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 Jeremy Price. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeremy Price. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Friday, December 30, 2016
Recruiting (Derrick Walker and Teshaun Hightower)
Teshaun Hightower and Derrick Walker are visiting Athens in January.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
Let's get it done.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Guiding Greatness: Interview with Mark Fox
Coach Fox recounts the impact his family, Coach Bill Parcells and others have had on him.
Fox is particularly proud of Jeremy Price.
Good interview.
Fox is particularly proud of Jeremy Price.
Good interview.
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.
Friday, November 22, 2013
No more Kool-Aid, please
I know when I'm at my limit.
Approaching the UGA hoops season I saw Wofford at Stegeman, Georgia Tech at Stegeman, and a mid-major on a neutral court. That early schedule said to me a UGA record of 3 and 0. Maybe 2 and 1 if we started the season slow.
Mark Fox pronounced to the world that Georgia was a Top 25 team. I attributed Fox's comments to salesmanship, a coach trying to buoy his players. Although I couldn't see Top 25, I willingly went along with the implied notion that we would be pretty good this year. Solid in the fundamentals. Competitive, beating the teams we should.
Last night a winless Davidson squad took it to us. Beat us by double digits. Now in the cold light of reality, we are 1 and 2.
In that same light, I scan our roster. We don't have pure shooters, elite defenders or dominant post players. No Jeremy Price, Ajax, Chris Barnes, Ricky McPhee, Travis Leslie or Trey Thompkins. We got a fat zero on the fall recruiting trail. No obvious help on the horizon.
My hope is that UGA will get better. That Brandon Morris is the missing link. That we will beat Temple tonight.
I'm a homer, but even the most ardent hoops supporters have to face facts. We're not a top 25 team. We're not a pretty good team. We're in last place in the SEC, on the brink of yet another losing season.
We need to turn things around tonight. I have hope, but that's about all. I want Fox to show us he can coach, that he can win on the court and on the recruiting trail. I'm done with Kool-Aid.
Approaching the UGA hoops season I saw Wofford at Stegeman, Georgia Tech at Stegeman, and a mid-major on a neutral court. That early schedule said to me a UGA record of 3 and 0. Maybe 2 and 1 if we started the season slow.
Mark Fox pronounced to the world that Georgia was a Top 25 team. I attributed Fox's comments to salesmanship, a coach trying to buoy his players. Although I couldn't see Top 25, I willingly went along with the implied notion that we would be pretty good this year. Solid in the fundamentals. Competitive, beating the teams we should.
Last night a winless Davidson squad took it to us. Beat us by double digits. Now in the cold light of reality, we are 1 and 2.
In that same light, I scan our roster. We don't have pure shooters, elite defenders or dominant post players. No Jeremy Price, Ajax, Chris Barnes, Ricky McPhee, Travis Leslie or Trey Thompkins. We got a fat zero on the fall recruiting trail. No obvious help on the horizon.
My hope is that UGA will get better. That Brandon Morris is the missing link. That we will beat Temple tonight.
I'm a homer, but even the most ardent hoops supporters have to face facts. We're not a top 25 team. We're not a pretty good team. We're in last place in the SEC, on the brink of yet another losing season.
We need to turn things around tonight. I have hope, but that's about all. I want Fox to show us he can coach, that he can win on the court and on the recruiting trail. I'm done with Kool-Aid.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Dave Bliss
I was informed that one of the basketball message boards responded to my mentioning of Dave Bliss as part of a good haul of big men for UGA during the Felton years. Bear in mind that I said that Dave was part of the mix. In any case, a more detailed look at Dave's individual production may help explain my reasoning.
It's been a while, given that Bliss graduated five years ago. Let's review the stats to refresh our memories.
In his senior year Dave averaged 8 points and 6 boards, shooting 54 percent from the field and 71 percent from the line.
Bliss vs. UGA Current Posts
Sad to say, but UGA's current team doesn't have a big man anywhere near Dave's stats. Here are the averages, scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, for our post players. I include this year's partial season and full season production from last year to capture the impact of SEC competition.
Dave Bliss: 8 and 6 (54 percent)
John Florveus: 3 and 3 (57 percent). 2 and 2 last year (43 percent).
Tim Dixon: 2 and 2. 0 and 1 last year (43 percent).
Donte Williams: 5 and 5 (47 percent). 40 percent from the line. 8 and 5 last year (47 percent).
