No more Kool-Aid, please

I know when I'm at my limit.

Approaching the UGA hoops season I saw Wofford at Stegeman, Georgia Tech at Stegeman, and a mid-major on a neutral court.  That early schedule said to me a UGA record of 3 and 0.  Maybe 2 and 1 if we started the season slow.

Mark Fox pronounced to the world that Georgia was a Top 25 team.  I attributed Fox's comments to salesmanship, a coach trying to buoy his players.  Although I couldn't see Top 25, I willingly went along with the implied notion that we would be pretty good this year.  Solid in the fundamentals.  Competitive, beating the teams we should.    

Last night a winless Davidson squad took it to us.  Beat us by double digits.  Now in the cold light of reality, we are 1 and 2.

In that same light, I scan our roster.  We don't have pure shooters, elite defenders or dominant post players. No Jeremy Price, Ajax, Chris Barnes, Ricky McPhee, Travis Leslie or Trey Thompkins.  We got a fat zero on the fall recruiting trail.  No obvious help on the horizon.

My hope is that UGA will get better.  That Brandon Morris is the missing link.  That we will beat Temple tonight.

I'm a homer, but even the most ardent hoops supporters have to face facts.  We're not a top 25 team.  We're not a pretty good team.  We're in last place in the SEC, on the brink of yet another losing season.

We need to turn things around tonight.  I have hope, but that's about all.  I want Fox to show us he can coach, that he can win on the court and on the recruiting trail.  I'm done with Kool-Aid.

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.

Leslie and Thompkins Discuss Life in the NBA

Good article from Seth Emerson.

Rookies

Leslie and Thompkins have done well for themselves financially and are supporting each other. Both are committed to watching their money, not going crazy with spending their salaries, which is a very positive sign.

Glad they got a chance to make it to the pro's and that they didn't get injured while playing for the Dawgs. Would have liked to see what Georgia would have done with those two guys, but you go to battle with the players you have.

Hopefully, Georgia can get the ship righted. The South Carolina game will be tough. The Gamecocks may not have won too many games, but Darrin Horn is a good coach and he'll have his guys ready to trap all around the floor. We'll have to limit turnovers and win the rebounding battle to emerge with the W.

Thompkins and Leslie Featured on NBA.com

Good article about the Clippers rookies. They are looking forward to learning from the veterans and growing with the team.

Dynamic Duo

Thompkins and Leslie on the Bus

The Clippers bus, that is. Excitement is brewing in L.A. for Clippers fans who received the early holiday gift of the Chris Paul trade.

The Clippers are using their caravan to spread the word that big things are coming, and Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins seem to be a central part of their plans.

Good story with a nice pic of the Dawgs duo.

Big Things

Ten Questions for the 2012 Hoop Dawgs

Questions, questions.

1) Will Fox Become a Wolf?

Apparently N.C. State wants to talk to Mark Fox. If I'm Fox, I listen. Why? State can pay a lot more than UGA, and to be honest, that's why coaches have agents. The coaches can offer up polite denials, saying that they haven't spoken with anyone from such and such college, while they and their representatives are discussing details several times a day. The rep's try to get things lined up so that if the offer does have the kinds of terms that an up and coming coach wants, the coach can sign quickly.

2) Will Trey and Travis Test the Waters?

My best guess is that Trey is gone, but Travis will stay. Thompkins ended the season with a 26 and 9 game, in which he shot almost 80 percent from the floor, 100 percent from behind the arc, and 100 percent from the free throw line. He also showed that he had great hands and could even bring the ball up against the press.

With the injuries that Thompkins suffered this year, he might want to protect himself and his family. Travis, on the other hand, went 4 of 14 from the floor against Washington. If I'm not mistaken, all of his made shots were right at the basket, and he didn't hit a single jump-shot. He has enough to work on that the smart money says that he will take one more year to improve his handle and his mid-range game.

