# 2023–24 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by first-year head coach Damon Stoudamire and played their home games at Hank McCamish Pavilion as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Yellow Jackets started the season with two wins and two losses before completing two major upsets. They defeated twenty-first ranked Mississippi State in the ACC–SEC Challenge and seventh ranked Duke in their ACC opening game. They followed those upsets with a loss in their rivalry game to Georgia. From there, the team won four straight games including their first two games in the early season tournament, the Diamond Head Classic. Including the championship game of that tournament, the Yellow Jackets went on a five game losing streak. Duke defeated them while ranked eleventh in a rematch of their earlier game, and they pushed Notre Dame to over time, but could not prevail. An upset win over Clemson in double overtime broke the losing streak, but the team lost eight of their next nine games. The only win was over then third-ranked North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets finished the season well, winning four of their last six games. Their losses were to Clemson in a rematch of the previous upset and to Virginia on the final day of the season.
The Yellow Jackets finished the season 14–18 and 7–13 in ACC play to finish in a tie for twelfth place. As the thirteenth seed in the ACC tournament, they lost to thirteenth seed Notre Dame in the First Round. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the NIT.

## Previous season

The Yellow Jackets finished the 2022–23 season 15–18, 6–14 in ACC play to finish in 13th place. In the ACC tournament, they defeated Florida State before losing to Pittsburgh in the second round.
On March 10, 2023, the school fired head coach Josh Pastner. Three days later, the school named former Pacific head coach Damon Stoudamire the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Javon Franklin | 4 | F | 6'7" | 220 | GS Senior | Little Rock, AR | Graduated |
| Deivon Smith | 5 | G | 6'1" | 172 | Junior | Loganville, GA | Transferred to Utah |
| Cyril Martynov | 10 | F | 6'11" | 230 | Freshman | Barrie, ON | Transferred to Eastern Michigan |
| Tristan Maxwell | 11 | G | 6'2" | 209 | Junior | Huntersville, NC | Transferred to Hampton |
| Freds Bagatskis | 12 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Freshman | Riga, Latvia | Transferred to UT Arlington |
| Jalon Moore | 14 | F | 6'6" | 211 | Sophomore | Gardendale, AL | Transferred to Oklahoma |
| Jordan Meka | 23 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Junior | Yaoundé, Cameroon | Entered Transfer Portal |
| Rodney Howard | 24 | C | 6'10" | 246 | Senior | Ypsilanti, MI | Graduate transferred to Western Kentucky |
| Coleman Boyd | 30 | G | 6'1" | 178 | Senior | Smyrna, GA | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Brayden Daniels | 33 | G | 6'4" | 176 | Sophomore | Louisville, KY | Walk-on; not on team roster |
| Jermontae Hill | 43 | F | 6'6" | 198 | Freshman | Tucker, GA | Walk-on; Entered Transfer Portal |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Tafara Gapare | 2 | F | 6'9" | 185 | Sophomore | Wellington, New Zealand | UMass |
| Carter Murphy | 4 | G | 6'4" | 200 | GS Senior | Phoenix, AZ | Air Force |
| Ebenezer Dowuona | 10 | F | 6'11" | 225 | Senior | Accra, Ghana | NC State |
| Tyzhaun Claude | 12 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Junior | Goldsboro, NC | Western Carolina |
| Kowacie Reeves | 14 | G | 6'6" | 192 | Junior | Macon, GA | Florida |
| Amaree Abram | 24 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Port Arthur, TX | Ole Miss |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Baye Ndongo #48 C | Putman, CT | Putnam Science Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | May 19, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Ibrahim Souare #53 C | Glendale, AZ | Dream City Christian | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 15, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Ibrahima Sacko SF | Markham, ON | J. Addison | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 222 lb (101 kg) | Jul 14, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Nait George PG | Glendale, AZ | Dream City Christian | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 9, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Georgia Tech Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Georgia Tech 2023 Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Jaeden Mustaf #18 SG | Bowie, MD | Overtime Elite | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 |||||||
| Cole Kirouac PF | Cumming, GA | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Georgia Tech Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Georgia Tech 2024 Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:30 p.m. | | Clark Atlanta | W 91–75 | – | 19 – Reeves | 8 – Tied | 11 – Sturdivant | McCamish Pavilion (3,244) Atlanta, GA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Georgia Southern | W 84–62 | 1–0 | 25 – Kelly | 10 – Claude | 6 – Sturdivant | McCamish Pavilion (3,414) Atlanta, GA |
| November 9, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Howard | W 88–85 | 2–0 | 27 – Kelly | 7 – Reeves | 3 – Tied | McCamish Pavilion (3,802) Atlanta, GA |
| November 14, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | UMass Lowell | L 71–74 | 2–1 | 24 – Coleman | 9 – Claude | 5 – Sturdivant | McCamish Pavilion (3,778) Atlanta, GA |
