No miracles for Georgia, but direction is established
It was not a happy night for Georgia coach Mark Fox. But the sting of Friday's loss shouldn't last long. (AP photo)
NASHVILLE – They did not come into the week with some delusion that this SEC tournament was about fattening up their RPI or maybe gaining a swing vote on the selection committee. Because the only way Georgia was making it into the NCAA tournament was by shocking its conference brethren again.
That didn’t happen this week. But that’s OK. Two years ago, when the Bulldogs won the SEC tournament, it sent out inaccurate signals of the program’s direction. We learned that when they lost seven straight the following year, and Dennis Felton was drop-kicked with two months left in the season.
Georgia didn’t need to go on another miracle run in this week’s SEC tournament to convince us of direction. We already have a sense where things are headed. The only thing that was affirmed Friday night was that there’s still a ways to go. After giving Vanderbilt fits in two games this season, the Dogs were drilled by the Commodores 78-66 in the SEC quarterfinals.
Thursday’s win over Arkansas: a step forward.
Friday’s loss: not necessarily a step back.
Mark Fox: not getting fired. Direction is established.
When asked if the big picture negated the usual empty feeling associated with a season-ending loss, Fox said: “I’m upset we lost. We didn’t plan on losing. We planned to be here [Saturday] afternoon. [But] I am proud of this team because when I came here, everybody kept telling me how terrible we were.
“We still at times maybe weren’t a great basketball team. But we beat some people who maybe we were not supposed to beat, we’ve given our program some momentum and we earned some respect back. In rebuilding, those were some steps we had to take. So I don’t feel empty. But I am angry that we lost.”
That’s the reaction you want: A sense of satisfaction about progress, even while not accepting defeat.
Travis Leslie skied to 34 points, but that was the lone offensive highlight for Georgia. (AP photo)
“We never short-changed ourselves [because of] the fact we were inexperienced with coach’s system or we were a young team,” said Trey Thompkins. “We came out to fight just like all of our opponents. We expected to win just like any team would.”
But this game was a reality hit. Travis Leslie’s 34 points notwithstanding, there was a significant gap between Georgia and Vanderbilt. The Commodores held an eight-point lead despite cold shooting in the first half. But they blew it open in the second, going on a 23-9 run that increased a tw0-point lead (40-38) to 16 (63-47). Thompkins, the star of game one and the focus of Vanderbilt’s defense, started the night 0 for 6 and finished with 13 points. It was clearly early this would not be repeat of the title run of 2008.
By the time they had beaten Arkansas, Georgia players already had grown weary of stories about the 2008 conference tournament team. Can’t really blame them. Only a few players on this roster even played that year in Athens.
“As a team we really never thought about [2008] because we’re not that team,” Thompkins had said following the win over Arkansas. “That’s just the truth. They were a different group of guys. We want people to talk about us the way they talked about that team.”
They’re talking about these Bulldogs now. The 2008 team overcame a last-place finish (4-12), a tornado, a change of venue, an embattled coach (Felton) and the residual scars of the Jim Harrick era to win the tournament. While that figures to be a reference point for several years, it’s clear the Dogs of the Mark Fox era are gaining their own identity.
In his first season, Fox has gained a reputation among other SEC coaches of fielding a tough and smart team. After the win over Arkansas, Razorbacks coach John Pelphrey said, “[They’re] obviously well-coached, good players.”
Nothing much was expected this season. But the Dogs upset three-ranked teams.
Nothing much was expected this week. But then came the win over Arkansas (even if that wasn’t a major upset).
This is his how reputations are built. This is how identities are formed.
“I told them tonight I respected their efforts,” Fox said. Appropriate words.
♦
Previous posts
♦ We’re LIVE and Thompkins says, ‘We want to win it all’
♦ These Dogs are tired of talking about 2008 Dogs
♦ Georgia drills Arkansas — and could it happen again?
♦ We’re live from Nashville: Is it miracle time for Georgia?
