Georgia loses to Florida by 12. They were up 17, I think, during the last couple of minutes.
The one time we put on a press, we got a turnover.
Why doesn't Fox at least try different defenses? What about a press? What about the 1-3-1? We're down 10 points late in the second half and we just let them walk the ball up the floor? I can coach better than that!
We're 13 and 11 overall. At 4 and 7 in the league, Georgia is in next to last place in the SEC.
Fox takes the credit for the 20 win seasons. He has to take the blame for this one. Sure, we've had some bad breaks, but if your team never wins close games, never beats higher ranked teams, then something is wrong with the recruiting and the in-game coaching.
I don't know what everybody else was expecting in year 8 of the Fox regime, but this wasn't it. No NCAA wins in 8 seasons? Lower reaches of the SEC? Sure his guys are graduating, but I can field an intramural team with grad students. Doesn't mean I'm a good coach.
Fox looked pretty good with Felton's players, Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware and Jeremy Price. But with his own guys, Fox looks totally out-matched by some of the other good coaches.
We finally beat Tech. Other than that, I can't think of any highlights for the season.
Meanwhile, the other coaches are starting to recruit better. Alabama and Avery Johnson will be a great looking squad next year. Tennessee will be better. Florida and South Carolina are at the top of the league now.
Georgia seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
This game might have forced McGarity's hand.
Showing posts with label Dustin Ware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dustin Ware. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Georgia is Close
The high water mark for Fox basketball was when he had the athletes. Doesn't get much better than this.
Fox could put on the floor a point guard who would protect the ball and shoot clutch free throws (Dustin Ware), a shooting guard who defended well and was reliable from deep (Ricky McPhee), a bulky guy with a big butt in the low post (Jeremy Price), a tall athlete at the high post (Trey Thompkins), and a sky-walking small forward (Travis Leslie).
UGA gobbled up rebounds with Thompkins, Price, and Leslie, and we could employ the match-up zone effectively with a long athletic guy at the top of the zone.
The problem is that all the athletes were Felton recruits. When they left, the cupboard wasn't exactly bare, but it definitely was not well stocked.
Dawg fans have been waiting for the glory days to come back. Meanwhile, we won the best we could. Lost games we should have won. Endured ugly basketball.
Well, guys. I think Georgia is close. Given the 2015 signing class and the 2016 commitments, we may be able to mix and match pieces and deploy some guys who will bring the excitement back.
Next year Fox can put on the floor two point guards who will give us some of the contributions that Dustin Ware made.
Charles Mann will be a senior. With better athletes around him and reduced minutes, he won't have to force the action. This will cut down on his turnovers and boost his assists. Mann is a career 69 percent free throw shooter. If he can improve those numbers to hit 75 to 80 percent, Georgia will close out some games with victories that we previously would have lost.
J.J. Frazier won't have to start, though he might. He'll man the point whenever Chuck doesn't. He is a clutch free throw shooter already, averaging 83 percent from the line. He shoots it well (40 percent) from behind the arc. He even gets more rebounds, four per game, than you would think. Don't know how much his wrist injury impacted his shooting late in the season, but if he heals in the off-season and gives us any part of what he delivered against Mississippi State, look out.
At shooting guard will be Kenny Gaines. Between being sick and the shoulder injury and the ankle injury (did I miss one?), it was amazing that we got as much this year out of Gaines as we did. A healthy senior class Kenny Gaines will continue to defend well and will find that the shots and drives to the basket come easier for him.
Behind Gaines will likely be combo guard Turtle Jackson. Jackson is perhaps not the shooter that McPhee was, but when he's on, Turtle can hit it from deep. Even better, McPhee was primarily a catch and shoot guy, while Jackson can shoot it, take the ball to the rim and finish, or dish it to teammates.
Derek Ogbeide is a more athletic Jeremy Price. Not as skilled offensively around the bucket, but he has all the tools. Yante Maten is more skilled, but not as physical as Ogbeide. Either way, Georgia has some pretty good options at low post.
As for the tall high post? Yante Maten and E'Torrion Wilridge are our best bets there for now. Wilridge is not as tall as Trey Thompkins and he doesn't have the range to step out and hit the three, but he will give Georgia good moments. If Fox seals the deal with Mike Edwards, he would be the perfect candidate to fill the Thompkins role.
What UGA has been lacking is the Travis Leslie-type athlete. They don't come around every day. That's why we're close, rather than already there. Can Yasir Rosemond bring in Jaylen Brown? If so, then we're there. If not, then 2015 will have to wait until 2016. Jordan Harris is a skywalker and defender like Leslie, and a better shooter at the same point.
Georgia is close.
Fox could put on the floor a point guard who would protect the ball and shoot clutch free throws (Dustin Ware), a shooting guard who defended well and was reliable from deep (Ricky McPhee), a bulky guy with a big butt in the low post (Jeremy Price), a tall athlete at the high post (Trey Thompkins), and a sky-walking small forward (Travis Leslie).
UGA gobbled up rebounds with Thompkins, Price, and Leslie, and we could employ the match-up zone effectively with a long athletic guy at the top of the zone.
The problem is that all the athletes were Felton recruits. When they left, the cupboard wasn't exactly bare, but it definitely was not well stocked.
Dawg fans have been waiting for the glory days to come back. Meanwhile, we won the best we could. Lost games we should have won. Endured ugly basketball.
