UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February
February 2007
Football, basketball or UGA?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s nice to see all the lively and interesting banter about basketball in this forum this week. Certainly a lot of that can be attributed to the team itself, which if nothing else is more competitive this season and, therefore, is giving us more to talk and write about.
As most of y’all know, I’ve been covering Georgia’s basketball team for the past three years (and several other times off and on over many years). As it so happens, I was around for most of the Bulldogs’ best years. I was covering Hugh Durham’s team in 1990 when it won the SEC regular-season championship and I followed both of Tubby Smith’s Georgia teams into the NCAA tournament, the first of which lost to Syracuse in one of the greatest Sweet Sixteen games of all time.
I was also around for the Ron Jirsa era and for the tail end of Jim Harrick’s regime, too. But that’s another story.
More recently, I’ve had to chronicle some pretty bad seasons as Dennis Felton labored to rebuild Georgia’s program. It’s been a long, tough road for Felton but I have witnessed firsthand the internal rejuvenation he has overseen and you can see him starting to reap some external rewards as well. By that I mean better players, better teams, more wins, some notoriety for his coaching ability.
All of which brings me to this. I truly cringe when I hear so-called Georgia fans say that they could care less about what the basketball team does. I’ve never really understood why there is not the passion for basketball that there is for football. Isn’t it, after all, about supporting your school and/or the state university?
I say that to get to this. Florida to think of itself as a “football school.” So did Tennessee. They’re not anymore. The Gators are defending national champions and one of the nation’s truly elite programs under Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl has got his Vols right on their heels.
Vanderbilt’s pretty darn good, too, and South Carolina is just a couple of years into a brand new arena. Oh, yeah, then there’s Kentucky.
In case you haven’t noticed, all those schools compete in the same division of the same conference Georgia competes in. So in my humble opinion, Georgia people who say they don’t care about basketball are saying they don’t mind losing to those teams year in and year out. And if I know anything about Dawg fans, that’s never the case.
Florida and Tennessee are proving you can be successful at both sports. Why in the world wouldn’t Georgia fans also want that?
Regardless of what happens in these last few games, Felton has Georgia’s program on the right track. He’s building it back up the right way, slowly and deliberately getting better players, getting them on track to graduate and becoming increasingly competitive. I don’t know if it’s this year (likely not), next year or the year after that, but they’re going to have a breakout season soon and make a little postseason run.
The Vols come to Athens on Saturday for Senior Day and one of the most crucial games to be played at The Stegosaurus in a long time. These are the same Vols that ran up and down the aisles of UGA’s facility last year to congratulate their more excitable and boisterous fans for making the trip there and helping UT pull out a hard-fought road victory.
I’m just wondering if Georgia fans will sit by idly again and let a more passionate group grab the gold. Or will they show up and say this is our team and this is our house and you ain’t coming in here and leaving with anything?
Until Dawgs embrace this, March Madness is going to continue to be for everybody else.
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Felton: 9-7 should do it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And then there were two.
That’s how many games are left in the regular season. That and the SEC tournament is all that Georgia has left to prove itself to the NCAA selection committee. Unless it wins the SEC tournament at the Georgia Dome outright, the Bulldogs (17-10, 8-6 SEC) will be seeking one of the 34 at-large bids. Depending on whom you believe, there are only about 17 such spots still remaining and nearly 30 teams vying for them. The debate of whether Georgia is deserving has been bantered about ad nauseum in this forum.
Basically it all comes down to two scenarios: One, the Bulldogs need to win one of their two remaining SEC games (at Kentucky Wednesday night and home against Tennessee on Saturday) and grab one or two more wins in the SEC tournament or; two, they need to sweep these two games (according to our own Tony Barnhart) to even to have a chance.
Of course, nobody really knows the answer until it all plays out and the committee is able to stack it up against all the other teams trying to get into the field. So I posed those very questions to Georgia coach Dennis Felton to see what he thinks about the situation.
See what y’all think …
Q: Do you think you’ve done enough to this point to warrant an NCAA tournament bid? A: No.
Q: Do you think a 9-7 SEC record should be good enough to get you in? A: Yes.
Q: Based on the strength of the league this year? A: Well, just based on everything. The strength of the league has something to do with it, but just the strength of our resume. We’d be 9-7 in the league and we’d have 18 wins against a good non-conference schedule. I’d think that puts us in. And we would have proved ourselves worthy all over again without Mike [Mercer]. All that.
Q: Do you believe a team with a lack of a recent NCAA tournament tradition would need to do something more to get noticed and get back into the minds of the committee members? A: The committee insists that is not the case. I have no way of telling you for sure. I don’t know because I’m not on the committee, but it insists that has nothing to do with anything.
Q: Do you think a win at Kentucky would be an attention-grabber? A: Absolutely.
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Hebron’s suspension will hurt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m sure everybody’s read about Akeem Hebron’s arrest by now. Too bad. Georgia had made it all the way until now without an arrest since the end of last season. At least that we know about.
