South Carolina defeats Florida, 77 to 70, and makes it to its first Final Four.
Kentucky loses to North Carolina and does not advance.
Great news for Georgia. Here's why:
1) The SEC is a pretty good league.
We got five teams in, and three advanced to the Elite Eight. If Georgia is competitive next year, we might get an invite, just because the SEC arguably over-achieved with results in March 2017.
2) Kentucky Loses
I would have loved for there to be two SEC teams in the Final Four-- as long as one of them wasn't Kentucky. Yeah, okay. Call it sour grapes if you want. At the same time, I really do have issues with their one and done strategy. It's legal, but at some point, churning guys through your squad and encouraging just about all your freshmen, some of whom aren't quite ready, to declare for the NBA, is bad for the kids, and bad for college basketball.
3) Hard-Nosed Defense Works
South Carolina got it done with defense. Don't know whether they will win the championship, but they are two games away, and they have made it thus far by being who they are.
The Florida game was an excellent example. Florida was hot in the first half, ripping three-pointers. For the game, South Carolina shot 10 three-pointers and only made 2. But they kept going to the hole, getting fouled and going to the line.
In the second half, the fool's gold corroded. Believe I saw that Florida went 0 for 15 from three-point range. Meanwhile, South Carolina marched again and again to the free throw line. Florida shot 30 three-pointers, and the Gamecocks shot 30 free throws. Frank Martin's strategy won.
4) Recruit the best you can
The Gamecocks don't have a bunch of five-stars. Sindarius Thornwell was a four-star recruit. Chris Silva was a three-star. Maik Kotsar, the guy from Estonia, was a three-star. Same for Duane Notice.
They don't have a bunch of seven-footers, either. But they recruit to their system, and have enough guys in that 6' 4" to 6' 10" range who are wired in to giving it their all on the court.
Now, Frank Martin churns players, too. I don't know if he intentionally pushes guys off the team, but he had a ton of players leave the program after a year or two. I think the truth is that not everyone thrives under Frank Martin's in-your-face coaching style, and guys sometimes would rather go elsewhere.
In any case, my point is that Frank Martin has not been getting top-ranked recruiting classes. He gets enough talented guys so that by the time they are juniors and seniors, they are very competitive.
So, there is hope for Georgia. Frank Martin is the same coach that UGA beat three times in a row last year. We knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament, it is widely believed.
This year, we lost by two at their place, and by six at ours.
If Maten stays and we get production from Mike Edwards, Derrick Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds, that front-court rotation, supported by Wilridge and Claxton, should be stout enough to make the NCAA's.
On the perimeter, we will have Turtle Jackson, Tyree Crump, and Jordan Harris, likely supported by Juwan Parker, Pape Diatta, and Teshaun Hightower.
Hopefully, we will bring in another contributor, a guy like Avery Wilson to play minutes at point guard, or Isaiah Miller (or even Isaiah Banks) on the perimeter.
We may actually be close to having the kind of team that we all want, one that can make it to the NCAA's, and even, advance.
Showing posts with label Jordan Harris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jordan Harris. Show all posts
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Dawgs Edge Auburn: DaugMan's Ten Take-Aways
Dawgs beat Auburn by 1 last night. Huge win for the team. Proud of the guys.
Here are my 10 Take-Aways:
1. J.J. Frazier is the Man!
31 points, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Hit 5 of 9 three-pointers. Clutch game on senior night. Averaged 31 points a game in our last four contests. He's the biggest little man in the country.
Loved the quote from Coach Avery Johnson at Alabama, who, at 5' 11", just an inch taller than J.J., and also left-handed, played for 15 years in the NBA. Speaking of Frazier, Coach Johnson remarked, "He's the chef for the team. He cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the Georgia Bulldogs."
Frazier has stated that he has sought to vindicate Mark Fox for giving him a scholarship. And lest we forget, Fox gave Frazier second and third chances, after J.J. got arrested for driving without a license in March of 2014, and driving with a suspended license in August of 2015.
Well, I had my doubts, too, about how effective J.J. would be at finishing at the rim against SEC competition. Had my doubts about whether he fully appreciated the opportunity to play basketball for the University of Georgia. Thought he had some potential, but also saw that he shot 35 percent from the floor and 66 percent from the line (same percentage as center, Donte Williams) his freshman year.
No one doubts much about J.J. any longer. He's improved as a basketball player and matured as a man. Frazier loves Fox, loves to compete, and loves the University of Georgia. Bravo, J.J.!
2. Mark Fox is UGA's Coach
I posted previously that if Fox could pick up wins in more than half of our remaining games, he would be rightfully credited with doing his best coaching, and most assuredly would be back next year. The Dawgs have gone 3 for 3 since.
Sure, there are those who would give the credit for the victories solely to J.J., but Fox correctly noted that for the Dawgs to have a chance to win after Yante Maten went down, UGA would have to play differently against each team. We have, and we have won.
3. Tyree Crump is pretty good
Didn't get to see the game on t.v., but the Box Score tells a compelling story. Crump went 2 of 3 from behind the arc, and 2 of 2 from inside it. He beat his man off the dribble in one of the highlights, and converted off the glass.
I have pushed for Fox to play Crump more. Don't see how Fox can keep him on the bench with the production Crump is giving.
4. Jordan Harris is okay
Not "okay" as a player, but "okay" as in reference to his health. Fox had commented that Harris has had a chip in a bone, but he refused to say which bone, when the injury occurred, or for how long Jordan would be out.
Well, lo and behold, Harris played last night. Hit a three, and converted two opportunities from the line. His health is apparently fine, and even more mysteriously, he's not playing like a guy coming off an injury.
What went on? We may never know. All I can say is that Jordan Harris is okay.
