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 > March
March 2007
Uga VI’s term nearing end
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a huge news day in Atlanta. Haven’t you heard? Uga VI is nearing retirement.
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of buzz that little white dog can generate. I’d been hearing for a while now that Uga VI might not make it to this season. Having known Mr. Seiler for many years, I finally decided to give him a call.
Now if you’ve never met Sonny Seiler, you owe it to yourself to introduce yourself to him. A nicer man there has never been, and he epitomizes the Southern Gentleman, what with his Savannah drawl and excellent manners.
Anyway, Mr. Seiler quickly put to rest any notion that Uga VI was gravely ill or anything like that. Since he was 1, the dog that is, he has struggled with knee problems. He’s actually had ACL surgery. That’s the reason Uga doesn’t lead the team onto the field anymore. Uga VI, whose given name is “Uga V’s Loran Whatchagot,” turns 9 years old in July and Seiler said they usually retire by the time they are 10 either way.
So today, let’s talk about the Uga legacy. SI proclaimed the UGA line of pure white English bulldogs as the greatest mascot in America several years ago. Do you agree with that? Generally Uga V, or “Magillicuddy II,” is considered the greatest of all the dogs, or certainly the most famous. He was the one on the SI cover and actually appeared in the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” Others favor Uga III, because he led the Bulldogs onto the field for exactly 100 games, including the national championship on Jan. 1, 1981. Uga IV, though, was the winningest of all the dogs (77-27-4). Of course, Vince Dooley’s sentimental favor was “Otto”, who relieved an injured Uga IV for four games in 1986, going 3-1 in the process. “I’ve always had a great affection for those who came off the bench and performed,” Dooley said.
So let’s hear about your favorite Ugas and your favorite Uga moments. Which Uga was it that snapped at the Auburn receiver? Now that’s a real bulldog!
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Dogs banking on Felton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I imagine everybody’s heard the news by now that Dennis Felton is getting a pay raise and two-year contract extension. Actually it doesn’t become official until it’s improved by the executive board of the Georgia Athletic Association during a specially-called teleconference meeting this afternoon at 5:15 p.m. But the deal is already agreed upon in principle between Felton and AD Damon Evans and has been signed off on by President Michael Adams.
Georgia, of course, had to do this. You cannot have a coach out there recruiting with only two years left on his contract. Rival recruiters will chew that up and spit it out. You must be able to tell a prospect you’re going to be there for them for the entireity of their careers. Otherwise, you might as well cut them loose right then and there. Now he’s contracted through 2011.
A WSB-TV report on Felton’s extension said Felton was a candidate for several other Division I basketball jobs. I don’t think there’s any truth to that. At least, I haven’t heard a word about it and I am constantly monitoring such things. The only jobs of significance out there are, of course, Kentucky, Michigan, Arkansas and Iowa and I haven’t heard Felton’s name associated with any of those openings. Anything else would be pretty much a lateral move or down. And Felton has a little momentum here at Georgia, what with four starters coming back, four recruits signed and probably one more coming and a $30 million practice and training facility being completed this summer.
So the obvious topic for today’s blog is whether you think extending Felton’s contract and giving him a big fat raise ($50,000 a year) was the right move for Georgia. Clearly, the program has shown progress in the last two years. Has the progress been significant enough, in your opinion? What about next year? NCAA tournament or bust?
Also, do you believe the extension was long enough? Some programs are giving their coaches 6-, 8- and 10-year contracts. Also, Felton’s pay still ranks in the bottom half among SEC coaches. It was bottom third before this raise but I haven’t had a chance to quantify where this places him now.
Anyway, I’ll be monitoring this story all day and will let you know all the details when they come out following the executive board teleconference. Let’s hear your opinions on this development.
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Final Four frenzy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from Hoopsville, folks. I have been covered up in Final Four assignments the past couple of days and will be through the weekend. I’m part of the “Atlanta team” in the days leading up to Saturday’s semfinals. That means I’m generating stories from this end while our other writers, who were out covering the regionals, report from the respective campuses of the four teams: Florida, Georgetown, Ohio State and UCLA. I’m also assigned to Georgetown but cover the Hoyas from this end of things.
