Kipp Adams of UGASports.com reports that coaches Mark Fox and Kwanza Johnson were in Homestead, Florida on Easter Sunday to work out and recruit Vincent Williams a 6'1" high school point guard (premium article).
Williams averaged 26.5 points and six assists per game last year. He apparently fell through the cracks of the recruiting system. Initally, his SAT scores needed enough work that he anticipated going to prep school for a year; however, he made his qualifing score a week or two ago. His recruitment has since exploded.
Prior to qualifying, his only hard offers appear to have been UAB and St. Louis; however, other reports suggest that Kentucky, Oklahoma, NC State, Missouri and others made contact with him once he qualified. Kipp's article talks about the incredibly positive impression Fox and Johnson made on the young man and his high school coach.
Oh...and UGA now leads in his recruitment. He's working to schedule a visit to Athens as quickly as possible.
When you go from completely off the radar to in first place after a four hour conversation with a kid, his dad and his coach, that's impressive. Especially when he has started getting calls from Oklahoma.
Georgia is desperately in need of guard help. I see this kid being similar to Levi Stukes. Not in terms of style of play, but in terms of how he would fit into the program. Stukes qualified at the last minute, and he choose to play for Coach Felton during the transition year after Harrick's departure. Stukes came in and averaged 9.5 points and 30 minutes a game while landing Freshman All-SEC honors. If that's what we're getting here, I'd be thrilled.
This isn't a cure all, but it's directionally correct. Mostly, Kipp's article is a love letter to Coach Fox's recruiting. It's the most positive UGA hoops recruiting article I've read in a long time.
See Also:
-- Other kids that may be on the radar - DawgFiles
PWD
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33 comments:
You know, it could be easy to be dismissive of this kid's offers from UAB and SLU...until you take time to consider who coaches those teams. I'm no fan of Mike Davis at UAB, but the fact is the dude's coached at one of the shrines of the game, and has been exposed to and signed some MAJOR talent there. At SLU you've got another one-time NCAA finals coach in Rick Majerus. If there's any luck for us, he looks at this kid and sees another Andre Miller. If only...
Hey, regarding that 3rd assistant, why hasn't Slonaker's name entered into the conversation? Granted those development office jobs can pay pretty well if you're bringing in the donors, but if he's got the itch to return to the bench, you'd have to think he'd make a whole lot of sense for that 3rd spot.
I am sure Bobby Knight could have moved Georgia to the top of his list too.
{Please don't slip on the dripping sarcasm}
nice to see that this site hasn't gone premium for its basketball info.
RC, good point on the UAB and STL offers. However, I get the impression that those were the only solid offers because of the kids SAT scores.
We'll lead for sure after he sees our dump of a practice facility.
Nice Anon 10:34. Another post by someone who has no clue. One of the top facilities in the nation.
One of best practice facilities in the country. Kid will be blown away after a visit. I had a tour last week and was completely impressed.
The idiots on here are easy to spot. Or should I call them Techies?
From Anonymous 10:34: After all of the comments on here regarding Stegeman's needed reservations, apparently the only idiots are the ones who can't recognize sarcasm.
Everybody love everybody!
He only has an offer from St. Louis, i just hope this isnt another Troy Brewer situation. Its better to save the ship than waste it on a kid like troy.
Here's a link to a blog item in the Raleigh newspaper concering NC State's showing "some interest" in Williams, with an assistant coach set to visit on April 22. The article notes Georgia is moving fast in his recruitment.
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/prepsnow/pack-shows-interest-in-senior-point-guard
Also, here is a link to an NC State basketball site with an anonymous evaluation (fwiw) of his game. I say lets try and sign him.
http://wolfpackhoops.blogspot.com/2009/04/who-is-vincent-williams.html
he'll definately go with st. louie after he sees our dump of an arena. and bring it on folks, it truly is a p.o.s.
i just wish others would put down the kool aid and agree. sometimes the arrogance of our athletic dept. and the lemmings who follow astound me.
RE: Troy Brewer.
This is NOTHING like that.
Troy Brewer didn't start for his HS until his Senior Year. Dennis Felton said that was because he was backing up Kevin Durant. Never mind that there's very little similarity in body structure or games between the two and there are 4 other starting positions in HS.
Brewer averaged 15 points a game in High School. That's it. Felton called him a "shooter" and a "scorer." Shooters in HS don't average 15 points a game.
They average 25+.
Brewer wasn't a hidden gem. He was on one of the most well known and famous B-ball Programs in the State of Maryland. He also was on Durant's team, and EVERYONE saw Durant play for 3 years.
And everyone except Felton and American University walked away without offering a scholarship.