Of course my guesses about Trey and Travis assume that Fox stays in Athens and that the NBA season ends and begins as normal. The League's collective bargaining agreement ends in June. If things break down, then the best thing to do might be for both to stay for their senior seasons.

3) Can John Florveus and Tim Dixon Play?

Hate to say this, but from all I can tell, both will need a lot of work before they're big enough and strong enough to score consistently against SEC competition.

4) Who Will Man the Post?

If Trey leaves, Georgia will have a big void in the middle. With no JP, no Chris Barnes and no Thompkins, Georgia may wind up with the Bermuda Triangle Offense. If you throw the ball into the post, no one knows what will happen.

5) What's up with Recruiting?

Will Phillip Jurick sign? Anyone else? Who is this guy from Montenegro, and is he really better than the available kids from right here in Georgia?

6) Can Georgia Attract a Transfer?

If Sidney Lowe and Bruce Pearl are let go, Georgia may be able to pick up a guy like Marcus Thornton. Either a guy who decommits and asks for his release from the letter of intent, or a person who wants to find a new place to play, even if he has to sit out a year.

7) Will Georgia be Good Enough to Escape the Lower Half of the SEC East?

Florida and Kentucky are in the Sweet Sixteen again. Georgia, again, is not. They will have a deep bench next year. Vandy will be good again and so will Tennessee. I know it's early yet, but we all hope that we can close the gap some between those guys and Georgia.

8) Can Thornton and Williams Step Up?

Marcus Thornton and Donte Williams will be the only post players with any experience. They both did quite well in high school, and they have a good bit of athleticism. They'll have to show it next year.

9) How well will Kentavious Caldwell Play?

He'll be a freshman, and he'll have to learn the triangle offense. But can Caldwell-Pope give Georgia the kind of size and shooting ability that the team needs?

10) Will 2012 be a Year of Stability and Steady Improvement, or Transition and Rebuilding for the Dawgs?

What do you think?

We Had Our Chances

Up 9 points, about to close out the half, and they get a rebound and a stick-back to give them momentum going into the locker room.

We're still up 7 opening up the second half. We get careless with the ball and they close the gap almost immediately.

They mix in a press off of made free throws or pressure Dustin Ware all the way up the floor. We don't set any picks to discourage the tough on-ball pressure and Ware turns it over on an offensive foul. Meanwhile, we play vanilla on defense. No pressure, just let them come down the floor and set up their offense. Their guys have their legs underneath them, then, and are able to knock down shots late in the game.

Parsons misses two free throws with the game going down to the wire. The Dawgs get fouled in the act of shooting and go to the line. Thompkins misses both, and then just a bit later, their big guy gets fouled. With the ugliest release on the planet, he drains both of his attempts.

Can't blame Leslie. He had 20 points for the night. Let the game come to him. Good outing. We need to get more than 3 points from Ware. He needs to have at least one mid-range shot or free throw so that he gets his timing right from long distance.

Tired of getting beat by Florida. Even worse, we really, really, need to close strong, or we'll miss the Big Dance.

Maybe we're just not that good...

I have read the couple of articles out this morning about the Dawgs and how our team is hoping to close out the season with a push toward the NCAA tournament.

Slippage

Patch

While it's true that our team has had its fair share of troubles, and players have gotten sick-- the fact is that these kinds of things happen during a long season. It's winter and we can't avoid having to play through adverse circumstances.

As we go into the stretch, we're playing a tough South Carolina team at home today. The loser will be in last place in the SEC East.

We just about have to win this game. Can we do it?

I'm not feeling too good about our chances. Horn will have his guys trapping all over the floor. They arguably have a deeper team than we do.

If we can't pull out a win, team supporters will have to face facts. Maybe our players were over-rated going into the season. Perhaps our expectations have been too high. Maybe we're just not that good.