The Final Four is a lot of work but also a lot of fun when it’s in your city. Wondering how you Georgia folks feel about it. Is it something you are keenly following or taking only a token interest in? Certainly those of you with brackets in the office pool will pay close attention. I had three of the four teams in my bracket and I got robbed on my fourth one making it — Texas A&M. The person working the clock must have been a Longhorn.
Don’t know if you guys notice these kinds of things, but the coverage of the Final Four you are getting by our newspaper is some of the best that’s ever been done — and that includes 2002, when I was actually working as college editor and coordinating our coverage. Jeff D’Alessio is our colleges editor now and he is a special one. Put it this way, if he were a player, he’d be an All-American. So kick back and relax and try to soak in all the coverage we’ll be providing this week.
Now who all out there is planning to go to the games? If you don’t have tickets, will you still be coming downtown? They have all kinds of activities planned for Centennial Olympic Park and the areas around the Georgia Dome, CNN Center and Philips Arena. And how ‘bout it Dawg fans? You going to be rooting for the SEC team in this shin-dig?
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What should happen to Strickland?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I guess by now everybody has heard about Tanner Strickland’s arrest, or imminent arrest (story at www.ajc.com/uga). He was caught up in a case brought to the attention of UGA police by a U.S. Postal Inspector, involving fake IDs. Strickland, who doesn’t turn 18 until July 28th, was charged with possession of a fraudulent ID. He’s one of 13 UGA students to be arrested, two of whom also were charged with possession with intent to distribute.
This has been kind of an ongoing trend on the UGA campus, and campuses across the nation, for that matter. That is, some students are engaging in the act of producing fake IDs for the many underaged underclassmen. It’s a misdemeanor charge against Strickland. Coach Mark Richt is aware of the situation but we won’t know what he plans to do until we meet with him after today’s practice (which won’t get over until about 7 p.m.). I will, of course, bring that news to you as soon as it’s available.
So today, tell me what you think ought to be Mr. Strickland’s punishment? Should Richt suspend him? Since it’s a first offense — as a early matriculating freshman, he hasn’t had time to get into any other trouble — should it be handled internally. If Strickland is going to redshirt, how do you handle it then?
Overall, this is Georgia’s third arrest since the end of last season. That’s actually an improvement over some previous seasons. But do you think there’s a discipline problem with the football team? Or is this all just part and parcel of dealing with 17- to 22-year-olds?
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Shockley’s status in jeopardy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m not sure what you all think about it but I don’t think it’s a very good thing for D.J. Shockley that the Atlanta Falcons went out and signed Chris Redman as another backup quarterback for Mike Vick.
At first, when the Falcons traded Matt Schaub, I thought it said as many positive things about Shockley as it did about Vick. I figured the former Bulldog had been making strides in camp and Atlanta management had decided that he was nearly as good as Schaub and would do in a pinch should Vick go down. Then I heard Rich McKay come out and say fairly quickly that they’d definitely sign at least one and maybe two quarterbacks. Regarding Shockley, I thought to myself, “uh-oh.”
Then came the news of Redman’s signing. Redman, as most of you probably know played for Bobby Petrino at Louisville, which means he’s a “Petrino Guy.” Now there’s a chance that Redman, a six-year veteran who didn’t play last season, is there only to help Vick and Shockley pick up Petrino’s offense system. But just to verify my instincts on this one, I called our Falcons beat guy Steve Wyche and he, too, doesn’t think it bodes well for Shockley, in Atlanta at least.
If that’s the case, I really hate it for Shock because he remains one of the great all-time people I’ve ever run across in this business. The again, pro football is a cold, cruel world. Perhaps he moves up to No. 2, perhaps he goes to another team or maybe he hooks on somewhere else. Either way, Shockley will be fine.