Well, guys. I think Georgia is close. Given the 2015 signing class and the 2016 commitments, we may be able to mix and match pieces and deploy some guys who will bring the excitement back.
Next year Fox can put on the floor two point guards who will give us some of the contributions that Dustin Ware made.
Charles Mann will be a senior. With better athletes around him and reduced minutes, he won't have to force the action. This will cut down on his turnovers and boost his assists. Mann is a career 69 percent free throw shooter. If he can improve those numbers to hit 75 to 80 percent, Georgia will close out some games with victories that we previously would have lost.
J.J. Frazier won't have to start, though he might. He'll man the point whenever Chuck doesn't. He is a clutch free throw shooter already, averaging 83 percent from the line. He shoots it well (40 percent) from behind the arc. He even gets more rebounds, four per game, than you would think. Don't know how much his wrist injury impacted his shooting late in the season, but if he heals in the off-season and gives us any part of what he delivered against Mississippi State, look out.
At shooting guard will be Kenny Gaines. Between being sick and the shoulder injury and the ankle injury (did I miss one?), it was amazing that we got as much this year out of Gaines as we did. A healthy senior class Kenny Gaines will continue to defend well and will find that the shots and drives to the basket come easier for him.
Behind Gaines will likely be combo guard Turtle Jackson. Jackson is perhaps not the shooter that McPhee was, but when he's on, Turtle can hit it from deep. Even better, McPhee was primarily a catch and shoot guy, while Jackson can shoot it, take the ball to the rim and finish, or dish it to teammates.
Derek Ogbeide is a more athletic Jeremy Price. Not as skilled offensively around the bucket, but he has all the tools. Yante Maten is more skilled, but not as physical as Ogbeide. Either way, Georgia has some pretty good options at low post.
As for the tall high post? Yante Maten and E'Torrion Wilridge are our best bets there for now. Wilridge is not as tall as Trey Thompkins and he doesn't have the range to step out and hit the three, but he will give Georgia good moments. If Fox seals the deal with Mike Edwards, he would be the perfect candidate to fill the Thompkins role.
What UGA has been lacking is the Travis Leslie-type athlete. They don't come around every day. That's why we're close, rather than already there. Can Yasir Rosemond bring in Jaylen Brown? If so, then we're there. If not, then 2015 will have to wait until 2016. Jordan Harris is a skywalker and defender like Leslie, and a better shooter at the same point.
Georgia is close.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Best Game Ever
for a UGA player.
I've been around Georgia basketball for a little while. Won't say how long, but even my Blog will soon go into its 8th year.
I have never seen a performance like the one J.J. Frazier had on Saturday. 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. 12 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from behind the arc, and 6 of 8 from the line. And he rebounded his own missed free throw late in the game.
Frazier reminded me of Chris Jackson from way back when, playing for LSU. Jackson used to have incredible games, but his supporting cast, guys like Stanley Roberts and Shaquille O'Neal, was much better. I'm not saying that Frazier will have the career that Jackson had, but Frazier was all money all game for UGA against Mississippi State.
Frazier's outburst also reminds me of Litterial Green. Green had big scoring outings, too, back in the 90's. People expected Green to score, though. He was a highly recruited 2-guard from Mississippi.
Frazier's game was better than any of my memories of Green's exploits, in that nobody imagined Frazier would explode. No one expected him to pull down 7 boards, either.
Besides that, Frazier runs the point. He had responsibility for bringing up the ball against pressure. He wasn't just floating around the perimeter, waiting for someone else to drive the ball and kick it out to him.
I'll leave it to the stats guys to see if anyone has gone shot the ball as efficiently as Frazier. I doubt it. Dustin Ware went bonkers back in 2010, hitting 7 three-pointers on 9 attempts. I think that was the game at Tech. Ware was certainly good that day, but Frazier was better. The difference is that Ware scored 21 points for the entire game, meaning that the only points he scored were from behind the arc. Ware didn't hit any two-point baskets, and never went to the foul line.
Bottom line is that Frazier gets my "best game ever" designation because he played way above his 5' 10", 150-pound stature. He hardly missed a shot, hit big shots and got the key rebound, then iced the game at the free throw line.
When Frazier was recruited, I wondered how he would finish against bigger guys. Well, if he can gun it from deep and throw in an occasional finger roll like he did Saturday, the big guards in the league are going to have their hands full.
Great game, J.J. Best I remember. Congratulations.
DM
I've been around Georgia basketball for a little while. Won't say how long, but even my Blog will soon go into its 8th year.
I have never seen a performance like the one J.J. Frazier had on Saturday. 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. 12 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from behind the arc, and 6 of 8 from the line. And he rebounded his own missed free throw late in the game.
Frazier reminded me of Chris Jackson from way back when, playing for LSU. Jackson used to have incredible games, but his supporting cast, guys like Stanley Roberts and Shaquille O'Neal, was much better. I'm not saying that Frazier will have the career that Jackson had, but Frazier was all money all game for UGA against Mississippi State.
Frazier's outburst also reminds me of Litterial Green. Green had big scoring outings, too, back in the 90's. People expected Green to score, though. He was a highly recruited 2-guard from Mississippi.
Frazier's game was better than any of my memories of Green's exploits, in that nobody imagined Frazier would explode. No one expected him to pull down 7 boards, either.
