Now this is getting scary

Juwan Parker may not be able to go against Vanderbilt.

This is scary, because it means the Bulldogs are essentially 7 deep going into Nashville if you give Cameron Forte the benefit of the doubt and count him as depth.  For now, I choose to do so.

In Parker and Kenny Paul Geno, the Dawgs have lost roughly 8 points and 5 rebounds per game.  That's not irreplaceable, but it's also not nothing.

There's a silver lining in that the injury doesn't look to be that serious and he'll probably be back by Florida at the latest.

If you need a little more reason for hope, there's also last year's game vs. Vanderbilt which saw the Commodores come in and beat the Bulldogs at home despite being so thin they had to dress out a manager.  Maybe we can return the favor this year.

And curse the universe for making me remember that game...

h/t Marc Weiszer

Practice tidbits

Like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day, Marc Weiszer finally tosses some basketball news our way.  There are three videos - interviews with Mark Fox, Charles Mann, and Yante Maten - and a bunch of tidbits.  You should check it out, but I'll hit some highlights for you.

First, Mark Fox says what's on many of our minds:

“The goal for us is just to keep getting better,” sixth-year coach Mark Fox said, “but this is a team that I think can take another step forward if we stay healthy. We’ve got to continue to stay focused and really go into the season and the entire offseason with a response to success. …Do you stay hungry and driven after having some wins?”

Georgia has been slow out of the gate under Fox in the past.  This year, after tasting some success, it just can't happen.  From the opening tip, Georgia has to act like they belong.

He also continues cranking up the Yante hype machine just a little bit:

He’s shown good scoring touch around the basket and is a good rebounder.

“You see flashes where, `Wow, that play was easy for him to make,’” Fox said. “I think he’ll play significant minutes.”

It may just be coach speak, but don't underestimate a freshman post who knows where the basket is.  Some guys come into college as natural scorers (Trey Thompkins), and others go a full four years without ever really finding the cup (Chris Barnes).  If Maten can be more of the former, that can only be good news for Fox and company.  (as an aside, Yante looks pretty nervous in front of the camera, but here's betting he turns into a pretty good interview before it's all said and done)

Meanwhile, the effort to replace Brandon Morris is well underway:

With the dismissal this summer of starting small forward Brandon Morris after an arrest for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, the job at the “3” spot is “totally up for grabs,” Fox said.

The candidates include junior Cameron Forte and sophomores Kenny Paul Geno and Juwan Parker.

The 6-foot-7 Forte said he’s up to 217 pounds. He knows what’s key for him to be counted on.

“The key thing for me being on the court is me locking down and focusing more on my defense than my offense,” he said.

Fox said Georgia could turn to a three-guard lineup as an answer.

I think it's interesting Juwan Parker is mentioned as a candidate.  I would love to see more three-guard lineups out of the Dawgs this year.  Sounds like Fox may experiment with that after all.

And finally, two fantastic quotes from Fox.  The quote-of-the-day runner-up concerns the reason Fox didn't vote for his own team in the coaches' poll:

“You know what? We practiced so bad the day before I voted, I didn’t vote for them. I was mad at our team that day.”

The winner, though, concerns freshman Osahen Iduwe:

“He’s asked me to slow down,” Fox said. “He speaks five languages. I said I just need you to listen to a sixth. I don’t care if you can speak it, just as long as you can listen to it.”

Go check out the rest.

h/t Marc Weiszer

Player profile: Juwan Parker

Photo Credit:  247sports.com

Previously:  Nemanja Djurisic 
Previously:  J.J. Frazier 
Previously:  Osahen Iduwe 
Previously:  Cameron Forte 
Previously:  Kenny Paul Geno 
Previously:  Houston Kessler 
Previously:  Dusan Langura 
Previously:  Brandon Young 

Juwan Parker

Height:  6'4"
Weight:  200
Position: G/F
Year:  Sophomore
Role:  Brandon Morris

Overview:  So we've reached the final five players (barring any late transfers) for the 2014-15 Georgia Bulldogs.

Juwan Parker came all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma to play his college ball in Athens, and it's possible to find him rated anywhere from a 2 star (ESPN) to a 4 star (247sports) shooting guard coming out of high school.  Parker was a two time All-State player, and was actually a nice get for Mark Fox, choosing Georgia over schools like Memphis and Stanford.

His freshman season was a mixed bag, seeing him break double figures only twice while struggling to find any shooting touch from the field and giving Fox few reasons to put him on the court in front of Kenny Gaines.  His free throw shooting (79%) was a bright spot, but his 29% field goal shooting and 19% 3-point shooting leave a lot of room for improvement.

Expectations:  Does the fact that I have Juwan as the fifth most impactful Georgia player mean I think he'll start?  No, at least not right off the bat.  His natural position just happens to be manned by Kenny Gaines, someone who probably isn't going to cede his starting role until he graduates.

However, you'll notice I added '/F' to his position above.  Small forward may not be a perfect fit, but the *ahem* departure of Brandon Morris might make it a necessity.  In fact, Morris' dismissal, while far from ideal, opens up some interesting rotation possibilities for Coach Fox.  Parker isn't huge, but against smaller teams or lineups he may be called upon to play a little outside of his comfort zone, and while there may be a size disadvantage at the defensive end, that should turn into a quickness advantage on the other side of the court.

I am, of course, being a bit facetious when I tag his role as "Brandon Morris," but he is going to have to shoulder some of the scoring burden that Morris can no longer lighten.  At his best, Parker looks like a guy with a nose for the basket and no fear of contact.  Assuming the shots fall a little more often this year (and how could they not?), Parker should absolutely contend for Most Improved Bulldog by the end of the season.

Areas for Improvement:  Shooting, obviously.  Get the field goal percentage into the 40's and the 3-point percentage into the 30's.  Nudge the free throw percentage up into the 80's.  Do all of that, and keep the assist-turnover ratio about where it is (3 assists for every 2 turnovers), and Juwan will be cooking with gas.

Thing I Learned About Juwan From GeorgiaDogs.com:  If he doesn't dunk in warmups, he plays poorly.  Uh oh.

2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About:  7.3/3.2/1.6 points/rebounds/assists per game.

Let's go Juwan, and let's go Dawgs!