John Cannon: 4 and 2 this year. 1 and 1 last year (38 percent).
Nemanja Djurisic: 8 and 4 (37 percent). 7 and 4 last year (40 percent).
Marcus Thornton: 4 and 4 (36 percent). 3 and 5 last year (28 percent).
Out of our six post players, the guy wirh production closest to Dave's is Nemi. Keep in mind that Nemi shoots a lot poorer percentage and and does not defend as well. For example, Nemi had 7 blocks for the full year last year. Dave had five times as many (34).
Bliss vs. Today's SEC Bigs
To not make the post too long, I'll spare readers the details, but suffice it to say that if you examined Dave's production against the 25 or so other post players in the SEC today, Dave would arguably be somewhere near the top five. He would trail Nerlens Noel and Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Robert Chubb (Auburn), Reginald Buckner (Ole Miss) and Patric Young (Florida),-- but not by much.
For example, compare Patric Young, starting center for an elite Florida team. Young gets 11.5 and 6 so far in this young season. He averaged 10 and 6 for the full season last year. That's just one bucket more per game than Dave.
Bottom Line
Was Dave as skilled as Trey Thompkins? No. Thompkins would get you 17 points and 8 rebounds a game, while shooting close to 50 percent. Thompkins not only scored twice as much, he also was more versatile. Trey hit 79 3-pointers in three years, shooting 36 percent from behind the arc. Dave didn't shoot any. Thompkins and Jeremy Price were better finishers and rebounders. Was Bliss the best post player that Felton recruited? The answer is obviously, no.
However, when you look at Dave's production and compare it to the other guys on our team now and around the league this season, it's clear that Dave was a quality big. Especially so when you add in the fact that Dave achieved his production while battling chronic back issues (herniated disc) that limited him to around 20 minutes a night. Throw in the intangibles (co-captain, graduated with honors in three years) and his leadership when UGA was coming off of NCAA sanctions, hitting key buckets to help UGA win the SEC Tournament championship, and you have yourself one heck of a player.
It's been a while, given that Bliss graduated five years ago. Let's review the stats to refresh our memories.
In his senior year Dave averaged 8 points and 6 boards, shooting 54 percent from the field and 71 percent from the line.
Bliss vs. UGA Current Posts
Sad to say, but UGA's current team doesn't have a big man anywhere near Dave's stats. Here are the averages, scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, for our post players. I include this year's partial season and full season production from last year to capture the impact of SEC competition.
Dave Bliss: 8 and 6 (54 percent)
John Florveus: 3 and 3 (57 percent). 2 and 2 last year (43 percent).
Tim Dixon: 2 and 2. 0 and 1 last year (43 percent).
Donte Williams: 5 and 5 (47 percent). 40 percent from the line. 8 and 5 last year (47 percent).
John Cannon: 4 and 2 this year. 1 and 1 last year (38 percent).
Nemanja Djurisic: 8 and 4 (37 percent). 7 and 4 last year (40 percent).
Marcus Thornton: 4 and 4 (36 percent). 3 and 5 last year (28 percent).
Out of our six post players, the guy wirh production closest to Dave's is Nemi. Keep in mind that Nemi shoots a lot poorer percentage and and does not defend as well. For example, Nemi had 7 blocks for the full year last year. Dave had five times as many (34).
Bliss vs. Today's SEC Bigs
To not make the post too long, I'll spare readers the details, but suffice it to say that if you examined Dave's production against the 25 or so other post players in the SEC today, Dave would arguably be somewhere near the top five. He would trail Nerlens Noel and Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Robert Chubb (Auburn), Reginald Buckner (Ole Miss) and Patric Young (Florida),-- but not by much.
For example, compare Patric Young, starting center for an elite Florida team. Young gets 11.5 and 6 so far in this young season. He averaged 10 and 6 for the full season last year. That's just one bucket more per game than Dave.
Bottom Line
Was Dave as skilled as Trey Thompkins? No. Thompkins would get you 17 points and 8 rebounds a game, while shooting close to 50 percent. Thompkins not only scored twice as much, he also was more versatile. Trey hit 79 3-pointers in three years, shooting 36 percent from behind the arc. Dave didn't shoot any. Thompkins and Jeremy Price were better finishers and rebounders. Was Bliss the best post player that Felton recruited? The answer is obviously, no.
