Smack Talk

If I'm the parent, here, I'd want to smack the reporter for his talk.

Seriously. Just apologize and leave the family's driveway.

Taunting Rules.

Felton and the Dawgs Give Back

Fantastic event. I tip my hat to Coach Felton for organizing the Boys and Girls Club Christmas Party again this year, and to Georgia's student athletes for participating and making us all proud.

Giving back to the community will stick with the players, long after the uniforms have faded and most of the athletic exploits have been forgotten. It has been said that once a heart is stretched with compassion, it never goes back to its original size.

I expect that the children of the Boys and Girls Club will certainly enjoy the time this weekend. They will have a visit from Santa (Terrance Woodbury), and a few toys to cherish, courtesy of Coach Felton and Wal-Mart.

Although the children will likely forget the toys they received at Christmas in 2008, perhaps what will remain with them is an abiding sense that someone cared, and the inspiration to keep the gift-giving going.

Boys and Girls Club Event

Richard Hendrix in D-League

File this one under "Basketball."

It's only tangentially related to UGA. Georgia has done a nice job the last few years in playing against Alabama. One of the keys to UGA's performance against the Tide was keeping Richard Hendrix under control.

Hendrix is a star in the making. If he ever learns to shoot free throws, the guy could really help Golden State. Hendrix is playing now in the D-League, out west playing for the Bakersfield Jam.

Turns out that Hendrix has some ability-- not sure how much, but some ability-- from behind the arc.

Anyway, I admire Hendrix for playing hard at Alabama and going about his business in the right way.

Hendrix

Basketball Overview: 20 Questions

Somewhat dated, but I thought it was a good piece.

Here is Rivals' article on the just-started basketball season. Rivals asks and answers questions on the new three-point line, returning coaches, Final Four appearances, one-and-done athletes, and more.

Overview

Don Haskins, NCAA Championship Coach, Passes

Don Haskin passed away yesterday.

Haskins was a pioneering coach, perhaps best known because of the movie, Glory Road, which chronicled his experience at UTEP. Haskins was the first to field a starting five made up of all African-Americans. His team beat a University of Kentucky team that was coached by Rupp, and Haskins won the NCAA championship.

Haskins

Bobby Knight, Nolan Richardson, and Tim Floyd were just some of the coaches who were influenced by Haskins.

ESPN Shootaround

The Shootaround gives a chance for several of ESPN's analysts to opine about basketball and the performance of the teams in the particular conference being reviewed.

ESPN on the SEC

Andy Katz isn't impressed with the SEC. He expects Tennessee to be the only SEC team in the top 25. And he ranks UT down at #17.

I respectfully disagree. UT could win it all this year. They're that good. They remind me of UCLA, in terms of the potential of this team. No dominant post player, but enough athletes to out-perform just about everybody else.

Besides that, the SEC East will be better than Katz expects. If Florida's big men produce, they will be improved from last season, in which they won over 20 games. UK may end up in the top 25. And Vanderbilt has upgraded their talent in the post. No Shan Foster, but they will have a solid rotation of big guys.

Chris Low suggests that UGA could compete for the top of the SEC East. That's a surprise. Most analysts think UGA will be rebuilding due to the graduation of Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss. A surprise, but I like it.

Joe Lunardi anticipates that the SEC could get 6 teams into the NCAA Tournament. That sounds about right. No tournament berth expected for UGA.

All in all, I like ESPN's work here. They're helping keep an eye on college basketball just as football is getting heated up. That's no small task. But this is the time in which basketball training is being done in earnest, when strength and conditioning is taking place, and guys are gearing up to compete.

I think the SEC will get better and better this year. UT, UF, Georgia, Vandy and Kentucky are all making moves. The SEC West doesn't look that great, so we'll have to see how that goes. If Tony Mitchell gets in school, I expect Alabama to be right there and possibly win the SEC West.

Shootaround

Dominique Wilkins Interview

Hoops World has a great interview with former UGA player, Dominique Wilkins.

