Anyaorah Set to Transfer

From UGA release...

University of Georgia basketball player Ebuka Anyaorah has requested, and been granted, a release from his athletic scholarship, indicating his intention to transfer from the University, according to an announcement Wednesday from head coach Mark Fox.

"I’d like to wish Ebuka the best as he continues his career," Fox said. "I really appreciate his contributions to our program during the past year."

Anyaorah, a 6-4 guard from Suwanee, played in 28 of 31 games of the 2010 season, his only year of participation for the Bulldogs. He averaged 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 10.5 minutes per game, with his season high of nine points coming in Georgia’s win over Florida on Feb. 27.

A stress fracture in his right tibia, and the subsequent surgery to repair it, forced Anyaorah to miss the entire 2009 season. He played the 2010 campaign as a redshirt freshman.

“I have enjoyed my time at Georgia, but I have decided to pursue some other options in college basketball in hopes of more playing time,” Anyaorah said. “I just believe that it is in my best interests to explore other playing opportunities. I’ve made lasting friendships with my UGA teammates and I wish them nothing but success in the future.”

***

Anyaorah's departure marks the third player to transfer from Georgia this spring, following forward Drazen Zlavoric and guard DeMario Mayfield. Last year, guard Zac Swansey and forward Troy Brewer left following the end of the SEC tournament.

Mark Fox had praised Anyaorah's development as recently as three weeks ago at the Macon Bulldog Club meeting, calling him part of an improved -- and deeper -- backcourt. The sophomore's departure won't likely have a major impact on the starting lineup, but given the precarious depth this team has had for the past several years, his decision definitely stings a bit.

Backcourt Depth Key to Dawgs' Revival

It was February -- midway through was proved to be a redemptive, yet unfulfilled season for Georgia's men's basketball team -- and Mark Fox decided to hold an impromptu pick-up game between the starters and reserves.

The game lasted just five minutes. The backups won by 10.

When it was over, one of Fox's student managers quipped, "Coach, I think we're playing the wrong guys."

"That may be true," Fox said, "But Gerald Robinson isn't eligible to play."

That's the type of impact Fox is expecting this coming season from Robinson, the transfer from Tennessee State who spent last season wowing teammates and coaches in practice but unable to see a minute of playing time in the games due to NCAA regulations regarding transfers.

In fact, when ESPN's Andy Katz listed Georgia -- a team that finished last in the SEC East in 2009-10 -- as No. 25 in his preseason top-25 ballot a few weeks ago, Robinson was one of his primary reasons.

"Gerald has a lot of respect from certain people," Fox said. "He's played well at the college level, and I think he turned down a lot of schools of this caliber out of high school, so I think people who are close to the game expect him to be an impact-type player. And I think he will make an impact on our team, and that's what we brought him here to do is really help us."

The help couldn't come at a better time or at a better position.

Fox estimates Georgia could easily have won five, six, maybe seven more games last season had Robinson -- a 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior, who averaged nearly 18 points and four assists per game as a sophomore at TSU -- been able to play last season.

More than anything, it was an issue of depth.

During exit meetings with players, point guard Dustin Ware confessed to his coach what had been obvious all season: He was exhausted.

"Dustin told me in our exit meetings, 'Coach, I wore down at the end of games,'" Fox said. "But he had to shoulder a ton of responsibility, and every team we played knew it, so they just came at him and at him and at him for 40 minutes. I have to give him credit for hanging in there like he did, but he was the first one to tell me, 'I'm going to invest the summer in my endurance.' But we have to help him out some, and I think Gerald will be a part of it."

Fox said he expects Robinson to play a hybrid role this season -- working at the 2 alongside Ware often, but playing his fair share at the point as well, with junior Travis Leslie getting an increased workload at the 2-guard spot, as well. Add in JuCo transfer Sherrard Brantley as another perimeter shooter along with the continued development of sophomores Vince Williams and Ebuka Anyaorah, and Georgia's backcourt could become a strength in 2010-11.

Brantley is a strong shooter, hitting 106 3-pointers Northwest Florida CC last season, while Williams showed some promise down the stretch running the point. Between Brantley, Leslie, Ware and Robinson, Fox expects experience to be a benefit as well.

All of that is huge in planning his scheme this season, Fox said. Last year was all about covering up weaknesses. This year has the potential to be much more.

"I played more zone last year than I played my first five years as a head coach," Fox said. "I don't want to sit in a zone the whole game, but when you're playing four guys 30-plus minutes per game, that's a way to keep them on the floor and keep them out of foul trouble. So we needed to continue to add depth and add perimeter guys because last year, that was a huge weakness for us."

Even with the lack of depth and hefty responsibility, Ware still finished third in the SEC last season in assist-to-turnover ratio, which speaks volumes about the junior's determination. But Fox said the key for this season is finding multiple players to rely upon, giving Ware a chance to be at his best for every minute he's on the court.

That's still a bit of a work in progress, but with Robinson's availability and the continued maturation of the rest of Georgia's backcourt, the prospects for 2010-11 are much brighter than the bleak situation Fox inherited last season.

"We're a lot closer if we'll continue to mature," Fox said. "We'll have the same number of guys on the team that we had last year, but it's the quality of the depth that's the issue. We need some guys to mature and continue to develop. Ebuka made some strides late in the year and we need him to have a really good summer. Brantley is a kid who understands winning. I think he'll help us. But we'll be a lot deeper team, and we'll be able to play more like we want to play and not be so worried about foul trouble and fatigue like we were last year."

Georgia vs. The Field

Unless you were under a rock yesterday, you're well aware that the tournament brackets for the NCAA tournament and the NIT were both announced. Not at all surprisingly, Georgia didn't make either field -- but that doesn't mean the announcements were without impact in Athens.

As it turns out, Georgia's schedule was no simple task this season. The Dawgs made strides this season on the court despite playing 12 games against NCAA tourney foes and six more against teams invited to the NIT. (That's up three from last year overall, for what it's worth, but nearly double the total against NCAA teams.)

Seven of Georgia's non-conference foes made either the NIT or NCAA this year, too -- so it wasn't just a boost in competition within the SEC. Georgia challenged itself early and often, and that was probably a good thing -- even if the results weren't fully realized in their 14-17 overall record.

But speaking of records, the Dawgs' improvements certainly weren't just about beating the weakest of their opponents.

Last season, Georgia faced seven NCAA tourney teams and lost all seven of those games.

This season, Georgia played 12 games against NCAA tourney teams and finished with a respectable 4-8 record.

Of course, you might say, "Come on, Hale, 4-8 isn't exactly respectable." And that'd be true if we were talking about Duke or North Carolina or Kansas. But for Georgia, it's real progress. (And in truth, I saw plenty of arguments for teams to be included in the tourney when they boasted records worse than 4-8 against RPI Top 100 teams.)

But let's look beyond the records, too. For Georgia, step 1 wasn't winning games. Step 1 was simply being competitive -- and that's where the Dawgs really progressed this year.

In the 2008-09 season, not only did Georgia finish winless against tourney teams, it wasn't even close. The average score of the Dawgs' games against NCAA tourney foes last season was 79-61 -- i.e. the Dawgs didn't just lose those games, but instead were blown out by an average of 18 points.

This season, they won four more games against tourney teams, but that, too, doesn't tell the whole story. The average score against NCAA tourney foes this season was 74-71 -- turning those blowout losses into close calls.