Wondering if you guys have any thoughts on how all these moves might affect one of only a couple of Dogs on the Falcons’ roster (Josh Mallard and Fred Gibson are also on the current roster).
Also, I’m heading over to football practice again today so let me know if there are any issues in particular y’all want me to get to the bottom of.
C-ya in the papers!
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Dogs’ O-line woes mount
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cleaning out the notebook from yesterday’s trip out to football practice:
Head coach Mark Richt speaks glowingly about Georgia’s young offensive line, even though it has already encountered two losses to knee injuries (tackles Vince Vance and Josh Davis, neither considered serious).
“You know what, considering there’s only two guys who know what they’re doing and even those guys have new terminology, I think they’re doing pretty good at this point,” Richt said. “We’re nowhere near being where we need to be. But what I imagined it might be to this point, it’s better than that.”
Encouraging words, but I’m not sure I believe them. The LAST thing the Bulldogs needed was any of these guys to miss any practice time, especially Vance and Davis. So now true freshman Trinton Sturdivant is your starter at left tackle. I asked offensive coordinator Mike Bobo if he’d ever seen a true freshman excel as a starter. “No,” he said. “They just have so far to go strength-wise.”
O-line coach Stacy Searels was very vague and cryptic in his answers about his unit. I found that kind of telling in and of itself. I don’t think he’s thrilled with what he’s seen so far. In case you didn’t know, Searels and Bobo decided to abandon the split/tight formations, where linemen were required to play on both the right or left depending on the strong or weakside of the field. They did this in favor of what most of us grew up on, where there’s right and left guards and tackles and the plays going to the left side are odd-numbered and those to the right are even.
In some ways it’s good that the Bulldogs have so many new offensive linemen because of the new system and new terminology, which overall is actually easier to understand.
“It’s different,” senior tackle/guard Chester “Cheese” Adams said. “Coach [Neil] Callaway had a different style and taught different techniques. Coach Searels is doing a lot of new stuff so it’s taking a little time but by the end of the spring, we’ll be good with it.”
By the way, I think it was Matthew at the SLC who asked but QB Matthew Stafford calls the pass protections and center Fernando Velasco also has some responsibilities in that regard (ie: relaying assignments based on Stafford’s call).
A few other observations: There’s talk of DE Marcus Howard being a real darkhorse star on the defense this fall (Carter’s working on a story for Sunday). Also, Sean Bailey and Mikey Henderson have been looking good at wideout, Tripp Chandler is the only uninjured tight end, DE Jarius Wynn has been impressive, Kregg Lumpkin and Knowshon Moreno look like an unstoppable tailback tandem, Stafford looks to be in particularly good shape and the Dogs’ seconday is going to be stout. Also, there are an awful lot of very impressive-looking players that are redshirt freshmen and sophomores that I think a lot of folks have forgotten about or are overlooking while focusing on signing classes and graduating seniors.
G-Day’s Saturday at Sanford Stadium. Do you guys get fired up for the spring game and come in droves to see it like they do at some football schools or just sort of cast a casual eye toward it to see who stands out?
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Putting the wraps on men’s basketball
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good afternoon, folks. Long travel day yesterday. Glad to be back in Athens.
First, to wrap up men’s basketball. Air Force is really, really good, especially in that building. The Falcons were a matchup nightmare for Georgia (picture Takais Brown chasing players around the perimeter) and they’re clearly on a mission. Granted, the Bulldogs could have played a lot better but, the truth is, nobody was going to beat Air Force there on the middle of its base in the mountains.
Now the season’s over and the Dogs will get to work on next season. Suffice it to say, making the NCAA Tournament will be the one and only goal and important to coach Dennis Felton to do so. Expect him to receive a contract extension between now and June.
Meanwhile, the Lady Dogs are still out there competing. They get No. 2 seed Purdue in Dallas on Sunday. Not sure whether they’ll survive and advance. To be honest, from what I’ve seen of them this season, I’m surprised they made it this far. It will be a wonderful thing if Andy Landers can ever win a national title but I don’t think it will be with this team.
