Players wait-and-see on UGA coaching search

Athens — The question elicited a smile from Zac Swansey. Drazen Zlovaric laughed at the thought.

They were asked if Georgia athletics director Damon Evans had sought their advice regarding his search for a new basketball coach.

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Rich Addicks/raddicks@ajc.com

Georgia fired coach Dennis Felton (above) on Jan. 29. The Bulldogs have lost the three games they’ve played since.

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“No, he hasn’t asked me at all,” said Swansey, a sophomore point guard from Duluth. “I guess that’s why they pay him the big money, to make that decision.”

Said Zlovaric, a freshman from Serbia: “I think the administration is in full charge, 100 percent. But I have confidence in them. I really do.”

Though players are the ones most affected by decisions such as Evans’ to dismiss men’s basketball coach Dennis Felton two weeks ago, their opinions carry about as much weight as the guy sitting on the corner barstool.

“I think Damon Evans is going to find the best coach possible,” Zlovaric said.

What else can players do but carry on in good faith? For them, it’s like somebody just blew up the kitchen, but they’re told to keep on cooking.

And believe it or not, most of these guys did not see Felton’s firing coming.

“Once they won the SEC all of us were thinking we were going to build on that,” said freshman point guard Dustin Ware. “None of us expected to have a down year or even struggle. It didn’t happen that way and unfortunately [Felton’s] gone. But we’re all still here and we’re trying to move on and play and win games.”

Nothing good has happened since Evans made his decision. The Bulldogs (9-14, 0-8 SEC) have lost the three games they’ve played under interim coach Pete Herrmann and 10 in a row overall heading into Wednesday night’s game at Tennessee (14-8, 5-3).

Meanwhile, Herrmann is fighting just to keep the team in one piece. He benched two players — Jeremy Price and Travis Leslie — for the South Carolina game this past Saturday because of an argument that began in the morning shoot-around and continued all the way back to the team hotel.

Such breakdowns aren’t uncommon within a group whose future is so uncertain. Not only do the players not know who their coach will be, they can’t even be sure the new coach will want them.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t [thought of it],” Swansey said. “I think everybody on this team has done that. We’re going to wait and see who is the next coach then figure out what’s best for our future.”

The players can’t just leave if they aren’t happy with Evans’ decision. The NCAA does not provide a one-time transfer exception for players already on scholarship in the event of a coaching change, and it’s not automatic for recruits that have signed a national letter-of-intent. They can leave but, by rule, they have to sit out a year.

Some, such as freshman Trey Thompkins, are taking a wait-and-see approach. Most, however, indicate they’d like to stick around.

“I love Georgia and I’d love to stay here,” Zlovaric said. “But I don’t think it’s just a question of whether we want to stay or not. I think the [new] coach is going to play a big part in that.”

Said Ware: “I love the school, I love the people here. Hopefully I can stay here.”

But, of course, nobody’s asking him what he wants.