(Note: Even if we look at games vs. NIT opponents, where the Dawgs were 3-5 last season and 1-5 this year, the margins still improved. On average, Georgia was outscored by 10 points per game against NIT foes last year, and that number dropped to seven this season, despite winning two fewer games. It's also worth noting, the majority of the NIT opponents were non-conference games early in the season, before Fox's plan had much time to develop.)

Much as Mark Fox said all season, this wasn't just about how things shook out in the standings. It was about earning respect.

By that measure, it's hard to consider the 2009-10 season anything but a rousing success.

And in case you're curious, here's Georgia's record vs. tourney opponents this year and last...

2008-2009

NCAA
Miss St - 60-79
Tenn - 48-79
LSU - 62-80
Tenn - 77-86
WKU - 63-67
Missouri - 76-83
Illinois - 42-76

Record: 0-7
Score: 428-550

NIT
S Carolina - 68-79
S Carolina - 51-68
Kentucky - 45-68
Kentucky - 90-85
Virginia Tech - 67-66
Auburn - 59-71
Florida - 57-83
Florida - 88-86

Record: 3-5
Score: 525-606

2009-2010

NCAA
Wofford - 57-60
Missouri - 68-76
GT - 73-66
Kentucky - 68-76
Kentucky - 68-80
Vandy - 66-78
Vandy - 72-58
Tenn - 60-69
Vandy - 94-96
Tenn - 78-63
Florida - 71-87
Florida - 78-76

Record: 4-8
Score: 853-885

NIT
UAB - 56-72
Virginia Tech - 62-74
Miss State - 69-72
Illinois - 70-67
St Johns - 56-66
Ole Miss - 76-80

Record: 1-5
Score: 389-431

SIDE NOTE: My early look through my brackets keeps leading me to pick three Big East teams in the Final Four. That can't be right, but I just don't trust Kentucky.

SEC Tourney Post-Game Reactions

About to close up shop here in Nashville, but some final input from Mark Fox and his players...

Fox on the game and the season:
“I’m upset we lost. I didn’t plan on losing. We were planning on being here (Saturday) afternoon. I am proud of this team because when I came everybody kept telling me how terrible we were. I don’t know if we were necessarily a great basketball team, but we beat some people maybe we weren’t supposed to beat, we’ve given our program some momentum, and we earned some respect back. In rebuilding, those are steps you have to take. So I don’t feel empty because we did take some steps forward, but I’m angry that we lost.”

Fox on Travis Leslie's 34-point performance:
"Travis played very well. I think that he's really matured as a young man and as a player, and he played very well last night, and was able to put back-to-back games together. I wish we had a couple more guys that could have done that. He's really maturing as a player, and that's good to see."

Fox on Trey Thompkins' scoreless first half:
"They zoned us the majority of the ballgame and they were shaded towards Trey. We had a tough time finding openings for him, but he's been our best player and our leading scorer all year. So obviously when you go into a game, the defense is going to be geared to slow him down. And when we've been most effective, we've had more than one guy that has scored next to him. Tonight, we really only had Travis effectively scoring around Trey and just couldn't draw some of that attention away from him."

Fox on his post-game message to his team:
"I just told them that we were prepared to play tomorrow. I never felt like this team wanted this season to be over. I didn't have that sense at all today. Often times at the end of the year, you sense guys that are just waiting for it to end. I never sensed that with this team. And they were excited to come to the gym every day, and today also. I just told them that they've made some momentum forward and earned some respect back for our program, and I'll always be appreciative of that."

Fox on the decisions facing Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie about the NBA:
“They need to decompress, but I’ll sit down with them and talk about their futures and find out what the pro people say and manage the process. Travis has already said he’ll be back, but Travis needs to approach the offseason the right way, and both of them mean a lot to me. Those are great kids and I’ll help any way I can.”

Fox on UGA's chances of a postseason tourney bid in the CBI or CIT:
“We’re not going to get an invitation somewhere to play. We don’t have a winning record, and I’m pretty sure we’re done playing.”

Jeremy Price on his thoughts if UGA did get a chance to keep playing:
"We're a competitive team, and if there's a chance to compete of any kind, we'll go in and win it."

Price on the second-half shooting of Vandy's John Jenkins:
“Jenkins is a great 3-point shooter and it seemed like he just made those 3s at the right time for them and the wrong time for us. Right when we were making our run to get back in the game and get ahead, he squeezed in two wide-open ones and two tough ones, and that was a game-changer.”

Trey Thompkins on Vandy's performance:
“They’re at home. They had momentum. They had a crowd, and they were confident. They played hard, relentless. And that rewards you.”

Thompkins on his NBA decision:
"That's something I don't even want to think about right now. If that time comes, I'll talk it over with my coaches and make the best decision for me."

Thompkins on whether the team's progress makes him want to stick around another year:
"We're maturing as a group and everybody's getting older -- we'll all be a year older and more experienced. A lot of those games we were close in and we lost, we'll start pulling out."

Travis Leslie on his future:
"I'm not thinking about that right now. If I do, it's going to be up to my parents, and we'll figure that out whenever we get a chance."

Damon Evans on his assessment of the team:
"I saw a lot of growth this year. We're building a program, and I'm excited we were able to come to this tournament and win a game to move our program forward. The young men fought hard, and I think Mark and his staff did a really good job to start that process, and I'm excited about what the future holds."

Evans on whether the team exceeded his expectations:
"I always felt Mark would come in and do a good job, but where this team really showed me something is the improvement from the players individually, the improvement from the overall chemistry together, and how hard they fought. I think they exceeded a lot of people's expectations, and I'm pleased with the progress -- extremely pleased."

Fleeting Thoughts: UGA vs. Tennessee Hoops Edition

A few words about last night's dominant Georgia win over Tennessee...

-- If you had told me in November that Georgia would have a 25-point lead over anyone in the second half of an SEC game this year, I would have assumed you had just been swimming in a vat of bourbon.

-- Instead, Georgia is probably about eight plays away from being 12-5 overall and 4-0 in the SEC with wins over four ranked opponents in its last five games.

-- Having said that, Mark Fox's Dawgs are still just 9-8 and 1-3 in conference, which means there is a lot of work left to do.

-- That work probably needs to start with the guard play. The Travis Leslie-Trey Thompkins combo is solid, Price had a nice night off the bench, Jackson has been very good defensively… but the guard play has been really inconsistent. And the Dawgs still had 18 turnovers Saturday, with UT holding a 20-14 edge in points off TOs.

-- The last time Georgia beat a team ranked as high as the Vols were, I was living on the opposite coast, weighed 30 pounds less and had never written a story for a newspaper in my life. (And yes, I think the weight and writing issues are related.)

-- Tennessee is definitely not as good as its No. 8 ranking suggests, but that was a solid basketball team, and Georgia absolutely crushed them. Officially the game was played at Stegeman. Unofficially, it was behind a woodshed.

-- I can't figure how Bruce Pearl didn't end up with a technical in that game.

-- Travis Leslie's numbers for the night? Nineteen points, nine boards and seven assists. Four of his rebounds were on the offensive end and he matched his two turnovers by making two steals. Kid is a player.

-- Oh, and he added another signature dunk to his highlight reel. Now, part of me has some concerns that all those flashy dunks are starting to get in his head, and it's just a matter of time before he misses one and ends up in Fox's dog house. But here's what he had to say after the game: “I don’t really get nervous when I dunk. I just go up there.”

So, nothing to worry about.

-- And as for his highlight dunk last night, here's how he described it: “That was an old-time dunk. I haven’t done it in a while. When I was on the break, I really didn’t know what I was going to do, and I just tried it. And I made it.”

