Georgia Tech basketball made some moves at the end of their season, and one of them was firing head coach Damon Stoudamire after he failed to reach the NCAA tournament in his three seasons. The Yellow Jackets are moving on and have already locked in their new coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
“Per an ESPN source, Scott Cross has agreed to a five-year deal to become the next coach at Georgia Tech. Deal is done,” Thamel reported.
Earlier on Friday morning, Thamel reported, “Sources: Georgia Tech is targeting Troy’s Scott Cross as the school’s new basketball coach. A deal is expected to come together in the near future. Cross led Troy to consecutive NCAA bids.”
Cross helped Troy get to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and Sun Belt championships. He's won 350 career Division 1 games over 19 seasons as the UT Arlington and Troy head coach. Cross has three appearances in the NCAA tournament, and he just lost in the first round to Nebraska.
Troy finished this past season 22-12 and 12-6 in conference play.
Georgia Tech has only been to the NCAA tournament once since 2010, and the hope is that Cross can come in and change that. They finished last in the ACC this year, going 2-16 in conference play and 11-20 overall. They also finished the season on a 12-game losing streak.
Cross joining Georgia Tech will be one of the biggest additions for athletic director Ryan Alpert, who came to the program in July after leaving Tennessee.
There's no surprise why Georgia Tech was intrigued with Cross, and his resume shows that he could get the program out of the current slump that they're in. It's uncertain how long it may take, but they could be competitive sooner rather than later.
