Why do I want Georgia to be good at basketball?

So that pieces like this will not be written.

Go 'Dawgs!

almost 3 years ago T Kyle King 4 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Thanks for the reply to that post you've already made

I feel certain that had no one said anything, I would have chimed in with the same sentiment, but perhaps more bile and venom.

by Bodey on Mar 31, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

While I have a knee-jerk reaction to any negative comments about Georgia...

… you have to admit that very little in that post is untrue, with the obvious exception of his remark about the lack of administration support.

One of the things I really find appealing about the current basketball situation is the stark contrast that we see: The reality, in which the Bulldog program is mired in mediocrity (or worse) that has stretched back through history like the Carolina football program, juxtaposed against the massive level of basketball talent that our state posesses and the strong commitment of our current athletic director and President to building a top-level program.

It’ll be interesting to see who wins in the long-term… inertia or the forces of change at the highest level. (Irresistible force vs. the immovable object?)

by vineyarddawg on Mar 31, 2009 5:11 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed . . .

. . . which is why I tried to be cordial and respectful in framing a response. (Of course, Richard Pittman is a colleague, who has earned a degree of deference.)

I conceded his point that the Georgia job currently is the worst in the league—-certainly, it is sixth-best in the Eastern Division, and by a wide margin—-but the supposed lack of administration support (perhaps true at one time, but no longer) and the notion that an elite coach would laugh at the Georgia job both are a bit of a stretch. We may not be where Florida was when the Gators hired Billy Donovan, but we’re certainly no worse than where Florida was when they hired Lon Kruger.

In short, you’re right, vineyarddawg, that most of what he wrote was true and none of it was malicious. Things can change in a hurry, though. As I wrote in my comment in reply to his posting, being hired as the head coach of the Georgia basketball team in 2009 is like being hired as the head coach of the Florida football team in 1989. Little history, limitless potential, a fan base ready to support the program at the first real sign of progress, and all of it ready to take off, just as soon as the right man is hired.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Mar 31, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, we just got our embarrassing 'no' from Coach Anderson

I believe that we have screwed this up pretty seriously. All our eggs seem to have been in the Anderson basket.

UF and Ufk were garbage jobs with the same problems that we have until Donovan and Pearl got there. UF was playing to a half-full gym much of this season.

All it will take is a decent guy who can recruit South Georgia and a couple of the Atlanta schools to be successful.

Also, Dennis Felton’s brand of ball stunk. People did not go to the games because we were awful to watch. That is why I was excited about Anderson, because his style would have been fun to watch.

But in the end, and what was failed to be mentioned in the original post, is that is what is truly holding our b-ball program back is Stegeman. One can argue all night that a basketball gym is not that significant, but it is. The place is a dump and an eyesore and it is a symbol of UGA’s basketball ineptitude.

Maybe we can come up with some sort of ‘diamond in the rough’ hire, but I think that Damon has blown this one. We shall see.

by Fred Pen on Mar 31, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions