Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball Coach Nell Fortner Announces Retirement

ATLANTA — Nell Fortner, a coaching titan in women’s basketball, announced her retirement on March 31, 2025, ending a successful six-year tenure as head coach at Georgia Tech. Fortner’s decision comes following her team’s recent NCAA Tournament appearance, marking her final chapter after a career spanning more than 30 years.

“After a lot of deep thought and contemplation following the conclusion of our season, I have decided to retire from coaching,” Fortner stated. “This was not an easy decision, nor one that I made lightly, especially after returning to the NCAA Tournament this season and having so many special players and coaches coming back next season.”

During her six seasons at Georgia Tech, Fortner compiled a record of 110-75, securing postseason berths on four occasions. The Yellow Jackets made three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021, 2022, and 2025 and achieved 20-win seasons in 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2024-25. Notably, Fortner guided the team to a third-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.

“Georgia Tech is a gold mine, as an institution and an athletics department, and is well-positioned to compete for ACC and national championships in women’s basketball. That makes it very hard to step away,” she said.

Fortner’s accolades include being named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2021 and previously receiving similar honors in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference. She concluded her illustrious college coaching career with a record of 272-192, and an impressive 415-262 overall, including stints at the professional and international levels.

Her coaching journey began at Killeen High School in Texas, where she served as head coach from 1983 to 1986. She later assisted at multiple universities and with the U.S. national team, helping to secure a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt expressed gratitude for Fortner’s contributions. “Nell Fortner will be greatly missed by the entire Georgia Tech community. She’s not only been an incredible leader of our women’s basketball program, but she’s been a great sounding board for me,” Batt said. “We will immediately begin a national search to identify the best new leader to build on the success that Coach Fortner achieved here at Tech.”

Assistant coach LaSondra Barrett has been named interim head coach while the university searches for Fortner’s successor. The future remains bright for Georgia Tech women’s basketball, as Fortner leaves behind a legacy and a strong foundation for the program.