Signing off for a week

My wife and I leave for sunny Cancun, Mexico tomorrow morning.  I won't be blogging during that week.  In fact, I won't even be thinking about blogging that week.

All I can promise is if I see a seven footer walking around, I'll call the Dawgs for him.  Can't hurt, right?

So while I'm gone, have a great week, and please enjoy this grainy video of Travis Leslie dunking on Demarcus Cousins:

Harrison twins are returning

Yeah, so...Kentucky is going to be pretty good next year.

Both Harrison twins are returning, along with Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcus Lee, and Dakari Johnson.  Oh, the nos. 6, 9, 18, and 25 freshman are coming to Lexington as well.

I never expected Georgia to win the SEC next season, but this certainly widens the gap.  Fortunately, games aren't won or lost on paper, and we do get them at Stegeman.  Should be fun.

h/t ESPN

Book your travel

A little Friday hoops news to keep you going:

The Georgia men's basketball team has added a game at Kansas State for this upcoming season, according to documents provided to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It's part of a home-and-home series, with Kansas State set to visit Stegeman Coliseum during the 2015-16 season.

This is good news.  I think Mark Fox has finally learned the lesson (or had it learned for him by McGarity) that non-conference play isn't as meaningless as many make it out to be.  Even if Georgia loses this game - a distinct possibility - it is better than a home win over an RPI 300+ team.

Games against Colorado, Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, and now Kansas State, along with some big potential matchups in the preseason NIT, mean Georgia will have a real chance to make a splash early in the season.

h/t Seth Emerson

ad more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/25/3072978/hoops-georgia-schedule-keeps-getting.html#storylink=cp

Palmore not sticking around

Just kidding.

Really, though, this shouldn't surprise anyone all that much:

Georgia men's basketball assistant coach Stacey Palmore will not return for the 2014-15 season, head coach Mark Fox announced Thursday.

I have no inside information about how this went down, but I can certainly speculate.

One of the things Greg McGarity says he and Coach Fox talked about was recruiting, and rightfully so.  Fox's recruiting has not been as abysmal as some make it out to be, but it also hasn't been as good as it can be considering the fertile recruiting ground an hour west of Athens.

So what is Fox to do?  Saying, "It will get better" is nice, and I'm sure he said just that, but that's not enough when your job is on the line.  This is the real world, and there has to be a sacrificial lamb - and Fox wasn't going to fire himself.

Today, that sacrificial lamb appears to be Stacey Palmore.

All the press I'm reading implies that the decision was Palmore's, but I have a hunch the decision would have been made for him if he chose not to step away.  His contract was up, and a renewal was probably not forthcoming.

What does it mean?  This would seem to be a great opportunity for Fox to fix the biggest problem facing the Georgia basketball program for the last...oh...quite a few years.  Recruiting the state of Georgia.

Year in and year out, recruiting rankings show that there is enough talent in the state of Georgia to win.  When Fox was hired, one of his biggest perceived mistakes was not hiring assistants familiar with the Atlanta recruiting scene, and that has borne itself out as guys like Jordan, Adams, Tony Parker, Evan Nolte, and many, many others have left the state to play their college basketball.

Now is the time for Fox to get a guy who can recruit the state.  Korey McCray wouldn't be a bad first phone call.  He is a local guy with tons of state ties.  If he won't come, find someone else.

This is an opportunity that Fox needs to seize.

Meanwhile, happy trails to Coach Palmore.  Best of luck, and thank you for your contribution to Georgia basketball.

h/t Dawg Post

Update:

I probably should have known this, but all Georgia basketball assistants work under one-year renewable contracts.  So his contract was up every year.  Regardless, my opinion remains that this decision was Georgia's first, and Palmore's second...

Jakeenan Gant

Some around the fan base continue to hope that Jakeenan Gant will come to Georgia now that his head coach bolted to Tulsa.  Unfortunately, that is just not going to happen:

Both UGA and Georgia Tech reportedly have heavy interest in Gant, but it’s not reciprocal.

There are quite a few reasons he isn't coming - transfer rules and the fact that he already moved to Missouri chief among them.

The article implies Gant was never interested in Georgia in the first place, but I have heard otherwise.  The rumor mill said he was very interested, but Fox's uncertain contract status scared him off.  If so, how ironic is it that the coach he committed to left before his first practice?

Had Haith left for Tulsa two weeks before signing day, this whole discussion might be different.  As it is, it looks like Gant will be staying at Missouri.

As always, best of luck to him.  It is a crappy situation:

“It’s a big surprise when a coach tells you that he’s going to be there for the longevity of (Gant’s) career and then all of sudden he bolts out,” said Michael Stokes, Gant’s AAU coach, told the AJC on Tuesday. “Nobody saw that coming. College basketball is a business.”

This happens all the time.  Anytime a recruit asks a coach how much longer he plans to be at a school, the answer is, "At least 5 more years."

