Mark Fox has made an addition to the staff that several fans have been clamoring for, and myself in particular. Many have bemoaned the current staff's lack of connections to Atlanta, and cited them as a reason we keep missing on big nam local recruits. Well, we are about to reestablish those connections in a great way, hiring Jonas Hayes as program coordinator.
You may remember Jonas Hayes as the twin brother of the last Georgia men's basketball player to be drafted in the NBA lottery. Or you may remember him as the 6'6 big man with the soft touch when he averaged almost 12 points per game as the starting C on Dennis Felton's first team. Or as the 6th man on Jim Harrick's last two teams who hit a 30 ft game winner at the buzzer against Colorado.
Born in Atlanta, Hayes and his brother were stars at Douglas HS before signing with Western Carolina out of high school. When they decided to transfer, they came back close to home and chose Athens, where both excelled. After finishing up his degree, Coach Jonas join the staff at his alma mater Douglas, before moving on to South Carolina St, then Morehouse, and followed by the previous 5 seasons at Belmont-Abbey under former Georgia assistant coach Stephen Miss.
As said above, this is the type of hire I, and countless others have been screaming for, and the exact name I was hoping we could hire to fill a spot on staff. He knows Atlanta, and Atlanta knows him. He's a damn good Dawg, a smart basketball mind, and in my opinion, a wonderful human being. This was a home run hire for Mark Fox, and will be an amazing addition to the Hoop Dawgs staff.
From the georgiadogs.com announcement linked above, Coach Fox and Coach Hayes had this to say.
"I am really excited to have Jonas join our staff," Fox said. "He will be a valuable asset as we move forward. He is a smart and talented young man who will be a great example to our players. I am excited to have a former player who is so passionate about Georgia become part of our team."
"I am thrilled to be coming back to Georgia," Hayes said. "I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be joining Coach Fox's staff. UGA holds a special place in my heart. I'm just ready to get started, ready to do whatever I can to help build the program."
Welcome back Jonas. For exclusive footage of my, Mr. Sanchez's, reaction upon hearing the news earlier hiring, click to the jump
via media.tumblr.com
