UGA

By JB

January 30, 2009 7:29 AM | Link to this

This will be Evans first big test…..Hire a guy raising his hand saying pick me , pick me for cheap, say 700k a year……….or, get a stud, 2 mil a year and break ground on a new arena in 18 months or so. Any bets on which way we go ? We are committed with lip service, not reality.

By We do not...

January 30, 2009 7:59 AM | Link to this

…need a new playing facility. The Steg does, however, need major renovations, so we will see if Damon is up to that task. He did spring for the $30mil practice facility, so we shall see.

All the Steg needs is to widen the concourses, easily done since an outward expansion is doable based on the current configuration, and then they need to move the court to the center of the building to make room for potentially more seats. Taking out the firt two rows of the upper deck in order to widen the walkway around the inside is also doable. Just go to Clemson and get the blueprint from their upgrade several years ago and UGA will have a headstart on planning these renovations.

But, if it is less expensive or more cost effective to just build a new one, then, by all means, hope they have at it!!!

By Tired B-ball fan

January 30, 2009 8:39 AM | Link to this

Ok, I’ll be honest…as much as I love basketball I only do home games or when we play in gwinnett/atl. So I’m not sure what is so bad about The Steg.

Without running into general put downs, why are other arenas considered so much better? What’s wrong with the Steg?

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 8:54 AM | Link to this

Chip, as has been well documented in here, there are lots of fictional team with that many injuries that did just fine.

There is nothing wrong with the Steg, except the mood of the fans exiting lately.

By Odell

January 30, 2009 9:15 AM | Link to this

The Steg is awful. I’ve never been to a worse facility. The crowd definitely doesn’t help either. Seats are too far from the court. It was built in 1964. I think the location is great but it needs a HUGE overhaul.

By Seats are too far...

January 30, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this

…from the court? What kind of moron are you. The seats are as close to the action as any facility in the country. If they were any closer you would be on the court!

You have the playing floor, then about 3-4ft. to the scorers table, then the stands. HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM CLOSER?

By Marietta Dawg

January 30, 2009 9:42 AM | Link to this

It seems to be a given consensus that we’d all love state-of-the-art facilities, but does that guarantee that our bball team will be winners? The best marketing, whether it’s college or professional, is to put a winning team on the court/field/diamond/etc… Unfortunately, we had to let Coach Felton go, but he did come into a horrible situation and he was an honorable man, very similar to Coach Richt. The main difference is that he couldn’t put a consistently winning team on the court. Good luck Coach Felton in your future endeavours and good luck Mr. Evans with your search. Go Dawgs!

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 9:46 AM | Link to this

I guess I am just not as up to speed on BB venues as some of you. I’m at a loss to understand how how anyone says its that bad. As far as capacity, it’s practically the same as Florida’s. Tennessee boast its 24k seat but the first thing Bruce Pearl did when he got there was reconfigure the seating to eliminate whole sections so they would be more intimate. New coach, new attitude, win a few big games, nobody will be complaining about it. If they want to expand, how about twice as many co-eds in that dance squad?

By Dean

January 30, 2009 10:01 AM | Link to this

The Steg is fine. Put a winning team on the court and it will be one of the loudest facilities in the country. It’s old, anitquated, quirky and personally I think it is much better than thiller dome at Tech. When Tubby was here the steg rocked. Anybody out there that was in that building in 1989 when we beat LSU for the conference championship? They will tell you how great that facility can be. Plus, we are in a recession. It doesn’t make sense to build a athletic facility right now. How do small schools lkie Butler and Davidson do it? they have great coaches who recruit good basketball players who happen to also be exceptional young men. That’s all we need and I hope we can get a coach to lead us that way.

By mediocrity rules UGA

January 30, 2009 10:22 AM | Link to this

UGA just needs to understand that the whole athletic program is just 2nd rate. The program is just barely a notch above South Carolina. Florida has surpassed UGA like it was standing still with UGA having its finger up its you know what. Too bad Willie M. wasn’t shown the door too. Dawgs are in for some rough times just like the economy . Enjoy being a distant 3rd or 4th in the SEC mutts!