College basketball is, indeed, a business - for everyone but the players.

h/t AJC

Coaching searches

There were many after the season ended - included myself - that thought Mark Fox should have been relieved of his coaching duties.  The team, for the most part, has failed to live up to even meager expectations.

With that said, it is important to remember that finding a new coach is no walk in the park.  Just look at what is going down at Tennessee and Missouri.  Both schools have some decent basketball tradition and far more recent success than Georgia.  Yet both, in the end, will likely have to "settle" for less than their first choice.

It was well documented earlier this week that Michael White - one of my first choices if Mark Fox had been let go, but one of Tennessee's backup plans - had decided to stay at Louisiana Tech.  This was after Tennessee shot for the moon and called folks like Wichita State's Gregg Marshall.

Today, Tennessee will introduce Donnie Tyndall as their new head coach.  Is he a bad hire?  Not at all.  He has had great success at Morehead State (remember that upset over Louisville?) and Southern Miss.  Is he the type of hire that would have ignited the Georgia fan base the way we would have hoped?  Unlikely.

Meanwhile, the search at Missouri slogs on.  Guess who is first on their list?  Gregg Marshall, of course.  After that, it looks like Ben Howland may be the leader in the clubhouse.  (Google 'ben howland sports illustrated' if you want to know why he would not have been an option at Georgia).  If neither of those work out?  It's likely on to the same plan B, C, and D guys that Tennessee was talking to.

What is my point?  I really don't have one (sorry).

None of this means that you do not fire your coach if he deserves to be fired.  It only means that if you do, and you're not one of those "destination" jobs, Gregg Marshall probably isn't walking through that door.

Palmore sticking around

Tennessee State has hired Dana Ford as their next head coach.

This only relates to Georgia in that it means Stacey Palmore will not be the next head coach at TSU.  We also miss out on the scintillating home and away with Tennessee State we probably would have scheduled were he hired.

h/t The Tennessean

Player Profile: Dusan Langura

Previously:  Brandon Young

Dusan Langura

Photo Credit:  www.georgiadogs.com

Height:  6'4"
Weight: 210
Position:  G
Year:  RS Freshman
Role:  Sneak Attack
2013-14 Points/Rebounds/Assists Per Game:  0/0/0



Overview: When you look at Dusan Langura's 2013-14 stats, you may not be very impressed.  The box score has him playing a single minute in a single game without accumulating any numbers at all.  Not even a measly foul.

Then you dig further, and you realize he did it after being blown up.  By a bomb.

Ok, ok.  So the minute played was a mirage.  It never actually happened.  Just a slip of some statistician's finger while trying to keep up with a game.

The reality is that it is hard to know what to expect from Langura this season.  Just coming back from injuries like the one he suffered is impressive enough.  We know the kid has measurables, and we know he can shoot the lights out from three.  The question is whether or not he is healthy enough to really contribute this season.

Expectations:  Dusan is going to have to earn his minutes, and those minutes may be hard to come by.  Kenny Gaines and Juwan Parker are going to eat up most of Georgia's minutes at the 2, which is where Langura seems likeliest to play.  In my projections, I have him averaging 1.5 minutes per game, which may even be a little high.

His best bet is to shoot so well that he can't be ignored.  In college especially, you can never have enough kids capable of shooting the long ball.  Dusan has to be the guy who comes in and nails a corner three or two before the opposing coach finds him buried on the scouting report.  Do that, and he is guaranteed to find some minutes.

2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About:  .6/0/.1 points/rebounds/assists per game.

Things I Learned About Dusan From GeorgiaDogs.com:  One of his favorite TV shows is Shaqtin' a Fool, which is apparently a real thing.  This dude was valedictorian, speaks 4 languages, and watches something called Shaqtin' a Fool.  It makes me think I should be watching Shaqtin' a Fool.

Let's go Dusan, and let's go Dawgs!

First domino falls

James Young is leaving for the NBA.  He is the first from Kentucky to declare, but don't expect him to be the last.

The more the better from Georgia's perspective.  If Julius Randle and the Harrison twins want to follow him out the door, you won't hear me complaining.

h/t ESPN

Another one bites the dust

As has been widely reported, Tim Dixon has decided to transfer:

Dixon becomes the second reserve post player to transfer from Georgia this year, after center John Cannon, also a junior, did so the week of the SEC tournament.

Had you told me two months ago that Cannon and Dixon were both going to transfer, I may have lost some sleep.  Along with Donte' Williams, who has used up his eligibility, those guys pretty much represented the entire center rotation for our Georgia Bulldogs.  They weren't necessarily talented, but they were better than nothing.

Now, though, it is a different world.  The addition of Yante Maten and Fred Iduwe give Georgia real options in the post, and the upside on those two guys appears higher than Williams, Cannon, or Dixon.  Marcus Thornton, Maten, and Iduwe - with Cameron Forte and Houston Kessler available in a pinch - represents what could be a half decent 4/5 rotation.

