After Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday, coach Mark Fox talked about how he looked forward to a time when the Bulldogs might be able to play a game at full strength.
One game later, not only does Fox realize he’ll be down another player, but he’ll be without his best one.
Because of a concussion suffered in that 70-62 win against the Commodores, Georgia (14-5, 5-2 SEC) will play without leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Thornton when it travels to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks (10-9, 1-6) on Saturday.
“Marcus was injured in the game, and obviously we have a concussion protocol that’s in place,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “He’s a great kid who’s been through a lot. He’ll get through this, too. But obviously we’ll be without him until he’s cleared.”
The 6-foot-8 power forward landed on his head, neck and shoulders as a result of a flagrant foul as he attempted a fast-break dunk in the first half. Thornton immediately popped up after the play, made two free throws and finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds. But Thornton exhibited concussion symptoms after the game and extensive testing Wednesday morning confirmed a concussion.
Thornton’s date of return is unknown and will determined via concussion protocol testing.
“He’s a great player, and he’s a great leader,” senior forward Nemanja Djurisic said. “But we have a lot of great players who can play. Whatever happens with him, we’re going to have to rely on each other.”
Thornton, who has overcome three knee surgeries in his career, leads the Bulldogs with an average of 13 points and seven rebounds per game. He has recorded four “double-doubles” this season.
Georgia already will play without starting small forward Juwan Parker, who’s out with an Achilles injury, and his backup Kenny Paul Geno, who has a broken wrist. Neither will be available Saturday or anytime soon, Fox said Friday.
Nevertheless, the Bulldogs have won five games in a row.
“Regardless of who’s out at a given point, we’ve still got to suit up and represent the university and represent ourselves as well,” sophomore guard J.J. Frazier said. “And that’s what we’ve been doing. Others have picked up the slack in guys’ absences, and we’re looking forward to doing the same.”
Said Djurisic: “We’ve managed to get a lot of wins without a lot of important players. We’re going to have to battle through the adversity like we have all season.”
The Bulldogs most likely will lean hard on Yante Maten. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound freshman plays Thornton’s power forward position on offense and then guards the post as a center on defense while playing on the front line with Djurisic. Maten averages 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes.
Six-foot-8 sophomore Houston Kessler and 6-10 freshman Osahen Iduwe also play regularly on the front line for the Bulldogs and 6-7 wing Cameron Forte can play in the low post.
“It’s not a question of whether or not they’re ready,” Fox said. “They’re going to have to be ready because they’re going to play.”
Maten also missed a game this season with a concussion. He missed Georgia’s road win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 14 after being struck by a car in a pedestrian cross-walk accident a few days earlier.
The Bulldogs can be sure they’ll get South Carolina’s best shot. Though the Gamecocks have lost all but one of their SEC games, the margin of defeat has been an average of 7.5 points. They also have nonconference victories against Clemson, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
“They’ve got some quality wins under their belt,” said Fox, who is going for his 100th victory as Georgia’s coach. “They’ve had some close games in league play. Up front they’re physical. They’re a team that’s been around a while and they’re a hard-playing, rebounding, tough-nosed team.”
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