After one season, how are we feeling?

Is CDS the guy to lead us back to the success we knew back in the day?

  • Absolutely. He's the man.

  • I think so. I'm confident we're on the right track.

  • Eh, maybe? His first year underwhelmed me.

  • Not feelin' it. I think we made a bad hire.


Results are only viewable after voting.

apatriot1776

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
140
With a couple big wins and the team still fighting at the end, and with some really solid recruiting this year, I feel like we’re on the right track. I think he got a lot out of the talent we have, but it was nothing above and beyond. We’ll have a lot of turnover and year 2 will be a major bellwether of where we are.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,451
The prior two years GTBB was bad and lacked ACC level talent in many positions. This year’s roster was almost entirely new. Kelly, Sturdivant and Coleman were the only holdovers. They played about the same as they did in prior years. Decent players but not a core group to get GT to the upper half of the ACC. George and Ndongo were clearly the 2 best players on the roster at the end of the year. They are the core going forward.

Hopefully the inbound recruits will be of their ability.
 

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,472
It’s a tough question, but I don’t know how anyone could feel absolutely certain or absolutely against the hire at this stage.

One point I’d like to make, and I could be wrong. But at this stage, it seems like players want to play for CDS. For example, I don’t see any scenario in which Ndongo or George voluntarily leaves CDS to play for another college basketball coach. The guys who will leave this offseason won’t be leaving because they don’t want to play for CDS. Recruiting is trending up.

If our best players start transferring out, our recruiting slows down, and/or we don’t show tangible on-court improvement next season (quantitative measurements TBD), then we should 100% worry.
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
17,822
In some ways I am VERY hopeful. Stoudamire instantly improved our talent level, and he's showing he can recruit with the big boys. He's also shown he can beat those big boys on the court which is what you want to see first and foremost. I saw development in some of the younger players that give you hope that Stoudamire can indeed develop young talent...GT is a place you can not be successful if you can't develop talent (that goes for our football team as well).

However, other things have given me concern. Inconsistency, and too many "one step forward, one step back" stretches all season. We just could not seem to put out a consistent effort from game to game. Regardless of offensive talent, our defense should have been a LOT better. Given Stoudamire's reputation for defense, you would have hoped he could scheme some type of defense the way Pastner was able to with his less talented rosters (minus the teams that had Alvarado/Moses/Usher).

For me, he's shown enough on the court (elite amount of Q1 wins) and in recruiting that there's light at the end of the tunnel there. There were some REALLY fun wins this year, but there were some atrocious losses as well. I didn't appreciate the "my guys" comment because a good coach shows he can win with a mix of inherited talent and recruited talent (Hewitt his first year, and Pastner his first year proved that).

Now the work really begins. I expect this roster to get a heavy face lift this offseason. Of the "older" guys, I hope to see Kelly and Reeves both come back. Reeves kind of tailed off towards the end, but he can absolutely be a high end player on both ends of the court. Kelly we all know can be one of the country's most elite scorers when he's on...he just needs to be "on" more consistently. I'm excited to see this recruiting class under CDS, as well as who we'll bring in this offseason.
 

MacDaddy2

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
310
Location
The Island of Relevancy
But at this stage, it seems like players want to play for CDS. For example, I don’t see any scenario in which Ndongo or George voluntarily leaves CDS to play for another college basketball coach. The guys who will leave this offseason won’t be leaving because they don’t want to play for CDS. Recruiting is trending up.

If our best players start transferring out, our recruiting slows down, and/or we don’t show tangible on-court improvement next season (quantitative measurements TBD), then we should 100% worry.
They could leave due to $$$$
 

OG-T

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
308
Memorable wins, mind-boggling losses. To be fair any new coach, unless there is quick cultural turmoil, needs at least three years so everyone can get a sense of trajectory and program direction.
I’d say that there are DEFINITELY enough indicators to give us very optimistic hope.
My guess on roster
Locks to stay:
Ndongo
George
Reeves
Terry
Souare

Near-locks:
Gapare
Sacko

50/50
Kelly
Duwouna

25/75 (25 is stay)
Coleman

Gonzo
Abrahms

New class
Mustaf
Sutton
Kirouac
Davis (I think he’s signs, Mar 24!)
Forrest??? This is a mystery to me

Do we have enough unis?!
 

