Dawgs Win! Post of the Week

Every now and then I post a record of a Georgia victory from days gone by.

The Ron Jirsa era was not known as one of the more successful periods for Georgia basketball, primarily because Jirsa became head coach right after Tubby Smith left, and expectations were high.

The article below gives a recap of Georgia's victory over Mercer, Ron Jirsa's first home win as head coach at UGA.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/112197/spo_dawgs.html

Noel Johnson to Tech?

That's my sense. Would love to see him suit up in the Red and Black. He has to see that he would get more playing time at UGA than at Tech, since they will have Lance Storrs, Brian Oliver, and now, Glen Rice at the shooting guard position.

Anyway, I look for Johnson to commit to Tech sooner rather than later, maybe in the next couple of weeks.

Ballplayer does good

And from an unexpected quarter, at that.

We always hear bad things about athletes. It's good to hear some of the good news, just for the sake of balance.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2008/07/barkley-tips-bu.html

Glen Rice, Jr. to Tech

Props to Hewitt for his recruiting. Got to admit Tech is on a roll here. They now have 4 commitments for the 2009 class (Kammeon Holsey, Brian Oliver, Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice, Jr).

Where Are They Now? Rashad Wright

Rashad Wright recently signed with ALBA Berlin. His contract is for 1 year with a team option for a second season.

Originally drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 59th pick of the 2004 NBA draft, Wright has played professionally in Serbia, Greece, Belgium and Turkey.

Wright's last season with the Efes Pilsen team in Turkey was cut short by a knee injury. Prior to his tenure in the Turkish League, Wright played for the Oostende team in Belgium, where he averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Rashad Wright was born in 1982 in Statesboro, Georgia. He played for UGA from 2000 until 2004, and was described by Coach Jim Harrick as "a hardballer," a term Harrick reserved for those players he coached who never missed a practice, played through pain, and gave it all every time on the court.

Wright was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 9 points and 4 assists for his career, and broke the all-time assist record for UGA.

Congratulations, Rashad!

The Price of a Weak Schedule

Tampabay.com did a nice job with the article below. It explains that if coaches do not schedule well in the spring and summer, it can hurt them when selection for the NCAA Tourney rolls around.

The Selection Committee's job is not easy. As the pool of 64 teams is being compiled, the Committee has to choose between a lot of really good teams for a small number of slots. The Committee wants to see some distinguishing factors, reasons why they should select one particular college team versus another.

So, where a team plays and who they play is a big issue. If you schedule just the teams that you expect to beat and play them at home, then you might get left out from the Big Dance.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/basketball/college/article735833.ece

Ra'Sean Dickey leaves Tech to play in the Ukraine

Tech will be left with 9 scholarship players this year. Doubt that they will have much success in the ACC this year. Nine is enough to be competitive, no doubt, since Dennis Felton won the SEC Tournament with about the same number of healthy players. And the players that Hewitt can call on at Tech are no slouches. It's just that the ACC is so tough that having a good season is difficult enough with a full bench.

You have to like UGA's chances this coming year against Tech, but the game will be played in Atlanta, and the home team normally wins. After this year, Tech will be much tougher.

Recruiting: More on Thomas Robinson

Hadn't planned on updating the information on Robinson, but since he was featured prominently today on a Rivals article, I decided to post the link.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=829920

In the above article, Robinson lists a ton of suitors for his commitment, and he'll have even more, based on his strong play of late. Georgia was named as being in the mix, but as I said yesterday, I would consider it a long shot to secure his commitment. And Robinson said he'd probably wait until the spring to decide. That's a long time to wait on an out of state prospect.

On a side note, if I'm not mistaken, Robinson played on the Riverdale Baptist team that was beaten by North Cobb Christian. I think Dustin Ware went for almost 30 in that game. So as good as Robinson might be, he wasn't the MVP of the NACA, the Christian schools national tournament. Dustin Ware was.

Ware might just be pretty good, and we already have him on campus. Adding Robinson next year would be gravy. I like gravy. If we can get Thomas Robinson, especially if it's sooner rather than later, let's do it.

Recruiting: Thomas Robinson

Thomas Robinson is a combo forward at Brewster Academy up in New Hampshire. Robinson transferred to Brewster from Riverdale Baptist school in Riverdale, Maryland. Robinson is deemed a 4-star by both the Scout and Rivals networks, with Rivals pegging him as the #82-ranked player in the class of 2009.

