A little late

Good to know Tech is going to come around on transfer policies, at least as long as it suits them.

Listen, there's absolutely no guarantee Robert Carter, Jr. would have ended up at UGA, but it's pretty sad that Tech didn't even give him a chance.  I'm genuinely curious what will happen if and when Bobinski has to put his money where his mouth is.

h/t AJC

Mitchell chooses Tech

Well that's a bummer.

If he really is transferring only to be close to grandma, then Tech was the obvious choice.  It's disappointing, as he would have been a very, very nice piece for Georgia this year or next, but it's not the end of the world.

It does make the Giddens announcement in a few weeks that much more important.  Unfortunately, Georgia fans probably need to be prepared to be disappointed then as well.

h/t AJC

Mitchell visiting

Charles Mitchell should be in Athens tomorrow.  He's also visiting Georgia Tech next week.

The state schools have the advantage because of the proximity to his ailing grandmother.  One would think Tech would have two slight advantages:

1. They have a more immediate need in the post (yes, really).  Who would have thought that would be the case three months ago?
2. They are closer - albeit by an hour or less - to Marietta where his grandmother lives.

Despite that, I wouldn't count Georgia out of this thing.  There is real momentum in Athens right now, and things are not trending quite as positive in Atlanta.  Mitchell would be the cherry on top of a great couple of months.

h/t AJC

Filling the void

Talk of filling that last scholarship continues.  In an intriguing twist, Charles Mitchell is transferring from Maryland and presents an intriguing target for Georgia:

Charles Mitchell, who was Maryland's leading rebounder this past year, announced he was transferring in order to be closer to his sick grandmother. Mitchell is from Marietta. And in an intriguing twist, Mitchell could apply for a hardship waiver from the NCAA in order to play right away at his new school, as long as it's within 100 miles from his hometown.

"Knowing that she [his grandmother] raised me and is still a very big part of my life, I decided to move closer to home," Mitchell said in a statement released by Maryland on Thursday. "It’s important for me to be there for my grandmother and to help support my family. I didn’t want to leave, but I have to put my family first.”

Mitchell, listed at 6-8 and 260 pounds, was Maryland's leading rebounder last season. He started 10 games, averaging 6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds last season. He also happens to be an alum of the same high school, Wheeler, as Jaylen Brown, a highly-regarded small forward prospect for the 20155 class.

Now, I've been of the opinion that we should hold that scholarship, but there is a lot to like about the possibility of having Mitchell in Athens next season.  Not only is he a guy I (and Mark Fox) wanted pretty badly when he was coming out of high school, but he's beefy as well, and adding him would continue to address Georgia's issues in the post.

Though he had some issues at Maryland, his official reason for transferring is a sick grandmother.  First, sincere condolences to the young man and best wishes to grandma.  Second, that means he could apply for a hardship waiver if he did choose to come to Georgia, allowing him to play next season.

If Mitchell were to come to Athens, you could almost call the 4 and 5 positions of strength.  Thornton and Mitchell starting with Maten and Iduwe coming off the bench.  Imagine that...

h/t Seth Emerson

We know where Carter won't be playing

Robert Carter is transferring, but it won't be to Georgia:

Greg McGarity, UGA’s athletic director, confirmed Wednesday that he personally asked Georgia Tech for permission to speak to the 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward about a possible transfer. But that request was denied by the Yellow Jackets’ athletic director Mike Bobinsky.

“Well, as per NCAA rules, we asked for permission to visit with (Carter), but unfortunately that permission was denied by Georgia Tech,” McGarity said Wednesday. “And that was very disappointing in light of the situation we had with Daniel Miller.”

Is this surprising?  Not at all.  This is a long-standing policy of Georgia Tech, and it's fairly common nationally.  That doesn't mean it is any less disappointing (and I don't mean for the fans).

I feel lucky to associate with a program that has a very liberal transfer policy, even though it bites us competitively every now and then.

The Daniel Miller example is perfect.  If you recall, he was a Felton commit who decided to leave when Fox was hired.  It's a little different, because he hadn't even played a game yet, but Georgia could have prevented him from landing at Georgia Tech if they wanted to.  Instead, they chose to let him go wherever he wanted because, well, I'll let Greg McGarity tell you:

“The University of Georgia doesn’t restrict a student-athlete from any school that is seeking a transfer,” McGarity said. “The student-athlete’s best interest is at the forefront of our program. If they’re not happy here we’re not going to dictate where they can and can’t go.”

