Instantaneous Ill-Informed Roundball Wrapup: Temple Owls 65, Georgia Bulldogs 58
by T Kyle King on Nov 26, 2010 10:16 PM EST
in Basketball
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PrintAs the title of this series of postings implies, I am largely woefully ignorant about basketball beyond the basics that are obvious to anyone who has ever been to a game and/or seen the movie "Hoosiers." Also, I’m back home after spending Thanksgiving Day at my in-laws’ house, where the cat dander aggravated my allergies and left me feeling a little under the weather. On top of that, the holidays have thrown off my children’s sleep schedule, so they both went to bed late tonight, as a result of which I saw literally about a minute’s worth of game action in Georgia’s loss to Temple in the Old Spice Classic. In other words, feel free to take this with several grains of salt, and to rip it apart in the comments; in fact, I’d appreciate it if someone could convince me I’m wrong.
There is absolutely no reason Georgia should not be good in basketball. Bulldog basketball is today approximately in the same position that Florida football was in two decades ago: all the pieces of the puzzle were there, so much so that the program’s singular lack of success over the long haul wasn’t just curious, but was downright baffling. The Red and Black are the sleeping giants of the hardwood.
Nevertheless, one evening after absolutely handing the Fighting Irish the game, the Hoop Dogs trailed Temple by two at the break before being outscored 34-29 by the Owls after intermission. Travis Leslie, Gerald Robinson, and Trey Thompkins combined for 43 points; the rest of the squad contributed fifteen. While the Athenians’ free throw shooting improved to 70 per cent (14 of 20), Georgia shot under 40 per cent from the field (21 of 54) and made only two of eleven three-point tries. Although dissatisfaction with his starters prompted Mark Fox to pull his first team off the floor, the increased opportunities for the reserves did not lead to the bench contributing more than three assists, one steal, or six points. The backups hit only two of a dozen field goals and no shots from beyond the arc. In Stegeman Coliseum, as in David Lynch’s "Dune," the sleeper must awaken, but all I’m hearing at the moment is snoring.
During the course of the hiring process that produced Mark Fox---a hiring process that went about as smoothly as the hiring process that produced Ray Goff two decades earlier; which is to say, not at all---I advocated hiring our Lon Kruger. That is, since we knew we weren’t going to go out and get the guy who could take the Bulldogs to the promised land, we had to go out and get the guy who was willing to accept the challenge of taking charge of the program with the weakest basketball tradition in the Southeastern Conference, which has not historically been known as a basketball conference, and making Georgia relevant.
Mark Fox represents a clear upgrade over Dennis Felton, and I believe he will be the Lon Kruger who makes the Red and Black relevant enough that, five or six years from now, Greg McGarity will be able to replace him with the Athens equivalent of Billy Donovan. Relevance, though, is about the best I am prepared to expect at this point. I hope to be persuaded otherwise, but, quite frankly, I argued on Monday night that Mark Fox would be an ideal choice to deliver the pregame pep talk prior to tomorrow night’s gridiron showdown with Georgia Tech. After the Old Spice Classic, I retract that suggestion as a bad idea. As evidenced by the fact that I have slogged through the duty of producing content for a Bulldog weblog on nearly a daily basis through three crummy, crummy years for University of Georgia athletics, I am no fair weather fan, but, while I like Mark Fox, I see several glass ceilings above this basketball program, and I question his ability to break through any of them beyond the first one.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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Wow, this seems a little bitter.
I think Fox is as good a candidate as any. So much of it will be finding the gems in the rough and coaching them up. So far I think he has done a good job with recruiting. What appeared to be happening tonight was that the players weren’t doing what he wanted the way he wanted it done. That made this game seem like a set back in the way last night’s loss did not. I think it will be a slow process. But it is too soon to judge.
I apologize if it sounds bitter.
I like Mark Fox and I support him; obviously, it is much too soon to gauge whether he will be a success in Athens, and I am prepared to give him time.
That said, this season is looking eerily reminiscent of last season, and it’s extremely frustrating to see the team squander opportunities the way it did in the Old Spice Classic. I’m not going to lie to you; my faith in Mark Fox isn’t what it was 36 hours ago.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 26, 2010 10:48 PM EST up reply actions
We have basically won at everything - seriously
We have the nation’s best and world’s second best Majorette for goodness sakes. Our Tennis, Diving, Swimming teams are all great. In the past decade our Womens Gymnastics and Basketball have been off the charts. Our baseball teams are generally strong.
Hell, we even won the Equestrian championship.
But not even close in Basketball. The second most money making sport in College is our worst. Coach Fox at least gave us something to talk about, but the fact we don’t produce teams is a failure. It costs us a lot of lost revenue, but mostly, a lot of lost fun on campus during the crappy winter months.
