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.

 

KCP for Heisman!

Complete game for the Dawgs in the win over Texas A&M.  Wow, it sure does feel good to get the W.

Congrats, too, to Coach Fox.  He mixed in a little press, gave Kenny Gaines a few more minutes, and kept his guys from letting the game get away late in the second half. 

I'm not a Larry Conley fan.  Not by a long stretch.  But he was right on target in his commentary that Kentavious is probably more valuable to his team than any other player in the SEC.  We might have won a couple of games this season without KCP, but just a couple.  Kentavious plays great defense, gets the team out on the break, rebounds the ball and this year has really increased his shooting percentage. 

I can't think of any shooting guard that Georgia has ever had that brings more to the table than KCP.  Kentavious is averaging 17 points and 6 boards a game and shooting a respectable 42 percent from the field.  He also gets 2 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

In the last ten years we've had designated three-point shooters like Ricky McPhee who also did pretty well on the defensive end.  Gerald Robinson could drive on anybody, but he was more of a second point guard.  Corey Butler played some at the two-guard, but he was a defensive ace, rather than a scorer.  Billy Humphrey could shoot, but he had hobbled wheels for a portion of his career, and I don't remember him rebounding the ball much.

Levi Stukes was a shooting guard in a point guard's body.  Ezra Williams could shoot, but he didn't have much of a mid-range game.  Jarvis Hayes was more of a small forward.  D.A. Layne could score, but see my description of Levi Stukes above.

You'd have to go back to the era of Shandon and Willie Anderson to find Georgia's last big athletic two-guards, guys who could score, defend and rebound.  But even then, the Anderson brothers were more scorers than shooters.  If Kentavious is not the best ever UGA two-guard, then he's close.  If basketball had a Heisman, KCP would get my vote.

Billy Humphrey Ends Career, UNO to Division III

As expected, the University of New Orleans lost its Sun Belt conference tournament match against Western Kentucky. Billy Humphrey was able to play his last collegiate game, scoring 7 points in the loss.

Humphrey will have surgery on his knee, now that the season is officially over.

Sounds very much like this is the end of the road for Humphrey's playing career. Hope it's not, but without reliable wheels, you can't play pro ball, no matter how well you might shoot from long range.

It's hard to leave a sport that you've played for so long. Sports often defines a person. It's not just what we do, it is who we are. "I'm Joe Blow, basketball player for Xavier University."

The problem is that when Joe can no longer play basketball, who is he? Is he Joe the ex-basketball player, doomed for the rest of his life to attempt to draw a crowd by telling stories about how things were when he used to play? What makes Joe special if his tie to sports has been broken? How will he support himself if there is no more scholarship?

UNO will have a difficult adjustment to make as well. The student body may well wish to take another vote next year, once they feel the impact of losing Division I sports, but it will be too late. The infrastructure and the players and coaches will be gone.

Perhaps University of New Orleans basketball is Katrina's latest victim.

Good luck to Billy and to UNO.

Billy Humphrey to Play?

The University of New Orleans is going into the Sun Belt Conference's tournament and they are planning to leave it all out on the floor.

Billy Humphrey is doing his part. Although I was almost certain that Humphrey would not play again this year, he has reportedly been practicing with the team this week, and it appears that he will power through his knee problems and try to help New Orleans in their battle against Western Kentucky.

It is likely that the game today will be the end of an era. Unless New Orleans wins the tournament, they will be done for the year. And at the end of the season, the Privateers will be moving from Division I down to Division III, in which players will not receive scholarships to compete.

With Humphrey's knee problems and the exhaustion of his eligibility, his playing career will probably end today. That's the reason, at least in part, why Humphrey is making one last attempt to get back out there today. His team needs him and he wants to go out on a high note.

Here's hoping for the best.

End of the Road for Humphrey?

I had high hopes that Billy would have a successful tenure in New Orleans, get back on his feet physically and mentally. After sitting out his transfer year last year, I know that he must have had a "can't wait" attitude toward getting this season started.

I was happy to learn before the season started that Georgia would kick off the year by playing UNO. Unfortunately, Humphrey reinjured his knee prior to the game. I expected him to miss the contest, but he surprised me by being able to play, not just in Georgia's game, but in thirteen games thereafter.

But the knee issues would not go away. As the season moves through mid-February and on toward the end of the year, Billy Humphrey has had to watch the action from the bench. He has missed nine or ten games, and UNO has been playing poorly in his absence.

