Bulldogs’ next coach probably ‘Dancing’
So you think just because you’re a Georgia fan you have no interest at all in the NCAA Basketball Tournament? Think again!
The fact is, this tournament has everything to do with the Bulldogs. It’s their stated goal to land an established, experienced coach who has had NCAA tournament success. What better place to find one than in the Big Dance?
There are several coaches scattered throughout the bracket who, whether they realize it or not, are on Georgia’s radar screen for its vacant men’s basketball job. And in a “Bowfinger” kind of way (obscure reference to an obscure Steve Martin movie) they’re being screened for that position. Georgia AD Damon Evans is going to be watching their games with the utmost interest and scrutiny. Same goes for Alabama’s Mal Moore and the ADs at Virginia and Arizona and wherever else there may be or may soon be a head coaching opening.
As for Georgia, there are at least eight opening-round games to which all Bulldogs should pay close attention. If things break just right, a couple of these guys could end up going head-to-head in subsequent rounds. Consider this your Bulldog Programing Guide for the tournament:
Clemson's Oliver Purnell. (AJC files)
Oklahoma's Jeff Capel. (AJC files)
SOUTH REGIONAL — Here you can get a look at Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel (2 seed, 27-5), Clemson’s Oliver Purnell (7 seed, 23-8) and Butler’s Brad Stevens (9 seed, 26-5). Both Purnell and Capel are in Kansas City and, if the seedings hold true Thursday, they should meet in the second round on Saturday. Stevens, one of the youngest and brightest coaches in America, matches wits with LSU’s Trent Johnson in Greensboro, N.C. If he wins that battle he’ll get to take on Roy Williams’ top-seeded Tar Heels.
EAST REGIONAL — Cast your eyes up toward Philadelphia and you’re liable to get a glimpse of VCU’s Anthony Grant. His 11th-seeded Rams (24-9) draw sixth-seeded (and quite beatable) UCLA (6 seed, 25-8) on Thursday. Further down the bracket (and the coast) in Greensboro Minnesota’s Tubby Smith (10 seed, 22-10) will be doing battle with Texas. He’s not going to come to Georgia but every Bulldog I know still loves Tubby and likes to think he might.
MIDWEST REGIONAL — Though they’re in the same bracket they couldn’t be any farther apart geographically. Wake Forest’s Dino Gaudio (4 seed, 24-6) opens in Miami against Cleveland State (13 seed, 25-10) while Dayton’s Brian Gregory (11 seed, 26-7) gets West Virginia (6 seed, 23-11) in Minneapolis. All it would take is three wins each and they face off in the regional finals in Indianapolis.
WEST REGIONAL — Way up in Boise, Idaho, you’ll Missouri’s Mike Anderson (3 seed, 28-6), whose reputation has been growing with every passing season. His Tigers take on Cornell (14, 21-9).
And who knows? There may be other potential candidates that are either on the periphery of Georgia’s search or possibly just out of reach. Know that Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (5 seed in East) probably wouldn’t mind hearing from the Bulldogs and that the Bulldogs probably would love to hear from the agent of somebody Pitt’s Jamie Dixon (1 seed East).
So there, doesn’t that make the field a little more compelling from a Bulldogs point of view?
Some links:
Another school has entered the competition for coaches. Virginia fired Dave Leitao. Already pundits are saying Capel and/or Grant could be targets. . . .
The Macon Telegraph’s David Hale breaks down Georgia’s spring football practice with a Top 10 list of players with the most to prove. . . .
Here’s a national rundown of spring football practice scenarios by CBSsports.com’s Dennis Dodd.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
79 comments Add your comment
bushwacker
March 17th, 2009
5:13 pm
It’s so obvious and this guy would bring energy and talent to the GEORGIA program, remember he came out of no where and competed with UNC and DUKE, hire Bobby Cremins!!!
bushwacker
March 17th, 2009
5:14 pm
Hubie Brown, real teacher of the game!
Erin
March 17th, 2009
5:14 pm
PLEASE take Charlton away from GT. I can’t stand him. Maybe Hewitt would follow???
bushwacker
March 17th, 2009
5:20 pm
Bring back the TUB or Hugh Durham
bushwacker
March 17th, 2009
5:22 pm
How about Charles Barkley, I bet TNT does not bring him back so he’ll be lokking for work.
bushwacker
March 17th, 2009
5:23 pm
TREE ROLLINS!!!!
UGA dummy
March 17th, 2009
5:33 pm
Lets get Harrick back–he fits our academics perfect. He might even take a recruit to the library and show them a book.
Tech-man
March 17th, 2009
5:34 pm
Please !!! go get Hewitt
Just Wondering
March 17th, 2009
5:35 pm
Charlton Young??? You have got to be kidding! Yeah, let’s hire
a low level assisstant at a losing program who played his college
ball at the national power that is Georgia Southern. Keep smoking crack
pal. Yep, all weekend, whether it was ESPN, CBS or Raycom, the one name everyone kept mentioning for coaching vacancies was Charlton Young… ROFLMAO. I think Charlton Youjng would be perfect… for Georgia Southern. Or Northern Michigan. Or Western Iowa. Or Southern Colorado Tech.
Of course the AJC being the AJC (read racist), they put your comment on the front page as a link to this story. Gee, and they wonder why no one buys their paper anymore. And the hits just keep on coming!!!
Glen
March 17th, 2009
5:41 pm
Charlton Young is one of the top recruiters in the country, any big event you see him there. All the kids know him and respect him nationally. He is a tireless worker and has so many connections. Charlton is one of the top young assistants in the country, his time will come soon. He would not be caught dead at UGA though. He will be at GT for one more year then accept a head job elsewhere.