5. Georgia is not just Yante Maten
E'torrion Wilridge has picked up all the minutes from Yante's absence. I don't think I've ever credited Fox for a personnel decision, but I'll do it now. Playing Wilridge makes better sense than starting Mike Edwards. Nothing against Mike, but Wilridge is able to defend better against quicker players, and we need to save Edwards as a guy who can give us "big man" minutes, in case Derek Ogbeide gets in foul trouble.
6. Derek Ogbeide is a horse
Dude had 10 points and 15 boards last night. Can't even remember when a Georgia player last got 15 rebounds.
7. Dynamic Duo still not seen
J.J. has played his best basketball while Yante has been out. He has carried the team because he's had to do it.
Early in the season, it was Yante having the huge games, and J.J.'s shooting seemed off. Remember that Kansas game from back in November? Georgia had a chance for a huge statement win. Yante had 30 points and was killing them on the inside. Kansas went to a zone and the Dawgs fell behind and lost by 11.
If J.J. had played big in that game, we would have destroyed Kansas. However, Frazier fizzled. He played 33 minutes, but never really got on track, achieving just 2 points and 3 turnovers, going 1 for 10 for the floor and 0 for 6 from behind the arc.
Or take our first game against Kentucky. The Dawgs lost in overtime at Rupp. Yante went 8 of 15. J.J. went 8 of 21. Not a terrible game, but had J.J. played up to his standards, Georgia would have taken that game.
When the Cats came to Athens, J.J. played huge. Scored 35 points on 11 for 22 shooting. Problem? Yante had gone down earlier in the game with a knee injury.
Don't know if Yante can come back this season, or if he does, how effective he will be. If J.J. and Yante both play dynamically, we can beat anybody in the country.
8. Everybody Else
Georgia got contributions from up and down in the roster. Sure we've got a Dynamic Duo, but it's great to see we've got a Justice League, too. I mentioned Crump, Harris and Ogbeide already. Juwan Parker didn't shoot that well, going 4 for 12 from the field, but he grabbed 8 rebounds.
9. Momentum
Georgia finally seems to have it. Momemtum and even karma seems to be trending our way.
Didn't expect to be able to say that when Yante got hurt in a freak accident. Everything that could go wrong was seeming to happen.
However, after the overtime loss at Florida, the overtime loss at Kentucky, and the clock debacle at Texas A&M, we're actually coming out ahead in close games. We won by 1 at Tennessee, by 2 against LSU, by 5 at Alabama, and by 1 against Auburn. We're 5 out of our last 6.
Who's to say that we couldn't go into Arkansas and win? If so, Georgia would have huge momentum going into the SEC Tournament.
10. NCAA Tournament
The win at Auburn and the victories accomplished in this stretch run all strengthen the possibilities of Georgia going to the NCAA Tournament. If we win the SEC Tournament, of course, then we punch our own ticket to the Big Dance. But if we fall short of the SEC tourney title, there's still a slim chance of an at-large bid.
Win at Arkansas, and get a couple of victories in the SEC Tournament, then perhaps the NCAA Selection Committee will look at all the above: J.J. Frazier as one of the most exciting players in America. A recovering Yante Maten. Other guys doing just enough in support. Momentum. Playing Kentucky, Kansas and Florida and giving them all they could handle. Overcoming the odds.
Sure, we're an underdog, but what better feeling is there than seeing a Cinderella dance? Than seeing an underdog win? Than the Dynamic Duo and the Justice League vanquishing their foes at the end?
I'm a hoops fan. Hope you are, too. Go Dawgs, beat Arkansas!!!
Here are my 10 Take-Aways:
1. J.J. Frazier is the Man!
31 points, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Hit 5 of 9 three-pointers. Clutch game on senior night. Averaged 31 points a game in our last four contests. He's the biggest little man in the country.
Loved the quote from Coach Avery Johnson at Alabama, who, at 5' 11", just an inch taller than J.J., and also left-handed, played for 15 years in the NBA. Speaking of Frazier, Coach Johnson remarked, "He's the chef for the team. He cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the Georgia Bulldogs."
Frazier has stated that he has sought to vindicate Mark Fox for giving him a scholarship. And lest we forget, Fox gave Frazier second and third chances, after J.J. got arrested for driving without a license in March of 2014, and driving with a suspended license in August of 2015.
Well, I had my doubts, too, about how effective J.J. would be at finishing at the rim against SEC competition. Had my doubts about whether he fully appreciated the opportunity to play basketball for the University of Georgia. Thought he had some potential, but also saw that he shot 35 percent from the floor and 66 percent from the line (same percentage as center, Donte Williams) his freshman year.
No one doubts much about J.J. any longer. He's improved as a basketball player and matured as a man. Frazier loves Fox, loves to compete, and loves the University of Georgia. Bravo, J.J.!
2. Mark Fox is UGA's Coach
I posted previously that if Fox could pick up wins in more than half of our remaining games, he would be rightfully credited with doing his best coaching, and most assuredly would be back next year. The Dawgs have gone 3 for 3 since.
Sure, there are those who would give the credit for the victories solely to J.J., but Fox correctly noted that for the Dawgs to have a chance to win after Yante Maten went down, UGA would have to play differently against each team. We have, and we have won.
3. Tyree Crump is pretty good
Didn't get to see the game on t.v., but the Box Score tells a compelling story. Crump went 2 of 3 from behind the arc, and 2 of 2 from inside it. He beat his man off the dribble in one of the highlights, and converted off the glass.
I have pushed for Fox to play Crump more. Don't see how Fox can keep him on the bench with the production Crump is giving.
4. Jordan Harris is okay
Not "okay" as a player, but "okay" as in reference to his health. Fox had commented that Harris has had a chip in a bone, but he refused to say which bone, when the injury occurred, or for how long Jordan would be out.
Well, lo and behold, Harris played last night. Hit a three, and converted two opportunities from the line. His health is apparently fine, and even more mysteriously, he's not playing like a guy coming off an injury.
What went on? We may never know. All I can say is that Jordan Harris is okay.
