Lot to Like

In this post-commitment interview with Marcus Thornton.

Marcus Thornton was the first big "get" of the Mark Fox era at UGA--the first Mr. Georgia Basketball in forever to commit and actually show up on campus.

I really liked the fact that Thornton mentioned that he wanted to help UGA start a "dynasty." With the Kentavious Caldwell commitment following, perhaps the train is finally starting to roll in Athens.

Best of all, I think Marcus Thornton has enough skill to play on the wing for Georgia. He envisions himself playing mostly on the wing, and that's great news. If he works really hard prior to the season, he could be freshman of the year.

Thornton

Trey and Travis in Top Five

SlamOnline picks Thompkins as their top upper classman for the 2011 NBA draft.

Travis comes in at #5.

Pretty impressive

Around the League: Auburn

Everything is shiny and new at Auburn. New, highly rated coach, Tony Barbee. New offense, the John Calipari-style dribble drive. New arena.

Barbee even garnered commitments from new recruits. Chris Denson, a guard that Coach Fox considered for a time. Josh Langford, a wing that was a UGA recruit. Luke Cothron, high-ranked power forward, and Shawn Kemp, Jr., a center from the metro Atlanta area.

The problem is that Cothron and Kemp have apparently failed to qualify.

My take?

The dribble drive offense may be good, but it needs players to make it work. Barbee doesn't have enough of them.

Auburn's roster was thinned considerably by graduation. Frankie Sullivan and Ty Armstrong, returning players on whom Barbee expected to rely, have both been sidelined with knee injuries, and it is doubtful that either one will return to play this year. Barbee could have done some damage with Cothron and Kemp, but without them, he'll have to convince his team to play tough defense and and hope that they shoot very well from the perimeter.

Auburn will struggle. They went 15 and 17 last year, and won just 6 games in the conference. Maintaining that same record would be a success for Barbee.

Terrance Woodbury to Poland

The ink must have been barely dry on Woodbury's contract to play in Argentina when he was whisked away to Koszalin, Poland.

Terrance will be playing in the Polish Basketball League for the balance of 2010. At least that's the case for now.

Woodbury will be playing for AZS Koszalin, a team formed in 1968. If I were Terrance, I'd call on Chris Daniels for help in getting acclimated.

Koszalin is a city located in northwest Poland, just off the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Good luck, Terrance.

Lalanne and UMass

Something about this situation doesn't sit well with me. Not quite sure what it is.

At any rate, if I were Lalanne, I'd pass. Western Massachusetts is a long way from Florida, and tuition is probably off the charts for an out of state student.

He should accept a scholarship to go Juco and see what happens.

Keep an Eye on Murphy

I thought that when Coach Fox was out scouting Dwayne Polee that he also should have checked out Reggie Murphy.

Murphy was the key to several important victories for Westchester High. While Polee had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the California state championsip game, Polee's coach felt that the story of the game was Reggie Murphy. His presence in the paint led Mater Dei to attempt lots of outside shots. Westchester took the long rebounds and converted on the other end. Murphy finished the contest with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Although he fouled out of Westchester's game against Oak Hill, Murphy picked up MVP honors for his 12 points and 8 boards.

Murphy signed to go to to junior college at Casper College. Since Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes will be graduating and UGA lost signee Cady Lalanne to eligibility issues, we will need a lot of help in the post for 2011. I say we should watch Murphy's development with a keen eye.

Reggie Murphy Interview