What about Lamont West?

I say that if Jaylen Brown signs elsewhere, we give the last scholarship to Lamont West.

West is an athletic 6' 8" power forward for 26 and 3 Miller Grove.  He has put up impressive numbers this season, with 25 and 14 the other night, and 19 and 12 in the previous game.

According to Max Preps, West averages 17 ppg, shoots 66 percent from the floor and 71 percent from the line.  West was recently named 1st Team All-Region, 6AAAAA.

Although Lamont is listed at just 205 pounds now, he has the frame to add 20 or 30 more once he hits campus and starts lifting weights.  Since he's a natural post player and not a stretch 4 like Kessler, West would give us another big man in the trenches to alternate with Ogbeide and Maten.

We did alright with our last under-recruited Miller Grove big man, Donte Williams.  If his grades are up to snuff, let's get on West now.

West

May the Best Man Win at Small Forward

I decided to edit my post about the dismissal of Brandon Morris, and keep it fairly short, meanwhile adding to my post about the line-up for the fall.

So, now that Morris will no longer be around to hold down the starting position at small forward, UGA's options going into the 2014/2015 season appear to be:

Yante Maten, 6' 8" freshman.
Kenny Paul Geno, 6' 6" sophomore.
Juwan Parker, 6' 4" sophomore.
Nemi Djurisic, 6' 8" senior.
Cameron Forte, 6' 7" junior.

Maten has talent and appears to be very versatile, having played some point guard in high school.  His issues are learning the offense and getting in shape.  I had Maten replacing Donte Williams at the power forward position, helping out Marcus Thornton, who is an under-sized post.

Kenny Paul Geno, a late recruiting pick-up last season after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opted for the NBA, played some last year against Mississippi State and actually looked pretty good, scoring six points.  Otherwise, Geno averaged a point and a rebound per game over the course of the year.  Is he ready to start at the small forward position?  I don't think so, but he'll get his share of minutes.

Juwan Parker can play.  The problem is that he is our one option behind Kenny Gaines at the two-guard.  I say, keep bringing Parker off the bench.

Nemi has played a lot.  When he's hot, he's fun to watch. When he's not, not so much. I wouldn't regard him as an elite defender or ball-handler, which is what you want from a small forward.  I like Nemi providing a spark as sixth man.

Forte has good hands and is crafty around the basket.  He led Georgia in field goal percentage, almost shooting 60 percent from the floor (.591).  The only team members who came close to that percentage were Donte Williams and John Cannon, both of whom moved on.  Forte's biggest issue is that he can't shoot (Sounds harsh, but anyone who shoots 30 percent from the free throw line for a D-1 team, can't shoot, okay?).  Fox was quoted once as saying that Forte "has an ugly game, but good instincts."

Result?  Who's our best man for the job?

If Forte's game goes from ugly to decent-looking, he is the best option.  He doesn't need to be a three-point ace, but he simply must get to the point where he can convert from as far out as 15 feet, and at least shoot better than 60 percent from the line.  Forte, who looks more like 6' 5" than his listed 6' 7", is a decent rebounder, averaging  2 boards per game in 9 minutes.  He is not an explosive leaper, and probably won't ever be, but I would hope that he can increase his vertical a few inches over the summer.

If Forte doesn't improve, then Parker probably gets the start.  A lot of teams use three-guard sets, and Parker is probably the best match-up for those situations.  Fox hopefully is scouring the AAU circuit looking for a late-blooming two-guard, with size.  I'd rather save the ship than save the 'ship at this point.

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.

 

Dawgs should win against Chattanooga

Expecting a good game for UGA.  Would like to see us continue to work on fundamentals.  I'm okay with Fox using his deep bench as long as the game is in hand.

Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines should have an advantage on the perimeter.  If Brandon and Forte drive the ball they should be able to finish at the rim. Wish Fox would experiment with both Brandon and Cam on the floor at the same time.  Just slide Morris down to the power forward position.

If Donte plays big, he might start to get his confidence back.  Marcus Thornton has been playing much better this year.  

If we get to a 3 and 4 record with a victory tonight, Coach Fox and the squad will start to feel better about their prospects for the season.  As I said previously, we have to take it a game at a time.

Curious to see how Andrew Houts will do for the Mocs.  Hoops fans may remember that his sister Ashley was a McDonald's All-American and an all-everything player for UGA.  Ashley is playing in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics.  Andrew can shoot the three, so it's important to cover him on the perimeter. 

Predicting a ten-point win for the Dawgs, 73 to 63.  Something like that.

Go Dawgs!