5. Georgia is not just Yante Maten
E'torrion Wilridge has picked up all the minutes from Yante's absence. I don't think I've ever credited Fox for a personnel decision, but I'll do it now. Playing Wilridge makes better sense than starting Mike Edwards. Nothing against Mike, but Wilridge is able to defend better against quicker players, and we need to save Edwards as a guy who can give us "big man" minutes, in case Derek Ogbeide gets in foul trouble.
6. Derek Ogbeide is a horse
Dude had 10 points and 15 boards last night. Can't even remember when a Georgia player last got 15 rebounds.
7. Dynamic Duo still not seen
J.J. has played his best basketball while Yante has been out. He has carried the team because he's had to do it.
Early in the season, it was Yante having the huge games, and J.J.'s shooting seemed off. Remember that Kansas game from back in November? Georgia had a chance for a huge statement win. Yante had 30 points and was killing them on the inside. Kansas went to a zone and the Dawgs fell behind and lost by 11.
If J.J. had played big in that game, we would have destroyed Kansas. However, Frazier fizzled. He played 33 minutes, but never really got on track, achieving just 2 points and 3 turnovers, going 1 for 10 for the floor and 0 for 6 from behind the arc.
Or take our first game against Kentucky. The Dawgs lost in overtime at Rupp. Yante went 8 of 15. J.J. went 8 of 21. Not a terrible game, but had J.J. played up to his standards, Georgia would have taken that game.
When the Cats came to Athens, J.J. played huge. Scored 35 points on 11 for 22 shooting. Problem? Yante had gone down earlier in the game with a knee injury.
Don't know if Yante can come back this season, or if he does, how effective he will be. If J.J. and Yante both play dynamically, we can beat anybody in the country.
8. Everybody Else
Georgia got contributions from up and down in the roster. Sure we've got a Dynamic Duo, but it's great to see we've got a Justice League, too. I mentioned Crump, Harris and Ogbeide already. Juwan Parker didn't shoot that well, going 4 for 12 from the field, but he grabbed 8 rebounds.
9. Momentum
Georgia finally seems to have it. Momemtum and even karma seems to be trending our way.
Didn't expect to be able to say that when Yante got hurt in a freak accident. Everything that could go wrong was seeming to happen.
However, after the overtime loss at Florida, the overtime loss at Kentucky, and the clock debacle at Texas A&M, we're actually coming out ahead in close games. We won by 1 at Tennessee, by 2 against LSU, by 5 at Alabama, and by 1 against Auburn. We're 5 out of our last 6.
Who's to say that we couldn't go into Arkansas and win? If so, Georgia would have huge momentum going into the SEC Tournament.
10. NCAA Tournament
The win at Auburn and the victories accomplished in this stretch run all strengthen the possibilities of Georgia going to the NCAA Tournament. If we win the SEC Tournament, of course, then we punch our own ticket to the Big Dance. But if we fall short of the SEC tourney title, there's still a slim chance of an at-large bid.
Win at Arkansas, and get a couple of victories in the SEC Tournament, then perhaps the NCAA Selection Committee will look at all the above: J.J. Frazier as one of the most exciting players in America. A recovering Yante Maten. Other guys doing just enough in support. Momentum. Playing Kentucky, Kansas and Florida and giving them all they could handle. Overcoming the odds.
Sure, we're an underdog, but what better feeling is there than seeing a Cinderella dance? Than seeing an underdog win? Than the Dynamic Duo and the Justice League vanquishing their foes at the end?
I'm a hoops fan. Hope you are, too. Go Dawgs, beat Arkansas!!!
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Dawgs Edge LSU
LSU is really, really struggling. Hard to even think of how they were set up for success last year with Ben Simmons running point guard. Antonio Blakeny was in that same recruiting class. He has been performing pretty well over the last few games, but I had no idea that the very next year LSU would beat Missouri in a race to last place in the SEC.
So glad the Dawgs pulled this one out. Wasn't able to watch the game, but from all I understand, J.J. was huge yet again. 29 points, 8 assists. Dude is incredible.
Well, I guess Mark Fox is your coach for next year. If we had lost to LSU, I'm not sure he would have survived.
However, after losing Yante Maten to injury, and has recently been revealed, Jordan Harris to a bone chip, Mark Fox has coached us to a win in the next two games. Sure, we lost to Kentucky in that game that Yante was hurt, but we were neck and neck to the end. Alabama and LSU aren't that great (Alabama will be a top three SEC team next year, though), but the point is that UGA finally was able to win close games.
I'm thinking Yante will be back next year, and you have to like a front court of a seasoned and healthy Maten with Derek Ogbeide in the middle, and a multi-skilled Hammonds at the three. You still have Mike Edwards and Nicolas Claxton off the bench. Our back court will be challenged after J.J. graduates, but a rotation of Crump, Harris, Jackson, Hightower, and Parker might be okay if any of those five can advance the ball against pressure and drive the ball to the rim.
Can we bring in Isaiah Miller or Isaiah Banks? I'd love Miller, since he could give us help at point guard. But if for any reason Miller isn't the guy, then Banks from the metro Atlanta area is a 6' 5" shooting guard/small forward who can defend multiple positions. Neither one of them are being heavily recruited, but both are super-athletic, and would be great additions.
As far as closing the 2017 season out, Georgia could indeed go on a run. Have to figure that Auburn, our opponent in the last home game, won't be able to exploit the lack of Yante in the middle. They mostly dribble-drive and shoot three pointers.
We wouldn't play Kentucky until the end, and though we have Florida in our side of the bracket, they're not the same team without Egbunu.
Felton did it. Perhaps Fox can harness the "Tornado Terriers" spirit and somehow win the SEC Tournament. Let's play hard to end the season and see what happens.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Good Game, Dawgs
Gave it our all. They have Malik Monk and we don't.
