BASKETBALL: One of nation’s top shooting guards COMMITS to UGA
Greenville High’s Kentavious Caldwell, who is considered one of the nation’s top 15 basketball prospects by multiple recruiting services, has committed to Georgia.
The 6-foot-6, 185-pound shooting guard picked the Bulldogs over Tennessee and Florida State, while also considering Florida and Alabama. Last year as a junior, Caldwell averaged 29.7 points for the Greenville Patriots, which play in Georgia’s smallest division (Class A).
“When I woke up on Saturday morning, it just felt like the right thing to do,” Caldwell told the AJC. “Georgia is a great school for academics and athletics. It felt like the right moment to commit, so I called Georgia and told them that I was coming.”
“It took awhile to reach Coach [Mark Fox] because I think he was traveling. He was really excited about my decision. I’m glad to get it out of the way because I didn’t want to feel all the recruiting pressure during my senior year of high school.”
Greenville High basketball coach Richard Carter ranks Caldwell as the “probably the best” he’s ever had in 40 years of coaching high school basketball at several schools.
“I put him at the top because of his ability to shoot the basketball and defend,” Carter said. “It’s kind of like one of the coaches from Kansas told me — the difference between Kentavious and other two-guards is that [Caldwell] can come off screens and shoot, and Kenatavious can put it on the foor and take it to the basket. It’s not like he just sits out there on the wing and fires away. He can do it all when it comes to creating unique ways to score.”
Carter said that Caldwell’s friendship with two future UGA football players likely played a major factor into his college decision. Caldwell played football and basketball at Greenville last year with offensive lineman Kenarious Gates, who switched from Kentucky to Georgia after a last-minute football offer from the Bulldogs. Caldwell plays on the same AAU team with Wilcox County’s Nick Marshall, who has committed to Georgia on a football scholarship and will walk on the school’s basketball team.
“I think it really helped make the decision easier that two of his good friends are going there,” Carter said. “Anybody wants to be where their friends are. Believe it or not, that’s a very powerful [connection].”
While at Alabama’s Valley High, Carter’s basketball pupils included Stanley Jackson (played for NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and now works in team’s front office), Marcus Pollard (NFL Pro Bowl tight end who played 15 seasons, including 2009 with the Atlanta Falcons) and John Copeland (member of Alabama’s 1992 national championship football team, No. 5 overall pick of 1993 NFL Draft).
“Kentavious is probably the best I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached some really great ones,” Carter said.
Now it’s YOUR turn. What are you THOUGHTS on UGA’s Mark Fox landing Kentavious Caldwell? Please post below.
Related: Take a look at an early UGA football commitment, North Paulding WR Chris Conley. He’s one of the candidates for the AJC’s Super 11 (click here)
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183 comments Add your comment
jo d
July 19th, 2010
10:18 am
Uganda is just a stepping stone to another job, he should be gone in two seasons.
SOOHSO
July 19th, 2010
10:19 am
UGA fans need to stop worrying about CMR and football-they’ve had their chance. Put more into coach Fox and basketball! That’s where the future lies!!!!
jo d
July 19th, 2010
10:20 am
Stupid spell check Uga*
suwaneedawg
July 19th, 2010
10:22 am
SOOHSO, you be one big idiot. Both programs are about to get rolling and you will be just another hater of our success. STBY!
Just exactly like building a house, it is
July 19th, 2010
10:28 am
You first build a foundation that has excellent structural integrity. That was CMF’s first season and the modest accomplisments in that season. He did that in season one.
Next, you layer in the overall framing structure …………….. he urged his two stars to STAY one more year and grow AND he has gone out and recruited future stars.
Then, comes the trim in and such …………hopefully, the players there in Athens now and the incoming frosh can add maybe 6 or 7 wins to last year’s tally and pick up a few more signature wins over name brand programs.
Accomplish that last goal and then maybe go two nice wins or three deeply into the SEC tourney and enjoy a bid to the NCAA March Madness parties. Just getting to the NCAAs right now for UGA, will be this year’s BIG GOAL.It could happen.
UGA fans want to always count on wins in the 19,20, or 21 game range and do respectably well in the SEC Tourney, then go to The Dance. CMF can achieve all of this and he is on the way to MAKING UGA a respectable program. Within say 3 or 4 years with continued prgoress, UGA grads and fans would love to see UGA in the Sweet 16 or The Elite 8, once over the next 3-5 years and participate in the NCAAs on a reg basis.
CMF is on course and it is so obvious to even casual co9llege b ball fans.
Go Dogs.
We_Run_This_Country
July 19th, 2010
10:28 am
GT undefeated against UGA in 2010….WE RUN THIS COUNTRY!
UGA OWNS GTU
July 19th, 2010
10:56 am
Yep, we OWN gtu. Period.
We’re simply better than you. At everything.
We_Run_This_Country
July 19th, 2010
11:05 am
2010 hasn’t started off very well for UGAg….0-3 vs GT…for those of you who can’t calculate percentages, that’s a 0% winning percentage! LMAO! stupid UGA rednecks!
@ Legend of Len Barker
July 19th, 2010
11:16 am
I never said Tech doesn’t have guys that were hyped up too much due to their level of competition. ALL I said is that this guy is too. Sam shew has played like 5 min his whole career and is at tech for practice and/or gpa boost for the team. Daniel Miller is garbage…I played against him in AAU. Holsey I think is the real deal..maybe not deserving of being in the espn 100..But still good. Reed went to ARK state= enough said. Why do you think that just because I criticize a uga player that I dont do the same at tech???….I guess whenever someone says anything about uga you have to criticize the other team….Either way Tech has overrated players and so does Uga….Now was that so hard?