Wilkins speaks on the state of the Atlanta Hawks going into the new season, his friendship with Barack Obama, and other matters.

Nique

You can access the first part of his interview by clicking on the link toward the beginning of the article.

A Box of Sneakers

I remember all the pairs of sneakers that I had in high school and college. I didn't have nearly as many as some, but the fact that I had any when some children have none...

Thanks to Samaritan's Feet, Coach Ron Hunter of IUPUI, and ESPN for helping me to be more grateful today.

Sneakers

Rucker Park Highlights

Attached link from ESPN has video from the game.

All these kids can play. Fun to watch.

If I find more, I'll post another link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/index?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=newsArticle&categoryKey=gatoradePOYFootball&articleId=11851

Dennis Felton to Appear at UGA's Tate Center

Georgia's Dennis Felton will be in the middle of UGA's campus today, August 29.

Coach Felton will be appearing at 2:00 p.m. at the Tate Center to sign autographs and take pictures. This will be an opportunity for students and fans to meet Coach Felton and ask questions about Georgia basketball.

The last event for Coach Felton at the Tate Center was in April of this year when he lost his 'stache to fulfill a promise. He earlier vowed that he would shave it off if UGA won the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament.

I'd like to see Georgia ramp up performance on the court and do a lot more with marketing and promotions. The event today is hopefully a sign of more good things to come.

Elite 24 Game Played at Rucker Park

The Third Annual Elite 24 Game was played on Friday and aired live on ESPNU. The game will be re-broadcast on Monday on ESPN2.

The Elite 24 game features 24 of the best high school basketball players in the nation, regardless of class. The game began in 2006, and is held at Rucker Park in New York City, one of the most famous outdoor courts in the nation.

Lance Stephenson was the high scorer for the game. Coaches were Chauncey Billups and Kenny Anderson.

Deep

Every now and then I post on something that has nothing to do with Georgia basketball.

The following articles were new and different enough that I decided to link them. I'll even spare the commentary and let each story speak for itself.


I. Cutting Edge Basketball

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/376095_3ba22.html



II. Basketballers on the Cutting Edge

http://www.huliq.com/66684/5/charles-barkley-have-colonoscopy-tv

NIT Tip-Off Field Set

The NIT announced the field for this year's Tip-Off Tournament.

1. North Regional

At Purdue. Georgia plays Loyola of Illinois. Purdue vs. Eastern Mich.

2. East Regional

At Boston College. Boston College against Loyola of Maryland. Cornell plays St. John's.

3. South Regional

At Oklahoma. Oklahoma plays Mississippi Valley State. Davidson goes up against James Madison.

4. West Regional

At Arizona. Arizona plays Florida Atlantic. Santa Clara plays UAB.


The games begin at each region on November 17th. The region championships take place on November 18th. The semi-finals will be on November 26th at Madison Square Garden, and the championship will be on November 28th.

Transgressions, Talent and Turnover

Have discussed this issue before with regard to Coach Felton, but the attached article does the topic a little bit better than I have.

What do you do when a player messes up? What are the standards? Does the player's talent level factor into the decision?

http://nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=61905

Since Jeff Lebo has had 15 players leave for one reason or another in the five years that he has coached, how will he handle the next discipline issue?

ABAC wants BBall Back

At least some of the students do, and they are supported by a number of individuals in the community and even the editorial staff at WALB.

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8841710&nav=menu37_5_1_57

Now, I doubt that UGA will be dipping into the JUCO ranks for players any time soon, and if Georgia did, it probably wouldn't be for more than one athlete every 5 or 6 years. However, this issue is bigger than UGA basketball, and it's even bigger than basketball in small towns and basketball in the state of Georgia. It's about the kids, and for that reason, I'm blogging about it.

The student-athletes at ABAC are just that. They are student-athletes. And in that sense, they aren't "just that." They're "all that." Guys and girls who love the game of basketball, enough to travel on buses to compete against other small schools in small arenas. However, watch the video. The kids are big on effort. They give it their all night in and night out.