I’m off to football practice this afternoon. It will be my first look at the Dogs this spring so I’m looking forward to it. They’ll be on Woodruff Practice Fields at 4:30 p.m. I’ll be filing a notebook for the paper so there’s some football coverage to look forward to.
Initially I’m wanting to get an update on the offensive line. I’ll probably visit with new OL coach Stacy Searels. Let me know if you have any particular areas or issues you want me to report on today.
C-ya in the papers!
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Dogs take game to ‘higher level’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from Colorado Springs, Colo. It’s absolutely beautiful out here. Warmer than it is back in Atlanta. Rockies to the west, rolling hills to the east, blue skies all around.
Before I forget about it, Melanie Felton asked me last night to please get our readers to go to the Hidden Valley Ranch recipes website and vote for her special dip she came up for a charitable competition with three other coaches wives (Boeheim, Kruger and Ryan). It sounds pretty good. Here’s a link to the website:
http://allrecipes.com/features/hiddenvalleyranch.aspx
There’s been a lot of talk about the altitude here since Georgia drew Air Force in tonight’s NIT second-round game (9 p.m., ESPNU). It was funny but when I brought up whether the altitude (about 7,000 feet) had an effect on teams, coach Dennis Felton said he didn’t want to talk about it. He asked to go off the record with me and another reporter and we granted it. Then he said it most definitely has an effect. He said he became well aware of the negative effects when he was at Western Kentucky and they had to play at Denver every year. But he said he didn’t want to discuss it in print because he didn’t want it getting inside his players’ heads.
Having been out here not quite 24 hours yet, I can tell you from my personal perspective you can definitely feel it. Just walking around town and up and down the halls of my hotel, it feels like you can’t get quite enough oxygen. And I’m at only about 6,000 feet or so. They say the arena is at 7,100. I can’t imagine how it might feel when you’re running up and down a basketball court.
On the positive side, the team seems to be in very good spirits here. I think it’s clear that the Dogs definitely are enjoying playing in the NIT and getting to extend their season. That said, they probably got about as tough a draw in this thing as they possibly could. Air Force is really good and a difficult team to prepare for with their Princeton offense and matchup zone defense. These guys rank second in the nation in points allowed after leading the nation for four straight seasons. That can be tough and aggravating to go against. On the other hand, Georgia has some size and athleticism advantages.
If Georgia somehow survives this one, it gets the winner of the DePaul-Kansas State game. That game would be on Wednesday (I think) and would be on the road again. A win there would get the Dogs to New York.
What’s your thoughts on the Dogs’ chances tonight? What’s the biggest obstacle, the altitude, the AF offense or the AF defense? Think they’ve got what it takes to get to New York?
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Scouting the defensive ends
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One of the more intriguing battles to watch when spring practice resumes Monday is the one raging at defensive end.
The Bulldogs have eight players competing for basically four spots — two starters and two backups — and nearly every candidate is either very young or very inexperienced. Say what you will about what kind of seasons Charles Johnson and Quentin Moses may have had last year, there’s a lot more to the position than quarterback sacks and those guys are both going to be first-day NFL draft picks. So there is a lot for these next guys to live up to.
The most experienced player is senior Marcus Howard. Though undersized (6-2, 220), he’s played in almost every game the last three seasons and has 40 career tackles (but only 1.5 sacks). The guy Georgia coaches would love to see bloom this season is sophomore Roderick Battle (6-4, 256). Battle had two sacks in limited play last season and has the more protypical size for the position. Those two opened the spring No. 1 on the depth.
Another player that could be a difference-maker is junior Jeremy Lomax (6-4, 233). Lomax has shown flashes throughout his career but has been slowed down some by an ankle injury. He’ll certainly be in the rotation this fall.
Look out for this guy: Jarius Wynn, a 6-5, 275-pound transer from Georgia Military. A team captain and defensive MVP in junior college, he’s impressed coaches with his work ethic and, that buzz word among UGA DEs, a “motor” that never idles down.
