Q&A with men’s basketball coach Mark Fox

ATHENS - He has hired two assistants and signed one player. He has visited countless high schools and several Bulldog Club chapters. He has come to appreciate late dinners at Waffle House.

Mark Fox has been on the job - and on the go - for exactly one month as Georgia’s men’s basketball coach.

Enlarge this image

Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com

Mark Fox has had a busy first month as UGA basketball coach.

RELATED UGA LINKS

• Standings • Stats

[an error occurred while processing this directive] • Sports TV Listings

Over lunch Friday, he slowed down to visit with several reporters:

Q: How would you describe your first month?

A: It’s been fast-paced. I think we’ve been able to hit the ground running. … It doesn’t turn overnight. But it’s been a very good month, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Q: Tell us about your first signee [point guard Vincent Williams from Homestead, Fla.]

A: Good shooter. One of the things we felt this team needed is to become a little bit more offensive - maybe more than a little. Trey [Thompkins] can score a lot of different places. But, unless we can stretch the defense and isolate him, he’s going to have a tough time (1) getting the ball and (2) not being surrounded. So we want to continue to add shooting and scoring. And Vincent can shoot the ball; he can score. Another thing we felt we needed was another point guard.

Q: When the coaching change occurred, Thompkins didn’t rule out transferring to another school. What is your relationship with him?

A: Trey has been great. He’s going to the USA Basketball Under-19 team tryouts. I don’t know if that has been announced; I just let the cat out of the bag. … Trey is a great kid. We’ve had a great start. We have enjoyed time in the gym [and] in the office.

Q: Has he told you he won’t transfer?

A: He hasn’t directly said that, but Trey and his family and I have had great conversations. He’s been a big part of everything we do; he has hosted recruits. … I think he sees that there’s certainly a great future for him here. That’s a situation [where] he deserves time to get to know me and how we want to function. … I have not had one player tell me, ‘I want to leave.’ Their response, their actions, show me they are excited about the new direction [here] - even when they have gotten in trouble. I mean, one day, the locker room wasn’t clean enough, and their reaction after that was pretty good.

Q: Why did [Loganville Christian Academy center] Daniel Miller ask to be released from his letter of intent [signed with UGA last fall]?

A: I think he wanted a fresh start, quite frankly, and [that’s] understandable. Nice kid. I told his family and him that I’m not going to stand in your way. That wouldn’t be the right way to begin.

Q: You wanted him on the team, though?

A: Yeah, we would have offered a scholarship, sure. We would have honored it.

Q: Did you know or care when releasing him that he would sign with Georgia Tech?

A: No. Didn’t know. Didn’t care.

Q: What’s the status of Travis Leslie [the freshman guard who missed the end of this past season to focus on academics]?

A: Travis has worked very hard in the classroom. The semester is not over, but … we have been very pleased with his response to what we want done.

Q: Do you anticipate signing any more recruits to enroll in the fall?

A: I would like to. We’ll look at transfers, and we’re looking internationally … in addition to high school players.

Q: What kind of reception have you gotten from fans on the Bulldog Club tour?

A: We’re still undefeated, so they’ve been great… . Most people will tell me, ‘We need (a), (b), (c) and (d) - and maybe (e). And I go, ‘Yeah, I know.’ … We have work to do; we know that. I have glasses, but I’m not blind.