We lost by 9, but it was an overtime game. UGA was right there. If we had some outside shooting in the first half against their zone, we would have blown them out. Like I said, they have Malik Monk and we don't. He can rise up over defenders and knock down shots. Monk scored 37 for the game and was 7 of 11 behind the arc.
Disappointed that we missed key free throws. Yante missed two straight that we vitally needed. Turtle missed one that would have put Georgia up three before their final possession.
All in all, no complaints here. I don't particularly care for putting KPG in without having other scorers on the floor, but even so, Geno had a nice drive and dish to Ogbeide. I suppose that it's not playing Tyree Crump earlier in the year that I have issue with. Hard to expect him to come in at Rupp and do much. Even still, Fox coached well enough to win.
J.J. didn't have his best game, struggling in the first half. Hard to take him out, though, because we just don't have many other scoring options. Frazier bounced back in the second and really toughed it out, especially after getting knocked in the head.
Really concerned that Turtle Jackson is not giving us much of a lift. Kind of dribbles it around 30 feet from the basket. Glad he can help break the press. But like I said, if he does break the press and gets fouled, then he has to be able to knock down the free throws.
Anyway, after J.J. Frazier graduates, UGA could be in trouble. Tyree Crump plays like a short two guard, and I fear that Teshaun Hightower will play like a tall one.
Yante played a great game. He had a few turnovers here and there, but he was doubled all night, so a few miscues are to be expected. Maten still outplayed the higher ranked Bam Adebayo and Wenyen Gabriel. Yante ended up with 22 points and 5 boards.
Great game for Derek Ogbeide. He's a load in the post. 18 points and 13 boards on 7 of 9 shooting is one of the best games by a UGA big man at Rupp that I can remember.
Jordan Harris, for one, was not scared. He was 3 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from long range. When he gets his confidence up and his turnovers down, he will score a lot of points for Georgia.
Give it to Kentucky, though. They find a way to win.
UGA is 13 and 9 overall and 4 and 5 in the SEC. In danger of sliding down into the lower reaches of the SEC if we don't steal at least one of these next two.
We lost by 9, but it was an overtime game. UGA was right there. If we had some outside shooting in the first half against their zone, we would have blown them out. Like I said, they have Malik Monk and we don't. He can rise up over defenders and knock down shots. Monk scored 37 for the game and was 7 of 11 behind the arc.
Disappointed that we missed key free throws. Yante missed two straight that we vitally needed. Turtle missed one that would have put Georgia up three before their final possession.
All in all, no complaints here. I don't particularly care for putting KPG in without having other scorers on the floor, but even so, Geno had a nice drive and dish to Ogbeide. I suppose that it's not playing Tyree Crump earlier in the year that I have issue with. Hard to expect him to come in at Rupp and do much. Even still, Fox coached well enough to win.
J.J. didn't have his best game, struggling in the first half. Hard to take him out, though, because we just don't have many other scoring options. Frazier bounced back in the second and really toughed it out, especially after getting knocked in the head.
Really concerned that Turtle Jackson is not giving us much of a lift. Kind of dribbles it around 30 feet from the basket. Glad he can help break the press. But like I said, if he does break the press and gets fouled, then he has to be able to knock down the free throws.
Anyway, after J.J. Frazier graduates, UGA could be in trouble. Tyree Crump plays like a short two guard, and I fear that Teshaun Hightower will play like a tall one.
Yante played a great game. He had a few turnovers here and there, but he was doubled all night, so a few miscues are to be expected. Maten still outplayed the higher ranked Bam Adebayo and Wenyen Gabriel. Yante ended up with 22 points and 5 boards.
Great game for Derek Ogbeide. He's a load in the post. 18 points and 13 boards on 7 of 9 shooting is one of the best games by a UGA big man at Rupp that I can remember.
Jordan Harris, for one, was not scared. He was 3 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from long range. When he gets his confidence up and his turnovers down, he will score a lot of points for Georgia.
Give it to Kentucky, though. They find a way to win.
UGA is 13 and 9 overall and 4 and 5 in the SEC. In danger of sliding down into the lower reaches of the SEC if we don't steal at least one of these next two.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Georgia Beats Texas: Ten Good Signs
Georgia beat Texas by 2 yesterday evening. Boy, did we ever need that win. Fox needed that win. Not sure he would have survived a third consecutive loss. Since some UGA fans have wanted UT coach, Shaka Smart, to come to Athens, it was good to see Fox get the W.
There were numerous good signs in the game.
1. J.J. Frazier has good second half
Frazier didn't shoot the ball well. If memory serves me, he was 0 for 5 from the field in the first half.
His stats for the game weren't great. I think he ended up shooting 5 for 16. The key, however, is that he came back in the second half and hit some key buckets. Frazier also resisted the urge to do it all by himself, passing up at least one long-range jumper and getting the ball to Maten.
2. Maten had a good game
Yante seems to play well against big physical line-ups. Shaquille Cleare, the Texas center, is a huge man at 6' 8", 275. Jarrett Allen is 6' 11", 235, and they bring Georgia native, James Banks, off the bench at 6' 10", 240.
Yet with all of their physicality, Maten was able to post up and still not get knocked out of position by the Texas front line. Yante finished with 21 points and 7 boards, outscoring the combined total of their big guys.
3. Georgia won the turnover battle
Texas had 14 turnovers. UGA had just 12. That's huge.
4. We broke the press
Late in the game, when the Longhorns threw their press against us, Georgia maintained composure.
The way we played against A&M, you would think that we never practice against the press. Well, we did enough this game, using J.J. as a decoy, getting the ball in to Turtle and having him attack from one side, then J.J. from the other. We narrowly avoiding a J.J. Frazier turnover toward the end, but we didn't give the ball back to them, and they didn't have any fast-break opportunities off of our sloppiness. I don't think they got a single turnover off of their press. Good work, Dawgs.
5. Turtle Jackson played well
His stats won't overwhelm you, but he had 2 points, 2 steals, 2 assists and 0 turnovers. I like Jordan Harris and his athleticism, but late in the game when you need someone to bring the ball up court, Turtle Jackson is a better option.