The good news is Georgia has plenty to choose from. Michael Lemon, Brandon Wood, Demarcus Dobbs and Kiante Tripp all came to Athens highly regarded. That’s a lot of talent and I’m sure at least a couple of these guys will come through big time.
I’ll be sure to catch up with Coach Fab next week and get his insights on the position he coaches. In the meantime, which one of these guys do you think will be an all-conference caliber for the Bulldogs? Is there a potential All-American in there? How critical do you believe the defensive end position will be to Georgia’s defensive success next fall?
Air Force on deck
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good win for Georgia last night against Fresno State in the NIT. Kind of a bizarre game with all the 3s and all. Georgia won by 10 points but, oddly enough, it felt like a 20- or 30-point win. The Bulldogs never seemed in jeopardy.
As expected, it was a really quaint crowd. Fortunately for Georgia it was general admission seating so it didn’t look as horrible on TV as it actually was attendance-wise. But with UGA out on spring break along with virtually all the surrounding school systems, there was just nowhere to draw from.
This next game is going to be the really interesting one. Air Force (24-8) beat Austin Peay pretty handily last night in Colorado Springs. Now the Dogs get them out there Monday night at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. Your faithful correspondent will be there to chronicle it for you. There was a chance we couldn’t go depending on travel expenses and tip time and such but we were able to make sense of it all and I’m definitely going.
The Falcons, who were 17-1 at one time this season, are an extremely efficient offensive team that runs a version of the old Princeton cut-and-backdoor system. Georgia will be more physical and athletic but will have to play very disciplined on defense to have a chance. Talking to Fresno coach Steve Cleveland after last night’s game (he coached at BYU for years and therefore played AF every season) and he said the Dogs should be able to handle it. The biggest challenge, he said, will be playing at that elevation.
As we saw again last night, when Georgia is knocking down the 3s, it’s almost unbeatable. If Levi Stukes gets dialed in, look out.
So with the NCAAs underway now, how much interest do you guys have in seeing Georgia advance in the NIT? Do you see any merits in the Dogs getting in these extra games? I guess 20 wins would look good. If they beat AF, they get the DePaul-Kansas State winner. What are the odds of Georgia getting to New York?
Time for a football nugget or two
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We interrupt the filling out of your brackets for a football thought or two.
First of all, I’m interested in finding out how our most loyal readers feel about spring football. As you all know, coach Mark Richt’s Bulldogs have been going at it over there at Woodruff Practice Fields for a couple of weeks now. Well, four practices to be exact.
They’re off this week for spring break. Pretty nice of Coach Richt, if you think about it, to let his guys loose for a week in the middle of it.
When the Dogs reconvene next week, they’ll have 11 practices left, including G-Day on April 7 at Sanford Stadium.
My question is, do you care? Is spring football practice something you’d like to see us cover like we cover the practices in the fall? Are you looking for daily features and updates or do you just want to know if somebody gets injured? What are some of the storylines you might want to see us address this spring?
What about G-Day? You want to see Sanford Stadium half-full like some of these other football-crazy schools’ spring games?
In the meantime, don’t forget that it’s Dogs vs. Dogs in the first round of the NIT tonight at 7 p.m. (ESPN2). Think Georgia’s going to be up for it? Let’s hear some score predictions.
Is the NIT good enough?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been listening to a lot of chatter about Georgia since its SEC tournament run ended. There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on exactly what kind of season the Bulldogs had. There are a lot of people that are disappointed and some that are downright angry that they didn’t make the NCAA tournament this year.
Others are just happy that they’re going to have any kind of postseason at all, albeit the NIT.
Georgia (18-13) will open against Fresno State (22-9, 10-6 WAC) in the first round of the NIT Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum (ESPN2).
I’m not sure if most people realize what an incredible feat it would have been for the Dogs to make it back to the NCAAs this season. As it is, they were oh so close. If Georgia doesn’t blow late leads to Western Kentucky and Alabama, it is indeed dancing in the big tournament.