Cuz
March 17th, 2009
6:22 pm
Get Obama’s brother in law. Then we can get the federal government to put some earmarks in the next stimulus to build that 30,000 seat arena that the smart fans say we need.
Jimmy
March 17th, 2009
7:42 pm
Uhhh, Cuz. If Evan’s hires the first brotehr in law, we’d have way too many pansy liberals visiting the University. Do you really want that?
jack
March 17th, 2009
9:04 pm
uh, can anyone tell me why any coach with a future would want to come to Georgia?
Fools Gold
March 17th, 2009
9:28 pm
HA HA HA HA ……. Well Well Looks like ole Bama did it to the UGA baseball team just as they did it to the overrated football football team. A complete A$$ whuppin on Saturday. Hey Mr. Perno can you embrace OVERRATED ? The whole UGA Sports program is FOOLS GOLD!!!! Whats the good word? OVERRATED and TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!
darryl allen
March 17th, 2009
10:11 pm
I think Ga should go after Al Skinner at Boston College. He is underrated as a coach, but every year, he beats UNC and Duke. You might get him cheap if the AD at BC thinks he talking to someone else.
KJ
March 17th, 2009
10:48 pm
So Chip, now that the blog software is able to ban people, when exactly do you plan on ditching the pathetic life losers like Fools Gold, Ramble On, et al?
Georgias A. Dog
March 17th, 2009
11:13 pm
If you can’t get Mizzou’s Anderson then its not a bad idea — as one poster practically suggested — to go for a up-and-coming assistant at a top program. Preferably one that goes deep in the tournament. I would agree with another poster about Gregg Marshall formerly at Winthrop and now has turned things around in just two seasons at Wichita State. He tripled his salary going from Winthrop to Wichita where he makes $750k. He would love to take that next step up…get a bump to say $1.1-1.3 million (cheaper than a power conference current head coach from somewhere else) and he’d be in the South where he’s from and the SEC, a credible league. I predict he’d be the next Donovan. His playing style and scheme is unique, innovative and has proven successful.
Gregg Marshall would be a great get!!! He’d stay at UGA and build it. They’d win quickly and get top kids! Deep runs in the tournament probable. The guy is REALLY good.
Tom
March 17th, 2009
11:56 pm
Yeah, Wondering………hire a guy who played at Ga Southern? What are they thinking? Next, they’ll say hire the Pistons’ HC, Michael Curry (who also played at Ga Southern).
Dumba$$.
GTthrashfan
March 18th, 2009
6:52 am
Chip I just don’t get this article. Most of the coaches you name are pipe dreams on a good day so this doesn’t help out any UGA fans.
Clemson finally seems enthusiastic about basketball, so scratch off Purnell. Gaudio leaving Wake after Skip Prosser his longtime mentor and friend died there? Yeah right. And those who have been commenting about Cremmins need to remember he took over a program after his friend died too, try again. Dixon is just downright insanity and shame on you trying to be a credible journalist.
While snagging a coach from FSU is a possibility, VCU seems like a more realistic option. UGA needs to look at Arkansas and their turnaround with Pelphrey. He got South Alabama competitive and into the tournament, and that’s the kind of coach to turn a program around. Admittedly GT snagging Hewitt from Siena is a mixed bag right now, but it’s still the right way to do things.
Chip, try a part 2 to this article with actual coaching possibilities.
Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
7:40 am
Chip : All the other ajc column/blogs have a picture up of the face behind the written word. This morning when I pulled up yours, I noticed you look a lot like Bill Curry…
ACC Football=SEC Basketball
March 18th, 2009
7:48 am
Fort Worth Dawg: Tubby’s got 3 sons. Saul is an assistant at Minnesota. I don’t know what GG is doing. The youngest, Brian, played at Ole Miss. Regarding Cameron Dollar, wasn’t he an assistant under Harrick at UGA who left before the trouble happened?
georgiadogoginohio
March 18th, 2009
12:16 pm
to IDIOT FOOLS GOLD
ok you guys had a great season
but what did you do against UTAH. you stank it up. thanks for representing the sec. losing to non BCS school.
JJ the Jet Plane
March 20th, 2009
12:29 pm
Listen, those who like and care about basketball are insignificant compared to football fans. Basketball is but a FILLER until football starts again. Why get “wrapped around the axel” about a basketball coach for UGA? Nobody gives a S H ! T…..Georgia doesn’t have a basketball tradition so why start now?Basketball S U X.
Steve
March 22nd, 2009
8:44 pm
Should go for Grant in fact disappointing he isn,t in Athens now
Steve
March 22nd, 2009
8:48 pm
Football fans only believe a good basketball program makes a difference it puts your school in the new all year and gives recruits excitement when they visit.. most like to watch other sports when they are out of season and Atens is dead then while Florida is not
Darryl
March 22nd, 2009
10:56 pm
Mike Jones (UAB) graeat recruiter and know the south. He has had success at IU and UAB. Remember this name!!!. Bring in Pat Hamilton as assistant coach.
Darryl
March 22nd, 2009
10:59 pm
Sorry!!!MIKE DAVIS
Tucker
March 30th, 2009
10:26 pm
Hire Blaine Taylor currently at Old Dominion. Winner. Pipeline to European talent. Won’t break the bank.
GoBama
April 2nd, 2009
4:49 pm
Thanks for dragging your feet on hiring a new basketball coach. We got Anthony Grant and you’ve got… well, anybody yet?