Ten Reasons Georgia Basketball is Trending Up

Georgia basketball is trending up.  Here's why:

1.  Overall Win Record

Had a maddening overtime defeat to LSU, and I hate losing to Georgia Tech, but if we win at South Carolina, UGA will be 15 and 5, a very strong showing through the first 20 games.

2.  RPI

In the 20's according to the various sites.  Still plenty of ball to be played, but as for now, our schedule strength and win-loss record project that we should easily qualify for the NCAA tourney this year.

3.  Competitive in the SEC

Georgia is now 5 and 2 in the SEC, ranked 2nd place in the Conference.

We don't have a stable of big guys like Kentucky, but no one else in the country does.  Meanwhile, we match up pretty well with the rest of the teams in the SEC.

4.  Handling Adversity

Brandon Morris was arrested, then dismissed from the team before the season started. Kenny Gaines was sick when the year began, then injured shortly thereafter.  Kenny Paul Geno got injured and is likely lost for the year.  Cameron Forte got sick.  Marcus Thornton battled and overcame knee problems over the last couple of years.  Yante Maten got hit by a car.  Wow.

The team could have folded under pressure.  Instead, Fox has adjusted his rotation, and UGA has made it work.

5.  No new off-court issues

Sure, the guys aren't perfect, but the current squad has avoided the kinds of missteps that could distract from team performance and derail the season.

6.  Win Streak

Georgia has won 5 in a row with a winnable game at South Carolina up next.

7.  Balanced Scoring

The game at Mississippi State was an anomaly.  No one played well except J.J. Frazier (and he was exceptional).  The Vandy game was more typical.  Although Charles Mann did not have a good outing, everybody else played well enough, and the Dawgs got the win.

And that's the UGA recipe for success.  All five starters currently average double-figures in scoring.  Really helps UGA win a game when multiple guys can step up and get a bucket when we need it.  

8.  Free Throw Shooting

Georgia shoots a lot of free throws.  Part of that is because Charles Mann always attacks the rim.  Georgia attempted 25 foul shots against Vandy and made 23.  Now, we haven't been hitting that percentage (92%) every game, but if we keep going to the line and shooting a decent percentage, we can win more often than not.

9.  2015 Recruiting

We missed on some targets this year.  Malik Beasley, a two-guard out of Alpharetta, was supposedly going to commit. Instead went with Florida State.  High-scoring wing Tevin Mack was predicted to UGA by some web sites.  Ended up choosing VCU, if I remember correctly.  We didn't get Georgia high school big men Daniel Giddens or Doral Moore.

However, unlike previous years, when we didn't get our top level recruits, this time we came back and were able to get next tier guys that can definitely help right away.  Georgia signed Turtle Jackson, a big point guard who can score; Derek Ogbeide, an improving post with good athleticism; and E'Torrion Wilridge, an athletic 3/4.  If we keep winning, who's to say that we don't have a real shot at Jaylen Brown out at Wheeler High.

10.  2016 Recruiting

If Georgia gets a B or B- so far for 2015 recruiting, we're tracking A+ territory for 2016.  Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris committed early.  When was the last time that we got pledges from two key recruits almost a full two seasons early?

KCP committed early, but Fox wasn't able to turn that commitment into a magnet for other highly ranked players.  Felton recruited the dynamic duo of Lou Williams and Mike Mercer, but Williams never made it to campus, opting instead to go straight to the NBA.  As good as Williams and Mercer were, I like Crump and Harris better, because Mercer couldn't really shoot the ball.  Harris has Mercer-type athleticism, and he can flat out stroke it.

Fox will have to fight like crazy to keep them, but if he can, Crump and Harris may help UGA bring in a couple of posts.

Georgia basketball is trending up.  If we finish the SEC slate with a few victories and complete our recruiting 2015 and 2016 classes with a couple of studs, the bandwagon will be suddenly full.   Georgia fans who "always really loved basketball," but were waiting on the side of the road hoping that UGA would somehow get the program rolling in the right direction, might want to jump on now, buy tickets, and support the team.