By Dog poop

January 30, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this

Mediocrity rules…… I agree! so much unrealized potential and a big waste of talent in both football and basketball programs. UGA just seems for some reason not to get it going…

By DLR

January 30, 2009 10:31 AM | Link to this

There is no money in the state or university budget for a new $80,000,000 basketball facility, and the bond market will not currently facilitate long-term financing. Forget the idea of a new basketball arena in the near future and plan on building the program with a combination of a dynamic new coach, a superior in-state talent base, and great practice facilities.

By shannon

January 30, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this

Make Willie Martinez the new basketball coach. He only gave up 25 points a game last year.

By gdawginkalamazoo

January 30, 2009 10:47 AM | Link to this

shannon, LMAO! Now that’s funny. Congrats to the Lady Dawgs on a big win. Can anybody tell me what is wrong with the floor and BB goals at the Stegasaurus? I never had any problems with the place. As I mentioned yesterday Ford Field is one of the nicest facilities in the country. And it has what to do with winning?

By Shannon, that was...

January 30, 2009 11:08 AM | Link to this

funny - wish I had thought of it! Plus, it would solve two problems at once! Get me Mark Richt and Damon on the phone - now!

By dawgfacedboy

January 30, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this

Being a baseball coach and not a football coach I’m curious to know more about all of the shoulder injuries that seem to happen to the UGA football players. Is this common with other programs, with the sport?? Is it just me or does it seem as though there are a ton of shoulder injuries there? Strength and conditioning problems?? Just curious.

By St. Bernard

January 30, 2009 11:36 AM | Link to this

Davidson and Butler don’t play in the SEC. That helps a little as well.

By REALDAWG

January 30, 2009 11:45 AM | Link to this

The true question to ask here is which set of rules will the new coach have to follow?

Will Evans hold him to the same standards that he made Felton follow and use strict disicpline over the ream, even when it means kicking superstar players off the team?

Or will Evans allow the new coach to allow the Richt rule book where players can run amuck pretty much at will and all they will suffer is a 1 game suspension against a high school team, if they are punished at all ?

The different standards for players that has been set for the coaches in these two sports is plain as black and white….whoops that slipped…..

By Red GA Dawg

January 30, 2009 12:31 PM | Link to this

Thank goodness Coach Landers got big win, I first met him when he arrived years and years ago, he built this program, cheers for consistently representing UGA at the highest level. If Evans decides to put up the dough to attract a top talent, whether current head or top number two I will start buying tixs. Remember for those of us from the 70’s and earlier we don’t have a BB history, whether high school, college or pro. Boys high school BB was not much forty years ago in GA. I only went to one men’s game during my college days. The Steg was built as a Ag facility in mid 60’s. The old cow barn is missed by some of us who remember the cattle shows and rodeos. If commitment is made to bring in a quality talent, fans then buy tixs, team wins - amazing we may need a new facility. Let’s not get the cart before horse. Seems to me the reason UGA Gym Dawgs fill up Steg is charasmatic coach, great student athletes that compete at highest level. I don’t hear whining that “The Coliseum” keeps them from recruiting and winnning.

By Nostradamus Dawg

January 30, 2009 1:19 PM | Link to this

Sounds like the injury issue and subsequent excuses will continue throughout 2009. The guess here is that we will be saying the following in December of 2009 so I’ll go ahead and write the script for all the CWM kool-aid drinking apologists out there:

“We had an unbelievable number of players miss spring practice. They were just so far behind in the fall. Additionally some of these guys didn’t heal as fast as others plus we had the usual number of injuries in the fall and during the season. No team has as many injuries as UGA. CWM does a great job despite his defense giving up 40 points a game. He just doesn’t have any players.”