Ugly Game. (UK Recap)

We didn't get what we needed, and that was a big game from a big gun. Trey was off, Travis had an 0-fer, and Gerald Robinson seemed too helter-skelter.

I don't think our guys were overwhelmed by Rupp. We lost by six. If we had hit our free throws, we would've won the game.

The positives were that Dustin Ware played well. Marcus Thornton seems to be coming along. Jeremy Price gave us some key buckets.

I guess Thompkins was hurt. Not sure that that caused him to miss all the three's, but something wasn't working for him.

Both Florida and South Carolina lost to teams from the SEC-West. With a victory, we would have moved into second place in the division. Now, we're still in last. Not good.

Dawgs Win Big! (prediction)

Okay. UF has had our number in just about every sport but equestrian or gymnastics over the last I don't know how long. Time to turn the tide.

We have a sell-out, a packed house, a national audience and a chance to make an impression to the watching world of sports fans. If we win, we're in first place in the tough SEC East.

I think our crowd makes a difference. Dustin Ware hits the spot-up jumper, Travis goes to the basket with abandon, and everybody else gets involved.

We'll have to watch out for their traps. Billy Donovan always tries to neutralize the opponent by trapping along the sidelines or in the backcourt. Will Gerald Robinson be able to make them pay? Will his jumper be on tonight?

I think we can do it. Dawgs win by 15, 75 to 60.

Dawgs over Dogs!

Let me say first of all that I love ESPN3. I missed today's game, but I was able to watch the entire contest just a couple of hours later. I purposefully did not check the score, so when I sat down to watch the game on my computer, it was almost like watching it live. The network is not perfect, but it's pretty close.

Which leads me to the real point of my post. The Dawgs were very impressive today. Not perfect, but almost.

Travis Leslie displayed his usual acrobatics. He finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, with just one turnover. He was also 1 for 1 from behind the arc, which is a very encouraging sign. Dustin Ware was controlled and poised. He scored 9 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. A perfect 3 of 3 from the field, all from 3-point range, and zero turnovers.

We got enough from Barnes and Price. Trey Thompkins was effective from the perimeter and on the block, going 6 of 11 from the field, 2 of 3 from behind the arc, for 15 points and 7 rebounds. And Gerald Robinson showed great speed on offense and defense. He had 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He also notched 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Robinson was my player of the game.

We even got a few contributions from Thornton off the bench. Congratulations are due him for getting 7 points and 9 rebounds, 4 on the offensive glass.

From an overall team perspective, we beat MSU by 20, doubled them up in rebounds, and had almost three times as many assists. UGA posted four players in double figures, two others who scored 9 points a piece, and one guy who had 7.

On defense, we took them out of what they wanted to do, and turned them into an isolation offensive team, with others trying to spot up for long three's.

Great total team effort. If I had to complain about something, I would point to free throws and turnovers. We went 11 for 21 from the charity stripe. Fifty percent free throw shooting will get us beat.

We had 13 turnovers. Not a huge number, but of those, Chris Barnes had 3, Jeremy Price 2, and Thompkins 4. We need for our big men in the high-low action to fake the ball once in the opposite direction and then feed the post. As it stands, they telegraph their passes, giving the defensive player a chance to anticipate and make an early move to steal or deflect the ball. A former coach used to tell us to "grab the ball with two hands and get your butt down." The point was that with our knees bent and center of balance over our feet, we could make an effective fake or use a bounce or chest pass to get it to the open player.

Good game for the Dawgs. We're 14 and 4 overall, 3 and 2 in the SEC.

No Pearl, No Problem?

Bruce Pearl won't be in town when the Volunteers face off against the Dawgs.

According to some of Tennessee's players, they won't need Pearl's motivation. They were humbled last year at the Steg and now they want revenge.

UGA vs. UT

Dawgs hand it to them, same score.

Wow.

Best Georgia basketball game ever.

I've been around the program a long time, and although we've had bigger victories, more thrilling comebacks, more improbable wins, I don't remember ever having seen a better played game.

