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
No comments:
Post a Comment