We can be a winner at Georgia, and by winner I don't mean a bubble team who wins 20 games and gets put out early in the NIT.
Georgia Basketball should be in the NCAA tourney more times than not. Recent numbers, 2 of the last 8 years should be embarrassing to our University.
The Fan Base: Often blasted for not filling the Steg, I would argue that during the Tubby years and Harrick years the crowds were very good. The UGA Hoops fans are scarred with under achieving teams and a below average arena, and with HS local talent, 45 mins down the road attending schools elsewhere. If your team is dancing, Hoop Dawg Fans will turn out. If you snag some big timers from the ATL area, that helps to. Notice I said some, not all.
Facilities: Hard to debate here, but the Steg is pretty old. Even with recent upgrades, it doesn't compare to the arenas other schools are putting up or already have. This plays into getting players, fan excitement, and it shows the basketball community a commitment to hoops. Please don't tell me UGA does not have the money/space/resources to build a state of the art nice arena, when it it costs almost 4,000 in donations to keep football tickets.
Players: We have to win more recruiting battles, or we have to evaluate better. All I heard pre-season was how Crump and Harris we going to be big difference makers. I think they are good players, but for some reason they didn't have the impact I was led to believe they would. (I'm basing this off their ranking, people seeing them in the summer, HS coaches in GA, etc.)
Head Coach: When we hired CMF I thought, hmmm....go to Nevada and get a head coach at UGA? Well, I thought he did well helping Thompkins and Leslie get better, who knows, one more year with them we most likely have another NCCAt appearance. I was pumped when we got KCP, just had a hard time building around him. In recent years we have had trouble landing true impact kids from a fertile recruiting soil. Some say..."we don't play the game",,,,I actually had an ESPN commentator at a game say that to me, he was basically saying, everybody else winning is. I flat out asked him why UGA can't win big in hoops, and that was his response.
I am sure Geno, Kessler, and Turtle are great kids, but all 3 seem to be way in over their heads.
You can't have three scholly players making zero impact, it kills your depth and roster.
Moving forward, we can't lose winnable pre-SEC games. That's become our habit. I hope to see a ton of Harris, Crump, and Hammonds on the floor next season. Based on intel, they are the most talented right? Maybe Claxton as well? We don't have time for a re-build year. In year 9 with 1 HC the program should be on solid recruiting ground, building momentum, worrying about where we will be playing in March, not if...
I love all things Georgia, and especially Georgia Basketball holds a special place in my heart. I want to hear from the Admin, from the coaches, that we...THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, are exhausting all possibilities and options to become more of a player when it comes to Basketball. The message I am receiving now is....(We are proud of winning 20 games and being stable).
This message bothers me, and it should bother you to.
Georgia Basketball should be in the NCAA tourney more times than not. Recent numbers, 2 of the last 8 years should be embarrassing to our University.
The Fan Base: Often blasted for not filling the Steg, I would argue that during the Tubby years and Harrick years the crowds were very good. The UGA Hoops fans are scarred with under achieving teams and a below average arena, and with HS local talent, 45 mins down the road attending schools elsewhere. If your team is dancing, Hoop Dawg Fans will turn out. If you snag some big timers from the ATL area, that helps to. Notice I said some, not all.
Facilities: Hard to debate here, but the Steg is pretty old. Even with recent upgrades, it doesn't compare to the arenas other schools are putting up or already have. This plays into getting players, fan excitement, and it shows the basketball community a commitment to hoops. Please don't tell me UGA does not have the money/space/resources to build a state of the art nice arena, when it it costs almost 4,000 in donations to keep football tickets.
Players: We have to win more recruiting battles, or we have to evaluate better. All I heard pre-season was how Crump and Harris we going to be big difference makers. I think they are good players, but for some reason they didn't have the impact I was led to believe they would. (I'm basing this off their ranking, people seeing them in the summer, HS coaches in GA, etc.)
Head Coach: When we hired CMF I thought, hmmm....go to Nevada and get a head coach at UGA? Well, I thought he did well helping Thompkins and Leslie get better, who knows, one more year with them we most likely have another NCCAt appearance. I was pumped when we got KCP, just had a hard time building around him. In recent years we have had trouble landing true impact kids from a fertile recruiting soil. Some say..."we don't play the game",,,,I actually had an ESPN commentator at a game say that to me, he was basically saying, everybody else winning is. I flat out asked him why UGA can't win big in hoops, and that was his response.
I am sure Geno, Kessler, and Turtle are great kids, but all 3 seem to be way in over their heads.
You can't have three scholly players making zero impact, it kills your depth and roster.
Moving forward, we can't lose winnable pre-SEC games. That's become our habit. I hope to see a ton of Harris, Crump, and Hammonds on the floor next season. Based on intel, they are the most talented right? Maybe Claxton as well? We don't have time for a re-build year. In year 9 with 1 HC the program should be on solid recruiting ground, building momentum, worrying about where we will be playing in March, not if...
I love all things Georgia, and especially Georgia Basketball holds a special place in my heart. I want to hear from the Admin, from the coaches, that we...THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, are exhausting all possibilities and options to become more of a player when it comes to Basketball. The message I am receiving now is....(We are proud of winning 20 games and being stable).
This message bothers me, and it should bother you to.