Defensively, we hounded their top scorer into a 3 for 12 shooting night. We had 7 blocked shots and 5 steals. I thought about it some, and I don't remember them scoring on a fast break bucket.

On offense, we sizzled right from the start. We out-shot and out-maneuvered their zone. We were on target from long-range.

When they went to the man-to-man, we ran the offense, several guys touching the ball, and fed the post from good angles. We scored on easy baskets.

We shot 50 percent from behind the arc, 63 percent from the field, and 96 percent from the line.

Eleven guys played, eight of them scored, and seven of those eight shot at least 66 percent from the field. All of our starters scored in double figures.

We had 26 assists on 33 field goals. We had just 7 turnovers. We broke their press. We had more rebounds, blocked shots and assists than Ole Miss. We had fewer turnovers and fewer personal fouls.

Our bench players combined for 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and just 1 turnover.

We outplayed them at their place. The game was on t.v. The Dawgs were clearly the superior team.

Mark Fox got his first SEC road win, and we couldn't have played better basketball.

Congrats to Coach Fox and the team.

DM

Weird Game

I don't think I've ever seen a game in which none of the guards scored.

If you count Travis Leslie as a small forward, then that's exactly what happened.

Dustin Ware: 0 for 1 from the field, 0 for 1 from behind the arc, 0 for 2 in free throws.

Gerald Robinson: 0 for 2 from the field. No free throws.

Vincent Williams: 0 for 1 from the field. No free throws.

Sherrard Brantley: 0 for 2 from the field. 0 for 2 from behind the arc, 0 for 1 in free throws.

Connor Nolte also had an 0-fer, as did Marcus Thornton.

We're not very good, folks. Travis and Trey cannot carry us all the time. We just have to get some contributions from the bench.

Then again, it's better to win ugly than to lose pretty. A lot of teams have lost to mid-majors lately, so I'll take it. We're standing at 9 and 2. Hopefully we can fix the problems before we hit SEC play.

Mark Fox Interview: Around the Rim

Decent interview. Nothing particularly new, but interesting nonetheless, since we haven't played a game in a while.

Fox on ESPN

Just Like Football! Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap

Okay, I couldn't resist that title for my post. It's the same one as last year about this time.

This one was a game for the ages, too. Just like the football game battled out between Richt and Johnson.

Fantastic back and forth action. They started out the game shooting lights out. I was surprised that Hewitt chose not to utilize his press. I remember once that Tech just destroyed Georgia with B.J. Elder and crew, and though I don't recall which year it was, I do remember that the key to their victory was Hewitt's defensive pressure.

It wasn't the blow-out I expected, but we scored right about where I thought we would. We need to hit our free throws, though. Gerald Robinson has to be money at the end of the game.

Good heads up time-out by Trey Thompkins. He had picked up his dribble and was stuck against the in-bounds line with his body twisted away from his pivot foot. Everyone was covered and he was off-balance. That play could have easily resulted in a critical turnover. Instead we kept the ball and were able to win the game at the end.

Not Feeling Good about the Game Against Tech

It will be a blow-out either way. They either press us to death and we wilt because they have more depth at guard, or we push them around inside and Trey and JP have field days.

Shumpert can score. We'll have to control him. Brian Oliver can shoot it, and Udofia can get streaky. Jason Morris had a nice outing off the bench last game for them, and Glen Rice goes to the hoop pretty effectively.

My prediction: I just can't bring myself to pick Tech over UGA, even if it is at their place and the home team almost always wins in this series.

I'm saying 75 to 62, UGA over Tech.

Tip-off is in 10 minutes. Go Dawgs!

Dawgs Win!

Great game! Sure we had that dry spell coming out of the locker room in the second half, but UAB is no slouch. They picked up the defensive pressure and we didn't respond. Besides, when teams shoot over 40 percent on threes, you have to tip your hat to them. Play D, yes, but give them their props as a really good team.