UNO has missed its leading scorer. The team will be moving down to non-scholarship Division III in the future, a factor that has perhaps led to less than inspired play for Humphrey's teammates.

To make matters more disappointing for Humphrey, it looks like he will have to have surgery again on his knee. He should consult with his doctors and get the best guidance possible, but it sounds to me that his basketball playing career is coming to a close.

Who Dat Moving to Division III

The University of New Orleans' chancellor has made the call. Not to Beyonce for an upgrade, but rather to the Sun Belt Conference to disconnect the service. In a tough decision, UNO has decided to move from Division I athletics down to Division III.

I think it's going to be devastating to UNO.

I understand the hand that the school has been dealt. They have the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Falling enrollment. Poor facilities.

I assume that UNO asked the NCAA and the Sun Belt Conference for a waiver due to special circumstances. I assume that UNO appealed to its boosters, alumni and other groups for help. I assume all other avenues were thoroughly analyzed, and the move to Division III was the only option.

As a UGA fan, I follow UNO athletics because Billy Humphrey has been playing there. In this particular case, however, I'm not concerned with Humphrey. He has missed the last 5 games with knee problems, and the July move to Division I wouldn't affect him anyway. Either through injury or exhaustion of his eligibility, he's at the end of his collegiate career.

It's all the other players who will be stuck in limbo, who now have to decide what to do. It's the larger student body that will know that something important has been lost.

For all of its faults, athletics plays a big role in boosting the spirits. Just look at how the entire city of New Orleans has benefitted from the sudden success of the Saints.

My hope is that after a suitable time of recovery, UNO will be able to rejoin major college athletics.

Billy Humphrey Gets Praise from Coach

Sounds like Humphrey has taken very seriously the opportunity he was given to continue his basketball career at New Orleans.

He has the solid support of his coach, and maybe, just maybe, Humphrey can make it to the next level.

Corey Butler Pre-Season Interview

I hadn't seen this before, but I listened to it this evening. Corey Butler does a great interview, except for his love of the Yankees. Unless you're a Yankee fan, skip the first 7 minutes or 7 minutes and 30 seconds. After that point, Butler starts to talk about basketball.

One of the most intriguing parts of the interview was Butler's opinion of Gerald Robinson. Really good news for next year.

CB

Butler was one of my favorite players over his career, and I hope he and WUOG will team up in the future for other interviews as he moves on toward his medical career.

Billy Humphrey Injures Knee

Same knee that he had the surgery on before the season.

Has to be a real disappointment for him. He was leading the conference in scoring at 19 points per game, prior to his last contest.

Humphrey

Billy Humphrey has crazy game

UNO played Troy and Billy Humphrey went off. The guy scored 31 points. Went 9 of 15 from the floor, 6 of 8 from behind the arc, and 7 of 7 from the line. And that was just on the offensive end. He also had 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.

Throw those stats in with his 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and you have one of the most remarkable stat lines I've seen in a long time.

Sounds like his "runner's knee" condition was all cleared up by the surgery he had at the beginning of the season. If he continues to shoot like he has in recent games, he might be able to play beyond college in some capacity.

I know that he would have graduated last year had he stayed, but it still is too bad he wasn't able to put it all together at UGA.

Looks Like Billy, Plays Like Terrance?

I recently saw a picture of Josh Langford, UGA's basketball recruit, and it occurred to me that he looked a bit like Billy Humphrey. I guess it was the tatoos that made me think that way.

Josh Langford has reportedly moved Georgia to the top of his list, and if we can get him for 2010, it sounds like a good move to me. That means that next year we would lose Albert Jackson and Ricky McPhee, and add Gerald Robinson (the transfer who will be newly eligible in 2010/11), Cady Lalanne, and Langford.

If Langford signs, I'd still be somewhat concerned with the make-up of the 2010 class, because we really need a shooter, and Langford has been described as more of a combo forward than a sweet-shooting small forward. Then I remembered Terrance Woodbury. When Felton brought Woodbury in from Coastal Christian Academy, Terrance had mostly played center or power forward. It wasn't until the last part of his high school career that Woodbury began to develop the skill-set to play on the wing.

I remembered, too, that Woodbury had transferred from Granby High School to Coastal Christian. Although I wonder about players that jump from school to school (Langford transferred as a senior to Lee High School, where he plays now, and de-committed from Louisville), Woodbury worked out great for Georgia.

Maybe the same will be true for Langford. He has good hops, and is a slasher. He likes to get to the rim. At 6' 6", he has played mostly in the post. Can he work on his handles and find his niche at the 3-spot?

I sure hope so. If Langford keeps developing his jump-shot, Georgia might be okay offensively with Travis Leslie, Trey Thompkins, Cady Lalanne, Josh Langford, and Gerald Robinson providing the team with scoring punch.

At any rate, I think Langford will end up at Georgia. He is said to have Auburn and Alabama as the other major schools he is considering, and Auburn already has a jam-packed class for 2010 (something like 6 signees already). If I'm Langford, I see the lack of a scoring wing on UGA's squad, and I sign up at the next opportunity.

Humphrey Named Student Athlete of the Week

for the University of New Orleans Privateers.

The guy can definitely shoot the basketball. He seems completely recovered from his knee injuries.

Humphrey

Note: This post follows up the one from last week, and should be of particular interest to Bernie.

Billy Humphrey Scores Big

It's good to see Humphrey do well.

Maybe one of our guards will get hot in the next game or two. We are definitely better than our showing against Wofford.

Humphrey

Humphrey has Surgery

Billy Humphrey underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week. Sounds like it is the same knee that gave Humphrey trouble during his last year at UGA, when he was said to be suffering from "runner's knee."

Humphrey will be out 2 to 4 weeks. The time frame makes it unlikely that he will be in the lineup next week when New Orleans faces UGA for the teams' season opener.

UNO Coach Feels Great about his Team

He's really positive about the chances for his team winning a few games that it shouldn't. He relishes the underdog role, and it sounds like he'll have a fairly deep bench.

If Billy Humphrey is healthy, he'll challenge the Dawgs. Since he had that ongoing issue with "runner's knee," the year sitting out as a transfer probably helped him out a bunch. To top it off, I'm sure he'll be very motivated to play well against his former teammates.

Should be a fun game.

New Orleans

Billy Humphrey in Cancun

Looks like he is enjoying the start of his final year.

Glad he has found a home with the University of New Orleans. Hope he has an off-game when the Privateers visit Athens for the season-opener for both teams.

UGA to kick off season with UNO and Billy Humphrey

UGA basketball will begin the 2009-2010 season with a game against the University of New Orleans. The game will also be the first of the year for New Orleans and its new player, Billy Humphrey.

I wonder how Humphrey is doing. I hope he has really taken advantage of his new environment, gotten his issues straightened out, and recovered from his knee problems.

New Orleans should be a good contest for the Dawgs. If the coach at New Orleans has taught Humphrey how to take a defender off the dribble, it could be a long night for UGA. Unless Mayfield and Anyaorah surprise at the shooting guard position, Georgia will be weak on the perimeter this year. Hopefully, Georgia will have an advantage in the post, and be able to exploit it.

I wrote some time ago about the situation at the University of New Orleans. They have had a hard time recovering from Hurricane Katrina, and the damage was significant to their basketball arena. The article above references the fact that the athletic department is in real financial trouble.

Should be an interesting way to start the Mark Fox era for UGA basketball.

Curious Comments from Terrance Woodbury

He put the blame for the Georgia Tech loss on himself. No need to do so. He didn't "bring his A game," that's for sure. And there were a few plays in which some extra effort could have turned the tide. However, everybody who stepped on the floor in a UGA uniform, along with the coaching staff, had a hand in it. We didn't play well, lost the game, and may have lost the opportunity to bring Derrick Favors on board.

Had we won the game by 20 points, like we should have (Tech may have gotten down on themselves if we had hit our free throws in the first half), we would have had a statement to make to all watching. But as it stands, our message is confusing at best.

And "making statements" brings me back to my original point. Terrance was quoted in a Red and Black article as saying that he "feels really bad that Corey Butler and I never beat them [Georgia Tech]."

The context and wording of Terrance's comments make the meaning uncertain. I'm not sure whether Woodbury meant that he and Corey never beat them during the game the other night, or never beat Tech at all. If he meant the latter, Terrance has obviously forgotten the Tech games in his career that were played in Athens.