Snakebit!

Sounds like a bad movie.  Looks like one, too.

Last week we got the report that Turtle Jackson had committed.  Had me excited.  I should have known bad news was coming.  I felt something in my bones.  I thought it might have been the rheumatism.  Nope.  Worse. UGA basketball.

Sure enough our collective hopes are jarred once again.  This time, it's the arrest of Brandon Morris.  The AJC reports that he was arrested for felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

We can harp on "overzealous Athens Clarke County police" if we want, but you can't absolve players just because they're players.  Guys have to take responsibility.

Consider the record over the last few years:

2007:  Takais Brown, Mike Mercer and Albert Jackson were suspended for class attendance issues.
2008:  Billy Humphrey suspended for underage drinking.
2008:  Billy Humphrey dismissed
2010:  Albert Jackson arrested for hit and run of parked car.
2012:  Donte Williams arrested for possession at Lenox Square Mall.
2014:  J.J. Frazier arrested for driving without a license.

I could go on.  I chose three incidents from the Fox tenure, and three from Felton's.  I chose three Athens law enforcement arrests, two from the Atlanta area, and one student discipline matter.

I know that UGA football also has bizarre arrests and problems, but the margin for error with basketball's thirteen-scholarship limit is so small.  The impact is much greater when a basketball player gets in trouble.

I could talk about untimely injuries and all sorts of admission matters that impact hoops recruitment (like the Charles Mitchell situation), but you get the point.  Every year, it's something.

That's how life goes when you're snakebit.

 

Mike Mercer to Australia

Mike Mercer has landed in Australia.  He's been signed by the Geelong Supercats of the Australian Basketball Association.

Mercer's new home, Geelong, is located about 50 miles southwest of Melbourne.  Geelong is the second-largest city in the state of Victoria, lying at the southern tip of Australia just across from the island of Tasmania.  The nick-name "Supercat" comes from the large aluminum-hulled catamaran ships produced in the region.

Good to see that Mercer is married (wife Adreana) and has a son (MJ). 

Ironically, Mike is now playing close to Melbourne, the home of his old roommate, Kevin Brophy, who passed away in a tragic car accident almost seven years ago.  Dawgs hoops players Steven Newman and Terrance Woodbury also played in Australia. 

Note:  For more information on the careers of any of the above players, just click on their names in the blue hypertext below.

Mike was brought in by the Supercats after their existing two-guard, Kimmani Barrett (formerly of Lasalle University), went down with a knee injury.  For his part, Mercer's knees have been holding up during stints in China and Canada, so if he can stay healthy he might be able to stick with his new team Down Under.

Mercer and family

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.

Time for a Victory

The Dawgs are playing South Florida tonight. Can the hoops squad go into an unfriendly environment and emerge with a W?

Maybe.

So far this year USF is averaging less than 4,000 in attendance per home game. Students are likely to be in the midst of preparing for exams, so perhaps their home court advantage will be muted by empty seats ('bout like the Steg' has been lately).

Although USF and UGA have not faced each other before in hoops, South Florida has somewhat of a recent connection to UGA basketball. Back in 2009, USF and coach Stan Heath took a chance and gave Mike Mercer a basketball scholarship after he was dismissed by UGA coach Dennis Felton. While at South Florida, Mercer recovered from two torn ACL's, but it seemed that his other challenges stayed around a bit longer.

At any rate, USF was 22 and 14 last year and is 4 and 2 so far this year, while Georgia had a losing record last year and comes into the game at 2 and 4 this season. USF's big men shoot the ball well from deep, but they can also take it to the rim and finish. Their leading scorer, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, a 6' 9" senior, shoots 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from behind the arc.

