Georgia Tech banned from postseason for benefits violations

The NCAA determined that boosters provided Georgia Tech basketball players with impermissible benefits and has subsequently hit the program with multiple penalties, including a postseason ban in 2019-20, a Division I Committee on Infractions panel announced Thursday.

Additional penalties include four years of NCAA probation, a loss of four men's basketball scholarships over that period, a $5,000 fine plus 2% of the men's basketball program budget, and an eight-week ban on recruiting communications.

"Both sets of violations occurred because men's basketball coaching staff members invited outside individuals into their program," the committee said in its decision. "They permitted these outside individuals to interact with their student-athletes, and those actions resulted in violations."

Josh Pastner is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

One set of violations resulted from the recruitment of a prospect who interacted with a booster, and former Georgia Tech player, who at the time "played for the local NBA team," according to the committee. Their outing included a free meal and a trip to a strip club, where the prospect was given $300 to spend.

The individuals involved are reportedly former NBA player Jarrett Jack and Wendell Carter Jr., who now plays for the Chicago Bulls after attending Duke, according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman. Jack was a member of the Atlanta Hawks for three months in 2016, around the time Carter was being recruited by Georgia Tech.