Besides that, Frazier runs the point. He had responsibility for bringing up the ball against pressure. He wasn't just floating around the perimeter, waiting for someone else to drive the ball and kick it out to him.
I'll leave it to the stats guys to see if anyone has gone shot the ball as efficiently as Frazier. I doubt it. Dustin Ware went bonkers back in 2010, hitting 7 three-pointers on 9 attempts. I think that was the game at Tech. Ware was certainly good that day, but Frazier was better. The difference is that Ware scored 21 points for the entire game, meaning that the only points he scored were from behind the arc. Ware didn't hit any two-point baskets, and never went to the foul line.
Bottom line is that Frazier gets my "best game ever" designation because he played way above his 5' 10", 150-pound stature. He hardly missed a shot, hit big shots and got the key rebound, then iced the game at the free throw line.
When Frazier was recruited, I wondered how he would finish against bigger guys. Well, if he can gun it from deep and throw in an occasional finger roll like he did Saturday, the big guards in the league are going to have their hands full.
Great game, J.J. Best I remember. Congratulations.
DM
Monday, February 18, 2013
Dustin Ware Waived
Dustin Ware was waived by the Cibona international league team. He had previously been signed to a three-year deal.
Cibona has reportedly been through difficult financial times. Ware was one of five players let go. I understand that the head coach and at least one other member of team management were also released.
Ware had been averaging 3 points on over 50 percent shooting through five games played.
Dustin had a tough senior season at UGA, but he has a good point guard mentality and I hope another international league team picks him up.
Cibona has reportedly been through difficult financial times. Ware was one of five players let go. I understand that the head coach and at least one other member of team management were also released.
Ware had been averaging 3 points on over 50 percent shooting through five games played.
Dustin had a tough senior season at UGA, but he has a good point guard mentality and I hope another international league team picks him up.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Where is the UGA Basketball Program Headed?
I thought I understood during the Felton years. Seemed like we were building something. We weren't great, mind you, but considering the trash dump of the NCAA investigation and the self-imposed sanctions, at some point during Felton's tenure I was starting to feel good about the program again.
Over his five full seasons, Felton's SEC win loss record was
7 and 9
2 and 14
5 and 11
8 and 8
4 and 12, not counting four wins in SEC Tournament championship run
That next year, Felton was fired after going 9 and 11 overall and 0 and 5 in the SEC. Felton won a total of 26 regular season SEC games. He lost 61. Felton got us to the NCAA's and Dawg fans enjoyed winning the SEC Tournament. Considering what he had to start with, Felton performed admirably, but a 30 percent record in the SEC is not good enough.
Mark Fox came in and his teams went
5 and 11
9 and 7
5 and 11
0 and 3
Of course there's still a lot of basketball to be played this year. But if Fox could somehow match Felton's last full year mark of 4 and 12, that would be a huge accomplishment. I seriously doubt that even if we win 4 games, we would follow that up by winning the SEC Tournament.
Recruiting:
Felton hit the ground with tough issues to face. Coach Harrick could get guys committed, but getting them into school was another matter (ex., Julius Lamptey, Larry Turner, Alexander Johnson, etc.). In his last class, Harrick had a marginal class of signees, all of whom asked to be released when the NCAA investigation hit, and none of whom did anything much in college basketball.
Therefore, when Harrick was fired, Felton had seniors, but no freshmen and just a couple of scholarship sophomores and juniors. Battling scholarship limitations and the clould of NCAA sanctions, Felton beat the bushes, brought in some low-ranked guys and took a chance on some others.
Over time Felton was able to generate some recruiting momentum. Starting with Levi Stukes and Steve Newman, Felton started to hit his stride by bringing in Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss. Things got better from there. UGA basketball had some really important misses, too. 5-star recruit Lou Williams went to the NBA instead of suiting up for the Dawgs (a huge, huge loss). Felton rebounded by replacing Williams with Billy Humphrey, a talented shooter, but he had no stand-in when Derrick Favors decided to go to Tech instead of UGA.
By and large, however, Felton brought in some pretty good players-- guards like Sundiata Gaines, Levi Stukes, Mike Mercer, Billy Humphrey, Ricky McPhee, Dustin Ware and Travis Leslie. We got an even better haul of big men: Trey Thompkins, Jeremy Price, Dave Bliss, Takais Brown, Chris Barnes, Ajax.
Wins and Losses
Felton got the team to perform in his first year, going 16 and 14 overall, 7 and 9 in the SEC, and making the NIT. The second year, in which Felton had just seven scholarship players, the overall record was 8 and 20. Note: There was a significant drop-off in year two, the year when a new coach generally lives and dies with his predecessor's players.
Thereafter, however, performance was trending up. The team went from the SEC basement to the top of the SEC tourney field, from NCAA sanctions to the NCAA Tournament. Felton couldn't sustain it, however, and he was fired mid-season. My point is that although we weren't ever great in basketball, we were respectable and reasonably competitive. In five full years under Felton we went to three post-season tournaments (two NIT's and one NCAA).
Comparison to 2013
We're definitely not trending up.