-- Kudos to the fans, who not only turned out in big numbers but were loud and enthusiastic throughout. As a northerner, I have no room to comment on the commitment of football fans. Up north, we treat college football the same way we treat breakfast -- we like it, but if we're busy, we'll just grab a pop tart and not think twice. But I do know a thing or two about what a college hoops game is supposed to feel like, and that was a fun environment last night.

-- And while we're on the subject of fans, there were quite a few Tennessee fans there who stayed pretty loud until the game was well in hand late in the second half. Thinking back to how bad UT was before Bruce Pearl got there, it was really almost like looking into the future of what Georgia could be with Fox -- a day when Dawgs fans not only fill Stegeman routinely, but show up to annoy the folks in opposing stadiums, too.

-- And a bit more on the fans…. Can we please stop with the "Over-Rated" chant? Why do you want to call the team you just beat overrated? That's essentially diminishing your own accomplishment? Isn't it better to assume Georgia just beat a very good team rather than one that was simply lucky to be ranked so high? If anything, fans should chant "Under-Rated" for the Bulldogs.

-- That said, kudos for the "Lane Kiffin" chant in the final two minutes.

-- I must agree with Blogging Pantsless… inflatable mascots just creep me out.

-- On the other hand, friend of the blog Tom Fell -- a.k.a. Rocky -- made two runs to the top of Stegeman yesterday. That's bringin' it!

-- On the other other hand, this guy went a little bit overboard. That's peanut butter, by the way.

-- Bruce Pearl's kid looks like he should be on "Jersey Shore." He's like "The Situation" without the abs. Or a jump shot.

-- Don't think this win meant something? Here's Albert Jackson's take: “This is my first time beating Tennessee, and I’m just so happy for myself, my team, the program. If I could rank this in victories I’ve had, besides the SEC tournament, this is one, two or three. It’s just amazing to see the fans into it, to see my teammates, to see my coach and his confidence just building in us. I can’t explain it. I couldn’t take the smile off my face in the locker room.”

-- Seriously, the Dawgs thump UT on Saturday. On Wednesday, Andy Landers' gals pulled off a big win over Pat Summitt's Lady Vols. And last week Sundiata Gaines had one of the signature shots of the NBA season for the Utah Jazz. Um… when did UGA become a basketball school?

-- OK, one more thing about the crowd… part of that sell-out crowd was a hefty contingent of top football recruits sitting alongside the entire UGA coaching staff. (And I think my favorite part of the game was watching Mark Richt absolutely demolish a bag of popcorn… it was riveting theater for some reason…. oh, and he can also play a little ball.)

(And another side note... that video is from the blog of Connor Nolte, a junior on the UGA hoops team who transfered from Furman. You might want to bookmark it or follow him on Twitter.)

Anyway, back those recruits. Here's the speech I'm guessing a few of them heard afterward: "Georgia isn't exactly a basketball school. In fact, we had a coaching change last year, and we're only .500 this year. But did you hear the noise in that building? Did you see how the crowd reacted to the big plays? Did you feel the energy? Now picture yourself in a Georgia uniform on a Saturday this fall with 10 times as many fans watching you play. Imagine how much they'll love you." That'd be a tough pitch to turn down, and it's another great reason for the fans to be patting themselves on the back this morning.

OK, a few more quotes following Saturday's big win…

Dustin Ware on the energy in the building...
“It was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like that. It was so fun just hearing a sold-out crowd screaming and just honoring as hard as we played. Hopefully we keep giving them performances like that.”

Travis Leslie on playing in front of a sell-out crowd…
“We’ve been waiting for it for a while and we finally got it. We couldn’t let them down.”

Trey Thompkins on the team's attitude...
“We have been fighting, and everyone knows that. But fighting ain’t gonna win it for you. You’ve got to go get it. Everybody’s fighting, and we understand that. We’re going to keep fighting forward so we can keep getting wins.”

Albert Jackson on the team's confidence last week, following three straight losses...
“We know how good we can be because we see it. Coach breaks the game down into mistakes, how we lose the game. When you see that and you see, dang, a few less mistakes and we win the game, it gives you confidence as a player because you know what you can do if you eliminate preventable mistakes that you can control.”

Jackson on closing strong...
“Even in the last two minutes of the game, it was only a 14-point game, and when you have good players and good shooters, that can be cut down real quick. I think why you could see Coach still being so into the game and why you could see players getting on each other so much is because we’ve seen a game slip away from us. I don’t think that will ever happen again as long as Coach Fox has anything to do with it

Hoops Preps for Another Big Game

Big game for the Georgia basketball team tonight at Stegeman as the Dawgs host No. 23 Ole Miss.

I have a story in today's Telegraph about how Georgia has made steps in the right direction, but they're hardly satisfied.

CBS Sports has a good profile of the work Mark Fox has done to get this team turned around and pointed in the right direction.

And the Banner-Herald profiles Georgia's new human highlight reel, Mr. Travis Leslie. (And if you haven't seen the dunk at Kentucky yet... what are you waiting for? Of course, don't forget about the one against Tech last week either.)

Here's a bit more of what a few of the Dawgs had to say about the current state of Georgia hoops...

Mark Fox on his reaction to UGA's performance against Kentucky...
“I told them in the middle of the game that I was proud of the fact they were competing toe to toe, that they’d gone 30-plus minutes throwing punches, taking punches and throwing some more. The next step for us is to be able to finish it. We ran out of gas because I didn’t play our bench enough, but our bench has to play better so they can play more. The bottom line is we got beat and we don’t believe in moral victories. There’s another level you have to get to so you can win games like this.”

Fox on his expectations for the team during a 3-game stretch vs. top-25 foes...
“I thought we were going to win at Kentucky. I’m not going to lie. I thought that was a game we could win, the timing and the way that it fill. So if we can win and be 2-1, we’ll take that. But you’ll always say, ‘Dang it, we could be 3-0.’”

Dustin Ware on building confidence...
“I think we’ve learned something about ourselves in the Kentucky game with the type of resilience we showed. I think we all thought with some time we could become a very good team, and I think it’s starting to come around.”

Ware on the team's perceptions of its season...
“Our goals have never changed, never been altered. We always wanted to be great, and that’s still our goal, still what we’re striving for.”

Ware on the Kentucky game...
“We didn’t get the win, so we really didn’t accomplish anything, so it’s on to the next one for us.”

Ware on Ole Miss...
“They have a lot of weapons and that’s something we’ll have to be conscious about when we’re out on the floor. But if we come out and play hard, hopefully we can make it interesting.”

Albert Jackson on what the team has learned so far...
“I think we learned how tough we are and that we can play with any competition. We’ve overcome a lot more challenges and we’re a lot better team than people expected us to be – maybe even more than some people on our team truly believed. Sometimes you have to see it to believe it, and I think everybody truly sees it now, and that just makes us work even harder in everything we do.”

Jackson on what the big performances mean for younger players...
“It’s huge for them to see the fruits of their labor. As a young player, that’s all you see is the results. You don’t really see how the little things lead to the results. So you have to see some success like that to see what you really can do and how much you really have grown.”

Jackson on this year vs. last year...
“At this point in time last year it’s when we went downhill. This year, I think it’s the point we’re starting to uplift ourselves. Last year we weren’t prepared for SEC play and now I think the sky is the limit for us. But it’s all on us how good we do.”

