There was no grandiose news conference, no podium with school leaders at the head table.
No, when Georgia announced Wednesday that it extended the contract of men’s basketball coach Mark Fox, the coach and athletic director Greg McGarity weren’t even in the same room. Fox was on an airplane traveling to Texas for a tournament in which his team wasn’t playing. And McGarity simply came down from his fourth-floor office in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall to a second-floor work room to answer reporters’ questions. He sat in a folding chair in front of a copying machine, which was in operation mode most of the time.
“I think it was important for people to know this: This was a really good year,” McGarity said. “We didn’t reach all the expectations that we wanted to from the NCAA standpoint, but 20 wins, I think, sets the table for us next year, and I think there’s a lot of momentum building toward that. We just thought it was the right thing to do at this point in time.”
Georgia extended Fox’s contract by two years, through March 2018. He has been at Georgia for five years. He has an overall record of 85-77 and an SEC record of 40-44.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 20-14 season, the 12th season of 20 or more wins in school history, and finished in a tie with Kentucky for second place in the SEC at 12-6. But Georgia did not get an NCAA tournament bid and instead played in the NIT. The Bulldogs were ousted in the second round with a home loss to Louisiana Tech.
With four of five starters returning and 11 of 13 lettermen overall, the expectations will be higher next season.
“I think the program should be just like any other program that we sponsor,” McGarity said in a 15-minute meeting with reporters. “We want to be competitive in the SEC and usually if you’re competitive in the SEC then you’re competitive on a national level. We have 15 different head coaches, and our goal is to all be competing in the NCAA Championship for whatever sport that may be. … Basketball should be treated just as other sports and as far as expectations.”
Two SEC teams will compete in the NCAA Final Four that Fox will attend, and only one other conference team (Tennessee) made that tournament. The Bulldogs were 0-4 against those three and lost the games by an average margin of 19.5 points.
But Fox points toward the steady progress the Bulldogs have made while also graduating and developing players. Georgia’s second-place finish was the fourth time in 82 years it had finished that high in the SEC.
“I’m thankful for the positive steps we’ve made recognized,” Fox said in a text message.
Fox is paid $1.7 million annually in salary, but McGarity would not discuss financial details of the new deal.
This is Fox’s second contract extension at Georgia. He signed a six-year deal when he came to Georgia from Nevada and got his first extension after his second UGA team went to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have not been back.
That will unquestionably be the goal next season. But will it be an ultimatum?
“We just need to start stacking success upon success,” McGarity said. “I’m sure we’ll be picked high. I’m sure our fans are thinking that we’re going to be about where we are next year, maybe improving. I think everybody looks at that. I’m sure if you ask all the players, yeah, they expect to get better. They expect to work hard during the offseason and get ready for next season and play a really, really tough schedule.”
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