This guy is a stud, on and off the court. It is possible to do both. Get it done in athletics and in the classroom.
Congratulations to Chris Burnette for his hard work and accomplishments, and we look forward to him doing a great job for Georgia.
Burnette
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Illinois Concerned about UGA's Big Men
Clemson was able to get the ball inside and exploit the relative lack of size of the Illinois post players. Clemson's two starting post players went a combined 13 for 20 shooting, and Clemson won the game, 76 to 74.
Now, Illinois is set to tip off against the Dawgs tomorrow. We don't have anyone who plays quite like Clemson's Trevor Booker. I think Chris Barnes has the potential, but he's still a good distance away from putting it all together on the court.
Yet and still, Illinois is concerned about our big men. Can Chris Barnes step up? Will Jeremy Price have a big game, despite his weight loss? Is Thompkins in better shape? How about Ajax? He played well against Santa Clara. Not so well against Western Kentucky.
Illinois
Now, Illinois is set to tip off against the Dawgs tomorrow. We don't have anyone who plays quite like Clemson's Trevor Booker. I think Chris Barnes has the potential, but he's still a good distance away from putting it all together on the court.
Yet and still, Illinois is concerned about our big men. Can Chris Barnes step up? Will Jeremy Price have a big game, despite his weight loss? Is Thompkins in better shape? How about Ajax? He played well against Santa Clara. Not so well against Western Kentucky.
Illinois
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Penn State Downs Georgia Tech by 2.
Tech losing at home to Penn State is somewhat like Georgia losing to WKU. Penn State hasn't been a great program, but they're a good one.
The difference for Penn State was their point guard play. Stanley Pringle shot the ball well, made good decisions, and set up players for high-percentage shots.
Tech player, Gani Lawal, is the real deal. He has really come into his own this year. Had 34 points on 15 of 19 shooting. Penn State is not that strong on the inside, but that's not the point. Lawal is good and he will compete in the ACC portion of the schedule this year.
The difference for Penn State was their point guard play. Stanley Pringle shot the ball well, made good decisions, and set up players for high-percentage shots.
Tech player, Gani Lawal, is the real deal. He has really come into his own this year. Had 34 points on 15 of 19 shooting. Penn State is not that strong on the inside, but that's not the point. Lawal is good and he will compete in the ACC portion of the schedule this year.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Dawgs Lose to Western Kentucky.
As indicated by the post from earlier today, things turned out about as I expected.
UGA doesn't have the strength at point guard. I believe point guard is the most critical position on the roster when a team plays an away game.
If our point guards go 5 for 15, and make poor decisions/unforced turnovers to boot, we're not going to win.
Dustin Ware will eventually be a clutch player for Georgia. I really believe it. But judging from his stats and what I could tell from the radio, he just didn't get it done against Western Kentucky.
Might need to shake up the line-up. Jackson didn't give us much. Thompkins might be ready to start. Thompkins starting off the beginning of the game and at the half might help us avoid the extended cold spells.
It also sounds like Chris Barnes has earned more minutes, in spite of the fact that he missed a few important free throws. Barnes is not as tall as Jackson, but he plays bigger than his size.
UGA doesn't have the strength at point guard. I believe point guard is the most critical position on the roster when a team plays an away game.
If our point guards go 5 for 15, and make poor decisions/unforced turnovers to boot, we're not going to win.
Dustin Ware will eventually be a clutch player for Georgia. I really believe it. But judging from his stats and what I could tell from the radio, he just didn't get it done against Western Kentucky.
Might need to shake up the line-up. Jackson didn't give us much. Thompkins might be ready to start. Thompkins starting off the beginning of the game and at the half might help us avoid the extended cold spells.
It also sounds like Chris Barnes has earned more minutes, in spite of the fact that he missed a few important free throws. Barnes is not as tall as Jackson, but he plays bigger than his size.
Thompkins Gets More Press
Fresh after his being named "SEC Freshman of the Week," Thompkins received a nice write-up in the Athens Banner Herald.
I love the guy's attitude. Confident, but not overly so. Complimentary of his teammates.
Team Captain, Corey Butler, speaks to the freshman's impact.
We'll need him to step up big over the next few games.
Thompkins
I love the guy's attitude. Confident, but not overly so. Complimentary of his teammates.
Team Captain, Corey Butler, speaks to the freshman's impact.
We'll need him to step up big over the next few games.
Thompkins
Dawgs Travel to Bowling Green for 9:00 Game
This is as big a game as Georgia has had in the young season. It is also a big game for Coach Felton, personally.
As the Red and Black states, Felton did an incredible job at Western Kentucky. I'm sure there are a good number of other schools with the credentials of a perfect graduation rate and multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament. It would be a good exercise to see just how many.