Mixed Results as Dawgs Prepare for Tech

In case you hadn't noticed amid the football coaching search, Mark Fox's squad has a big game coming up Tuesday against Georgia Tech. To get you prepared, we turn to our resident hoops expert, Mr. Fletcher Page...

Over the Christmas break Georgia basketball fans witnessed their Bulldogs upset Illinois, take down two lesser opponents and then get completely smashed, 89-61, on the road by Missouri.
And that’s OK. For now.

Missouri is by far the best team Georgia has played to date, since the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight last year and returned most of their key pieces. Georgia is a young team, and will take time to adjust to the rigors of playing on the road.

But the loss did offer some insight into a disastrous method to combat Georgia with.
Pressure.

Tigers coach Mike Anderson (you know, the coach Georgia targeted last spring before Fox was hired) is famed for his “Fastest 40 Minutes in College Basketball.” The Tigers have a deep bench, and press obsessively from start to finish. The goal isn’t always to force turnovers, but instead to force the tempo. Missouri wants to get steals, but if the press is broken, the Tigers entice quick, low percentage shots. This increases the possessions in the game, and wears opponents down. The results against Georgia?

-- Starting point guard Dustin Ware had six turnovers.

-- Shooting guard Ricky McPhee gave the ball away five times.

-- Travis Leslie added another four.

-- The team as a whole had 23 turnovers.

-- Missouri scored 35 points from those turnovers.

Sounds simple, but Georgia gave away 23 opportunities to score, meaning Missouri had 23 more chances to score. That stat alone is why Georgia was defeated, and lost the game so decisively.

But another key to the loss: Leading scorer Trey Thompkins picked up two fouls in the first five minutes of the game.

Trey played only eight minutes in the first half, scoring just three points as the Tigers jumped out to a 46-28 lead. For all intents and purposes, the game was over. This may seem like a small storyline in a random out-of-conference game in early 2010. But think about this? If Thompkins gets in foul trouble in future contests, who is going to carry the scoring load? Get crucial rebounds? Provide the feeling that as long as this guy is on the floor Georgia still has a shot to win? Leslie can score, but is still working to become more consistent. And if and when Trey hits the bench, there is no way his replacement can provide the same production.

This team depends on Thompkins more than teenagers do Facebook. It’s that simple. I hate to put too much pressure on a sophomore, but he is the key. He’s the reason Georgia wins games, and in turn, will be the reason the Bulldogs will lose some. And that’s the way Thompkins wants it.

“My teammates need me to do that, they let me know everyday that I need to be more of a leader, and a vocal leader,” he told me after a recent victory. “If that’s what I need to do I’ll do it.”

And I’ve seen Thompkins talking more during games, telling, teaching, showing, directing. This is his team now, no doubt about it.

“It’s something that individually you notice, but at the same time you need other people to help you know it is OK to do that,” Thompkins said of his vocal leadership. “My teammates take criticism very well, and I thank them because at the same time they criticize my game as well. I’m not perfect at all and they let me know that every day. It’s a punch them, punch back type of thing.”

Anyway, enough harping for one loss. Here’s a few thoughts to get ready for Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

As a team, first the good:

-- Georgia is second in the SEC in defensive rebounding. The Bulldogs have put forth immense effort to control the glass, in order to stop second chance points.

-- The Bulldogs are leading the conference at the free-throw-line, shooting 70 percent thus far.

Middle of the pack:

-- Defensively, Georgia is ranked fifth in the SEC, holding opponents to 64 points a game.

-- The Bulldogs are sixth in blocked shots, with over five-and-a-half per contest.

And, the bad:

-- Georgia, once again, is last in the SEC in scoring offense, averaging 65 a game. Needless to say, the Triangle Offense, as expected, is still a work in progress. An offensive side note, Georgia is 10th in assists, evidencing the lack of distribution.

-- Georgia is shooting 42 percent from the field, 32 percent from the three-point line, both ranked ninth in the SEC.

-- The Bulldogs are 11th in the conference in turnover margin (-2.17) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (.83 a game).

A few observations:

-- I’ve rehashed a few points numerous times so I won’t linger. Trey Thompkins is really good. Travis Leslie is coming along nicely, scoring 18 against Missouri.

-- I’ve been slightly disappointed thus far with Dustin Ware. He’s fresh off a six turnover game, and is shooting a mere 34 percent from the field. I get that he’s under immense pressure, being the only tested point guard on the team, but I expected more offensive efficiency from him. That being said, even with the turnovers, Ware is still the only player on the perimeter I trust with the ball and I respect his decision-making. He’s still learning. I see him turning his shooting woes around.

-- Every time Ricky McPhee shoots a three, I expect it to go in. The former walk-on is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc, yet when he pulls the trigger, I know it’s going to fall. For a good time, watch him shoot in warm-ups.

-- Sophomore Drazen Zlovoric isn’t gun shy. He’s taken 30 shots, only making eight of them. But he keeps on shooting. The old saying goes, “You can’t score if you don’t shoot.” What if you can’t score when you do shoot? Same tag applies, he’s still learning. Expect the percentage to go up. Surely.

-- Coach Mark Fox says Albert Jackson is the best defensive player on the team. I tend to agree.

-- I had high hopes for junior Chris Barnes coming into this season. He started five games in place of the injured Jackson early, but hasn’t seen much run since. With Thompkins on the floor for his all-around awesomeness and Jackson out there to provide defensive relief, Barnes has blended into the outskirts of the rotation.

-- And here is my take on the freshmen, Demario Mayfield and Ebuka Anyaorah. Actually, here is Ware’s take on the two...

“They are known as very good defensive players. Ebuka has really come in and played good defense, but is also starting to make some plays on offense for us. They’ve been really coming around the last few weeks and they are really great athletes. We’re definitely going to use them.”

I believe the scoring will come for both Mayfield and Anyaorah. Maybe not this year, but down the road, as they both mature, I see some offensive production. For what it’s worth, I want to point out that Anyaorah has been on the floor down the stretch of several close games this year for his defensive versatility. Fox uses the redshirt freshman to play multiple positions, and Anyaorah can defend guards and posts, play on the perimeter or in the frontcourt in zone looks. Those types of contributions may go unnoticed by some, but not me.

With all that said…Georgia Tech is very talented club, but like Georgia, the Yellow Jackets are young. Expect anything from the Bulldogs, as they continue to learn and grow within Fox’ system. See you in Stegeman.

-- Fletcher Page

Fox's Dawgs Have Some Bite

I haven't been able to cover much basketball so far this season with football and the coaching search and various other distractions cropping up. I'm hoping that will change as we get into the new year, but in the meantime, we've kept up some excellent coverage of Mark Fox's crew thanks to Fletcher Page, who has been on the beat for the majority of the Dawgs' games for us.

Of course, I wanted some hoops talk on the blog, too, so Fletcher was kind enough to put together some thoughts on Georgia's huge victory over Illinois and what might still be to come for the Dawgs. Here goes...

I’m still trying to get my head around Georgia’s big win over Illinois, four days after the fact. And just to get a couple notes out of the way.

1. I didn’t give the Bulldogs a chance to win.

2. After watching warm-ups, keeping the game within reach, in my mind, was a stretch.

3. I don’t think I was alone in this line of thinking (judging from the amount of Georgia fans in the Gwinnett Arena. There may have been more Illini faithful filling the seats.

But I was proven wrong from the opening tip.

Following the game I joined four of my closest buddies for a quick trip to a Harrah’s Casino to partake in some post-graduation (University of Georgia, December class of 2009) gambling.

