This Article Makes Me Sad

Not really, but sure wish we could have closed the deal on Dwayne Polee. St. Johns came in at the last seeming minute and snatched him away.

I still think that if we could only have one, it was better for us that we get Marcus Thornton.

Not saying that Thornton is better than Polee, even though he might be. Polee has incredible hops but Thornton has the bigger frame that might suit him more to SEC play.

The point is that Thornton is a Georgia kid, and for the sake of short and long-term recruiting, it's more important to get a Mr. Basketball than someone from clear across the country who may end up as a one and done.

But boy, if we could have gotten both...

Keep an Eye on Murphy

I thought that when Coach Fox was out scouting Dwayne Polee that he also should have checked out Reggie Murphy.

Murphy was the key to several important victories for Westchester High. While Polee had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the California state championsip game, Polee's coach felt that the story of the game was Reggie Murphy. His presence in the paint led Mater Dei to attempt lots of outside shots. Westchester took the long rebounds and converted on the other end. Murphy finished the contest with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Although he fouled out of Westchester's game against Oak Hill, Murphy picked up MVP honors for his 12 points and 8 boards.

Murphy signed to go to to junior college at Casper College. Since Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes will be graduating and UGA lost signee Cady Lalanne to eligibility issues, we will need a lot of help in the post for 2011. I say we should watch Murphy's development with a keen eye.

Reggie Murphy Interview

Woo-Hoo! Marcus Thornton to Dawgs!

Fantastic news!

As I posted previously, put Leslie, Thompkins, Robinson and Thornton on the floor together, and UGA will be able to offer a really fun brand of basketball.

Thornton's decision for Georgia is huge for our future recruiting prospects. He is a home-town kid, and when he plays well, all the big-time recruits in Georgia will know. We may be able to bring in kids like Dai-Jon Parker and Julian Royal for 2011.

Great get for the Dawgs, and I can't wait to see him suit up.

Polee to St. John's

I'm struggling here.

On the one hand, I'd like to wait until it's official before posting further thoughts about Dwayne Polee's recruitment. Then again, from all unofficial indications, it looks like Polee has in fact made his decision, and it's St. John's.

So, I will give 10 unofficial comments.

1. Hats off to Lavin if he won the recruiting battle fair and square.

The process worked. Mark Fox did his best to get in a sleeper recruit, and we lost out. Lavin has taken teams to the highest levels while he was a head coach at UCLA. Dwayne Polee likely saw Lavin's credentials and the opportunity to play in New York, and a young coach like Fox and a college town like Athens couldn't compare.

2. If, however, it took a package deal to secure Polee's commitment, then Georgia was never the place, and St. John's won't be.

We may not like this life principle, but it's true nonetheless. Sooner or later, stuff has a way of coming back on us.

3. If UGA had an open slot on the staff due to Mark Pope's resignation, and we never offered the position to Polee, Sr., then I have new respect for Coach Mark Fox.

4. I hope that Polee, Sr.'s resignation this week at USC was just coincidental.

5. If Polee, Sr. ends up somehow as part of the coaching staff at St. John's, I would not be surprised.

6. I'd love to see Georgia bring in top-ranked recruits, but Georgia should never sacrifice principle to do so.

7. Some things are more important than winning.

8. Georgia will be truly successful when both the means and the end of recruiting are lined up.

9. It can be done.

10. It will be.

Polee Prediction

For weeks I have been leaning strongly toward the conclusion that UGA would get Dwayne Polee. UGA with its triangle offense seemed to be the best fit, and the other coaches did not have the kind of character that I felt Polee and his family were after.

However, the timing of the decision just doesn't feel right. I'd be delighted if Polee proved me wrong and he opted for Georgia, but my best guess is St. Johns.

Fox signs Donte Williams and Sherrard Brantley

The way I see this is that Donte Williams gives us a quality back-up, and Sherrard Brantley will be able to shoot from deep. This means that we have at least in theory replaced the contributions of the guys who are graduating, Albert Jackson and Ricky McPhee, and the two signees may ultimately give us much more.