♦ The T-shirt of the decade (whether you love or hate Kentucky)
♦ Trey Thompkins will be an early NBA draft pick (but likely in 2011)
♦ Bruce Pearl heaps praise on Dogs, Fox (and then quickly stops)
♦ About Arkansas, and did Calipari get jobbed for SEC coach of the year?
♦ How big a threat is Georgia in this tournament?
♦ FLASHBACK: Georgia upsets Tennessee
♦ FLASHBACK: Mark Fox’s early reality check as coach
♦
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84 comments Add your comment
Fair and Balanced
March 13th, 2010
11:02 am
I’m sorry, but I don’t get it. Direction? What direction? This is what was predicted and so I don’t see any progress. A few home team upsets and close calls on the road with no wins…… is that what we are to think of as a positive step? Sorry but for me, the jury is still out. Way out!
Gen Neyland
March 13th, 2010
11:07 am
By now, Jeffy has tucked his Pinto behind a semi tractor-trailer going UP Mt Eagle heading back home to Georgia. After a brief stop in Chattanooga for a sack of Krystals on the ajc’s dime, he’ll get the Pinto headed downhill and roll into Five Points just in time to ink his Sunday column…Good job at the Tourney JS…
The man
March 13th, 2010
11:15 am
Good thing for tech the acc tourney wasn’t played in athens
ASHEVILLE DAWG
March 13th, 2010
11:23 am
The General is mistaken! Pinto’s have been extinct for years. They were crappy when driven off the lot new, even though some ddidn’t catch fire.
How I digress, Coach Fox did a good job with the talent he had. Now for part 2, can he recruit? If he can look out SEC!
harold
March 13th, 2010
12:08 pm
LOL! JEFF, I LOVE YA BUT GEORGIA IS JUST NOT AT ALL COMMITTED TO BASKETBALL LIKE A TENNESSEE & KENTUCKY ARE. WHY WOULD A PLAYER EVEN CONSIDER GEORGIA?
Gator On The Loose
March 13th, 2010
12:15 pm
“Expect Fox to be here a long time.”
Can anybody say “TubbyBall”
Gen Neyland
March 13th, 2010
12:19 pm
Ashville Dawg : Schultz loves the classics. Kinda like the Dirk Pitt of journalism…
Paul's Johnson
March 13th, 2010
12:35 pm
We’re dancin’, and roundball Dawgs finished up their season just in time to catch the rest of their school’s 2nd most important sport. That’s right, SPRING FOOTBALL. Enjoy.
Reality Check
March 13th, 2010
12:41 pm
Yellow Fuzz – What is sad is when you have to ignore the head to head matchups in football and basketball and talk about your other wins. If UGA lost to Tech in whatever sport it was I think I would quit talking trash about that particular sport until the next year.
Reality Check
March 13th, 2010
12:42 pm
How appropriate! That comment goes for you as well Paul’s Johnson. You Tech idiots amaze me.
Abe Vigoda
March 13th, 2010
1:18 pm
Gator your point is off. If Tubby could find a Delorean with a flux capicator, he’d go back in time and no doubt have NOT taken the Kentucky job. Why? He followed a legend and won a NC very early with Pitino’s players. The Wildcat faithful never really bought in to Tubby and made his life miserable at the end. When he was constantly hearing that his son was terrible and shouldn’t be playing do you think he was lovin the blue grass? Georgia has the WORST b-ball history in the SEC. If you go 500 in the league on an annual basis and don’t pay your players (Jim Jun-yah) you can coach at Georgia for a millenium. Certain B-ball coaches would hate to be at a football school (Roy Williams, Coach K). As long as your ego is ok with people not noticing you at Publix, then you can coach, have fun and make a nice salary.
Floundering Fox Hounds Batman!
