Georgia Tech Basketball: BJ Elder joins Yellow Jackets’ staff
Georgia Tech basketball once again hired one of their own to fill a staff position. This time it is BJ Elder as the new associate director of player personnel.
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner has filled the associate director of player personnel vacated by one Yellow Jacket’s legend with another program legend. Georgia Tech Hall of Famer B.J. Elder officially filled the position after having long been rumored as the top candidate. Former GT star, fan-favorite, and Atlanta Hawks guard Mario West formerly held the position under Pastner. West left the role in order to pursue coaching opportunities after the season.
While the associate director of player personnel is not a recruiting position, Elder has deep ties in Atlanta, specifically the Atlanta Celtics, one of the most prestigious AAU programs in the city. Georgia Tech is also an Adidas school, the same as the Celtics. The Celtics feature highly regarded players Dwon Odom (Xavier), Deivon Smith, Caleb Murphy, and Issa Muhammad this summer.
Elder starred for Paul Hewitt’s Yellow Jackets from 2001-2005. He averaged 13.2 points and was a 2x All-ACC selection. He was also the leading scorer of the 2003-04 Yellow Jackets’ team that went to the National Championship game against the University of Connecticut. He was hampered by injuries during his senior season in an unfortunate turn of events. Since 1992-93, only Tony Akins (301) has made more than Elder’s 222 3-point field goals. His 1,616 career points are also fifth in Georgia Tech history during the time frame.
Excited to add @GTMBB legend and @GTAthletics Hall of Famer BJ Elder to our staff! He brings a wealth of knowledge and will be an outstanding role model for our student-athletes. #BuiltDifferent https://t.co/TQ0tvq0yFZ
— Coach Josh Pastner (@CoachJPastner) July 16, 2019
Elder joins the staff a little over a month before the team heads to Spain for a European tour (stay tuned). Personally, I love this hire. To be completely blunt, B.J. Elder is my favorite player in Georgia Tech history. Stephon Marbury made me a Georgia Tech fan but watching Elder play was simply a thing of beauty.
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There are now two players from the 2003-04 National Championship Runner-Up team involved with the program. Sharpshooter Marvin Lewis is currently the associate athletics director for finance and administration.