As I have been preparing to do player profiles, I've been trying to guess how many minutes everyone is going to get next season.  Dixon got 7.8 last year, and I had him down for 4.5 next season.  If the coaches are thinking what I'm thinking, that may give you a hint as to why he is transferring.

So was this Tim's idea, or was he encouraged to explore his options by the coaching staff?  It's hard to tell.  His scholarship was coming off the books next year, so the only reason the coaches would try to force him out now is if they think they can sign someone else this spring.

Two of Georgia's most prized recruits, Ahmed Hill and JaKeenan Gant, committed to schools that no longer have their head coach (Marquette and Mizzou, respectively).  Could it be that Mark Fox thinks he has a shot at landing one of those guys?

Count me skeptical.

Ahmed Hill was committed to Buzz Williams more than he was committed to the school.  As Buzz now finds himself at Virginia Tech, I'd bet on Hill ending up there as well.  I believe he's already on campus visiting as of this writing.

JaKeenan Gant is trickier.  He was rumored to be a Georgia lean, but was scared away by the uncertainty surrounding Fox's contract.  Well, that uncertainty is gone, but because Haith waited until after Gant signed his letter, it looks like he would have to sit out a year if he transferred to another SEC school <insert snark about how the NCAA is all about the student athlete here>.

The bottom line?  If Ahmed Hill wants to come to Georgia, Fox should take him with no questions asked.  Otherwise, it looks like the smart move is to hold the scholarship for a loaded 2015 class.

h/t Seth Emerson

more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/17/3061037/reserve-dixon-transferring-from.html#storylink=cpy

Palmore a finalist

Stacey Palmore is one of 6 finalists for the Tennessee State head coaching job.

Palmore has taken a good deal of heat from the message board crowd.  Many of the recruiting woes have been laid on his shoulders.  If he were to jump ship and go to TSU, expect Fox to make recruiting the Southeast a huge plus on any resumes he looks at for Palmore's replacement.

That is, of course, a big if at the moment.  The real reason I posted this link is to point out this gem:

• Dickey Nutt coached at Arkansas State before taking over at Southeast Missouri

That's right.  There is a Division 1 coach named Dickey Nutt.

The more you know.

h/t Catlin Bogard

KCP

If you missed it, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played in a wild one last night.  He poured in a career high 30 points in a really entertaining duel with Kevin Durant.

Most reading this already know what KCP is capable of, having watched him play two seasons for Georgia.  He has struggled in his rookie season to put it together, though.

The big story in Detroit when Caldwell-Pope was drafted was the fact that the Pistons didn't take Trey Burke.  At that point, a rivalry neither player particularly wanted was born.  By almost all measurables, Burke had the better rookie year, but it was nice to see KCP show his wares last night, and I still believe the future is bright for him.

So what went wrong?  A lot can be traced to the team that drafted him - and their point guard.  I had a chance to watch some of the Pistons - Bulls game last week, and what I saw was depressing.  Brandon Jennings is a veritable black hole on offense.  If the Pistons were running offensive sets, it was not evident.  Most possessions came down to Jennings or Rodney Stuckey hoisting a bad shot when the play clock got under 5 seconds.

Jennings can be a very dynamic player, but he takes way too many bad shots, and that takes away potential good shots for guys like KCP.  Jennings took almost 15 shots per game on the season, and made just over 5 of them (not great).  Almost 6 of those shots were three pointers, of which he converted only 2 per game (definitely not great).

KCP definitely has things to work on, but much of his growth will depend on Jennings' growth as a point guard.  It is unfortunate that the 30 point burst came in the last game of the season.  I would have liked to see if he could build on a game like this.

Either way, congratulations to Kentavious.  Way to go out on a high note.

Maten and Iduwe sign

Yante Maten and Fred Iduwe have both officially signed, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if you were at all worried something might go wrong (and if you were not at least a little bit worried, you haven't followed Georgia basketball long enough).

Here is what Mark Fox has to say about Maten:

"Yante is more of an offensive player than Donte' was," Fox said. "Donte' was a terrific, I mean a terrific defender, and a very versatile defender. Yante is mobile like Donte', but a better offensive player out of the gate than Donte' was."

And here is a little bit about Iduwe:

"He's a bigger frame guy than Donte', but he has a lot of those characteristics than Donte' had as a defender," Fox said.

I have said here before that I believe Donte' Williams was an undervalued piece of the puzzle this past season.  It sounds like Fox agrees with me.

The good news is, it sounds like the combination of these two guys should be able to replace him and then some.

Maten may not have all of the defensive upside that Donte' possessed (though Iduwe certainly seems to), but he shot 66% from the field his senior year in high school.  Even against over-matched high school kids, that is a fairly eye-popping number, and it suggests he may be able to replace the 4.9 ppg that graduated with Williams fairly easily.

