“I’m excited to go into my second year because, as I’ve been telling them since day one, and this is just me personally, I believe that the sport is played from the neck down. “I think the biggest thing is that we don’t.” I think it comes from the neck up, and I think the smartest team is the best team,” Stoudamire said. “For me, mentally we have to be better. We have to be more consistent. Last season we showed that we can win big games, but I felt like we had to win. We lost a few games and our inexperience was exposed.
“I think if we can grow in that area and maintain a more consistent performance, it will lead to a lot of wins. It’s the responsibility of all of us, and I’m holding them accountable, and I don’t want to skip any step. That attention to detail is going to be the focus this year. I’m not going to settle for anything less.”
Stoudamire went 14-18 in his first season in Atlanta, including a 7-13 record and finished 12th in the 15-team ACC. Moments of brilliance and hope, including a win over ranked Mississippi State, a thrilling victory over Penn State at Madison Square Garden in New York, and league championships over Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, and Wake Forest. There was.
But they also lost to Massachusetts Lowell, Louisville and Notre Dame (three times).
Tech also ranks at or near the bottom of the ACC in steals, turnover margin, forced turnovers, turnovers, steals, 3-point shooting, scoring and scoring defense, free throw shooting, and overall shooting. As such, there was no shortage of things for Stoudamire to work on, study, and aim to improve heading into the 2024-25 season.
“I couldn’t be more patient about certain things,” Stoudemire said. “From that perspective, I don’t have much patience for lack of attention to detail and everything that doesn’t go my way. I won’t do that. We have to create good habits. But there were many times when I lost because of bad habits.”
Credit: Nell Redmond/ACC
Credit: Nell Redmond/ACC
The first version of Stoudamire’s tenure included the emergence of Ndongo and George, who are now sophomores. Ndongo was second among ACC players with a field goal percentage of 55.8 percent, and George was second among ACC players with 4.7 assists per game.
George, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard from Canada, and Ndongo, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound center from Senegal, will be at the heart of Tech’s success over the next six months. Stoudemire doesn’t think that success will be easy.
“I always say this, the jump from freshman to sophomore year is a tough jump. You’re not on the back of the scouting report, you’re on the front of the scouting report,” Stoudemire said. He spoke Friday at McAmish Pavilion. “You’re going to be on top, you’re going to be on the front line. ‘How do I stop him? How do I limit his effectiveness in the match?’ That’s why I ( This is the biggest thing I have preached to Ndongo. Attention to detail, attention to the basketball, staying on the floor so I don’t get any stupid fouls. I look forward to its growth. He’s done a great job so far and I think he’s going to get even better. ”
“(For George) it’s no different than (Ndongo). I’m saying it’s hard to jump from a freshman to a sophomore season. You have to come in and work, and he got it done. I feel like he’s getting better. He’s been working on his body. He’s shooting the ball better. You have to be a good leader, you have to be able to put your people in the right place, you have to think for a lot of people. I’m very interested in that.”
Stoudamire increased the talent across the roster in an effort to improve Tech’s standing in the ACC standings.
The signings of guard Jayden Mutaf, forward Darrion Sutton and center Dorian Onwuchekwa give Tech the fourth-best recruiting class in the ACC, according to the 247Sports Composite. Stoudemire also added point guard Javian McCollum from Oklahoma State, shooting forward Luke O’Brien from Colorado, center Ryan Mutombo from Georgetown and power forward Duncan Powell from Sacramento State.
Getting Terry back on the court also can’t be underestimated. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior guard missed the 2023-24 season with a calf injury. Terry and walk-on Emer Nichols are the only players remaining with the program from the Josh Pastner era.
There’s no question that Stoudemire currently has a roster full of players he has hand-picked himself.
“A very competitive guy. What I always think when I look at a coach is I see a leader,” Reeves said of Stoudemire. “The leadership skills he displays every day are unlike anything I’ve ever seen from a man, especially a man who basically has to manage children. We’re young adults, and many of us still have immature minds. He’s still the same guy that he was and still is, being able to get past those personas and egos and personalities and take something personal out of it as a grown man. It was.”
Tech begins its journey for the 2024-25 season on Nov. 6 against Division I newcomer West Georgia at McAmish Pavilion. The nonconference schedule includes tests against Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Northwestern. The Jackets then have ACC trips to North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest.
It will be crucial for the Jackets to navigate this situation positively if they are to avoid a fourth consecutive losing season, something that hasn’t happened for the program since 1979-1983.
“I don’t think we’re that far off. We had some great opportunities last year to capitalize and we just didn’t do it,” Stoudemire added. “But this year, I keep talking about my outlook, my preparation and my mentality because 12 of the first 15 games are home. I believe we’re there. Well, we’ve got to put it together. We’ve got to play the game. But I believe we’re getting closer. ”