“Gosh, UF was just so tough with Tebow and who knew LSU and UT would come back so fast. You know, there are a lot of teams that would kill for our 8-4 record!”

By uga_b

January 30, 2009 1:27 PM | Link to this

I have not been to the Steg in awhile, but all I remember is that visibility was good and there are no bad seats. The exterior is a little blah but the arena inside is fine.

For the first time, UGA has an atheletic director who is focused on basketball so hopefully we can get it turned around. It may be our least competitive sport overall and there is just no excuse.

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this

Dean, I was there. Might have been one of the most memorable sporting events I have ever been to. When Shaq fouled out……..oh man! I can’t imagine any college basketball building anywhere was any more appreciated as the Steg that day. And it’s considereably nicer on the inside now than it was in those days.

Somebody a few months back had a good idea. Wrapping a brick facade around the Steg would match the rest of the campus better and compliment the new training center.

By GW

January 30, 2009 2:10 PM | Link to this

Architects blogging now…amazin’.

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this

Art Vandelay in all of us.

By SAV'H DAWG

January 30, 2009 3:12 PM | Link to this

Hey Red GA Dawg, you sound like Jim Rome on the west coast. He continuouly degrades Mark Richt. 90% of the players were in trouble for underage drinking. My gosh, can’t believe that happens on a college campus. Compared to the number of non-football students that get in trouble at college, I think that overall the football players show pretty good behavior.

By gdawginkalamazoo

January 30, 2009 3:19 PM | Link to this

First impression of the Steg is “Man this place is pretty cool on the outside, I wonder WTF it looks like on the inside”? The women can win there, the gym dawgs win there.

By gdawginkalamazoo

January 30, 2009 3:19 PM | Link to this

First impression of the Steg is “Man this place is pretty cool on the outside, I wonder WTF it looks like on the inside”? The women can win there, the gym dawgs win there.

By Acworth Dawg

January 30, 2009 3:30 PM | Link to this

I really wish that all of the “I hate this about Georgia” people would please find another team to follow and supply them with your negative attitudes about everything.

All negative attitute does nothing to help the program or the fans. Perhaps the reason Georgia is alway under performing is because that is what most of you expect and will look for anything to prove your point.

By Reality

January 30, 2009 3:40 PM | Link to this

Move men’s hoops to the student center where we will have capacity for a few 100 fans on folding chairs. We proved in the SEC tourney last year that we can do amazing things when nobody is watching,

By Dean

January 30, 2009 3:46 PM | Link to this

Mr mediocrity rules at UGA. There used to be an award that the NCAA gave out for overall academic achievment. I’m sure they still have it but I can’t remember the name of it. Stanford usually wins the thing but UGA was in the top 5 for many years. Since you are so quick to judg the whole of UGA athletics go check it out. I don’t know UGA’s ranking but I bet we would be in teh top 10 of all universities for athletic achievement. Given your short sighted statement and general obnoxiousness I’d put money on you being a Gator. I’d also bet you that your beloved Gators aren’t ahead of UGA. Prove your statement!

By Dean

January 30, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this

Thank you Acworth Dawg! It’s about time somebody said it. If all you have is criticism and negeativity drive south of the border to Florida. They are always looking for a few more loudmouths!

By jw

January 30, 2009 3:55 PM | Link to this

It’s Tubby time again - betcha a bunch he would come back to SEC country and a little bit better climate - he hasn’t been in the news lately and he doesn’t like that! Just think … … . .

By Hairy Dawg

January 30, 2009 4:03 PM | Link to this

I don’t know about the rest of ya, but I find that I don’t really give a flying f*** what the venue is like if my team’s a consistent winner.