This game gives a glimpse of what the team could be. Brantley scoring from deep. Price active under the boards. Thompkins getting a double-double or right at it (20 and 9 against UAB). Gerald Robinson cutting to the basket.

With that said, I definitely agree with Coach Fox. With Robinson eligible last year, the Dawgs probably would have won several of the close games. Could have even scratched and clawed our way to a 20-win season.

Robinson showed what he can do last night. He has too many turnovers, but just like the St. Louis game, he came through in the clutch. I loved his scoop basket with the left hand. That was an 11 on the scale of difficulty. And when we needed a basket, Robinson created something. Cut to the hoop, made a jump stop, glided to his right and kissed if off the window.

Travis Leslie had an off game. Hit just 2 of 9 from the field and one of his makes was a dunk. They were challenging him to shoot the ball. I think his shot could be adjusted just a bit to move his release point slightly to the right. His shooting motion would be more fluid and he would find his jumper truer out to 17 feet or so. And I would still like him to take the ball into the paint and show the ball. Get guys off their feet. He's a good enough free throw shooter and strong enough to get the "and-one."

Anyway, Georgia has some promise. Good to see contributions from the bench. Dustin Ware needs to keep shooting it. Not take tons of shots, but if he has the ball at the end of the clock, he needs to take the jumper or go toward the basket with an eye toward scoring. If he penetrates just to the free throw line and then dishes, his teammates don't and won't have time to get up a good shot.

We're 5 and 2. We really need to beat Tech. That would make me really happy with this portion of the season.

Dawgs Lose

About as I expected.

We looked terrible against the zone. We shot 50 percent from the line. Let entirely too many defensive rebounds slip through our hands.

On defense our bigs just sat behind their post player and didn't fight him for position. And we didn't adjust the defense when they kept going to him. When a guy gets the ball right in front of the rim, he's usually going to score or get fouled. How to play it? With an undersized post player, you front him and force the defense to throw the ball over the top. If you can't get in front then get three quarter post position and force him to his off-hand.

Bottom line: we didn't deserve to win this one. We were stagnant on offense and uninspired or unmotivated on defense.

Dustin Ware had a couple of key buckets, but his shot is definitely off. His biggest problem is with his lift. He points his feet inward toward each other and thus his lower body works against his upper body on the release. He needs to watch some film to get it corrected. Teams are playing off of him, so although I don't recommend a lot of tinkering with a guy's mechanics during the season, in this case it's warranted. If he's going to shoot 8 or 9 threes during regulation and 13 for the game, then he needs to get it right.

A continuing concern is that Ware has no game going toward the basket. That was my point when he was recruited. He had a lot more three-point shots than a good point guard should have, especially when compared to the number of free throws he shot. He just has to take it toward the basket sometimes. Develop a floater, spin move, or learn to draw contact and get to the line.

If teams zone us, we might want to experiment with Robinson at the point and Brantley at the 2-guard. Not that Brantley is a particularly true shooter, either, but if Ware is off, let's try someone else.

And we need to develop an offense against the zone. We seemed to not know what to do. We looked confused and out of sorts and decided to just swing the ball around the perimeter. You do have to swing the ball, but if there is no movement through the paint, the zone will just shift. I like to overload one side and put a double or triple screen on to free a shooter. Tubby's offenses were great against the zone and Bruce Pearl has effective schemes. Either we run the normal triangle or we come up with a different offense against teams that zone us.

Wasn't a terrible game, but we had our chances. We'll get better as Trey gets acclimated to being on the floor again. You can tell that he doesn't have much lift.

When the guy banked in the three-pointer during the second overtime, I figured we weren't going to win it. They played just good enough to win and we have a lot of work to do.

South Bend Tribune Article on Leslie and Game

against UGA.

Should be a good one in just a few. Hope the Dawgs can pull it out.

Go Dawgs!