Jackets to Compete in Emerald Coast Classic Thanksgiving Weekend

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team will play in the Emerald Coast Classic presented by Global Sports the weekend after Thanksgiving as part of its non-conference schedule in 2025-26. The Yellow Jackets are part of a field that includes DePaul, Drake and LSU for the Nov. 28-29 event at Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla.

Tech will face DePaul in one semifinal round game at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, Nov. 28, while Drake will play LSU at 9:30 p.m. The third-place game will be played at 4 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 29 with the championship game scheduled for that Saturday.

Both of the semifinal round games as well as the championship game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

LSU will be making its second appearance in the Emerald Coast Classic, claiming the 2021 title after beating Wake Forest, 75-61, in the championship. Drake is coming off a school-record 31-4 mark, sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles along with a trip to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Georgia Tech, under third-year coach Damon Stoudamire, posted a 17-17 record last season, advancing to the National Invitational Tournament. DePaul competed in the first round of the 2025 College Basketball Crown, marking the school’s first appearance in the postseason tournament since the 2018-19 season.

Tech and DePaul have split four meetings in their hardcourt history, last meeting in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Midwest Regional in Dayton, Ohio with the Yellow Jackets taking an 87-70 victory. The Jackets are 14-22 all-time against LSU, with the Tigers winning the last meeting, 69-53, in the 2021 Holiday Hoopsgiving event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tech and Drake have never met.

Tickets will go on sale for the tournament later this summer.

Emerald Coast Classic History
2023 — Ohio State, champion; Santa Clara, runner-up
2022 — TCU, champion; Iowa, runner-up
2021 — LSU, champion; Wake Forest, runner-up
2019 — Florida State, champion; Purdue, runner-up
2018 — Cincinnati, champion; Ole Miss, runner-up
2017 — TCU, champion; St. Bonaventure, runner-up
2016 — Virginia, champion; Providence, runner-up
2015 — Iowa State, champion; Illinois, runner-up
2014 — Ole Miss, champion; Cincinnati, runner-up

OUTLOOK FOR TECH

Tech, which won 17 games and finished eighth in the ACC at 10-10 last season, will be led by 6-9 junior forward Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal), a third-team All-ACC performer who averaged a double-double in conference games, who is the conference top returning big man in scoring (13.4 ppg), rebounding (8.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (53.6%). Also returning is 6-7 wing man Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (Macon, Ga.), who played just six games last season after sustaining a foot injury (averaged 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds in 2023-24), and 6-5 sophomore guard Jaeden Mustaf (Bowie, Md.), who averaged 8.6 points and 1.6 assists over 26 games.

The Jackets have added four transfer players to the roster in 6-3 guard Chas Kelley (Boston College), 6-6 wing Kam Craft (Miami, Ohio), 6-4 guard Lamar Washington (Pacific), and 7-0 center Peyton Marshall (Missouri). They are among 10 newcomers to the Yellow Jackets’ roster for the 2025-26 season.

They join a Tech recruiting class that is ranked No. 13 in in the nation in the team rankings compiled by Rivals, No. 4 among Atlantic Coast Conference teams, and No. 24 in the nation in the 247Sports composite listing. Tech’s freshman class includes four-star 6-4 guard Akai Fleming from Marietta, Ga., who attends Overtime Elite in Atlanta, four-star 6-10 center Mouhamed Sylla from Louga, Senegal by way of Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, three-star 6-5 guard/forward Brandon Stores, Jr., from St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx, N.Y., three-star Cole Kirouac, a 6-11 center from Cumming, Ga., and Overtime Elite, three-star 5-11 point guard Eric Chatfield from Pace Academy in Atlanta, and international 6-4 guard prospect Davi Remagen of Cologne, Germany.

SEASON TICKETS REMAIN ON SALE

Season ticket prices start at $290. Season tickets for faculty, staff and letterwinners are $280, and tickets for new alumni can be purchased for as little as $190.

Click here to become a Georgia Tech men’s basketball season ticket member

 

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Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its third year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.

Season tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.