By shane#1

January 30, 2009 4:26 PM | Link to this

Alt, I remember Art Vandelay, he was Kiki’s little brother that was 5’8” and played point at Slippery Rock. Great ball handler, but couldn’t shoot a lick. I think he is a CPA in Kokomo. GW, since we are all capable of coaching a SEC football team, managing the Braves, and governing this country, who the hell says we can’t build a freakin’ gym? You are dealing with a collection of Thomas Jeffersons on this blog! BTW, That coach Willie is a diabolical man, getting all those kids to injure themselves just to give him an excuse for poor coaching. That man must be stopped!

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 4:38 PM | Link to this

Donavan was coaching at Marshall when Fl hired him. Pearl was at Wisc. Milwaukee before TN. Our best hire in the past was coaching at Tulsa.

Why all this talk about a “major name” hiring? Who in the world are you going to get right now? Let the committee find the right guy. You never know where the next Tubby is going to come from. And Tubby is not going to be the next Tubby.

By Just My Opinion

January 30, 2009 4:42 PM | Link to this

“kind of crazy”, “hit us hard”, “don’t know why”. Just tired of hearing about injuries and excuses! It is either coincidental, part of football, and we need to let it go and move on OR we have a major problem with our current program of conditioning, strengthening, and flexibility. Enough already!

By bjohndawg

January 30, 2009 4:47 PM | Link to this

Kentucky seats over 20,000 Tenn seats over 20,000 Alabama seats over 13,000 Florida seats 13,000 UGA old facility that can handle 10,000

If you were a top BB player, where would you want to go?

By Kyle

January 30, 2009 4:50 PM | Link to this

Tubby! Tubby! Tubby! …

By Just My Opinion

January 30, 2009 4:50 PM | Link to this

Don’t buy the terrible facility. I was there that day also and during the Harrick years.

How are Duke’s crackerbox?

Young knowledgeable coach who can recruit and bring some fire. He’s correct; it is the right situation and the right time…for someone to make his mark. But please not another spell of mediocrity. Tough situation for the AD, but with the right offer we may all be surprised who will listen. Lets quit putting ourselves down before anyone else has the chance.

Go Dawgs!

By boydatl

January 30, 2009 4:57 PM | Link to this

A record number of season ending injuries last year and now 16 players missing spring practice??? THE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH NEEDS TO GO!!!! Maybe if our players are strong enough to practice and play with the fear of getting injured, we would be a much more physical and dominant team (don’t say we already are with all that POOR TACKLING from last year)! And it’s all the strength and conditioning coach’s responsibility. Be gone who ever you are (under-achieving LOSER!).

By Bulldawg

January 30, 2009 5:03 PM | Link to this

Dean-

It is called the Sears Director’s Cup. And yes, UGA is always in the top 10, every year. And yes, you are also right that FL rarely is ranked above us.

When you consider UGA ‘s dominance (generally speaking) in:

tennis (men & women’s), golf (men & women’s), swimming and diving, gymnastics

the gaytruds cannot match us!

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 5:28 PM | Link to this

The report was on injuries, plain and simple. Factual. What “excuses” are you talking about?

If you dont even know who the strength and conditioning coach is: that sort of qualifies your expertise in the subject.

You did get that these guy missing practice are the very same guys right, not all new ones?

If anyone knows what drills you do that eliminates torn ligaments when somebody bends your knee backwards, please email me. I am positive that the NFL would be willing to pay handsomely for that nugget of wisdom.

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 5:50 PM | Link to this

bjohn, the actual difference between the O’Connell Center and Stegman is 1477 people. That’s not the problem. It’s the other 10,523 that’s the problem. .

By Blue Dawg

January 30, 2009 6:12 PM | Link to this

Acworth Dawg, you wrote, “Perhaps the reason Georgia is alway under performing is because that is what most of you expect and will look for anything to prove your point.” By stating that “Georgia is always underperforming” you’ve uttered a very very negative statement.

By your own decree you must now go root for another team and supply them with your negative attitude.

Once you are gone, only the “true” fans will be left!

By Just My Opinion

January 30, 2009 6:39 PM | Link to this

“Excuses” always follows any remark about injuries. ALWAYS! You’ve read the countless blogs over the last months.

