Previously: Dusan Langura
Previously: Brandon Young
Kenny Paul Geno
 |
| Photo Credit: www.dawnofthedawg.com |
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 200
Position: F
Year: Sophomore
Role: Mississippi State Killer
2013-14 Points/Rebounds/Assists Per Game: 1.1/.7/.1
Overview: It took four previews, but I was finally able to use a game shot instead of a head shot. Naturally, it is a picture of Geno balling against Mississippi State because, well, hang on...we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - who you might remember played some decent ball for the Bulldogs - declared his intentions to leave for the NBA draft on 4/15/2013. Kenny Paul Geno declared his intentions to play college basketball for the Bulldogs on 4/17/2013. Out went KCP, in came KPG.
The trade was hardly an equal one. Caldwell-Pope was the best Georgia basketball player in at least a decade, and the KPG signing felt like a desperation move by Fox to fill a roster spot. In hindsight, well...it still kind of feels that way.
So sure, Kenny is a project. But there is reason for optimism. The sample size is very, very small, but as I glance at his numbers, I see this: 50% 3-point shooting (tiny sample size), 53% field goal shooting (small sample size), 15 rebounds (1 every 5 minutes played), and 1 turnover (which, even for a non-ball handler, is impressive over 80 minutes played).
What does all this tell me? It tells me he plays hard, doesn't do stupid things, takes make-able shots, and isn't afraid to do some dirty work. Without checking, I'd bet close to half of his 24 points came after an offensive rebound.
And then there's Mississippi State, and oh-by-the-way KPG is from Mississippi and didn't get a scholarship offer. So what did he do in two games against the other Bulldogs? Averaged 5.5 points and a couple of rebounds. Kudos to Mark Fox for letting him stick it to the state school, and kudos to Kenny for taking advantage of the opportunity.
Expectations: Percentage-wise, Geno may see the biggest jump in minutes on the entire team. I've got him down for just over 5 minutes per game.
Why might his minutes go up so much? Let me quote myself here. He "doesn't do stupid things." You hear the term "quality minutes" tossed around on basketball broadcasts, and by coming in, getting dirty, and not doing stupid things, that's exactly what Kenny is providing. Quality minutes.
What might keep his minutes down? There is actually some quality depth at the forward position these days. Depending on rotations, Brandon Morris, Nemanja Djurisic, Yante Maten, Cameron Forte, Kenny Paul Geno, and Houston Kessler may all share time at the 3 and 4 positions (though Maten may be counted on more as a 5 right off the bat). It's a good problem to have, and it'll probably be Kenny Paul Geno and Cameron Forte fighting for playing time before it's all said and done. Here's hoping that makes them both better.
All in all, I expect good things from KPG this year, even if his minutes are somewhat limited. If he keeps learning and keeps improving, I'll happily remove the "desperation" label from his scholarship offer.
2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About: 1.4/.8/.1 points/rebounds/assists per game. Throw in .1 blocks, and you make me even happier.
Things I Learned About Kenny From GeorgiaDogs.com: Kenny averaged 23.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game his senior year of high school. Regardless of competition, those are some eye-popping numbers.
Let's go Kenny, and let's go Dawgs!
No comments:
Post a Comment