However, when you look at Dave's production and compare it to the other guys on our team now and around the league this season, it's clear that Dave was a quality big. Especially so when you add in the fact that Dave achieved his production while battling chronic back issues (herniated disc) that limited him to around 20 minutes a night. Throw in the intangibles (co-captain, graduated with honors in three years) and his leadership when UGA was coming off of NCAA sanctions, hitting key buckets to help UGA win the SEC Tournament championship, and you have yourself one heck of a player.
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.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Wonder if we'll ever see a post move
Monday, March 21, 2011
Congrats to the Dawgs for the 2010/2011 Season
Okay. So things didn't go as well as we hoped. Still, the team won over 20 games and made it to the Tournament.
The guys all acquitted themselves well. They competed and were in just about every game. We didn't finish games with a lot of energy. There were a few at the beginning of the season that we closed out fairly well. But by the time of the SEC season, our late-game magic disappeared.
Our last game, the NCAA Tournament contest against Washington, ended up just like so many other games this season-- We would have won if we could have gotten a couple more stops and scored one or two more baskets at the end. After playing well in the first stanza, we fizzled in the second and lost by single digits.
All in all, though, I'm fairly pleased. Before you can be great, you have to be good. Before you can be good, you have to be competitive. The Dawgs had a good season and I wanted to congratulate the entire team, and especially the seniors.
Thanks JP and Chris. You represented us well. Keep up the good work.
DM
The guys all acquitted themselves well. They competed and were in just about every game. We didn't finish games with a lot of energy. There were a few at the beginning of the season that we closed out fairly well. But by the time of the SEC season, our late-game magic disappeared.
Our last game, the NCAA Tournament contest against Washington, ended up just like so many other games this season-- We would have won if we could have gotten a couple more stops and scored one or two more baskets at the end. After playing well in the first stanza, we fizzled in the second and lost by single digits.
All in all, though, I'm fairly pleased. Before you can be great, you have to be good. Before you can be good, you have to be competitive. The Dawgs had a good season and I wanted to congratulate the entire team, and especially the seniors.
Thanks JP and Chris. You represented us well. Keep up the good work.
DM
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Will JP's Big Performance Help with JR?
Jeremy Price had a career night against Auburn. He matched his all-time scoring total with 22 points, and he shot 10 of 13 from the line. I'm pretty sure that's a first.
JP also finished with 14 boards. Absolutely huge, and Georgia needed all of his output in the overtime win.
I'll probably post a recap of the game later. However, in the meantime, I thought it appropriate to speculate-- Did Jarmal Reid watch the game?
Reid is one of the top recruits in the country and he is on high on UGA's wish list for 2012. You have to think that Reid cheers for his brother, Jeremy, and by extension, the Dawgs, night after night. That kind of connection could be the difference in Reid's recruitment.
I recently saw the article below about Jarmal's performance at the Prime-Time Shootout. He apparently had a great game, scoring from inside and out. After JP's outing yesterday, I thought that now was a good time to post the article.
Reid
JP also finished with 14 boards. Absolutely huge, and Georgia needed all of his output in the overtime win.
I'll probably post a recap of the game later. However, in the meantime, I thought it appropriate to speculate-- Did Jarmal Reid watch the game?
Reid is one of the top recruits in the country and he is on high on UGA's wish list for 2012. You have to think that Reid cheers for his brother, Jeremy, and by extension, the Dawgs, night after night. That kind of connection could be the difference in Reid's recruitment.
I recently saw the article below about Jarmal's performance at the Prime-Time Shootout. He apparently had a great game, scoring from inside and out. After JP's outing yesterday, I thought that now was a good time to post the article.
Reid
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Dawgs Squeak One Out (Arkansas Recap)
I guess it was our time to win a close one. We started out as if we were still stuck outside in the snow.
A few huge threes-- one each by Travis, Dustin and Trey, and we were able to get out of Arkansas with the W.
I thought that Jeremy Price was very important in the game. He didn't have his best shooting night, but he hit a few key baskets and led the team with 7 rebounds.
Gerald Robinson had just 1 assist with 4 turnovers. He did, however, contribute in other ways. He played solid defense on Rotnei Clarke and held him to just 3 buckets. Gerald also shot 7 of 13 from the floor.
Dustin Ware had 9 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds and no turnovers.
Don't know what's up with Travis. He did okay, but he seems to be very tentative these days. Went 3 of 9 tonight.
It's a win and I'll take it, especially considering that it was an away game.
A few huge threes-- one each by Travis, Dustin and Trey, and we were able to get out of Arkansas with the W.