Of course, this is all coach speak and gut feel, and every recruiting class is the best recruiting class until they lace them up and get on the court.  Regardless, welcome to the Dawg Nation fellas.  We're glad to have you.

h/t Seth Emerson

ead more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/16/3059208/fox-breaks-down-his-two-big-men.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/16/3059208/fox-breaks-down-his-two-big-men.html#storylink=cpy

Fix the Steg

One problem with the basic premise of this blog - that is, rocking the Steg - is the potential damage it could do to the building itself.

Anyone who has been to Stegeman the last two seasons has noticed the scaffolding, which is there because of issues with the glass panel installation.  Thankfully, the university is taking steps to (hopefully) fix the problem (maybe) once and for all.

I, for one, love the look the glass panels give to the building.  Therefore, I hope the repairs are successful, and good riddance to the scaffolding and tarps.

h/t Red & Black

Martin to California

I admit I did not see this coming:

California has hired Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin to replace Mike Montgomery, sources told ESPN.

Martin has spent the past three seasons in Knoxville and led the Vols to the NCAA tournament this season. He was previously the coach at Missouri State.

We will wait and see who they hire to replace him, and what it does to a pretty solid incoming recruiting class, but Martin has proven to be a very good coach, and this is the kind of thing that can help Georgia shift the power in (what used to be) the East if they can take advantage.

h/t ESPN

Cauley-Stein returning

Good news for Kentucky.  Willie Cauley-Stein is coming back.  It looks more and more like Kentucky will be the favorite in the SEC next year.  We still have to see who is leaving, but another loaded freshman class is about to hit Lexington, so I doubt there will be much of a drop off when it is all said and done.  Keeping Cauley-Stein in the paint is a huge boost.

His decision should not be a huge surprise.  He finished the year hurt and, despite his imposing frame, has never quite looked ready for the NBA.  I hope it pays off for the young man.

I also hope Fred Iduwe is ready to man up in the post once SEC play rolls around...

h/t ESPN

Never change, Bruce

Presented (mostly) without commentary:

Power forward Cinmeon Bowers from Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., became the first prospect to commit to coach Bruce Pearl at Auburn on Saturday.

Bowers signed with Florida State in November but was released from his national letter of intent in January after he was arrested for allegedly eating marijuana in order to conceal it from police officers during a traffic stop. Charges were later dropped.

If I end up posting a lot about Bruce Pearl, it is probably because I want any and every excuse to share my favorite Pearl moment with the world:

Auburn and Bruce Pearl?  This is going to be fun.

h/t MrSEC.com

Player Profile: Brandon Young

As we grind through the summer months, we will embark on player profiles.  The season will start sometime in early November (oh God it is so far away), so if we do a profile every other Monday, starting today, we will finish up...a week too late.  Whoops!

How about this?  We will do one this week and next week, and then we will do one every other Monday after that.  In addition, we will do them in the reverse order of the impact we expect each player to have on the success or failure of the 2014-15 season.

First up:  Brandon Young

Photo Credit:  georgiadogs.com

Height:  5'10"
Weight:  160
Position:  G
Year:  Sophomore
Role:  Human Victory Formation
2013-14 Points/Rebounds/Assists Per Game:  0/.1/0



Overview:  Brandon, if you find this page (and there is no shame in Googling yourself), do not be offended!  Your picture is now on the internet at least twice, and you are being profiled as the 16th most impactful player for the Georgia Bulldogs.  That is something.

The reality is that every team has a guy who only gets minutes when the game is out of hand, and Brandon is that guy for Georgia.  That, of course, means Brandon is one of our favorite players on the team.  We always want Brandon to play.

In all seriousness, Brandon's job is to push our guys in practice as hard as he is able to push them.  Pester them.  Harass them.  Make them hate you.  In short, make them better.  That is how you earn those garbage time minutes.

Room for Improvement:  I really have no idea.  Brandon was 0/1 on 3-point attempts last year, so that percentage can certainly come up.  Let's work on that, Brandon.

2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About:  .2/.1/.1 points/rebounds/assists per game.

Things I Learned About Brandon From GeorgiaDogs.com:  He likes My Cousin Vinny, his post-game ritual is sleeping, and his non-basketball interest is taking naps.  If Brandon is not your favorite Bulldog now, I seriously cannot help you.

Let's go Brandon, and let's go Dawgs!

h/t www.georgiadogs.com

Transfers

This is not Georgia related, necessarily, but Jon Rothstein hits on one of my biggest pet peeves:

5. Will the NCAA officially change the transfer rules prior to the start of fall practice?

I've repeated over the past few years that all transfers need to sit a year if they change schools and don't be surprised if you see that partially come to fruition in some form prior to next season. Multiple sources told CBSSports.com that there was a strong chance that the NCAA was going to pass a rule prior to the start of practice next year that would no longer allow transfers to apply for waivers so they could become immediately eligible without sitting out a full season.