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 54–89 | 2–2 | 14 – Reeves Jr. | 8 – Ndongo | 4 – Sturdivant | Fifth Third Arena (11,756) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | No. 21 Mississippi State ACC–SEC Challenge | W 67–59 | 3–2 | 22 – Kelly | 12 – Kelly | 3 – Ndongo | McCamish Pavilion (3,913) Atlanta, GA |
| December 2, 2023 2:15 p.m., The CW | | No. 7 Duke | W 72–68 | 4–2 (1–0) | 21 – Ndongo | 7 – Kelly | 9 – George | McCamish Pavilion (7,758) Atlanta, GA |
| December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia Rivalry | L 62–76 | 4–3 | 12 – Tied | 11 – Ndongo | 4 – Kelly | Stegeman Coliseum (9,017) Athens, GA |
| December 9, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ACCN | | Alabama A&M | W 70–49 | 5–3 | 20 – Reeves | 10 – Reeves | 8 – George | McCamish Pavilion (3,919) Atlanta, GA |
| December 16, 2023* 12:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Penn State | W 82–81 $^{OT}$ | 6–3 | 20 – Gapare | 19 – Ndongo | 8 – George | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| December 21, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. UMass Diamond Head Classic Quarterfinals | W 73–70 | 7–3 | 21 – Sturdivant | 9 – Claude | 5 – George | Stan Sheriff Center (5,290) Honolulu, HI |
| December 22, 2023* 11:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Hawai'i Diamond Head Classic Semifinals | W 73–68 | 8–3 | 22 – Ndongo | 12 – Ndongo | 5 – Sturdivant | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 24, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | vs. Nevada Diamond Head Classic Championship Game | L 64–72 | 8–4 | 20 – Ndongo | 8 – Ndongo | 3 – Kelly | Stan Sheriff Center (5,005) Honolulu, HI |
| January 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Florida State | L 71–82 | 8–5 (1–1) | 20 – Kelly | 9 – Ndongo | 5 – Sturdivant | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (4,248) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 6, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Boston College | L 87–95 | 8–6 (1–2) | 18 – Ndongo | 10 – Tied | 9 – Sturdivant | McCamish Pavilion (5,052) Atlanta, Ga |
| January 9, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Notre Dame | L 68–75 $^{OT}$ | 8–7 (1–3) | 25 – Kelly | 9 – Ndongo | 11 – George | McCamish Pavilion (3,729) Atlanta, GA |
| January 13, 2024 5:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 11т Duke | L 79–84 | 8–8 (1–4) | 17 – George | 11 – Kelly | 5 – George | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 16, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Clemson | W 93–90 $^{2OT}$ | 9–8 (2–4) | 20 – George | 10 – Ndongo | 6 – George | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,217) Clemson, SC |
| January 20, 2023 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Virginia | L 66–75 | 9–9 (2–5) | 15 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 9 – George | McCamish Pavilion (6,380) Atlanta, GA |
| January 23, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Pittsburgh | L 64–72 | 9–10 (2–6) | 17 – Ndongo | 8 – Ndongo | 4 – George | McCamish Pavilion (3,612) Atlanta, GA |
| January 27, 2023 5:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Virginia Tech | L 67–91 | 9–11 (2–7) | 16 – Ndongo | 9 – Ndongo | 8 – George | Cassell Coliseum (8,925) Blacksburg, VA |
| January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 3 North Carolina | W 74–73 | 10–11 (3–7) | 18 – Sturdivant | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | McCamish Pavilion (8,600) Atlanta, GA |
| February 3, 2024 5:30 p.m., The CW | | at NC State | L 76–82 | 10–12 (3–8) | 20 – Kelly | 10 – Kelly | 5 – George | PNC Arena (15,523) Raleigh, NC |
| February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Wake Forest | L 51–80 | 10–13 (3–9) | 14 – Ndongo | 6 – Ndongo | 7 – George | McCamish Pavilion (4,239) Atlanta, GA |
| February 10, 2024 6:30 p.m., ACCN | | at Louisville | L 67–79 | 10–14 (3–10) | 36 – Kelly | 9 – Claude | 3 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (11,891) Louisville, KY |
| February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Notre Dame | L 55–58 | 10–15 (3–11) | 13 – Sacko | 6 – Reeves Jr. | 4 – Tied | Joyce Center (4,589) South Bend, IN |
| February 17, 2024 5:30 p.m., The CW | | Syracuse | W 65–60 | 11–15 (4–11) | 17 – Sturdivant | 11 – Ndongo | 4 – Sturdivant | McCamish Pavilion (6,241) Atlanta, GA |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Clemson | L 57–81 | 11–16 (4–12) | 14 – Sturdivant | 7 – Tied | 7 – Sacko | McCamish Pavilion (4,567) Atlanta, GA |
| February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Miami (FL) | W 80–76 | 12–16 (5–12) | 25 – Kelly | 8 – Reeves Jr. | 7 – Sturdivant | Watsco Center (7,906) Coral Gables, FL |
| March 2, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Florida State | W 85–76 | 13–16 (6–12) | 20 – Sturdivant | 14 – Ndongo | 4 – Tied | McCamish Pavilion (5,908) Atlanta, GA |
| March 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Wake Forest | W 70–69 | 14–16 (7–12) | 19 – Kelly | 11 – Ndongo | 3 – George | LVJM Coliseum (7,481) Winston-Salem, NC |
| March 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Virginia | L 57–72 | 14–17 (7–13) | 21 – Ndongo | 9 – Ndongo | 5 – George | John Paul Jones Arena (13,877) Charlottesville, VA |
| ACC tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCN | (13) | vs. (12) Notre Dame First Round | L 80–84 | 14–18 | 24 – George | 7 – Ndongo | 7 – George | Capital One Arena (7,523) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |