Sure Enough, Crump goes back to the Bench

Glad that the Dawgs beat Mississippi State, but we won't have help from the refs every night.  At some point, we need to show we can hit a jump-shot.

That's where Crump comes in, or rather, did not come in.  After Crump's great game at Tennessee, Fox decided not to start him.  To make matters worse, Fox substituted Crump in fairly early in the first half, but after Tyree played a couple of minutes, then hit a deep three, he was yanked.

Houston Kessler, however, got ample playing time.  He only went out after picking up his second foul.

I guess it's too late in the season to complain.  Maybe Fox can win the SEC Tournament and get to the NCAA's after all.  I hope so.

I don't know what Fox is doing, and I don't think he knows, either.  I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but it looks like another NIT year for the Dawgs.

Teshaun Hightower to the Dawgs (plus recruiting update)

Welcome, Teshaun!

Solid pick-up.  Good shooter.   Will defend and fit in the well with the guys on the roster.


I've posted about Hightower recently, so it's time now to take a look at how the 2017 class is shaping up overall.

Four current players, J.J. Frazier, Kenny Paul Geno, Houston Kessler and Brandon Young, are graduating.  UGA has signatures from Rayshaun Hammonds and Nic Claxton, and now, a pledge from Teshaun Hightower.

Kessler, Geno and Young have been good Dawgs, but admittedly, they really aren't offensive threats, probably averaging four points a game between the three of them.  J.J. Frazier is another matter.  He's our primary ball handler, best free throw shooter and second leading scorer. Losing J.J. will hurt. Can't be helped though.  Guys graduate.

The issue for a college coach is whether he can upgrade his roster with the next signing class.

It's hard to argue that with the latest recruits Coach Fox is on track to do just that.  But can he really put recruiting over the top with his last spot?

Derrick Walker, the power forward from Kansas, will be on an unofficial visit on January 28th.  If he commits, that would give Georgia six bigs, two small forwards, and five guards.  Walker is also considering St. Johns and Tennessee, so if he ends up choosing one of his other suitors, we need to swiftly shift focus to a small forward or another athletic guard.

Besides Walker, there are other good possibilities out there who have gone overlooked.  Isaiah Banks, the rim-wrecking 6' 5" guard/small forward, only has one D-1 offer, last I checked.

Avery Wilson is an available true scoring point guard, able to help break the press and also convert from long range.  Wilson, who has a little bit of J.J. Frazier in his game, is averaging 29 points a game for his Forest Park squad.

And then there is Isaiah Miller, the high-flying combo guard from just east of Atlanta.  The video speaks for itself.

Of course, if we have a transfer, or Yante Maten decides to forego his senior season, then Georgia would have two more spots open, and we'd really need to close the class on an upward swing.

Stay tuned, folks.

Painful to Watch

Yeah, I did it.  Watched a bit of the replay of the Georgia-South Carolina game.

Feel like someone hit me with a body blow.  Hurts and takes my wind away.

Offense

I guess we're committed to the 1-4 look, with J.J. at the point and four guys along the baseline.  The problem is that it's too predictable.  J.J. will always have the ball coming up the floor.  All South Carolina needed to do was to wait on J.J., and pick him up high, and funnel him along the sidelines.

Contrast that with Kentucky's dribble drive offense.  Three guys touch the ball.  Any of them can drive the ball to the basket.  Makes the defense react.  The guards are allowed to play instinctively within the set offense.  The weave action stretches the court horizontally (from side to side) and vertically (toward the basket).  The defense cannot favor one side of the court, because the offense can come at them from any direction.

Okay, I know Kentucky has the athletes to make their system work.  But Georgia's system would work better, too, if Fox allowed other guys to touch the ball early in the possession.

Meanwhile, the first option on UGA's offense is apparently a Yante Maten screen 25 feet from the basket.  Leads to needless offensive foul calls against our best player. Sure enough, Maten was whistled for an offensive foul on our third possession.

Substitution Patterns

I knew Fox would take Ogbeide out of the game after Derek had only had two minutes on the floor.  I would scream at the screen if I weren't numbed by the fact that Fox does it every game.

Not to pick on Houston, but I think it's important to state the case objectively because of what it tells us about Coach Fox.

Kessler shoots 22 percent from the field (lowest on the team), 50 percent from the free throw line (second lowest on the team), and 0 percent from behind the arc (lowest on the team).  To make that 0 percent worse, half of his shots are three-pointers.

Houston averages 0.4 points per game, with just 1 rebound per contest.  Though he has played in all 14 games, he has only 1 steal, 0 assists, and 0 blocked shots on the year.  He has attempted just 4 free throws.

Bottom line is that Kessler isn't an offensive threat.  He won't help us get bigs like Silva in foul trouble.  He's not an effective distributor, nor is he a defensive stopper.

