Kevin Ware's Decision Will Say a Lot About the Georgia Bulldogs' Basketball Program
by T Kyle King on Apr 18, 2011 12:30 PM EDT
in Georgia Bulldogs Basketball Recruiting
Email
PrintFor those of you anxious to receive some recruiting news that does not include the phrase "book ‘em, Dan-O," Kevin Ware, formerly of the Tennessee Volunteers but subsequently released following the firing of Bruce Pearl, is in play (with superfluous emphasis redacted):
UGA’s Mark Fox, Central Florida’s Donnie Jones, South Carolina’s Darrin Horn are among the college head coaches expected to observe workouts or make an in-home visit with Ware over the next couple of days during the NCAA’s "contact period." . . .
Ware likes UGA because it’s close to home and the opportunity to play with 5-star recruit Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 6-6 shooting guard from Greenville High School that has already signed with the Bulldogs. "Coach Fox thinks Kevin and Kentavious could possibility develop into one of the top freshmen backcourts in the nation," Junior said. "Coach Fox thinks he can play well on both sides on the court, and that Kevin has some developing to do at the point guard position. He wants to work with Kevin to make sure he becomes a complete player at point guard."
Ware’s list of possible destinations is too lengthy to recount, but I’d be surprised if some of the purported contenders really were in the hunt. Yes, I know the Central Florida Knights can get in some Liberty Bowl jokes at the Georgia Bulldogs’ expense, but, at the end of the day, Orlando is where you tell the TV cameras you’re going after you’ve won something, not where you go to win something. In addition to competing with fellow SEC East suitor South Carolina (perhaps), Mark Fox must go up against Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals and Ben Howland of the UCLA Bruins, though those in the know do not believe Ware is bound for the City of Angels. If it comes down to the choice between Georgia and Louisville, well, at least our first-round exit from the tournament was nowhere near as embarrassing as U. of L.’s.
Ware, quite frankly, is a guy Georgia ought to be able to sign. The Bulldogs now have or are developing the institutional commitment, the fan support, and the coaching stability to be successful at basketball; all that remains is consistent recruiting success, and this is the moment for Coach Fox to tap into the fertile Atlanta recruiting ground. Ware played his high school ball in Rockdale County, just a short trip down Highway 138 from Athens. We need Kevin Ware, not just for what he can add to the program in the short term, but for what his decision to play for Georgia would say about the program’s trajectory in the long run.
Go ‘Dawgs!
23 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Would be a big pickup
and would give the program a little more momentum heading into what will likely be a pretty tough year coming up. I see us as probably a team that starts slowly and improves a lot (think Fox’s first year) to get into the NIT range.
If Fox can get some big time recruits in here to compliment Caldwell-Pope, we can do some great things.
They hit the road doing 90
Leavin' them steel mills far behind
Ain't no good life down at the Ford plant
Three guitars or a life of crime
by Dawg in Beaumont on Apr 18, 2011 4:06 PM EDT reply actions
This is surreal
Still not used to seeing articles about basketball recruiting on here . . . weird.
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
Well, . . .
. . . dang.
I wish the kid well, but that’s a decision I’ll never understand. Louisville, all right, but UCF?
Go 'Dawgs!
Fans in Louisville and Los Angeles are scratching their heads as well...
So at least we’re not alone.
by georgiadawg85 on Apr 19, 2011 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Mark Fox is having a pretty rough start recruiting...
and it needs to step up about nowish.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Agree
It worries me that we just lost a local kid to a team like UCF. UCF? Really?
Ugh.
I mentioned it before, but Leslie’s bad decision will set this team back. (Yes, in my opinion, Leslie is not ready for the NBA.)
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
Ware chose UCF while holding offers from
Georgia, Louisville, and UCLA. I don’t think him snubbing Georgia is the biggest shock of his decision. Also, from what he/his family is saying about his decision, UCF is more local to his family.
If anyone should be upset, it should be Louisville, because UCF signed the 4th ranked center prospect, Michael Chandler, who had previously committed to the Cardinals.
I'm confused...
As to why he chose UT initially…Did his biological father move to Orlando from Tennessee recently? If not, then why is this such a big deal now? How was Pearl and Co. able to land him over UCF?
Not knocking the kid, for, honestly, I do not follow basketball recruiting. Many things aren’t adding up.
Oh well.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
The more kids return, the less I consider Leslie's decision bad...
honestly, how much better was his game going to get over the next year? By this age, he’s getting closer to “finished product” and his game seemed to stagnate between sophomore and junior years. What he is now isn’t too far from what he’d have become after a senior season imo. So with that in mind, look at the two drafts. Next year looks deep and very strong, especially as more and more kids stick like Barnes and Sullinger. Conversely, as Barnes, Sullinger, etc come back this year’s draft gets weaker and weaker, and for every lottery kid coming back that opens one more spot for a second round type to slip into a guaranteed contract in the first round. His chances of being a first round pick, and therefore getting a guaranteed contract, are a lot better this year vs. next.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Is this as big a deal as
you made it sound, or was it more you expected UGA to get him and were encouraging the base/puffing up your chest? And is it a huge surprise he did not go to Athens, or is that mostly reserved for where he did go?