However, it doesn't benefit college basketball to constantly have players changing programs and looking for waivers to be immediately eligible. Let's hope the NCAA gets it right and forces any player who transfers to sit out a year. Sources also told CBSSports.com that the only way a player would likely be immediately eligible was if he graduated and had a fifth year of eligibility. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

I could not disagree with Rothstein more.  There are very legitimate reasons a player may want or need to transfer schools, and there are plenty of things that "don't benefit college basketball" a lot more than the transfer rules.

How about we leave it up to the coach and the institution from which the player is transferring?  If the coach will sign off on the transfer, and the school will release the player from his scholarship, let him go.  Would some people try to abuse the system?  Of course.  But that is life.

As an alternative, maybe we make coaches sit out a year if they take another job before completing the terms of their contract?

I kid, of course, but more and more, the NCAA is being exposed as an institution that does not have the players' best interest in mind.

Am I way off base here?

h/t Jon Rothstein

More good news

The good news just keeps rolling in for Georgia fans.  It is getting a little eerie, no?

This time, it is out of Knoxville:

Jarnell Stokes is bypassing his senior season at Tennessee to enter the NBA draft.

Stokes, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward, confirmed Friday at a news conference that he has decided to begin his pro career. The news was first reported by CBSSports.com.

First of all, my congratulation to the young man.  It will be a challenging road for him, as his build leaves him as something of a tweener.  However, he has game, and I suspect he will find a way to contribute to whatever team takes a flier on him.

Second of all, good riddance.  Stokes was all but unguardable when the Dawgs went to Knoxville this past season.  We were never more outmatched than when the opponent had a real post presence.  Hopefully his subtraction, plus the addition of our two freshman, can start to swing that pendulum back towards the middle. 

h/t ESPN

SEC files

File this one under "it could be worse" if you're a Georgia basketball fan:

A former Missouri player is seeking a protection order against Zach Price, who remains suspended from the team after being arrested twice for allegedly assaulting his roommate and a woman.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported Wednesday that Earnest Ross filed the petition in Boone County Circuit Court on April 2. Price was arrested twice the next day after reportedly first ramming his car into another vehicle and then in a later encounter with the pair. Police say he hit his male roommate in the face then pushed the woman to the ground.

The restraining order request identifies Ross as the roommate and his girlfriend as the other victim.

Hey, we got problems.  But we don't got Missouri problems.

h/t ESPN

Stats, stats, stats

So we embark on another long summer with no college basketball, which means very little news, which means plenty of time to kill over at www.statsheet.com/mcb.  Or, you know...go outside and stuff...your choice...

What I wanted to know today was any area where Georgia was really terrible this past season.  I certainly know the team well, and I probably could have guessed, but the stats don't lie.  Georgia's national rank in assists/assists per game/assist to turnover ratio?  311/331/330 respectively.  That is out of 351.  Let that sink in.

Georgia assisted on 341/767 made field goals.  How much does it matter?  A lot, it seems.  There was only one tournament team with fewer assists per game than Georgia:  Nebraska.  After that, you have to move up about 80 slots to find the next one:  Colorado (yeah, those teams have something else in common, but let's move on).

Is this something Georgia should improve on next season?  Absolutely.  Charles Mann is one of the more seasoned point guards returning in the SEC next year.  It is time for him to turn drive-and-score into drive-and-kick.  An abundance of 3-point threats (Gaines, Frazier, and Djurisic at least) should be available to cash in.  We will talk more this summer about what else Charles needs to do to elevate his game, but the irony is that drive-and-kick will also open up more drive-and-score.  It should help cut down on the turnovers, too.  The circle of life.

Way-too-early Top 25

Eamonn Brennan puts out the first of many way-too-early Top 25 rankings.

Not to spoil the surprise, but Georgia didn't make the list.  They also didn't make the 15 additional teams Brennan believes could crack the top 25 in the first month of the season.

I personally have no problem with that.  If Georgia had been included in those 15 teams, I would have nodded my head in tentative agreement, but I am not at all offended that they weren't included.  I personally think Georgia is likely to finish somewhere in the 40-50 range, but the potential is certainly there for a borderline top 25 club.  Who knows?

A few notes of interest:

1. He expects Kentucky and Florida to reload.  No surprise there, but I think Kentucky needs to fall a few spots once a few of those freshman declare for the NBA, and Florida at 8 seems really high considering what they are losing.
2. Tennessee makes the "other 15 to watch list," and that rounds out the SEC's representation in what is essentially Brennan's top 40.  The point?  Expect the SEC to remain top-heavy for at least one more year.
3. Gonzaga checks in at #15, and could be an early season opponent depending on how the NIT Season Tip-Off shakes out.

h/t ESPN

When God is for you

The AJC has some more details surrounding the recruitment of Yante Maten:

Although Maten has been contacted by other colleges this week – and the courtship will likely continue until he officially signs his UGA papers next Wednesday — his mother told the AJC that the Bulldogs have nothing to worry about.