6. Fox gave Tyree Crump some time
Crump has to get used to playing. We'll need him before the year is out, and he will absolutely have to play major minutes next year. No sense for Fox to keep sitting him at the end of the bench. Granted, Crump played only 4 minutes, but that's more than he's been getting, and the experience will help him later on.
7. Enough contributions from other guys
Jordan Harris hit two long-range shots. Juwan Parker scored 9, including two huge buckets late in the game. Derek Ogbeide and Mike Edwards were physical enough against their guys. Derek needs to learn to set screens, though.
8. Fans showed up
Well, the Steg didn't look full from what I could tell, but there was enough of a crowd. The commentators said that all the tickets were sold.
9. The clock issues continued, but...
When the officials went to the monitor to check on whether Derek Ogbeide got the ball up before the shot clock expired, I had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Derek's bucket was disallowed. Yet up two, Georgia tightened up on defense and found a way to win.
10. Georgia got lucky
Looked like the shot by their guy was going in. The refs could have called a foul on Yante. But neither happened. The shot went in, then twisted out. Lady Luck smiled on us instead of her usual scowl. Dawgs won by 2.
Georgia is now 13 and 8, heading into a tough stretch of opponents, including Kentucky, South Carolina, and Florida. Would be amazing if Fox can win two out of these next three. It can happen.
Go Dawgs!
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Apologies, Kudos, and Credit
My apologies to the timekeeper down at Texas A&M. From all I understand after reading the statement from the SEC, it was not the timekeeper's fault, but rather a malfunction of equipment.
Kudos to UF Basketball Coach Mike White
After Florida lost a close game to Vanderbilt, Coach White said that he "put (his player) in a difficult situation. It's my fault."
Has Coach Fox ever said anything similar? I could have missed it, of course, but humility stands out to me.
Fox has to shoulder some of the blame for UGA's late game collapse. How could you not put Turtle Jackson in? Jordan Harris is not a good ball-handler. If you have Wilridge in the game, then sub in Jackson for Geno.
Credit goes to Turtle Jackson for the good game. Instead of launching three-pointers, Jackson took the ball to the basket and shot a mid-range jumper, things I have wanted him to do. He went 2 for 2 from the floor in the contest.
Kudos to UF Basketball Coach Mike White
After Florida lost a close game to Vanderbilt, Coach White said that he "put (his player) in a difficult situation. It's my fault."
Has Coach Fox ever said anything similar? I could have missed it, of course, but humility stands out to me.
Fox has to shoulder some of the blame for UGA's late game collapse. How could you not put Turtle Jackson in? Jordan Harris is not a good ball-handler. If you have Wilridge in the game, then sub in Jackson for Geno.
Credit goes to Turtle Jackson for the good game. Instead of launching three-pointers, Jackson took the ball to the basket and shot a mid-range jumper, things I have wanted him to do. He went 2 for 2 from the floor in the contest.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Texas A&M Game Shows we need to Recruit another Guard
It was so obvious watching the Texas A&M game today that Jordan Harris is a small small forward, and Tyree Crump is a small shooting guard. Maybe we can help both freshmen with their ball-handling skills over the summer, but for the present, at least, these guys aren't able to advance the ball against SEC-level defenses.
As it stands, we will have Turtle Jackson as our point guard next year. I'm not convinced that Teshaun Hightower has point guard skills.
So, to keep UGA from losing every game next year to teams which press, we have to recruit someone like Isaiah Miller. Better yet, find a way to bring in Avery Wilson as well. He can probably get in to UGA as a student, so maybe we can ask him to come in as a preferred walk-on.
I like Derrick Walker, and would welcome him, especially if Yante Maten goes to the NBA, but since we only have so many scholarship spots, we just have to get a couple of unsigned guys who can handle the ball.
As it stands, we will have Turtle Jackson as our point guard next year. I'm not convinced that Teshaun Hightower has point guard skills.
So, to keep UGA from losing every game next year to teams which press, we have to recruit someone like Isaiah Miller. Better yet, find a way to bring in Avery Wilson as well. He can probably get in to UGA as a student, so maybe we can ask him to come in as a preferred walk-on.
I like Derrick Walker, and would welcome him, especially if Yante Maten goes to the NBA, but since we only have so many scholarship spots, we just have to get a couple of unsigned guys who can handle the ball.
Disgraceful: Three Issues
Hard to understand being up 13 and then losing the game. We're 12 and 7 now, and 4 and 3 in the SEC. Team has a lot of good parts, but we're falling apart late in games and it's hard to make the Big Dance if we can't close these contests out.
I. Turnovers
Way too many turnovers, especially within the last two minutes.
Jordan Harris, you have to be strong with the ball. You're too good to have 6 or 7 turnovers in one game. I know you're a freshman, but you're also a starter on a D-1 team. You need to learn now. If you drive the lane, wrap it up like a fullback until you're close enough to shoot.
J.J., you can't drive the ball to the hoop during the last 90 seconds of the game, leave your feet and throw it to their guys. At least, try to make a shot.
If you make a key turnover, you have to put it behind you. You can't let a pass bounce off your chest and fall out of bounds.
You are a tough competitor and the guy with the ball late. You will most often be the hero or the goat in close games. Well, with the point guard position comes point guard responsibilities.
I understand that the pressure is on. That the press is on. Not easy to perform when the crowd is against you and athletes are running at you. We have to find a way.
II. Coaching
Mark Fox: Why play Kenny Paul Geno and not Turtle Jackson? Turtle Jackson was actually shooting well this game. I know we had guys go out with fouls, but we needed another ball handler desperately.
It's not like KPG was an incredible defender down there. He hustles for rebounds, and can sometimes take a charge. But against the press, he sets a screen and then floats around, of zero help getting the ball over the time line. Good Dawg, but it's not his skill set to break the press.
I also disagree with Yante Maten taking the ball out of bounds. Since they were letting us throw the ball into the corner, we didn't need Maten to see over the defense. We needed him in the middle to be an outlet. If you insist on playing KPG, let him take the ball out.
III. Timekeeper
Home-cooking timekeeper and refs: You are disgraceful.
We should have won the game. Bad coaching was part of the issue, but the last play was so weird and the clock error so egregious that the SEC simply has to step in. In that kind of situation, the solution is to play the last 5.6 seconds again. Otherwise, unscrupulous time-keepers will cheat to the visiting team's disadvantage.
I. Turnovers
Way too many turnovers, especially within the last two minutes.
Jordan Harris, you have to be strong with the ball. You're too good to have 6 or 7 turnovers in one game. I know you're a freshman, but you're also a starter on a D-1 team. You need to learn now. If you drive the lane, wrap it up like a fullback until you're close enough to shoot.
J.J., you can't drive the ball to the hoop during the last 90 seconds of the game, leave your feet and throw it to their guys. At least, try to make a shot.
If you make a key turnover, you have to put it behind you. You can't let a pass bounce off your chest and fall out of bounds.
You are a tough competitor and the guy with the ball late. You will most often be the hero or the goat in close games. Well, with the point guard position comes point guard responsibilities.
I understand that the pressure is on. That the press is on. Not easy to perform when the crowd is against you and athletes are running at you. We have to find a way.
II. Coaching
Mark Fox: Why play Kenny Paul Geno and not Turtle Jackson? Turtle Jackson was actually shooting well this game. I know we had guys go out with fouls, but we needed another ball handler desperately.
It's not like KPG was an incredible defender down there. He hustles for rebounds, and can sometimes take a charge. But against the press, he sets a screen and then floats around, of zero help getting the ball over the time line. Good Dawg, but it's not his skill set to break the press.
I also disagree with Yante Maten taking the ball out of bounds. Since they were letting us throw the ball into the corner, we didn't need Maten to see over the defense. We needed him in the middle to be an outlet. If you insist on playing KPG, let him take the ball out.
III. Timekeeper
Home-cooking timekeeper and refs: You are disgraceful.
We should have won the game. Bad coaching was part of the issue, but the last play was so weird and the clock error so egregious that the SEC simply has to step in. In that kind of situation, the solution is to play the last 5.6 seconds again. Otherwise, unscrupulous time-keepers will cheat to the visiting team's disadvantage.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Recruiting (Derrick Walker and Teshaun Hightower)
Teshaun Hightower and Derrick Walker are visiting Athens in January.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
Let's get it done.
Hightower will come to Athens next week. Georgia should have a good shot at securing Teshaun's commitment, since Hightower is from the Atlanta area and prior to his prep year at Mt. Zion, played high school ball at Collins Hill. Our competition at this point is Middle Tennessee, La Salle, and Western Kentucky.
Walker will be on an unofficial on January 28th. He was reported as having a final three of Tennessee, St. John's, and UGA. Maybe Jonas and crew can get him committed. Of the three finalists, Georgia may be the only school with definite scholarship room. Besides, UGA is scheduled for his last visit, and Walker will have Yante Maten's big scoring outputs as examples.
Walker is a guy that could be a cross between Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes, power forwards recruited back in the Dennis Felton era. Derrick impresses me as someone who is not super-athletic, but has good hands, is a willing rebounder, and has developing post moves. There's a lot to work with, and he could end up as being a skilled big like Yante Maten.
If Yante stays for his senior year, we could have a starting front court of Maten, Derek Ogbeide, and Rayshaun Hammonds. The second unit front court would be Nicolas Claxton, Mike Edwards, and Derrick Walker. That rotation would be fun to watch, and Coach Fox would be able to substitute to his heart's content without huge drop-offs in talent.
As for the back-court, Georgia is not in as good shape. We will lose J.J. Frazier to graduation this year. That's huge. Frazier is our primary ball-handler and scoring guard.
So, we'd have Turtle Jackson and Jordan Harris as the likely starters at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Fox won't be able to keep Tyree Crump on the bench next year. Unless Turtle improves his shooting, we probably need Crump to improve his point guard skills so that Turtle can continue to come in as a back-up point guard.
I suppose Juwan Parker will stay for his second medical red-shirt year. That makes four guards who can be counted on as a reasonable rotation. Pape Diatta is more of a small forward, in my mind. I am focused on guys who can be counted on to bring the ball up the floor.
Per the Prep Showcase article above, Teshaun Hightower sees himself as a big point guard. One site has Hightower at 6' 4". Although Prep Showcase says he's 6' 6", I think the shorter of the two measurements is closer to reality. Either way, Georgia has recent history with a big point guard, Charles Mann, and that experience should be a selling point to Hightower.
Teshaun looks to have a pretty good handle and shoots the ball with confidence and arc. Don't know if he could run the point guard at the college level, but I'm satisfied enough that he can contribute and a give us a fifth quality guard. Hightower scored 31 against a pretty talented Norcross High team last year.
The good news is that Walker and Hightower are enough under the radar that Georgia can potentially sign them. They would likely stay all four years, too. Kind of guys we need.
Recruiting seems to be on an upswing. Jordan Harris, Tyree Crump and Pape Diatta were good additions for 2016, and I like the addition of Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, the two signees for next year. Although Hammonds would be the only highly ranked guy, if we add Hightower and Walker, to Hammonds and Claxton, the 2017 class would arguably be the best ever for Coach Fox.
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.
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.
Saturday, December 24, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, December 23, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, December 2, 2016
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:
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).
Friday, November 25, 2016
Watched the game again
Boy, did we have our chances. Missed free throws, errant passes, bad shots.
Well, our guards won't always play that poorly. By the way, clarification from my last post. Jordan Harris did not dribble the ball off his foot. Diatta gave him a bounce pass at his feet.