The injuries ARE FACTUAL; that IS definitely a problem. Not sure I buy that injuries caused us to look as bad as we did at times last year although many seem to believe it. We looked extremely bad at times to look pretty good at others, but I cannot disagree that they certainly played a major role. Alabama’s performance without Smith seemed to underline the fact.

I don’t know who the strength and conditioning coach is except for Van Halanger. I am certainly not talking about any ONE person; therefore I did not name CVH since I don’t feel any of it rests on the shoulders of one individual.

Many of the “injuries” listed last year stemmed from the year before. That’s my point exactly!!! I am weary of hearing about UGA’s injuries, period. I am interested about the individuals and their health but not about how we can’t field a team, have decent practices, etc. The collective issue of the injuries is too much.

I am not aware of a drill that eliminates torn ligaments when a knee is bent backwards, so don’t wait up for the email. I am, however, a huge believer that athletes who are extremely well conditioned, extremely flexible, and not too tightly bound with taut muscles are less likely to be injured than those who are not. Perhaps that individual will be able to turn or avoid some of these injuries. Fatigue causes many injuries to occur also. By the way, how many of these injuries were caused by a knee being bent backwards? Not many! Many of them are not even contact related. See the recent article on Jeff Owens who was jumping over someone and tore up his knee without any contact at all. Shoulder injuries in linemen!

I just think the entire program on weight training, stretching, flexibility needs to be scrutinized closely if our injury rate does not improve. If my desire to review and improve our system in all areas offends you, too bad.

Go Dawgs!

By AltamahaDawg

January 30, 2009 8:23 PM | Link to this

We had 2 season ending injuries last year and I can’t remember very many all at once before that. Just very difficult to believe that the same coaches , doing the same drills, with many of the same players, just failed to achieve the same result in terms of proper conditioning or flexibility. But maybe they did something different this year than the other 7, or the many years they had a similar conditioning program back in thier days at FSU. Not a good experiment, if so.

But we agree its better to not have a lot of injuries. I am sure they will look at every angle.

For what its worth, most of my previous post was directed more towards boyd, and not at you. I just thought your assertion about Chip reporting who would not practice due to rehab this spring, as is customary this time of year to report, was odd to label as any excuse, as I’m not sure what he would have been making an excuse for.

By SickandTired

January 31, 2009 8:49 AM | Link to this

Wow, just reading and it’s easy to see why Georgia BB program sucks. Most Dawg fans say they are happy with Stegman, they can’t understand why people talk bad about it. Obviously they’ve never been inside anything better than a facility that was built originally to show cows in. That’s right, it was a stinking cow palace. No Georgia fans want to commit the money to build a better facility that will attract better coaches and players….but let Mark Richt just idly say something about he wants an indoor practice facility that he can use when it is bad weather outside and they want to start firing people that stand in the way. Obviously Georgia doesn’t want to run with the “big Dawgs” because Georgia won’t make the financial commitment to basketball like Florida, Tennessee and others have made. It is what it is, Georgia looks at itself as a football school….and that’s what it is….only it’s not even the best football school in the SEC East.

By AltamahaDawg

January 31, 2009 12:00 PM | Link to this

Florida plays in a giant ballon that is 30 yrs old and cost 12 million to build. The UGA practice annex cost easily 3 times that. So the financial commitment theory doesn’t really hold any, um..air. It would seem to me that if anyone should be willing to spend the 100 million dollars to build a new arena it would have been UF on the heels of thier team’s recent success and sold out attendance.

By shane#1

January 31, 2009 4:17 PM | Link to this

Anyone that thinks injuries are merely an excuse need only consider the New England Patriots. After dominating the league for several years they finished out of the playoffs, yet their coaching staff was credited with doing a masterful job. Why did the Patriots slip? Injuries and free agency. College teams do not have to worry about free agency, but they do have a little thing called graduation.