And as we surveyed the casino floor for the first hour or so, I gravitated toward the blackjack tables, despite never playing live before. I tell this story because my blackjack experience felt like the Illinois game. I’ve played, and won at the slots before (let’s say, teams like St. Louis, New Orleans or Jacksonville St). I’ve also wasted money sitting at said slots (in similar fashion, UAB and Wofford). No disrespect to the slots, but blackjack and poker is where it’s at in casinos, and Illinois was Georgia’s blackjack.

Anyway, back to my gambling. I finally worked up the nerve to sit at a $15 dollar minimum bet table (hey, at my budget, I felt like Michael Jordan laying down $100,000 a hand. (All I lacked was a cigar. And a real amount of money). I started with $40, and doing quick math, I realized I could be heading back to the ATM in less than five minutes. But I had a strategy, developed by my good friend Heath. Since I’d never played before, but kind of knew what was going on, I needed to keep things simple. If the dealer wasn’t showing a face card, and I had 12 or more, I was staying. I wasn’t concerned with splitting cards, doubling down and all that. If the dealer was showing 10, or a face card, I’d hit. That simple.

My first hand: a measly 14, with the dealer showing five. I stayed put, and the dealer busted. What a rush, and I was on my way from there. Second hand: I had a King and nine, dealer showing a King. He flopped a nine, and push. Wow, I almost lost $15, but I took a shot and kept playing.

I went on to win six of the next nine hands, and started to build confidence. After a few more hands I cashed out at $115, stood up and realized, I can play this game, and hold my own. Yet, I still wasn’t quite sure what I was doing.

And Georgia’s experience with Illinois was much the same. The game started, and like me, they won the first hand. The Bulldogs weren’t flashy, working methodically on offense to get shots and at times Illinois got some easy baskets, but Georgia wasn’t losing it’s money. Finishing tied, 32-32, at halftime Georgia players had to be thinking: We can play this game and hold our own.

Well, I couldn’t stop at just 20 minutes of blackjack. My buddy Heath and I, joined by another friend, sat back down at a $10 table. And I won my first four hands. At this point I’ve got the swagger, thinking how easy this was and wondering why I hadn’t played this enjoyable game in the past. And then I lost $170 dollars in about 15 minutes. Nervous, but still focused on my next hand, I was dealt two sixes. Not quite sure of what I was doing, I split the pair. My first card dealt was another six. “Hell, split it again,” Heath said. So I did. Ended with a 16 for my first hand. Then a five came, so I doubled down. That hand turned into a 17. And then another six game, so I split once more. I’m now working with four hands against the dealer, with my last two showing an 18 and a 15. These were not strong hands, but the dealer had a seven.

At this point I’ve got a crowd behind me, and the dealer, Bob, swears he’s never seen a hand like this. I didn’t believe the guy. Had to have the dealer bust, or I was flat broke. Adding to his seven, he flipped a ten. Yes, he’d have to hit again. And….BOOM! Bob flips a nine, for a 24. And I went from nothing to $220. Our party of five, joined by random players went wild, high fiving and screaming. Even the pit boss (who looked eerily similar to Avery Johnson) was smiling. That’s saying something.

Anyway, in a roundabout way, I started connecting my blackjack experience to the Illinois game. Georgia got up by as much as nine in the second half, and got somewhat ahead of itself. The Bulldogs started working the clock, and soon enough, the riches turned into a deficit. Blowing the lead, the Illini pulled ahead with 30 seconds to go. Georgia needed this win, to prove big games could be won. Sophomore forward Trey Thompkins gave the Bulldogs their “split sixes” moment, hitting four free throws, and securing a crucial rebound down the stretch.

Comparisons to blackjack aside, Georgia needed this win. Illinois rolled into Duluth with an 8-2 record, with wins over ranked Clemson and Vanderbilt. And just so you know, I did attend last year’s game in Chicago’s United Center when the Illini embarrassed the Bulldogs by 34 points. That game was a bust.

When I told my friends about the huge win, I got the “How in the world did that happen?” response, and questions about how Illinois played. But the Illini didn’t lose this game. They had only eight turnovers, shot 80 percent at the free-throw line and guard Demetri McCamey scored 21 points and looked like a cornerstone player.

But Georgia was the bigger team, wanted to play more physical, wanted to make more hustle plays and wanted to prove they could hang with a power program.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Georgia outrebounded Illinois 37 to 29, scoring 12 second-chance points.

“The boards really killed us and points in the paint did too,” said Illinois head coach Bruce Webber.

The Bulldogs scored 38 points in the paint.

And, despite 15 turnovers, the Bulldogs had 16 assists. Georgia shot 49 percent from the field, adding 13-of-18 from the charity strip.

Know this about Thompkins: He’s not quite an Ace and a King, in terms of blackjack hands. But he is a solid 18. He can win some games, but there is still improvement to go. He did have some forced shots and missed a few wide-open guys while being double-teamed. But when Georgia needed those two points at the end, there was no doubt who was getting the ball. And Trey came through in the clutch. When he hit those free-throws, there was no sigh of relief or weight off his shoulders feel. He looked like he had been there before, and that’s a needed attribute from a team’s go-to guy.

Also, Travis Leslie has his own blackjack likeness. Doubling down on the eleven is the only way to play. Sometimes you’re dealt a King for 21. Sometimes you get a four for 15. In the second half Saturday night, Leslie was a 21. He had 13 points, looking unstoppable off the dribble. He drew, by my count, four fouls in the second half alone while driving to the basket. Yes, he is an athletic freak, evidenced by the block he had with just over a minute to play that kept Georgia on top by two at the time. But don’t forget, we’ve seen Leslie come out mentally flat before, racking up turnovers and getting in early foul trouble. That’s what happened in the first half. But he is slowly putting his game together, and it’s been fun to watch his progression.

Georgia is building a decent team behind the two sophomores Thompkins and Leslie. And Ricky McPhee is becoming a solid third guy, a Steve Kerr-like shooter to join Georgia’s Jordan and Pippen (I know, I just compared Trey Thompkins to MJ. I’m sorry). But this team has some nagging deficiencies.

Georgia got only four points from the bench (not counting Thompkins’ 21, who came off the bench after having two wisdom teeth removed earlier in the week). At the end of the game, point guard Dustin Ware and Thompkins looked gased, with hands on the knees during stoppage in play and Leslie was cramping up. Chris Barnes and Jeremy Price combined for three points. Freshman Ebuka Anyaorah, Demario Mayfield and Vincent Williams logged only 16 minutes combined, totaling two points. And Drazen Zlovaric, or The Secret Weapon as I call him, struggled mightily Saturday. Georgia was minus-7 when he was on the floor in the second half.

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 3-of-13 from three. As Thompkins gets better, the double-teams will only increase. Somebody other than McPhee has to be able to shoot the ball with confidence to spread the floor to at least give Trey a chance to do work.

Ware is really the only player on the perimeter Georgia has that I trust with the basketball. This just isn’t a team adept at handling the ball.

Coach Mark Fox’ team is what it is. This is a team with size and talent in the frontcourt, and still working to find solid perimeter contributions.

But to finally sit at the blackjack table, so to speak, playing a formidable opponent, and to come out on top at the end of the night was huge for a young team in the first year of the Fox Era.

Sitting at the table was the first step, and taking home a profit with a win over Illinois proves Georgia can get the job done.

As for me, as the night wore on, I had my ups and downs gambling, but ended up tripling my money.