People aren't going to guard him.  They'll just double up on Yante like South Carolina did.

Meanwhile, the person that Kessler replaces, Derek Ogbeide, shoots 62 percent from the field (highest on the team), has 23 blocked shots on the year (highest on the team), gets 6.4 rebounds a game (highest rebound per minute played on the team), even averages an assist per game, and finishes with authority if Yante is doubled.

Why replace one of our best players with one of our worst?  Why do it game after game, early in the first half?  When Derek Ogbeide does not have any fouls?

I guess every "gym is hot" (Fox's excuse for abruptly yanking Ogbeide out of the Vanderbilt game last year).


While I'm at it, bringing Kenny Paul Geno in early doesn't help.  I suppose that being generous, one can say that Kenny defends well enough.  He is in fact a scrappy rebounder (2 per game).

Unfortunately, Geno is also a "tweener."  Not a good enough dribbler to be effective at driving the ball, and not big enough to have a legitimate post-up game.  More than half of his shots are three-pointers.  That propensity to loft up outside shots would be okay if Geno were a dead-eye shooter, but if you take away his performance against Division II Morehouse, Geno shoots right at 19 percent from behind the arc.

And if you do choose to play Geno, set him up for success.  Please do not put him in at the 2-guard position.

It's not just Kessler and Geno.  Turtle Jackson is struggling.  He has just as many turnovers (13) as assists (13).  He has made only 5 two-point baskets all year, and has attempted just 10 free throws.  He went 0 for 3 from the field in the South Carolina game, with 0 assists.

At some point in time, Jackson needs to drive the ball to the basket and convert.  Show fans and opponents alike that he has a floater or some semblance of a mid-range game.

Meanwhile, Tyree Crump, a former top 100 recruit combo guard, languishes on the bench.  He's played just 63 minutes all year, which is with the exceptions of the two walk-on's, by far the fewest minutes played on the team.

Compared to Jackson, however, Crump has just as many two-point field goals made, and more free throws made, in 1/4th the minutes played.  Again, if Jackson were tearing the place up, Crump's lack of playing time might make sense.  But since Turtle and J.J. need breaks, and Crump is a player known for his shooting ability, why not give Tyree a chance to show what he can do?  Fox plays just about everybody else.

I suppose that by leaving Crump on the bench, if Crump plays well next year, Fox can claim credit for developing him.


So there you have it.  You don't have to be into fancy analytics.  Objectively, measuring shooting, rebounding, blocked shots, assists, free throws, etc., the Fox substitution patterns make no sense.

Fox either doesn't know the simple metrics above, or he doesn't care.  Making bad substitutions early in the first half takes our momentum away, and we end up losing games that we should win-- close contests, in which a possession or two makes all the difference.

If Fox actually believes that he is helping the team to win, then he sees something that no one else does.  He may be smarter than the rest of us, but I doubt it.  At some point, Georgia's Athletic Director needs to realize that the results (0 games won in the NCAA Tournament over 8 seasons) speak for themselves.


We really want UGA basketball, and even Coach Fox himself, to succeed.  Right now, however, the best I can say is that the offensive structure and use of personnel make watching Georgia basketball painful.  Even with decent talent on the roster, looks like our Coach is driving us toward another disappointing season.

Ugghh.  

Georgia Beats Auburn (Seven Lessons Learned)

Great job by the Dawgs.

1.  Bruce Pearl ain't all that

Lots of people love Bruce Pearl, and think that he's a terrific coach.  If Georgia had lost the game, fans would have rushed to praise him.

Pearl has his merits, but he's not the kind of coach I would look for to coach up my team.  His system, drive and kick basketball on offense and the press on defense, works when he has the players.  He will eventually get players.  With that said, I wouldn't trade him for Fox.  He's just not the right guy.

2.  Maten and Frazier

Enough said.  When those two guys are on, Georgia is a tough out for anybody.  Tonight, they were definitely on.

3.  Use the Chuck Mann Strategy

Charles Mann used to keep Georgia in games by getting to the free throw line.  He wasn't a great foul shooter, however, and he sometimes had too many turnovers.

The point still remains.  Drive the ball to the basket and good things happen.  Maten, J.J. and Jordan were terrific.

4.  J.J. is one tough hombre

He got bowled over a couple of times tonight.  He got back up and finished the drill.  Plus, he had five steals.  His defense was the catalyst that led the Dawgs to victory.

5.  Juwan is knocking the rust off

Hit a couple of key baskets tonight.

6.  Supporting cast came up big

We were one point shy of having all of our starters score in double figures.  Derek Ogbeide scored nine for the game.  We had five guys shoot 50 percent or better from the field.

Proud of KPG and Kessler for hitting two key baskets.

Turtle was off for the game.  See point 3, above.  I have mentioned his shooting form before, so I won't post anything about it now.

