UGA basketball under Dennis Felton

Sports

UGA basketball under Dennis Felton

Staff and wire photos of Felton's tenure at UGA.

Jim Harrick earned kudos for reviving UGA basketball on the court, but an academic scandal involving a "Basketball 101" class taught by his son and assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. got both fired in 2003. And the Bulldogs program once again was thrown into turmoil.

UGA turned to Western Kentucky coach Dennis Felton, who vowed to instill discipline and run a clean program. His first Bulldogs team went 16-14 and reached the NIT. The following season, however, UGA fell to 8-20 as Felton felt the pain of NCAA sanctions stemming from the Harrick saga.

In one of his first big recruiting coups, Felton got a verbal commitment from South Gwinnett star Louis Williams. But Williams never signed with UGA, opting instead for the NBA, where his pro career has languished.

Felton did land Williams' high school teammate, Mike Mercer, a versatile guard who as a sophomore last season led UGA to an upset of nationally-ranked Gonzaga. He later went down with a late-season knee injury.

Also giving UGA a boost last season was junior college transfer Takais Brown, who provided Felton with a badly-needed big body up front.

The Dogs also were buoyed last season by a 67-64 win at Arkansas as Steve Newman (arm raised) made the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Felton's gospel of hard work was rubbing off on his team, which aimed for the postseason.

The Dogs went back to the NIT last season and earned a home game in the first round. Although the crowd was sparse, UGA beat Fresno State and Felton, who's earned plaudits for his fan friendliness, appreciated those who did show up.

Last summer, the UGA men's and women's hoops teams moved into a spacious new $30 milion practice facilities which were designed in part to make basketball more attractive to potential recruits.

Felton had high expectations for the Bulldogs with the bulk of his starting lineup returning. But Mercer (pictured) was suspended at the outset for 15 games for violating Felton's academic policies and later was dismissed. Brown also was sent packing as the season got underway for undisclosed violations of team rules.

Felton also briefly suspended guard Billy Humphrey earlier this season for possession of a pocket knife in his campus apartment. This week Humphrey was suspended again, this time for three games, for underage consumption of alcohol.

Felton's Dogs, who play at two-time defending NCAA champion Florida Saturday, are 11-9, prompting some fans to question his direction of the program. In the middle of his fifth season in Athens, Felton is 69-72.

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Jim Harrick earned kudos for reviving UGA basketball on the court, but an academic scandal involving a "Basketball 101" class taught by his son and assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. got both fired in 2003. And the Bulldogs program once again was thrown into turmoil.

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