Recruiting
Recruiting is in trouble, in my opinion. I look up and down the roster and wonder, where's the beef? There's no low post scorer. I thought Donte Williams was going to have a great year, but now that he has been slow out of the gate, we don't have anyone who can finish reliably. Nobody with a big butt and good hands. No Trey Thompkins, no Jeremy Price, no Chris Barnes. Not even a troubled but talented guy like Takais Brown.
Hate to say this, but we don't have makers on the perimeter either. A Ricky McPhee, Levi Stukes or Billy Humphrey sure would make a huge difference to this team. KCP is a great all-around player and Vincent Williams had a nice game against Missouri. Maybe the guys coming in next year will help, but it's the combination that we lack. We need a low post guy who can score and a consistent three-point threat when defenses collapse.
Wins and Losses
Fox has an overall winning percentage in the SEC of 37 percent. The high-point for Fox was in year two, in which he had the benefit of Felton's recruits. Now that Fox is in year four with a roster full of his own players, we are definitely struggling. It's hard for me to watch a game and see us barely show up at Florida, and end up losing by 33 points. Our pre-conference record included defeats at home to teams I had hardly ever heard of.
Even counting the extremely challenged 2004/05 team, Felton went 22 and 42 in the SEC in his first four years. Fox will have to go 3 and 10 in the SEC from this point forward just to match Felton's record. Fox can do it, but if your current coach can hardly match the record of the last coach who was fired, that's a bad sign. Especially so when the current coach makes over twice the salary of the last guy.
Where are we headed? I hope Tony Parker comes to town, or we get a big-time JUCO low post scorer somehow for next year. Otherwise, looks like given our downward trajectory, a change is in the wind. 30 percent wasn't good enough in 2009 and it's certainly not good enough now.
Over his five full seasons, Felton's SEC win loss record was
7 and 9
2 and 14
5 and 11
8 and 8
4 and 12, not counting four wins in SEC Tournament championship run
That next year, Felton was fired after going 9 and 11 overall and 0 and 5 in the SEC. Felton won a total of 26 regular season SEC games. He lost 61. Felton got us to the NCAA's and Dawg fans enjoyed winning the SEC Tournament. Considering what he had to start with, Felton performed admirably, but a 30 percent record in the SEC is not good enough.
Mark Fox came in and his teams went
5 and 11
9 and 7
5 and 11
0 and 3
Of course there's still a lot of basketball to be played this year. But if Fox could somehow match Felton's last full year mark of 4 and 12, that would be a huge accomplishment. I seriously doubt that even if we win 4 games, we would follow that up by winning the SEC Tournament.
Recruiting:
Felton hit the ground with tough issues to face. Coach Harrick could get guys committed, but getting them into school was another matter (ex., Julius Lamptey, Larry Turner, Alexander Johnson, etc.). In his last class, Harrick had a marginal class of signees, all of whom asked to be released when the NCAA investigation hit, and none of whom did anything much in college basketball.
Therefore, when Harrick was fired, Felton had seniors, but no freshmen and just a couple of scholarship sophomores and juniors. Battling scholarship limitations and the clould of NCAA sanctions, Felton beat the bushes, brought in some low-ranked guys and took a chance on some others.
Over time Felton was able to generate some recruiting momentum. Starting with Levi Stukes and Steve Newman, Felton started to hit his stride by bringing in Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss. Things got better from there. UGA basketball had some really important misses, too. 5-star recruit Lou Williams went to the NBA instead of suiting up for the Dawgs (a huge, huge loss). Felton rebounded by replacing Williams with Billy Humphrey, a talented shooter, but he had no stand-in when Derrick Favors decided to go to Tech instead of UGA.
By and large, however, Felton brought in some pretty good players-- guards like Sundiata Gaines, Levi Stukes, Mike Mercer, Billy Humphrey, Ricky McPhee, Dustin Ware and Travis Leslie. We got an even better haul of big men: Trey Thompkins, Jeremy Price, Dave Bliss, Takais Brown, Chris Barnes, Ajax.
Wins and Losses
Felton got the team to perform in his first year, going 16 and 14 overall, 7 and 9 in the SEC, and making the NIT. The second year, in which Felton had just seven scholarship players, the overall record was 8 and 20. Note: There was a significant drop-off in year two, the year when a new coach generally lives and dies with his predecessor's players.
Thereafter, however, performance was trending up. The team went from the SEC basement to the top of the SEC tourney field, from NCAA sanctions to the NCAA Tournament. Felton couldn't sustain it, however, and he was fired mid-season. My point is that although we weren't ever great in basketball, we were respectable and reasonably competitive. In five full years under Felton we went to three post-season tournaments (two NIT's and one NCAA).
Comparison to 2013
We're definitely not trending up.
Recruiting
Recruiting is in trouble, in my opinion. I look up and down the roster and wonder, where's the beef? There's no low post scorer. I thought Donte Williams was going to have a great year, but now that he has been slow out of the gate, we don't have anyone who can finish reliably. Nobody with a big butt and good hands. No Trey Thompkins, no Jeremy Price, no Chris Barnes. Not even a troubled but talented guy like Takais Brown.
Hate to say this, but we don't have makers on the perimeter either. A Ricky McPhee, Levi Stukes or Billy Humphrey sure would make a huge difference to this team. KCP is a great all-around player and Vincent Williams had a nice game against Missouri. Maybe the guys coming in next year will help, but it's the combination that we lack. We need a low post guy who can score and a consistent three-point threat when defenses collapse.
