Brewer, Next

David Hale is reporting on his blog that Troy Brewer is transferring. And I just noticed that UGA.Rivals.com has an article on its site about Brewer leaving.

I don't know whether a mass exit is occurring, but this thing sure looks like it is gathering steam. First Swansey, and then, Brewer, and they are not waiting around to see who the next coach will be.

Brewer was recruited out of Montrose Academy, if memory serves me, in the suburban D.C. area. Coach Felton hoped that Brewer would be a dead-eye three-point shooter, and he probably anticipated bringing Brewer along slowly, until Troy could develop his thin frame enough to withstand the rigors of SEC basketball.

However, things never seemed to work out for Brewer. He was inserted in the games a number of times last year at the very end when a three-pointer was needed. And this year, Georgia had so many difficulties just avoiding turnovers that spot minutes for Brewer were few and far between. Then, when Brewer did play, his form seemed to be way off, and he never tried to drive the ball to the hoop to take advantage of his long frame.

I would expect Brewer to try to catch on with a team closer to his Maryland home.

The impact of the Brewer and Swansey transfers is that Georgia's new coach will have three scholarships to offer for the fall 2009 team. I don't know of any quality recruits left on the board, but there may be a late bloomer or two.

As for other potential transfers, I don't know what will happen with Jeremy Price. I assume that Travis Leslie will remain eligible.

At any rate, the coach will have some flexibility. He needs a back-up point guard and another shooter, definitely. With that said, he should have the makings of a decent roster: a center, Albert Jackson; a power forward or two, Chris Barnes and Howard Thompkins; and a point guard, Dustin Ware. Academics seem to be in good shape, and Atlanta, with its fertile recruiting ground, is an hour away.

Here's wishing Troy Brewer the best, and hoping that UGA basketball will get better next year.