MtnWasp

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
790
Certainly the wins against Duke, Carolina and Clemson at Littlejohn are good memories. There were some good wins. THREE losses to ND chaps my butt.

George is da bomb and Ndongo is promising.

Otherwise it was a wasted season. We'll have a better idea if we are actually building something next year.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,451
Certainly the wins against Duke, Carolina and Clemson at Littlejohn are good memories. There were some good wins. THREE losses to ND chaps my butt.

George is da bomb and Ndongo is promising.

Otherwise it was a wasted season. We'll have a better idea if we are actually building something next year.
Wasted season - LOL. You are the guy who always preaches about expectations. Now you blast the the team and coach because they did not meet Your Expectation. Oh the Irony! You often have excellent posts. The ones the last couple of days are silly and that is giving you past credit for excellence!
 

YlJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,199
Wish all the new arrivals had blown us out of the water this year. Batting what - 500? That's OK from a late start. Enough to build on and recruiting so far is very good.
So more than enough to say I am confident and happy with the hire.

Next steps to move to "the man" include what comes from the portal - and what we lose to the portal. Plus how next year goes. Results obviously but I want to see how the players progress and how he progresses as a coach. I think he can do some more things on the offensive end to help players. I'm very optimistic but still need the next step.
 

AUFC

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,267
Location
Atlanta

Fun thread to review if you have some time today :)
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,800

Fun thread to review if you have some time today :)
This didn’t age well



On the other hand, Haslametrics forecast a 12-17 season, and we edged that out
 

RamblinRed

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
5,736
Didn't feel like commenting during the season - just wanted to watch it.

I'm still largely in wait and see mode. This season would get a C from me.
The big wins were great, but the bad losses were too many.
GT went 6-8 against teams that were .500 or better in the ACC, but 1-6 against teams with a sub .500 conference record.

Early recruiting has been solid. Really hope GT can pull Davis at the end - he has looked like the best player on the floor at OTE.

Desperately need a rim protector and rebounder 5.

Excited to have Terry back next season, I think folks have forgotten about him and how much he would have added this year (and what I think he will add next year). He was our 2nd leading scorer last season, only player other than Kelly to avg over 10ppg, and was our best shooter. He also is a good ballhandler who doesn't lose the ball much - which was an issue with the team this season, and a better than 1:1 A:TO ratio. With Mustaf, George and Sutton on the team next year have to think he will get alot of open looks from distance (even though he is a sneaky good driver as well).

The progress of George and Ndongo this season were the biggest highlights.
The biggest negative was the just poor defense. Way too many games where the D seemed optional.
Improved defense and valuing the ball more should be the top 2 priorities for next season.

Tenue could easily go either way, too early to tell for me.

One thing to watch this Spring. I read an article yesterday about the portal and the author expected alot of players to enter the portal, like always, partially because he believes alot of players will use it as a negotiating tactic to try to get a larger NIL deal - but ultimately end back where they started.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,879
I haven’t felt this good about hoops in a long time. We finally hired the kind of coach that will work in Atlanta and attract the AAU players. A former NBA and college star who has a career as a NBA coach. That is how we get local metro talent to look at us. His coaching is fine because college hoops is about having the better players not the best coaches. Hubert Davis and Scheyer are jokes as coaches but they look good due to their level of players. It’s going to be fun until our coach decides to head back to the NBA.
 

Fatmike91

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,264
Location
SW Florida
I was more confident in the future of the program after one year of Pastner - although that was still the honeymoon period where I (foolishly?) assumed CJP could recruit.

/
 

Peacone36

Helluva Engineer
Messages
10,362
Location
Maine
I feel great about this hire. I will feel even better if we retain MK, Gapare, Reeves and our freshman. If we land a quality rim protecting big in the portal, im going to be very geeked up. Someone mentioned a high low offense yesterday and that is one of my favorite offensive schemes but I am not sure that is CDS's vision. The last time i remember seeing is consistently was Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
 
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