Kudos to Georgia, and shame on every school that does otherwise.  I have no idea if Robert Carter would be interested in coming to Georgia, but if he was, and it resulted in Georgia Tech losing another basketball game, is that truly worth dictating the young man's future?

I'll get off the soapbox for now, and of course, good luck to Robert wherever he plays out his college career.

h/t AJC

Another one bites the dust

As has been widely reported, Tim Dixon has decided to transfer:

Dixon becomes the second reserve post player to transfer from Georgia this year, after center John Cannon, also a junior, did so the week of the SEC tournament.

Had you told me two months ago that Cannon and Dixon were both going to transfer, I may have lost some sleep.  Along with Donte' Williams, who has used up his eligibility, those guys pretty much represented the entire center rotation for our Georgia Bulldogs.  They weren't necessarily talented, but they were better than nothing.

Now, though, it is a different world.  The addition of Yante Maten and Fred Iduwe give Georgia real options in the post, and the upside on those two guys appears higher than Williams, Cannon, or Dixon.  Marcus Thornton, Maten, and Iduwe - with Cameron Forte and Houston Kessler available in a pinch - represents what could be a half decent 4/5 rotation.

As I have been preparing to do player profiles, I've been trying to guess how many minutes everyone is going to get next season.  Dixon got 7.8 last year, and I had him down for 4.5 next season.  If the coaches are thinking what I'm thinking, that may give you a hint as to why he is transferring.

So was this Tim's idea, or was he encouraged to explore his options by the coaching staff?  It's hard to tell.  His scholarship was coming off the books next year, so the only reason the coaches would try to force him out now is if they think they can sign someone else this spring.

Two of Georgia's most prized recruits, Ahmed Hill and JaKeenan Gant, committed to schools that no longer have their head coach (Marquette and Mizzou, respectively).  Could it be that Mark Fox thinks he has a shot at landing one of those guys?

Count me skeptical.

Ahmed Hill was committed to Buzz Williams more than he was committed to the school.  As Buzz now finds himself at Virginia Tech, I'd bet on Hill ending up there as well.  I believe he's already on campus visiting as of this writing.

JaKeenan Gant is trickier.  He was rumored to be a Georgia lean, but was scared away by the uncertainty surrounding Fox's contract.  Well, that uncertainty is gone, but because Haith waited until after Gant signed his letter, it looks like he would have to sit out a year if he transferred to another SEC school <insert snark about how the NCAA is all about the student athlete here>.

The bottom line?  If Ahmed Hill wants to come to Georgia, Fox should take him with no questions asked.  Otherwise, it looks like the smart move is to hold the scholarship for a loaded 2015 class.

h/t Seth Emerson

more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/17/3061037/reserve-dixon-transferring-from.html#storylink=cpy

Transfers

This is not Georgia related, necessarily, but Jon Rothstein hits on one of my biggest pet peeves:

5. Will the NCAA officially change the transfer rules prior to the start of fall practice?

I've repeated over the past few years that all transfers need to sit a year if they change schools and don't be surprised if you see that partially come to fruition in some form prior to next season. Multiple sources told CBSSports.com that there was a strong chance that the NCAA was going to pass a rule prior to the start of practice next year that would no longer allow transfers to apply for waivers so they could become immediately eligible without sitting out a full season.

However, it doesn't benefit college basketball to constantly have players changing programs and looking for waivers to be immediately eligible. Let's hope the NCAA gets it right and forces any player who transfers to sit out a year. Sources also told CBSSports.com that the only way a player would likely be immediately eligible was if he graduated and had a fifth year of eligibility. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

I could not disagree with Rothstein more.  There are very legitimate reasons a player may want or need to transfer schools, and there are plenty of things that "don't benefit college basketball" a lot more than the transfer rules.

How about we leave it up to the coach and the institution from which the player is transferring?  If the coach will sign off on the transfer, and the school will release the player from his scholarship, let him go.  Would some people try to abuse the system?  Of course.  But that is life.

As an alternative, maybe we make coaches sit out a year if they take another job before completing the terms of their contract?

I kid, of course, but more and more, the NCAA is being exposed as an institution that does not have the players' best interest in mind.

Am I way off base here?

h/t Jon Rothstein