Friday Night Hoops . . .

by MaconDawg on Oct 19, 2007 9:14 PM EDT in Basketball

If you're like me, you have spent the past few Saturdays so absorbed with University of Georgia football that you've hardly noticed all the other things going on out there in the great wide world. For example, George Steinbrenner is still an egomaniac. Britney Spears is still a train wreck. And the girl who played Six on the TV show Blossom is apparently now a lingerie model.

Two of the other things that may have escaped your notice are the fact that the University of Georgia basketball team has begun practicing, and will open its season against Jacksonville St. in a mere 3 weeks. Now, you probably won't find a single sportswriter in the entire state hanging around the gym watching Dennis Felton's troops (except maybe to see which ones are not going to class). But basketball is right around the corner, I swear. And in honor of the tipoff of hoops season, I'm pleased to bring you 3 things you may not know about the University of Georgia basketball team.

1) They play the most incredibly schizophrenic schedule in D1-A history. OK, not true. But it is really weird. After opening with Jacksonville St., Grambling and Elon, they go on the road to perennial power Wisconsin. Sandwiched in between games against Delaware St. and Augusta State, a trip to Hawaii to play East Tennessee State and back to Athens to play Presbyterian is a home date with Wake Forest. It seems like a schedule that is designed to get lots of wins out of conference before beginning the murderer's row that is SEC play. I'm just glad I'm not a basketball season ticketholder, because it looks like pretty slim pickings.

2) And you thought the football team was young . . . 5 of the 15 Bulldogs are freshmen. There are only three seniors (Takais Brown, Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss). Only one of the freshmen is likely to be forced into the starting lineup, as someone will have to move into Takais Brown's forward spot. But there is a very real possibility that all will see some playing time. One guy to keep an eye on is 6'8, 230 pound freshman forward Jeremy Price. He already does a good job scoring inside at the high school level. If he can acclimate quickly to the physical rigors of the college game, he could really help fill the gap before Takais Brown returns from his season opening suspension.

3) They're deep. Not in the Kierkegaardian sense, either. 8 returning players saw significant time, and 6 started at least one game last year. And that's before you consider the best group of freshman big men we've brought in since, well, probably ever. Coach Felton has almost completed his project of turning us into a bigger more athletic team. This is the first year in which he's really had a full complement of scholarship basketball players. While a lot of UGA hoops fans have high expectations for this year (read: an NCAA Tournament bid), next year may be the year to look forward to. While we'll lose Takais Brown and Dave Bliss in the frontcourt and 'Data Gaines in the backcourt, Mercer should be back full strength and we'll have more talented and experienced forwards/centers than Kenny Bruner could shake a samurai sword at.

I'll be back tomorrow to take a quick look at recruiting. Until then, enjoy the offweek, and . . .

Go 'Dawgs!

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In response to #3

I like Felton as much as any red-blooded Georgia fan should (read: a lot, for what he's done with this team), but things like what you say in #3 just make me mad. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of hearing about "next year" all the freaking time. Last year, it was "next year." Who knows, but next year it might be "next year" again! I want to see some improvement numerically in the wins and losses, and I really think that suspensions and all, this season Felton needs an NCAA berth to validate his progress. If we keep giving him another year, and another, and another forever, we're never going to get anywhere.

"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

by blackertai on Oct 19, 2007 9:24 PM EDT reply actions

blackertai,

I understand your frustration. And I'm not saying that having to wait until next year is fair. But the fact is that expecting Felton to take this team to the tournament with Brown and Mercer out for the entire nonconference schedule is simply unrealistic.

And the amount of progress he's already demonstrated over the past 3 years is simply phenomenal. We've gone from 8-20 (2004) to 15-15 (2005) to 19-14 (2006), all while playing in a conference that has gone from the middle of the pack to arguably the toughest in the country over that stretch. The progress is already validated.

But I think you put your finger on something. It's hard for Georgia fans to accept being merely good when we're in the hunt for the national title in everything from men's golf to women's equestrian. College basketball is a unique game in that you can lose your best players at any time. You can go from the best team in the country to baby-faced and 11-19 in one year. If this team does backslide significantly, I think you'll have a lot of company in a hurry.

by MaconDawg on Oct 20, 2007 12:25 PM EDT reply actions

To be fair and balanced on Felton....

He really did inherit a program like no other. Short of the SMU death penalty, there isn't a scenario where a program faced greater adversity. Granted, our adversity was self inflicted (re: Harrick's recruiting for 4 years and the Admin's response to the 2003 NCAA charges which imploded the rest of the program). But still...what other coach has found a team with no FR, Sophs or Jrs and only 4 seniors? It's the doomsday scenario.

He's made solid progress. That's undeniable.

However, there appears to be deep rooted flaws in our offensive and defensive approach. Offensively, the product ranges from scattershot streaky to completely unwatchable. And it's a systemic approach to ball and player movement that causes much of the pain for my eyes. Not just talent.

All Felton has really done is prove that he can stabilize the program and reach our historical "par." Which is within 2 games of either side of the bubble. Sure there are exceptions on both sides of the ledger, but more often than not we're within 2 games of the bubble usually.

If he doesn't make the tourney this year, when will he? Gaines is one of our all-time top 3 point guards possibly EVER. Brown is among the 3 most complete SEC power forwards that we've had in the past 15-20 years.

And if Mercer isn't cleared to play for Game 1, his suspension doesn't start. There are rumors of a delayed medical clearance b/c things are going slow. It's not out of the question that he never plays again for us.