I normally like to keep things positive on Friday, but yesterday news came down that James White would be playing his senior season of basketball at Georgia...Tech. This is a baffling decision on so many levels, and it admittedly scuffs up my spirited defense of Mark Fox's recruiting from a few weeks ago.
White averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks last season at Arkansas-Little Rock, and he said he was looking for a place to go and make the tournament in his senior season.
Georgia is coming off a tournament berth, returns most of their key players, and has a glaring need in the post (where White plays). White would have made them a near-lock to return to the tournament in 2016.
Georgia Tech is a sinking ship. They finished near the bottom of the ACC, their coach is a dead man walking, and their one position of relative strength is the one White will try to man next season. He'll be competing for playing time with Nick Jacobs and Charles Mitchell, and, you heard it hear first, he will not go to the NCAA Tournament.
So what went wrong here? In recruiting, you always have to account for the "kids do strange things" factor. With Tevin Mack, it was pretty clear from the outset that he liked Georgia just fine, but he didn't love Georgia. With White, though, it felt different. Every indication was that he was all but a lock in Athens, and Mark Fox even got his final visit.
I have no inside information, so I can't answer the question. I can tell you, though, that Fox has to fix it. You could probably build an all-star team out of the kids for which Fox has finished second at this point. Are we not doing something on our official visits that other schools are doing? Are we getting over-confident and not closing the deal like we should?
I don't know, but I know it's time to fix it.
[AJC]
White averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks last season at Arkansas-Little Rock, and he said he was looking for a place to go and make the tournament in his senior season.
Georgia is coming off a tournament berth, returns most of their key players, and has a glaring need in the post (where White plays). White would have made them a near-lock to return to the tournament in 2016.
Georgia Tech is a sinking ship. They finished near the bottom of the ACC, their coach is a dead man walking, and their one position of relative strength is the one White will try to man next season. He'll be competing for playing time with Nick Jacobs and Charles Mitchell, and, you heard it hear first, he will not go to the NCAA Tournament.
So what went wrong here? In recruiting, you always have to account for the "kids do strange things" factor. With Tevin Mack, it was pretty clear from the outset that he liked Georgia just fine, but he didn't love Georgia. With White, though, it felt different. Every indication was that he was all but a lock in Athens, and Mark Fox even got his final visit.
I have no inside information, so I can't answer the question. I can tell you, though, that Fox has to fix it. You could probably build an all-star team out of the kids for which Fox has finished second at this point. Are we not doing something on our official visits that other schools are doing? Are we getting over-confident and not closing the deal like we should?
I don't know, but I know it's time to fix it.
[AJC]
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