Louis Williams doing well

Wonder what would have happened if Louis Williams had ended up attending UGA?

As I recall, Louis Williams was part of the last class that allowed players to leave high school and directly enter the NBA. The collective bargaining agreement only comes up so often, so the argument breaks down at some point, but what would have happened if the NBA had enacted its changes just one year earlier?

But for the NBA allowing him to sign, Williams would have no doubt suited up for the Red and Black. Looking into my not-so-trusty crystal ball, I think Williams would have played at least three seasons, and his impact would have been significant in wins and losses and in recruiting.

Williams has skill sets that other current Georgia players just don't have. The best comparison would be to combine the driving ability of Gaines, the shooting touch of Humphrey, the athleticism of recently departed Mike Mercer, and the foul-shooting of current UAB player, Channing Toney. May sound like a stretch, but here is a guy who is averaging 11 points a game in very limited minutes, in the big leagues.

Williams would have given UGA a very up-tempo speed, and changed the recruiting prospects for the Dawgs for several classes. With a high-scoring guard that goes right or left with equal speed and takes the ball to the hoop constantly, Georgia would have been a threat to win the SEC outright.

That's right. Georgia lost so many close games. Williams leads the 76er's in free throw shooting percentage, and he would have likely done the same at Georgia. Many of those close games would have gone Georgia's way. Now, since Florida was the perennial power in the SEC and won the national championship twice in a row, UGA would have fallen short of winning the title during LW's first two years. But Georgia would have had a very exciting brand of basketball and a lot more wins.

I loved the "worst to first" run by the Dawgs, but when I read articles like the one below, it makes me think that the Dawgs could have had a lot more success a lot sooner.

http://gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=13296&TM=21017.92

Howard Thompkins named MVP

Hard not to get excited about Howard Thompkins. Top-notch kid. Does everything well. He is a key recruit for Coach Dennis Felton. He was named a Parade All-American recently.

Earlier this week, Thompkins took his game down to Savannah for the North-South all-star game. Thompkins ended up notching a game-high 21 points for the North squad.

The South team, which had been losing at half-time, won the contest by ratcheting up the pressure on the North's guards. Ebuka Anyaorah, who visited UGA recently, scored 8 points for the North. The final score was 105 to 100.

Thompkins was named the MVP for the North team.

Starting a BBall Blog!

Well, I guess it's time.

I've been looking for a creative outlet, and I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Didn't want to start a blog, but in fairness to others on whose sites I have been posting, I need to have my own space. Never wanted to dominate any of the message boards, but some times in my passion for UGA and its various sports programs, I found myself posting quite a bit.

I am grateful in particular to the Rivals network for its patience with my often-rambling posts, crazy jokes, and other messages.

Hopefully, there are a few who have enjoyed some of what I've written.

But now it's time. I want to grow up, move out of the familiar bedroom, and get my first pad. Of course, like any other "freshman," I look forward to filling my new digs with sports paraphenalia from my favorite team.

Oh well. Wish me luck. I'll be posting a little bit later. Mostly about UGA basketball, but also about UGA's other sports, as the various seasons unfold.

DaugMan