Wins and Losses
Fox has an overall winning percentage in the SEC of 37 percent. The high-point for Fox was in year two, in which he had the benefit of Felton's recruits. Now that Fox is in year four with a roster full of his own players, we are definitely struggling. It's hard for me to watch a game and see us barely show up at Florida, and end up losing by 33 points. Our pre-conference record included defeats at home to teams I had hardly ever heard of.
Even counting the extremely challenged 2004/05 team, Felton went 22 and 42 in the SEC in his first four years. Fox will have to go 3 and 10 in the SEC from this point forward just to match Felton's record. Fox can do it, but if your current coach can hardly match the record of the last coach who was fired, that's a bad sign. Especially so when the current coach makes over twice the salary of the last guy.
Where are we headed? I hope Tony Parker comes to town, or we get a big-time JUCO low post scorer somehow for next year. Otherwise, looks like given our downward trajectory, a change is in the wind. 30 percent wasn't good enough in 2009 and it's certainly not good enough now.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
UGA Hoops Prediction: The Sports Bank
Well, The Sports Bank doesn't expect much from the Dawgs this season.
They are predicting that we will finish 10th in the SEC, which admittedly counts as "improvement" given the fact that the SEC has expanded from 12 to 14 teams. However, Georgia finished 11th last year (in a tie for 10th, but Auburn held the tie-breaker), so a move to 10th in 2012/2013 is like running in mud-- lots of effort, but no real progress and no one wants to watch.
Sports Bank
For what it's worth, I think the Dawgs will do better than 10th place. Sure, we lost Dustin Ware and Gerald Robinson from last year's team, but the combination of Kenny Gaines, Charles Mann and Brandon Morris more than makes up for it. If we add a healthy Marcus Thornton to a more experienced KCP, Georgia should fight our way into the middle of the pack in the SEC. We should be better than Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama, and Arkansas. If that's true, we're at 7th. If we perform well and get past Florida and a much-improved Auburn squad, then we're in the top 5 of the SEC.
Any thoughts?
They are predicting that we will finish 10th in the SEC, which admittedly counts as "improvement" given the fact that the SEC has expanded from 12 to 14 teams. However, Georgia finished 11th last year (in a tie for 10th, but Auburn held the tie-breaker), so a move to 10th in 2012/2013 is like running in mud-- lots of effort, but no real progress and no one wants to watch.
Sports Bank
For what it's worth, I think the Dawgs will do better than 10th place. Sure, we lost Dustin Ware and Gerald Robinson from last year's team, but the combination of Kenny Gaines, Charles Mann and Brandon Morris more than makes up for it. If we add a healthy Marcus Thornton to a more experienced KCP, Georgia should fight our way into the middle of the pack in the SEC. We should be better than Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama, and Arkansas. If that's true, we're at 7th. If we perform well and get past Florida and a much-improved Auburn squad, then we're in the top 5 of the SEC.
Any thoughts?
Friday, March 9, 2012
Not gonna happen
Vandy has the players and we don't. They're up 13 with the ball and Donte just fouled out. Guess this is our season since I don't think we're eligible for the NIT.
Glad Dustin hit the 1,000-point mark.
Glad Dustin hit the 1,000-point mark.
Dawgs beat Miss State
Best game of the year in my opinion. Gerald Robinson pushed the ball up the floor, Donte Williams had several two-handed flushes, Nemi played huge with a double-double, and Dustin Ware was on target from deep. KCP was solid for the most part, and we neutralized their big men.
Nemi Receives Props from Stansbury
Proud of our squad.
Now, can we do it again? Upset Vandy? Anything is possible. Vandy is a complete team with shooters from deep and athletic 3 and 4 men. Let's lace 'em up and see what happens. I'd love for UGA to get into the NCAA's again.
Nemi Receives Props from Stansbury
Proud of our squad.
Now, can we do it again? Upset Vandy? Anything is possible. Vandy is a complete team with shooters from deep and athletic 3 and 4 men. Let's lace 'em up and see what happens. I'd love for UGA to get into the NCAA's again.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Dawgs Win!
What a game! I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to watch a well played basketball game in which the Dawgs click on offense and defense.
I know. I know. Some will say that last night shows only that UGA can beat a team that is as weak in the post as the Dawgs. I don't care. We needed a victory and we got one.
I was delighted to see that Gerald Robinson got his all-time high, Marcus Thornton played the best game of his career (10 points, 5 boards and a block, 4 of 4 from the field with 2 of 2 from behind the arc), and all of our bigs did their jobs. If Thornton has his surgery after the season, could he possibly come back like Blake Griffin did-- a power forward with real leaping ability and physicality, as good as he was before the injury?
The only concern from yesterday's game is that Dustin Ware and Sherrard Brantley are still off-target from behind the arc. If Ware would have shot the ball well, we might have gone over 100. Even so, Ware didn't have any turnovers against their full-court press, so that's a key contribution.
Box Score
Wish Robinson had one more year of eligibility. Oh well, we'll see how the freshmen adjust to the pace of SEC basketball. For now, however, let's just enjoy the fact that we won an SEC contest, and hope like crazy that this marks a turn-around in our season.
I know. I know. Some will say that last night shows only that UGA can beat a team that is as weak in the post as the Dawgs. I don't care. We needed a victory and we got one.