Despite how things look on paper, in my way of thinking, the two teams are about evenly matched. I refuse to believe that UGA is as bad in basketball as their recent play suggests. Kenny Gaines will sooner or later hit his first bucket and emerge as a big scorer. Donte Williams got a slow start after his suspension, but has started to play better of late. We're not a good three-point shooting team, so I keep waiting for Fox to rein in the guys that keep firing away from long range, and give more time to the guys who can take it to the basket, like Gaines and Brandon Morris. Maybe the ETSU game was an indication that he is doing exactly that.

In any case, if Georgia is to turn around its season, now would be a great time to start. Dawgs 67, USF 64.

Mike Mercer Playing in Halifax

He scored 18 points in his first official outing for the Halifax Rainmen of the Premier Basketball League.

Halifax beat the Vermont Frost Heaves by a score of 109 to 99.

Has to be colder up in Canada than in Athens or Tampa, where he played for USF. Mercer is probably fine with the environment, while he tries to work his way to the NBA. He'll have to avoid the serious knee injuries and other issues that slowed his college career.

Mercer Ending Playing Career on a High Note

Things are looking up for Mike Mercer. Although he left Georgia, transferred to South Florida and promptly found trouble outside the court, Mercer has survived it all, with help from his coach and an assist from a teammate.

Mercer is now a college graduate, a player who has recovered from two torn ACL's, and a key contributor for a team that is competitive in the Big East.

He will play his last regular season game this coming Saturday. Whatever the future holds for Mercer, I think he has proven to himself that he can overcome obstacles, and perhaps even thrive if he puts in the required hard work.

Mercer

Mike Mercer's Second Chance

He sounds grateful, as well he should. Heath took a big chance on Mercer and it has worked out for both USF and Mercer, as the article states.

Mercer

Still wonder how Georgia basketball would have turned out if Mercer had been able to stay focused while he was in Athens.

At any rate, perhaps Mercer can use his criminal justice degree to help others who would legitimately benefit from a second or third chance.

Mike Mercer and South Florida Struggle from Behind the Arc

Mike Mercer has scored on some highlight-reel style dunks lately. However, he is just 1 of 17 from three-point range in Big East play.

South Florida is 5 and 7 in the conference, and for Stan Heath's team to make it into the NCAA Tournament, they'll have to hit at least a few from long range, and hope to go on some kind of streak. As it stands, the team is shooting just 22 percent from behind the arc.

Mercer's problem, in my opinion, is that he has gone back to his old shooting style. Coach Felton gave Mercer a drill in which he had to shoot the ball with one hand, over and over, until he could make baskets from the foul line and beyond. Mercer accepted the instruction, and in one game in the Dominican Republic, Mercer shot 8 three-pointers, if memory serves me.

Unfortunately, the lessons from the drill didn't stick. From what I could see on ESPN 360, Mercer has reverted to his high school shooting form, a Vern Fleming type knuckle ball, shot from across his body. Mercer shoots it with lots of arc, but not nearly enough accuracy.

Good to see that his knees are holding up. If he can get them to full strength again and square his elbow to shoot the ball, he might be able to continue playing basketball after his eligibility at the college level ends later this year.

Mike Mercer Goes Off

Mike Mercer shot 0 for 4 in the first half. South Florida was playing #8 Georgetown in a hostile environment, and it looked like the higher ranked team would win.

Then came the second half. Mike Mercer went 5 for 5 from the floor and 2 for 2 from the line. Dominique Jones started to score. Georgetown got rattled, didn't execute their Princeton-style offense, and South Florida came away with the upset victory.

It was good to see Mercer perform well. He shocked me by going way up above the rim to slam an alley-oop. I thought that with his two serious knee surgeries, his flying days were over. Mercer does wear a sleeve or some kind of support over one knee, and he doesn't seem to run nearly as fluidly as before, but he can still jump.

The alley-oop play reminded me of the dunk that Mercer had against Gonzaga a few years back.

