ATHENS — They won’t go down as one of Georgia’s more accomplished groups and many who should be among them won’t be when the Bulldogs’ seniors are honored before Saturday’s regular-season finale. But all-in-all they were darn good Dogs, according to coaches and teammates.
Four players will be recognized during Senior Day festivities before the Bulldogs tip off against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum (1:30 p.m.). They are a four-year letterman (Dustin Ware), a transfer (Gerald Robinson) and two walk-ons (Matt Bucklin and Connor Nolte) who stuck it out and earned scholarships, but all of them are equal in their contributions to the team in the eyes of coach Mark Fox.
“Because we lost [two players early to the NBA draft], all the responsibility of leadership and scoring and teaching guys to defend all kind of fell on those seniors,” said Fox, who’s in his third season with the Bulldogs. “This has probably been as dependent as we’ve been on a senior group, ever really, even my time as an assistant coach. But I think at the end of the day, it will have been a great experience for them.”
Guard Travis Leslie and forward Trey Thompkins entered the NBA draft a year early. Both were selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. However, Leslie, a 6-foot-4 guard, was sent to the NBA Development League this week.
With them and the 30.8 points and 14.8 rebounds per game the contributed last season, Georgia likely would be headed to a second consecutive NCAA tournament. Without them, the Bulldogs (13-16, 4-11) need a victory over South Carolina (10-19, 2-13) — along with an Auburn loss to LSU — to have a chance to finish 10th in the 12-team SEC.
“I don’t think they handled it perfectly,” Fox said of the burden placed on the seniors. “I thought Gerald and Dustin tried to do too much early. But I admire how they tried to do more than they should have.”
Here’s a thumbnail sketch of each senior:
Matt Bucklin
G, 6-0, 170, Pope High
Comment: Bucklin, whose brother, Mike, played for the Bulldogs, is a former walk-on who made the team after an open tryout in 2008. Will get his first start of his career Saturday, the 24th appearance of his career.
Most memorable moment: "No doubt for me it's making the NCAA tournament last year. Hearing your name called like that, it puts things into perspective, everything you worked on, everything you did back in the summer, all the ups and downs you experience during the season. It all came together for a purpose, and it's a great sense of accomplishment. That's something I'll be able to hold on to forever."
Connor Nolte
F, 6-7, 215, Milton High
Comment: Nolte would have played more this season (20 games, 6.6 minutes per game) had it not been for a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a month. Transferred from Furman in 2009 and started the first three games of 2010-11 because of Thompkins' injury.
Most memorable moment: "I came to Georgia as a walk-on, and I was trying to work as hard as I could. But I still could not have imagined I would start my first three games as a Dog. That's probably the most memorable thing for me. I remember, it was against Colorado and I'm getting ready for tip off, and I look down and I see my reflection coming off the black paint in the 'G' on the floor. I just kind of smiled to myself and remember being very thankful for the opportunity. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I've been really blessed to play here, and I'm just happy Coach Fox gave me a chance."
Gerald Robinson
G, 6-1, 180, Martin Luther King Jr. High (Nashville)
Comment: Robinson began his career at Tennessee State, where his father is the men's and women's tennis coach. After being named Freshman of Year in Ohio Valley Conference, Robinson transferred to Georgia in 2009 and sat out one season. As a junior he recorded 133 assists while leading the Bulldogs to their first at-large NCAA tournament berth since 2002.
Most memorable moment: "Just all the times I've had here with my Georgia family. It's a family outside of my actual family. That's the atmosphere we have here. I'm going to miss it when I leave. I'll definitely come back and visit. It was an unbelievable opportunity the University of Georgia gave me to be a part of it. It's a part of me now."
Dustin Ware
G, 5-11, 172, North Cobb Christian School
Comment: Ware will have played all 126 games of his career — with 102 starts — when the Bulldogs take the court Saturday. He led the SEC in the 3-point shooting (43.5 percent) as a junior and will have averaged more than 30 minutes per game when his career concludes.
Most memorable moment: "No doubt it will be when we made the NCAA tournament last year. It wasn't even the game. I mean, obviously that was huge. It was a lot of fun and a great experience and all that, but the biggest thing was we were sweating it out on Selection Sunday. We're sitting in the locker room, and we don't know what's going to happen. All of a sudden our name comes across the screen, and we almost tear the locker room apart. It was like some people won the lottery, honestly. It was just a moment with your team, the guys you've been in the trenches with all year, it's just something I'll never forget."
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