And you can bet, like Georgia, I’ll be sitting at the table again in the near future.

Hoops Practice Begins Friday

From UGA release....

The Georgia Men's and Women's Basketball Team will begin practice on Friday, the first day allowable under NCAA regulations. Both teams will work out beginning at 5:00 p.m. in their respective gyms in the Georgia practice facility.

Media wishing to visit with Fox or any of the Georgia players should meet men's basketball SID Tim Hix at the team's offices at 3:30 p.m. Video and
still photographers may shoot the first 15 minutes of the Bulldogs' practice. Media wishing to visit with Landers or any Lady Bulldog should meet SID graduate assistant Kate Burkholder at the women's offices at 4:15 p.m.

Mark Fox is entering his first season as head coach at Georgia after compiling a 123-43 record in five seasons at Nevada, including three NCAA
Tournament bids. The Bulldogs return three starters and nine total letterwinners from last year’s squad.

"We’re excited about the start of our season and for the chance to do what we all love to do, which is get in a gym, coach our players and train our team," said Fox. "So, this is a very exciting time of year for me, and I think our players give the indications that they’re excited too."

Andy Landers begins his 31st season in Athens with record of 725-239. The Lady Bulldogs will welcome back four starters and two more letterwinners
from a squad which finished 18-14 overall and lost in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

"The beginning of practice is always an exciting time," Landers said. "That anticipation is probably even greater this year since we have more newcomers, seven, on our roster than returnees, six."

Practice Notes: Dawgs Look to Jump Start Running Game

There have been plenty of problems on offense in the past three games for Georgia, but the biggest stumbling block has been the team’s inability to run the football.

Against Tennessee last week, the Bulldogs mustered just 89 yards rushing – more than half of which came in the fourth quarter after the Volunteers had the game well in hand – and for the season, their ground game ranks 104th in the country.

With those kinds of numbers, quarterback Joe Cox said, getting the rest of the offense to click can be a difficult task.

“It is tough just because a lot of people feel that they can just come at us when we’re in passing situations, especially once you get down,” Cox said. “It’s tough when you feel like you’ve become one-dimensional and we definitely need to pick up our running game.”

Turning around the moribund rushing attack has been a mystery to Georgia’s coaches so far. In six games, five different players have tallied the day’s longest run, and while Richard Samuel has started each game, Georgia has relied heavily on four different runners already.

“No one has really stood out. No one has really asserted himself to the point where he’s our guy,” head coach Mark Richt said. “No one really has made the offensive line look better than maybe they are blocking at times. We have pretty much been getting what we’ve been blocking for, which statistically hasn’t been a whole heck of a lot.”

Samuel will get another shot this week to prove he can handle the load, but Richt said he doesn’t expect anyone to get a bulk of the work. Still, of all the backs, Samuel has met with the most consistent success – even if that hasn’t been much.

“His deal is confidence,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “Coming into this year, he had a lot of expectations on him, and he kind of takes everything to heart sometimes when he doesn’t have success. But we think he’s a talented back, and we think he’s got to help us in the run game for us to be successful.”

For any of Georgia’s backs to be successful, however, the blocking up front needs to improve. While the Bulldogs’ offensive line has been reshuffled due to injuries since the start of the year, Bobo said the bottom line remains attitude.

“We need to play with more passion up front, we need to finish blocks and we need to have a sense of urgency when we’re running the football,” Bobo said. “That’s offensive linemen, that’s tight ends and that’s running backs. You’ve got to take pride in it, and you’ve got to play hard and physical.”

While there haven’t been many highlights, there have been glimpses of what the tailbacks and the line can do when everything clicks into place this season, highlighted by an 80-yard run for Samuel against Arkansas.

That’s what has been so maddening, Cox said, but it also offers some hope for improvement down the line.

“That’s probably been the most frustrating thing is that we know it’s there but it hasn’t been working,” Cox said. “It’s something that we got to just keep chipping away at. We know we have good backs, we know we have a good line and we just got to get it going so we know we can do it.”

FIGGINS TAKES REDSHIRT

Junior tight end Bruce Figgins missed the first six games of the season following a suspension for a violation of team rules, but he decided this week that he’ll instead sit out the entire season.

Figgins underwent offseason shoulder surgery, but he said the redshirt decision was based on more than health. Having already missed half the season, Figgins decided it was best to finish his rehabilitation and start with a clean slate in 2010.

“There’s pros and cons to either, but Coach Richt came to the conclusion that I should take a red shirt and we’re rolling with that, and I’m looking forward to next year,” Figgins said.

While the decision was ultimately Figgins’, he said he got input from family, friends and his coaches before signing off on the plan. He said the success of freshman Orson Charles and sophomore Aron White at tight end this season didn’t factor into his final decision.

“The coaches put in their input, but I was the last to decide,” Figgins said. “I was the last say so.”

KIDS TO SEE MORE ACTION

With Georgia’s hopes of a conference title nearly vanished, Richt said he isn’t giving up on the season, but he may give some of the younger players a chance to see a bit more action.

Richt said redshirt freshman Baccari Rambo will see an increase in his playing time at safety, establishing a three-man rotation with Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones.

Freshman Branden Smith should see more work at corner, too, spelling senior Prince Miller.

Richt said his two freshman receivers, Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten had earned more playing time, too, following Brown’s first significant action of the season last week.

“Marlon is smoothing out his game, I guess is the best way to put it,” Richt said. “He is a talent, he just needed to get more reps to become a smooth competitor, a smooth receiver. He has proved to be a pretty tenacious blocker. You can tell he wants it, you can tell he’s getting better. He has earned a right to play more snaps for us and hopefully he’ll get more opportunities to catch the ball because he has good hands.”

INJURY UPDATES

Tavarres King and Caleb King each returned to limited practice Tuesday after both missed last week’s game with concussions.

Caleb King figures to be in the mix at tailback, where Bobo said there will be an open competition for carries this week.

Tavarres King expects to step back into his role as the team’s starting receiver opposite A.J. Green. King’s absence last week left Georgia with just five healthy receivers, and watching his offense struggle without him was difficult, he said.

“It hurt really bad watching my teammates and wanting to be out there,” he said.
While neither player participated in contact drills Tuesday, Tavarres King said he’s on track to play against Vanderbilt.

“I did everything that I could, just limited contact,” he said. “I expect to play.”

Cornerback Vance Cuff saw limited action last week following a knee injury, but Richt said he should get in a full week of practice this week and is in line for an increased role on defense against the Commodores.

Linebackers Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin are both unlikely to play this week, Richt said. Both are expected back after the team’s off week.

DAWGS DON’T DO DOME

After some speculation earlier this month that Georgia could move its annual matchup against in-state rival Georgia Tech to the Georgia Dome for the 2011 season opener, athletics director Damon Evans said Tuesday that the school had decided against the plan.

“After careful consideration, we did not think in the final analysis it was in the best interest of our football program to play the game as a season opener in 2011,” Evans said. “I think the most significant factor was that we did not want to give up the home game that year and make a change in the current home game rotation with Georgia Tech.”

SHADES OF GRAY?

With Cox struggling in his past three games, Richt said there was a chance backup quarterback Logan Gray could see more work in the coming weeks.

Richt was quick to endorse Cox as his starter, but he wouldn’t rule out handing a series or two to Gray as a change of pace.

“He’s been practicing well the past two weeks, I know that,” Richt said. “I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question.”

