10 potential candidates to replace Damon Stoudamire at Georgia Tech

Another head coaching search is set to begin for Georgia Tech with the hopes of reenergizing this basketball program. Following three seasons leading the charge, Damon Stoudamire will not return and there will be a new head coach for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s brass will immediately begin a nationwide hunt for their next leader, with the hopes of becoming a power in the ACC someday soon once again.

Stoudamire starred at Arizona in the early 90’s and became a first round pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He spent the next thirteen years playing pro ball in the NBA, though much of his coaching experience has come at the college level. He did have early work on staff with the Memphis Grizzlies, one of his final teams, but was also an assistant at Arizona and Memphis. His first head coaching stint saw him begin a turnaround over five years at Pacific, including a 23-win campaign in 2020.

After a two-year stint on staff with the Boston Celtics, Stoudamire was lured back to the college scene at Georgia Tech in 2023. The move was a little surprising, but with his previous success and NBA pedigree he was thought to be someone to breathe life into the program. In his second season, Stoudamire took Georgia Tech to the NIT after an 8th place finish in the ACC. Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets bottomed out this season with a last-place finish and three years was deemed the end for his tenure.

The only trip to the NCAA Tournament for Georgia Tech in the last 15 years was as a result of that miracle run at the 2021 ACC Tournament. Whoever becomes the next head coach of the Yellow Jackets has a monumental task ahead trying to turn this program back into a contender in a top-heavy ACC. We’ll run through some intriguing names who could find themselves in Atlanta next season at this job.

Casey Alexander

A name that’ll attract plenty of attention this offseason, Alexander has spent nearly his entire career at Belmont, but he also boasts a decade and a half of head coaching experience. A longtime player and assistant under Rick Byrd at Belmont, he did solid work as head coach at Stetson and Lipscomb (taking the latter to the Big Dance and nearly an NIT title) before returning to Belmont in 2019. He’s taken the Bruins to 20+ wins in all seven seasons and secured the MVC regular season crown this past season. He’s more than ready to take the next step.

Chris Carrawell

While there’s no direct connection to Atlanta or this Georgia Tech program, Carrawell could be a name to watch for this and other major jobs in the years ahead. The St. Louis native starred at Duke in the late 90’s and has been on staff with the program since 2018, following work at Marquette before then. He’s never been a head coach at any level but Carrawell is a fantastic recruiter and a major part of the Blue Devils’ recent success, plus he clearly knows how to win from an ACC bench.

Bryan Hodgson

Suddenly a hot commodity in the coaching world, Hodgson flew under the radar early in his career before joining Nate Oats at Buffalo just over a decade ago. He helped Oats build great success both at Buffalo and Alabama before beginning his own head coaching career. Hodgson won a ton of games and a Sun Belt title in two years at Arkansas State before taking the South Florida job this past offseason. He’s only been in Tampa one year, but he’s already led the Bulls to the American regular season title and clearly has a knack for turning around programs quickly.

Shaheen Holloway

Holloway is an intriguing name you’ll see several people mention for the Georgia Tech opening. A former Seton Hall point guard, he played overseas for a few seasons but really has become a known name for his work as a head coach. He was on staff under Kevin Willard for more than a decade, mostly at Seton Hall, before gaining notoriety for leading Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight as a 15-seed in 2022. Since then, he’s been back with the Pirates and has been up and down at Seton Hall, though Georgia Tech would provide him a fresh start and new opportunity at success.

Dustin Kerns

Since his head coaching career began nearly a decade ago, Kerns always seems to have relevant teams that play hard. The Clemson alum gained experience at Tennessee, Wofford, and a few other schools before starting his head coaching career with two solid years at Presbyterian. Since arriving at Appalachian State in 2019, he’s won a ton of games with the Mountaineers and has been in an NCAA Tournament and an NIT. Georgia Tech could provide that next step for his career and he’s an intriguing candidate even if not the sexiest name or resume.

Brooks Savage

Another former Tennessee graduate assistant, Savage has a unique combination of recent success, ACC experience, and recruiting acumen. He spent over a decade working his way through the coaching ranks, notably spending eight years with Steve Forbes at East Tennessee State and Wake Forest. After that time in the ACC, his head coaching career has begun back with those same Buccaneers. After two solid seasons, Savage led East Tennessee State to the SoCon regular season crown this year and could be the next in a recent line of SoCon head coaches getting looks from ACC programs.

Josh Schertz

One of the most attractive names for Georgia Tech and various other openings this offseason, Schertz has really turned into someone to watch in coaching circles. He was already brilliant at the D2 level during a long stretch at Lincoln Memorial, but his last five seasons have blown that out of the water. At Indiana State, he built a fantastic roster that nearly won the NIT, but he’s topped that this season with Saint Louis. His Billikens won 27 games and the A-10 regular season crown and he’s certainly someone who’s going to get a lot of looks in the coming weeks.

Takayo Siddle

Earlier in his career, Siddle worked under Chris Holtmann and Kevin Keatts, spending time in the ACC on the staff at NC State. His first head coaching job has been with UNC Wilmington since 2020 and let’s just say nobody there wants him to get this post. His Seahawks have topped 20 wins each of the last five seasons and just claimed another CAA regular season title. Siddle is a winner who’s more than ready for the next step of his career and already knows how to recruit in the ACC.

Tony Skinn

Despite having just three years of head coaching experience, Skinn is another rising name who will be on the minds of nearly every power conference opening. A former star during George Mason’s run to the Final Four twenty years ago, Skinn picked up experience on the staffs of schools like Seton Hall, Ohio State, and Maryland before taking the helm at George Mason in 2023. What has followed has been a ton of success and the building of a winning culture, something the Yellow Jackets certainly yearn for down in Atlanta.

Travis Steele

It’s hard to ignore just what Steele has accomplished at Miami-Ohio this season but let’s look at the big picture. He’s a former Butler grad who worked under Kelvin Sampson and spent more than a decade at Xavier. Steele’s head coaching work with the Musketeers was clearly underwhelming, but he’s more than made up for that with Miami. Every season with the RedHawks has been better than the last since taking over in 2022 and it’s impossible to ignore a 31-0 record. The big question is if Steele would bolt Miami after four years once he’s gotten everything running like this, and if he’d do it for this kind of ACC gig.