Look for Hebron to be suspended for the first two games. UGA’s policy is suspension for 1.2 games for an alcohol-related arrests. There will be a lot of counseling and, ahem, in-house discipline, too.
In the sad but true department, the Bulldogs probably could have withstood this well at almost every other position. Coaches really like Hebron and his exceptional speed at linebacker. He was going to battle for a starting job this spring. Obviously he won’t be able to do that, now, at least in the first couple of games. What’s unknown is how it will affect his status otherwise.
I’d like to hear your philosophy on these things. Hebron’s indiscretion, after all, was not the most egregious in the world. Pretty common among college students, actually.
Should it be held against him in regard to the depth chart? Is his arrest a black eye for Georgia’s football leadership? Are you upset with the Bulldogs that this whole thing happened?
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Must-win an understatement
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Huge game at Stegeman Coliseum. Big, big, big, big, big. Monumental. Colossal.
OK, that may be overstating it a bit. But as far as Georgia’s NCAA tournament aspirations are concerned, those will pretty much be buried in concrete if the Bulldogs (16-10, 7-6 SEC) lose to Mississippi State tomorrow here in Athens.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of atmosphere awaits the Maroon Dogs (16-10, 7-6) from Starkville. A 1 p.m. tip on a Saturday can sometimes produce lackadaisical — and worse, lack of — crowd(s).
Don’t know if anybody has noticed but State is one of the hottest teams in the SEC, including its Magnolia state counterpart, Ole Miss. “Slick Rick” Stansbury’s team has won five of its last six, including four in a row. The last two were at home against Vanderbilt and on the road at LSU.
State is led by 6-4, 225-pound guard Jamont Gordon, who got his prepping for college at Lutheran Christian Academy, one of those store-front diploma mills that was a target of a recent NCAA investigation. State lists him as being from Oak Hill Academy but he was actually kicked out of there and got his diploma from LCA. But I digress. He’s a really good basketball player, as evidenced by 16-point scoring average and the fact he’s coming off a triple-double in the win over Vanderbilt.
This is bad news for Georgia because, as you may or may not have noticed, the Dogs have been getting burned by big games from guards a lot lately. There was the 21 by Mississippi’s Clarence Sanders, 17 by Auburn’s Frank Tolbert, 25 by Kennesaw State’s Wooten and 21 by South Carolina’s Tré Kelley.
I call this the Mercer Factor. This is where Georgia is really missing Mike Mercer. He was great at locking down on a team’s best guard and causing them fits. The Bulldogs don’t really have anybody else that can do that. Levi Stukes is a good defender but not much over 6-feet (in real life). Humphrey’s the same way.
Terrance Woodbury still guards the perimeter like a power forward. Sundiata Gaines is a great defender but has to stay on the ball most of the time since he’s the point guard. That could actually work in Georgia’s favor in this game since Gordon is the point guard.
State’s got a pretty good front-court presence, too, especially in 6-8, 240-pound junior Charles Rhodes. He killed the Bulldogs in Starkville last year with 27 points. Georgia needs a much better effort and performance out of Takais Brown in regard to defense and rebounding. This would be a good game to start.
This is about as evenly-matched a game as you could find. In addition to having identical records, Georgia’s RPI is now 61 and State’s is 62. So the only advantage the Bulldogs could claim would be playing at home.
That is, if it IS an actual advantage.
The Dogs are working on four consecutive SEC sellouts. Who plans to go? Who’s not and why? You think Georgia needs to win just its last two home games to get into the NCAA tournament or will it take more than that?
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Shaking off the dust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I apologize, guys, but it’s well after 3 p.m. and I just got home from my trip to Oxford and Memphis to cover Georgia-Ole Miss. It was a “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” kind of day, with delays getting out of Memphis and into Atlanta and — imagine this — heavy traffic in Atlanta.
My point is not to solicit empathy (that’d be a wasted effort in here!). Just letting you know that I haven’t had much of a chance to contemplate topics or certainly to do any kind of research. So with respects to my buddy Mike Bianchi in Orlando, I’m just going to kind of run off at the keyboard.
First, on the basketball team: As anybody knows who has read my reports or blogs in the last 24 hours, Georgia pretty much stunk up the place last night, especially in the second half. The defeat has me re-think the Bulldogs’ postseason chances a bit.
It wasn’t that they lost. I expected that. It was the way they lost. I thought I detected a little bit of give up in Georgia last night and that’s something I haven’t said often about Dennis Felton’s teams.
Now let me qualify that by saying I don’t think the Dogs are a bunch of quitters. Far from it. I believe fatigue might be starting to set in. That’s probably the result of a few factors. One is we forget Takais Brown is a first-year player in the SEC. He has become the number one focus of all of Georgia’s opponents and he’s taking a beating. Also, Yata Gaines and Levi Stukes and Billy Humphrey are now having to log big minutes every game with Mike Mercer now out of the lineup. Mercer was probably the number one energy producer for this team before he went down with a knee injury. And remember, this team is down a bunch of guys, with Kevin Brophy, Channing Toney, Kendrick Johnson and Younes Idrissi all out of the mix. Not offering excuses. Just a recent revelation.