At any rate, Felton deserves a great deal of credit for the growth at Western Kentucky. He has Georgia's program on the way, and the two schools will meet tonight at 9:00.
It will be hard as nails for Georgia's basketball team to get a win. I'm not expecting it, though I do want the Dawgs to show up. I'd like to see Travis Leslie get going again, a good game from the point guards, and see what happens.
WKU Game
As the Red and Black states, Felton did an incredible job at Western Kentucky. I'm sure there are a good number of other schools with the credentials of a perfect graduation rate and multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament. It would be a good exercise to see just how many.
At any rate, Felton deserves a great deal of credit for the growth at Western Kentucky. He has Georgia's program on the way, and the two schools will meet tonight at 9:00.
It will be hard as nails for Georgia's basketball team to get a win. I'm not expecting it, though I do want the Dawgs to show up. I'd like to see Travis Leslie get going again, a good game from the point guards, and see what happens.
WKU Game
Monday, December 1, 2008
Seth Curry leads Liberty to Win over George Mason
Curry scored 22 points, with 6 rebounds and 3 assists, with just 1 turnover for the game.
Liberty is now 4 and 1 on the year. Their win over George Mason, a team that was undefeated and just a couple of years ago, the darling of the NCAA Tournament, makes a statement that Liberty is for real.
Curry had a jumper and two free throws in the last 41 seconds. Looks like Seth will be a star, just like his older brother, Stephen. Wonder if Seth wants to transfer?
Liberty is now 4 and 1 on the year. Their win over George Mason, a team that was undefeated and just a couple of years ago, the darling of the NCAA Tournament, makes a statement that Liberty is for real.
Curry had a jumper and two free throws in the last 41 seconds. Looks like Seth will be a star, just like his older brother, Stephen. Wonder if Seth wants to transfer?
D-League Update
Fred Gibson scored 16 points in just over 20 minutes in a losing effort for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds lost to the 14'ers on Sunday. In addition to his 16 points, Gibson also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Steve Newman had 5 points and 4 boards in his last game. He was 2 of 4 from the field, with a three-pointer.
The Utah Flash is now 1 and 1 on the season. Fred Gibson's Thunderbirds team is 0 and 2.
Steve Newman had 5 points and 4 boards in his last game. He was 2 of 4 from the field, with a three-pointer.
The Utah Flash is now 1 and 1 on the season. Fred Gibson's Thunderbirds team is 0 and 2.
UGA goes up against Western Kentucky and Pettigrew
Some of you who follow the Rivals message board for UGA basketball may remember that a couple of years ago I was a Steffphon Pettigrew supporter and wished UGA had offered him.
Dennis Felton went up to see Pettigrew work out and came back without making the offer. Felton's a pretty good judge of talent, and I get the sense that he was looking for a particular style of player with what he believed was his last scholarship for the 2007 class.
Since Pettigrew was a bit of a "tweener," a player that is not considered big enough to play inside, nor a good enough dribbler to play outside, Dennis Felton probably wanted to go with another guard. However, since Jeremy Jacob, a member of Georgia's '07 signing class, did not stay, hindsight suggests it probably would have been best to bring Pettigrew in.
Here's the YouTube video from the Pettigrew signing with Western Kentucky.
Pettigrew
Pettigrew was relatively quiet last year, and averaged something like 5 points. However, he has come into his own during the early part of the 2008/2009 season. WKU's coach has apparently dispensed with trying to make Pettigrew a guard, and put Pettigrew at the power forward position, where he played in high school.
Although Pettigrew is shorter than most other power forwards, he has found a way to out-physical and out-work his opponents. In his two most recent games, Pettigrew had 20 points against the Salukis, and a huge 17-point, 12 rebound performance against Louisville, the #3 ranked team in the country. Even more impressive was the fact that in the Louisville game, Pettigrew was matched up in the post against Samardo Samuels, a big 6' 9" 270-lb post player.
A fantastic offensive and defensive game. In short, the type of guy that Felton might wish he had now. Although Pettigrew probably would not start over a Jeremy Price or a Howard Thompkins at Georgia's power foward slot, it would have been great to bring Pettigrew off the bench to play somewhere when the match-ups were favorable.
I still like Pettigrew. Just hope that he doesn't go off against us.
Dennis Felton went up to see Pettigrew work out and came back without making the offer. Felton's a pretty good judge of talent, and I get the sense that he was looking for a particular style of player with what he believed was his last scholarship for the 2007 class.
Since Pettigrew was a bit of a "tweener," a player that is not considered big enough to play inside, nor a good enough dribbler to play outside, Dennis Felton probably wanted to go with another guard. However, since Jeremy Jacob, a member of Georgia's '07 signing class, did not stay, hindsight suggests it probably would have been best to bring Pettigrew in.