Turtle will contribute for us in future games.  With that said, I'd love to see Tyree Crump get some minutes, just to see what he has.

7.  The zone and press are tools

We might not want to be Syracuse, constantly in the zone, or Arkansas, trying to press all game.  But these tools help us win.  Fox went into the shed tonight and brought out the right equipment.  He needs to do it more


Again, great game for the Dawgs.  May have to watch that one again.

Lost in all the Commotion

over the poor substitution patterns was this fact:

The Dawgs starters and key reserves had a pretty good outing against Oakland.  I was particularly pleased that Juwan Parker seems to have his springs back.  He shot 5 for 11 from the field, and 5 of 5 from the line, for 15 points, which was by far his best performance of the year.

J.J. had 18 points in the first half, if memory serves me.  He was on target until Fox pulled him.  When Oakland took the lead in the second half, he went iso-J.J., and started missing from long distance.  The point is that J.J. found his touch, at least for a half.

Yante Maten didn't score much, and fouled out without hitting double figures, but Dawgs fans already know what he can do.

Derek Ogbeide is on a bit of a roll.  Had a double-double for the game, 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting, and 12 rebounds.  Will be a bit harder as he is matched with bigger players during the conference portion of the season, but Ogbeide is a force in the paint.

Turtle Jackson did a good job at the point.  He looked fantastic, in fact, except for that air-ball three-pointer he shot when the Dawgs were trying to catch up late in the game.  Still think he needs to work on his mechanics and focus on locking his elbow in tight and going straight up with his shot.  Firing across his body will lead to bad misses to the left or the right.

In any case, Jackson had 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting.  He was 2 of 4 from behind the arc, and had zero turnovers.  That's great work for a back-up point guard.

Jordan Harris scored 9 points.  Still turns the ball over too much.  He needs to focus on scoring when he drives the ball.  He is still getting used to added muscle, so as the season goes on, he will get better and better.

Mike Edwards had 4 points and 6 boards.  Tyree Crump was only given one minute of PT.

Diatta, KPG, Kessler, and Wilridge did not play well.  Thirty minutes between them, and zero points.

Bottom line:  If J.J. follows the Oakland game with regained scoring ability, Yante has his normal outing, and Jordan, Derek, Juwan, Mike and Turtle keep giving solid contributions, Georgia may overcome the Fox crazy substitutions and still win its share of SEC games.    

 

Ten Commandments for Mark Fox

1.  If J.J. Frazier has been off, but finds his stroke, thou shalt not take him out.

2.  If J.J. Frazier has 18 points in the first half, thou shalt not take him out,

3.  Thou shalt never play Kenny Paul Geno and Houston Kessler at the same time.

4.  Thou shalt never, nay never ever play KPG, HK and Mike Edwards at the same time.

5.  Thou shalt give Tyree Crump some minutes (plural) in each game, yea, even five to ten minutes.

6.  Thou shalt never subbeth out Ogbeide before the ten minute mark in the first half.

7.  If Yante Maten shall start to have foul trouble, thou shalt play him with Ogbeide, and put Maten in the high post and Ogbeide down low.

8.  Thou shalt always press teams which hath played three games in four days.

9.  Thou shalt play zone, especially if the manneth to manneth is in trouble.

10.  Thou shalt always play your best players unless UGA is in foul trouble, or we are up 20 and there are less than 2 minutes left in the game.


If through thy disobedience to these commandments, thou faileth to take the people to the Promised Land of the NCAA Tournament, thou shalt turn over the reins to young Joshua (Jonas Hayes).

   

Giving Due Credit

I have made a couple of points in Blog posts earlier this season:

1)  More minutes for Jordan Harris

2)  Extended time in the first half for Derek Ogbeide

So, just as I have criticized Coach Fox for his substitution patterns and talent utilization, it it appropriate now to give due credit.

Coach Fox replaced Turtle Jackson with Jordan Harris in the starting line-up.  Great move.  I think it will benefit both players.  Jordan will have more minutes and get acclimated to playing in college, and Turtle will come in fairly early, either to replace J.J., or to spell Jordan, but not feel pressured to score.

In another positive trend, Coach Fox has resisted the urge to pull Derek Ogbeide for Houston Kessler.  Nothing against Houston, but Derek is a more physical presence around the basket.  Teams are less likely to double Yante Maten if that means that Derek will be open underneath the bucket.

Derek scored 10 first-half points on 5 of 5 shooting against Tech, and he can have similar production in the future if allowed to play extended minutes early.

Houston Kessler may be needed later in the year, and I'm not totally against him getting some time on the floor.  Just not at the 2 or 3-minute mark of the first half like Coach Fox was doing.