March 13th, 2010
1:55 pm
The big 3 sports program at UGA has definitely slipped. Basketball team is toast and now the baseball team is getting toasted each game. Damaon Evans gets a raise for this crap? I bet he is laughing all the way to the bank because of the blind homers at UGA not demanding for better.
Nathan
March 13th, 2010
1:58 pm
Great column. Georgia basketball has definitely experienced a good first year under Fox. I see the Dawgs rising to prominence within the next few seasons under Fox and future SEC titles on the way.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
March 13th, 2010
2:30 pm
It’s been a long, painful recent past for UGA BB with Harrick and Felton leading the way. This program is definitely on the rebound with Fox in charge.
UGA BB fans had no delusions of going very far this year. I am hopeful that Fox develop tie-ins with HS/AAU coachs that will bring in quality recruits to the program.
Dave In Tampa
March 13th, 2010
2:43 pm
Techies on here running their mouhts. Too funny. Oh by the way nice win against UGA in Football… no wait, Nice win against UGA in Basketball…. No wait. UT & UF have a right they beat us (really split with us) Silly Nerds! Get a grip.
Coach Fox. Awesome job. The record was not there, but the effort was tremendous. Now, let’s see how you recruit in the South to solidify your position. Go Dawgs!
Tech Now
March 13th, 2010
3:07 pm
Another failure of a season for georgia, not even making the miserable NIT!!! Will their coach be “coach of the year” for those “accomplishments?” Tech—in the semifinals of the ACC, onto the NCAA, onto the sweet 16–mark it down!
BigBlue
March 13th, 2010
3:17 pm
YEP…direction established they finished 6th in the East and overall 11th out of 12 teams. UGA generally finishes in the middle of the SEC or further back and the direction under the new coach stayed “status quo” regardless of how a few reporters at the AJC report things. Every team in the land plays a few close games and UGA did that but they also lost to some horrid teams which also is typical of the UGA program.
Direction established….Same ol’ – Same ol’
DD
March 13th, 2010
3:38 pm
Same ol – Same ol – Just like 2 years ago when we spanked UK out of the SEC tourney. Go worship that great character you call a HC on your team. He’ll soon have UK in deep trouble with sanctions in no time and leave. Then we’ll talk.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
March 13th, 2010
3:47 pm
Hey BigBlue,
Sounds like you are a BB genius. Wait until KY faces Kansas or one of several Big East teams. KY would not even out-rebound WV.
… horrid team. Maybe that was KY last year losing on senior day to UGA. Sure you remember that horrid KY team.
Benjamin
March 13th, 2010
4:12 pm
The question now is, what do we have coming back? (I hope Trey and Travis don’t have dreams of NBA grandeur, because they’re both good enough to go and sit on someone’s bench next season while learning the craft.)
Dave In Tampa
March 13th, 2010
4:22 pm
BigBlue is giving us the silent treatment!
Actually I think they will go a long way in the NCAA’s this year. As long as they don’t have to play UCONN’s Ladies team.. Someone get a cup check on that team. They are awesome!
Huh???
March 13th, 2010
5:51 pm
Reality Check
I got a news flash for you , Tech fans have no sense of self respect
so you surely can’t be too amazed.
They embarass themselves with snide ridiculous comments on
a routine basis trying to slam the Dawgs.
Georgia has a better record against Florida than they do
against us but you don’t see Georgia fans making an ass out
of themselves claiming superiority when the record won’t
bare it out. Nothing more ridiculous than someone talking
smack all the while getting their ass whipped.
They do it because that for all their bluster they have no
self respect. Totally pathetic tools but the fools at least
give us something to laugh at.
Big Irv
March 13th, 2010
6:30 pm
Fox did a great job with the team this year. The team improved as the season went on and played hard for him during the season. The BB program is headed in the right direction. If Coach Fox can establish a pipeline into the abundance of basketball talent in the metro Atlanta area, UGA basketball can become a force in the SEC and nationally.
