March 23, 2017
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s first-year head coach Josh Pastner has been named the John “Whack” Hyder Georgia College Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, the organization announced Thursday.
Also honored by the Tipoff Club were Mercer junior Kahlia Lawrence and Georgia senior J.J. Frazier, who were named the 2017 Georgia College Basketball Players of the Year. Additionally, Columbus State’s Anita Howard was named the women’s college coach of the year. The winners were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, which based its decisions on season-long performances.
It is the third coach-of-the-year honor for Pastner, who earned top honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference earlier this month and Wednesday was named District 2 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In his first year on the Flats, he has coached the Yellow Jackets to a 20-15 record and the final four of the National Invitation Tournament. He has won more games than any first-year coach in Tech history.
The coach of the year award is named for Whack Hyder, the Lula, Ga., native who piloted the Georgia Tech men’s basketball program from 1952-73, guided Tech to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1960 and to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament in 1971. He coaches the Yellow Jackets’ first All-American, Roger Kaiser in 1960, and its all-time leading scorer, Rich Yunkus.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its first year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 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.
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