“Yante remains faithful to God, and because God told us to go Georgia, he will remain faithful to God because that’s what God said to do,” said Maten’s mother, Toiya Paige. “He could have chosen any school but he decided to go where he was told to go. And he remains obedient to that.”

Sounds like it's time for Daniel Giddens and Jaylen Brown to start praying.

Seriously, though, quotes like this should get you excited:

 “Georgia won the lottery and doesn’t realize it yet. He took our team on his back and carried us to the state finals in Michigan, and we weren’t even supposed to be there. We’re a blue-ribbon school where we produce academic scholars, not basketball players or football players. What Yante did for (our high school) is awesome.”

I also wouldn't worry too much about the star rating.  Yante himself realized he had not lived up to his potential before his senior season.  That's why he didn't commit in the early signing period.  Sure enough, he had a monster year, and offers from powerhouse schools like Indiana and Michigan State started to show up.

Oh, and how about one more tidbit?  Maten's mother attended Michigan State.

Is it proof that the tides have turned on Georgia recruiting?  Not necessarily.  That remains to be seen with the all-important class of 2015.   It is a big win though, and the more I read about this young man, the more excited I am to see him in red and black.

h/t AJC

Hope

As the University of Connecticut men cut down the nets in Texas, they usher in an off-season that brings with it emotion.  Jealousy?  Frustration?  Apathy?  Perhaps.  But also hope.

Always hope.

Hope is the currency of the sports fan, and it is the drug of the Georgia basketball fan.

A McDonald's All-American?  Hope.

KCP is coming back?  Hope.

Tony Parker is transferring?  Hope.

All but one of our players is returning?  Hope.

I remember the night the Tony Parker rumors heated up.  KCP had not yet announced that he would be leaving.  I was beaming.  I told my wife, "Hey, if this happens, we are going to be really, really good."  I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up, but as sports fans, we have no choice.  There is always hope.

So here we are, hopeful again.  Georgia has some nice pieces.  The SEC is ripe for the picking.  Marcus Thornton is healthy.  J.J. Frazier is plucky.  Fred Iduwe is tall.  Kenny Gaines is probably still hot.

I am not warning you against hope.  I am asking you to embrace it.  Life is too short otherwise.  Georgia may not have the biggest arena, or the most butts in the seats, or the endless tradition, but like every fan base, we have all summer to dream.

But of course, you don't need that message.  That's why you're here.  That's why you'll be looking all summer for news.  Tidbits.  Anything from Athens.  That's why your nerves will kick up in September.  That's why you'll pull the schedule up every day in October.  That's why you'll be in your seat in November.  Because you have hope, whether you like it or not.

You and me both.

Go Dawgs.

Extensions

Mark Bradley boils it down:

Mark Fox has had two winning seasons in the five years he has coached Georgia basketball. After each winning season, he has received a contract extension.

Well when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so hot.  Let's recap those five seasons:

2009-10.  The cupboard was not entirely bare when Fox arrived in Athens, but the team was very young.  The timing of his hire meant he didn't have much time to recruit, but he did secure a transfer from Gerald Robinson which would bear fruit over the next two seasons.  The team showed some promise, but also lost some head-scratchers along the way.  New coach, new system, young but talented players; the final record of 14-17 seems about right.

2010-11.   The expectations were high for this team, and it generally delivered.  Two losses in the Old Spice Classic were the only non-conference stumbles until a mid-season loss vs. Xavier, and those were all close losses to high-RPI teams.  Two late-season defeats at the hands of an average Alabama team almost cost Georgia the tournament, but the season generally went as planned.  Only one great win (Kentucky at Stegeman), but no terrible losses culminating in an entertaining tournament loss to Washington.  On top of that, a McDonald's All-American was headed to Athens for the first time in a couple decades.

2011-12.  The loss of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie to the NBA took what likely would have been a top 15 team (yes, I'm serious) with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope coming in and turned it into a one-man show.  In retrospect, Thompkins and Leslie could have used the extra year as much as Georgia could have used their services.  Caldwell-Pope was the focus of every defense, and the team simply could not score.  A year long slump for Dustin Ware didn't help things.  Are the early entries an excuse?  Yes, but they're a valid one.

2012-13.   This is probably the most disappointing season of the Mark Fox era.  KCP was a sophomore, and a nice freshman class of Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, and Brandon Morris were coming in to add depth.  This should have been a bubble tournament team.  Instead, the non-conference was a disaster, with home losses to Youngstown State, Southern Miss, and Iona, amongst others, the offense was still stagnant, and no one else could lighten the load placed on Caldwell-Pope.  Add in some atrocious luck (a full-court buzzer beater, some blown calls, and a ball dribbled off a foot leap to mind), and the result was a 15-17 season with no chance at the postseason.

