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re: UGA Season Long Basketball Thread (18-15, 7-11); Georgia to decline NIT bid

Posted on 1/21/18 at 12:29 pm to
Posted by devils1854
Franklin
Member since Aug 2014
6424 posts
Posted on 1/21/18 at 12:29 pm to
quote:

and a newfound energy in the program


Thats not going to happen with Fox. You know that. I know that. The fan base knows that. Hell, we have one of the best players ever in Georgia history playing, and we brought in what? a top 50ish prospect this year, but no one cares because its NIT, NIT, NIT. 20 wins really mean nothing anymore with a 30-32 game season, and the SEC, and then going to one of multiple tournaments.

You need actual accomplishments to bring the fans back. Maybe its a new coach. Hell, we had 100k at the spring game Kirby's first year. People were excited about the new prospects.

Go out and get a Tom Crean, a Fred Hoiberg, or a Jeff Capel, and the excitement for the program will come.

Edit: Im not going to say I know hardly anything about gymnastics, but I do know that they had over 11k people at the home meet against Auburn last night. New coach Kupets plus bringing back Yoculan as a unpaid assistant has gotten some energy back in that program.
This post was edited on 1/21/18 at 12:33 pm
Posted by Barstools
Atlanta
Member since Jan 2016
11386 posts
Posted on 1/21/18 at 6:39 pm to
quote:

Edit: Im not going to say I know hardly anything about gymnastics, but I do know that they had over 11k people at the home meet against Auburn last night. 


You realize our last two home basketball games were sellouts, right?
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 7:27 am to
But you don’t want to be a stepping stone program that has turnover every 2-3 years. New coaches do not help with recruiting. Maybe one coach brings in big name guys but then he leaves and the next guy might not keep up the momentum.
Posted by BranchDawg
Flowery Branch
Member since Nov 2013
10065 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 8:20 am to
I'm all about stability, but why can't we find stability with a guy who doesn't WASTE the careers of two of the best players to come through this program since Dominique?

We got J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten and accomplished neither jack nor shite.
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 8:23 am to
You aren’t following the conversation. My original post was that I liked the style of play that Matt McCall coaches at UMASS. He was the head coach when UTC beat us a couple of years ago.

However; he would use UGA as a stepping stone.

This guy that was replying to that doesn’t have a problem with that.
Posted by crispyUGA
Upstate SC
Member since Feb 2011
16248 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 8:31 am to
UGA COULD be a destination-type job (unless a school like Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc come calling) if we were get serious about our basketball program. Look at Gregg Marshall at Wichita State; he's turned down some pretty good big-time offers because they are committed to building a good basketball program. Not sure we will be there any time soon, though.
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 8:38 am to
But it won’t be for Matt McCall and we all know that it isn’t enough of a priority. If you are going to replace Mark Fox you must replace him with someone better who will see it as a destination job. Perhaps this would be the year to do t because it appears most of the large programs around us will retain their current coaches and would allow us to get our guy instead of missing on one or two and getting our third choice.

Everybody wants to compare the basketball team to the football team. Well the football team had identified who they would go to next and the decision was done before moving on from CMR and the progression from one to the other was very natural. However, with CMF we don’t have that so process and decision is much more difficult.
This post was edited on 1/22/18 at 8:40 am
Posted by fibonaccisquared
The mystical waters of the Hooch
Member since Dec 2011
16898 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 8:48 am to
quote:

UGA COULD be a destination-type job (unless a school like Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc come calling) if we were get serious about our basketball program. Look at Gregg Marshall at Wichita State; he's turned down some pretty good big-time offers because they are committed to building a good basketball program. Not sure we will be there any time soon, though.


I'd agree... you have to identify the guy who isn't looking for the spotlight so much though. Marshall and Few are good examples. Georgia basketball is closer to those programs in terms of "limelight" than it is the UK/UNC/Duke(s) of the world... but still not there in the production.

Unfortunately, the only way I see the university/administration/$$$ getting committed to any kind of sustained success in basketball is if we have some consistent runs to get to the tournament and throw in some wins... it will be the "if you come, we will build it" approach as opposed to vice versa. Crowds are getting better this year, we have a team that could be very special, but maddeningly frustrating in-game decisions from Fox.

I'm more on the side of who do we land that is an improvement (that will stick) this year though, than I have been in years past. I think there was a good argument for Chris Collins a year ago... now between NW regressing and getting closer to Coach K retirement, and him potentially getting the tap, may be a non-starter. Hurley at URI is a good coach who turned down Rutgers in 16... likely would either turn us down or be looking for the next best spot... don't see him being a "fit".