Anything we get from Cady Lalanne would have to be seen as gravy, since Drazen Zlovaric didn't contribute much this year. Demario Mayfield looked good in spots, but he didn't play enough for us to get a true read on what he might have been able to do. Gerald Robinson, the transfer who is newly eligible for this fall, will likely start and play a lot of minutes.

Any way you look at it, if we get either Polee or Thornton, we will have made a huge step forward. The SEC East won't get any easier, so we have to recruit pretty darn well just to avoid the lower half of the division. Lalanne with the two recent signees represent a good start.

Signees

Doyel of CBS Sports Unimpressed with UTEP Decision

UTEP has hired Tim Floyd to be its basketball coach. It matters to UGA fans because UTEP is Dwayne Polee's newest option for college. Not that Polee will go there, but after the decision to hire Floyd, Polee decided that UTEP would be in his top three, along with Georgia and UNLV.

I will say this, after reading the attached article, I started to wonder if UTEP knew what it was getting into when it hired Floyd. Further, if I were a big-time recruit, I would have to sit down and really think about what committing to Coach Floyd might mean.

Well, it sounds like Polee has a good head on his shoulders, and he can choose the place that's best for him. Doubt that Polee knows who Gregg Doyel is, and I further doubt that Polee would care greatly about Doyel's opinion, but it's just smart to know all the facts ahead of time. Doyel makes a pretty convincing argument that UTEP isn't the place to send basketball recruits right now.

Who gets UGA's Next 'Ship?

What say you?

Polee? Thornton? Langford? Steele?

Tell us who you think gets it and why you think so.

Polee Down to Three

Congratulations to Polee for being named the Daily Breeze Player of the Year. He and the Westchester Comets had a fantastic season.

Congratulations also to Coach Mark Fox. UGA has stayed in the mix for Polee, and that feels a lot better than being eliminated. Just looking at things from a statistical perspective, we've got a 1 in 3 chance of securing Polee's commitment. Sounds really good to me.

On the other hand, Polee is the kind of kid who might commit to UTEP just in honor of his father. Tim Floyd was the one who originally hired Dwayne Polee, Sr., and now that Floyd is at UTEP, they're now in Polee, Jr.'s final three.

If Coach Fox can make the sale that in order to really optimize his talents, Polee needs to play in a triangle offense, then we can look forward to a really exciting year next season.

Josh Langford Still Looking at Georgia

Good article from Scout.

Looks like Georgia will get a great player with its last scholarship. Polee, Thornton, or Langford would all be nice additions. Hopefully, we won't get shut out entirely.

Langford

Polee Checking Things Out

Would be great if UGA could get to the point at which the school is getting early commitments. We still may be in great shape with Polee, but I was a little disappointed to read the quote that he does not have a leader for his recruitment.

Coach Fox can sell the deal, I think.

Polee is the only really contested recruit that Fox has gone after. Vincent Williams wasn't heavily recruited. Same for Caddy Lalanne and Donte Williams. But if Fox can get Polee to be part of the mix, then that will be a key sign to the 2011 class that they should look to get on board and do so quickly.

Anyone want to respond to Anonymous Below?

Are we likely to bring in Polee? If so, why? If not, why not? What are our chances? 50, 30, 75 percent?

I have my own thoughts, but I'd like to hear from some of the rest of you.

Dwayne Polee and Westchester Win California Championship

Westchester defeated Newark Memorial last night 63 to 56 to win its second consecutive state of California Division I high school championship.

Westchester finished the year with a 32 and 3 record. Besides the state championship, the Comets also notched victories over nationally ranked teams such as Oak Hill of Virginia and Mater Dei of California.

Dwayne Polee picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter. He came back in the second quarter and scored on two dunks, but was called for his third foul right after the second half began.

Polee ended up with 7 points and 6 rebounds.

