 1972 and again from 1997 to 1999. It has also been the venue for notable events outside of basketball, such as the swearing-in ceremony for Georgia's 83rd Governor, Brian Kemp, and the “spin room" for the first Presidential Debate in 2024.
The McCamish Pavilion replaced the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which was originally built in 1956 and renamed in honour of William A. Alexander, Georgia Tech's football coach and athletic director. The coliseum played a significant role in Georgia's sports history, hosting many rounds of the Georgia High School Association men's and women's state tournament games. It was also the site of the first integrated high school state tournament in Georgia in 1967.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team played at various temporary venues during the construction of the McCamish Pavilion, including Philips Arena and Gas South Arena. The team's first game in the new pavilion was on November 9, 2012, against Tulane, with a sold-out crowd of 8,600 people. The playing surface is named "Cremins Court" in honour of legendary Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins, who led the team from 1981 to 2000 and achieved significant success during his tenure.
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Frequently asked questions
The Georgia Tech men's basketball team is called the Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets play their home games at the McCamish Pavilion on the school's Atlanta campus.
The current coach of the Yellow Jackets is Damon Stoudamire.
The first Georgia Tech basketball team was organized under Coach Chapman.
The Yellow Jackets have won 1,352 games and lost 1,226 games, giving them a .524 win percentage.