I thought that Jeremy Price was very important in the game. He didn't have his best shooting night, but he hit a few key baskets and led the team with 7 rebounds.
Gerald Robinson had just 1 assist with 4 turnovers. He did, however, contribute in other ways. He played solid defense on Rotnei Clarke and held him to just 3 buckets. Gerald also shot 7 of 13 from the floor.
Dustin Ware had 9 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds and no turnovers.
Don't know what's up with Travis. He did okay, but he seems to be very tentative these days. Went 3 of 9 tonight.
It's a win and I'll take it, especially considering that it was an away game.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Ugly Game. (UK Recap)
We didn't get what we needed, and that was a big game from a big gun. Trey was off, Travis had an 0-fer, and Gerald Robinson seemed too helter-skelter.
I don't think our guys were overwhelmed by Rupp. We lost by six. If we had hit our free throws, we would've won the game.
The positives were that Dustin Ware played well. Marcus Thornton seems to be coming along. Jeremy Price gave us some key buckets.
I guess Thompkins was hurt. Not sure that that caused him to miss all the three's, but something wasn't working for him.
Both Florida and South Carolina lost to teams from the SEC-West. With a victory, we would have moved into second place in the division. Now, we're still in last. Not good.
I don't think our guys were overwhelmed by Rupp. We lost by six. If we had hit our free throws, we would've won the game.
The positives were that Dustin Ware played well. Marcus Thornton seems to be coming along. Jeremy Price gave us some key buckets.
I guess Thompkins was hurt. Not sure that that caused him to miss all the three's, but something wasn't working for him.
Both Florida and South Carolina lost to teams from the SEC-West. With a victory, we would have moved into second place in the division. Now, we're still in last. Not good.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Dawgs Lose the Heartbreaker
I think Jeremy Price said it best: the team was mentally fatigued in the second overtime.
Had to be. I think we started the second overtime with 5 straight turnovers and then only scored via a lucky three-pointer banked in by Brantley.
Perspectives
Did we elect not to foul at the end of the first OT? Why not let the ref know we were going to intentionally foul someone else?
Had to be. I think we started the second overtime with 5 straight turnovers and then only scored via a lucky three-pointer banked in by Brantley.
Perspectives
Did we elect not to foul at the end of the first OT? Why not let the ref know we were going to intentionally foul someone else?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Ugghh.
Well, like I said, Florida has pretty much owned us. Even worse, they are 5 and 1 in the SEC. Hard to catch up when your next game is at Kentucky and we still have to go down to Gainesville and over to Tennessee.
We're 3 and 3, and we just have to hope that the other guys take Florida down a notch to have any chance of winning the East. The East is so tough that we could be a pretty good team and end up in last place.
Hat's off to Donovan. He defended the triangle about as well as anyone I've seen. His wrinkle? Not playing Jeremy Price in the high-low offense. Price didn't even look to take a couple of bounces toward the basket for the 12-footer. He played a great game on the low block, but he just has to be more aggressive if he catches the ball up by the free throw line.
Maybe later in the year after Thornton gets healthy, we can put him at the top of the triangle and see what he can do.
Proud of our guys for fighting back, but way too many careless turnovers and missed free throws.
We're 3 and 3, and we just have to hope that the other guys take Florida down a notch to have any chance of winning the East. The East is so tough that we could be a pretty good team and end up in last place.
Hat's off to Donovan. He defended the triangle about as well as anyone I've seen. His wrinkle? Not playing Jeremy Price in the high-low offense. Price didn't even look to take a couple of bounces toward the basket for the 12-footer. He played a great game on the low block, but he just has to be more aggressive if he catches the ball up by the free throw line.
Maybe later in the year after Thornton gets healthy, we can put him at the top of the triangle and see what he can do.
Proud of our guys for fighting back, but way too many careless turnovers and missed free throws.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Dawgs over Dogs!
Let me say first of all that I love ESPN3. I missed today's game, but I was able to watch the entire contest just a couple of hours later. I purposefully did not check the score, so when I sat down to watch the game on my computer, it was almost like watching it live. The network is not perfect, but it's pretty close.
Which leads me to the real point of my post. The Dawgs were very impressive today. Not perfect, but almost.
Travis Leslie displayed his usual acrobatics. He finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, with just one turnover. He was also 1 for 1 from behind the arc, which is a very encouraging sign. Dustin Ware was controlled and poised. He scored 9 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. A perfect 3 of 3 from the field, all from 3-point range, and zero turnovers.
