A coup for Mark Fox: Mr. Basketball Marcus picks Georgia
Marcus Thornton sets his cap. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Marcus Thornton was the No. 1 player in Georgia, but he’s not in the top 100 nationally. (Rivals has him No. 121.) He is, however, a major acquisition for Mark Fox and a Bulldog program that still has to prove it can recruit as well as it coaches.
Background: Thornton, of Westlake High, signed with Clemson last fall when most among us figured Fox’s Hounds would do well to go 10-20. He became the recruiting equivalent of a free agent when Oliver Purnell inexplicably bolted for DePaul, which is among the worst jobs in the country.
On his second go-round, Thornton considered Georgia Tech, Texas and Alabama before committing to Georgia on Wednesday. (Because he’d already signed one letter-of-intent, he technically cannot sign another. The rule: One signed letter per player, even if the recruit has been released from it.) And this is big news for Fox.
Georgia finished an honorable 14-17 in the season just completed, beating Tech, Illinois, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Florida en route. But that was accomplished with the players Fox inherited from Dennis Felton, and two of them — Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie — turned out to be quite good. It’s clear from one season that Fox can coach what talent he has. At issue was whether a guy who’d never before worked east of Manhattan, Kan., could attract talent.
Marcus Thornton was kind of an early acid test. Fox had no shot at him last fall because Fox hadn’t yet proved anything to us locals, but when the state’s Mr. Basketball becomes unaccountably available and you’re the state school … well, you pretty much have to get him, don’t you?
The playing field for Thornton, Take 2, wasn’t quite level. As tempting as it is to fault Paul Hewitt for not landing a power forward after losing two early to the NBA draft, the ACC has a funny rule about transfers within the conference. Thornton might well have to had to sit out next season had he enrolled at Tech. He told the ol’ AJC on Wednesday that possibility played no part in his choice, but how could it be ignored?
Besides, Hewitt has Kammeon Holsey, a freshman coming off an injury, to play power forward. And the biggest problem with Hewitt isn’t his recruiting, as we know. It’s what happens — or what doesn’t happen — when those recruits get to campus.
Put simply, Fox needed Thornton to prove that Fox could get a Thornton. And he did. And now you’d have to say Georgia has a chance to spike upward in a massively unsettled SEC East. Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida should be good. The Bulldogs could be, too.
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197 comments Add your comment
Beast from the East
May 19th, 2010
10:26 pm
Bradley, there’s a good topic for you tommorrow. Who did the better coaching job last year…..Hewitt or Fox? That would generate some hits betweens the pups and the bees.
AJC’s Mr. Basketball signs with UGA over Georgia Tech, others – Atlanta Journal Constitution | College in georgia
May 19th, 2010
10:26 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Bravesfan79
May 19th, 2010
10:27 pm
Gt is so above UGA in hoops that real basketball fans like myself dont even have to acknowledge the fools that talk trash. Congrats to UGA for landing this kid, UGA is my favorite team in the SEC and i hope they do well. But lets face it, he would of been a undersized power forward in the ACC and that is not what GT needs for the next 3 years (since thats all he would of been able to play had he gone to GT, which is probably why he chose UGA).
Note to Hewitt…. do all us real GT hoops fans a favor and hire a EXPERIENCED ex head coach as your new assistant!! When your outcoached by the likes of Oliver Purnell… theres a serious problem!
GT Bball Fan
May 19th, 2010
10:29 pm
He didn’t want to sit out a year while playing for the only legitimate DIV I college BBall program in the state. Pretty easy choice to not sit out a year (per ACC rules), when only gonna play 1 or 2 years anyway. I’m glad he stayed in state. He will help UGA get to .500 in conference, that’s it. Fox will upgrade to a real BBall school by the time Thorton declares for the NBA. Enjoy your 1 season at .500 and have another decade of uselessness.
Greg
May 19th, 2010
10:29 pm
not in the top 100 for a reason, at least some of those guys you’re bringing up are not in the same recruiting class. I know Julian Royal is a Class of 2011 kid. This guy is 2010.