Georgia beat Georgia Tech just last season. Wasn't a beautiful game, but it was a win. The most telling part of the box score was the guard play. Sundiata Gaines and Billy Humphrey went a combined 15 for 20 from the floor. Gaines scored 16 points, had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and only one turnover. Billy Humphrey was 9 out of 12, scored 23 points, had 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

Box Score

And back in the 2005/2006 season, Woodbury's first year, Georgia beat Georgia Tech then, as well. Sundiata had a remarkably similar stat line, with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He also played a fantastic game on defense, holding Zam Frederick, Tech's point guard at the time, and current member of the South Carolina Gamecocks, to 1 of 12 shooting. Billy Humphrey, for his part, had about the same stat line, too. He scored 22 points, on 6 of 8 shooting.

Similar Game

Looking back at the box scores (and Billy Humphrey's 47 points over three games against Tech) brings back the utterly annoying reminder that Humphrey was supposed to be in his senior year this season. Performing at his best.

Had he not encountered his off-the-court issues, Georgia would have won this year's game. Likewise, if Sundiata had one more year, with his tough defensive play, reliable point-scoring and rebounding, Georgia would have won the game.

The two "what if" statements above are pure speculation. But what isn't is the fact that Georgia did win last year. And both Woodbury and Corey Butler played in the game. I believe Terrance was injured at the time of the 2005 game and didn't play, but he was on the team for that victory, too.

Whether it's a point of his bad memory or my bad interpretation, as distasteful as this year's loss to Tech is, the fact remains that the team with home court advantage won the game, as normally occurs in this series.

Keep your head up, Terrance, and let's find a way to get an upset against UT.

Dawgs lose to Missouri

The game turned out about like I expected it, with a couple of exceptions:

Georgia played much better than I thought, and

Georgia played much worse than I thought.

Much better? Yep. Terrance Woodbury was on his game. Career high in points for him, with 27. Really good looking stroke. I thought he would be rusty coming off of his ankle sprain, but not so.

Georgia shot over 50 percent from the field. Nice offensive movement, most of the time. Georgia shot over 40 percent from behind the arc.

Trey Thompkins does a really nice job for a freshman. He doesn't have much lift, but he can rebound, block shots, and of course, shoot the basketball. He was a nice complement to Woodbury. Thompkins ended the day with 18 points.

We outrebounded them, 39 to 27.

Much worse? Unfortunately, the turnovers were just killers. Was it 23? I thought it was 27 turnovers. Anyway, we just gave them the ball over and over. Unforced errors.

And Zac Swansey and Dustin Ware didn't have their best games. Jeremy Price looked good in spots, but he is not a reliable ball-handler when he gets it away from the basket. Corey Butler didn't give us much, and neither did Troy Brewer.

I suppose that Coach Felton laments the fact that Billy Humphrey and Ebuka Anyaorah aren't available to be called on. They definitely would help our issues at guard. Billy could play some point guard, bringing the ball up the floor. He was not a "create your own shot" kind of guy, but we didn't need much in the way of a slasher. We needed someone with a reliable jumpshot who would not throw the ball away in the clutch.

Oh well. Losing by 7 to a very talented Missouri team is not the worst result in the world, but I would have loved for Georgia to have cut down on turnovers and gotten the win.

Recruiting Recap

By now, readers of this Blog probably know that Terrance Shannon committed to Florida State. Since Shannon seriously injured his knee in an AAU game, he will focus on rehabilitation during the 2008/2009 year to be ready to play for in Tallahassee his freshman year (2009/2010).

Would have loved to see Shannon in Athens, but it didn't happen.

I reported earlier that Billy Humphrey is enrolled at University of New Orleans. There is a full article in the Blog Archive, in case you missed it.

Josh Selby and Jordan McRae have committed to UT for the 2010 class. Selby is a 5-star point guard from Hyattsville, Maryland, and Jordan McRae is a 4-star shooting guard from Midway, Georgia. Both are considered top-30 recruits.

Ari Stewart, 2009 wing player, is going to Wake Forest. He joins Tony Woods and Al-Farouq Aminu, two other highly ranked players from Georgia who signed with Wake for the 2008 class.

Georgia State received a commitment from Rashanti Harris. This one was a surprise to me. Rashanti Harris is a stud, folks. If his academics are in order, Harris will make Georgia State much, much better.

Avery Bradley to Texas. He may try to leave early. Might not be a "one and done" guy, but we'll see how this all pans out.