We got enough from Barnes and Price. Trey Thompkins was effective from the perimeter and on the block, going 6 of 11 from the field, 2 of 3 from behind the arc, for 15 points and 7 rebounds. And Gerald Robinson showed great speed on offense and defense. He had 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He also notched 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Robinson was my player of the game.
We even got a few contributions from Thornton off the bench. Congratulations are due him for getting 7 points and 9 rebounds, 4 on the offensive glass.
From an overall team perspective, we beat MSU by 20, doubled them up in rebounds, and had almost three times as many assists. UGA posted four players in double figures, two others who scored 9 points a piece, and one guy who had 7.
On defense, we took them out of what they wanted to do, and turned them into an isolation offensive team, with others trying to spot up for long three's.
Great total team effort. If I had to complain about something, I would point to free throws and turnovers. We went 11 for 21 from the charity stripe. Fifty percent free throw shooting will get us beat.
We had 13 turnovers. Not a huge number, but of those, Chris Barnes had 3, Jeremy Price 2, and Thompkins 4. We need for our big men in the high-low action to fake the ball once in the opposite direction and then feed the post. As it stands, they telegraph their passes, giving the defensive player a chance to anticipate and make an early move to steal or deflect the ball. A former coach used to tell us to "grab the ball with two hands and get your butt down." The point was that with our knees bent and center of balance over our feet, we could make an effective fake or use a bounce or chest pass to get it to the open player.
Good game for the Dawgs. We're 14 and 4 overall, 3 and 2 in the SEC.
Which leads me to the real point of my post. The Dawgs were very impressive today. Not perfect, but almost.
Travis Leslie displayed his usual acrobatics. He finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, with just one turnover. He was also 1 for 1 from behind the arc, which is a very encouraging sign. Dustin Ware was controlled and poised. He scored 9 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. A perfect 3 of 3 from the field, all from 3-point range, and zero turnovers.
We got enough from Barnes and Price. Trey Thompkins was effective from the perimeter and on the block, going 6 of 11 from the field, 2 of 3 from behind the arc, for 15 points and 7 rebounds. And Gerald Robinson showed great speed on offense and defense. He had 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He also notched 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Robinson was my player of the game.
We even got a few contributions from Thornton off the bench. Congratulations are due him for getting 7 points and 9 rebounds, 4 on the offensive glass.
From an overall team perspective, we beat MSU by 20, doubled them up in rebounds, and had almost three times as many assists. UGA posted four players in double figures, two others who scored 9 points a piece, and one guy who had 7.
On defense, we took them out of what they wanted to do, and turned them into an isolation offensive team, with others trying to spot up for long three's.
Great total team effort. If I had to complain about something, I would point to free throws and turnovers. We went 11 for 21 from the charity stripe. Fifty percent free throw shooting will get us beat.
We had 13 turnovers. Not a huge number, but of those, Chris Barnes had 3, Jeremy Price 2, and Thompkins 4. We need for our big men in the high-low action to fake the ball once in the opposite direction and then feed the post. As it stands, they telegraph their passes, giving the defensive player a chance to anticipate and make an early move to steal or deflect the ball. A former coach used to tell us to "grab the ball with two hands and get your butt down." The point was that with our knees bent and center of balance over our feet, we could make an effective fake or use a bounce or chest pass to get it to the open player.
Good game for the Dawgs. We're 14 and 4 overall, 3 and 2 in the SEC.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tahj Shamsid-Deen
Sounds like a player to me. Although he's only 5' 8" now, he could grow three or four more inches in the next two years.
Any sophomore who scores 18 points with 9 assists and three steals for an 11 and 1 team ought to be on our radar screen. Add to that the fact that he is an academic work-horse, with a near 4.0 gpa, then that should scream to us that we need to get the recruiting machine going.
Let's keep the Columbia High pipeline (Jeremy Price, Travis Leslie) going.
Shamsid-Deen
Any sophomore who scores 18 points with 9 assists and three steals for an 11 and 1 team ought to be on our radar screen. Add to that the fact that he is an academic work-horse, with a near 4.0 gpa, then that should scream to us that we need to get the recruiting machine going.
Let's keep the Columbia High pipeline (Jeremy Price, Travis Leslie) going.
Shamsid-Deen
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wow.
Best Georgia basketball game ever.
