Tag: Damon Stoudamire

On this day: Celtics trade Billups, others for Anderson, Jones and Tabak

On this day, Boston made what was widely regarded as one of the worst trades in franchise history.

On this day in 1998 in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise’s impatient coach and President of Basketball Operations Rick Pitino sent veteran point guard Dee Brown and his rookie backcourt teammate Chauncey Billups to the Toronto Raptors. This remains a wildly unpopular trade in many corners.

It sent Brown and Billups as well as power forward Roy Rogers and big man John Thomas to the Raptors in exchange for guard Kenny Anderson, power forward Popeye Jones, and big man Zan Tabak. The deal, often included on lists of the worst the club has made, netted Anderson in exchange.

He hadn’t even been with the Raptors for a week after having been traded to the team for point guard Damon Stoudamire, refusing to report to the Canadian franchise.

Damon Stoudamire joins rarified air in first season at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s Damon Stoudamire became the third first year ACC head coach to beat both Duke and North Carolina in the same season.

A first glance at Damon Stoudamire’s Georgia Tech squad is about what you’d expect for a new coach taking over a struggling program.

They are 10-11 on the year, only 3-7 in ACC play and 13th in the conference standings. With losses in eight of their last 10 games, it is clear this team is still a few years away from truly contending in the ACC, even with the conference having a bit of a down season.

However, Stoudamire managed to accomplish something only two coaches have done in the past 30 years: he led his team to wins over both Duke and North Carolina, having handed the Tar Heels their first conference loss on Tuesday evening in Atlanta.

Stoudamire joins Sidney Lowe and Kevin Keatts as the only first year ACC head coaches to accomplish this feat, and is now the only one who did not do it while coaching at NC State.

Lowe went on to have a mediocre five year stint with the Wolfpack, winning 86 games from 2006-2011 and failing to make an NCAA Tournament, while Keatts has gone dancing in just two of the past five seasons.

Stoudamire looks like he could have the best career out of the trio. The former NBA All-Star was the head coach at Pacific from 2016-2021, turning an 11 win program into a 23-10 team in 2019-20 before ultimately taking an assistant job in the NBA.

Now he’s in the ACC and already playing spoiler, not just on the court but as a high level recruiter which could help this Yellow Jackets program reach heights they haven’t seen in roughly 20 years.

Stoudamire will have a chance to celebrate this accomplishment with Keatts on Saturday when they head to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 PM ET on the CW Network.

Damon Stoudamire laments ‘what could have been’ under Ime Udoka with the Boston Celtics

“We went to the Finals and had a team coming back where we tweaked it just a little bit, and we looked every bit the part,” Stoudamire said.

While he wouldn’t speak for Ime Udoka, his friend and former head coach of the Boston Celtics, ex-Boston assistant coach Damon Stoudamire believes it would be hard to not feel regret for the unfinished business that was Udoka’s tenure with the Celtics.

Speaking with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Stoudamire weighed in on Udoka’s exit from the Celtics over workplace misconduct, and shared his thoughts on the situation ahead of Udoka’s return to Boston at the helm of the Houston Rockets. “I would say the regret is what could have been, because we had something special going,” said Stoudamire, who now himself coaches the Georgia Tech men’s basketball team.

“More than anything, it’s basketball related. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears were put into that (2021-22) season,” he added.

“We went to the Finals and had a team coming back where we tweaked it just a little bit, and we looked every bit the part,” Stoudamire explained. “So that would be the regret. Anybody would feel that, not being able to see that situation through.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Damon Stoudamire picks up first signature win as Georgia Tech defeats No. 21 Mississippi State

Damon Stoudamire picks up a big win as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the ACC SEC challenge.

No one expected Damon Stoudamire to turn the Georgia Tech basketball program around right away.

The Yellow Jackets have been to just one NCAA Tournament since 2011, typically sitting near the bottom of the standings in the ACC – which included going a combined 11-29 the past two years in conference play.

However, after back-to-back losses to UMass Lowell and Cincinnati, coach Stoudamire picked up a signature win on Tuesday at home against the No. 22 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs – never trailing in a 67-59 victory during the ACC/SEC challenge.

Neither team was particularly efficient from the field but Tech was able to win the battle on the boards and converted 17 of their 23 free throw attempts.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs went 7-30 from beyond the arc and had just five assists and 13 turnovers, which allowed Georgia Tech to post a 16-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Stoudamire added freshman guard Naithan George to the starting lineup for the first time in this contest, and he responded with 11 points, four rebounds, and an assist while complimenting leading scorer Miles Kelly, who dropped 22 with 12 rebounds and an assist.

“I’ve been seeing him coming and playing well for a long time,” Stoudamire said of George, per ESPN. “He’s wore on me. I like the way he plays. I like the way guys play with him. … I know there’s going to be ups and downs. I’m OK with that.”

The Yellow Jackets will have another opportunity for a huge win on Saturday when they host No. 7 Duke. The tip-off is set for 2:15 p.m. ET.

Damon Stoudamire becomes the 15th head coach at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech makes it official.

After reports surfaced that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were targeting current Boston Celtics assistant Damon Stoudamire for their head coaching vacancy, it became official.

The school announced that the former Arizona Wildcat standout and NBA Rookie of the Year would become the 15th head coach of the program on Monday. This comes off the heels of the firing of Josh Pastner.