2013-14.  Coming off the most disappointing season of the Fox era, we just went through what had to be his most surprising.  With Caldwell-Pope going to the NBA, and no instant impact freshman coming in, common wisdom was that Georgia would be right back at the bottom of the SEC.  A few things changed the narrative.  First, the SEC was terrible.  Second, Marcus Thornton was healthy.  Third, Kenny Gaines found his groove.  However, another bad non-conference slate where Fox seemed more concerned with finding rotations than winning games cost Georgia any chance at an at-large bid.

The first extension was definitely merited.  Georgia had their first tournament berth in years, a McDonald's All-American signed, and the extension and raise showed a commitment to keep that rolling.

Two of the three losing seasons are easily explained.  That 2012-13 season remains a disappointment.

The second extension has been discussed ad nauseum recently.  It was McGarity's effort to help Fox on the recruiting trail without digging a hole Georgia can't buy their way out of.

Next year is a critical year for Fox.  A winning season won't necessarily get him an extension, but a losing season just might get him his walking papers.

h/t Mark Bradley

Presence in the paint

The soundbite that has been following Georgia ever since the win at Missouri got the Dawgs rolling is "look out for this team next year because they only lose senior."  That certainly is exciting, but it has been eating at me that maybe we have undervalued what Donte' Williams has brought to the table for the past couple of years.

His stats certainly never jumped off the page.  He went for about 5/5/1 in points/rebounds/blocks this past season.  His frame never quite filled out like many of us hoped it would, and his offense took a big hit when Gerald Robinson graduated, but his offense was never really the point anyway.

It was his presence in the paint - something that can't entirely be captured by stats - that was a major asset by his senior year, and it was especially noticeable when he was on the bench in favor of Tim Dixon or John Cannon.  He altered shots, affected passing lanes, and defended without fouling - something he struggled with mightily early in his career at Georgia.

All of this is why the Fred Iduwe signing really intrigues me.  Until yesterday, it looked like some combination of Tim Dixon, Cameron Forte, and Houston Kessler were going to have to replace Donte's productivity.  Now along comes Iduwe, a raw, but very intriguing, prospect:

While Iduwe – who is listed at 7 feet, but whom Clayton says is really more like 6-11 – is very green, what has stuck out is the raw ability and upside of a lengthy frame with impressive speed.

“For a man his size, he’s very, very athletic,” Clayton said. “He runs like a deer. Long arms. Right now, he’s a rim protector and a guy that can put pressure on opposing teams because of his motor. So, what he lacks in skills, he makes up for in just pure motor – how hard he plays and how intense he is.”

That comes from a profile done of him last October by a Minnesota beat writer.  There is not a lot out there about Iduwe, probably because he has only been playing basketball for 4 years.  What is there, though, is exactly what I was hoping for from a spring signing:  long, athletic rim protector with a lot of upside.

Go ahead and watch the video - it is the standard grainy high school highlight video with overly-intense, synthesized music.  He seems to have a general feel for where the basket is (something Georgia fans who have seen a lot of missed layups should be thankful for), he runs the floor with purpose, he stays straight up on defense, and he blocks shots with his left hand.  He even hit two free throws in a row, which set my heart aflutter.

Of course, none of the bad plays made the video, and I'm sure there were plenty.  I'm not trying to imply he's the answer to all of Georgia's problems.  He should, however, give Mark Fox a lot more flexibility in his lineups than we all though he would have a few days ago.

h/t Amelia Rayno

Jonas Hayes

Are we starting to see Jonas Hayes' effect on recruiting?

Basketball recruiting is a long game, and it is all about relationships - with coaches and with players.  It is rare that you get in on a kid late and convince him to sign.

Hayes officially joined the staff in May 2012. At least two significant things have happened since then:

1. Marcus Thornton developed a post game.  Is it due to his improved health, or is it due to the work Jonas has done with him?  The smart bet would be a little bit of both, but it's a very encouraging sign.  You can certainly see some of Jonas' influence, especially in his improved footwork.
2. Two big men signed.  I have no idea if Maten, in particular, was influenced at all by Hayes.  Again, smart money would say he probably had something to do with it.  Post players have signed before.  The difference this time, though, is these guys don't feel like a Hail Mary.  John Florveus, John Cannon, and to a lesser extent, Tim Dixon, all felt like plan B projects.  Maten and Iduwe, however, are potential immediate impact guys - especially Maten.

I have no inside information.  I have no idea if Jonas played a starring role here, or if Mark Fox deserves all the credit.  The signings, though, should give Georgia fans some hope.  Especially with a big, big 2015 class on the horizon, perhaps Hayes will prove the difference maker with guys like Daniel Giddens and Jaylen Brown.