Mercer finished off his scoring with a reverse slam on a fast break.

Dennis Felton and Mike Mercer, Together Again

Well, sort of.

Dennis Felton has been working as a color commentator for ESPN. He'll be part of ESPN360's crew for the Rutgers vs. South Florida game, to be played on Saturday, January 16.

I'm sure it will be awkward for Felton to handle a game in which Mike Mercer is playing, but I'm sure he wishes Mercer well. And as a professional, I don't think he will display any bias, even though he might like to see Mercer do well and lead South Florida to victory.

Mike Mercer Scores 19

Led all scorers in the game. Shot 8 of 13 from the field.

I would say that Mercer is recovering from his knee problems and beginning to show glimmers of the basketball skill that made him such a highly ranked recruit coming out of high school.

South Florida beat San Diego 69 to 60.

Mercer Drives to the Hoop

Mike Mercer scored 12 points in action against Central Florida. He not only helped Stan Heath win a close game, he also got some pub' in the local press for his efforts.

Good to see Mercer back out there on the floor.

And one?

UK Escapes by Two, Virginia Walloped

They won the game against Miami of Ohio, but it was ever so close. 72 to 70 was the final score.

Anybody watch that game? If so, leave a comment.

Virginia lost by 17 to Mike Mercer and USF. That was a surprise to me. Mercer only scored 3 points, but Virginia apparently had nothing going offensively. Hard to imagine UVA having much success this year in the ACC.

Mike Mercer Dunks

The guy still has incredible hops. After two serious knee injuries, you would think that Mercer would forever be a below-the-rim kind of player.

Mercer shined in USF's game against LSU. He finished the contest notching 3 of 6 shooting, 2 of 3 from behind the arc, and he garnered 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

One of his baskets was an alley-oop that led to this incredible dunk.

Mike Mercer Scores 17

Stan Heath and the USF Bulls played Florida Southern in an exhibition game.

Mike Mercer went 7 for 10 from the floor.

Hate to beat this point to death, but this season really is Mercer's last shot. He's had the proverbial two strikes with various legal issues during his time in Tampa. And he's had two serious knee injuries. He was dismissed at Georgia, transferred, dismissed at USF, and reinstated. He has graduated. As far as I know, there are no more schools to attend, no more eligibility to expend.

This will be his last chance to show his coach and anyone else watching that he has the talent, physical strength and the attitude to play basketball at a high level.

Maybe it will all come together for Mercer. I'm pulling for him.

Mike Mercer Reinstated

I didn't think it would happen. Too much for USF to lose. However, Stan Heath has made the decision to allow Mike Mercer to play for the USF team for this coming year.

Mercer graduated from USF, fulfilled the requirements of the legal system, and gets one last shot to change his legacy.

I hope he plays basketball. Just plays. He probably won't be great, since he has had two serious knee injuries. But if he can work out, go to meetings, travel with the team, do his best on the court and stay out of trouble off of it, maybe this time, he'll get it right.

Mercer

Mike Mercer Graduates

Congratulations to him for sticking with it down at USF.

As I wrote before, I doubt he will be able to keep playing basketball with the team, but it's a positive step for him, no matter what happens.

Mike Mercer to Play Again?

I guess it could happen. Have to figure it's a long shot, just as Stan Heath says.

Mercer would have to want it. He'd have to have some way of supporting himself. His knees would have to hold up. And the academic folks at South Florida would have to approve it.

Doubt the stars will align for Mercer, but I hope he finds his way.

Mike Mercer Legal Update

Looks like Mercer has a good shot at putting his past behind him.

According to the attached, Mercer has agreed to a plea that will allow him to be on probation, submit to periodic drug screens, and perform community service. If he does well, the marijuana charge and the earlier charge for public consumption of alcohol will be dropped.

Mercer should graduate from USF later this summer. I have no idea how his knees are doing. Maybe he has recovered well enough to give international ball a try.