Eric
July 19th, 2010
11:23 am
class a comp? wanted to play at fsu or tenn and chose uga? lol. this guy isn’t a top 15. give me a break.
UGA OWNS GTU
July 19th, 2010
11:35 am
The beauty of ownership is that we can do whatever we want with the little maggots. We have our way with them so to speak. Year after year… OWNED.
We’re simply better than you. At everything.
Russ4Ever
July 19th, 2010
11:44 am
Welcome aboard Mr. Caldwell! Good stuff, Good stuff.
FloridaownsSEC
July 19th, 2010
12:54 pm
After reading through some of the post, I think it’s safe to assume that the real racist reisde on North Ave. Some of you are simply pathetic for bashing a 17 year old kid. It’s apparent that you were picked on in HS, so you take your frustration out behind a keyboard. Some of you need to get lifes, umm GT fans. Speaking of being such a “great” school, GT fans/alums are sitting behind a computer on a Monday. Get a job, I guess all the engineering jobs are filled?
Congrats on the pick up Dawg fans, see in Jacksonville
DawgsOnline » Dawgs get weekend commitments from a tackle, a center, and…a guard
July 19th, 2010
12:58 pm
[...] to Mark Fox over the weekend. Caldwell isn’t just a 2-guard who can sit outside and shoot. As his coach says, “Kenatavious can put it on the floor and take it to the basket. It’s not like he just [...]
Paul Hewitt Fan
July 19th, 2010
1:30 pm
Paul Hewitt is the best coach in Atlanta! That was heavy, heavy sarcasm. BUT, UGA would like nothing more than to see GTU extend Paul Hewitts contract. Although most on the street see PA fired after next season. Why he wasn’t fired after putting two kids into the NBA and finishing at the bottom of the ACC, is beyond me. GO PAUL HEWITT! You are a joke, but we like you at UGA!
bitter hersall talker
July 19th, 2010
2:14 pm
basketball?? are you kidding
UGA OWNS GTU
July 19th, 2010
2:51 pm
We just want to take this opportunity to thank gtu for being our B*TCH for all these years.
We’re simply better than you. At everything.
Timmy Dog
July 19th, 2010
3:48 pm
Single A hoops players have typically inflated stats due to playing against poor competition. This kid, and I hope not, will not amount to much.
MaxxDawg
July 19th, 2010
6:10 pm
I am so excited about this signing, Dawgs Hoops, but I am even more excited about Marcus Thornton. He is a manster
Caldwell chooses UGA – Alabama Basketball Recruiting Blog - Tide Sports - Tuscaloosa, AL - Archive
July 19th, 2010
6:35 pm
[...] Kentavious Caldwell, one of the top shooting guards in the country, committed to Georgia over the weekend according to an AJC blog. Read the full story. [...]
82Dawg
July 19th, 2010
8:34 pm
Wiley…GT a sleeping giant ???? Really come on what plant are you on? Once your rich boosters step and get rid of Hewitt maybe, but not until then.You bash UGA but you forget the same team you are trashing took Tech to wood shed this year.
82Dawg
July 19th, 2010
9:07 pm
meant….. planet
Egbert
July 19th, 2010
11:23 pm
Good old Meriwether County kid who can play. Good Class A hoops in that part of the state historically. Kentavious has been scoring like this for a couple of years.
We do, in fact, run this state. Fear the Fox.
James
July 20th, 2010
12:37 am
LOL at UGA fans. GT>>>>>UGA in every sports last year. Look for that to continue in the future. Sorry nad lickers!!!!!
UGA OWNS gtu
July 20th, 2010
9:06 am
We OWN gtu year in, year out. Period.
1. UGA
2. gtu
We’re simply better than you. At everything.
sthgaboy
July 20th, 2010
4:44 pm
Why can’t you tekkerheads just participate in your pathetic GTU blogs. You seem very interested in everything that goes on at UGA. Could that be jealousy??? Dawgs still run the state….
ReddJonn68
July 21st, 2010
8:55 am
Now that we have a guy who can recruit & coach watch out Kentucky, because Calipari can’t coach a team full of all-stars.
Winston Dawg
July 21st, 2010
6:52 pm
73-66, Wiley.
Lonnie Walls
July 22nd, 2010
8:34 am
I coached Kentavious in Middle School and I will tell you he is truly a great player. He will truly be a great addition to my beloved bulldogs and Coach Fox has done a great job. His range is incredible but his greatest assett is that he wants to be great and you can see it all over him in his play. What a blessing for a class A school. Go on Kenarious #72 on the football team and Kentavious on the basketball team.
Lonnie Walls
July 22nd, 2010
8:34 am
I coached Kentavious in Middle School and I will tell you he is truly a great player. He will truly be a great addition to my beloved bulldogs and Coach Fox has done a great job. His range is incredible but his greatest assett is that he wants to be great and you can see it all over him in his play. What a blessing for a class A school. Go on Kenarious #72 on the football team and Kentavious on the basketball team.
peachesALLDAY
July 28th, 2010
3:02 pm
yall stop with the DE panties joke its getting old BUT since you wanna talk smack about it, at least that also shows we get to beat you at everything INCLUDING getting tha panties too! ( that sounds sick)
Tory Sweigert
February 4th, 2012
12:33 pm
will smith twitter pic…
[...]a separate sector following the sport was in the end only a new make a difference of this time just before guys and females[...]…
Karla
August 25th, 2012
12:20 am
Jonas!!! Welcome to the world!You have one of the loveliest falieims I know and your Daddy has just made me cry lots of happy tears watching your first slide show! Can’t wait to meet you soon.Big hugs all round xxxxx