Georgia will beat App. State

I know, I know.  I have predicted other Georgia wins and have had to eat my words.   But this time, I'm positive Morris, Gaines and Mann will get it done.  App. State has one victory on the season, and they're not about to get their second against us.

Look for four Dawgs to score in double figures, the three sophomores and a big.  If Donte and Marcus stay out of foul trouble, one of those two could get us 12 points and 5 boards.

We'll start a nice streak with this game, and hopefully get to 6 and 4 with our confidence back.

Dawgs lose to Temple

Why did we inbound the ball to Donte?  I don't think the three-point cast by Donte is what Fox had in mind, but darned if I could see what play Fox wanted to run.  Why not throw it in to Morris, Mann or Gaines?  All those guys can catch it and drive the ball.

Anyway, we lost 83 to 81.  We're 1 and 3 on the season.  The good news is that for the first time this year, we looked like we can play.

Brandon Morris is the key to this team.  He can handle, drive the ball and defend.  He missed crucial free throws late, but that's to be expected for a guy who hasn't played all year.

Kudos to Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann.  They both played well and scored 21 and 19 points, respectively.  We'll pick up a few victories this year.  All is not lost.  Even Marcus Thornton looked good.

Fox finally let his starters stay on the court during the second half.  You test your deep bench in practice or during exhibition games.  If Fox will stick with a limited rotation, the Dawgs can get in games and stay there.

Please, Fox.  Play Mann, Gaines, Morris, Williams, Thornton, Djurisic and Forte.  Sub in Parker and Frazier when necessary.  Stop pulling guys when they hit a basket.

Thank you.

Wapo on Fox and the Dawgs

Can Fox make the Dawgs relevant?  With lackluster recruiting and losing seasons in 3 out of his 4 years, the Washington Post points to five items to watch.

1)  Fox Future

How patient will McGarity be?  The Post points out that UGA didn't wait very long with other unsuccessful coaches (Jirsa, Felton).

2)  Marcus Thornton

Can Marcus play above the rim?  Dawgs fans wonder if Thornton is more like Blake Griffin, who regained his explosiveness after knee surgery, or the myriad other hoops players who didn't.

3)  Donte Williams

Will Donte finish strong in his senior year?

4)  Freshman Class

Will the freshmen help this year?  How well will Parker, Frazier, Forte and Geno play?

5)  Early Schedule

Georgia really struggled last year in the pre-SEC portion of the schedule.

Post Article

My take on it:

Fox has the support of McGarity.  Fox will lose it if the Dawgs struggle.  Do not expect for Fox to get a contract extension.  McGarity likes the improved academics with the team.  But let's face it.  If winning isn't the goal, let one of the Honors English professors coach the team.  We'd save a heck of a lot of money.

If Fox follows 3 out of 4 losing seasons with 4 out of 5, he will be let go.  That's my best guess for why Fox used 4 scholarships last year on players who were not high-ranked. You save scholarships if you think you will be around to offer them.  If not, you bring on the best players you can now.

Not expecting much from Thornton.  His game is predicated on his ability to jump.  If he can't jump and attack the rim, then won't score a lot of points.  I'm hoping he will return to form, but realistically, I think we will see about what we saw the last couple of years-- decent effort and rebounding, but not much else.

Donte had a rough start last year with the drug allegations.  He'll do much better this year.

The freshmen guards have to play.  We don't have anybody else.  Forte and Parker could be incredible, or they could be average.  I expect them to contribute, but this team belongs to Gaines, Mann and Morris.

The Dawgs could go 10 and 0 in the early season.  The key game is Georgia Tech.  If we beat Tech, it will be such a huge boost to the team that we could go undefeated early or 9 and 1.  If we lose, things could go downhill fast for Fox.

Why take out Brandon Morris?

Anybody noticed what happened when Fox pulled him?  We sent in Brantley, but with all due respect, Brantley does not drive the ball.  Morris looked great on the release on his free throws and I thought that if he gets open next time, he will be in rhythm.  Not to be.

We're down 20 at half-time, 39 to 19.  Please put in Gaines, Morris, Williams, KCP and Mann and let's see if we can get back into this thing.

Dawgs vs. LSU

Call me crazy, but I think the Dawgs win 2 or 3 games this SEC Tourney.  Doesn't mean we go to the post-season, of course, but if we win the first one and somehow get by Florida, we would have a great shot to get to the SEC Tournament championship.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me focus on today's game.

We start against LSU today at 1:00.  We match up pretty well with them, winning by 9 points over the Tigers back on January 19. 

