Extensions

Mark Bradley boils it down:

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

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

Jonas Hayes

Are we starting to see Jonas Hayes' effect on recruiting?

Basketball recruiting is a long game, and it is all about relationships - with coaches and with players.  It is rare that you get in on a kid late and convince him to sign.

Hayes officially joined the staff in May 2012. At least two significant things have happened since then:

1. Marcus Thornton developed a post game.  Is it due to his improved health, or is it due to the work Jonas has done with him?  The smart bet would be a little bit of both, but it's a very encouraging sign.  You can certainly see some of Jonas' influence, especially in his improved footwork.
2. Two big men signed.  I have no idea if Maten, in particular, was influenced at all by Hayes.  Again, smart money would say he probably had something to do with it.  Post players have signed before.  The difference this time, though, is these guys don't feel like a Hail Mary.  John Florveus, John Cannon, and to a lesser extent, Tim Dixon, all felt like plan B projects.  Maten and Iduwe, however, are potential immediate impact guys - especially Maten.

I have no inside information.  I have no idea if Jonas played a starring role here, or if Mark Fox deserves all the credit.  The signings, though, should give Georgia fans some hope.  Especially with a big, big 2015 class on the horizon, perhaps Hayes will prove the difference maker with guys like Daniel Giddens and Jaylen Brown.

Two new Dawgs

This is big:

Yatel Maten, a post player from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has committed to sign with the Bulldogs, his high school coach confirmed to 247Sports.com.

There's more to a player than his offer list, but it is worth noting that Maten had offers from Indiana and Michigan State.  Yes, you heard right, the Michigan Gatorade player of the year passed up an offer from Michigan State to play basketball in Athens.

But that's not all.  Fred Iduwe, a 6-11 center originally from Nigeria, also seems to have committed.

We will talk more about what it all means later, but for now, think about what a week it has been for Mark Fox.  He gets an extension, and he gets two big men he desperately needs.

Welcome to the family, fellas.

h/t Seth Emerson

If the Steg is a-rockin...

See if you can guess what Mark Fox is talking about:

"That was awesome," Fox told Bateman.

If you guessed "Stegeman Coliseum filled to less than half capacity," please claim your prize!

In this case, Fox is specifically referring to the NIT game against Vermont, during which 3,951 fans packed the bowl and cheered on the Dawgs.  You know what else was awesome?  The 3,692 that came to watch the loss to Louisiana Tech.  And just to be clear, I say that totally without sarcasm.

If you have never been in a full Stegeman, let me assure you, it can get very, very loud.  The fact that ~4,000 fans created the environments that they did should tell you that.  So it's no wonder Fox and company are exploring some options to increase attendance and improve atmosphere.  In fact, it's about damn time:

“We’ve got a group of staff that are working on some options internally, on how we can capture that enthusiasm that was in Stegeman for those two NIT games," McGarity said Wednesday. "Is there some way that we can develop that general admission atmosphere. I’m not sure where that leads us. But we’re certainly going to look at it and see if there are some options we can do to kind of mirror that enthusiasm for this coming season. Because as everybody noticed it made a huge difference."

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/03/3038511/georgia-studying-ways-to-improve.html#storylink=cpy

The cynical will say "just win, baby" and, of course, they are right.  Jim Harrick proved that a winning team can put butts in the seats.

In the meantime, though, there are options.  Try these on for size:

1. General admission for non-conference games.  You can't do general admission year-round because, as Seth Emerson points out, season ticket holders will likely complain.  You can, however, do it for non-conference games.  How?  Pretty much the same way you did it for the NIT.  You rope off the season ticket sections until 5 minutes before tip-off, you rope off the area behind the visiting bench for family and friends of the opposing team, and you let everyone else sit wherever they please.  There isn't even any revenue impact.  All tickets are the same price, anyway.
2. Students free for non-conference games.  Make it hard for students not to go to the games.  Get them hooked on basketball early.  Students will come to free.  Trust me.
3. Work the Greeks.  Mark Fox needs to start at one end of Milledge, walk to the other end of Milledge, and shake every hand in between.  Football at Georgia is an event, and basketball can be too.  This is called marketing, and it's a billion dollar business for a reason.  Engage the fraternities and sororities.  Meet them personally and tell them you need them there to support the team.  If you can get sorority girls packing the first few rows of the student section, you think you're going to have a problem filling the rest?
4. Create an atmosphere.  Set up some tailgates outside Stegeman for Saturday games.  Set up a fan zone for little kids.  Get people used to arriving early.  It's not as realistic for a Tuesday night game, but there's no reason not to do this stuff on Saturdays.  Entertain people before, during, and after the game.  Doing this kind of thing implies that you're actually glad people showed up, which is the whole idea.
5. Just win, baby.  Ok, so I had to include it.  Every fan base has its die hards, and every fan base has even more bandwagoners (where have all the Lakers fans gone?).  The goal is to turn the bandwagoners into the die hards.  That starts with winning.

h/t Seth Emerson

Survey Says

So it's an extension.

Details to be announced later, but like I said before, my guess is he will be extended through 2018-19 at around $2 million per year with a favorable (to Georgia) buyout clause.

Now it's time for Fox to capitalize.  He can look a recruit in the eyes and say, "We're building something, and I'm in for the long haul."  That really does mean something.

We'll talk more about what this means later.  For now, I'm just glad we have an answer.

h/t Seth Emerson

Silence

The coaching dominoes have begun to fall, and out of Butts-Mehre we have...silence.

I have said here in the past that the worst thing Greg McGarity could do is nothing, and nothing is what we have so far.  Between firing and extension, the latter now seems much more likely.

So what's the hold up?

It is pure speculation, but there could be some disconnect between what Mark Fox and his agent want and what McGarity is willing to give.  Fox may be looking to shore up the buyout clause for the next contract, whereas Georgia probably wants to keep that figure manageable.

I do think we'll see news of an extension soon.  My guess is three more years with an increase to around $2 million per year.  That would send the message to potential recruits that Fox is not going anywhere and quiet - though certainly not quash - the negative recruiting.