Thornton was under the radar before this year and signed with Clemson. This is definitely reflected by his ranking. However, he outperformed people’s expectations of him this year by scoring 24 pts per game and being Mr. Basketball over some people who may have more talent than him.
This guy isn’t a one-and-done guy who will make Georgia a top team immediately by any stretch on his own, but he’s the type of guy they need to help build a program around. It’s a good pickup for the dawgs. We’ll all know more in the long run. Fox will ultimately be judged just as much on talent evaluation as he will be in recruiting as more time elapses.
Dawg 1
May 19th, 2010
10:32 pm
You got to love it… The same people who were confidently predicting that this kid was a ‘lock’ at Tech are now trashing the same kid.
It’s a nice pick up. He’s a good fit. Academics are important to the young man and his family. UGA will continue to improve.
We all need to remember that this isn’t a sprint; but it looks like it isn’t going to be a Marathon either.
Early returns on CMF – a very good hire..
Pete
May 19th, 2010
10:32 pm
Bravesfan79, Hewitt needs to worry about beating UGA, something he cannot do on a regular basis. Kinda sucks when the football school is just as good as Tech in basketball.
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:33 pm
Bradley, there’s a good topic for you tommorrow. Who did the better coaching job last year…..Hewitt or Fox? That would generate some hits betweens the pups and the bees.
I think Fox would win that debate. With Leslie and Thompkins plus this kid coming in one thing has changed at UGA.
Expectations.
E.Lo
May 19th, 2010
10:33 pm
Hey Vol Man we were goof enough to whup your azz one time last year!
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:34 pm
Are we really gonna have to put up with a Celtics Lakers Finals?
ESPN\ABC must be having an orgasm right now.
KJ
May 19th, 2010
10:36 pm
“If the kid cared about and EDUCATION”
And if you cared about “and” education, you’d go back to Chattahoochee Tech and get a degree that qualified you to do something in your middle age other than drunkenly troll UGA blogs.
Beast from the East
May 19th, 2010
10:37 pm
The SEC East is going to be a lot tougher than the previous 4-6 years. With Pearl @ UT, Calipari @ Uk, Fox now @ UGA the level of competition has really increased. Vandy’s always pretty tough and so are my Gators. It’ll be a tough task to win the East in the next few years!
really?
May 19th, 2010
10:37 pm
Acid test? Don’t you mean litmus test?
not in the top 100 for a reason
May 19th, 2010
10:39 pm
Greg- i’m fully aware that the milton trip is class of 2011, but the column opening sentence is that thornton is the #1 player in georgia, and i’m just stating at least 5 players that are more talented than him, whether its 2010 or 2011…using a 24 pt avg in high school is hardly an indicator of how good someone is…..westlake is not in a strong basketball region and there are plenty of players in high school that have averaged over 20 plus pts a game and do not have the talent that reflects that avg….thornton is a solid guy with some size but to expect him to be a savior or cornerstone just isnt realistic in my opinion…i’ve watched a lot of GA high school basketball over the past 5 years or so…hes nowhere near the level that favors or hickson or lawal or aminu were at…and this is not a slight at his character or grades, i know from these blogs before he is a good student, this is simply about on the court
HugoStiglitz
May 19th, 2010
10:40 pm
If there is a topic with Hewitts name in it, regardless of what the topic is, then I can already tell you how it will go. 5 to 10 supposed GT fans will post 200 times a piece about how much they hate Hewitt and how terrible of a coach he is. UGA fans might get a word in here and there but their enthusiasm is no match for the rabbid Hewitt haters.
.
May 19th, 2010
10:40 pm
HUGO-YOU GO, When hewitts gone it will stop, not until. hewitts a joke and if he is so good why does he need super asst coaches to get him by?
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:41 pm
All that maybe true but the bottom line is this.
Its alot better UGA got him than if they hadnt.
wiley
May 19th, 2010
10:41 pm
Wow I dont ever remember seeing this much excitement for a 3 star player. He’s a good player and congrats to UGA on getting him.