I've been around the program a long time, and although we've had bigger victories, more thrilling comebacks, more improbable wins, I don't remember ever having seen a better played game.
Defensively, we hounded their top scorer into a 3 for 12 shooting night. We had 7 blocked shots and 5 steals. I thought about it some, and I don't remember them scoring on a fast break bucket.
On offense, we sizzled right from the start. We out-shot and out-maneuvered their zone. We were on target from long-range.
When they went to the man-to-man, we ran the offense, several guys touching the ball, and fed the post from good angles. We scored on easy baskets.
We shot 50 percent from behind the arc, 63 percent from the field, and 96 percent from the line.
Eleven guys played, eight of them scored, and seven of those eight shot at least 66 percent from the field. All of our starters scored in double figures.
We had 26 assists on 33 field goals. We had just 7 turnovers. We broke their press. We had more rebounds, blocked shots and assists than Ole Miss. We had fewer turnovers and fewer personal fouls.
Our bench players combined for 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and just 1 turnover.
We outplayed them at their place. The game was on t.v. The Dawgs were clearly the superior team.
Mark Fox got his first SEC road win, and we couldn't have played better basketball.
Congrats to Coach Fox and the team.
DM
I've been around the program a long time, and although we've had bigger victories, more thrilling comebacks, more improbable wins, I don't remember ever having seen a better played game.
Defensively, we hounded their top scorer into a 3 for 12 shooting night. We had 7 blocked shots and 5 steals. I thought about it some, and I don't remember them scoring on a fast break bucket.
On offense, we sizzled right from the start. We out-shot and out-maneuvered their zone. We were on target from long-range.
When they went to the man-to-man, we ran the offense, several guys touching the ball, and fed the post from good angles. We scored on easy baskets.
We shot 50 percent from behind the arc, 63 percent from the field, and 96 percent from the line.
Eleven guys played, eight of them scored, and seven of those eight shot at least 66 percent from the field. All of our starters scored in double figures.
We had 26 assists on 33 field goals. We had just 7 turnovers. We broke their press. We had more rebounds, blocked shots and assists than Ole Miss. We had fewer turnovers and fewer personal fouls.
Our bench players combined for 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and just 1 turnover.
We outplayed them at their place. The game was on t.v. The Dawgs were clearly the superior team.
Mark Fox got his first SEC road win, and we couldn't have played better basketball.
Congrats to Coach Fox and the team.
DM
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Not Feeling Good about the Game Against Tech
It will be a blow-out either way. They either press us to death and we wilt because they have more depth at guard, or we push them around inside and Trey and JP have field days.
Shumpert can score. We'll have to control him. Brian Oliver can shoot it, and Udofia can get streaky. Jason Morris had a nice outing off the bench last game for them, and Glen Rice goes to the hoop pretty effectively.
My prediction: I just can't bring myself to pick Tech over UGA, even if it is at their place and the home team almost always wins in this series.
I'm saying 75 to 62, UGA over Tech.
Tip-off is in 10 minutes. Go Dawgs!
Shumpert can score. We'll have to control him. Brian Oliver can shoot it, and Udofia can get streaky. Jason Morris had a nice outing off the bench last game for them, and Glen Rice goes to the hoop pretty effectively.
My prediction: I just can't bring myself to pick Tech over UGA, even if it is at their place and the home team almost always wins in this series.
I'm saying 75 to 62, UGA over Tech.
Tip-off is in 10 minutes. Go Dawgs!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Dawgs Win!
Great game! Sure we had that dry spell coming out of the locker room in the second half, but UAB is no slouch. They picked up the defensive pressure and we didn't respond. Besides, when teams shoot over 40 percent on threes, you have to tip your hat to them. Play D, yes, but give them their props as a really good team.
This game gives a glimpse of what the team could be. Brantley scoring from deep. Price active under the boards. Thompkins getting a double-double or right at it (20 and 9 against UAB). Gerald Robinson cutting to the basket.
With that said, I definitely agree with Coach Fox. With Robinson eligible last year, the Dawgs probably would have won several of the close games. Could have even scratched and clawed our way to a 20-win season.
Robinson showed what he can do last night. He has too many turnovers, but just like the St. Louis game, he came through in the clutch. I loved his scoop basket with the left hand. That was an 11 on the scale of difficulty. And when we needed a basket, Robinson created something. Cut to the hoop, made a jump stop, glided to his right and kissed if off the window.
