Ten@10: Lindsay Scott weighs in on ‘Valdosta boys,’ A.J. Green, NFL lockout

THE TEN AT 10:

1. OK, you asked for it, so now you’ve got it. The “Ten@10″ has been resurrected here on The UGA Blog. I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a regular feature or, if so, when or how often it might run. But there’s a lot of stuff going on at Georgia right now, so it seemed a good time to blow off the dust and break it back out here. Let’s see how it goes. . . .

Lindsay Scott

2. I got to spend a little time with Georgia football legend Lindsay Scott over at the UGA Golf Course on Monday.  The star receiver from the Bulldogs’ 1980 national championship team was looking fit and in great spirits before teeing off in the “Celebrity Am” for the Stadion Classic tournament.

Scott has lived and worked in Valdosta pretty much ever since retiring from pro football. So, like anybody else living in “Winnersville,” he has kept up with high school football. So I asked him what he thought about the two players Georgia signed from down there, Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome.

“I’m excited about those two kids,” Scott said. “I think they’re special kids. I think they’re talented kids. I think they’re kids that do the right things. They’re academically sound and have good discipline. But the thing that really excites me about it is they really wanted to come to the University of Georgia. People around the state need to know these kids wanted to come to Georgia and they’re excited about becoming Bulldogs.”

Scott said he has more than casual knowledge about both players. He has been friends with Jay’s father, Stan Rome, ever since high school. Stan Rome is considered the best wide receiver to come out of South Georgia, all due respect to Scott and others.

“If you’re a receiver in Georgia, and you don’t know Stan Rome, something’s wrong,” Scott said. “Stan’s the guy that set the standard for high school receivers. When I came along, we were all chasing his records and his marks. So I’ve known him a long time. So I’ve known Jay all his life.”

So does he think Rome and/or Mitchell can make an impact at Georgia as freshmen?

“The athletic ability is there, the know-how is there, the desire is there,” Scott said. “It’s just a matter of getting there and putting it all together. I’ve seen them play a lot. Malcolm, as a receiver he’s a guy that can make plays. He can make plays on both sides of the ball really. But I’d love to see him as a receiver because he’s a guy who can go get it. And Jay’s just a big receiver. Big, physical, athletic. That kid can do things we could only dream about doing at his size. I’m excited about seeing what they can do.”

3. I also asked Scott for his impressions of A.J. Green, who was also playing in the celebrity tournament on Monday. A lot of people have probably forgotten that Scott was also a first-round draft pick. He went to the New Orleans Saints with the 13th selection in 1982. And like this year, the NFL had a labor-management disagreement that season.

“If you can remember, we went on strike for seven games,” Scott said. “So I’ve been through that. If I had to tell A.J. anything, and I probably will, it’s to keep his focus through all the garbage.  And that’s what I call it, garbage. The guys that can keep their focus through all that are the ones that are going to be OK. Stay focused on what you’re supposed to do and everything is going to work out.”

Scott added, “I think they’re going to play football this year.”

As for Green’s abilities, Scott believes he’ll be an NFL star.

“A.J.’s got all the tools and he’s got all the ability in the world,” he said. “He’s got good size and great hands and he works hard. I know he’s going to be OK. I think he’ll do great.”

4. You can’t bring up Lindsay Scott without also mentioning Buck Belue, can you? The former quarterback, who connected with Scott on the the single-most famous pass play in UGA history, is also very opinionated when it comes to his Dogs. He’s a sports radio talk show at Atlanta’s 680 The Fan and writes a blog on his own webpage. From Belue’s latest blog entry we find out that he believes Georgia may actually be better off with Cordy Glenn starting at left tackle and thinks the rising senior from Riverdale has a chance to be a high NFL draft pick.

5. Uh-oh, the Broncos are in trouble! Well, at least they seem to think they will be. So certain of it is Boise State that it self-imposed some pretty hefty sanctions on the football program (as well as other sports). According to our old friend Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman (who used to work for the Macon Telegraph many moons ago), the Broncos docked themselves three football scholarships over the next two seasons. But probably of more interest to Georgia fans is they will allow cut by three their preseason practices before their Sept. 3 season opener against the Bulldogs in the Georgia Dome. FBS teams are allowed 29 preseason, on-field practices by NCAA rule.