All the same, to go into their home state and knock off a top-five team, we really needed clutch play from our perimeter guys. We didn't get it. Our guards shot 6 for 31 from the field, 16 percent from behind the arc, and had 9 turnovers against 5 assists.
Another scoring option off the bench sure would have been great to have.
That's one of the reasons why I felt we should have brought in Tookie Brown, the point guard from the Athens area, in 2015. Sure, he's a sub-six-footer, and we already had J.J. Frazier. However, when Mississippi State fired Rick Ray and Tookie Brown re-opened his recruitment, I thought sure Fox was going to jump on him right away. Brown led his team to the state championship, was a 3,000 point scorer, and was available again. However, Brown's major suitors at the time were Tennessee and Georgia State.
Brown ended up at Georgia Southern, where he has shown that he can create and score the basketball. Although he didn't have his best shooting day, this week he put up 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, with 0 turnovers against Dennis Smith and the rest of the vaunted N.C. State backcourt.
Likewise, for the 2016 class, I wanted us to go hard after Athens area player, Kamar Baldwin. Happy with Crump, especially if getting him brought us Jordan Harris, too. However, if we passed on Baldwin, shame on us.
Butler is very happy with Baldwin. Besides being an elite defender, Baldwin is shooting 65 percent from the floor on the year, and 55 percent from three. Against Vanderbilt, he was 5 of 7 from the floor, and 2 of 3 from behind the arc. Production like that would have won us the game against Kansas.
Hope we can pick up another guard in this recruiting class. In the meantime, let's go out and beat Gardner Webb.
Well, our guards won't always play that poorly. By the way, clarification from my last post. Jordan Harris did not dribble the ball off his foot. Diatta gave him a bounce pass at his feet.
All the same, to go into their home state and knock off a top-five team, we really needed clutch play from our perimeter guys. We didn't get it. Our guards shot 6 for 31 from the field, 16 percent from behind the arc, and had 9 turnovers against 5 assists.
Another scoring option off the bench sure would have been great to have.
That's one of the reasons why I felt we should have brought in Tookie Brown, the point guard from the Athens area, in 2015. Sure, he's a sub-six-footer, and we already had J.J. Frazier. However, when Mississippi State fired Rick Ray and Tookie Brown re-opened his recruitment, I thought sure Fox was going to jump on him right away. Brown led his team to the state championship, was a 3,000 point scorer, and was available again. However, Brown's major suitors at the time were Tennessee and Georgia State.
Brown ended up at Georgia Southern, where he has shown that he can create and score the basketball. Although he didn't have his best shooting day, this week he put up 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, with 0 turnovers against Dennis Smith and the rest of the vaunted N.C. State backcourt.
Likewise, for the 2016 class, I wanted us to go hard after Athens area player, Kamar Baldwin. Happy with Crump, especially if getting him brought us Jordan Harris, too. However, if we passed on Baldwin, shame on us.
Butler is very happy with Baldwin. Besides being an elite defender, Baldwin is shooting 65 percent from the floor on the year, and 55 percent from three. Against Vanderbilt, he was 5 of 7 from the floor, and 2 of 3 from behind the arc. Production like that would have won us the game against Kansas.
Hope we can pick up another guard in this recruiting class. In the meantime, let's go out and beat Gardner Webb.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Almost There
Well, I've wanted Georgia to be able to compete against the "big boys", and we have the team to do it now. Georgia gave Kansas a run, but we aren't quite there yet. Dawgs lose by 11, Final score, 65 to 54.
This game was right there for the taking. Yante Maten played an incredible game. He dominated their big men for 30 points and 13 rebounds. Shot 11 for 23 from the floor, which isn't great, but it was more than enough. He missed a few in the second half because the Kansas zone collapsed on him.
Meanwhile, their three big guys, Udoka Azubuike, Landon Lucas, and Dwight Coleby, went 1 for 2 from the field, for a combined two points and seven rebounds.
Georgia out-rebounded Kansas, 39 to 36. We had their big guys in foul trouble all night.
Georgia would have won easily had we gotten any scoring from our 1, 2, and 3 positions. Let's face it: if J.J. Frazier goes 1 for 10 from the field, we're in trouble.
And tonight, no one else picked him up. Juwan Parker shot 2 for 9. He needs to change his release point and make it a split-second earlier. Right now, he is trying to guide the ball in.
Jordan Harris was 1 for 4. Tyree Crump was 0 for 1. Turtle Jackson was 2 for 5, making two three-pointers. However, Jackson shoots across his body, which results in some very bad misses. I think on two of his shots, he didn't even hit the rim.
It's not even that their defense was that great. We just couldn't put it in. Our perimeter players went 6 for 31. If our guards can't reach 20 percent shooting, we will lose a ton of games.
Jordan Harris played plenty of minutes. I have argued for more playing time for him. Well, in the key sequence of the game, Georgia was down 8 and we battled for an offensive rebound. Jordan had the ball with a chance to reset the offense, and he dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds.
As readers know, as a general rule, I don't criticize the players. But Jordan can play better, and he has to get it done. The game will slow down for him, and he will score a bunch of points for Georgia in his career.
Well, we played hard on defense, our zone was effective enough. The good news is that J.J. won't always shoot poorly. The other guards will have better games.
Georgia is improving. We competed, and if we start getting complete games from our guards and bigs, we're going to make some noise.
This game was right there for the taking. Yante Maten played an incredible game. He dominated their big men for 30 points and 13 rebounds. Shot 11 for 23 from the floor, which isn't great, but it was more than enough. He missed a few in the second half because the Kansas zone collapsed on him.
Meanwhile, their three big guys, Udoka Azubuike, Landon Lucas, and Dwight Coleby, went 1 for 2 from the field, for a combined two points and seven rebounds.
Georgia out-rebounded Kansas, 39 to 36. We had their big guys in foul trouble all night.