UK
May 19th, 2010
10:43 pm
you dawg fans are morons! One player does not make a great program. Your little basketball team is irrelevant and always will be.
Innocent Bystander
May 19th, 2010
10:43 pm
Not sure if it’s been said yet, but to say that he was the “recruiting equivalent of a free agent” is incorrect. Any ACC team (Tech included) that he wanted to attend would require him to sit out a year as if transferring. I believe it’s an ACC rule.
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:44 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQFISuAyyck
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:45 pm
you dawg fans are morons! One player does not make a great program. Your little basketball team is irrelevant and always will be.
Actually Leslie and Thompkins are pretty good too. Ask Cousins if Leslie is any good. Congrats on choking in the big dance. Again.
God it feels so good to be a Dawg
May 19th, 2010
10:47 pm
Pi$$onaDawg – We were below .500 and beat Tech. What does that say about Tech and the ACC? Not much other than UGA IS BETTER AT BASKETBALL THAN TECH!!!
BravesFan79 – If Tech is so much better than UGA, why did UGA win last year?
What the hell is wrong with Tech fans? I guess you lose so much to UGA you have to ignore reality.
Jackets!
May 19th, 2010
10:47 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6ojLiCFFn4…Shane that’s a SG. I haven’t seen anything on Thornton that shows incredible talent. Got anything that remotely resembles this kind of domination….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO4hLIP6-ic
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:48 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I0sO0rXG5Q&feature=related
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:50 pm
Got anything that remotely resembles this kind of domination….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO4hLIP6-ic
Yup LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBKyoSBEAnQ
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:52 pm
Tech cant beat UGA when they dont have any talent
What are they gonna do when UGA does have some?
Bulldog
May 19th, 2010
10:52 pm
Sweet! Welcome, Marcus! And well, done…The Fantastic Coach Fox!
That’s right. You heard it here, first! THE FANTASTIC COACH FOX!!!
Bring it.
Roald Dahl would be most proud!
Go effin’ Dawgs!!!!
HugoStiglitz
May 19th, 2010
10:53 pm
UGA fans really need to drop this fantasy they have that winning one game means the team who won is a better team. Bad teams beat good teams all the time. Especially in basketball where one or two guys can have a hot day and win the game by themselves. When GT beat Duke the next game I didnt see GT fans talking about how much better then Duke we were.
IL Jacket
May 19th, 2010
10:53 pm
Sorry it didn’t work out with Tech, Marcus, but best
wishes for a successful career at Georgia.
Jackets!
May 19th, 2010
10:56 pm
How many five star players has UGA landed in the last 4 years? UGA is still recruiting 3 star players….and they really dont have that much talent. You have no McDonald’s All Americans…find one college team that has been great with out at least one. You have two good players…not great. Fox’s offense doesnt really need incredible talent though…and honestly recruiting not one and dones is something I wish Hewitt would try.
Shane
May 19th, 2010
10:57 pm
How many five star players has UGA landed in the last 4 years? UGA is still recruiting 3 star players….and they really dont have that much talent.
And yet we still wear Tech out. Why is that?
T_height
May 19th, 2010
11:00 pm
Who cares about where he ranked nationally. he must be pretty good if Kentucky, Texas, GT, and now even clemson. If kentucky wanted him, thats should say enough. i heard Florida wanted him also.
Jackets!
May 19th, 2010
11:01 pm
Actually you win every other year. Tech has never won at Stegman and UGA has only won at AMC once since the teams stopped playing at the OMNI. In 2004 you won but you honestly cant argue that UGA had a better team that year? We played for the National Championship. Tech may lose to UGA but we are a program that frequently appears as an at large bid in the NCAA tourney…Georgia only wishes they could do that.
HugoStiglitz
May 19th, 2010
11:01 pm
UGA fans really need to drop this fantasy notion they have that winning one game means the team who won is a better team. Bad teams beat good teams all the time. Especially in basketball where one or two guys can have a hot day and win the game by themselves. When GT beat Duke the next game I didnt see GT fans talking about how much better then Duke we were.
KJ
May 19th, 2010
11:02 pm
“Your little basketball team is irrelevant and always will be.”
