Ten Reasons Georgia Basketball is Trending Up

Georgia basketball is trending up.  Here's why:

1.  Overall Win Record

Had a maddening overtime defeat to LSU, and I hate losing to Georgia Tech, but if we win at South Carolina, UGA will be 15 and 5, a very strong showing through the first 20 games.

2.  RPI

In the 20's according to the various sites.  Still plenty of ball to be played, but as for now, our schedule strength and win-loss record project that we should easily qualify for the NCAA tourney this year.

3.  Competitive in the SEC

Georgia is now 5 and 2 in the SEC, ranked 2nd place in the Conference.

We don't have a stable of big guys like Kentucky, but no one else in the country does.  Meanwhile, we match up pretty well with the rest of the teams in the SEC.

4.  Handling Adversity

Brandon Morris was arrested, then dismissed from the team before the season started. Kenny Gaines was sick when the year began, then injured shortly thereafter.  Kenny Paul Geno got injured and is likely lost for the year.  Cameron Forte got sick.  Marcus Thornton battled and overcame knee problems over the last couple of years.  Yante Maten got hit by a car.  Wow.

The team could have folded under pressure.  Instead, Fox has adjusted his rotation, and UGA has made it work.

5.  No new off-court issues

Sure, the guys aren't perfect, but the current squad has avoided the kinds of missteps that could distract from team performance and derail the season.

6.  Win Streak

Georgia has won 5 in a row with a winnable game at South Carolina up next.

7.  Balanced Scoring

The game at Mississippi State was an anomaly.  No one played well except J.J. Frazier (and he was exceptional).  The Vandy game was more typical.  Although Charles Mann did not have a good outing, everybody else played well enough, and the Dawgs got the win.

And that's the UGA recipe for success.  All five starters currently average double-figures in scoring.  Really helps UGA win a game when multiple guys can step up and get a bucket when we need it.  

8.  Free Throw Shooting

Georgia shoots a lot of free throws.  Part of that is because Charles Mann always attacks the rim.  Georgia attempted 25 foul shots against Vandy and made 23.  Now, we haven't been hitting that percentage (92%) every game, but if we keep going to the line and shooting a decent percentage, we can win more often than not.

9.  2015 Recruiting

We missed on some targets this year.  Malik Beasley, a two-guard out of Alpharetta, was supposedly going to commit. Instead went with Florida State.  High-scoring wing Tevin Mack was predicted to UGA by some web sites.  Ended up choosing VCU, if I remember correctly.  We didn't get Georgia high school big men Daniel Giddens or Doral Moore.

However, unlike previous years, when we didn't get our top level recruits, this time we came back and were able to get next tier guys that can definitely help right away.  Georgia signed Turtle Jackson, a big point guard who can score; Derek Ogbeide, an improving post with good athleticism; and E'Torrion Wilridge, an athletic 3/4.  If we keep winning, who's to say that we don't have a real shot at Jaylen Brown out at Wheeler High.

10.  2016 Recruiting

If Georgia gets a B or B- so far for 2015 recruiting, we're tracking A+ territory for 2016.  Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris committed early.  When was the last time that we got pledges from two key recruits almost a full two seasons early?

KCP committed early, but Fox wasn't able to turn that commitment into a magnet for other highly ranked players.  Felton recruited the dynamic duo of Lou Williams and Mike Mercer, but Williams never made it to campus, opting instead to go straight to the NBA.  As good as Williams and Mercer were, I like Crump and Harris better, because Mercer couldn't really shoot the ball.  Harris has Mercer-type athleticism, and he can flat out stroke it.

Fox will have to fight like crazy to keep them, but if he can, Crump and Harris may help UGA bring in a couple of posts.

Georgia basketball is trending up.  If we finish the SEC slate with a few victories and complete our recruiting 2015 and 2016 classes with a couple of studs, the bandwagon will be suddenly full.   Georgia fans who "always really loved basketball," but were waiting on the side of the road hoping that UGA would somehow get the program rolling in the right direction, might want to jump on now, buy tickets, and support the team.

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

Recruiting: Tough Business

I saw recently that both Jason Morris and Shannon Scott have eliminated Georgia from consideration.

UGA is, however, still in the running for Cady Lalanne.

These developments show just how difficult it is to get basketball recruiting going at Georgia.

Looking back at recent history, Dennis Felton arrived in Athens after the awkward personnel decisions were reached with Jim Harrick. Due to the looming NCAA penalties, Felton appropriately agreed to release Harrick's incoming class from their letters of intent.

Since Harrick had largely been unsuccessful in recruiting, Felton faced a roster with several seniors, but no juniors and no sophomores. Felton's recruiting efforts achieved the following results:

1. 2003: Corey Gibbs, Marcus Sikes, Steve Newman and Levi Stukes (two 3-star players, and 2 unranked guys. Decent last minute work, but no home runs, especially given the fact that Gibbs was coming off of a knee injury)
2. 2004: Channing Toney, Younes Idrissi, Dave Bliss, and Sundiata Gaines (two 3-stars and two unranked)
3. 2005: Louis Williams, Mike Mercer, Rashaad Singleton, Terrance Woodbury, Kendrick Johnson, and Billy Humphrey (two 5-stars and four 3-stars)
4. 2006: Takais Brown and Albert Jackson (one 3-star and one unranked Juco)
5. 2007: Chris Barnes, Troy Brewer, Jeremy Jacob, Jeremy Price and Zac Swansey (two 4-stars, and three 3-stars)
6. 2008: Ebuka Anyaorah, Travis Leslie, Howard Thompkins, Dustin Ware, and Drazen Zlovaric (one 4-star and four 3-stars)
7. 2009: Demario Mayfield and Daniel Miller (one 3-star that would stay, and one that would ask out of his commitment after Felton was let go)

Felton did a respectable job in recruiting, especially so, given the fact that he had to recruit under the cloud of an NCAA investigation for the first couple of years. His third year, 2005, was supposed to be his "money year," the year in which his recruiting and the team's performance were supposed to take off.