Love the team, love Coach Fox, but you are right Kyle – there is simply no reason we can’t be competitive in basketball.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
by tankertoad on Nov 26, 2010 10:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Loud and Clear
I have been watching Georgia basketball for my entire 42 years on the planet. I have felt the pain of expectations not being met hardly ever. Through Guthrie to Durham to Tubby, to Harrick. In all that, boy, not much to shout about. The dark years after Harrick, in which the program was given the WT Sherman treatment, those years are not going to be erased in just two seasons. I think that Coach Fox has taken us from being a totally non-existent, non-threat, to being a serious threat to anybody we play on any night in the Steg. We have added a legitimate point guard. Usually, Coach Fox is a really good sideline/bench coach. I think that the real problem last night (didn’t see tonight) was a serious lack of execution. Fox knows how to attack a zone. The players weren’t executing.
Travis Leslie was the number 3 and number 1 ESPN “plays of the day” last night. Really good for recruiting, yes?
I think Coach Fox deserves a little time.
Believe me. I have been saying “just wait ’till next year” my entire life.
"...maybe a couple bottle rockets/light the fuse/point it out the window and watch it/ okay, maybe not, nevermind/ let's be responsible/where's the moonshine?
Thanks, EdDawg.
As I indicated in my previous comment in response to hbtd, I support Mark Fox and I recognize that he needs time. Clearly, Coach Fox is an improvement upon what was there before, but I’m not as confident as I was yesterday morning that he can take us as far as I’d hoped he could.
I want to be persuaded that I’m wrong by my fellow fans, and I want to be proven wrong on the court, but, until one of those two things happens, my faith officially is shaken.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Nov 26, 2010 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
EdDawg is right...
One of the highlights of my undergrad years was seeing Willie Anderson and Alec Kessler (rest in peace, good sir) take us to an SEC title right through Shaquille O’Neal’s wheelhouse. there was the pleasure of watching that quintessential Gator Dwayne Schintzius, a jorts-wearing mullethead redneck if ever there was one, foul out to massive mockery in the Steg.
There is no reason we cannot be a national player. I think Fox can get us there; he did a lot with what will eventually be less at Nevada. But this is still a group of modestly-talented players for the most part. I just hope they take a step forward this year, i.e., winning some road games, a winning conference record, some kind of post-season play. It will not be good to duplicate last year’s record with a more experienced team and lesser competition in the conference.
That was a good memory rbubp but Alec Kessler is still with us as far as I know?
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the Dawgs of war; - Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 1
Alec Kessler passed in 2007
playing a pickup basketball game. Tragic.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
BTW: did anyone else notice how awful the camera work was?
Maybe they fixed it for game two, but on Thursday night, the camera wouldn’t pan into the near left corner. How many times were they “away” when the action started back? Bush league, from the “world’s leader in sports”—ESPN—grrr!
"...maybe a couple bottle rockets/light the fuse/point it out the window and watch it/ okay, maybe not, nevermind/ let's be responsible/where's the moonshine?
Off topic
And down goes mighty Boise!
Feel sorry for their kicker but happy that all the ESPN narrative lovers get to shove it!
Fire Mark Richt (not really)! Hire Chris Ault (not really)! Go Wolfpack (really)!
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't." - Lewis Grizzard
by RedCrake on Nov 27, 2010 2:05 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Isn't it amazing what happens when Boise actually has to play a whole football game?
Looks like the Bus got a flat tire and was assaulted by a pack of ravenous wolves:).
by Cherokee's Grip on Nov 27, 2010 2:29 AM EST up reply actions
and in the middle of the season with only one week to prepare no less
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't." - Lewis Grizzard
by RedCrake on Nov 27, 2010 3:01 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Gawd, that was enjoyable to watch.
Put that team in a real coneference and they go 8-4.
Anybody else still wondering how that first FG was missed, though? Looked like it went through!
It depends on your definition of "real conference."
I have no basis for believing they wouldn’t have gone 12-0 through the Pac-10 last year, for instance, or that they wouldn’t have gone 12-0 through the Big 12 in 2006. Boise State would contend in the ACC and in the Big East annually.
Go 'Dawgs!
Did you see the BSU "love story" they started with? Oops.
YOU JUST LOST TO NEVADA.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
Yeah, in retrospect, I should have put up a Friday college football comment thread, too.
My bad. There’s a lot to keep up with these days.
I’m continually surprised by the visceral reaction against Boise State in SEC country. Yes, the Broncos’ conference schedule is weaker than the Bulldogs’, but, since we play in the toughest conference in the country, isn’t everyone’s? It’s tough to find too much difference between the schedule Boise State plays and the schedule Oregon plays, yet the only disdain anyone ever directs at the Ducks is over their uniforms.
Boise State’s loss last night was not in Georgia’s interests. The better the Broncos finish in 2010, the bigger a deal next year’s season-opening showdown in the Dome becomes. The Bulldogs’ 2011 season took a public relations (read: poll) hit when the Wolf Pack upset BSU. I, for one, do not consider that cause for celebration. Frankly, I didn’t get what I wanted in any of yesterday’s games; the team I wanted to win lost every dadgum one of ’em.
The early comment thread will be up later this morning, with a mid-afternoon comment thread set to appear at 3:15 and the comment thread for our game scheduled to show up at 6:45.
Go 'Dawgs!