On the football team: It’s combine week up in Indianapolis and some Bulldogs are up there trying to make some money. In case you missed it, Mel Kiper is projecting DE Charles Johnson as a middle first-round pick while he expects DE Quentin Moses to go “second round at best.”
You know who else is up there? Former tailback Danny Ware. His agent tells me Danny’s made some significant physical strides in training and is expecting to make a big bang in Indy. He’ll need to to improve his status.
On the SEC race: Kentucky’s probably in regardless but the ‘Cats have probably the toughest row to hoe the rest of the season. After barely beating LSU — without Glen Davis — at home, they have to play Vanderbilt and Florida on the road with a home game against Georgia in between. Don’t laugh about the Dogs; Felton’s teams have played Kentucky tougher than just about every team other than Florida.
Hopefully we can generate some conversation out of that. Help me out guys. I’m exhausted.
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SEC’s long, tough road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from the SEC road.
As I write this I’m sitting in my hotel room in Memphis, Tenn. That’s the thing about covering this league, it’s not always the easiest travel.
Over the years I’ve found the best way to get to Oxford, Miss. — where Georgia plays Ole Miss in a huge basketball game tonight — is to fly in here to Memphis (actually I take a plane), rent a car, drive the hour and a half south to Oxford, drive back to Memphis after the game, then jump on a plane in the morning and head back to Atlanta.
The Bulldogs are a little more fortunate. They charter jets that fly directly into and out of Athens-Ben Epps Airport. They leave the night before games, to avoid any possible travel snafus that could delay or postpone a game, then fly out immediately after the game. They’ll probably be getting home and into their beds about 2 or 3 a.m. Thursday morning. Most of the time they’ll all have classes early the next morning because that’s the way Dennis Felton likes them to set up their schedules. Some of them will have tutoring appointments at 7 a.m. Ah, yes, the perks of being a scholarship athlete!
But that’s not the really tough part of life on the road. The really tough part is what they’ll do later on tonight, which is tip it off against Ole Miss in the “Tad Pad.” Like everywhere else in the league these days, it’s a tough place to play. The Rebels are 13-1 there this season, with the only loss coming to Kentucky in the SEC opener. Since then they’ve booted Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State out of there as losers.
Now most of those games have been really close (ie: LSU), so Georgia definitely has a chance. I’ll tell you this: It’s a huge game for both teams. The Bulldogs (16-9, 7-5) would have another road win and would be guaranteed a .500 record in the league. Ole Miss (17-9, 6-6), which was picked to finished last in its division, would remain in a tie for first place in the SEC West and move a step closer toward earning a postseason bid for first-year coach Andy Kennedy.
So it will be a war tonight. You’re loyal correspondent will be there to chronicle it for you. No TV by the way so you’ll have to listen on the radio or over the Internet.
Let me know what you think is going to happen and what it might mean. In the meantime, keep thinking about future blog topics and questions you want me to get answered (and don’t just say “write about football”).
P.S. The mother of Georgia defensive end Michael Lemon died this morning in a house fire. Please send up your prayers and wishes for this young man and his family. You may contact the UGA sports communication department at 706-542-1621 to find out what you might be able to do to help.
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SEC not getting its due
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton is annoyed, and it has nothing to do with how his team is playing.
Felton is bothered by the lack of respect the SEC is getting from the national press with regard to NCAA tournament predictions. And he’s not alone. A lot of the league’s coaches have been complaining about it lately.
Look around. In general you’ll see prognosticators list the SEC with five projected NCAA tournament bids. At the same time, you’ll see the ACC predicted to get in eight and nine teams.
Meanwhile, the SEC is rated No. 1 in the nation in RPI (an overall strength index) and is coming off a season in which it had the national champion, two teams in the Final Four and another one winning the NIT championship.
“I’m not able to explain why that is,” Felton said. “There’s not a stronger conference in the country than the SEC. How could another conference get in more teams?”
Because there is so much parity in the league - after Florida of course — the other SEC teams are beating up on each other. Georgia (16-9, 7-5 SEC) actually has the third-best conference record in the league, along with Kentucky. The Western Division is jammed up with three teams (Alabama, Ole Miss and Miss. State) tied for the lead at 6-6.
“The one thing that’s not being said is the West is so strong,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.
“Everbody’s criticizing it for being topsy-turvy. LSU is a Final Four team from a year ago that had a lot of guys back and beat UConn and Texas A&M in non-conference and now they’re where they are. That speaks to the excellence of the league, not the mediocrity or the struggles that the West has had. It speaks to the power; it speaks to the strength.”
As they say, perception is reality. Because of the parity, only one SEC team has 20 or more wins (Gators with 24). To compare, the ACC has three and another with 19.
Meanwhile, you hear almost nothing with regard to Georgia and a possible tournament bid.
“Georgia hasn’t been on the national conscience for a good bit of time. That might have something to do with it,” Felton says.
The Bulldogs, like all these other teams, simply have to keep winning and selling themselves to the selection committee. A road win at Ole Miss on Wedneday would be a huge start.