The self-imposed football sanctions are the result of 39-page NCAA notice of allegations Boise State received that also accused the men’s and women’s tennis teams and men’s and women’s track and field of committing violations. The school goes before the NCAA Infractions Committee on June 10, according to the Statesman. Stay tuned.

6. John Cannon, who committed to Georgia last week, officially became the men’s basketball team’s fifth signee when he faxed over his signed letter-of-intent this past Monday. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound center from Burnsville, N.C., averaged 21.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.5 blocks as a at Mountain Heritage High School this past season. He is the 47th ranked center in the the country according to ESPN.com, a three-star prospect per Rivals.com and two-star per Scout.com. Northwestern was his other finalist and he also considered a preferred walk-on opportunity at North Carolina. He carries a 4.3 GPA.

“We’re very excited to have John Cannon joining the Bulldog family,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said.  “John has good size and good skills for a young big man.  He understands the game extremely well and is an outstanding student.  We believe that he has a very bright future ahead of him.  I look forward to John’s arrival on campus in the very near future.”

7. Speaking of basketball recruiting, there’s a chance the Bulldogs could sign one more player in the 2011 class. At least two Atlanta players are in consideration for Georgia’s final scholarship. Ryan Harrow, a guard from Marietta who started at N.C. State as a freshman last season, is considering a transfer offer from the Bulldogs. Harrow revealed on Twitter this week he intends to visit Georgia along with Kentucky, Louisville, St. John’s and Texas. Wherever he goes, he will have to sit out a season per NCAA transfer rules.

UGA is also being looked at by Rockdale County guard Kevin Ware. Ware, a 6-4 guard and 2011 prospect, originally signed with Tennessee but was released from his LOI after Bruce Pearl was dismissed. Ware committed to UCF briefly but backed off last week about the time the Knights’ relationship with an alleged Chicago street agent came into question. Ware told the AJC’s Michael Carvell that Georgia and Louisville are his frontrunners. But you can bet the Bulldogs will tread lightly here.

One other transfer Georgia may have briefly considered has landed elsewhere. Ari Stewart, a 6-7 wing out of Wheeler, has decided to go west and transfer to USC from Wake Forest. . . .

Michael Palazzone

8. Not surprisingly, Georgia’s Michael Palazzone was named Pitcher of the Week by the Southeastern Conference this week. The 6-2, 197-pound junior out of Mariettatossed eight shutout innings en route to a 3-0 win over No. 14 Arkansas last Saturday. It marked his fifth victory over a ranked opponent this season as he the right-hander improved to 8-1 record and 2.14 ERA in 11 starts. He is a perfect 6-0 with a 1.74 ERA in the SEC this season. According to UGA’s Christopher Lakos, he’s also an Academic All-American candidate. The Bulldogs (24-21, 13-8 SEC) are at Auburn this weekend.

9. Georgia has added a pair of pitchers to its baseball recruiting class. Benjamin Ancheff, a 6-2, 185-pound right-hander from Williamstown, Penn., and Jesse Scott, a 6-1, 180-pound right-hander from Bonaire, signed a national letters-of-intent this week.

Ancheff is a three-sport star at Williams Valley High, earning All-America honors in wrestling and All-State honors in football. In baseball he was an All-League pitcher/catcher as a junior, going 9-0 with a 0.76 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched. He also batted .417.

Scott, a graduate of Warner Robins, is a sophomore at Middle Georgia College where he is currently 5-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts and  three complete games. He has 52 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 53.2 innings pitched. As a freshman, he went 5-2 with a 3.21 ERA.

10. THIS & THAT: The men’s and women’s tennis teams both earned NCAA tournament bids and will host regionals in Athens next week. . . . UGA will be hosting the SEC Track & Field Championships beginning Wednesday of next week. . . .  Khaalidah Miller, a rising sophomore from Atlanta, was one of 35 basketball players invited to try out for USA Basketball’s U19 National Team. Miller, a 5-9 guard, averaged 9.1 points last season and was named All-SEC Freshman.

By Chip Towers, UGA Blog