In addition to the player utilization points, I also wanted Fox to come up with a game plan that takes away what the other team likes to do.  I saw just that scenario in the Georgia Tech game.  We knew where the ball was going, and we disrupted Tech's offensive plays.

Now, Tech is not a talented offensive team.  That much is clear.  But our scouting and defensive strategies had a good bit to do with our 17-point win.

Bravo, Coach Fox.

Substitution Patterns ("Redicalice", Part Deux)

I still don't care for the Mark Fox substitution patterns.

My concern isn't that Mark Fox believes in substitutions.  All good teams rely on their bench.  Happens all the time in the NBA, and subbing is totally appropriate in college for a coach trying to build his bench by giving reserves some playing time.

The biggest issue for me is the timing.

Let the starters play at least the first quarter (the first half of the first half), unless there is some clear reason not to do so, such as foul trouble.

I particularly dislike the Fox excuses.  Last year against Vanderbilt, he said that the gym was hot.

The contest at Vandy was definitely a winnable game.  However, we needed both of our 6' 8" twin towers (Ogbeide and Maten) to offset their close to seven-foot ones (Kornet and Jones).  The way Derek Ogbeide started off the game, UGA had a good chance at success.  He muscled their guys and got UGA going early.

However, when Houston Kessler came in (and when Fox subbed out Charles Mann for Kenny Paul Geno), our offensive effectiveness went down, and Damian Jones went into "beast mode", ripping down rebounds and scoring around the basket.  Houston Kessler can be an okay match-up for some players, but whatever advantage Georgia had initially, rapidly evaporated when Kessler faced the Vandy bigs.

In a February 2016 article entitled, "Substitution Strategy Backfires on Mark Fox", the ABH reported:

"Freshman Derek Ogbeide did everything right to start Georgia's game at Vanderbilt Saturday. 

He won the opening tip, scored a basket and blocked a shot. It was a breakout moment in what could have been a signature game. 

But the great start abruptly ended. 

Georgia coach Mark Fox said after the game he thought Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium felt hot and worry crept in about fatigue.

So Fox subbed Ogbeide out less than two minutes into the game.

Vandy went on a 10-0 run with Ogbeide on the bench and Georgia (14-11, 7-7) never led again. Fox’s flurry of early substitutions backfired.

“I wanted our team to be fresh," Fox said. "I thought it was hot in the gym and we wanted to keep our team as fresh as we could."

Some Blog readers may remember my "Redicalice" post from last year.  In that article, I argued that to say the gym was hot didn't make sense at all, especially since the Vandy players stayed in for long stretches.  Besides, Fox subbed Ogbeide out for Kessler after about two minutes in nearly EVERY game.

Had nothing to do with heat.  

Without the heat excuse, however, basketball fans would then wonder why in the world Fox kept using an Ogbeide-for-Kessler substitution pattern, given the talent drop-off defensively.  

If Fox just likes having Houston Kessler as a sort of "co-starter" with Ogbeide, then he should admit it, and say it is his prerogative as the head coach.  Wouldn't make any sense, but Fox is the coach.

Well, we're a deeper team this season, and in a way, I actually want Fox to substitute more.  Again, not at the very beginning of the game.  However, if Turtle Jackson and Juwan Parker are the starters at the point guard and on the wing, I think Fox should use his bench strategically so that freshmen Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris, who are more talented offensively, get more playing time.  

As for Ogbeide, leave him alone.  Fox should let him stay in for more than 2 or 3 minutes to begin the game.

To fail to do so would be redicalice (part deux). 

Proud of the Dawgs (Seven Thoughts)

1.  Momentum

 Knew we couldn't pull it out when J.J. got hurt.  He's the only guy on the roster with the speed to get past UK defenders off the bounce and finish with off-balance lay-ups or floaters.

It was one of those floaters that unfortunately led to Georgia's defeat.  Frazier penetrated, lofted up a floater, which went in, but he landed on one of their guys' foot.

Turned ankles happen like that all the time when you play basketball, but J.J.'s occurred at the worst possible moment for Georgia.

Calipari noted after the game, "The break we had was when J.J. hurt his ankle."  "That was a big break for us because we couldn't guard them."

2.  UK Strategy

Kentucky went right after J.J., post-injury, and Briscoe took advantage by driving him right to the basket.  J.J. is a willing defender, but with one bad wheel, Briscoe overpowered him.  Don't blame Calipari at all.

3.  UGA Strategy

Kudos to Coach Fox for finding a way to put UK on their heels.  Great coaching. It worked, too, for 3 quarters of the game.  In the end, we ran out of gas.  Kenny Gaines had a couple of good looks rim out that he might have hit when rested.

I guess J.J. probably "deserved" to have a chance to play through pain and give it his best shot. However, in retrospect, it probably would have been better to close out the game with Turtle Jackson at the point,

4.  Big Men

Once again, our big men outplayed Kentucky's.  Happened last year when Marcus Thornton and Nemi Djurisic led the charge.  This time, Maten went for 20 and Ogbeide did a great job on the boards.  Houston Kessler was scrappy.

