Coach Fortner prepares for her second season at Tech
Georgia Tech women’s basketball is set to begin Wednesday at noon against the Georgia State Panthers. Head coach Nell Fortner is heading into her second season with the Yellow Jackets and the thrill around the program is picking up momentum. Last season, the Jackets finished 20-11 overall and 10-8 in ACC play. They also knocked off four AP top-25 ranked teams including then-ranked #4 N.C. State in Raleigh.
In her opening statement, Coach Fortner immediately recognized that both teams are returning experienced rosters. Last season, the Panthers finished 8-21 overall and 5-13 in Sun Belt conference play. The Jackets also whipped the Panthers 69-28 in McCamish last season.
Georgia Tech only lost one starter from a season ago, but a big one, in Francesca Pan. Coach Fortner expressed her desire to help fill in that role this season, and many of the freshmen are progressing quickly. From the last interview we had with Coach Fortner, the freshman were still getting a feel for things, but as gameday is one day away, she believes the freshmen have made a lot of progress and are getting a better feel for things. In regards to freshman Anaya Boyd who hasn’t been able to make it to the court yet, Coach Fortner says that she’s “almost ready”, but doesn’t have an exact time frame.
The Yellow Jackets only have 10 of their 11 rostered players ready to go for Wednesday’s game, but Coach Fortner says that there are some staff members who actually have been helping the limited roster along with others on the practice floor. Assistant coaches Murriel Page and Blanche Alverson are two staff members that Coach Fortner mentioned.
On Lorela Cubaj, coach Fortner says that she has every potential for a breakout year. Cubaj is a senior this season with three years of on-court experience. Last season, averaged 10.3 points per game and 8 rebounds per game for her best season yet. There is undoubtedly a high ceiling for her this year and Coach Fortner says that she plans to implement more ways to get her the ball.
Georgia Tech will tip-off at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and will head into their 3-game stretch of nonconference games which includes a home game against in-state rival Georgia on Sunday, November 29th. This week will be a big week for Coach Nell and her team as they start off with two in-state teams which could have recruiting implications. The Yellow Jackets will begin their ACC play on December 9th against Boston College.
