what we've been missing.
Marcus Thornton gave us a lot of good moments, but he would have been better at the 4 position than the 5. Was frustrating to watch us miss so many shots in close against Michigan State. A guy with a bigger base and stronger with the ball would have made all the difference in the game. Can you imagine what Georgia would have been if Thornton and Parker were on the floor at the same time?
Tony Parker scored 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and led UCLA to the Sweet Sixteen. I firmly believe that had Parker chosen UGA, we'd be going there instead of the Bruins.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Tookie Brown, Come on Down!
UGA might have a chance to successfully recruit Tookie Brown after all.
Some fans wondered why Fox did not go harder after Brown, since Brown is from Morgan County, just a short distance away from UGA's campus. When Tookie committed to Mississippi State, Dawgs hoops followers resigned themselves to hope that he would not be as effective at the college level as high school (over 3,000 points scored, including a recent 37-point outburst in a tournament game against #1 ranked Laney, and 25 points in the championship game against Jenkins).
Well, in perhaps a gift to UGA, Mississippi State has fired head basketball coach Rick Ray.
One of the school's commitments has already reacted by announcing that he is reopening his recruitment. What does that mean for Tookie Brown? We'll see over the next few days.
Bottom line: We need to look very seriously at bringing in Tookie Brown, should he decommit. The trend these days is that after a forced coaching change, the schools release their incoming recruits from their Letters of Intent, most of the time with no restrictions. We did it when Harrick, and later, Felton, were fired. It would be classy of Mississippi State to allow Tookie to sign with UGA, if he responded to the Ray firing by deciding to play closer to home.
That's basically how we got Marcus Thornton. Clemson coach Oliver Purnell left, and we picked up Thornton on the rebound. And where would UGA have been the last couple of years without Thornton?
Tookie Brown would be a fit for UGA. Although it could be argued that he is an undersized point guard, and UGA already has one in J.J. Frazier, Frazier himself showed us against Mississippi State that if the player gets hot, whatever his size, feed him the ball.
We've seen how the Dawgs play when one of our guards is injured. We just don't have a whole lot of options. Bringing Tookie Brown in would allow Turtle Jackson to be more of a combo guard. That would give Fox an effective five-guard rotation to work with, Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines as seniors, Frazier as a sophomore, and Brown and Jackson as freshmen. We could even make the press a staple of our defense, rather than a last minute catch-up tool.
While we're at it, the player who announced his decommitment from MSU is none other than 4-star shooting guard D'Marcus Simonds from Gainesville, Ga. Whatever Tookie Brown decides to do, let's be sure to let Simonds know that he is welcome as part of our 2016 class. Either he or Jordan Harris could slide to the 3 position, giving UGA a fantastic recruiting haul next year, consisting of three long, athletic perimeter players, Simonds, Jordan Harris and Tyree Crump.
Tookie and Turtle sounds good to me. If we can find a way to get Tookie and another big for the 2015 class, then let's do it. If we don't have the room, then I guess we would have to go with signing a big since we're losing Thornton and Nemi. In that case, be sure to get Simonds in the next class.
It's time to start making rapid steps up the basketball talent trajectory. Fox, make it happen.
Some fans wondered why Fox did not go harder after Brown, since Brown is from Morgan County, just a short distance away from UGA's campus. When Tookie committed to Mississippi State, Dawgs hoops followers resigned themselves to hope that he would not be as effective at the college level as high school (over 3,000 points scored, including a recent 37-point outburst in a tournament game against #1 ranked Laney, and 25 points in the championship game against Jenkins).
Well, in perhaps a gift to UGA, Mississippi State has fired head basketball coach Rick Ray.
One of the school's commitments has already reacted by announcing that he is reopening his recruitment. What does that mean for Tookie Brown? We'll see over the next few days.
Bottom line: We need to look very seriously at bringing in Tookie Brown, should he decommit. The trend these days is that after a forced coaching change, the schools release their incoming recruits from their Letters of Intent, most of the time with no restrictions. We did it when Harrick, and later, Felton, were fired. It would be classy of Mississippi State to allow Tookie to sign with UGA, if he responded to the Ray firing by deciding to play closer to home.
That's basically how we got Marcus Thornton. Clemson coach Oliver Purnell left, and we picked up Thornton on the rebound. And where would UGA have been the last couple of years without Thornton?