UNLV or Georgia? I thought Georgia was leading, but he has made some favorable remarks about UNLV, and it's a lot closer to home. I wouldn't count Fox out, though. Sure would be fun to see Leslie and Polee on the fast break.

Dwayne Polee, Sr. and Jr.-- Quite a Duo

It's hard not to like everything in this article.

Father, son relationship. Great picture. UGA mentioned prominently as one of the three schools the younger Polee says is recruiting him the hardest. USC not recruiting him at all, which means that there is almost no chance that Polee will go back to his earlier commitment. Jr.'s hard work to become a complete player. The fact that in making his decision, he will follow the opportunity not the geography.

Sr. and Jr.

Zlovaric and Mayfield to Transfer

Really hate to see these two guys leave. Zlovaric didn't show much this year, but he has real potential. Fox said as much when he came on board. There seemed to be some disconnect for Drazen. Maybe things could have gotten better with more playing time, but he just didn't produce in the limited minutes he got, and the minutes were not going to be there next year.

Demario Mayfield also had potential. Not everyone on a roster is going to get significant minutes. A good team needs some guys who are willing to contribute and perhaps wait their turn. I thought that Mayfield might have an opportunity to play more in the future if he just worked hard on his game.

Oh well.

What does this mean for the future? Hopefully, we have recruits coming in that can replace them. Josh Langford? Dwayne Polee? Jucos? We'll find out in mid-April.

Good luck, Drazen and Demario!

Polee Receives Honor

Dwayne Polee has been named City Section Player of the Year. He received the same distinction as his father, who was named player of the year back in 1981.

It's going to be tough to get Polee to come across the country to go to school, but I think Fox has what it takes to get the job done.

Links on Polee

Here are a couple of links. The first, Dawg fans are probably not going to like. The second shows a little bit of what Polee has to offer if Fox can successfully make the sale.

Likes UNLV.

rut-roh

Kid can play.

32 pts. on 10 of 14 from the field, 10 of 10 from the free throw line (32 total points means that he hit 2 three-pointers), 8 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Oh yeah, and the monster above-the-square head-at-the-rim throw-down.

Nice game

Dwayne Polee: Questions, Questions

Okay, the first question bugged me. As I thought about it, I realized I had other questions, and I decided to ask for some feedback.

1. Why isn't Polee ranked nationally by Rivals?

The guy is a 3-star, but given his size at 6' 6", tough defensive play, athleticism, role in leading Westchester to the championship last year, etc., wouldn't you figure that he would already be in the top 150?

2. How does Polee's game compare with a 5-star like C. J. Leslie?

3. Does anyone play like Polee in Georgia?

Maybe there is some other unranked guy, waiting for some team to notice him.

4. What are Georgia's chances of snagging Polee?

Polee says that he will take other visits. Not a good sign for Georgia. Do we lead, or is a guy like Lorenzo Romar more likely to get his signature?

5. If we get him, would Polee start?

6. If so, who's in your starting five?

Dwayne Polee Leads Westchester

Westchester was put to the test against Mater Dei. After leading by 20, Westchester saw the margin get whittled down to 1 point. However, the Comets were able to get just enough stops and free throws to win the contest, 71 to 63.

Dwayne Polee was huge in the game. He had 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He also registered a double-double by snagging 10 rebounds to go with 2 steals and a blocked shot. Eight of his points and 4 of his rebounds came in the 4th quarter when the game was on the line.

Polee sounds very mature. Focused. Typically gives credit to the other team and wins for his coach. Doesn't seem to get too hyped about his own play.

Polee needs to tighten up his handle and his outside shooting to be a big-time player at the three position. He also needs to put on another 20 pounds of muscle. But these are typical issues for a senior coming out of high school. The point is that he has the foundaton in place to respond to a strength and conditioning program at the major college level. Perfect guy for Georgia.

Westchester now moves to the state championship game.

Westchester Wins

Dwayne Polee and Westchester Win Again

Polee had 22 to lead his team. The LA Times has a game report and a video with an interview of Polee and his coach.

Interview