I was delighted to see that Gerald Robinson got his all-time high, Marcus Thornton played the best game of his career (10 points, 5 boards and a block, 4 of 4 from the field with 2 of 2 from behind the arc), and all of our bigs did their jobs. If Thornton has his surgery after the season, could he possibly come back like Blake Griffin did-- a power forward with real leaping ability and physicality, as good as he was before the injury?
The only concern from yesterday's game is that Dustin Ware and Sherrard Brantley are still off-target from behind the arc. If Ware would have shot the ball well, we might have gone over 100. Even so, Ware didn't have any turnovers against their full-court press, so that's a key contribution.
Box Score
Wish Robinson had one more year of eligibility. Oh well, we'll see how the freshmen adjust to the pace of SEC basketball. For now, however, let's just enjoy the fact that we won an SEC contest, and hope like crazy that this marks a turn-around in our season.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Set Your Feet!
The Dawgs need to work some more at shooting fundamentals.
I've said before that Brantley and Ware are missing shots because their feet aren't set. Way too wide at the base. If they put their feet closer together with their right foot forward and follow through they'll have more success. Just my two points worth.
I've said before that Brantley and Ware are missing shots because their feet aren't set. Way too wide at the base. If they put their feet closer together with their right foot forward and follow through they'll have more success. Just my two points worth.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Dawgs Lose to Auburn
Final score: 59 to 51.
Awful display for the Dawgs. Scored 15 points in the first half. Been watching a lot of Georgia basketball over the years. Don't remember any game that bad.
We shot 22% from the field. KCP, 1 for 8; Marcus Thornton, 0 for 3; Nemi, 0 for 4; Vincent Williams, 0 for 3; Dustin Ware, 2 for 13 (all three-pointers). Total futility. No way to make the performance pretty.
Box Score
To play that pitifully after a bye week... To lose to Auburn. My one hope is that Donte Williams and John Florveus go into the weight room next year and emerge looking like Takais Brown.
We are in sole possession of last place. This year will get worse.
Awful display for the Dawgs. Scored 15 points in the first half. Been watching a lot of Georgia basketball over the years. Don't remember any game that bad.
We shot 22% from the field. KCP, 1 for 8; Marcus Thornton, 0 for 3; Nemi, 0 for 4; Vincent Williams, 0 for 3; Dustin Ware, 2 for 13 (all three-pointers). Total futility. No way to make the performance pretty.
Box Score
To play that pitifully after a bye week... To lose to Auburn. My one hope is that Donte Williams and John Florveus go into the weight room next year and emerge looking like Takais Brown.
We are in sole possession of last place. This year will get worse.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Georgia Loses to Kentucky
On the positive side, our big men played okay. Donte Williams was 4 of 6. Nemi shot the ball effectively, going 4 of 9 from the floor and 2 of 3 from behind the arc. Nemi also battled for rebounds. I would have liked to have seen some production from Marcus Thornton and John Florveus, but it didn't happen this game.
Our guards were not that hot. Gerald Robinson was 3 of 14, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 3 of 12. I was proud of Dustin Ware for driving the ball to the basket. He needs to do that 3 or 4 times a game to keep people from so closely contesting his three-pointers. He shot 5 of 12 from the floor and actually hit a couple of floaters/layups against Kentucky's players. Of course you have to credit Kentucky's defense. Calipari is an elite recruiter. He has guards that are tall, a full bench and Anthony Davis in the middle.
To have a chance against Kentucky, our guys had to defend well and shoot lights out from the mid-range and three-point distance. We ended up shooting 33 percent from the field, 33 percent from the line, and 28 percent from behind the arc. Kentucky, on the other hand, shot in the 40's from the floor and from three-point range.
May feel better tomorrow but as it stands for now, I don't like where Georgia basketball is headed. We're 11th out of 12 teams in the SEC with a 1 and 5 conference record. We are 10 and 10 overall on the year. I don't see us getting significantly better in the near future, and unless recruiting picks up, we will not get much better next year either.
Hopefully, I'm wrong. We still have a shot at Tony Parker and Charles Mitchell. If Fox can recruit an elite low post scorer or even a solid big guy we can right the ship. As far as this year is concerned, I'd like to see Georgia move at least into the middle of the SEC, so we'll need to make sure we win against South Carolina and Auburn and some of the lower to mid-tier teams.
Our guards were not that hot. Gerald Robinson was 3 of 14, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 3 of 12. I was proud of Dustin Ware for driving the ball to the basket. He needs to do that 3 or 4 times a game to keep people from so closely contesting his three-pointers. He shot 5 of 12 from the floor and actually hit a couple of floaters/layups against Kentucky's players. Of course you have to credit Kentucky's defense. Calipari is an elite recruiter. He has guards that are tall, a full bench and Anthony Davis in the middle.
To have a chance against Kentucky, our guys had to defend well and shoot lights out from the mid-range and three-point distance. We ended up shooting 33 percent from the field, 33 percent from the line, and 28 percent from behind the arc. Kentucky, on the other hand, shot in the 40's from the floor and from three-point range.
May feel better tomorrow but as it stands for now, I don't like where Georgia basketball is headed. We're 11th out of 12 teams in the SEC with a 1 and 5 conference record. We are 10 and 10 overall on the year. I don't see us getting significantly better in the near future, and unless recruiting picks up, we will not get much better next year either.