By AltamahaDawg

January 31, 2009 5:57 PM | Link to this

yea, but shane what about all of the the examples of teams meeting thier high expectation despite heavy injuries to key players? After all there are “lots” of team that did. Every team does according to some.

BTW, I have compiled the list from the many folks I asked to name just one. Here is the list:

By Your Daddy

January 31, 2009 6:04 PM | Link to this

UGA = Gators BEAATCH !!!!!!

By Clamor

January 31, 2009 7:39 PM | Link to this

To Dean and Bulldawg: The cup to which you referred used to be sponsored by Sears and was called the Director’s Cup. Currently is called the NACDA Director’s Cup and is sponsored by the National Assn of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. They only showed the first 5 places for the last 15 years but Stanford won it 14 of those 15 years. UNC was the only other 1st place winner.

UGA finished in the top 5 three times in 15 years while UF finished in the top 5 eight times in those same 15 years.

Since the cup recognition began, only 2 schools have finished in the top 10 in the country — UCLA & UF. As someone mentioned earlier, UGA excels in gymnastics, men’s and women’s tennis and golf, and equestrian events. GO DAWGS……….but leave the important sports achievements to the Gators.

By AltamahaDawg

January 31, 2009 10:42 PM | Link to this

Is there a trolling rival school’s sports blogs cup?

By ............................................BuLLdawg

February 1, 2009 3:15 AM | Link to this

Chipper Towers

Did they fire you sir ?

What’s all these Tim Tucker old news blogs all about?

National Signing Day a couple of days away, and this is all you have to talk about ?

By ............................................BuLLdawg

February 1, 2009 3:18 AM | Link to this

As bad as Georgia Tech’s Recruiting Class 2009 is, Johnson would be wise to concentrate his time right now on doing something about recruiting some football players here this year.

We do know that Georgia Tech fans voted to the AJ-C that the computers used by the BCS were the Most Reliable Polls. Here is the final computer top 10:

*1. Utah 1.50 average * .

2. Florida 1.75 .

3. Texas 3.25 .

4. Oklahoma 4.50 .

tie USC 4.50 .

6. Alabama 6.00 .

7. TCU 7.50 .

8. Texas Tech 7.75 .

9. Georgia 9.50 .

10. Boise St 10.00

.

Tech had a worse football season than UGA, clearly.

By ............................................BuLLdawg

February 1, 2009 3:32 AM | Link to this

Women’s Gymnastics is not and never has been a part of the Directors’ Cup. And neither is Equestrian. And, while leading up to June, I do speak about it; I have not in quite some time. However, your further BS and lack of knowledge about which you speak, is also shown in that you think only the Top 5 are listed and then some discussion of the Top 10. If they only show the Top 5, what is the Top 10 all about, huh ?

UGA has been 1 of the most consistent performers in the nation in the Directors’ Cup. We have done better than Florida some years, although Florida is a school 50 percent larger than UGA.

Also a huge part of the Success of UGA in all sports has been the fact that in Football since 1997, ONLY UGA has been Ranked in the Top 25 all 12 years now.

By the way, dimwit, you score points in the Directors’ Cup by being in the Top 25 of the sports which they do count, and your list includes sport after sport after sport which they do NOT count. You have no idea about that which you came in here to talk about.

By ............................................BuLLdawg

February 1, 2009 3:54 AM | Link to this

You cannot begin to make the case that UGA would have won even our own division of our football conference, LOSING 49-10 to Florida, because of some injury.

It is simply not true.

By Chip Towers

February 1, 2009 8:39 PM | Link to this

Had some more time off coming to me. Thanks for noticing and missing me, BuLLdawg. I missed you, too… .

I’M BAAAAAACK! New blog going up before you know it.

By Gen Neyland

February 2, 2009 12:41 AM | Link to this

Hallellujah and Hot Dang…BuLLdawg is back…Life is good…Congrats to the Steelers.