I'm disappointed with our signing class. Nothing against the guys we brought in. It's just that I was expecting so much more.
We had 8 members of the 2011 Rivals 150 available in the state of Georgia. Plenty of scholarships to give and playing time to offer. Of the eight, we only got one, and no other elite recruits from other states.
I didn't expect we would get Kevin Ware or Shannon Scott. They announced fairly early that they were going out of state. Victor Nickerson was a three-star recruit that I didn't follow.
However, I was almost positive we would sign at least one of Malcolm Brogdon, Nick Jacobs, Julian Royal and Dai-Jon Parker. All those guys are top level talents with good grades. I actually thought we would get two out of the four, and I hate it that we lost out to Tech yet again, and let out of state teams like UVA, Alabama and Vandy clean the cupboards.
Coach Fox has a lot of good will. I like the notion that he'll be able to develop the talent that he brings in. He didn't have a reputation coming in as an elite recruiter, so expectations have been modest. Many fans are more focused on the prospects for the 2010/2011 Dawgs than on recruiting. But to be the program that we all want Georgia to be, Fox will have to lock down the borders and keep the best players in-state.
I think we'll be okay for next year. I can foresee us with a 2011/2012 starting line-up of Dustin Ware, Gerald Robinson, Kentavious Caldwell, Marcus Thornton and Donte Williams, while we bring the big men along slowly. Who knows? Travis or Trey could decide to stick around for their senior years.
But as the Felton recruits of Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware, Chris Barnes and Jeremy Price move on, we'll need to get some players in the fold to replace them, or the rest of the SEC East will pass us by. Don't get me wrong. We're doing okay. It's just that I want to be great.
The prospects for success on the floor this year make me fairly optimistic about recruiting for 2012. If we perform well, win the SEC or at least do well in the NCAA Tournament, there's no reason why we shouldn't bag local talent like Shaq Goodwin, Jarmal Reid, Tony Parker, Shaq Johnson and others.
What do you think?
3 comments:
Cannot believe there has not been more talk about Caldwell.
Yes, I am somewhat disappointed in not getting many players, but in Caldwell, we are getting the best signee since Louis Williams, and the best signee to show up on campus since Jumaine Jones.
This guy is big-time, and seems to be way under the radar.
As good as we thought the team looked last year, their record was still not very good. Additionally, the Stegasauras renovation has not been completed.
If we go out and win 20 games this year and kids get on campus and see a decent looking arena, 2012 will be much more fruitful.
As bad as Felton's recruiting seemed at times, guys like Kendrick Johnson and Younes Idrissi could have contributed to winning ballclubs if Felton could have kept them around. We signed two bigs this year that Fox will work with and develop over 3-4 years, and will be good depth, and you never know, one of them might turn into Jevale McGee.
There is also the matter of the spring signing period, and if we have a really big season, we may get some late looks from guys that are not even on the radar right now.
I think in terms of bigger picture...when was the last time we made the final cut or even in the discussion with top recruits. The fact that almost all of them considered us to the end is way better than where we were. By the way I agree with you that Williams could be the surprise of the year on this team. He was very explosive around the basket in practice.
Thoughts re: Nick Marshall on the hardwood?
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