Reality
March 13th, 2010
6:44 pm
Face it, ugagers…. you are an embarrassment to the State. Your football team blows, your basketball team is horrible (men’s and women’s).
Why not salvage any remaining respect that you may have left and just disband all sports at ugag?
Tech Engineer 05
March 13th, 2010
8:15 pm
GA sucked in football, sucked in basketball, sucks in baseball—but I heard their women’s tennis team may be good and possibly the equestrian team. Gotta go now—NCAA plans to make—Tech’s heading to the Sweet 16—bank on it!!!
BuLLdawg
March 14th, 2010
3:46 am
Mark Fox only has 2 basketball players.
If Mark Fox can get into the homes here in the Deep South and keep our boys at home, despite the gym, then he has proven he is a better coach than Paul Hewitt. I thought that Mark Fox looked the part on the sidelines, that he handled himself and the players very well, and I think he projected an image that the boys of this state can appreciate.
Coach Richt and Mark Fox suffer from losing the players in this state to every other school. I think Mark Fox can make inroads in this area. If he can he will win. If not, it will be said because he is not a Southern Boy. If you built him a gym, it would help.
Dzerzhinsky
March 14th, 2010
6:42 am
The lesson for this year is that Fox got as much as he could out of what he had. Coach Overpaid, on the other hand,…Well, you can fill out the rest.
Middle Tech Zone
March 14th, 2010
12:07 pm
If Fox ever gets UGA to the NCAAs, he’ll be hired away by a school that emphasizes basketball. GA is a redneck football school (and not even very good at that)! Tech—onto the NCAAs—sweet 16 coming–mark it down!
Frank Wren
March 14th, 2010
5:19 pm
If Fox ever gets UGA to the NCAAs, he’ll be hired away by a school that emphasizes basketball.
They better get out thier checkbooks if they do want him.
Tech—onto the NCAAs—sweet 16 coming–mark it down!
More like one and done. And because they made the ACC finals they are stuck with Hewitt even longer. LOL
Hoops Dawg
March 15th, 2010
12:17 pm
Perhaps the major sign that UGA is headed in the right direction (at least in the minds of AJC readers) is the dramatic increase in the length of BB blogs this year. Drop out the Tech critics (most of whom aptly illustrate how ignorant they are about the game of basketball) and the tone is optimistic. CMF’s tenure is truly a work in progress. This team should be 5+ wins better next year, even if no new recruits come in, simply because of the addition of Robinson and the continuing improvement of the existing roster. I’d really like to see the addition of a seasoned (stud JUCO) forward and a couple more really good freshman, but I am optimistic even if we get nobody who is extremely notable next year because MF can coach.
d1reality
March 15th, 2010
8:30 pm
“Fox did a great job with the team this year. The team improved as the season went on and played hard for him during the season. The BB program is headed in the right direction. If Coach Fox can establish a pipeline into the abundance of basketball talent in the metro Atlanta area, UGA basketball can become a force in the SEC and nationally.”
Lost 4 of the last 6 games. 11 of the last 16. Not sure about this dream.
atlfan
March 15th, 2010
11:43 pm
2011 UGA projected record 6-10 conf play; oh yeah exceeding expectation again… on pace for 2016 winning season. how about football? exceeding expectation too? Tech fans are not basking in victories by any means, but the Jackets deserve a more balanced coverage in the Atl media. Even when Tech is in the Dance and Orange bowl, ridiculous amt of coverage still give to totally under achieved Dogs…
atlfan
March 15th, 2010
11:51 pm
I don’t think Tech fans are basking in victories by any means, but in the season where Tech is in the Tourney and Orange Bowl where Dogs are a totally under achieved team, Dogs still getting ridiculous amt of coverage in the atl media. how is Atl going to a big sports town if you continue to unduly celebrate under achievers… Really an embrassment for the state and city.
Phone Check Homey
March 17th, 2010
10:50 am
73-66 (talk about under achieving)
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Oh Yeah
30-24 douche nozzles
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