"Be polite to everyone you meet, but be prepared to kill anyone"-tc16cav
by otisnixon'sparty on Apr 19, 2011 2:16 AM EDT reply actions
I'm not going to answer that first question, because, if I haven't built up enough credibility . . .
. . . for you to know I wasn’t “encouraging the base/puffing up [my] chest,” then I haven’t built up enough credibility for you to believe me if I told you I wasn’t (though, if I had been, I would’ve been pretty stupid not to have waited and boasted afterward if he had picked Georgia).
As for your second question, it’s the latter. Losing a kid, even a local one, to Louisville or UCLA makes sense, given the basketball pedigrees of the programs involved. Picking Central Florida over the rising program at your home state university and two of the top programs in the NCAA is an odd one.
Go 'Dawgs!
I had been up for
two days and couldnt come up with a better way to put that, which is why I put the quotes on it. I guess what I meant was was it simply
Ware, quite frankly, is a guy Georgia ought to be able to sign.or was it more
The Bulldogs now have or are developing the institutional commitment, the fan support, and the coaching stability to be successful at basketball;and when you consider that,
Ware, quite frankly, is a guy Georgia ought to be able to sign.Sorry if my verbiage was poor, nothing in the post was intended to be even a small slight.
"Be polite to everyone you meet, but be prepared to kill anyone"-tc16cav
by otisnixon'sparty on Apr 19, 2011 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
We're cool.
Given that Mark Fox has Georgia on the rise, kids from just down the road in Conyers ought to be kids the Bulldogs can get. Five years ago, it would have been perfectly understandable for a local prospect to go out of state, and, even now, there’s certainly significant logic to picking Louisville or UCLA over Georgia. Under the circumstances (e.g., Ware’s biological father lives in Orlando), this particular player’s decision to go to Central Florida has its own legitimate logic. On the whole, though, this should be Georgia’s moment, with two of the Bulldogs’ closest geographic rivals (Georgia Tech and Tennessee) in transition between coaches, and Conyers certainly falls within Bulldog Nation’s natural footprint. That’s basically what I meant, though I, too, may not have worded it as well as I might have.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Apr 19, 2011 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Cool
If you ever see me ask anything, on anyone’s site, and it is not dripping in scorn and sarcasm, I am looking for info or insight. You will not find a five year old that says the word why more than I do. I knew that question was not worded well when I submitted it, but coming back the next day I feel better. Taking another shot at it made me realize I once again fell in a hole where the correct words to ask precisely what I wanted to know just do not seem to exist. Short version: In the unlikely event I ever feel the need to be a total and complete ass towards you it will be extremely clear lol. Since you made me feel bad I will say this has become my second favorite SEC site since the Red Cuppers decided caring hurt too much for the moment.
"Be polite to everyone you meet, but be prepared to kill anyone"-tc16cav
by otisnixon'sparty on Apr 20, 2011 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks, otisnixon'sparty.
Tone is a tough thing to gauge on the internet, where we can neither hear voices nor see expressions. I apologize for misinterpreting and misjudging you, and I will bear your sincerity in mind the next time you ask “why” (as I hope you will feel free to do).
Go 'Dawgs!
Does this mean
we’re not a basketball school anymore?
/shakes head, goes back to sleep.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
full disclousure: I'm a Knight Fan
I thought I would shed some light on this for the Bulldog fans. It’s my understanding that Ware’s biological father lives near Orlando and would be able to see the majority of his games (which he could not previously do). This, combined with the fact that UCF was the only remaining school that wanted him to play the point instead of the shooting guard position, were the major factors in his commitment to UCF. Both of which were out of the control of UGA. We’re pretty excited about it down here though.
Thanks, KnightLine.
That’s good to know, and it sheds some light on a decision that didn’t appear to make much sense on the face of it.
We wish Ware well, and (inasmuch as your interests do not conflict with ours) we hope Central Florida fares well on the hardwood, too.
Go 'Dawgs!
I probably should learn to read to the bottom of a thread before posting.
I suppose that UCF had factors in its favor that UGA (and other schools) did not, and could not, match.
However, out of curiosity, why did Ware initially commit to play for UT? I assume that the above factors were present at the time he made his initial decision. As such, it still screams failure on the part of UGA to not land him, as Athens is closer to Orlando than Knoxville.
In any event, good luck to the Knights this upcoming season (in football, too—he he).
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
Coach Jones is new to UCF
I don’t remember UCF recruiting him at all earlier in the season. Since this is coach Jones’ first season at UCF, it’s possible that Ware had all ready committed to UT by the time coach Jones took over. It’s hard to say what initially swayed him though.
He committed to UT in the fall of 09...
so Jones definitely wasn’t at UCF then.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Dawg Sports
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
