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
Just a heads up, from what I've read Iduwe is wanting to go by Osahen. Though I'd love it if he did like a Brazilian soccer player, and just used "Fred" on the back of his jersey.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the notice. Osahen it is.
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