Either way, Felton thinks the selection committee will have a better view of the league than the national media.
“I imagine the committee knows we’re here,” he said.
I’m thinking there’s no way the SEC gets in less than six and I doubt the ACC will get more than that. What’s your thoughts?
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The temptation to run
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t know how many people noticed the update from Carter Strickland this past weekend on Thomas Brown and the running backs situation but I, for one, found it very interesting.
Brown is healing up nicely from knee surgery late last season and predicts he’ll be healthy and completely recovered in time to play next fall. Not surprising since I have yet to encounter a harder worker than Brown in all my years of following Georgia football.
So the bottom line is the tailback depth chart will look like this in August: Kregg Lumpkin, Thomas Brown, Knowshon Moreno, Jason Johnson and Caleb King. Don’t know about you, but to me that look likes a pretty solid lineup.
Then you throw in an all-conference caliber fullback like Brannan Southerland along with big, bruising backups Fred Munzenmaier and Shaun Chapas, and you’re looking a pretty physical offensive backfield.
It brings up an interesting dilemma for Georgia. Of course the Bulldogs have a real gem in quarterback Matthew Stafford. But don’t you think there will be the temptation to just try to pound the rock this coming season? Especially considering the infusion of big strong offensive line who, by the way, don’t have a ton of experience at pass blocking?
Then again, considering Stafford’s clear talents, the temptation could be to do the other way.
Mark Richt has always been adamant about maintaining a staunch pass-run balance. There’s certainly that capability in this group.
What do y’all think is the best approach?
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Dogs, Hogs and fun with numbers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Friday, which means it’s my last blog of the week, which means it’s time to empty the ol’ in box and let ya’ll have at it.
Rumor of the week: Looks like the shoe is getting to drop over in Arkansas. There are all kinds of Internet reports that athletics director Frank Broyles, 82, is preparing to retire and that football coach Houston Nutt may not be far behind. The Razorbacks have been a mess since their 10-win season and SEC West championship. Hard to figure how everything goes to pot after your best season in years.
Close calls: The Bulldogs get a big time spooking from little ol’ Kennesaw State. The best thing about it is the Owls are coached by one of the nicest and funniest men in sports in Tony Ingle. If you ever get a chance to catch one of his speeches, don’t pass it up. He’s both hilarious and profound. Played golf with him one time a few years ago and I’ve never laughed so hard. My cheeks hurt at the end of the round.
Dogs OK: I don’t think you can read too much into Georgia’s sorry performance against the Owls. They were truly sleep-walking and Kennesaw was totally jacked and actually made some unconscious plays. If anything, it should serve as a wake-up call for the Dogs, who need only to protect their home court and win one game in the SEC tournament to make the NCAA tournament, in my opinion.
RPI collapse: The worse thing about playing Kennesaw State is Georgia RIP dipped 15 spot from 38th to 53rd thanks to the Owls low ranking. But the Dogs will get it all back with a few more SEC wins.
Mat drills: I’m reminded while watching the football team go through mat drills that this is indeed still a very talented squad with a lot of awfully impressive physical specimens who either didn’t play at all last season or didn’t play much. Like Coach Richt always tells me, media types tend to pay attention to how many seniors you’ve got back and what kind of freshmen you signed but they tend to forget about the groups in between. Georgia ‘tweeners are pretty darn good.
Searching for sellouts: Hoping to see the Stegosaurus filled to the rafters tomorrow. Less than 500 tickets remained as of Friday. It’d be pretty impressive - for Georgia and for the recruits considering playing for Felton - to have four SEC sellouts in a row. The UGA students have been impressive in their following this season.
Meanwhile, I’d be happy to hear from all of you with suggestions for blog topics for the coming week. Just like in our recruiting blog, you ask for it and I’ll do my best to find it out.
Have a great weekend!
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Who gets in from SEC?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t know how many of you listened to that Georgia basketball game last night, but it was a doosie. I never would have dreamed the Bulldogs had any chance at all of possibly losing that game. But there they were, trailing by six with six minutes to play.
Their performance certainly didn’t say much about how they might look without Mike Mercer. That said, you kind of have to wipe it away since Takais Brown had to sit half the game as punishment for being “a tad late” to Wednesday’s shoot-around, and Kennesaw State played like it was their national championship game.
The real litmus test for Georgia will come this Saturday when they play host to Auburn. The Tigers (14-12, 4-7 SEC) are one of those teams that sits at the bottom of their division, but is very, very dangerous in that they can beat most anyone. You can bet they will have Georgia’s full and total focus and that should be a better gauge as to whether the Bulldogs have a chance at all to make the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs, especially now without Mercer, will need all the help they can get from their home crowd. They’re working on three consecutive SEC home sellouts. Last I heard, 500 tickets remained for Saturday’s 4 p.m. game.
Let me hear if you plan to go or are excited about it.
It’s been interesting watching the various prognostications for which teams will make the NCAA’s field of 65. What I’ve noticed is how the SEC went from a league everybody was enamored with nationally to now an also-ran conference. Now you see predictions of the ACC, which early on was said to be in a down year, getting eight and even nine teams in, while generally nobody list the SEC getting more than six.