And from all indications, things were pretty much set. He got early commitments from two 5-star players. However, Louis Williams opted to go straight to the pro's, and didn't show up at all. Another player, Kendrick Johnson, who was supposed to provide depth in the post, showed up with hobbled wheels.

From there, instead of taking off, things went down-hill for UGA. Injuries, transfers, suspensions and dismissals decimated the roster and the team's record. Although Georgia went to the NCAA Tourney in 2008 under Felton, the team's disappointing record in 2009 and the failure in quality recruiting during the year ultimately led to Felton's dismissal.

Now what? Mark Fox is on the scene. Can he reverse the tide?

Maybe. There are reasons for optimism here. No NCAA investigation. A new training facility. Even better news, Fox does not have to recruit like crazy to be successful. He has a roster full of scholarship players. He has 9 players-- 1 senior, 2 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 1 freshman, from the Felton tenure.

He can field a competitive team with Thompkins, Ware and Leslie, with Albert Jackson, Jeremy Price and Chris Barnes. All he needs to do is have a good offensive system, and he can win now.

But Fox won't be able to win later unless he recruits. So looking at how things are shaping up, Fox has the following recruiting results:

1. 2009: Vincent Williams (one 3-star to go along with Felton hold-over, Demario Mayfield).
2. 2010: Gerald Robinson (former 3-star from 2007).

Coach Fox wasn't a "big splash" recruit like John Calipari. I don't think it was realistic for fans to expect him to bring talent with him, so his first year is sort of like Felton's. The expectation was for him to plug up as many holes in the roster as possible. Vincent Williams is decent work, considering the circumstances.

The key for Fox is whether he can compress the schedule. Make his second year much better, like a money year, if you will, and really do well in 2011.

So far, the jury is still out on the 2010 recruiting for Fox. Georgia has missed out on some guys, but we still have a shot at Jelan Kendrick, a 5-star, and Cady Lalanne, a 3-star forward. If Fox can get Kendrick, Georgia recruiting is definitely on its way up. Follow the successful recruiting of Kendrick with the commitment of Julian Royal, Dai-Jon Parker, Tony Parker, and a couple of the other elite recruits for 2011 and 2012, then Georgia will have finally hit its stride.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed. Recruiting is tough business.

Louis Williams goes off.

Has 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting. Also notched 4 assists and 2 rebounds without a turnover. Williams led Philadelphia to the victory over Washington by a score of 109 to 103.

Still wonder how good Georgia would have been if Williams had ended up in Athens. Guy can score going left or right. Good free throw shooter. Super athletic.

Louis Williams Playing Well in Pre-Season

In a recent game against the NBA Champion Boston Celtics, Louis Williams led his team, the Philadelphia 76er's to victory.

Williams came off the bench and promptly scored 27 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field, and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. That's the production that I was looking forward to when the Dawgs garnered the commitment from Williams.

Williams is fast going to either side and he will challenge big men with his leaping ability. The end result is normally a dunk or a foul, and Williams is a pretty good free throw shooter. The fact that he doesn't fit the typical pass-first point guard proto-type was and is irrelevant. The guy can play.

I had hoped that the Atlanta Hawks would have signed him. I think the Hawks are in pretty good shape with Mike Bibby and Acie Law, but I think Williams is a singular talent.

And just think, he would have been a senior this year.

Louis Williams signs 5-year deal with the Sixers

Kid is going to earn $25 million. Amazing.

Good for him, though. Wish he could have played for Georgia at least one year. The NBA's requirement that guys be at least one year removed from high school before entering the League was passed the year after it would have applied to Louis Williams.

And had he attended Georgia, perhaps Mike Mercer would have kept his head on straight. Who knows? Too much speculation.

I'm glad it worked out for Williams and for Georgia.

Louis Williams doing well

Wonder what would have happened if Louis Williams had ended up attending UGA?

As I recall, Louis Williams was part of the last class that allowed players to leave high school and directly enter the NBA. The collective bargaining agreement only comes up so often, so the argument breaks down at some point, but what would have happened if the NBA had enacted its changes just one year earlier?

But for the NBA allowing him to sign, Williams would have no doubt suited up for the Red and Black. Looking into my not-so-trusty crystal ball, I think Williams would have played at least three seasons, and his impact would have been significant in wins and losses and in recruiting.

Williams has skill sets that other current Georgia players just don't have. The best comparison would be to combine the driving ability of Gaines, the shooting touch of Humphrey, the athleticism of recently departed Mike Mercer, and the foul-shooting of current UAB player, Channing Toney. May sound like a stretch, but here is a guy who is averaging 11 points a game in very limited minutes, in the big leagues.

Williams would have given UGA a very up-tempo speed, and changed the recruiting prospects for the Dawgs for several classes. With a high-scoring guard that goes right or left with equal speed and takes the ball to the hoop constantly, Georgia would have been a threat to win the SEC outright.

That's right. Georgia lost so many close games. Williams leads the 76er's in free throw shooting percentage, and he would have likely done the same at Georgia. Many of those close games would have gone Georgia's way. Now, since Florida was the perennial power in the SEC and won the national championship twice in a row, UGA would have fallen short of winning the title during LW's first two years. But Georgia would have had a very exciting brand of basketball and a lot more wins.

I loved the "worst to first" run by the Dawgs, but when I read articles like the one below, it makes me think that the Dawgs could have had a lot more success a lot sooner.

http://gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=13296&TM=21017.92