For anyone on the "fire Fox" train... I'd be interested in seeing discussion on who you see as a realistic potential improvements that would stick around a minimum of 4-5 seasons, with good odds at longer if the university were committed to keeping them.

I'm all for having the discussion as I *don't* believe he is going to move us to where we want to be, and I've been on record with that for a long time... but I'm also not a "burn everything to the ground" guy, so it's gotta have merit and basis in reality of who we could realistically land *and* more importantly, keep around long enough to matter.
This post was edited on 1/22/18 at 8:50 am
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 9:06 am to
And with improvements in recruiting there could potentially be very large opportunity cost. Two kids we have for the ‘18 class are really good. We will sign one more or have our 5-Star re-classify.
Posted by td01241
Savannah
Member since Nov 2012
28601 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 9:45 am to
It's not my job to identify promising up and coming D3 basketball coaches. It's big ears. The coach will have to come from a very small school who has them doing well that sees what GA could be
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 10:28 am to
You sound like a complaining brat that complains to complain without ever providing a solution for your complaint.
Posted by djsdawg
Member since Apr 2015
40319 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 10:47 am to
quote:

you don’t want to be a stepping stone program that has turnover every 2-3 years


Of course not, but if the ultimate goal is winning big, you don't hold back the program out of the fear a successful coach will leave for a better job. If a coach does leave because he won a ton, so what? At least you got to experience a new level of winning that makes the brand look better to new coaches and recruits. That's better than being average all the time like we are. We aren't a destination job to anyone right now because we haven't won enough to be one.

Point is, You have to win big in order to elevate the program above a stepping stone. Just because the first coach doesn't win big and stay doesn't mean the next one won't. I notice you completely ignored the uf example I provided. Krueger left, and then Donovan stayed for 20 years.
This post was edited on 1/22/18 at 10:51 am
Posted by DoubleDawg22
Member since Dec 2016
1572 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 11:32 am to
Good points...quiet possibly the most constructive post I’ve seen you make on here.

We differing philosophies and I respect that. I just believe we have a stable stock that is slowly rising and we should hold our current position until we we can purchase stock that we know is an elevation. Matt McCall is not really that guy that we know will elevate the program.

I’m just saying we don’t need to enter into a world of volatility because we want to win now. I would argue that Auburn football is the perfect example as to what you are hoping to go to. Auburn has a chance at a title 1 out of every 4 years and a losing record 1 out of every 4 years and they are average in the years in between.
This post was edited on 1/22/18 at 11:32 am
Posted by fibonaccisquared
The mystical waters of the Hooch
Member since Dec 2011
16898 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 11:33 am to
quote:

It's not my job to identify promising up and coming D3 basketball coaches. It's big ears. The coach will have to come from a very small school who has them doing well that sees what GA could be



So in other words, you want to bitch but have absolutely no idea how we could be doing better than we are. Solid. Thanks for playing... let's leave the discussion to those who actually follow the team and the sport in general.

The dumbest part about this response is I actually side with getting rid of Fox generally... but the discussion as to the who is indeed relevant...
Posted by WG_Dawg
Member since Jun 2004
89798 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 1:48 pm to
I've posted at length on the topic in the past and rockchalk always gets on to me, but I mean I just don't see how anyone with UGA basketball's best interest at heart can be content to keep plugging along with what we can all see. This isn't year 2 or 3, it's year 9. And unlike Richt who faltered in year 9, 10, etc...he at at least accomplished something and won something of substance at some point, which Fox has not. Every SEC school has won a tourney game more recently than we have. We join a losers club of 3 that haven't been to a sweet 16 since 2000. We've been ranked for a total of 1 week during Fox's tenure. There is simply no rational, logical, justifiable reason to look at that and say "this is acceptable".

There are ONLY 2 reasons why anyone could even potentially think keeping fox is a good idea:
1) If we fire him we might lose the 2 good recruits we have committed
2) If we fire him we may take a step back

On number 1, so what? We've rarely recruited anyone great under fox outside of maybe 3 or 4 guys and it hasn't gotten us squat. On number 2, take a step back to what? Losing in the 1st round of the NIT instead of the 2nd? Missing on the NIT? Who cares?

Posted by fibonaccisquared
The mystical waters of the Hooch
Member since Dec 2011
16898 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 1:59 pm to
Yup. Pretty sure you and I (and several others) were on this very forum 2-3 years ago talking about essentially the same thing. We're still having the same conversations...