This is nothing like that situation.
Brewer was a walk-on who UGA offered a scholarship to because Felton had no logical approach to recruiting. He basically went 500 miles out of his way to give a 'ship to a walkon.
And that's why 2 walkons played ahead of Brewer.
Nice kid, But he didn't have the game.
We don't need the kid to be Michael Jordan. We just need a kid that can average 10+ points a game for 3 of his 4 years, show improvement and be coachable.
If we could get a kid like that at THIS point in the recruiting season, it would be a home run. Given the situation.
PWD
Are we recruiting a JUCO SG to pair with a late signee at PG?
I am nervous about how his SAT scores suddenly became eligible if they needed that much work.
PS. Any notion on what his grades are? Not that grades can be counted on for much in this day of grade inflation.
Should we be concerned that rivals doesn't have him ranked?
Scout has him as a two star, which thrills me considering the timing and the situation.
http://georgia.scout.com/a.z?s=135&p=8&c=1&nid=4193429
i really hope we can get this kid
Those smaller offers are offers 90% of our team wouldn't get
He is a talent upgrade for us and a step in the right direction
Fox will need to be given 3-4 years and I am not sure a lot of fans will give him that
JUST LIKE FOOTBALL
JUST LIKE BASKETBALL
JUST LIKE GOLF
It must get tiresome losing to Tech in EVERYTHING these days.
At least you can hang your hat on a 16th tier point guard recruit!!! NIT here you come!!!
THWG
why does everybody worry about what a kid is ranked. If he can play, he can play. It doesn't really matter what a service has him ranked. Those are rankings are only good to determine who has to assumed best recruiting class. I always use this: Brandon Miller was a 5-star that didn't accumulate to much, while players like pollack and greene were 3 and 4 star guys who just played the game. Also Rashad Wright wasn't a 5 star guy, but left UGA as one of the best PGs we have had in a long time
Brandon Miller was also a 5 star DE that we converted to linebacker. There were many reasons mainly depth at the position that the cconversion to the SAM line backer would get him more playing time. I wonder what would have happened in his career if he would have stayed at DE. Could you imagine having pollack, moses, johnson, howard, and miller at the end. Wow....
anon 1105
We're not too worked up over losing to Ga Tech U in a mid season, mid week game.
Meet us in the postseason and we'll beat Tech like we usually do.
Yeah, I figured you'd hang your hat on the last time you beat Tech in anything important. That was almost a YEAR ago.
And lol at the bull-puppies comparing football recruits to basketball. You will understand basketball one day - don't give up!!!!
Techie Anon 8:26.....Before this ast year....when was the last time Tech Beat UGA in anything significant??? Your still Tech & your still mediocre at best!
"You will understand basketball one day - don't give up!!!!"
Oh yes, mighty Trade School...ye of the 12-19 overall and 2-14 conference record...teach us about basketball.
For a school that makes a big deal about how smart it is, you guys sure make dumbass decisions. At least we were smart enough to get rid of OUR trainwreck of a coach.
I mean if my baseball team was shutout in the biggest game of the season last year by a pitcher who had a blood clot in his pitching arm a year before, then shat themselves in the even bigger elimination game, I'd hang my hat on a single midweek baseball win too. Perno has shown: the midweek tech games are meaningless. Ask the tech players from '08, '04, or '01 whether they would rather win in the regular season or the postseason and tell me what they say.
Red and Black columnist points out the staff has yet to contact highly rated point guard Trae Golden who plays for the AAU Atlanta Celtics and also highly rated power forward Jalen Kendrick of Westlake High School.
http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2009/04/15/Sports/Fox-Needs.To.Contact.Top.Recruits-3710008.shtml
Anyone have any thoughts as to why?
Yeah, U and D.....
I have a few thoughts.
One is staffing and priorities. While I admit, at least a letter would be nice, Fox has to get players to play next year, thus the visit to and interest in Williams.
At the same time, Fox is going thru the process of hiring another assistant...yet more time taken up.
Also, last week was spring break for a lot of the local school districts. So what? you say. Well, a lot of the secretaries, etc. planned vacations around the break and the Easter holiday. Fox doesn't seem the type to come in and pull a Lane "you work 22 hours a day, or I will claim to fire you when I really can't" Kiffen.
Also, the writer talks to the kids, but doesn't mention talking to coaches. You would not believe the amount of screening, schmoozing, and courtesy that goes on with the coaches before our coaches ever get personally involved with the kids.
I would not worry. Yet.
Thanks for your thoughts, dawgnotdawg. I also wonder if the delay is due to the protocol of talking to their coaches first and the immediate need to shore up this year's class.
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