Georgia Tech was 15-18 this past season and two years removed from their last trip to the NCAA Tournament. They were eliminated in the first round. Stoudamire takes over a program that has just two appearances in the annual tournament over the last 15 seasons.

The last time Georgia Tech made it beyond the second round of the tournament was in 2004 when they lost in the national championship game to UConn. The Yellow Jackets knocked off Oklahoma State to earn a shot at the title.

Now the school will hand the keys to the long-time NBA veteran to turn the program around. It remains to be seen as to who Stoudamire will target for his staff.

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Report: Celtics assistant Damon Stoudamire to take Georgia Tech head coaching job

The Boston Celtics’ coaching staff will see perhaps more turnover than usual this coming offseason.

The Boston Celtics’ coaching staff might undergo more turnover than usual this offseason. ESPN senior writer Adrian Wojnarowski, Peter Thamel and Jeff Borzello are reporting that assistant Celtics coach Damon Stoudamire is in talks to become the next head coach of Georgia Tech.

The trio reported “Stoudamire has informed the Celtics he plans to take the job and make the move” to helm a Division I program in the Atlantic Coast Conference that had been coached for the last seven seasons by former Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. In an unusual twist, Stoudamire worked as an assistant under Pastner in Memphis from 2011 to 2013 before moving on to the same role at his alma mater of Arizona, where Pastner also attended.

Stoudamire returned for one more season with Memphis before landing the head coach job at Pacific. He joined the Celtics as part of Ime Udoka’s staff last season.

Per the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Stoudamire has informed the team of his decision, and the Celtics reportedly have no immediate plans to fill his vacancy.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Georgia Tech closing in on head coach hire

Damon Stoudamire could be returning to the collegiate ranks.

Update: Damon Stoudamire was named head coach of Georgia Tech per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. 

Following the announcement that Ole Miss has hired their head coach, Georgia Tech is trending towards its own hire.

According to Dan Wolken of USA TODAY Sports, the Yellow Jackets are looking to hire former NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire.

Georgia Tech is tracking toward hiring Damon Stoudamire today, multiple sources tell USA TODAY Sports,” Wolken tweeted. “Not done but board meeting later today.”

The school recently relieved Josh Pastner of his duties as Georgia Tech head coach after seven seasons at the helm. Stoudamire currently serves as an assistant with the Boston Celtics. Most of his coaching career happened at the collegiate level, most recently he served as head coach of Pacific from 2016 to 2021.

During that time he accumulated a coaching record of 71-77 and 34-47 in conference play. After spending over a decade in the NBA as a player, Stoudamire coached with the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Tigers, Arizona Wildcats, before returning as an assistant with Arizona in 2013.

In 2020, Stoudamire was named WCC Coach of the Year and given the Ben Jobe Award that is presented to the most outstanding minority men’s basketball coach.

College Sports Wire will continue to monitor the coaching carousel and provide updates as they are made available.

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Joe Mazzulla out vs. Rockets due to injury; Damon Stoudamire to coach

Joe Mazzulla is out for the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets and Damon Stoudamire will get the call to fill in.

The Boston Celtics look to pick up another win when they take on the Houston Rockets on Tuesday following a big Christmas Day win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics (24-10) have been playing excellent basketball, but they will have to win on Tuesday without their leader.

Coach Joe Mazzulla will not coach against the Rockets due to what the team is calling eye irritation. Assistant coach Damon Stoudamire will take over the head chair in this one. This will be a good test for Stoudamire and the Celtics to try to pick up a win without Mazzulla on the sidelines.

The Rockets have not been great on the season, but they have some big-time athletes: Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and a very solid center in Alperen Sengun. Stoudamire and the Celtics will have to find a way to overcome all of that at home.

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Celtics assistant coach Damon Stoudamire makes it clear his focus is on Boston’s success

A longtime friend of Udoka, Stoudamire makes it clear he’s in Boston to do the job of helping the Celtics win.

While he may be a close friend of suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, assistant coach Damon Stoudamire is committed to helping the Celtics pursue an NBA title this season.

“Nothing has changed in the room in what the expectations and the goals are,” said Stoudamire in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.

“That’s the biggest thing,” he continued, making it clear that while he would not be diving into the details behind the suspension his place was with the team he coaches for. “We’ve got to be prepared from that standpoint, mentally more than anything, because I think physically things will be there. We’ll get to that point.”

“I love being here and I love my job,” the Celtics assistant explained. “I love my job, and I want to see these dudes be as successful as they could be and I want to be a part of it.”

“Guys are hungry and guys are ready.,” added Stoudamire. “We can’t skip steps to it.”

“We all got a sour taste in our mouths about what happened last year, and we want to redeem ourselves.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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On this day: Celtics trade Billups, others for Anderson, Jones and Tabak

On this day, Boston made what was widely regarded as one of the worst trades in franchise history.

On this day in 1998 in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise’s impatient coach and President of Basketball Operations Rick Pitino sent veteran point guard Dee Brown and his rookie backcourt teammate Chauncey Billups to the Toronto Raptors in what remains a wildly unpopular trade in many corners.

It sent Brown and Billups as well as power forward Roy Rogers and big man John Thomas to the Raptors in exchange for guard Kenny Anderson, power forward Popeye Jones and big man Zan Tabak. The deal, often included on lists of the worst the club has made, netted Anderson in exchange.

He hadn’t even been with the Raptors for a week after having been traded to the team for point guard Damon Stoudamire, refusing to report to the Canadian franchise.