UK starters Poythress and Labissiere didn't hurt us.  Lee was neutralized for the most part.  Kentucky has great depth, though, and as Georgia got tired, Willis hit free throws and open looks.

Proud of Derek Ogbeide, Mike Edwards, and Yante Maten.  Those guys will play a lot of great basketball for Georgia in the future.  Maten has another level to reach.  Want to see him come out chiseled next year.  When Edwards gets stronger and adds three or four inches of leaping ability, and Ogbeide gets down an improved right-hand jump hook, look out!

5.  Recruiting

I hope some guys watched UGA today.  Nothing better than representing the Dawgs on the floor.

Sure, you can choose to play way across the country, like Jaylen B. at California, Tony Parker at UCLA, or Kobi Simmons at Arizona.  But no one from this side of the country gets to see you play in person, and the games aren't even on t.v.  Tony Parker is finishing his senior year at UCLA.  His 13 points and 8 rebounds a game would have been huge for us.  Meanwhile, the Bruins are 10th in the PAC-12, and not going to the NCAA's.  With their losing record, it doesn't even look like they'll be invited to the NIT.

Some elite players may want to head north up the east coast.  Same answer as above.  Why go to Duke or another school, when you can be the man at Georgia?  Even out of state players should give Georgia a serious look.

Who wouldn't want to come in and help?  J.J. and next year's four sophomores will be that much better, and Jordan Harris and Tyree Crump will ratchet things up on offense.  We're just a player or two away from having an incredible run.

6.  Coach Fox

For those who wanted a coaching change, it ain't gonna happen.  If Fox will use his momentum and continue to play fast on offense and zone on defense, that would be enough of a coaching change for most of us.  That, and #5 above.

7.  NCAA Tournament

Makes sense to me to have four teams from the SEC in the NCAA Tournament:  UK, Texas AM, South Carolina and UGA.  I think we're in.  Sure, I'm biased, but Georgia closed the season with five straight wins and a close one against Kentucky.   That's a lot for the selection committee to disregard.


All in all, great game, Dawgs.  A win would have been huge, but you represented us well.

Redicalice

I guess Coach Mark Fox does not read my Blog.  Not that I expect him to, mind you, but I had hoped that somehow he would get the message:

What he is doing with player substitutions is downright "redicalice."

I basically begged him to let Derek Ogbeide start the game and play straight through for extended minutes.  Even if Fox would leave Ogbeide in for the equivalent of the first quarter of the game (ten minutes or so), that would have been a significant improvement.  It's a t.v. game, so you know the guys are going to get a break at the five-minute mark.

Notice the way Stallings uses his guys.  Both Kornet and Jones started and played at least 8 minutes.  Compare that to the way that Fox runs Ogbeide and even Yante Maten in and out of the game.  Ogbeide went out before even two minutes elapsed.

By running guys in and out, you don't keep them fresh.  You in fact do the opposite.  Guys exert energy and then sit down.  They never get into the flow of the game.  By stretching their muscles out and making them sit in chairs almost immediately, you actually risk injury.

Fox said that he thought that Memorial Gym was hot.  That, too, is redicalice.  Vanderbilt's Coach Stallings obviously didn't think so.  Further, in the game against Florida (at Stegeman), Fox yanked Ogbeide out at the three-minute mark, roughly the same point in the game as at Vanderbilt.  In fact, Fox consistently runs players in at the three-minute mark, and has done so all year.   

If we had a talented bench, the substitutions might make more sense.  But Geno and Kessler are struggling.  They're not strong enough to battle for rebounds and win.  We don't get second shots, and when are guards are not hitting from the outside, our opponents grab the rebounds and run.  It would be different if Kessler or Geno had the dribbling ability and foot speed to get by their man on strong drives to the basket.  But that's not their skill set.  So instead of working the opposing defense, Mark Fox makes their job very easy.

Why not at least let Maten and Ogbeide play long enough together to get their guys in foul trouble?  Then Geno and Kessler could go in when the other team puts their reserves in.  Besides, when Maten and Ogbeide score on the block, that will lead the other team to sag off of our shooters to help out.  That will lead to open shots for our guards.

In the post-game interview, Mark Fox received three straight questions from reporters about his substitution patterns.  And in the recap of the game, the Athens Banner Herald's headline was that "Substitution Strategy Backfires on Mark Fox in UGA's Loss to Vanderbilt." 

The reporters get it, Coach Fox.  Why don't you?

I even started to think that Mark Fox was intentionally jeopardizing the season, whether consciously or not, so that he would in fact get fired.  

