Whatever Happened to

Jim Harrick's final recruiting class? 

Before Jim Harrick was dismissed back in 2003, he had a five-man recruiting class signed up.  Three freshmen and two JUCO's. 

Some Georgia fans were excited, but I didn't think much of the class at the time.  Sure, Harrick's basketball squad was performing well, but I had had gotten pumped up before about Harrick's recruiting.  The class that fooled me once was the 2002 signees, Harrick's next to last recruiting group of Alexander Johnson, Larry Turner and Julius Lamptey.  They ran 6' 10", 6' 10" and 7.0'.  Georgia was finally getting some athletic big men! 

The problem was that none of them got into school.

Well, as it turned out, Harrick's 2003 class didn't get into UGA either, but that was because they all asked for their releases after Harrick was dismissed-- everyone but Corey Gibbs, who was the lone recruit from the state of Georgia.  He did honor his letter of intent and enrolled.

In the aftermath of the Harrick melt-down, some basketball boosters were upset.  I was, too.  My concern was about the future of the basketball program.  But there were guys who lamented what could have been, especially in light of Harrick's "fantastic 2003 recruiting class."  One fan told me that Harrick's class was ranked in the top ten back then. 

I don't remember any top ten ranking, can't find evidence of it now, and I don't think he had it right.  In any case, the proof is in the pudding.  Know how many of that fantastic class made it to the NBA?  You got it.  Zip.  They didn't even perform that well in the college ranks.

Jordan Howell transferred to UT where he averaged 4 pts a game on 32 percent shooting.  He got 1 rebound a contest.

Marcus Jackson transferred to Marquette.  He netted 2.5 pts and 5 rebounds for his career.

Mohamed Abukar transferred to Florida.  In 2 years Abukar averaged 4 pts and 1 rebound per game while playing against SEC competition.  He transferred again, apparently homesick for San Diego and put up 15 and 6. 

Cassiano Matheus was a 3-star who transferred to Utah State.  He averaged 7 pts and 4 bds playing against basketball powerhouses Idaho, South Dakato State and Hawaii.

Corey Gibbs averaged 4 pts and 3 bds, but never played well for Georgia because of a bad knee injury incurred his senior year of high school.

Bottom line:  Maybe one of Harrick's recruits might have helped UGA basketball in a significant way.  Maybe.  But Harrick's failures in recruiting had the program on a downward spiral long before the ethical issues came to light.

All-Almost Team

Saw recently that Alexander Johnson was cut by the Utah Jazz. He's good enough to almost make an NBA team's final roster.

That reminded me that UGA has had its own share of almost players. Guys that have committed or even signed with the team, but never made it to campus.

Here's my starting five for the All-Almost Team.

Louis Williams
Robert Dozier
Alexander Johnson
Larry Turner
Mohamed Abukar

Score International wins over the Washington Jammers

After getting beaten by the Dominican Blue Team on Friday, Score International rebounded Saturday with a win over the Washington Jammers, a team from the U.S. The final score was 67 to 65.

Score International moved on to the next round and played the Dominican White Team on Sunday. Larry Turner notched 12 points to help lead the locals to victory, 73 to 68.

Albert Jackson and Score International Update

Albert Jackson is in the Dominican Republic this weekend, playing with a team from Score International (see www.scoreinternational.org). Besides Jackson, players from Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are on the 9-player squad.

The Score International group will begin the day with ministry activities, including delivering food to the poor and visiting orphanages. During the evening, Jackson and Score International will compete on the court. Opposing them will be many talented players from the Dominican Republic, including Al Horford and Francisco Garcia.

For the sake of reference, Al Horford was a starter with Florida's two national championship teams and runner-up for the 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year. He scored 10 points with 10 rebounds per game this past year. Francisco Garcia is a current NBA player with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 12 points and 3 rebounds in the 2007/2008 season. Garcia starred at Louisville for Coach Rick Pitino's team, and led the team to the 2005 Final Four.

Horford and Garcia will be playing on the Dominican Republic's Blue Team (the Dominican team is divided into a blue team and a white team). Joining them and competing for the blue squad will be none other than former UGA recruit and Milledgeville native, Larry Turner, who has applied for citizenship.

Needless to say, the competition in the post will be intense. Al Horford is a rising star in the NBA and Larry Turner is a big physical player at 6' 11", 260 pounds. The basketball playing time and the life experience for Albert Jackson will be unforgettable.

Larry Turner Playing for the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants

I don't like the team name, but that's beside the point.

Larry Turner plays for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, an NBA Development League team that was formed in November, 2007. Jeremy Richardson, who later was signed by the Atlanta Hawks, played for Fort Wayne when he was in the D-League. The Mad Ants are affiliated with the NBA's Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons squads.

Turner did fairly well for the Mad Ants. He averaged 8 pts and 7 boards per contest.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/career.jsp?player=larry_turner

Larry Turner never played for UGA, although he almost did. A 6' 10" center, he was considered a key recruit in Coach Jim Harrick's anticipated class of 2002. Turner attended Baldwin High in Milledgeville, Georgia, averaging 12 pts, 10 rebounds and 6 assists his senior year.

However, due to purported irregularities in the test-taking process, Larry Turner was not admitted to the University. He ended up going to Oklahoma, where he averaged just 3 pts and 2 rebounds per game. Turner later transferred to Tennessee State, and averaged right at 6 pts and 6 rebounds per contest.

Turner was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers in August of 2007, and thereafter played in the D-League. Turner was named on July 17, 2008, to the Ambassador team, the group of D-League allstars that sometimes competes against international teams.