I agree that he should be replaced, I'm not sure who the right person is for it.

He's still got room I guess to turn this season into something meaningful, even with the abortion that was the game on Saturday, but I just don't see him as getting us where we want to be long term... ever. If we make the *right* hire, the 2 we have committed likely remain committed... if they don't we still likely get quality recruits to join a pretty decent roster... it's not as good as many here would like to think, but it's also not awful. Whoever comes in would not be inheriting the same mess that Fox did. As I've said before... Fox deserves credit for getting the program back to "respectable"... but at some point, you have to say that the program should be able to move past that. As someone else pointed out, if you identify they coach you want, this might be the year, as you shouldn't have a ton of competition for him.
Posted by WG_Dawg
Member since Jun 2004
89798 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 2:03 pm to
the most depressing thing to me is that nobody in B-M seems to even care, or even acknowledge we have a basketball program. I'm sure all the big money boosters, athletic board members, Mcgarity, etc all have a prime focus on football which is fine and they should. But it's like now we've got football on the right track everythign else jsut disappears. We have a lousy basketball coach and an abortion of a baseball coach and nobody is even having a discussion on if they should still be here or not. Perno led us to the CWS final and was fired after not making the postseason back to back years. Stricklin has been here what, like 5 years and hasn't even gone .500 if memory serves and he just gets a pat on the back and a "get em next year". It's repulsive.
Posted by SumterCoDawg
Member since Apr 2015
5312 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 2:07 pm to
quote:

. Stricklin has been here what, like 5 years and hasn't even gone .500 if memory serves and he just gets a pat on the back and a "get em next year".
We should've had riots when he was retained last year. On top of everything that dude is a dick, at least Fox and Richt are good guys so there was some excuse to keep them around.
Posted by fibonaccisquared
The mystical waters of the Hooch
Member since Dec 2011
16898 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 2:19 pm to
Is there any history of NBA assistants moving from the NBA to college head coach? Anthony Grant was a college guy who bounced to the pros for 3 years, then came back... can't think of any others off the top of my head though.

If we thought there was any shot at it, Darvin Ham (lead assistant coach for the Hawks) would be an interesting guy to look at, but I guess the fear is he might be close to getting tapped for an NBA job... The counterpoint though, is that there has been so much turnover in the NBA head coaching ranks, that it may be a little while before that becomes an option... I see the work that they've done to get as much out of a pretty poor Hawks roster as impressive. Chris Fleming (Brooklyn) is another assistant that would be interesting... for similar reasons... a big X/O guy by all accounts.

I think Ed Cooley is a really good coach, but he's reportedly turned down offers from Pitt, Ga Tech, Cal, and Tennessee among others in the last several years. Probably a zero percent chance of getting him to even nibble.

Let's get some names out there... if you could wave a half broken magic wand and have the coach that you want at UGA tomorrow *that you think we could realistically pull*... who is it... why?
Posted by Dawgsontop34
Member since Jun 2014
45718 posts
Posted on 1/22/18 at 2:33 pm to
quote:

the most depressing thing to me is that nobody in B-M seems to even care, or even acknowledge we have a basketball program. I'm sure all the big money boosters, athletic board members, Mcgarity, etc all have a prime focus on football which is fine and they should. But it's like now we've got football on the right track everythign else jsut disappears. We have a lousy basketball coach and an abortion of a baseball coach and nobody is even having a discussion on if they should still be here or not. Perno led us to the CWS final and was fired after not making the postseason back to back years. Stricklin has been here what, like 5 years and hasn't even gone .500 if memory serves and he just gets a pat on the back and a "get em next year". It's repulsive.


This is the biggest thing to me. If we make the change to fire Fox, we need to do the same thing did when we fired Mark and make a commitment to putting $ in the program. I'd be way more ok with firing Fox if we actually make changes in the Athletic Department in relations to our level of caring and investment. Stricklin staying here after last season was far more of an embarrassment than keeping Fox around too. I've never been a huge college baseball guy, but I think it also sucks that our team was so terrible during my time in Athens it never was an event people wanted to attend. We need to figure out a way to emulate Ole Miss, State, LSU, etc. with baseball and make it fun. Obviously part of that is winning, but it's absolutely embarrassing that the only teams with a worse attendance in the SEC than us last year were Tennessee and Mizzou. The only team worse in basketball so far this season is LSU.

If we can get 93k to a spring game in football, we shouldn't be 12th in baseball attendance and 13th in basketball attendance. That's a joke.
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