I reasoned that Fox saw the result of Georgia's decision to fire Mark Richt, a coach landing in a sunny climate with a new school and a multi-million dollar check in hand.  

I know.  The idea that Mark Fox is losing intentionally is redicalice.

But so is the way our players are being used.  Makes you wonder.  

  

William Jarrell is a Player

If things turn out the way I think they will, UGA will have up to three additional scholarships to offer recruits from the 2016 class.

Georgia started out with three 2016/2017 scholarships open, since Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann are set to graduate this year and do not have any further eligibility.  Incoming freshmen Jordan Harris and Tyree Crump have already signed to take two of those slots.

That leaves one scholarship remaining.  However, two more scholarships would open up if Juwan Parker and Houston Kessler do not play next year due to injury and graduation, respectively.

William Jarrell is making a case for consideration for at least one of the UGA scholarships.  Jarrell's Crawford County squad whipped Seminole County last night winning 95 to 64.  Jordan Harris played big for Seminole County, scoring 37 points, to go with 14 rebounds and 5 blocks.  But William Jarrell was not too far behind, finishing with 27 points and 10 boards.

Jarrell is a rangy athlete who does a little bit of everything.   Defends like crazy, takes it to the rack, hits free throws and still averages six assists per game.  He's currently unsigned, and Georgia could probably lock up his commitment if we move soon.  

What do you think, Coach Hayes?

Why? Ten Things I Don't Understand

Got lots of questions.  Maybe some of the readers can help me, 'cause I don't get Coach Mark Fox's strategy.

1)  Why is Kessler still starting?

Nothing against him, but the centers in the SEC are bigger and stronger.  I suppose that Kessler knows the offense better than Ogbeide or Edwards, but by the time of SEC competition, the freshmen should know the plays.  I think Egbunu had 2 or 3 dunks on Kessler within the first two or three minutes in the game.  That allowed Florida to play from ahead, and we were playing catch-up from there.

Besides that, when Kessler screened a defender, Florida would double-team the ball and just let Kessler run loose, knowing that he isn't an offensive threat.  Kessler was 0 for 2 from the floor, with 0 rebounds, 0 assists and a turnover.  We have to get some production from that position, or it's going to be a long year.

2)  Why do we allow teams to walk the ball up the floor uncontested?

UF uses the 2-2-1 press as a staple to slow teams down.  By the time we get into our offense, the 30 second clock is working against us.  We have a press.  Mike Edwards played for a high school team on which the full court press was used every game with Edwards on the ball.  Why not press at least some?

3)  Why don't we put at least two guys along the lane to rebound missed foul shots?

If Ogbeide is shooting a one and one, then put somebody along the lane to catch the long rebound.  We generally don't have rebounders line up when we shoot free throws.  If we were shooting 80 percent or above as a team, I guess it would make more sense to me.  Predictably, Ogbeide missed the one and one, the ball caromed off the rim, but we didn't have anyone on that side of the line to rebound it.

4)  Why run the zone when we need to speed up their offense?

We sat back and let them run clock.  Made no sense to me.

5)  Why not foul when we need to get more possessions?

They shot 57 percent from the line.  Florida was already in the double bonus.  Might as well use the hack-a-Gator strategy so we can get the ball back.

6)  If Chuck is struggling, why not give Jackson more minutes?

Charles was 1 for 7 from the field with 3 turnovers and 0 assists.  Jackson did not score, but he needs to get minutes if Charles is off.  Most of Jackson's shot attempts were long ones at the end of the game when the clock was running out.

Chuck's free throws are better this year, but everything else seems off.

7)  Why not try some 1-3-1?

Seems like Fox goes with the zone when I would play man, and he plays man when I would play zone.  You can get some turnovers when you spring the 1-3-1 on opposing teams.  I don't think I've ever seen us use the 1-3-1.

8)  Why can't we get some rebounds?

I suppose this goes back to giving Ogbeide and Edwards more time.  Do we need to start Wilridge and bring Chuck off the bench?

9)  Why didn't we recruit Egbunu?

Egbunu went to school in the Atlanta area.  I pushed for us to give him a look.  Hard for me to believe that we couldn't have fought off USF for his recruitment.

10)  Are we really bad, or did we just have a bad night?

Hate to lose to a first-year coach when Fox has been here seven years.  I know you can lose a game down in Gainesville when they are shooting the ball well, but it just looked like they out-coached us.

Uggghh.  We'll play better, but the SEC is tougher this year.  Hope we can get things turned around.  As for now, I just have a lot of questions.

Time for Mike Edwards

to play big.  The game against Robert Morris tonight at 7:00 p.m. should be a win for UGA.  With that said, nobody wins by just showing up.  The Dawgs will have to jump on RM quickly and not let them get their confidence going.  Robert Morris has some size and ability.