I’m not sure I agree with that. Obviously, people are focusing on the West division’s problem of establishing a clear power. Ole Miss currently leads that half with a 6-5 league record. Bama and State are tied for second at 5-6.
The fact is the league, outside of Florida, is beating up on each other. But does that balance mean it’s not a strong league? I mean, the SEC dominated in non-conference play. I actually think the selection committee is going to see it differently than these so-called “bracketologists.”
I agree with a lot of the SEC coaches who said on Thursday’s weekly teleconference they expect the league to get at least seven teams. With five games left on everybody’s schedule, we’ll see it shake out in the next two weeks.
We know Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are probably in, and Tennessee is looking pretty good at the moment. The other spots are going to come down to Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi State.
Which ones do y’all expect to get in? How many from the SEC will make it? How many should make it? Will the Dogs be among them?
Here’s the current league standings to go by:
EAST
• Florida: 24-2, 11-0
• Kentucky: 18-7, 7-4
• Vandy: 17-8, 7-4
• Tenn.: 18-8, 6-5
• Georgia: 15-9, 6-5
• S.Car.: 12-12, 2-9
WEST
• Miss.: 17-8, 6-5
• Bama: 18-7, 5-6
• M. State: 14-10, 5-6
• Ark.: 15-10, 4-7
• Aub.: 14-12, 4-7
• LSU :14-11, 3-8
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Humphrey or Woodbury? You make the call
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tonight comes the big test for Dennis Felton’s Dogs. Georgia will be playing its first game without Mike Mercer, who was lost for the season last Saturday with a torn ACL in his right knee. Good thing for the Bulldogs (14-9, 6-5 SEC) this is a non-conference game against lowly Kennesaw State instead of an SEC opponnt so they can work out a new rotation.
Coach Felton refused to say what he was going to do (he loves playing coy with his lineups) but I’m inclined to think he’s got to go with Terrance Woodbury in the starting lineup instead of Billy Humphrey.
Woodbury, you may recall, actually started the first two games of the season ahead of senior Levi Stukes and Humphrey. It was him and Mercer and Sundiata Gaines in the backcourt. Woodbury also started the Georgia Tech game when Gaines had to sit out with a sprained ankle. He actually had 14 points in that game.
Over the summer and into the fall, I probably heard more about Woodbury than any other player. He’s one of those guys that has continually wowed coaches with his work ethic and his potential. At 6-foot-7, 210-pounds, he’s got all the physical attributes of an NBA wing. And he’s really a much better shooter than he’s shown in games (.389 on 3s). In practices and in games, he flat out fills it up from the arc.
Of course, doing it with consistency in games is a whole different story and that’s where Woodbury has to prove himself. He’s shown flashes, reaching double figures five times despite averaging barely 16 minutes a game.
Now that’s not to say I don’t like what Humphrey has to offer. On the contrary. “Dolla Bill,” as his friends and teammates like to call him, is one of my favorite players on the team.
Humphrey’s just one of those guys that seems to have a great disposition all the time, always smiling, always willing to do whatever is asked of him. And he has some serious skills, too. There’s probably not a better pure shooter on the team other than maybe Stukes. Both have such flawless forms and I would not have expected either to have endured the slumps they did a couple of weeks ago. Nice to see Hump break out with a 14-point, 7-steal, 5-assist effort against South Carolina.
And the fact is, Georgia needs Dolla Bill to backup Yata at the point when he needs a blow. Again, this is where the Bulldogs really miss Kevin Brophy, God rest his soul.
All that said, Felton will probably end up doing just the opposite of what I expect and start Humphrey or some other variety of lineup. The bottom line is this: Georgia now has four guards to play four spots. The one X factor may be walkon sophomore Corey Butler. Even though he made the team through open tryouts, this 6-foot-3 microbiology major is actually a pretty good athlete and looks to me like a decent basketball player. We’ll see.
So gimme YOUR starting lineup for tonight’s game. Is Mercer’s injury a death knell for the Dogs are simply new life for other players?
And how many of you guys actually plan to go tonight? Georgia is coming off three sellouts in a row. Hard to imagine the Stegosaurus filling up for Kennesaw State on Valentine’s Day evening but I guess crazier things have happened.
Hope to see you there.
P.S. Found out today I’m having a little boy in July! Bubble gum cigars for all then!
Which signees will make impact?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Those who visit here often are no doubt aware of the debate I’ve had with many of the regulars about the relative pros and cons of redshirting versus not redshirting in football.
I’m of the mind that you should redshirt every player possible with the idea of having a more polished, mature and physically and mentally prepared player for the next four years. Others contend you need to play as many freshmen as possible because: A) you’re recruiting players good enough to play right away, and B) you’ll attract more players that want to play right away.
Forgetting your personal stance on that argument or mine, I’ve been perusing the Bulldogs’ list of 2007 signees and, other than the obvious need for immediate help from offensive linemen, I’m not seeing many players at all that might contribute this season.
