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