But, alas, the Dogs lost those two games and that was the difference in them being a 10 or 12 seed in the NCAA tournament and now being a 4 see in the NIT. Coach Dennis Felton said he and his team are “thrilled” to be competing in the NIT and I, for one, believe him. The NIT has always been a very good proving ground for up-and-coming teams.
Georgia has a tough draw. If they can get by Fresno Wednesday, they’ll likely have to fly out to Colorado Springs to take on a very talented Air Force squad. But having competed in arguably the toughest basketball league in the country all season, the Dogs should be up for the challenge. Kind of depends on their level of motivation and I would think they’d be VERY motivated.
So what’s your take on the season to date? Disappointed that they didn’t make the Big Dance or understanding that they came up short and happy with the progress so far?
Where is the love?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wow, what a game between Kentucky and Mississippi State. If these conference tournaments across the country this week are any indication, we’re in for more madness than usual this March.
On that note, I have to admit that, as the guy that covers Georgia, I thought it probably had to be a little discouraging for the Bulldogs to look up into the stands at the Georgia Dome last night and see such a small gathering to support them. I mean, there were a lot of people at the game, 14,000 or so I think. But most of them were Florida and Kentucky and Tennessee fans. Georgia, which has more than 100,000 alumni living in the metro Atlanta area, had one of the smallest fan representations. Only Auburn, which has the second-most alumni in the area (I think), had fewer fans.
I know you can’t change the culture over night, but that’s still hard for me to fathom. I’ve talked to a few Georgia supporters lately, some who post on this board, and they say it’s merely a protective reaction. That is, they’ve been disappointed by the Bulldogs’ basketball team so many times over the years that they’re afraid to invest any energy or enthusiasm into them for fear of just having their heartbroken. Therefore, it’s easier to lay there on your couch and watch it on TV rather than getting all dressed up and lathered up only to see them go down and get taunted by a bunch of obnoxious Gator fans.
Is that the thinking?
Either way, Georgia could come out looking bad tonight because, I’m here to tell you, there are tons of Florida fans here at the Georgia Dome. How might it look if the Gators show up with three times as many fans as the Bulldogs in a building named after the state they play in?
Yes, Florida’s had considerable more success than the Dogs in basketball. But the Gators are also the perfect example that you can have success in both sports at a supposed football school.
By the way, in case you’re interested, tickets can be obtained fairly cheaply ($20-$50) outside the Georgia Dome.
Should Tubby stay or go?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Covering the SEC Tournament today and tonight. Kentucky is putting it on Alabama pretty good as I write this (‘Cats by 8 at halftime). It didn’t look good for the UK in the early going.
Lots of Cats fans, as always, a few holding up signs that say “Vote Smith,” a reference to the split opinion among the fan base as to whether Tubby Smith should stay or go.
It’d be interesting if Kentucky got hot and made a run in the postseason. What would the Big Blue reaction be then? There might not be a coaching position in the country that gets more scrutiny that UK basketball.
Do you guys believe Tubby Smith deserves to be in Lexington as long as he would like to or has the program peaked during his tenure? The biggest criticism he gets is that he’s let the talent level fall. You agree?
Or should Tubby just pack his bags on his own and go because he’s not appreciated there? I’d bet there are one or two programs out there - not to mention an NBA team or two - that would take him.
SEC tourney a great event
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m sitting over here at the media workroom in the Georgia Dome. The 2-4 p.m. window is designated as “writing time.” But as you may have noticed, I haven’t stopped writing since I got here.
The early afternoon was practice and interview time for Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina. Georgia, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are up later. The Dogs practice from 3-4 p.m., then will come to the podium and answer a bunch of questions from a bunch of writers and media types from 4-4:30 p.m.
Forgetting all that, I love the SEC tournament. I don’t know how many of these I’ve covered but my first one was in 1989 in Knoxville (Bama beats Florida in final). But it was in the 1990s that this event really took off.
