McGarity Wants Improvement

I guess that's why Fox used up his 'ships this year, instead of holding one or two back.

McGarity Expectations

I'll be honest, I don't like using up four scholarships in one year unless you're bringing in a very talented class.  Think about it, of the four recruits, most commentators would call them possible contributors.  No four-star players.  No five-star players.  Is that right?  Key year for Fox to make headway in recruiting, and we have four players and a total of six total stars among them (average of 1.5)?

I don't want to get too caught up in the math or in the ranking systems of the various web sites.  It is possible that Fox has managed to find players who have been overlooked and underranked.  But my confidence level has been shaken by 3 out of 4 losing seasons.  As I look back at the Fox program of work, the one recruit who was expected to be really talented was, and the guys who were lower ranked and weren't expected to be difference-makers weren't.

My larger concern about the decisions made by Fox has to do with the future of UGA basketball. 

Only one scholarship was awarded to a kid from the state of Georgia, and that one was handed out to a small player from a small school in a small town.  Kid might be talented out of his mind, given, but don't expect the boosters to stand up and do the wave.  Georgia-area high school and AAU coaches won't either. 

Coach Fox's recruiting strategy does not set the table for recruiting in coming years.  He has almost no scholarships left for 2014, and I would argue that he still has made no inroads with the key guys who can help Fox get 4 and 5-star players in the future.  I can't think of a talented recruit in the 2014 or '15 class who is from the same school as the players we're bringing in. 

A coach at the flagship university from a state rich in basketball talent which is also located just an hour from Atlanta ought to bring in a fair share of the wealth. If you can't do that, and you must take a chance on a project or a diamond-in-the-rough kind of guy, don't you roll the dice on in-state players?

The logical conclusion to be drawn from this year's recruiting class is that Fox brought in the players he wanted, without much thought to the future.  He has to win now.  But can these guys perform?  There isn't a single low post player in the bunch.  That's a head-scratcher, particularly since the obvious need on the roster is a bruiser who can rebound the ball and finish around the basket.

 Will the four new guys help in year one?  They'd better.