The key today is that we have to hold down Johnny O'Bryant.  He had 16 points on 5 of 8 shooting and 14 rebounds against us.  Just a powerful guy in the paint.  6' 9", 262 lbs.  Donte Williams held his own last time out, almost matching O'Bryant's point production with 14 of his own. 

Kentavious was a 50 percent shooter, going 7 of 14 from the floor against LSU.  He always gives maximum effort, but he has started to wear down some, in my opinion, as the year has come to a close.  He was clicking on all cylinders middle of the season, but he went 27 for 80, right at 33 percent, the last 5 games.  Hope he is rested and ready to go today.

I think our guys step up.  We keep their short point guard Andre Stringer out of the paint, limit their second chance points, no easy baskets by O'Bryant, and our guys do enough to help KCP.  Dawgs by 8 today.

Woo-Hoo! Dawgs Win! Gaines Gets PT.

UGA beats South Carolina in Columbia.  Final score:  67 to 56

I missed most of today's game and I missed the Auburn game, too.  However, from the little bit I caught of today's action, it's apparent that Coach Fox has finally seen fit to give Kenny Gaines substantial playing time (24 minutes).  Bravo!  He even played Gaines and KCP at the same time.  Together on the floor with Mann!  Amazing.

Now, if he would just put Brandon Morris at the 4 position and slide Donte over to center.  That line-up would be the starting five that I thought we would have before the season began.  Guys who can catch and finish in the post, guards who can put the ball on the floor and drive.  Players who can advance the ball against the press.

In the pre-season I thought that UGA would be good enough to maybe get into the top five in the SEC.  Needless to say, I was disappointed with with the fact that we started out of the gates poorly and then lost to Georgia Tech and Florida.  Ugghh.  I hate losing to those guys in anything.

Given our early season losses, I figured that Fox was set on his line-up.  If he hadn't seen enough during the practices and the Italy trip to figure out the relative strengths of the players on his roster, then I didn't see much hope for the SEC calendar.  However, here we stand today at 4 and 4.  Sure, the SEC is weak this year, but so were a good number of the teams we played prior to the SEC part of the schedule.  The difference, in my humble opinion, is that KCP is playing a lot better, and Fox is starting to put his most talented guys on the floor. 

A lot of fans called for Kenny Gaines to get more minutes.  We were so bad before at scoring the basketball that we were hard to watch.  Playing Gaines could hardly hurt the team.  We desperately needed more offensive production.  In fact, I wrote earlier in the season that I was "calling Gaines out."  But in fairness to him, Gaines can only perform to the extent that he is allowed to play. 

Fox had insisted on making Gaines back up KCP, which is a losing proposition for Kenny.  Now that KG finally got major minutes, he has shown to the fans and to the coaching staff what he can do.  Having been inserted into the starting line-up for the second half of the South Carolina game also proves that he and KCP can be on the floor at the same time.

It's not hard to figure out.  Putting guys that can drive the basket on the floor makes the whole team more efficient.  Against the Gamecocks, it worked.  We 'bout had 4 guys to score in double figures (KCP had 19, Gaines had 11 and so did Charles Mann--  John Cannon had 8).  As it stands, our four top scorers for the game all shot 50 percent or better from the floor. 

Best game of the year, in my opinion.  Shucks, we may indeed finish the year in the top, rather than the bottom, third of the SEC.  Right now we're number six, so if we can keep the streak going a few games longer, the team will develop a lot more confidence. 

Ten Requests

I know Fox doesn't read my blog, but if he did, I would have some requests of him:

1) If teams press us, then get your ball-handlers out on the floor.

2) Don't make the first pass to the corner. Too easy to double team.

3) Do not let Nemi take the ball out of bounds. The guy who takes it out of bounds is the first recipient of the pass out of a trap. Therefore that guy needs to be able to advance the ball on the dribble.

4) Use Brandon Morris to take the ball out of bounds. Brandon has both the height and the ball-handling ability to play that role.

5) Have a big man in the middle of the floor who can catch a lob pass, then turn and distribute the ball.

6) Since both John Cannon and Donte Williams have good hands, make either one of those guys the man in the middle.

7) Please play John Cannon, Kenny Gaines, Donte Williams and Brandon Morris more. I don't understand why Gaines gets only 5 minutes and John Cannon didn't get any.

8) Work with Charles Mann on his mid-range game. He can use that floater more often, and he would avoid having offensive fouls called against him.

9) Somehow let Tony Parker know that he'd have gotten a lot more than three minutes of playing time tonight if he were at Georgia.

10) Please, please, no more "O My Heart".

That has to be the worst written theme song I have ever heard. We can surely do better.

Dawgs Beat LSU!