And your entire state is irrelevant and always will be. But at least you have basketball!
eddy
May 19th, 2010
11:05 pm
Uga fans crack me up. Get a player not even in the top 100 only because of the acc rule and now they are gonna be national champs? Good player yes, but hardly gonna make uga a national contender. I would concentrate on having a winning record first and making ANY tournament would be a good start for the uga program. You can’t even compare the two basketball programs because uga basketball is IRRELEVANT!!
Shane
May 19th, 2010
11:05 pm
Tech may lose to UGA but we are a program that frequently appears as an at large bid in the NCAA tourney
Exactly my point. When UGA gets some talent thats gonna flip around. Fox could outcoach Hewitt blindfolded
Greg
May 19th, 2010
11:08 pm
not in the top 100 for a reason, ok, i see what you’re saying. Overall talent level, regardless of class, you’re probably about right to say he’s the sixth best or so.
And you’re also right that getting this one guy doesn’t turn things around by itself. It does give Fox a little momentum, though, as he’s trying to go after these Milton guys and a 2011 class in the state of Georgia that appears to be a lot deeper than the 2010 class was.
Thornton could improve Georgia in the short term, but the other big concern Fox is Georgia in 2011 when he probably won’t have Thompkins and Leslie. If Fox has an impressive year while he has that talent on board, he could wow some of these rising high school seniors. He’s going to need to and hopefully pick up a couple more Thorntons and even higher rated guys for this next class.
I think Thornton is a big recruit because it could a point to look back to and say that is where Fox got the ball rolling. Because Fox can’t stop there if he wants Georgia to consistently compete with UF, Tenn., Vandy and Kentucky.
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May 19th, 2010
11:13 pm
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jarvis
May 19th, 2010
11:15 pm
Jeez….what did DePaul ever do to you?
Jackets!
May 19th, 2010
11:16 pm
I dont know if it will ever flip. We are in the ACC….talent will always come our way. Both teams should expect to make the tourney most years. Heck there’s enough talent in Georgia for several D1 schools to have successful programs. We lose to many kids to Duke, UNC, and other big time programs.
Brian F.
May 19th, 2010
11:32 pm
Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!
Hoops Dawg
May 19th, 2010
11:33 pm
To those who say that Fox isn’t in the run for the top players, Scout.com reports CMF has offered two 5-star and four 4-star players in the class of 2011. Two of them are off the the Milton High state champs and only one of the 6 players seems to be taking Georgia’s interest lightly. Land one of the shooting guards and another power forward and the cupboard will be well stocked should Trey and Travis leave after their junior year.
Wreckmaniac
May 19th, 2010
11:34 pm
Maybe this kid wants a degree which is not allowed at Tech. Hewitt signs his kids to one and done contracts. Graduate in one year or forget it. Either way you’re out.
.
May 19th, 2010
11:41 pm
KUDOS EVERYONE YALL ARE REAL COOL
reddjonn68
May 19th, 2010
11:42 pm
You guys kill me with this GT vs UGA junk Ga is a hotbed recruiting state! Get over it. Fact of the matter is we ain’t won no trophy on either side since the late 80s & early 90s, so wake up. Neither team in GA gonna win anything until they get their own natural resources.
reddjonn68
May 19th, 2010
11:59 pm
Daniel Orton is a “lottery pick” according to the “experts” ! So after a year like Thompkins & decent coaching what is he? Calipari had “4″, count them 4, lottery picks but could not get a championship. He is the most overrated coach of all time, & Daniel Orton will be another “bust”
Milton dad
May 20th, 2010
12:05 am
If Fox wants to recruit GA ballers, he can simply show up at every Milton game and talk Scott out of Ohio State, dai jon and Royal out of everywhere and Nolte out of Duke. If he can do that he can really recruit – and save gas.
SD Dawg
May 20th, 2010
12:06 am
So what is it Tech fans. Is he not really that good or “one and done”? Seems to me that it would be hard to be both. I’ll settle for really good and two years. Just glad a decent player came our way for once. We should make at least one tournament next year.