In the mid-1990s, the league finally figured it had a good thing here and started to move the tournament around to bigger venues. And it sorely needed to.
That’s shortly after Arkansas joined the league and the Hogs brought their “soooooiiiieee Pig” and all their fans — along with some pretty darn good teams — over from the Southwest Conference.
Man, I’ll never forget the 1995 tournament, the first one at the Georgia Dome, and 250,301 fans, mostly UK and Arkansas, showed up over the four days. Not surprisingly, Kentucky and Arkansas ended up in the finals and the Cats won a thriller, 95-93 in overtime. The Hogs, however, got the last laugh and went on and won the NCAA championship.
If you’ve never attended this event, you should really try. It’s a lot of great basketball back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Most of these teams, especially this year, are playing for their postseason lives. Some wild things usually happen.
Too bad Georgia hasn’t been able to make more of a run here in Atlanta. The Dogs are 1-6 in their last seven opening games. They went 1-1 in 1996 in New Orleans, losing to Mississippi State in the semis. The next year Georgia lost to Kentucky in the finals, got a No. 3 seed in the Charlotte regional, then promptly lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Chattanooga.
So who do you think will win it this year? Kentucky has the most tournament titles — 25 — but comes in this year as a No. 4 seed. It’s the first time the Wildcats have played on the first day since league expansion in 1992.
Florida hasn’t played that well lately. Tennessee is hot. Arkansas is playing good at the moment and needs to win. Vandy never plays well here.
How ‘bout them Dawgs? Any chance?
Felton excited about the future
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve got a story running in tomorrow’s paper on Georgia men’s basketball coach Dennis Felton. He opened up pretty good for me in an interview this week.
We talked about the player issues he’s had to tackle this year and the perception that he’s a tough disciplinarian and, of course, the overall progress of the program.
To summarize, he does not think he’s tough to play for, he admits that the Georgia job was a taller task than he initially imagined and said that he’s real excited about the future. He also said he expects to be in Athens a while.
Here’s a snippet:
“The truth is, I’m as excited as ever about what we’re doing and the potential and what we’re growing here and my opportunity to do something big and special here,” Felton said. “On top of that, I love living here. My family and I love Georgia, we love Athens, we love Atlanta. We love this part of the country, the lifestyle, the weather, what it means for our children. Everything.
“We’re building this magnificent facility next door. It’s going to be powerful for us… . The great thing is, there’s no place in the country with more ability than Georgia.”
Felton said he knows for a fact he’s in good standing with the UGA administration and the powers that be and is not at all worried about his future with the Bulldogs or contracts or any of that kind of stuff. I also talked to AD Damon Evans but you’ll have to read the story to find out what he said.
For the record, the Dogs are 17-12 overall this year, 8-8 in the SEC and the No. 5 team from the East for the SEC Tournament. In four seasons so far, Felton is 56-61 overall and 22-42 in SEC play.
So we know what Felton thinks. Let’s hear what you think.
Football in March
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ah, yes. The skies are blue, the birds are chirping, the daffodils are blooming and the air is beginning to warm. Must be time for …
Football?
That’s right. The Georgia Bulldogs jogged onto Woodruff Practice Fields Monday afternoon. Good thing there’s six months until the season starts because they’ve got a lot of things to work out between now and then.
I’m going to rank them in importance. Now this is my opinion, and yours may be different (who are we kidding, it almost certainly will be), so I expect to hear what you’re thinking is:
1: Establish a starting five on the line.
Georgia’s in decent shape across the middle with Chester Adams, Fernando Velasco and Seth Watts but the real question is at the all-important tackle spots.
Redshirt freshman Josh Davis will likely man one spot but do the Dogs may play Velasco outside or have to depend on first-year guys such as Vince Vance, Trinton Sturdivant or Justin Anderson.
2: Linebackers: Brandon Miller specifically.
