Phillip Pearson Elevated To Associate Head Coach

Mark Fox's longest serving deputy on the Georgia sideline just received a promotion. Phillip Pearson, hired by Fox only 6 days after he was hired, has now been named Associate Head Coach. The promotion may presage a pay raise, but at a minimum it seems calculated to recognize Pearson's role as a long term partner in the job of rebuilding the UGA basketball program.

Before arriving in Athens Pearson served as an assistant at Alabama for 16 years, eventually serving as the interim head coach before the hiring of the since-departed Anthony Grant. Pearson interviewed last month for the vacant Arkansas-Little Rock job and had his name thrown around for some others, including at Virginia Commonwealth and Chattanooga. He's been a constant during the Fox era in terms of both game planning and recruiting. And while he doesn't necessarily get a lot of recognition among Bulldog fans, the fact is that the Red and Black roundball program has been on a distinct upswing over the past couple of years and Pearson's been smack dab in the middle of it.

As a Bulldog basketball fan I think you just have to be pleased that the Fox regime has stayed in place long enough that those within it have built up enough credibility to be in demand based on their body of work in Athens. That's been a long time coming. Congrats Coach Pearson, and . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!