Here's the info out there:

1. Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303671.html

2. Slam Online

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/07/live-from-the-reebok-all-american-camp/

3. Yahoo

http://76.13.116.113/ncaab/news?slug=rivals-223244&prov=rivals&type=lgns

4. DaugMan's Take

I think the coaching staff might view Thomas Robinson as a guy like Terrance Woodbury-- a power forward at the high school level, but skilled enough to project at the small forward spot in the college game. Robinson also reminds me of the reports that surrounded Jeremy Jacob when Jacob was at Hargrave, i.e., non-stop motor, combo forward with good shooting touch.

Perhaps UGA will end up accepting 4 signees, one each at shooting guard (Demario Mayfield), power forward (Derrick Favors), center (Daniel Miller or Shawn Kemp, Jr.), and small forward (Thomas Robinson or Ari Stewart).

Robinson appears to have the personal discipline, the aptitude and the skill set to thrive in UGA's system. I'd say it's a little bit of a long shot to get him, but since Felton is a Maryland native and UGA was on Robinson early, maybe that will hold us in good stead.

Mfon Udofia commits to Tech

Discouraging. That's all I will say. I want to say more, and I may refer back to this post later. But for now, I'll leave my other comments unspoken.

Can this guy provide some scoring help?

Maybe. Just maybe. If the guy can go up to Chapel Hill and virtually outscore Tyler Hansbrough (he had 21 pts in 20 minutes, vs Hansbrough's 21 pts in 28 minutes), then he might just be able to give Georgia a spark off the bench.

Gardner Webb vs. UNC

Ricky McPhee must have played his best game ever. He was absolutely huge with 6 of 8 from the field, including 4 of 6 from downtown, and 5 of 5 from the free throw line. It looked like he would be the star of Gardner Webb's biggest victory of all time. But it was not to be. After McPhee hit a 3 with 11 seconds left, UNC won on a last second three-pointer.

Nonetheless, it was a big stage and McPhee responded with a big, big game. McPhee also played well in games against other high level opponents, scoring 22 against a Bobby Knight-coached Texas Tech squad, and 17 against Wisconsin.

After sitting out last year due to the NCAA's transfer rules, McPhee will be ready to play for the 2008/2009 season. What does he give the Dawgs?

Well, the 3-point line was moved back a foot this year. Just one foot doesn't seem like it's too much of a difference, but the new distance will have a significant impact on three-point shooting percentages.

Georgia is pretty confident in its rotation of big men. Albert Jackson played well in the SEC Tournament. Chris Barnes should be healthy again and ready to contribute big minutes. Jeremy Price is a big, skilled power forward. And Howard Thompkins will be ready to compete.

However, the team needs guards that can advance the ball against pressure, play good defense, and shoot the ball well, including at the new distance for the arc. Terrance Woodbury has some ability from the mid-range out to the three-point line, but in my opinion, the designated sniper role falls to Dustin Ware, Troy Brewer, Ebuka Anyaorah and Ricky McPhee.

I hope McPhee is training hard and expanding his game. If he shows anything like the game he took up to North Carolina, he might just get his opportunity to shine again.

Lay-ups and Lay-outs

DaugMan's Chronicles needed some work! I know I'm a "homer" and all, and I go on at way too much length, but those are weaknesses that I can live with. I enjoy writing about UGA basketball, and I like talking the progam up, rather than down.

I also end sentences with a preposition.

But I digress. The problem that confronted me this morning as I looked at the blog is that it needed a new layout. Different color. The lime green had to go. I guess that one day I'll go with red and black, given the content, but for now I just wanted to have a different mix. A few notes on the side, some YouTube clips, that sort of thing.

So, I like it a bit more now. If I have any readers, I hope you enjoy it, too. Maybe one day I'll get a guy from Georgia Tech to help me really jazz it up. LOL.

LaKeem Jackson to USC/USC Update

Darrin Horn has started to work on the 2009 recruiting class by inking Lakeem Jackson. Jackson is a 6' 5" wing.

Here's the link.

http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/465267.html

There's also a video update from Coach Horn.

Pretty good work by The State newspaper.

Recruiting: Shawn Kemp, Jr.

Hmmm. Blogging before dawn. I seem to be working on this early morning posting thing, covering the center prospects for the class of 2009. Might as well keep going, huh?

Well, over the last few days, we looked at Torin Walker, and then Daniel Miller. Today, it's Shawn Kemp, Jr.

Out of the 3 centers, Kemp has already won the name recognition battle. Of course, it's not easy to bear the name. His Dad was really good.

I saw a few good links on Shawn Kemp, Jr. The one directly below discusses the famous name and the relationship between Jr. and his Dad.