Maybe I’m missing something — and I’m sure you guys will happily point it out if I am — but I don’t see many potential starters who don’t play on the O-line. Now certainly some freshmen will have to step up and play, but I’m just not real sure which ones will.
You know who may have the best chance? Drew Butler. He’s going to jump right into the competiton with walk-on Brian Mimbs to handle punts. But position players are a different deal.
So let’s jump into it.
I’m guessing that Vince Vance and Scott Haverkamp end up starting on the offensive line. Other than that, which 2007 signees do you think will have the biggest impact next season?
Does Caleb King break into the tailback rotation? How about Rennie Curran at linebacker, or Aron White at tight end? Does Israel Troupe forego baseball and catch passes next season?
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Mercer loss costly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As of this writing I don’t have the official word on Mike Mercer but unofficially it was as bad as feared (more than one ligament tear). I’ll be filing a news update as it becomes available.
Meanwhile, there is Georgia’s immediate future and how Mercer’s loss will affect it. Obviously it could be devastating to the Bulldogs’ cause or they will be able to absorb it.
First of all let me address some of you who have been consistently critical of Mercer and his offensive inefficiencies. If you believe this is actually better for Georgia you’re dead wrong. While Mercer has always struggled with shooting the basketball in his career, he brings so much more to the table.
One of the reasons he takes so many shots is he is athletic enough to be able to get them off. In fact, I don’t think a lot of you realize how exceptional and extraordinary of an athlete Mercer is. He would be a starter or at least the first player off the bench for EVERY SEC team right now. And as South Carolina coach Dave Odom was saying this past Saturday, he does so many things for Georgia, a good deal of which does not show up in the box score.
Anybody who says he’s a poor defender does not have a clue about basketball. Still a young player, he occasionally takes a risk he should maybe not and may get himself out of position. But as for quickness, size, wingspan, leaping ability, etc., he’s a special player.
Meanwhile, his loss doesn’t necessarily spell the end for Georgia. Obviously Terrance Woodbury (6-foot-7) and Billy Humphrey (6-2) are going to have to step up.
Woodbury is going to be the real X factor in my opinion. The Bulldogs have always been impressed by his abilities in practice and, a streaky player, he has occasionally displayed as much in games. But he is extremely inconsistent on defense and, in fact, has often been a liability.
Humphrey is a great shooter but simply is not as athletic and therefore is not as capable on defense. He’s very good against a slow team like South Carolina (7 steals) but is very vulnerable when it comes to really quick teams like Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and even Auburn, which Georgia gets on Saturday.
The good news is nobody on Georgia’s team has been playing more than the low 30s in minutes per game so the Bulldogs haven’t been overly dependent on any one player. That said, they are really going to miss Mercer and now the losses of Kevin Brophy and Channing Toney are really exaggerated.
I was talking to some Georgia administrators on Sunday and it’s incredible the misfortune Georgia’s basketball program has had to overcome over the years. Seems like every time they get things going something happens to screw it up.
So let’s hear it. Do the Dogs still make the tourney without Mercer? Who do you see stepping up more in this situation, “Dolla Bill” or “T-Wood?” Somebody else?
P.S. Not to sound like a certain someone who posts here regularly, but did anybody catch Georgia’s announcement it had moved Brandon Miller to middle linebacker? That little tidbit was forecasted here weeks ago.
NCAA bid within Dogs’ grasp
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s here. It’s crunch time. It’s time to bale hay or move off the farm.
Georgia has seven games remaining in this basketball season — eight if you count at least one game in the SEC tournament — and it SHOULD make the NCAA tournament field if it wins at least five of those. For sure if they win six.
Georgia will be favored in almost every one. Only the Feb. 28th game at Kentucky — on Senior Night — looks ominously difficult. Kennesaw State is a given, then there’s the rest.
The Bulldogs could take a huge first step tomorrow night at South Carolina (7:30 p.m., FSN South). Here’s the remaining ones after that: Kennesaw State, Auburn, at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at Kentucky, home versus Tennessee.
You tell me how many of those they’ll win. Which ones might they lose?
What do you think they’ll finish the overall season? Does that get the Dogs into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002?
And what about the Gamecocks tomorrow in Columbia? Georgia beat them by 24 here in Athens? Any reason Georgia shouldn’t sweep them for the second season in a row?
Talk some hoops!
Permalink | Comments (62) | Categories: Basketball
Did Richt recruit well?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All right, we know what the so-called recruiting experts think, but what do you guys think about Georgia’s 2007 football recruiting class?
My own newspaper rated the Bulldogs’ class 17th in the nation, four spots behind Georgia Tech and fourth out of the six teams in the SEC’s Eastern Division.
‘Bout right? Bullmalarky?
Those of you who visit here regularly know what my feelings on recruiting rankings are. In my opinion, there are no more useless ratings in all of sports.
How could you compare Auburn’s class of 30 to Miami’s class of 17. How can you compare a five-star tailback in southern California to a five-star tailback in north Florida that plays in a different classification of schools? I mean it’s ludicrous really.
