About Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Men's Basketball
It hasn't been a good run on the court for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but the program has some history to look back on proudly. The ‘00s were a great time for the team, as they made the tournament four times in the decade. Most impressive of all, the Yellow Jackets made a spirited run to the NCAA championship final in 2004, where they fell to the Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon–led UConn Huskies. However, that team lives on in Georgia Tech lore for making it farther than any other team in school history.
Prior to that glorious season, Georgia Tech — known mostly for its football team, in terms of athletics — had made just one other Final Four, in 1990, where they lost to the eventual champions, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Nothing to be ashamed of there, as that team was one of the best of the modern era of college basketball. There have been other spurts of success for Georgia Tech here and there, but the two iconic seasons that are 1990 and 2004 reign supreme.
Though Georgia Tech is not a powerhouse program by any stretch, a handful of alumni from the team helped define the last couple of decades of NBA basketball. The most famous Yellow Jacket in the NBA participated in one of the great experiments in professional sports. Chris Bosh's run as part of the Miami Heat's Big Three at the start of the ‘10s led to four straight NBA Finals appearances and two rings for the big man, who was often overshadowed but not forgotten by his more famous teammates, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Other notable Georgia Tech players in the NBA include Jarrett Jack, Thaddeus Young, John Barry, and the inimitable Stephon Marbury, who took the NBA by storm in the ‘90s.
