Saturday, June 20, 2009

Double the Wilkins

fun at basketball camp.

Damien Wilkins and his dad, Gerald Wilkins, teamed up to lead Damien's summer basketball camp.

Damien has done a great job in giving back and representing UGA well.

Football Recruiting

As I back-fill football-related information onto the Blog, I thought it would be good to add this link to the AJC.

The link features information about UGA's football signees for this upcoming season.

Noel Johnson to Clemson

Could be a good fit for Johnson with Clemson coach Oliver Purnell.

Mark Fox made a run at Johnson, but it wasn't to be.

Clemson now has Georgia products, Noel Johnson, Andre Young and Tanner Smith on their roster.

Richt and Dungy

Georgia football coach Mark Richt and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy are teaming up for the All-Pro Dad's event today. It's from 9:00 a.m. to noon today at the UGA practice fields.

Sounds like a great event.

Get the Picture

Scott Howard is the permanent replacement for Larry Munson for the UGA football program.

Munson is a tough act to follow, but UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans believes that Howard is the right guy for the job.

Link from "Blast from the Past" fixed

Sorry for the confusion, if any of you read the "Blast from the Past" post. The correct link is now attached.

Thanks.

Sundiata Gaines Scores

Gaines gets it going in the first half in the Nike Pro City event.

Not a whole lot of detail in the article, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Marcus and Selecia Washington

From the official site.

Marcus and Selecia Washington and their two kids. Great story. Let's all root for Washington to have a terrific year on the field.

Blast from the Past

Storm hits Georgia Dome. What to do?

One of the great moments in Georgia sports history was unfolding.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Kick-off

Decided to start including some information on football on the site. I already do so from time to time, but today marks the official "kick-off," if you will, of my efforts to add a few thoughts on football every week.

What do you think?

Thompkins Makes the Squad

Howard Thompkins counts it a blessing from God to be selected to the 12-man roster for the USA Under 19 basketball team. The competition and coaching should be excellent preparation for him as he begins his sophomore year at UGA.

Good article on the official site.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mike Mercer to Play Again?

I guess it could happen. Have to figure it's a long shot, just as Stan Heath says.

Mercer would have to want it. He'd have to have some way of supporting himself. His knees would have to hold up. And the academic folks at South Florida would have to approve it.

Doubt the stars will align for Mercer, but I hope he finds his way.

Draft Dodgers

Point taken. Georgia is predicted to finish at the bottom of the SEC East again. Sure, it's an article from The State.com, but it's hard to argue with their analysis.

It's mid-June and the decisions are in. Unlike past years, the SEC didn't have a lot of guys go early to the pro's. Instead, the conference had a bunch of "draft dodgers." That's the State.com's term for guys who wanted to test their draft stock without hiring an agent, thus leaving open the option of returning to school.

In the end, players like Patrick Patterson at UK, Tasmin Mitchell at LSU, Tyler Smith at Tennessee, and Devan Downey at South Carolina-- dipped their proverbial big toe in the NBA waters, and decided that they would rather have fun for another year in the shallow section of collegiate basketball.

The bottom line is that several SEC teams have kept their rosters roughly intact, while adding in some marquee recruits. Result?

The SEC will be back in big way for the 2009/2010 basketball season.

Start Spreading the News

Sundiata Gaines is back in New York, New York. And he's playing his familiar brand of tough basketball.

Bounce Magazine has a good article on Sundiata's play in the Pro-Am circuit back on Gaines' familiar turf. Gaines can still penetrate to the hoop and take the basketball up strong. In his most recent game, Sundiata went to the rack, took a hard foul, and watched the ball go in, providing the margin of difference in Money Train's win over NYAC.

I wonder if Gaines has improved his free throw shooting and mid-range game while over in Italy? If he could get to 85 percent or better on free throws, he could one day find an NBA team looking for an "Andre Miller-type back-up point guard.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Big Things Expected from Big Man

Tony Parker has made an impression with Team USA. Parker made the final cut for the team, and he will be representing the USA at the competition in Argentina.

Coach Don Showalter of the Team USA squad explains that Parker is "quicker than you would expect" him to be at his size. Showalter adds that Parker is the most improved player since the tryouts began.

Good article from MaxPreps, and good luck to Parker as he continues his basketball career.

Back to the Future

Gani Lawal decides to return to Georgia Tech to play for the 2009/2010 season.

His decision will make Tech a real powerhouse next year. You have to figure that Favors will start at center. Lawal would then hold down the power forward spot. I like Mfon Udofia as the starting point guard, which would give Coach Hewitt lots of options for the small forward and shooting guard slots.

Lawal's return also means that Tech is full for scholarship players, I think. This makes it less likely that Noel Johnson will end up at Tech, and more likely that he will end up some place like LSU.

Life is good for Tech basketball. Not so good at Georgia. But if Fox can prove to be a good offensive coach, the team has enough players left over from last year to compete.