Georgia would have won easily had we gotten any scoring from our 1, 2, and 3 positions. Let's face it: if J.J. Frazier goes 1 for 10 from the field, we're in trouble.
And tonight, no one else picked him up. Juwan Parker shot 2 for 9. He needs to change his release point and make it a split-second earlier. Right now, he is trying to guide the ball in.
Jordan Harris was 1 for 4. Tyree Crump was 0 for 1. Turtle Jackson was 2 for 5, making two three-pointers. However, Jackson shoots across his body, which results in some very bad misses. I think on two of his shots, he didn't even hit the rim.
It's not even that their defense was that great. We just couldn't put it in. Our perimeter players went 6 for 31. If our guards can't reach 20 percent shooting, we will lose a ton of games.
Jordan Harris played plenty of minutes. I have argued for more playing time for him. Well, in the key sequence of the game, Georgia was down 8 and we battled for an offensive rebound. Jordan had the ball with a chance to reset the offense, and he dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds.
As readers know, as a general rule, I don't criticize the players. But Jordan can play better, and he has to get it done. The game will slow down for him, and he will score a bunch of points for Georgia in his career.
Well, we played hard on defense, our zone was effective enough. The good news is that J.J. won't always shoot poorly. The other guards will have better games.
Georgia is improving. We competed, and if we start getting complete games from our guards and bigs, we're going to make some noise.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Giving Credit
where credit is due.
I have written more than once about Coach Fox and his use of talent. All too often we have had talented freshmen on the bench, when they could have done so much more on the floor.
I wanted, for example, Kenny Gaines to play with Kentavious. Not back him up, but rather, be on the court at the same time-- go to a three-guard line-up to make the best use of the talent we had on hand. I had hoped that Yante Maten would have gotten much more time as a freshman. Sure, we had Marcus and Nemi, but I wanted Coach Fox to find a way to play all three at once, or at least sub Nemi out more often.
This year, I have argued that we have to have Jordan Harris on the floor.
Well, Coach Fox actually gave Jordan right at 15 minutes of playing time in the last game. Although Coach cautioned that he did so because of match-ups, Jordan deserves minutes. He can defend and score and take his man off the dribble, something we need in the absence of Charles Mann.
Just as I complain when talent remains on the bench, I will encourage when our line-ups make more sense. I see the progress. More of the same, please, with additional minutes for Tyree Crump.
I have written more than once about Coach Fox and his use of talent. All too often we have had talented freshmen on the bench, when they could have done so much more on the floor.
I wanted, for example, Kenny Gaines to play with Kentavious. Not back him up, but rather, be on the court at the same time-- go to a three-guard line-up to make the best use of the talent we had on hand. I had hoped that Yante Maten would have gotten much more time as a freshman. Sure, we had Marcus and Nemi, but I wanted Coach Fox to find a way to play all three at once, or at least sub Nemi out more often.
This year, I have argued that we have to have Jordan Harris on the floor.
Well, Coach Fox actually gave Jordan right at 15 minutes of playing time in the last game. Although Coach cautioned that he did so because of match-ups, Jordan deserves minutes. He can defend and score and take his man off the dribble, something we need in the absence of Charles Mann.
Just as I complain when talent remains on the bench, I will encourage when our line-ups make more sense. I see the progress. More of the same, please, with additional minutes for Tyree Crump.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Season Ends
Congrats to the guys, particularly Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines. You represented us well.
I know that Juwan is frustrated that his bad wheel wouldn't let him get on the court this year. If he has to hang up the sneakers and move on due to his injury, he's got a bright future.
1. Basketball when played well, is a fantastic sport
Not just to play, but to watch. As Georgia gets better, the crowds will show up. Jordan Harris plays an exciting brand. So does J.J. Frazier.
2. UGA will be a better squad next year
Yante Maten will only get better. This year's freshmen will mature and improve over the summer, and next year's freshmen are SEC-ready athletes.
3. Still don't understand the sub patterns
Didn't watch the game, but from all I could tell, Derek Ogbeide was doing great. Predictably, he was yanked right at what seemed to me to be the three-minute mark. I don't think he scored another point all game. Fort those of you who watched the game, let me know if I'm wrong. I think we were leading or tied with St. Mary's when he was pulled. We had an advantage with Ogbeide and the substitution broke his rhythm.
4. Yante Maten
Sad that he had to close out the season with a poor performance. If he shoots under 30 percent for the game, Georgia will lose nine times out of ten.
5. Wacky Gyms
Unfair advantage for the home team. Hopefully, UGA will make the NCAA Tournament next year and it won't be as big an issue. Still is a bit of one every time we go play at Vandy.
6. Recruiting
Hopeful UGA can pick up another Derek Ogbeide or Mike Edwards in the spring recruiting cycle.
As I have posted previously, I would like to see us bring in Bruno Fernando, Harold Baruti or Deshaun Corprew. It's frustrating to not see Georgia mentioned prominently by any of the top remaining recruits.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
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?
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?
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Kobi Simmons to Arizona
He could have helped at UGA. I wouldn't trade Jordan Harris for him, but a big point guard would have been a nice addition to the 2016 class.
Next year UGA will have four quality guards on the roster in J.J. Frazier, Turtle Jackson, Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris. That's good, but since J.J. Frazier is more like a short two-guard, and we have been going with a three-guard line-up, Kobi Simmons would have plugged right in and competed for a starting position.
We'll see if Simmons can develop his potential. Not an elite shooter at this point, but he has all the physical tools to contribute at a high level.
Can Georgia bring in a talented spring signee or two?
Next year UGA will have four quality guards on the roster in J.J. Frazier, Turtle Jackson, Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris. That's good, but since J.J. Frazier is more like a short two-guard, and we have been going with a three-guard line-up, Kobi Simmons would have plugged right in and competed for a starting position.
We'll see if Simmons can develop his potential. Not an elite shooter at this point, but he has all the physical tools to contribute at a high level.
Can Georgia bring in a talented spring signee or two?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)