The key to the game could be the play of Mike Edwards.  It's hard to get comfortable when you first come in as an athlete.  You don't know the guys and you have to learn the plays.  Totally, totally different than high school.  But after a while, as you keep working on things in practice, the game slows down.

I enjoyed reading the Red and Black article on Edwards.  I missed it when it came out a month or so ago.  I especially appreciated the comments about Mike Edwards' high school experience and the role that John Glenn High's Coach Rod Watts had on Edwards.

Edwards wasn't initially highly recruited, as the article explains:

"The spot with the Bulldogs came after a breakout senior season in Michigan. He started his last year of high school with one college scholarship offer — Akron — and eventually gained notice across the country with his improved play.

An influence in Edwards’ late bloom was Rod Watts. Watts took over as the head basketball coach at John Glenn High School in Westland, Michigan, after Edwards’ junior season. With experience coaching players like Al Horford and Draymond Green, Watts recognized Edwards had unique talent. His task was to make him even better."

Takes some time to get on the court and play like you know you can.  Coach Jonas Hayes is high on Mike Edwards, and I have come around to the same viewpoint.  When Edwards gets the plays down and learns the nuances like setting screens properly (the refs never give the new guys the benefit of the doubt), his natural speed and athleticism will have a chance to emerge.

Like tonight.  Edwards should get some playing time in relief of either Yante Maten or Houston Kessler.  We haven't seen much from Edwards since the game against Oakland, in which Edwards scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds (Edwards averages 3 points and 3 boards a game this season).  Well, like the Oakland game, Edwards can perform at a high level, and I'm looking forward to seeing him play more and play well.

You've been practicing enough.  It's time to play.  Let's go, Mike!

Keep Your Head Up, Chuck

Okay.  The Georgia Tech game was not Charles Mann's finest effort. He went 1 for 6 from the floor and 2 for 4 from the line.

Even still, Mann had that critical hustle play in the second half, where he split the double team, briefly lost possession, then somehow came up with the ball in the scrum, and from his knees fired a pass to a teammate (Kessler?) for a lay-in.

Mann has to adjust to how the referees are going to call the game.  As he does so, he will get more trips to the line, and his field goal percentage will go up.  As it stands, the hard work that Mann has put in is showing itself.  His form at the free throw line is much better.  He even has more arc on his outside shot.  He now has to trust his skill.  Make a couple of mid-range shots, Chuck, and the drives will become easier.

Keep playing hard.  Looking for a big game from you against Clemson.

Interesting Pieces

1,  News Articles

Good to see some news about the basketball Dawgs.  GeorgiaDogs.com has a video featuring Houston Kessler.  Here's the one on Kenny Gaines.

There's more out on the Web.  If you haven't checked it out already, you should visit the Dawgs' Twitter page.

2.  Roster

I'm about as curious as anyone on how Fox will develop and use his players.  Sure, Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines (if healthy) will lead the charge this season.  Yante Maten, as the only post with significant experience, will start.

But will we get anything from Osahen Iduwe this year?  How about Mike Edwards?  Derek Ogbeide?  How much will Turtle Jackson play?  Where will J.J. Frazier get his playing time?

The 3-position has been a mystery for Georgia since Brandon Morris left.  Does Wilridge have the talent to lock it down?  Will Fox go big with Edwards?  Is Juwan Parker recovered from surgery enough to give us minutes?  How about KPG?  Did he work hard enough during the off-season to contribute on the wing?

3.  Recruiting

UGA commits Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris can play.  Who else will we bring in?  I figure we need at least one big, but Fox may have different ideas.  How many spots will we have, anyway?

As I said, lots of interesting pieces.

Getting excited about basketball.

Mike Edwards?

I don't see it.

Nothing against Edwards, but why go up to Michigan for a guy when we can find a back-up center from somewhere in-state?  Georgia high school coaches have long memories.

From the looks of his (?) YouTube channel, it appears that Edwards considers himself a member of our 2015 signing class.  I guess we beat out Ball State and Northern Illinois for his services.  Of course if Edwards does end up at Georgia, I will support him and hope he turns into an absolute beast.

However, for now, the Edwards recruitment has me totally unconvinced.  Reminds me of other Fox recruiting efforts.  John Florveus.  John Cannon. Tim Dixon.  Good kids.  Guys who contributed, but weren't the high level athletes that UGA needs to challenge the elite teams.  Have my fingers crossed that Iduwe and Kessler will make a big leap next year.

This far along in the Mark Fox tenure I had hoped we were past getting a 2-star/project big man/role player late after the difference-maker goes elsewhere.

I liked the Yante Maten signing last year.  Derek Ogbeide will definitely help this year.  SMH on this one.

If Jaylen Brown turns us down, please get an in-state guy or save the ship until next year.

Maybe it's a good thing

we didn't pull that game out yesterday.  Florida is absolutely killing LSU.