But then, so are preseason football rankings. We do it because readers love it and it generates interest.
I’m interested in finding out how fans feel about it.
Now don’t just discount them because Georgia wasn’t in the top five or even the top 10 this year (supposedly).
Now I’ve got to admit, I think Georgia may be getting a little shortchanged with all the linemen. The Bulldogs needed offensive linemen and literally signed a ton of them. Now that’s position-heavy in any year but, the truth is, they really didn’t need immediate help anywhere else.
So have at it. I’ll weigh in every chance I get.
Blue chips or upset special?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We interrupt this football recruiting madness to bring you an important reminder: Georgia has a basketball game Wednesday night — and it’s a big basketball game.
In case you missed it, the Bulldogs are playing host to No. 1-ranked Florida at 7:30 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Not a great team to be looking to get better against.
That said, I don’t think it’s impossible. Though the Gators have been awesome all season, they haven’t been flawless. And Georgia has been tough at home (4-0 in league play). Depending on what kind of crowd shows up — the last two home games have been sellouts, so I don’t know why this game wouldn’t be — the Stegosaurus can be a tough place to play. Don’t forget, the Dogs played pretty good until very late down in Gainesville.
In fact, Georgia led at halftime and trailed by five with a chance to cut it to three late in the second half when Levi Stukes took off with a steal on a fast-break and went up for a lay-up. Trouble was the Gators’ Corey Brewer hustled up from behind Stukes and pinned his lay-up attempt against the backboard. Florida took the ball the other way, Chris Richards scored and, just like that, the Gators were up by seven and closed out the game from the foul line en route to a 67-51 win.
For what it’s worth, Georgia has never beaten a No. 1 team. It did come close one time. On Dec. 28, 1997, the Bulldogs actually led No. 1 North Carolina by three inside the final minute. But the blew three free throws, the Tar Heels tied the game in regulation and won in overtime, 82-80.
Do you believe Georgia can knock off the Gators? Crazier things have happened in sports.
Oddly enough, this game will NOT be televised, which says a lot about the sorry television deal the SEC has. But that’s another story.
So what’s bigger, national signing day or Georgia playing the No. 1 basketball team in the country?
How about this: What would you hope to see more, the Dogs beat No. 1 Florida in basketball or Allen Bailey to pull an 11th-hour flop and decide to sign a scholarship with Georgia?
Remembering the class of ‘96
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
National signing day is right around the corner and I’m sure more than a few of you are looking forward to it with excitement. Or, to hear some of you lately, with dread.
In anticipation of the big event, I decided to go back 10 years and revisit Georgia’s class of 1996. Let’s review.
The big news that day was the last-days flip of Brooks County defensive lineman Marcus Stroud. He had been committed to Florida for weeks before deciding to sign with the Dogs in the 11th hour. So big was his change of heart it landed Stroud on the cover of SI ripping off a Florida T-shirt to reveal a Georgia shirt underneath. I’d say that turned out pretty good for the Bulldogs.
Georgia got another one away from Florida in Jim Donnan’s first class. Lineman Brad Register, whose father, mother and sister were Gators, decided late to sign with the Dogs. It seemed a big deal at the time but probably wasn’t in the end.
The other big “gets” in that class: Champ Bailey (All-American, NFL All-Pro), RB Patrick Pass (NFL), OL Jonas Jennings (NFL) and LB Orantes Grant (short NFL stint).
In all, Georgia signed 22 players that day. Four (18 percent) never made it to campus (WR Michael Bryson, WR Eric Hall, RB Ronnie Bradley, DL Cletidus Hunt) and two played a year or less (QB Mike Usry, LB Rich Robich). Fourteen players (63 percent) redshirted that first season. Eleven (50 percent) lettered for four years. One left early for the pros (Bailey).
Those numbers are fairly typical for most recruiting classes, so keep that in mind as you eye the Bulldogs’ latest list of recruits.
So what about this year’s class? Which commitments/signees are most likely to end up in the NFL? In your opinion, which, if any, are most likely not to ever make it to school? Do you see any potential busts in there? How about dark horses? How many will redshirt? How many do you think will be solid four-year players who contribute significantly and graduate?
Here’s the list to help you out:
JUCO SIGNEES
Name Pos Ht Wt Hometown
Scott Haverkamp OL 6-5 298 El Dorado, Kansas
Corvey Irvin DE 6-4 275 Milledgeville
Vince Vance OL 6-7 300 Milledgeville
Jarius Wynn DT 6-5 275 Milledgeville
COMMITTED/NOT YET SIGNED
Name Pos Ht Wt Hometown
Justin Anderson OL 6-5 320 Chatham, VA
Neland Ball DE 6-6 216 Jackson
Clint Boling OL 6-5 261 Alpharetta
Drew Butler K 6-0 196 Suwanee
Vance Cuff DB 5-11 170 Moultrie
Rennie Curran LB 5-10 202 Snellville
Bruce Figgins TE 6-4 238 Columbus
Logan Gray QB 6-2 185 Columbia, Mo.