Gray ran Georgia’s offense on its final two drives against Tennessee, completing just 1-of-4 passes for six yards. The Bulldogs did have their most success running the football when Gray was in the game, however.

“Logan’s done a nice job,” Bobo said. “He’s done an extremely good job getting better as a quarterback. I think he’s ready if he gets into the game. Obviously if we continue to struggle, he could be something that could spark our offense.”

REPEAT PERFORMANCE

Georgia doesn't have to look too far into the past to find a template for how the rest of its season could unfold.

The Bulldogs were 5-4 following four losses in five games 2006, but rebounded to beat three straight ranked teams, including a Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Virginia Tech.

While a turnaround of that magnitude may still be a long way off, Cox said the team may actually be in better shape to accomplish the feat this season.

“I think our unity is better than 2006, and I think we could end up having a better season than 2006, but as far as hitting a tough stretch and how everything is around you, it’s about the same," Cox said. "People around here are used to winning. We’ve had some really successful teams the past nine years, and people expect us to win every game. We do, too. And when it doesn’t happen, everybody’s mad, including us. It’s something that does remind me of 2006, but it’s something we can definitely get turned around and have a successful season.”

The key to the improvement down the stretch in 2006 was tenacity, Richt said. While demands for immediate changes to the coaching staff and player personnel by fans followed the Bulldogs' most recent defeat at Tennssee, Richt said the dedication of his coaches and players will be the turning point in whether the Bulldogs can rebound this season.

“It’s hard to measure a team’s ability to withstand pressure," he said. "I think a lot of teams fold under that kind of pressure. A lot of coaching staffs fold under that kind of pressure and we never did. We were very resilient. We were very persistent. We stayed the course. We didn’t make a bunch of wholesale changes, whether it was players, coaches or anything like that. We just kept grinding, we kept banging away. You just never know how close you are to success until you live it out."

EXTRA POINTS

-- I know I said I'd have some commentary from Rennie Curran on the defensive effort, but it turned out to be a little more than a note. I'll have the full text tomorrow.

A few notes on the basketball teams from today's preseason news conference:

-- Travis Leslie is cleared to play this season, according to coach Mark Fox. Leslie missed the tail end of last season for academic reasons.

-- Albert Jackson is wearing a cast to protect an injured finger, but Fox said he'll be ready to practice when camp opens Friday.

-- Ricky McPhee was given a scholarship for his senior season, as was Tyler Whatley.

-- Dustin Ware on Trey Thompkins: "Trey is looking like he’s just ready to be a monster this year. He came back and I almost didn’t recognize him his body looked so good."

-- On the women's side, Angel Robinson had to have her knee scoped, but Andy Landers said she should be ready to practice fully before the season begins.

-- Landers also said he expects all seven of his freshmen to play significantly this season.

SEC Announces Hoops Schedule

From SEC release...

The Southeastern Conference unveiled the 2010 men’s basketball composite league schedule on Thursday afternoon. For the first time in league history, each of the 96 conference games will be televised live as part of the SEC’s historic 15-year agreements with CBS Sports and ESPN that begin this year.

Almost half of the SEC’s league games will be distributed nationally with ESPN or ESPN2 televising 27 contests, ESPNU showing eight and CBS Sports five. The SEC’s games on the ESPN family of networks will be exclusively branded as the “SEC on ESPN.”

Regionally-syndicated games will be televised on the SEC Network as part of ESPN Regional Television (ERT). The SEC Network will televise 37 intra-conference games while Fox Sports Net will show 10 contests and CSS nine. The majority of games not televised nationally will be available as a part of ESPN Full Court, the pay subscription college basketball out-of-market service, and on ESPN360.com. In addition, ERT will produce and distribute a studio show each Saturday afternoon during conference play and at the SEC Tournament.

National coverage of the SEC Basketball Tournament has been expanded with the semifinals and championship game broadcast on ESPN on ABC. The SEC Network will televise the first two rounds of the tournament which this year will be played March 11-14 in Nashville.

The entire schedule is attached in a pdf and is also available at www.secsports.com.

Fox Adds Three to Staff

From UGA Athletics...

University of Georgia basketball coach Mark Fox on Tuesday announced the completion of his first Bulldog staff with the hiring of three new support personnel: Director of Basketball Operations Kent Davison; Operations Coordinator Mark Pope and Graduate Assistant Todd Okeson.

Additionally, Fox said that Cory Cason will return for the 2010 season as the team's Graduate Manager, a position that he held last season.

The three most recent additions to the Georgia staff reflect different stages of Fox's career within the game of basketball. Davison coached Fox in the late 1980's at Garden City Community College in Kansas. Pope played collegiately for two seasons at the University of Washington, where Fox got his start as an assistant coach. Lastly, Okeson was recruited by Fox to play at Nevada when Fox was the Wolf Pack's Associate Head Coach.

"I think we've added three very bright and energetic people to our staff," Fox said. "A head coach is only as good as his staff, and we've been able to put together a group that, I believe, will really be an asset to our program, and also to the University."

Fox Finds Perfect Fit

It took a bit longer than expected, but that's only because Mark Fox wasn't willing to settle. But now three months into his tenure -- and a full month into having a full staff -- he's sure the wait was worth it.

"We had a specific plan in place to end up with a staff like this, and I took my time with it because I wanted to get what I wanted," Fox said. "Now we have the pieces in place that I've very happy with."

Fox's three assistants all filled specific roles.

Kwanza Johnson came with Fox from Nevada. Johnson knows Fox well, as serves as the conduit between Fox and the rest of the team.

Philip Pearson served as Alabama's interim coach during the latter half of last season but found himself out of work after the Crimson Tide hired Anthony Grant as their new head coach. That was a bonus for Fox, who snagged Pearson soon after taking the job at Georgia. Pearson's ties to the SEC, where he has been a longtime assistant, were essential given Fox's limited recruiting experience in the area.

The staff was rounded out last month with the addition of former Virginia Tech assistant Stacy Palmore. Just as Pearson brought an exceptional resume of experience in the SEC, Palmore brings similar credentials from years in the ACC.

In all, the staff couldn't have turned out any better, Fox said.

"Kwanza has an advantage because he's been with me for three years," Fox said. "He knows how we function and what the finished product should look like. Philip and Stacy, with their recruiting connections in this part of the country, give us some instant credibility and ties. So I'm excited about the diversity of this group and the chemistry between the four of us."

There is one more position yet to be filled -- the role of director of basketball operations. But that job's all but spoken for already, and Fox had a special name in mind from the beginning.

"It won't be official until around when school starts, but Kent Davidson is a guy I've played for years ago," Fox said. "He'll join us officially in August."

Davidson worked with Fox early in his career before coaching in the NBA developmental league. He's currently the head coach of the Qatar national team.

Thompkins Lands on U.S. U-19 Team

From UGA Athletics...

University of Georgia forward Trey Thompkins was named Thursday to the 12-man team that will represent the United States at the FIBA U19 World Championships next month in Auckland, New Zealand, according to an announcement by USA Basketball at its headquarters here.

Thompkins was among 17 of the nation’s top 19-and-unders competing at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The 12 players will remain in Colorado Springs through June 25 to continue training for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be held July 2-12 in New Zealand. The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team
Committee, chaired by Syracuse University head coach Jim Boeheim.