Travis Leslie had an off game. Hit just 2 of 9 from the field and one of his makes was a dunk. They were challenging him to shoot the ball. I think his shot could be adjusted just a bit to move his release point slightly to the right. His shooting motion would be more fluid and he would find his jumper truer out to 17 feet or so. And I would still like him to take the ball into the paint and show the ball. Get guys off their feet. He's a good enough free throw shooter and strong enough to get the "and-one."
Anyway, Georgia has some promise. Good to see contributions from the bench. Dustin Ware needs to keep shooting it. Not take tons of shots, but if he has the ball at the end of the clock, he needs to take the jumper or go toward the basket with an eye toward scoring. If he penetrates just to the free throw line and then dishes, his teammates don't and won't have time to get up a good shot.
We're 5 and 2. We really need to beat Tech. That would make me really happy with this portion of the season.
This game gives a glimpse of what the team could be. Brantley scoring from deep. Price active under the boards. Thompkins getting a double-double or right at it (20 and 9 against UAB). Gerald Robinson cutting to the basket.
With that said, I definitely agree with Coach Fox. With Robinson eligible last year, the Dawgs probably would have won several of the close games. Could have even scratched and clawed our way to a 20-win season.
Robinson showed what he can do last night. He has too many turnovers, but just like the St. Louis game, he came through in the clutch. I loved his scoop basket with the left hand. That was an 11 on the scale of difficulty. And when we needed a basket, Robinson created something. Cut to the hoop, made a jump stop, glided to his right and kissed if off the window.
Travis Leslie had an off game. Hit just 2 of 9 from the field and one of his makes was a dunk. They were challenging him to shoot the ball. I think his shot could be adjusted just a bit to move his release point slightly to the right. His shooting motion would be more fluid and he would find his jumper truer out to 17 feet or so. And I would still like him to take the ball into the paint and show the ball. Get guys off their feet. He's a good enough free throw shooter and strong enough to get the "and-one."
Anyway, Georgia has some promise. Good to see contributions from the bench. Dustin Ware needs to keep shooting it. Not take tons of shots, but if he has the ball at the end of the clock, he needs to take the jumper or go toward the basket with an eye toward scoring. If he penetrates just to the free throw line and then dishes, his teammates don't and won't have time to get up a good shot.
We're 5 and 2. We really need to beat Tech. That would make me really happy with this portion of the season.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
ND Tries for Good Shots Each Time Down
Means that every player for the Dawgs will have to D up.
They have good size across the front line and start three guys at 6' 8". Travis Leslie should fare well, nonetheless, since one of their big guys is more of a guard/forward, and Travis makes up for any height disadvantage with his leaping ability.
Jeremy Price probably has an advantage over his man. Price has the wide body, good hands and has added the nice free-throw stroke.
It's that third match-up that is the big unknown. If Nolte is hobbled with his new face-mask, or if Trey comes out and is not quite ready to play, then I guess you would have to give them the edge in the post.
It's probably a tie out on the perimeter. Hansbrough has a little craftiness to his game. Can get hot from deep, too. The season's still young, but he is shooting right at 60 percent from behind the arc and averaging 18 points per game.
Eric Atkins is a point guard who sounds a lot like Dustin Ware. Mostly a distributor with a high assist to turnover ratio. Even though Atkins doesn't shoot that much, he makes over half of his attempts.
Gerald and Dustin should be able to hold their own against the Irish back-court. We need a fast start, plus some good contributions from our bench.
Look of the Irish
They have good size across the front line and start three guys at 6' 8". Travis Leslie should fare well, nonetheless, since one of their big guys is more of a guard/forward, and Travis makes up for any height disadvantage with his leaping ability.
Jeremy Price probably has an advantage over his man. Price has the wide body, good hands and has added the nice free-throw stroke.
It's that third match-up that is the big unknown. If Nolte is hobbled with his new face-mask, or if Trey comes out and is not quite ready to play, then I guess you would have to give them the edge in the post.
It's probably a tie out on the perimeter. Hansbrough has a little craftiness to his game. Can get hot from deep, too. The season's still young, but he is shooting right at 60 percent from behind the arc and averaging 18 points per game.
Eric Atkins is a point guard who sounds a lot like Dustin Ware. Mostly a distributor with a high assist to turnover ratio. Even though Atkins doesn't shoot that much, he makes over half of his attempts.
Gerald and Dustin should be able to hold their own against the Irish back-court. We need a fast start, plus some good contributions from our bench.
Look of the Irish
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