It’s a huge spring for the former SuperPrep All-American, who’s making a late and unusual move to middle linebacker. The Dogs badly need him to perform. They certainly haven’t gotten out of Miller what they expected when they inked the former AJC Super 11.
3: Find some D-ends.
Actually they’ve got them but it remains a question if Rod Battle, Marcus Howard or Jeremy Lomax can live up to their predecessors.
The rest of the spring is a matter of repetition and throwing, catching and running, in my opinion. Matt Stafford must continue to work on his timing and touch with his receivers, the Dogs are set at running back despite all the whining people do about it and I think their secondary can be a real strength this season.
Punting duties is the only real question mark and that won’t be resolved until Drew Butler joins the competition with Brian Mimbs in August.
Am I wrong?
Permalink | Comments (100) | Categories: Football
Vols will have fans’ support
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I did a radio show for a Knoxville station earlier today and, sure enough, they tell me that Tennessee is again bringing a couple of charter buses full of fans to Stegeman Coliseum for Saturday’s game against Georgia.
If the Vols win again, however, the players and coaches won’t run up into the stands to celebrate with their fans. Thanks to last year’s escapades, the SEC now forbids teams from going into the stands. And it’s a good thing. I could see a ticked off SEC fan, his team just beaten by UT or some other rival, and here comes a big 6-8 forward who just put up a 20 and 10 walking by. The devil on the fan’s shoulder says, “Trip him, trip him. That’ll show him.” And there goes Joe All-American, tumbling down the aisle from the upper deck.
To Bruce Pearl’s credit, he has said more than once he’s sorry he told his players to do that last year.
Don’t know how far that apology goes with the Bulldogs, though.
Anyway, I’m eager to see which Georgia team awaits the Vols, the one that fell meekly to them in Knoxville back in January or the one that fought like mad in the second half despite being shorthanded and overmatched at Kentucky.
The Bulldogs’ team chemistry is, in my opinion, the biggest question as it embarks on this last challenge of the season. Levi Stukes’ lack of remorse for getting suspended for what was an extremely pivotal Kentucky game is the type of thing that can really splinter a team.
What do you guys think? Can the Dogs take the Vols?
Will it be enough to spark a run in the SEC tournament and on into the NCAA tournament? Or do you think they’ve hit the proverbial wall?
Or would you rather talk about spring football practice, which begins Monday?
Dance or not, a good season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, there’s still a chance Georgia makes the Big Dance, but it’s starting to look increasingly remote. Suffice it to say the Dogs have to whip Tennessee in Athens on Saturday and then they may have to get one or two in the SEC tournament.
The pool for the at-large spots is shrinking fast and, of course, there are always one or two small or mid-major conference favorites that will get knocked out in its league tournament which will eat up another spot.
Even if Georgia doesn’t make the NCAAs and has to settle for the NIT, I believe it’s been a successful season. Especially considering all they’ve had to endure. Going all the way back to late last spring, the Dogs have absorbed one blow after another. If for no other reason than being an empathetic human being, I look forward to the day Dennis Felton’s team does not have to encounter many and varied setbacks just to see what they may be able to do.
Meanwhile, a few of you guys mentioned this earlier this week, but Georgia needs to be focused on beating the Vols for no other reason than they are the Vols, they are rivals in the same division and they decided to make the aisles of Stegeman Coliseum a victory parade route last year. Never mind records, never mind postseason. That comes down to pride.
And forgetting outcomes, Steve Newman and the reinstated Levi Stukes will be honored during Senior Day festivities. Having worked with both guys the last few years, I can tell you firsthand they’re both good guys and have busted their rumps for the red and black during a pretty tough time. They deserve recognition.
Of course, I know I’ve got to fire up your opinion meters so let me just say I STILL think the SEC is going to get six teams in. I don’t how the league could have gone from being considered the toughest in the country this year to something below that just because the member teams are beating up on each other. If anything, it proves the contrary. But what the heck do I know, right?
Permalink | Comments (55) | Categories: Basketball
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