Darius Hicks looks like a Yante Maten clone. Elite mid-range game, good hands, nice body control. Looks to be an inch or so shorter than Maten, but definitely more chiseled and explosive around the bucket.
Hicks was committed to Mississippi State, but has since re-opened his recruitment. Can Coach Jonas Hayes get geared up and bring Hicks in? Providence appears to lead, but if we show Hicks some film of how we use Maten, he might see himself fitting into what Georgia is building.
Best I can tell, UGA has four good options for its last remaining scholarship for 2016.
Deshaun Corprew. I like Corprew and he would be a great addition, skill-wise. 6'5" wing who can drive the ball and shoot from the outside. I saw it reported on Scout.com, however, that Corprew has narrowed his list to three or four schools. Georgia was not one of them.
Kobi Simmons. Simmons is a 5-star point guard. Not an elite shooter, but at 6' 5", he is a big point guard. Simmons might be a great fit, since Charles Mann will graduate this year, and UGA signees Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris are more in the shooting guard mode. Simmons is from Alpharetta, and might be willing to stay in-state. The problem is that he has already eliminated Georgia from consideration once. Seemed like he really wanted to go to Kentucky, but Kentucky accepted commitments from other guards. Could Simmons fall back to Georgia like Turtle Jackson?
Harold Baruti. Baruti is a good shooter and a willing defender. He would give Georgia depth on the wing. Baruti is another recruit at that 6' 5" height. Not as physically ready as Corprew, but might be a better fit for other reasons.
Hicks. Hicks is the lone big guy that I would see playing well at Georgia. I wanted Udoka Azubuike, the Shaq-like center from the Georgia Stars AAU team, but for some reason we never offered him. Looks like Azubuike will end up at Florida State.
So, do we need a point guard, a wing, or a big? Since we were apparently prepared to accept a commitment from John Fulkerson, the combo forward who committed to UT, it looks like Fox wants to balance the roster some with a recruit who can play the 3 or the 4 position. Hicks might just be the guy if we can make up some ground.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Great Game Against Clemson
Charles Mann scored 18 points on 5 of 8 shooting, and 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Fantastic game. He did have the one offensive foul when he should have pulled up for the jumper or gone with the floater, but that's okay. Aggressive players will have one of those per outing. Otherwise, Mann handled the ball well and made great decisions.
Yante Maten went 3 for 3 from the field and 2 for 2 from the line. Just 8 points in 15 minutes. He had foul trouble going against Clemson's burly front line.
Kenny Gaines was 6 of 10 from the floor. Was 3 of 6 from deep. Finished with 17 points.
J.J. Frazier wasn't on. He was 3 of 9 from the field and just 1 of 3 from the line. He still had 5 boards and 4 assists with 0 turnovers.
DO got 11 minutes of playing time. Seemed like more. Ogbeide is steadily recovering from the shoulder injury. Shot 3 of 6 from the floor. Mike Edwards had 3 points and 3 blocked shots in 24 minutes. He'll get better as he learns what to do and gets stronger.
Clemson scored 48 points, Just 27 percent shooting. Georgia's defense was good. Probably not that good. Clemson is a bad team. They've beaten Presbyterian, Wofford, and South Carolina Upstate, but not much of anybody else. Clemson will struggle mightily in the ACC this year. They lack an elite ball handler and a few other pieces.
Still, Clemson is a major university, and the win should be a huge confidence builder for Mark Fox, Charles Mann and Dawg fans.
Yante Maten went 3 for 3 from the field and 2 for 2 from the line. Just 8 points in 15 minutes. He had foul trouble going against Clemson's burly front line.
Kenny Gaines was 6 of 10 from the floor. Was 3 of 6 from deep. Finished with 17 points.
J.J. Frazier wasn't on. He was 3 of 9 from the field and just 1 of 3 from the line. He still had 5 boards and 4 assists with 0 turnovers.
DO got 11 minutes of playing time. Seemed like more. Ogbeide is steadily recovering from the shoulder injury. Shot 3 of 6 from the floor. Mike Edwards had 3 points and 3 blocked shots in 24 minutes. He'll get better as he learns what to do and gets stronger.
Clemson scored 48 points, Just 27 percent shooting. Georgia's defense was good. Probably not that good. Clemson is a bad team. They've beaten Presbyterian, Wofford, and South Carolina Upstate, but not much of anybody else. Clemson will struggle mightily in the ACC this year. They lack an elite ball handler and a few other pieces.
Still, Clemson is a major university, and the win should be a huge confidence builder for Mark Fox, Charles Mann and Dawg fans.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Keep Your Head Up, Chuck
Okay. The Georgia Tech game was not Charles Mann's finest effort. He went 1 for 6 from the floor and 2 for 4 from the line.
Even still, Mann had that critical hustle play in the second half, where he split the double team, briefly lost possession, then somehow came up with the ball in the scrum, and from his knees fired a pass to a teammate (Kessler?) for a lay-in.
Mann has to adjust to how the referees are going to call the game. As he does so, he will get more trips to the line, and his field goal percentage will go up. As it stands, the hard work that Mann has put in is showing itself. His form at the free throw line is much better. He even has more arc on his outside shot. He now has to trust his skill. Make a couple of mid-range shots, Chuck, and the drives will become easier.
Keep playing hard. Looking for a big game from you against Clemson.
Even still, Mann had that critical hustle play in the second half, where he split the double team, briefly lost possession, then somehow came up with the ball in the scrum, and from his knees fired a pass to a teammate (Kessler?) for a lay-in.
Mann has to adjust to how the referees are going to call the game. As he does so, he will get more trips to the line, and his field goal percentage will go up. As it stands, the hard work that Mann has put in is showing itself. His form at the free throw line is much better. He even has more arc on his outside shot. He now has to trust his skill. Make a couple of mid-range shots, Chuck, and the drives will become easier.
Keep playing hard. Looking for a big game from you against Clemson.
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