Two new Dawgs

This is big:

Yatel Maten, a post player from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has committed to sign with the Bulldogs, his high school coach confirmed to 247Sports.com.

There's more to a player than his offer list, but it is worth noting that Maten had offers from Indiana and Michigan State.  Yes, you heard right, the Michigan Gatorade player of the year passed up an offer from Michigan State to play basketball in Athens.

But that's not all.  Fred Iduwe, a 6-11 center originally from Nigeria, also seems to have committed.

We will talk more about what it all means later, but for now, think about what a week it has been for Mark Fox.  He gets an extension, and he gets two big men he desperately needs.

Welcome to the family, fellas.

h/t Seth Emerson

If the Steg is a-rockin...

See if you can guess what Mark Fox is talking about:

"That was awesome," Fox told Bateman.

If you guessed "Stegeman Coliseum filled to less than half capacity," please claim your prize!

In this case, Fox is specifically referring to the NIT game against Vermont, during which 3,951 fans packed the bowl and cheered on the Dawgs.  You know what else was awesome?  The 3,692 that came to watch the loss to Louisiana Tech.  And just to be clear, I say that totally without sarcasm.

If you have never been in a full Stegeman, let me assure you, it can get very, very loud.  The fact that ~4,000 fans created the environments that they did should tell you that.  So it's no wonder Fox and company are exploring some options to increase attendance and improve atmosphere.  In fact, it's about damn time:

“We’ve got a group of staff that are working on some options internally, on how we can capture that enthusiasm that was in Stegeman for those two NIT games," McGarity said Wednesday. "Is there some way that we can develop that general admission atmosphere. I’m not sure where that leads us. But we’re certainly going to look at it and see if there are some options we can do to kind of mirror that enthusiasm for this coming season. Because as everybody noticed it made a huge difference."

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/03/3038511/georgia-studying-ways-to-improve.html#storylink=cpy

The cynical will say "just win, baby" and, of course, they are right.  Jim Harrick proved that a winning team can put butts in the seats.

In the meantime, though, there are options.  Try these on for size:

1. General admission for non-conference games.  You can't do general admission year-round because, as Seth Emerson points out, season ticket holders will likely complain.  You can, however, do it for non-conference games.  How?  Pretty much the same way you did it for the NIT.  You rope off the season ticket sections until 5 minutes before tip-off, you rope off the area behind the visiting bench for family and friends of the opposing team, and you let everyone else sit wherever they please.  There isn't even any revenue impact.  All tickets are the same price, anyway.
2. Students free for non-conference games.  Make it hard for students not to go to the games.  Get them hooked on basketball early.  Students will come to free.  Trust me.
3. Work the Greeks.  Mark Fox needs to start at one end of Milledge, walk to the other end of Milledge, and shake every hand in between.  Football at Georgia is an event, and basketball can be too.  This is called marketing, and it's a billion dollar business for a reason.  Engage the fraternities and sororities.  Meet them personally and tell them you need them there to support the team.  If you can get sorority girls packing the first few rows of the student section, you think you're going to have a problem filling the rest?
4. Create an atmosphere.  Set up some tailgates outside Stegeman for Saturday games.  Set up a fan zone for little kids.  Get people used to arriving early.  It's not as realistic for a Tuesday night game, but there's no reason not to do this stuff on Saturdays.  Entertain people before, during, and after the game.  Doing this kind of thing implies that you're actually glad people showed up, which is the whole idea.
5. Just win, baby.  Ok, so I had to include it.  Every fan base has its die hards, and every fan base has even more bandwagoners (where have all the Lakers fans gone?).  The goal is to turn the bandwagoners into the die hards.  That starts with winning.

h/t Seth Emerson

Survey Says

So it's an extension.

Details to be announced later, but like I said before, my guess is he will be extended through 2018-19 at around $2 million per year with a favorable (to Georgia) buyout clause.

Now it's time for Fox to capitalize.  He can look a recruit in the eyes and say, "We're building something, and I'm in for the long haul."  That really does mean something.

We'll talk more about what this means later.  For now, I'm just glad we have an answer.

h/t Seth Emerson

Silence

The coaching dominoes have begun to fall, and out of Butts-Mehre we have...silence.

I have said here in the past that the worst thing Greg McGarity could do is nothing, and nothing is what we have so far.  Between firing and extension, the latter now seems much more likely.

So what's the hold up?

It is pure speculation, but there could be some disconnect between what Mark Fox and his agent want and what McGarity is willing to give.  Fox may be looking to shore up the buyout clause for the next contract, whereas Georgia probably wants to keep that figure manageable.

I do think we'll see news of an extension soon.  My guess is three more years with an increase to around $2 million per year.  That would send the message to potential recruits that Fox is not going anywhere and quiet - though certainly not quash - the negative recruiting.