While there is a chance that ABAC players will get noticed and earn a scholarship to a four-year institution, the vast majority of the kids know that this is their moment. And they are seizing it. Many of the players not only produce on the court, but also in the classroom, earning GPA's of over 3.0.

Cutbacks are tough, and there will be more painful impacts from reduced state revenues. And sure, it's small school basketball and it may seem that the game might not merit the continued investment of scarce state resources. However, ABAC basketball is no doubt a valued part of the overall student experience, and the game provides a great outlet for the players and quality entertainment in southwest Georgia and beyond.

Maybe the alumni can pull together and make a statement. Perhaps a wealthy member of the community can step in-- I'm not sure to do what, but step in, nonetheless.

There are no easy answers. But I'm not looking for an easy answer-- just the right one. And the elimination of basketball altogether, in my very humble opinion, is not it.

Let's get bball back at ABAC.

D.A. Layne Organizes Basketball Game

Derek Anthony Layne was a 6-foot point guard/scoring guard for UGA. Joining the team in 1998, Layne was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Layne declared for the draft after his sophomore year, but did not hire an agent. He returned for his junior year, after which he declared again, and hired an agent, thereby foregoing his senior season.

Layne averaged 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists over his 3-year career. He was the all-time school leader in 3-pointers made, and ranked 9th in career scoring.

Although Layne was not drafted by the NBA, he had a relatively long career playing overseas. As I recall, Layne last played in Colombia, South America.

He returned to the States a few years ago and is now looking to form a sports agency.

Layne recently began thinking about having a reunion game to bring together former players at Marietta's Wheeler High School. Layne communicated with some of the players and they were enthusiastic about the idea. The game was held Friday, August 1, 2008. Professional athletes Shareef Abdul Rahim, Jemareo Davidson and J.J. Hickson participated.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sports/highschool/stories/2008/07/31/hsspotlight.html

Since I'm not sure how long the AJC article will be available, here's a similar article from the Marietta Daily Journal.

http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/2/section/13/item/113902.html

And here is the article that details how the game turned out.

http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/2/section/13/item/116006.html

Good event. Good job, D.A.

Where Are They Now? Kendrick Johnson

Kendrick Johnson, of Morton, Texas, has been playing at South Plains College. He averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds in the 2007/2008 year, which saw SPC win the national championship for the NJCAA.

Considered at one time to be a top ten player nationally during his high school career, Johnson's was later hampered by chronic ankle problems. Johnson signed with UGA, but due to his injuries, played only one season. He averaged 2 points per contest.

Johnson will play at Abilene Christian University for the 2008/2009 season.

The Lion King

Since I mentioned Demario Mayfield's academic achievements, I decided to follow up by posting the link below.

Mayfield

The article gives some insight into Mayfield's personality and includes some quotes from Mayfield's coach.

Demario averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as a sophomore.

Demario Mayfield gets it done in Classroom

He was recently named to the Franklin County High Merit List.

Scholar Athlete

Note: Scroll down about halfway in the link to find Demario's name.

Congratulations, Demario!

Wonder if UGA can make a run at this guy?

Tamir Jackson recently de-committed from UAB. Who knows why? Who cares?

I guess it does matter, but if he has decided to de-commit so he can be sure he has the right school, then maybe he needs to consider UGA.

http://www.hoopsreport.com/news/interviews/oneononewithtamirjackson


Jackson scored almost 30 points against Oak Hill. He can play.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/basketball/2007-12-14-stbenedicts-oakhill_N.htm


And the description from ESPN sounds almost exactly like Sundiata Gaines.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=43176&season=2009&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d43176%26season%3d2009

Felton did wonders with Gaines' game, and Gaines is from the same general area of the country. I bet Felton could make an effective pitch to Jackson.

Since the guy also reportedly has a 3.6 gpa and wants a coach to push him, he'd fit in with Felton's academics-first focus. He's a tough defender and a scorer, which is just what UGA needs. While we are considering big men, we might ought to take Jackson.