Tookie Brown would be a fit for UGA. Although it could be argued that he is an undersized point guard, and UGA already has one in J.J. Frazier, Frazier himself showed us against Mississippi State that if the player gets hot, whatever his size, feed him the ball.
We've seen how the Dawgs play when one of our guards is injured. We just don't have a whole lot of options. Bringing Tookie Brown in would allow Turtle Jackson to be more of a combo guard. That would give Fox an effective five-guard rotation to work with, Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines as seniors, Frazier as a sophomore, and Brown and Jackson as freshmen. We could even make the press a staple of our defense, rather than a last minute catch-up tool.
While we're at it, the player who announced his decommitment from MSU is none other than 4-star shooting guard D'Marcus Simonds from Gainesville, Ga. Whatever Tookie Brown decides to do, let's be sure to let Simonds know that he is welcome as part of our 2016 class. Either he or Jordan Harris could slide to the 3 position, giving UGA a fantastic recruiting haul next year, consisting of three long, athletic perimeter players, Simonds, Jordan Harris and Tyree Crump.
It's time to start making rapid steps up the basketball talent trajectory. Fox, make it happen.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Down to 8 with 51 seconds
Great steal by Forte. We need another steal or for them to miss a ton of free throws.
Is there hope?
Is there hope?
Oh Well
We needed a stellar game from somebody and we didn't get it. Still time on the clock, but season slipping away.
Refs gifted us with a call and Nemi missed both free throws.
Refs gifted us with a call and Nemi missed both free throws.
Yikes. Had a chance
to take the lead. Gaines misses two threes. One by himself, and one where he was open enough to get a clean look.
At least we're back in this thing. Let's draw some fouls and win it at the line late.
At least we're back in this thing. Let's draw some fouls and win it at the line late.
Down 13
We're just not playing well. Don't know who to turn to at this point.
If we can't win, let's at least make it close. I'm not giving up. I just like seeing the Dawgs play good basketball, and right now, we aren't.
If we can't win, let's at least make it close. I'm not giving up. I just like seeing the Dawgs play good basketball, and right now, we aren't.
Missing Chippies,
turning the ball over. Leaving their roll man wide open. We're lucky to be within 10 points.
We need a hero. Someone to hit a couple of outside shots. Frazier, it's your time.
We need a hero. Someone to hit a couple of outside shots. Frazier, it's your time.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Color me Convinced on Mike Edwards
As per Anon's request, I took a second and a third look at Mike Edwards. To put it short, I now agree with Anon.
Edwards has a high ceiling. He moves well for a big guy, has the jump hook in his arsenal, catches the ball cleanly, and shoots it well from the elbow. He has a little bit of the Nemi Djurisic driving ability, too. The finish in the most recent video was impressive.
I think that Edwards has enough upside that with a good strength and conditioning program, he will adjust to SEC play. I understand that Mike Edwards, Sr., played football for Michigan State, which makes it likely that his hoops-playing son will be able to put on 20 or 30 pounds of muscle.
UGA can be competitive with Derek Ogbeide and Yante Maten in the post. But if one or both of those guys has an injury or gets in foul trouble, we look really thin at this point. Glad that Coach Hayes and the Fox recruiting staff found an overlooked guy who can help.
Let's bring in Edwards. If Brown wants to sign, too, all the better.
Edwards has a high ceiling. He moves well for a big guy, has the jump hook in his arsenal, catches the ball cleanly, and shoots it well from the elbow. He has a little bit of the Nemi Djurisic driving ability, too. The finish in the most recent video was impressive.
I think that Edwards has enough upside that with a good strength and conditioning program, he will adjust to SEC play. I understand that Mike Edwards, Sr., played football for Michigan State, which makes it likely that his hoops-playing son will be able to put on 20 or 30 pounds of muscle.
UGA can be competitive with Derek Ogbeide and Yante Maten in the post. But if one or both of those guys has an injury or gets in foul trouble, we look really thin at this point. Glad that Coach Hayes and the Fox recruiting staff found an overlooked guy who can help.
Let's bring in Edwards. If Brown wants to sign, too, all the better.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Georgia Could Go All the Way
About as favorable a bracket as we could have hoped for, and close enough to home.
Virginia is good, but we match up with them better than Kentucky. Have to get by MSU, of course, but I have a good feeling.
Let's get healthy and lace 'em up!
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