In addition to Thompkins, others selected to the team included: DeAngelo Casto (Washington State / Spokane, Wash.), Seth Curry (Duke / Charlotte, N.C.), Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh / Scotch Plains, N.J.) , Gordon Hayward (Butler / Brownsburg, Ind.), Shelvin Mack (Butler / Lexington, Ky.), Darius Miller (Kentucky / Maysville, Ky.), Arnett Moultrie (UTEP / Memphis, Tenn.),
John Shurna (Northwestern / Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas / Jersey City, N.J.), Klay Thompson (Washington State / Ladera Ranch, Calif.) and Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.).

From the Mailbag: Ware Gets Some Help

Before the SEC's meetings in Destin last week, I asked some of you to submit questions for Mark Richt and Mark Fox. I've answered some already, I have more answers coming in stories I have planned for the near future. But throughout this week, I'll be posting the answers to a few of them here.

This one comes anonymously (but let's assume it was posted by TV's Erik Estrada): With the recent announcement of the transfer of Gerald Robinson and the signing of Vincent Williams in the spring period, is it fair to say your recruiting focus has shifted to signing more wings and posts, and perhaps another SG, for next year's class?

OK, Fox didn't address his new focus in recruiting directly, but he was happy to talk about the addition of the two new point guards.

First off, Gerald Robinson Jr. will have to sit out the upcoming season, but Fox said his addition will have a big impact long-term. Robinson's dad is a coach at Tennessee State, which was the reason he signed there out of high school, but Fox said his new guard is clearly SEC material.

"He has SEC and ACC offers out of high school," Fox said. "He stayed home, but I think he realized he can play at a high level and we're excited to get him. He's a scoring point guard, a great kid and just wants to come and win. That's really important to him that our team is successful no matter where he fits in, and I think he can really make a difference a year from now."

With Corey Butler graduating and Zac Swansey transferring, that left Georgia with just one point guard on its roster when Fox arrived, so finding players to fill out the roster was essential. So the first two players Fox brought into the program were Robinson, Tennessee State's leading scorer last season, and Vincent Williams, a point guard from Homestead, Fla. who averaged 26 points and six rebounds per game his senior season. Even though Robinson won't be able to play next season, his addition should still be felt during practice.

"You need three point guards ideally on your roster so you can scrimmage, practice and give a guy a break now and then," Fox said. "That position expends so much energy. You have a tendency to wear those guys down if you don't have some depth. Like everybody else, when I first started we saw there was only one on the roster, and we needed to get him some help."

That one point guard is Dustin Ware, who was Georgia's starter down the stretch last season -- his first in Athens -- and made as big an improvement during the course of the season as anyone on the roster. Fox said that he has been extremely impressed by Ware so far, saying that Ware has the best approach to preparation of any player he has ever had. That's a big compliment coming from a coach who has put a half-dozen players into the NBA.

"As a freshman he went through a lot of the growing pains most freshmen do, but usually as a sophomore the game slows down for you just because of all the experience you get as a freshman," Fox said. "I've been real pleased with Dustin and his approach and I think he's working hard to have a great sophomore year."

What, Me Worry?

Everyone else may have been sweating things out, but Mark Fox said he was never too worried about the future of star forward Trey Thompkins.

The sophomore, who will be Georgia's top returning scorer in 2009-10, had been reluctant to commit to returning to the team following the termination of former coach Dennis Felton in January, but announced last week that he would definitely be back next year.

The news came with a sigh of relief for fans of the team which doesn't figure to have much offense to spare next season, but Fox said he was always pretty confident that Thompkins would stay put.

"Trey never once told me I'm going to leave," Fox said. "He was just frustrated. They had a tough year last year. I listened to his frustration, and he had some very mature thoughts. But he always had a smile on his face when I've been with him, so I wasn't really overly concerned he was going to leave. But certainly he had to get comfortable with me before he said he was going to say."

Making the Grade

Before finals ended, Georgia basketball coach Mark Fox was a bit concerned about how many of his players could fall short of qualifying academically for the 2009-10 season, but as it turned out, there wasn't much to worry about.

Fox said his players finished the semester strong and everyone was on track to be eligible next season. He said nearly all of the Bulldogs will be on campus for summer classes, but added that very few actually needed them.

"We just need to maintain normal in the summer and we'll be fine," Fox said. "I don't think academically we have an obstacle we can't overcome."

Video Blog: Mark Fox Q&A

Still have a few videos from last week's Bulldogs Club meeting in Macon. Here's one with basketball coach Mark Fox answering a few questions from the crowd.

Fox Rounds Out Staff

The Roanoke Times reports that Virginia Tech assistant Stacey Palmore has accepted a job as part of Mark Fox's staff at Georgia.

Palmore joins Phil Pearson and Kwanza Johnson as assistants for Fox.

Q&A with Mark Fox

Mark Fox joked during his address to fans in Macon yesterday that he was just a warm-up act. They were all there to see Mark Richt. There was certainly some truth to that sentiment.

But, at the same time, Fox is working on boosting interest in his program, too, and he even got a good sales pitch from Richt as well. But with a thin roster, reaching out to fans has to be about more than winning. I talked to the new Georgia basketball coach about just how he plans on handling that challenge -- along with a few other key issues facing the hoops team.

David Hale: You've been out on a number of these Bulldog Club meetings now. Obviously you can't promise a Sweet 16 to fans for the upcoming season, but you also want to get people excited about Georgia basketball again. So sort of a two-part question: What has been the reaction you've gotten from fans so far, and what is the message you've been giving them?

Mark Fox: Answer one is that the response has been great. People have been very welcoming and have really embraced me and our message. I think for our players and our fans, we certainly have some work to do. But it has to start with the right mentality of our team, and what I've tried to express to people is that we need to play the game a certain way. We have to play the game hard, we have to act right, and we have to put forth an effort that people are able to appreciate. That should be the first thing that a fan looks for, whether you're picked to win a championship or not. So that's what we're focusing on right now is to create that level of effort and passion, and if we can do that, hopefully people will appreciate the effort our kids are putting out.

DH: With all you have on your plate from the schedule to recruiting to putting your staff together, how important is it for you to be out and talking to fans and building that relationship between the program and a fan base that has drifted away?

MF: It's important to have fans there just because the noise stays indoors, so the fans make a huge difference in college basketball. I don't know if it was half full last year or less, but we know there's room for improvement there. What comes first -- the chicken or the egg? Well, we need both. Hopefully we'll get some people come back and help us, hopefully our team will play the right way, and attract people to return and bring some friends with them.

DH: I know you've discussed this a bit, but do you have an idea of when you might hear a final decision from Trey Thompkins on his future?

MF: Trey's been great. He has finals this week and is focusing on that.

DH: But you plan on sitting down with him and discussing what his plans are soon?

MF: All of our guys will have an exit interview. We'll meet with all those guys this week and map out their future, and Trey will be in that group.

DH: There have also been a few guys, including Travis Leslie, who have had some problems in the classroom. Are you confident you'll have all your players available for next year?

MF: I will say that we have had a good academic month. I've been pleased with the approach of the last couple weeks. Until we see grades, I don't know. I do think the kids have had a good approach the last month and are making progress. I'd like to be cautiously optimistic in that area.

DH: So having been here for a month, how much of a handle do you think you have on the program now -- what needed to be improved and a plan to get it done?

MF: I think we have a great understanding of where it was. There is a lot of potential in this program, but we have a lot of work in front of us. There are a lot of things that correlate to winning that are in place. The practice facility is unbelievable. But we have to develop things in the right way, we have to operate the program in the right way so we can improve, and hopefully continually improve until we get to a point where we're winning. Hopefully if we do it right, we get to a point where we can sustain success. That's the long-term objective.