Hopefully, I'm wrong. We still have a shot at Tony Parker and Charles Mitchell. If Fox can recruit an elite low post scorer or even a solid big guy we can right the ship. As far as this year is concerned, I'd like to see Georgia move at least into the middle of the SEC, so we'll need to make sure we win against South Carolina and Auburn and some of the lower to mid-tier teams.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Dawgs Win! Beat Vols in OT
An ugly win is more beautiful than a pretty loss.
If the Dawgs are to right the ship, we have to win games like the one against Tennessee. We have to protect our home court. We have to defend. We have to run the half-court offense, avoid jacking up the early three-pointer, and our big guys have to run the floor on the fast-break.
If we do all those things, then we can survive an off shooting night. Georgia shot right at 35 percent from the floor, and our three top guards were mostly ineffective: Gerald Robinson 6 for 19, Caldwell-Pope 4 for 14, and Dustin Ware 2 of 9. That's a combined 12 for 42 or 28 percent.
With that kind of performance, we could otherwise expect to be run out of our own gym. But we instead won because we notched 73 percent from the free throw line, our bigs fought hard, matched them in rebounding, and produced pretty well around the basket. We were able to keep it competitive until late and they missed four more free throws than we did, which turned out to be the exact difference in the final score.
Box Score
If the Dawgs are to right the ship, we have to win games like the one against Tennessee. We have to protect our home court. We have to defend. We have to run the half-court offense, avoid jacking up the early three-pointer, and our big guys have to run the floor on the fast-break.
If we do all those things, then we can survive an off shooting night. Georgia shot right at 35 percent from the floor, and our three top guards were mostly ineffective: Gerald Robinson 6 for 19, Caldwell-Pope 4 for 14, and Dustin Ware 2 of 9. That's a combined 12 for 42 or 28 percent.
With that kind of performance, we could otherwise expect to be run out of our own gym. But we instead won because we notched 73 percent from the free throw line, our bigs fought hard, matched them in rebounding, and produced pretty well around the basket. We were able to keep it competitive until late and they missed four more free throws than we did, which turned out to be the exact difference in the final score.
Box Score
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Dawgs Win! Finish Winthrop in OT
I'm not that excited about having to go to overtime to beat Winthrop, but I'll take it. Georgia can't afford a loss during this stretch of the season.
I wouldn't call Winthrop a "cupcake." They have some players. But they don't have the depth and physicality that Georgia will face during the SEC portion of the schedule. Wins now are critical.
Proud of Nemi. Great game. Seventeen points, nine boards. That's the kind of production we need from one of the bigs. Of course, I would like to see more scoring from in the paint, because we can't get it done relying on behind the arc shooting. But if Nemi is hot, let him shoot it and see what happens.
By the way, I'm not down on our post players. They are not ready for big production right now, but they can run the floor, and key to their future progress, they can catch the ball. A lot of big men never get to score because they can't make clean catches. By the time you fumble the ball, recover and get your feet set, it's too late.
So if Georgia's post players take their current skills and get physical enough to grab some rebounds and score off of put-backs, then that would be a huge contribution. Joakim Noah made it to the pro's doing just that, beating other players down the floor and getting easy baskets. John Cannon, Donte Williams and John Florveus should take a page from Noah, get in absolute top physical condition, and take advantage of the rotation that Fox will use now that Marcus Thornton is out with an injury.
By the time next year rolls around, Georgia could have a stable of big guys to insert into the game when needed.
As for the Winthrop contest, we got balanced scoring, clutch shots and escaped with a win. Let's build some momentum.
Dawgs Over Winthrop
I wouldn't call Winthrop a "cupcake." They have some players. But they don't have the depth and physicality that Georgia will face during the SEC portion of the schedule. Wins now are critical.
Proud of Nemi. Great game. Seventeen points, nine boards. That's the kind of production we need from one of the bigs. Of course, I would like to see more scoring from in the paint, because we can't get it done relying on behind the arc shooting. But if Nemi is hot, let him shoot it and see what happens.
By the way, I'm not down on our post players. They are not ready for big production right now, but they can run the floor, and key to their future progress, they can catch the ball. A lot of big men never get to score because they can't make clean catches. By the time you fumble the ball, recover and get your feet set, it's too late.
So if Georgia's post players take their current skills and get physical enough to grab some rebounds and score off of put-backs, then that would be a huge contribution. Joakim Noah made it to the pro's doing just that, beating other players down the floor and getting easy baskets. John Cannon, Donte Williams and John Florveus should take a page from Noah, get in absolute top physical condition, and take advantage of the rotation that Fox will use now that Marcus Thornton is out with an injury.
By the time next year rolls around, Georgia could have a stable of big guys to insert into the game when needed.
As for the Winthrop contest, we got balanced scoring, clutch shots and escaped with a win. Let's build some momentum.
Dawgs Over Winthrop
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Dawgs Over USC (Prediction)
USC isn't very good, but that will be offset somewhat by the fact that the Dawgs are playing out west. Of course, Georgia hasn't played well either, but I think Fox and the hounds will benefit from the break they have had and finally play decently in the second half.
Think that Gerald Robinson will get going early again and Dustin Ware will hit free throws late.
Final score: 62 to 56.