1. SI

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/luke_winn/07/09/shawn.kemp/


2. USA Today

USA Today has somewhat of a similar "famous name" angle.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/basketball/2008-06-26-hoops-legacies_N.htm


3. Demling Blog

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/2008/01/meet-shawn-kemp-jr.html


4. NorthwestGeorgia.com

http://www.northwestgeorgia.com/sports/local_story_053234109.html


5. YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_P8mLnJu0&feature=related

Although the USA Today article is not very complimentary of Kemp, Jr., the YouTube clip shows several things I like:

a) Good hands.

How many big men fail because they can't catch the entry pass? The video shows that Shawn Kemp, Jr., has great hands. He can catch the awkward pass, the low fastball, and the lob.

b) Hops

Well, his dad had insane hops. Jr. not so much, but he has enough that you can clearly see that he is an above-the-rim player.

c) Dunks

Shawn Kemp, Jr. dunks the ball. He goes up strong in traffic. He dunks with either hand. He has enough elevation to take contact and still complete the power play.

d) Go-to Moves

Kemp, Jr., already has the jump hook, drop step and bank shot in his repertoire. Combine that with power dunks and you don't want to mess with it too much. Looks like he'd be a decent free-throw shooter, too.

e) Build

The USA Today and SI articles talk about Kemp's height and wingspan. He's 6' 9" and just going into his senior year. Kemp has the big feet that indicate that he has more growing to do, and according to the Demling blog, he is likely to add another 3 to 5 inches before he tops out, perhaps at 7' 2". He could put a lot more weight on his frame, too. He runs well, and note the calf muscles. Big, almost like his Dad's.


6. DaugMan's Take

I like Shawn Kemp, Jr., a lot. Rivals.com apparently did, too, giving Kemp Jr. a 5-star rating just months ago. Since that time, Rivals has dropped Kemp from #25 to #83. Maybe that's a sign that Kemp is leaning toward UGA. Ha!

If it were up to me, I'd probably rank Kemp equal to or even above Torin Walker and Daniel Miller. Billy Gillespie up at the University of Kentucky likes Kemp enough to pursue him agressively. I think UGA should step up his recruitment. Kemp does not name UGA amongst his favorites, at least not that I could tell. It's a long shot at this point, but it would be well worth the effort if we can get him.

Recruiting: Daniel Miller

As I mentioned in my last recruiting highlights post, Georgia has three scholarships to give in 2009, and between Demario Mayfield, and hopefully, Derrick Favors, two of the scholarships are spoken for.

Torin Walker was the subject of the last review. Walker is big and athletic, though still somewhat flying below the radar. Now I turn my attention to an even bigger sleeper, Daniel Miller. Miller is a 6' 10", 235 lb center at Loganville Christian.

According to Scout.com, Miller is the #19 ranked center in the class of 2009. Rivals.com has Miller as an unranked prospect.

Georgia recently offered Daniel Miller a scholarship. Now, given Georgia's limited available scholarships, how should that offer be analyzed? Has Georgia spotted a true diamond in the rough? Or is Miller just an unknown quantity, who may or may not be a good Division 1 basketball player? Has Coach Felton just given up on recruiting the more talented players in the 2009 class?

Here are some links that give some of the available background information on Miller.

1. ESPN

ESPN had this to say:

#8 Ranking


2. Walton Tribune

The Walton Tribune recently wrote an article on Miller.

AAU and Offers


3. Rivals

Miller said earlier that his top three are Georgia, Georgia Tech and Stanford, but that Stanford has not offered a scholarship.

Note: Since link has expired, I removed it from this post.


4. Another ESPN Article

Wasn't sure what to make about the reference to Miller working on his hands. That's not a good sign for a big man. But then I read the article below.

Southern Invitational Tournament


5. Youth Prepstars Ranking

Youth Prepstars has Miller tabbed as the #11 player in the state, ahead of Torin Walker and Shawn Kemp, two centers that the other services have highly ranked. Miller is even ranked ahead of UGA commit Demario Mayfield.


6. DanielMillerbball.com

I will say this, Miller gets top ranking for self-promotion. I don't mean this in a bad way. If you're a sleeper looking to gain exposure and win a high-level scholarship, it makes sense to make use of technology. And Miller has a really nice website, with video, other pictures, and information on his stats over the last year. Miller's website even posts his unofficial transcript.

Miller's Website


7. DaugMan's Take

So, who is Daniel Miller and how do I view him as a recruit?

I think he's an intriguing prospect, great student, has really good form for a big man on his shot, and is 6' 10", 235 lbs, and still growing.

Felton likes big men, and if Favors and Miller sign on, UGA's line-up for 2009 would slot Favors at power forward, while Miller learns the center spot for a year behind Albert Jackson.

If Miller develops anything like Albert Jackson has, then a Miller signing could be a real coup for UGA.