The Junkyard Blawg has moved!
Along with the other ajc.com blogs, the Junkyard Blawg has moved over to WordPress, where the blogging and commenting experience promises to be better. Join us over at the new WordPress version of the Junkyard Blawg by clicking on the link below.
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February
February 2008
Recruiting doesn’t always pan out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I see where tight end NaDerris Ward confirmed to the Athens Banner-Herald that the rumors about him transferring from UGA are true. His grandmother in California, with whom he used to live, is ill and he wants to be closer to her. He’s looking at Oregon or Arizona as schools he might transfer to.
I wish him luck, but this just reinforces why I don’t get all that wrought up about signing day and class rankings and such. Ward came in ranked as high as the No. 2 tight end in the country. But he redshirted his first year, during which he had to have surgery on his shoulder, and then last year played in only four games and didn’t have a catch.
OK, other players have had a slow start and then turned into All Americans and that certainly might have happened with Ward. Still might at another school. But the point is that just because you sign a bunch of blue-chippers out of high school doesn’t guarantee they’ll produce for you down the road. They might get hurt. They might be unhappy in school. They might leave for family reasons. They might not live up to their billing.
At the same time, UGA has a history of players who were not highly touted out of high school turning into top-notch performers.
All in all, it’s a crapshoot and I think a lot of fans (and media covering college football) spend WAY too much time on it. I mean, we’re worrying about whether juniors in high school who’ve “committed” verbally (which means nothing these days) are wavering. How ridiculous is that?
A lost season?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You gotta feel bad for Sundiata Gaines.
This was supposed to be the year that all that hard work during those early first few rebuilding seasons under Dennis Felton paid off. After riding the bubble and barely missing the NCAA tournament last season, Georgia looked primed for a tournament run this year.
Then the Luck of Dennis Felton kicked in and, well, you know the rest of that story, unfortunately. Two of the top-performing players kicked off the team, academic suspensions, disciplinary suspensions, injuries. …
So we’re back to the way it was when Gaines first came to Georgia, with the Bulldogs barely having enough players to have any bench to speak of, and Gaines nevertheless playing his heart out … in vain.
The senior guard has played so impressively of late that he was named SEC player of the week last week for his efforts in a couple of losses (how often does THAT happen?!).
And so here the Dawgs are, now officially below .500 for the season, having lost eight of their past nine games, and with a dismal 3-9 SEC record. And having played almost every minute, Gaines seems to be running a little out of steam. His streak of three consecutive 20-plus-point games came to an end against Kentucky, and while he was back at 24 points against Vandy Saturday, only eight of those came after halftime.
Still, nobody can question Yata’s effort. He even drew applause from the Tennessee fans still hanging around Stegeman Coliseum after the Vols’ recent win there, a game in which Gaines almost tied it with a would-be 3-pointer that bounced off the rim twice at the buzzer.
And this is a kid who’s taking 20 hours of courses this semester so he can graduate in May with a sociology degree.
But it all comes to naught because of a combination of problems on and off the court and the seeming inability of Felton’s team to play at a consistent level throughout a game and finish strongly.
So the season when the rebuilding was to be officially over drags on with the Bulldogs spiraling down the drain, despite the stalwart efforts of senior leaders Gaines and Dave Bliss.
It has turned out like fans feared when all that pre-season drama played out. All in all, a lost season best forgotten. Only trouble is, it’s Gaines’ last as a Bulldog. And I hate that for him.
Dooley ‘honor’ a disgrace
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leave it to Michael Adams to find a way to make honoring Vince Dooley a backhanded slap in the face.
Dooley supporters (me included) have called in recent years for the retired coach/athletics director’s name to somehow be attached to Sanford Stadium or its field, the site where he made his legend.
There’s also been a movement to locate a statue of Dooley outside the stadium.
Adams, of course, was having none of it.
But the man booed at the Sugar Bowl just about as lustily as the unbeloved mayor of New Orleans is a politician, after all, and he recognizes that it’s not in his best interests to completely ignore Dooley’s legacy.
So now the athletic association (which, let’s face it, doesn’t do anything these days without Adams’ OK) has come up with a plan to establish a “Vince Dooley Athletic Complex” on south campus and stick the statue in a little parklike setting way up Lumpkin Street. Sure, it’s near the Butts-Mehrer building, but it’s about a 20-minute walk from the stadium.
I bet there was a smirk on Adams’ face when they came up with this one. On the surface, they’re “honoring” Dooley. But at the same time it’s one more opportunity for Adams to put Dooley in his place … far away from Sanford Stadium and the main UGA athletic spotlight.
What a sorry episode. This isn’t the way to pay tribute to a man who’s devoted most of his life to UGA and served it proudly.
Dooley should be honored where his teams played and won championships. Period.
Turnaround or tailspin?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dennis Felton’s basketball Bulldogs come to a turning point this coming week when they play host to Kentucky at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday and Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Having just finished a disastrous week on the road in which they were routed by a fine Tennessee team and managed to lose to a lousy South Carolina team, the hapless Dogs limp back to the Steg, where they’re undefeated so far this year (though only two of those wins, Georgia Tech and Arkansas, are really noteworthy).
Nobody really expected Georgia to be a great team this season after losing two of its starters, but thanks to the team’s abysmal road record, they’re on the verge of slipping from mediocre to just plain bad. Win at home against Kentucky (who suddenly looks tougher than earlier in the season) and Vandy (who started out like gangbusters but has faltered of late) and the Dawgs can get back to a winning SEC record before taking on Florida. Lose these two, and Felton might have to engineer a major turnaround to avoid a losing season, much less get an NIT bid. (Nobody’s really thinking NCAA for this team.)
Although they’ve played awful basketball of late, fan support could prove crucial here. A full house at the Steg always seems to invigorate these players. Perhaps those folks with the lower-level midcourt season tickets who appear to only come to the occasional game might consider showing up for this homestand!
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
