More on Thornton

Anyone else agree with my Al Horford comparison? As a matter of fact, based on the video, I'm not sure Horford was as talented at the same stage.

I know I'm out on a limb here, probably all by myself, but if you look at the way Thornton handles the ball, goes to his right or left, keeps his head up while dribbling, shoots the ball from the free throw line, moves his feet on defense, and has good hands, I think you'd have to agree that he's a rare player. Doesn't have the size of Horford, but Horford never would be considered for the three position. Thornton looks to have enough skill to pull it off.

Thornton also has a little bit of "Alonzo Gee" (formerly of Univ. of Alabama) talent.

In my opinion, the difference in going to Tech vs. going to Georgia is that Coach Fox can develop Thornton into a serious player at the three position. I'm biased, of course, but I think that the offense that Hewitt uses, the pick and roll motion, is not the best system for a guy with Thornton's skills.

As a matter of fact, one could seriously argue that Georgia Tech is on its way down. Lawal, Favors and Peacock leaving. Controversy with Hewitt. They have some players left, but they won't be able to just feed it to the post and hope that Lawal scores.

Thornton is the kind of player that UGA should compete for and win.

Go Dawgs!

Dawgs "not Man Enough"

As you can tell by my title, I am hoping that the Dawgs come out and surprise everyone by whipping Tech tonight in Athens. Just like the football team took care of business not too long ago, I want UGA's basketball squad to upset the #20 ranked Tech team.

On paper, however, Georgia would not seem to have much of a chance. They have Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, and Peacock as their big men. Tech has a size advantage on the perimeter, since Udofia and Shumpert go 6' 2" and 6' 5", respectively. My head says that Tech will win by 15 to 20 points. My heart says Georgia by 3.

Can we do it? I say, play zone all night until their guards prove they can hit a jumper. Udofia, Rice, Shumpert and Bell are all shooting 41 percent or worse from the floor.

Let's lace 'em up and play ball. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Tech Loses to FSU

Ugly game. The ref's let 'em play. That part was not so bad. The part that was hard to take was the shooting. The first half was brutal. Neither team could make a bucket.

I don't understand what is wrong with Georgia Tech. Lawal and Favors should be dominating. Hewitt needs to set a fire under these guys.

Maybe Coach Hewitt isn't getting the job done. I still think it's early in the season to say that Tech won't be competitive. They'll clearly do better than their 2 and 14 ACC mark from last season.

So far, Hewitt is 8 and 2 on the season. But they did not look good against Mercer, and the game against Arkansas Pine Bluff sounded a lot closer than it should have been. Tech is now 0 and 1 in the ACC in this short season, and things will not get easier. UNC and Duke are still out there. Wake Forest is tough. NC State might give Tech a hard time. If Tech can't beat FSU at home, I don't see where the victories are to be had.

Well, while Tech is playing badly, let's hope that they continue to do so, and the Dawgs can find a way to beat them in Athens on January 5.

Georgia Tech Loses to Dayton?

What's up with that?

I kind of figured that Tech would be pretty much unstoppable with Lawal and Favors as their big men. But Glen Rice didn't score, Mfon Udofia went just 1 of 5 from the floor, and Dayton beat Tech by 4.

Back to the Future

Gani Lawal decides to return to Georgia Tech to play for the 2009/2010 season.

His decision will make Tech a real powerhouse next year. You have to figure that Favors will start at center. Lawal would then hold down the power forward spot. I like Mfon Udofia as the starting point guard, which would give Coach Hewitt lots of options for the small forward and shooting guard slots.

Lawal's return also means that Tech is full for scholarship players, I think. This makes it less likely that Noel Johnson will end up at Tech, and more likely that he will end up some place like LSU.

Life is good for Tech basketball. Not so good at Georgia. But if Fox can prove to be a good offensive coach, the team has enough players left over from last year to compete.

Penn State Downs Georgia Tech by 2.

Tech losing at home to Penn State is somewhat like Georgia losing to WKU. Penn State hasn't been a great program, but they're a good one.

The difference for Penn State was their point guard play. Stanley Pringle shot the ball well, made good decisions, and set up players for high-percentage shots.

Tech player, Gani Lawal, is the real deal. He has really come into his own this year. Had 34 points on 15 of 19 shooting. Penn State is not that strong on the inside, but that's not the point. Lawal is good and he will compete in the ACC portion of the schedule this year.