Head coach Scott Cross departs for Georgia Tech

Troy men’s basketball coach Scott Cross announced his departure from the program late last week. After seven years at Troy, he is now taking a head coaching role at Georgia Tech. 

The announcement comes following the loss to Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament last week. It capped off a 22-12 season that included a second straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament and regular season title. 

He will join a Georgia Tech program that struggled to an 11-20 finish. Under previous coach Damon Stoudemire, the Yellow Jackets went 42-55, with an NIT appearance in 2025 after going 17-17. The Ramblin Wreck have not seen a season above .500 since the 2020-21 season, which did not have a postseason.  

Among Georgia Tech Athletics administration is Brent Jones. Now serving as the Associate Vice President of Athletics, he is the former Athletic Director for Troy University. Jones joined Georgia Tech in August of last year. Cross is signed to a five-year deal.  

Cross was hired by Troy in 2019, replacing Phil Cunningham. Coming from his alma mater, UT-Arlington, he inherited a program that had suffered losing seasons both of the previous two years.  

After two seasons of rebuilding, Cross and the Trojans put the conference on watch with a 20-12 campaign in 2021. That team finished fourth in the conference and earned a berth in the CBI tournament. That season began a streak of five seasons earning 20 wins or more.

Cross earned Troy’s first Sun Belt regular-season title in 15 years during the 2024-25 season and did so again this past year. 

“Over the past seven years, Coach Scott Cross has truly embodied the values of Troy University,” Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. said in an official university statement. “We are incredibly proud of the success he has achieved on the court as evidenced by our back-to-back championships; however, the most important victories have come off the court - with our student-athletes, community and University.” 

There is no official word on the progress of Troy’s search for a head coach. No announcements have been made about which players and staff members, if any, will follow Cross from the wiregrass to the flats.