Antwane Greenlee OL 6-6 302 Columbus
Ben Harden OL 6-4 290 Chatham, Va.
Walter Hill WR 6-5 200 Gainesville
Justin Houston DE 6-3 228 Statesboro
Caleb King RB 5-11 186 Norcross
John Knox DB 6-2 191 Statesboro
Tanner Strickland OL 6-4 315 Nashville
Trinton Sturdivant OL 6-4 280 Wadesboro, NC
Israel Troupe WR 6-0 200 Tifton
Aron White TE 6-4 213 Columbia, Mo.
Charles White LB 5-11 209 Blythewood, SC
Vanderbilt has an edge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m sitting in the media room over at Stegeman Coliseum. I just got through talking to coach Dennis Felton and a couple of players about Wednesday’s game at Tennessee and Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt.
They’re not saying it’s a must-win game but, clearly, it’s important to them.
I always enjoy going to Nashville. It’s one of my favorite cities in the South. Lots to offer as far as restaurants, entertainment and nightlife and Vanderbilt has a beautiful campus there.
One thing I don’t like about Vanderbilt is its basketball court and apparently Coach Felton feels the same way. The Commodores, as I’m sure you’ve heard about ad nauseum, have an unusual basketball court configuration. Because of its raised floor and an odd seating arrangement, the team benches are on the baselines.
I haven’t had a chance to verify it but Felton says they’re the only team in the county allowed to do that and it results in an unfair home-court advantage for Vanderbilt.
“Yes I do,” Felton said when asked if he had a problem with it. “I don’t think it’s fair that one program in the country gets an arrangment that doesn’t comply with the rules. The rules are very specific about where everything is supposed to be and that includes having the benches on the sidelines.”
It’s a real headache for visiting teams, especially in first half when their squads are on the other end of the floor on offense. You’ll often see the coaches wander more than a quarter of the way out onto the court trying to yell instructions to their players.
Is Felton right? Is that an unfair advantage for Vanderbilt? Does it really make a difference?
Georgia hasn’t won in Nashville a bunch (few teams do) but it did win there last year. Is it a must-win for the Dogs? With nine games left in the regular season (eight in SEC), how many more do they need to win to make the NCAA tournament?
FYI, here’s the remaining schedule: at Vanderbilt, Florida, at S. Carolina, Kennesaw State, Auburn, at Ole Miss, Miss. State, at Kentucky, Tennessee (then the SEC tourney in Atlanta).
Saban: Burned or bigot?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you guys happen to catch what new Alabama coach Nick Saban said in his “off the record” comments to Miami reporters on Jan. 4? They just recently came to light after a Miami reporter’s tape recording of it ended up being broadcast on a radio station and it’s now circulating on the Internet.
I’m not going to repeat the racial slur here so you’ll just have to find a recording yourself but, suffice it to say, it was offensive to some people.
There are a number of issues here, the first and foremost being Saban’s personal moral compass. Whether he meant for it to be public or not, it could be perceived as a glimpse into his beliefs and attitudes and I wouldn’t imagine that sits well with recruits, players or administrators.
But another issue is the use of “off the record” by both the media and the people it covers. For some insight into the business, coaches and politicians and celebrities often say “off the record” when they don’t want to be quoted or paraphrased on something they’re about to say. As journalists, we’re not obligated to honor such a request but, in general, we do. If we didn’t, nobody would ever tell us anything. But it can depend on what’s being said.
The fact is, a reporter is a reporter and anything someone might say to a reporter or certainly a group of reporters should be considered on the record because the person that’s being interviewed is aware he or she is speaking to a member or members of the press.
Now I don’t know the inside story on how Saban’s comments ended up on the radio and spread across the Internet or how the newspaper the guy works for feels about it, but I’m guessing nobody’s real happy about it.
Saban issued a statement on Wednesday through Alabama:
“Those comments need to be placed in the proper context, so as to understand the meaning of what was said,” Saban said. “The words were used in paraphrasing a story told to me by a friend. I was simply using the same wording used by the person who told me the story.
“The term in question is not language that I use or condone, and I can understand how some would take offense. However, I think it must be noted that those comments were made ‘off the record’ and the words merely reflected an anecdote that was told to me using that language.”
What do you guys think? Does Saban deserve to be disciplined further (the University of Alabama said it will have no comment beyond Saban’s statement)? Do think the whole thing is being overblown?
What about the reporter? Was he wrong to go public after Saban said it was “off the record”?
Meanwhile, I just got back from my trip to Knoxville to cover the basketball Dogs at Tennessee. In case you missed it, Georgia lost 82-71. I have to admit I didn’t think this Georgia team was capable of playing that poorly.
It wasn’t so much that they didn’t shoot well (6 of 26 on 3s). Teams and individuals have off nights. That happens. It was, one, that they so often settled for 3-point shots and, two, that it was easily the worst effort I’ve seen them put forth this season.
Considering their situation and from where they’re coming the last couple of seasons, Georgia’s lack of effort was inexplicable. Anybody else come away feeling that way?
Permalink | Comments (80) | Categories: Football
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