Georgia Tech Basketball: 8 candidates to replace Josh Pastner as head coach

Jarrett Jack

There’s always an unconventional name on these kinds of coaching lists, though this one is different in a number of ways. Georgia Tech’s most recent coaching hires have been solid head coaches from non-power conference programs, and that hasn’t exactly worked out. We’re not saying they shouldn’t hire the head coach of a mid-major (every other name on the list is just that), but what about an NBA name with direct connections to the program?

Jack was a star point guard for the Yellow Jackets two decades ago and played on the team that made the national championship game in 2004. He spent more than a decade bouncing around in the NBA and scored nearly 10,000 career points. After his retirement, he got into coaching and currently sits as an assistant for the Phoenix Suns, a role he’s had for two years.

The clear and immediate red flag is that Jack only has two years of coaching at any level, even if it is in the NBA. He’s never been a head coach and has never recruited at the collegiate level, and the track record of NBA guys at college programs isn’t exactly stellar in recent years. However, he’s a proud former Yellow Jacket who represents former glory for this program. It would be unconventional and maybe not the wisest move, but his hiring would bring energy back in one way or another.