Feels good to win one.  We hit our free throws and had some good defensive stops when we needed 'em.  Final score:  UGA 67, LSU 58.

We're not an elite team, but maybe we'll improve during the year.  Good to see Donte Williams show some signs of life out there.  If he can get us 14 and 5 every night, UGA can beat some of the teams on our schedule. 

KCP filled up the box score with 22 points, 5 assists, 6 steals and 3 rebounds.

Sounds like we'd better beat LSU while we can.  They'll be a lot better next year.  Tough to hear that LSU is bringing in three top-100 players next year, when we don't have any.   

Speaking of LSU players, I hope the guy for LSU that got injured there at the end turns out to be okay.

We're 7 and 10 on the year.  We need to go on some type of win streak.  Let's practice this week against the press because teams will be using that against us all year.

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.

Great to Win One!

I know some will say that we ought to beat Mercer.  And we should.

But getting it done takes execution.  We had just enough today.  UGA wins 58 to 49.

There were a few good signs. 

1)  We hit our free throws. 

We went 13 of 16 (81%).

2)  Fox used his roster more effectively

Shooting free throws well is good.  But to hit'em, you gotta get'em.  In other words, we're not going to go to the line if we just pass the ball around the perimeter.  We have to attack the basket so we can get fouled in the first place.  Charles Mann will do that.  About time he got the start.  Brandon Morris will do that.  Better to give Morris major minutes than to trot Marcus Thornton out there on bad wheels.  John Florveus got some key minutes.

3)  Shot selection was better

We attempted 44 shots from the field.  Only 12 were three-pointers.  That's huge.  Nemi didn't take any long-distance tries.  If we shoot the three off of the drive and kick action, then we're more likely to make them.  We hit 7 of 12. 

4)  KCP was Huge

Guy had 17 points, 9 boards and 3 steals, while shooting 5 of 10 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the line.

There were a couple of concerns, however.  We will need buckets from Cannon, Morris and Donte Williams.  If those three go a combined 0 for 6 against decent competition, UGA will more than likely lose the game.  Besides that, fifteen turnovers is way high. 

All in all, though, a good result for the Dawgs.  We're now 3 and 7.  Let's go on a streak.  It's not too late.

We're Up at Half-Time

Great news!

Even better news:  Fox cannot possibly misunderstand the box score.  The guys who should get minutes (Mann, Gaines, KCP, Donte Williams and Brandon Morris) are a combined 14 of 19. 

Meanwhile, the guys who should play a support role (Brantley, Djurisic, Dixon and Vincent Williams) are a combined 0 for 9.

If Fox utilizes his roster accordingly, we have a shot at turning the season around.

About Time!

Play Donte Williams and Brandon Morris.  They're young and can handle major minutes.  Do not take them out unless they have four fouls.  To make it work, play Morris at the four position.

Cannon and Dixon Article

Maybe these guys can give us some good minutes. We've started slowly at USF.

Cannon is in early after Donte Williams picked up an early foul.

John and Tim

Dawgs lose to Lithuanian team

Final score: Atletas Kaunas, 94, Dawgs, 90.

A few snippets from the game are up on the georgiadogs.com web site.

Looks like Donte Williams and KCP aren't playing much at all. Not much in the way of minutes for Florveus either, if the video is any indication.

Tim Dixon is grabbing his share of rebounds. He also is seen on the video hitting a face-up jumper. Anything we get during the year from Dixon is gravy, IMO.

Would love to see an unofficial box score. Kenny Gaines hit a couple of threes. Maybe georgiadogs.com will give us all the stats when the trip is over.

Very valuable trip for the Dawgs.

Red and Black Hoops Practice Video

The Red and Black combined its coverage of the Mark Fox press conference with video of the team practicing. Pretty good stuff.

Begins at 1:37 mark

A few things that stood out to me:

Tim Dixon looks taller. Could be the camera angle, though.

Donte Williams is definitely bigger. He has put on a good bit of weight in his upper body.

Looks like KCP still lets his arm drift right on his shooting motion. When he keeps his elbow in, he's a terrific shooter.

May have to adjust my conclusions on Marcus Thornton. He is moving slowly in the first part of the video, but right at the end he participates in a drill and seems to be able to run and cut pretty well. He may be healed enough by the time the season comes around to get over the physical and mental hurdles of his injury.

Full Video from Mark Fox Press Conference

Here's the link to the video posted on Georgiadogs.com.

Italy Trip

Lots of good stuff on there, including the following:

Donte Williams apology

Update on Marcus Thornton

Progress of the freshmen

Link to player interviews with Vincent Williams and Nemanja Djurisic

Great job Georgiadogs.com!