Mark Fox’s ‘process’ at Georgia just went into high gear
Trey Thompkins (21 points) and the Dogs have reached unexpected heights already (AP photo)
ATHENS – Until the tournament berths, Mark Fox sells hope. Until some of the five-star basketball recruits who have been drifting out of the state stop and think, “Wait, why not Georgia?” the Bulldogs’ new coach will talk about concepts like commitment and work ethic and building a program the right way.
And he’ll tell stories like this: “I had dinner with Ramon Sessions in the fall. He just signed a four-year, $16 million contract [with Minnesota] Here’s a guy we signed at Nevada two weeks before his freshman year. Nobody wanted him. But he turned into a great player. The key is finding players willing to commit to the process.”
But nobody could have figured the process would produce results this dramatic. Or this soon. Why not Georgia?
Midway through Fox’s first season, the Bulldogs just upset a top-10 team for the first time in six years and played before a home sellout for the first time in three.
Mark: Any thoughts on the economy? Global warming? Football games in Jacksonville?
The Bulldogs leveled eighth-ranked Tennessee 78-63 at a packed Stegeman Coliseum. There’s your implausible double of the season. They led much of the second-half by 20-plus points, boat-racing a Tennessee team that came into the game with a 15-2 record and a win over top-ranked Kansas.
“They probably thought it was going to be a cakewalk,” said guard Ebuka Anyaorah.
It’s only one win, much like the upset over Georgia Tech was only one win, much like the upset of Illinois was only one win. But together, that’s three improbable results in a 9-8 season that, well, didn’t figure to be a 9-8 season at this stage.
So much baggage in the program. Seemingly so little talent on the roster. The sense of dread looming so large. Can one coach change things this quickly?
“I’m excited because there’s some excitement around the program,” said athletics director Damon Evans, who hired Fox. “People have responded to what coach Fox is doing. We’re still building. But when you get a signature win like this, it says a lot about the commitment of this team. It says a lot about Mark Fox and his staff, and to have the fans here.”
Senior center Albert Jackson knows what last place and an empty arena look like. He was there a year ago when a 26-point loss at Florida, and all that preceded it, led to coach Dennis Felton’s firing. Even with an 0-3 start this season in the SEC, he never sensed doom.
“It was about this time last season when we lost our first [four] SEC games, and we went to down to Florida and got blown out,” Jackson said. “This year, it was [a similar] situation against a top-10 team. But it was a whole different demeanor. Guys are confident in the system and confident in the coach. Guys were upbeat.”
They passed the ball with efficiency. They dominated the paint (20 of their 42 first-half points came on dunks or layups). Trey Tompkins (21 points, eight rebounds) and Travis Leslie (19 points, nine rebounds) were a combined 17-of-24 from the floor.
Stegeman was electric. Who knew that was even a scientific possibility?
When Leslie jammed home a rebound to make the score 72-48 with 6:28 left, the building rocked.
“This is one of the reasons I came to Georgia,” Fox said, referencing the crowd. “We just had a great college basketball game at Stegeman.”
It couldn’t have hurt the football program, either. Mark Richt, Mike Bobo and Rodney Garner were in the building, seated in the recruits section.
Who imagined a basketball game could give football a competitive advantage?
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Random Hot News » Blog Archive » what time are the football games today
January 24th, 2010
12:30 pm
[...] by train. You do it through tunnels, and each time … http://mtmg.wordpress.com/ Mark Fox's 'process' at Georgia just went into high gear | Jeff … 15 hours ago “It was about this time last season when we lost our first [four] SEC games, and [...]
Tech Sucks
January 24th, 2010
12:43 pm
Dawg Mania and Island Dawg. You suck at posting.
As far as this article, HUGE win for the Dawgs. Great for the team and Fox.
Vol Man
January 24th, 2010
1:09 pm
When UT plays Ga in Athens, they will blow out the dawgs–bank on it. UT will make the sweet 16. Ga will be in the NIT. Enough said.
Bobbi Dud
January 24th, 2010
1:14 pm
FOX IS A REAL COACH ! Tech has a recruiter only!
Taylor
January 24th, 2010
1:31 pm
Vol man why can’t you just give credit when its due? Instead you have to act like a child
Bo Williams
January 24th, 2010
2:07 pm
Are you saying that having good basketball helps football recruiting? I guess so. That’s why UNC always has big time football recruits at its big home basketball games. Football players want to watch good basketball too. That’s why its a greater advantage in the ACC, where they will see great heated bb contests all through the winter.
Dostoyevskiy
January 24th, 2010
2:11 pm
If you are a great bb player, where you want to play, in ?Stegman?, or before sellout crowds at Cameron or the Dean Dome, with the whole nation interested. UGa is a local bb program, and always will be. No interest from people in NY or anywhere else outside of Ga. In fact interest in UGa football is local as well. The difference is that fb players in the South love the SEC football scene. In bb, players nationwide love the ACC.
Iceman
January 24th, 2010
2:31 pm
LoL @ the Techies, they’re already afraid of Mark Fox.
Brad
January 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
If bb players nation wide love the ACC, what’s Tech’s excuse?
juvenal
January 24th, 2010
3:27 pm
wud not trade f-ball coaches-wud trade b-ball coaches(+ Favors)..