Think that Gerald Robinson will get going early again and Dustin Ware will hit free throws late.
Final score: 62 to 56.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Good Pre-Game Article
for tomorrow night's UGA vs. Ga. Tech game. Nice job by the AJC.
Hate to say it, but I don't think we match up well against Tech. We will need all of the home court advantage we can muster. Let's hunker down and get it done.
UGA vs. Tech
Hate to say it, but I don't think we match up well against Tech. We will need all of the home court advantage we can muster. Let's hunker down and get it done.
UGA vs. Tech
Friday, November 4, 2011
Georgia vs. Morehouse Recap
Sorry to say this, and I know it was an exhibition game, but that was awful basketball.
Gerald Robinson looked really solid. Dustin Ware will give us the outside shot and protect the basketball. But other than that, I didn't see much reason for optimism. Check that-- we played decent defense and shot well from the stripe.
My biggest concern is that UGA cannot score from the post. That makes the team a lot worse than last year. In the meantime, Vandy is stronger, Kentucky is stronger and Florida is stronger. Alabama will be much better. Even Auburn has upgraded their talent. Not happy that the latter two teams have recently recruited well in the state of Georgia (hauling in Nick Jacobs and Shaq Johnson, respectively).
Kentavious Caldwell can handle the ball and is a pretty good defender. However, it appears that he has some issues with his shot, which I see as a right-angled over-spin on his release. Hopefully, Fox can get that fixed. KCP went 2 of 9 from the field in the Morehouse game, if memory serves me.
Djurisic can shoot the ball. He has very little lift, though, and does not appear to be able to drive to either side. Teams will body him up and limit his chances to shoot the three.
Thornton still looks weak. Unfortunate. Donte Williams has some springs. The starting five of Ware, Robinson, Brantley, Djurisic and Florveus was a surprise to me.
Maybe a couple of the football players will help out. We have a decent squad, but we're a far shot away from being elite like the other teams in the SEC. We're going to struggle big-time this year.
Gerald Robinson looked really solid. Dustin Ware will give us the outside shot and protect the basketball. But other than that, I didn't see much reason for optimism. Check that-- we played decent defense and shot well from the stripe.
My biggest concern is that UGA cannot score from the post. That makes the team a lot worse than last year. In the meantime, Vandy is stronger, Kentucky is stronger and Florida is stronger. Alabama will be much better. Even Auburn has upgraded their talent. Not happy that the latter two teams have recently recruited well in the state of Georgia (hauling in Nick Jacobs and Shaq Johnson, respectively).
Kentavious Caldwell can handle the ball and is a pretty good defender. However, it appears that he has some issues with his shot, which I see as a right-angled over-spin on his release. Hopefully, Fox can get that fixed. KCP went 2 of 9 from the field in the Morehouse game, if memory serves me.
Djurisic can shoot the ball. He has very little lift, though, and does not appear to be able to drive to either side. Teams will body him up and limit his chances to shoot the three.
Thornton still looks weak. Unfortunate. Donte Williams has some springs. The starting five of Ware, Robinson, Brantley, Djurisic and Florveus was a surprise to me.
Maybe a couple of the football players will help out. We have a decent squad, but we're a far shot away from being elite like the other teams in the SEC. We're going to struggle big-time this year.
Faster Style for the Dawgs?
We'll see how this looks. My concern is that the SEC teams against which the Dawgs will compete have very talented guards, and for the experience we have, we don't have much in the way of back-court depth.
Up-Tempo
Up-Tempo
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
SEC Preview
The SEC East is going to be tough. Kentucky, Florida, and Vandy are all superior teams. Georgia will probably struggle this year unless Marcus Thornton plays big.
Fox Preview
Fox Preview
Friday, October 14, 2011
Mark Fox Video
Sounds pretty positive overall.
My take is that if Donte Williams and Marcus Thornton play well, Georgia will have a chance. Williams has good fundamentals and just has to get more playing time. Picking up over twenty pounds will help. Thornton has to get his feet underneath him and recover the leaping ability he had in high school. He'll have to push himself to play hard all the time.
Certainly good news that Coach Fox thinks that John Florveus has the skill set to play SEC basketball.
Vincent Williams and Dustin Ware have increased their vertical jump. Not sure how much playing time Vincent will get. Dustin Ware needs to drive the ball and get fouled. In order for the team to play at its best, he needs to put some pressure on the defense.
Starting line-up come November 4 will probably be Ware, Robinson, Pope, Thornton and Williams. Florveus should be the first front line sub and Sherrard should be the designated shooter off the bench.
Video
My take is that if Donte Williams and Marcus Thornton play well, Georgia will have a chance. Williams has good fundamentals and just has to get more playing time. Picking up over twenty pounds will help. Thornton has to get his feet underneath him and recover the leaping ability he had in high school. He'll have to push himself to play hard all the time.
Certainly good news that Coach Fox thinks that John Florveus has the skill set to play SEC basketball.
Vincent Williams and Dustin Ware have increased their vertical jump. Not sure how much playing time Vincent will get. Dustin Ware needs to drive the ball and get fouled. In order for the team to play at its best, he needs to put some pressure on the defense.
Starting line-up come November 4 will probably be Ware, Robinson, Pope, Thornton and Williams. Florveus should be the first front line sub and Sherrard should be the designated shooter off the bench.
Video
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