Who knows?  Maybe Houston Kessler will turn out to be a talented "stretch 4" like Erik Murphy.  Murphy is shooting lights out. 

Great Effort, Guys!

No need to hang your heads after this one.  We started off way too slow.  We didn't give up, though, and we made it a game at the end.  LSU wins, 68 to 63.

We needed a few baskets from our big guys.  If we go 3 of 20 from the field for our 3's, 4's, and 5's, we're not going to win.

Great game, though, by KCP.  Career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.  I think he improved his draft stock, so it's really, really doubtful that he comes back.

Charles Mann had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.  He's going to be a good one, folks.  Kenny Gaines had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

We end the season 15 and 17.

If KCP comes back, I think the team should be competitive.  We still wouldn't have quality bigs, unless someone makes a huge step forward in the off-season.  Didn't happen this year, so it's kind of discouraging, but you never know what another year of strength and conditioning could do.

In any case, put KCP out there with Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, and Brandon Morris, then see what Parker, Frazier and Kessler can do in a support role. 

Although I think Kentavious will not be back in Athens, my sense is that Mark Fox will.  His record over 4 seasons is not good.  He is now 65 and 63 overall, which is 50 percent.  He's just 43 percent in SEC competition, and has managed a losing record in 3 out of 4 years.  I've said it before, but if a coach is judged on wins and losses, Fox is doing about the same job that Felton did before he was dismissed.

Ultimately, I think McGarity likes Fox and wants to give him at least another year to see what he can do.

Extremely disappointed with this season, especially Fox and his substitution patterns.  LSU coach Johnny Jones decided to go small with his line-up, and they were tearing us up.  Wish Mark Fox had done the same.  Water under the bridge, at any rate. 

Let's support the Dawgs and see if we can come back better next year.

Songs from the Dawgs?

Wow.  I loved today's article from the AJC.

Sound of Music

Just in case the AJC ever gets rid of the link, here's a quote:

As soon as coach Mark Fox stepped inside the door on the lower-level concourse, he was engulfed in a sea of black jerseys who jumped up and down as they chanted something that sounded like “yeet, yeet, yeet!” Moments later, that noise morphed into a rendition of the school fight song, “Glory to Old Georgia.” Only this was an abbreviated, rap-style version. The celebration was finished with some loud, timed applause.

The message: The Bulldogs are starting to get this basketball business down, and they’re thoroughly enjoying it.

“We’re feeling good,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points. “There’s a lot of confidence going around. We’re helping each other and picking each other up. Everybody’s stepping up every night now.”

Asked about the musical postlude, Caldwell-Pope laughed and grinned wide.

“We’re just re-mixing a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got Houston Kessler providing a little beat box and Kenny Gaines singing for us. We’re just singing and having fun.”

Houston Kessler beat-boxing?  Are U kiddin' me?

Maybe anything is possible in this season.  Heck, if they can sing, perhaps they might find a way to get invited to the Big Dance.

Dawgs Visit Coliseum, Conclude Italy Trip

The UGA basketball squad wrapped up their tour in Italy, visiting the Roman Coliseum and playing their final game of the trip.

Coliseum Visit and Victory Over All-Star Italy

Hard to get much in the way of specifics from the footage of the last game, but here are some of my general impressions:

1) Georgiadogs.com has stepped up its game

Have to give the official site and the sports marketing department some props. Georgiadogs.com is much improved. I wanted to see more video, but I was impressed that we had any in the first place. The music was a nice touch. Gave a real feel of Italy.

Would be good to have box scores posted, if they exist.

2) Player Development

Tim Dixon got a chance to play major minutes. I don't think he will challenge for a starting slot, but he'll be needed at some point during the season. I'd like to see him put on 10 more pounds this year, and 10 or more next year. With his frame, he can do it, and the added muscle will improve his game.

Houston Kessler hit a long-range jumper during the last game. He's bound for a red-shirt year, according to Fox. If he hits the weights and the track so that he can really run the floor, he can be a contributor.

Saw that Sherrard Brantley hit a three. Looked like his footwork has improved. Hope that Fox is really working with him so that Brantley will put the ball on the floor and drive effectively.

Can really tell the difference in philosophy in the games. Tennessee beat All-Star Italy by close to 50 points, if memory serves me. Best I can tell, though, they were playing their starters for a good portion of the game. Mark Fox focused more on building the skills and confidence of his bench.

3) Offensive Sets

Now that Fox has a deeper roster and more time for his team to learn and practice running the triangle offense, he has the opportunity to add in different concepts to the offense. I'd like to see him experiment with a dribble-drive element, ways to set up lobs to his leapers and big men, schemes to attack zone defenses, and the like.

In any case, the Italy trip was no doubt a fantastic educational and team-bonding experience. Hope it leads to a special year.