Here's the YouTube video from the Pettigrew signing with Western Kentucky.
Pettigrew
Pettigrew was relatively quiet last year, and averaged something like 5 points. However, he has come into his own during the early part of the 2008/2009 season. WKU's coach has apparently dispensed with trying to make Pettigrew a guard, and put Pettigrew at the power forward position, where he played in high school.
Although Pettigrew is shorter than most other power forwards, he has found a way to out-physical and out-work his opponents. In his two most recent games, Pettigrew had 20 points against the Salukis, and a huge 17-point, 12 rebound performance against Louisville, the #3 ranked team in the country. Even more impressive was the fact that in the Louisville game, Pettigrew was matched up in the post against Samardo Samuels, a big 6' 9" 270-lb post player.
A fantastic offensive and defensive game. In short, the type of guy that Felton might wish he had now. Although Pettigrew probably would not start over a Jeremy Price or a Howard Thompkins at Georgia's power foward slot, it would have been great to bring Pettigrew off the bench to play somewhere when the match-ups were favorable.
I still like Pettigrew. Just hope that he doesn't go off against us.
Derrick Favors, Jalen Kendrick, and others.
Justin Young gives an overview of some of the early season basketball action in Georgia.
Derrick Favors has given the standard all-around dominant performance. I appreciate his humility. Would love for Georgia to have Favors and Thompkins trade back and forth on the high-low game. We'll see.
Jalen Kendrick gets some of Justin's attention. Kendrick's shooting on the evening was probably not up to his standards, but you have to like a 6' 6" guy who can actually play the point guard position.
Manny Atkins had a great game recently. He'll fit in nicely at Virginia Tech. Tech already has Dorenzo Hudson, a guy that UGA offered, and Terrell Bell, a forward that I know we considered (may or may not have offered, I don't remember). Bell didn't score in today's game against Wisconsin. Dorenzo Hudson scored 8 points on 3 of 5 shooting. Hudson looked to have a lot of potential in that game, but he just is not getting too many shots.
Justin's High School Recaps
Derrick Favors has given the standard all-around dominant performance. I appreciate his humility. Would love for Georgia to have Favors and Thompkins trade back and forth on the high-low game. We'll see.
Jalen Kendrick gets some of Justin's attention. Kendrick's shooting on the evening was probably not up to his standards, but you have to like a 6' 6" guy who can actually play the point guard position.
Manny Atkins had a great game recently. He'll fit in nicely at Virginia Tech. Tech already has Dorenzo Hudson, a guy that UGA offered, and Terrell Bell, a forward that I know we considered (may or may not have offered, I don't remember). Bell didn't score in today's game against Wisconsin. Dorenzo Hudson scored 8 points on 3 of 5 shooting. Hudson looked to have a lot of potential in that game, but he just is not getting too many shots.
Justin's High School Recaps
Smoltz says he's a fan of the basketball program
He looked pretty good in the video, previously attached. For a guy coming off of surgery and pretty much at the end of his baseball career, he still has real basketball skill.
The Red and Black has more information on the reaction to Smoltz. I was glad to see that Zac Swansey enjoyed the visit.
More on Visit from Smoltz
The Red and Black has more information on the reaction to Smoltz. I was glad to see that Zac Swansey enjoyed the visit.
More on Visit from Smoltz
John Smoltz talks to UGA basketball team
Great speech by Smoltz. One of my all-time favorites for the Atlanta Braves.
I hope the Dawgs basketball players realize how special a time it is that they are having.
I enjoyed watching Coach Felton and John Smoltz shoot it out in a game of HORSE.
Who knew Felton had game? He can hit that consistent outside jumper. Coach Felton even talks constantly. Was fun to see some of his personality come out on the video.
Smoltz and Felton
I hope the Dawgs basketball players realize how special a time it is that they are having.
I enjoyed watching Coach Felton and John Smoltz shoot it out in a game of HORSE.
Who knew Felton had game? He can hit that consistent outside jumper. Coach Felton even talks constantly. Was fun to see some of his personality come out on the video.
Smoltz and Felton
Howard Thompkins named SEC Freshman
of the week.
Thompkins won the award after playing very well in two games last week. He had 10 points and 5 blocks against St. Clara, and then followed up with 23 points and 7 rebounds against MVSU.
Thompkins now leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
Let's hope he wins the award again next week, which would mean that he played very well against Western Kentucky.
Thompkins
Thompkins won the award after playing very well in two games last week. He had 10 points and 5 blocks against St. Clara, and then followed up with 23 points and 7 rebounds against MVSU.
Thompkins now leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
Let's hope he wins the award again next week, which would mean that he played very well against Western Kentucky.
Thompkins
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)