It isn't so much that I hate Boise
I hate the media’s treatment of Boise. Like Notre Dame, I think they get a pass on a lot of the issues regarding schedule because the media enjoys the narrative. And there is nothing I enjoy more than a good narrative going down in flames.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't." - Lewis Grizzard
by RedCrake on Nov 27, 2010 11:05 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
All right, that's fair.
That’s basically my attitude toward Tim Tebow. I didn’t like the fact that Tebow helped a hated rival beat my team, but, on a personal level, I find little to dislike about Tebow. The media love for Tebow, though, was nauseating.
Still, the narrative is there, regardless of whether we like it, so I’d like the narrative to favor us as much as possible, and Boise State losing last night harmed Georgia’s narrative for 2011.
Go 'Dawgs!
I also dislike the media's love fest with Boise more than Boise itself.
I felt the same way about the Hawaii team we annihilated in the Sugar Bowl. All they could talk about was how great Hawaii was, how they were a wonderful Cinderella story, how great Colt Brennan was, etc. when they played cupcakes all season long. SEC teams get criticized for scheduling patsies, but Boise gets a free pass for playing patsies all season. Their marquee victory this year is a last-minute victory over a team that lost to James Madison the following Saturday. I try to keep Georgia’s best interests at heart, but I despise teams getting special love when they play schedules we would be reviled for playing (Notre Dame has also turned this into an art form). Besides, if Boise’s loss is the largest PR hit we take between last night and kickoff next year, I’ll consider it a win.
by Cherokee's Grip on Nov 27, 2010 2:15 PM EST up reply actions
That's a fair point, but Boise State plays tougher schedules than Hawaii did.
That Hawaii team played two Division I-AA opponents. The Broncos at least deserve credit for scheduling tough non-conference teams, and (as their impending move to the Mountain West shows) they’d be more than happy to beef up their conference schedule.
Go 'Dawgs!
I think Trey is probably still shaking off the ankle injury
And that was the injury that made him questionable for this tournament in the first place. Temple is a ranked team, too, albeit one we probably could expect to beat. When our best player is at 100%, I’ll start being a lot more concerned with these results. I think recruiting is definitely improved, and we can expect to see that make a difference soon, too.
Try as I may
I just can’t get that into basketball. I struggle enough getting into football, but somehow football seems to be able to interest me at least vaguely. I think that I think even baseball beats basketball! I went out for a drink tonight for the first time in about six months. I ended up drinking a bunch of shots of “1800,” I think the jackass who purchased them for me said they were called. The bars outside the “city limits” don’t have to close at 2:00 as the ones in town which aren’t “private clubs” do now. I apologize if my post makes no sense. I didn’t even drive home. I took a taxi. I figured that would be better than risking spending the evening in the Auburn jail. And I don’t think I shall ever drink again as I have a splitting headache. Ciao “dawgs!” I think I am going to make myself a chocolate milkshake and retire for the evening.
I think I might just have to learn to watch this basketball thing.
Its not really my fault, I blame my parents. They never watched basketball on TV, or took me to UGA basketball games as a kid (I lie, I think I actually did go to one, once). This lack of institutional training has left a void in my sports watching experience during the winter and left me with little to know knowledge on which to base an educated guess when the NCAA tourney brackets are circulating around the office. (I do know enough to assume that UConn, Duke, and N Carolina will make it through.)
I really don’t have any idea how to go about watching the games…are they televised nationally or do they come on ESPN3.com? I think that me adding more mojo to the Ga mix might help our team. KUDOS to Nevada!
My Dad is a UNC grad, ACC hoops is all I ever watched growing up.
Although vaguely familiar with the fact that UK had a team, I am not sure I was aware it was a conference sport when I matriculated at UGA in 1979. I remember going to watch a Norm Sloan UF team that looked like a HS JV squad. We played in the post season (NIT folks!) for the FIRST time when I was a student.
A little consistency would go a long way toward building tradition.
Fox is what I like. Hard work and fundamentals, not flash and trash. That is a good foundation.
Step away from the ledge, everyone
When the cornerstone of your team hasn’t even practiced for a month, and is inserted into a tourney, your are going to have issues.
We are a poor shooting team right now. We are a poor F/T shooting team right now. We are good at turning the ball over. Our half-court game sucks at present.
Fox experimented last night. He “punished” our starters when their defensive efforts failed.
Temple and Notre Dame are good teams. Despite our woes, we should’ve beaten ND, and should’ve been blown out by Temple.
When Trey is “Trey” again, we’ll be fine. Right now, this team is essentially playing toghether for the first time in many weeks, so they’re behind the “chemistry” curve.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
by DavetheDawg on Nov 27, 2010 8:43 AM EST via mobile reply actions
"...the program with the weakest basketball tradition in the Southeastern Conference..."
What exactly qualifies us for this statement? Auburn, Ole Miss, USCe, and Vandy don’t have appreciably better histories on the hardwood than we do, and we’ve at least been to a final four (something none of those schools can claim.)
by get swoll yunel on Nov 27, 2010 11:14 AM EST reply actions
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