Coffee Bluff DAWG
January 24th, 2010
5:43 pm
I was at the game last night and couldn’t believe how dominant UGA was the entire game (most of the 2nd half we were up 20-24 points). This is the same team that last year was unorganized and undisiplined?
Give Bruce Pearl credit for saying “This was only an upset because UT was the higher ranked team.
Note to potential recruits – Consider UGA because Fox will build a national contender if you come. Actually, he’ll build a national contender even if you don’t come, so the choice is yours.
U.S. – Georgia News | ... BreakingtheNewsBarrier.com ...
January 24th, 2010
9:26 pm
[...] overwhelm visiting Vols The Daily Beacon Mark Fox’s ‘process’ at Georgia just went into high gear Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Bleacher Report - AHN | All Headline News all 367 news [...]
Lane4411
January 25th, 2010
5:57 am
What is impressive is the way, these guys pass the ball!!
Because of the lack of depth may wear down, love what I am seeing!!!
Lane
Monday morning cup of joe « Red, Black and Three Sheets to the Wind
January 25th, 2010
6:45 am
[...] Jeff Schultz impressed with Mark Fox and UGA in year 1 of the new [...]
Jeckyll Island
January 25th, 2010
8:30 am
Mark Fox took down the most “talented ” team in America!!!!
73-66!!!!
73-66!!!!
73-66!!!!
73-66!!!!
73-66!!!!
73-66!!!!
Brains and substance whipped Paul Hewitt and his brainless “engineers!”
A sweet follow up to 30-24!!!!!!
Taste it termites!!!!!!
Dawgs easily rout the Vols
January 25th, 2010
8:33 am
Attention Vol Man:
Did you watch the Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team beat the crap out of your Vols????
EASY VICTORY!!!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!!
Dawg Trainer
January 25th, 2010
8:47 am
The Dawg Trainer is here to admit the Dawgs throughly outplayed the Vols this past Saturday. Congratulations on your win. You reminded me on how we turned it around when Pearl first arrived at Tennessee. With two of our posts (Smith gone permanently, Williams indefinite) out, this was a bad matchup for us. Hopefully, we’ll give you a better game in Knoxville!
AceDawg
January 25th, 2010
9:51 am
The Dawgs fans came out once Herrick got the program rolling, so I think they can make it happen again. I’ve been sad that the fans didn’t help the program during the Felton era by coming to the games and making the school more appealing for recruits, but maybe in the end we really DID need a different coach and style. Seems like Fox will have a great opportunity if he knows how to connect with big recruits. GTech should lose it’s grip on some of the players they’ve been snagging.
Dawg Fud
January 25th, 2010
9:51 am
payback for that debacle on the gridiron in knoxville…i’ll take it!
in all seriousness, kudos to mark fox and his guys! they are working their tails off and they need some positive reinforcement – this was just the ticket!
GO DAWGS!
Tron Carter
January 25th, 2010
9:52 am
The loser douche Trekkie’s bitterness and jealousy always makes me laugh.
73-66
and 30-24
2009-2010 is another great year of domination over Trek
Thanks for the mammaries Paul Johnson
Boca Baby
January 25th, 2010
10:28 am
Ooooh Tron Carter: I could do without the mental image of Paul Johnson’s pecks, if that’s what you want to call them. In this crazy world we live in I am afraid to walk past a Victoria’s Secret in fear that I might see a PJ mannequin wearing a lacy push-up bra. Underwire, of course.
Boca Baby
January 25th, 2010
10:44 am
I would say that exuberance over the UT win should be toned down a bit. It is exciting to see what Fox is doing with what was considered marginal talent at best. They were, after all, picked to finish dead last in the SEC East. The combined messes left by The Lizard of Westwood and Felton will not be easily overcome. I think that if the Dawgs finish with a 500 record in the SEC Fox should be named coach of the year in the conference, Calipari notwithstanding. His refusal to accept nothing short of a winning attitude coupled with a belief that it could really happen is very, very good. If UGA finishes last, then what were you expecting?
Boca Baby
January 25th, 2010
10:52 am
And what about John Isner rising to #28 in the world!!! He is also probably going to make the Davis Cup team. Could he be the next great American tennis player?
8 out of 9
January 25th, 2010
1:19 pm
Is that really you saint simons?
If so eat this you coward!
((((((((((((((((((((34-20)))))))))))))))))))))))
((((((((((((((((((((73-66)))))))))))))))))))))))
((((((((((((((((((((8 out of 9))))))))))))))))))
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8 out of 9
January 25th, 2010
1:21 pm
typo correction…..
((((((((((((((((((((30-24))))))))))))))))))
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Tron Carter
January 25th, 2010
2:44 pm
Don’t forget 60-39-5
Domination Douchenozles
BBBBBBBBWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
So…about that monsterous win over UT | Baseball Blog
January 25th, 2010
6:53 pm
[...] Mark Fox’s Process just went into High Gear – AJC [...]
fOX tROT
January 29th, 2010
9:46 am
Fox has had some big wins already. Gonna be great.
Steave
February 14th, 2010
6:50 am
Nice story you got here. I’d like to read more concerning this matter. Thanks for giving this info.
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