The most rumored named out there is Philip Pearson. Pearson was a former Alabama player ('89-94) who spent 11 years as an assistant coach with the Crimson Tide. When Mark Gottfried was terminated earlier this season, Pearson served on an interim basis. From '02-'09 (as far back as Scout.com's database goes), Alabama signed the following kids from Georgia:
'09 Shawn Kemp - Canton
'08 Tony Mitchell - Swainsboro
'07 Senario Hillman - Irwinton
'06 Avery Jukes - Snellville
'05 Ray George - GA Based JUCO (Originally NC)
'03 Shawn Taylor - Vienna
'03 Jamareo Davidson - Stone Mountain
'02 Evan Brock - Marietta
'08 Tony Mitchell - Swainsboro
'07 Senario Hillman - Irwinton
'06 Avery Jukes - Snellville
'05 Ray George - GA Based JUCO (Originally NC)
'03 Shawn Taylor - Vienna
'03 Jamareo Davidson - Stone Mountain
'02 Evan Brock - Marietta
Six of those eight kids were listed as four stars according to Scout.com. As a point of reference, UGA only signed five kids rated four stars or higher (excluding Louis Williams) from Georgia during that time frame. And we live here.
It would be a solid hire.
The connection to Fox? One of Mark's former mentors is Tom Asbury. Fox worked for Asbury at Kansas State, and Asbury worked with Pearson for about four years as an assistant at Alabama. IF this is the direction they go...I like it.
I have a name for the other open position, but I'm less confident in putting it out there. If it's who I heard it might be, he's also a coach with SEC ties as a player who has coached in the region. I think that he's also been involved with some extremely high profile recruits. It would be another intriguing hire.
PWD
26 comments:
That would be a great hire. Am I understanding correctly that you have a source saying he HAS been hired?
No. If I had a source that said he was hired, I'd probably just go ahead and say that.
This is just a guy that I think it is a *very* top candidate.
I see. I just took the comment about not having "confirmation of the hire" to mean that there was a rumor that it had actually happened.
I toned down the language a bit. You raise a fair point.
Sorry, wasn't trying to nitpick, just one of the more eager fans following the regime change I guess.
Thank you for this coverage, PWD. I really appreciate and enjoy it.
Sounds like he could be a great hire. I like that 3 of the kids are metro and 3 are Georgia at-large. We know it's a great hill to climb to get in with the metro kids (and much depends on AAU) but Georgia should ALWAYS be able to clean up with kids from our various one-light towns. Harrick proved that local kids can make a competive product (and I don't belive nor was their any insunation at the time that our Georgia boys were on the take from "Jim Junyah").
So long as coach Fox doesn't plan to target kids with no offers (or offers solely from Michigan directionals) its an improvement. Our player personnel over the lat 5 years was so bizarre, I don't think it would've raised eyebrows if Felton announced Aaron Scranton was joining the squad.
Are we going after Walter McCarty of Louisville? Not too many former SEC players at schools recruiting at an elite level.
Should be some money left in the budget to pay assistants well.
Very well.
Why don't we go after an AAU coach? It would definitely be a pay raise and somebody that could really help recruit
This isn't funny, but I'm going to write it anyway. With all this talk of picking up assistants with ties to other schools, I'm compelled to wonder: Does Fox's father have a strong history in the NBA and, if so, could we hire him as an assistant?
i believe that his dad was a football and track coach at Garden City not a basketball coach.
I would rather him try to lure his good friend Tex Winter to Athens as a consultant.
I think the last thing we want is an AAU coach. Cesspools, nothing but cesspools.
Tex Winter is 87 years old. I doubt he wants to bother with anything like that at this point. I know I wouldn't if I were in Winter's position.
Anon @ 3:41 pm: I know his dad wasn't in the NBA, but see, we got this new head coach for less money than a huge, big-name coach, and we have spend this extra money on strong assistant hires from other schools in the region, so ... never mind.
"may spend this extra money"
@NCT: doesn't UGA have a strong anti-nepotism policy? Not sure how that worked or didn't work with Harrick.
Anon 4:26 - You can thank Jim Donnan for that. He found a loophole that allowed his son, Todd Donnan, to be an assistant, and then Harrick followed suit.
NCT -- Well played.
Everyone else -- I think he was making a Lane Kiffin joke. It took a while for me to put it together, but it was obscure enough for me to enjoy it.
If not...then he was right. It wasn't funny. lol.
Sorry NCT ... I thought you had read the AJC article where Fox mentioned his Dad.
Did not make the UT CLK reference. Probably because we have not had a lot of humor around our b-ball program in awhile.
Reg ... yes Tex is 87 years old but Fox has mentioned that he is close to him. Also, I don't want him as a assistant - just someone who can help work on the offense as a consultant.
He is still a consultant to the Lakers -- seems to be working for them.
Winter is no doubt a fine coach--he should be in the HOF but that's another topic for another day--and would do a fine job as a consultant, just as he's done with the Lakers (asst. coach from the Bulls days w/Phil Jackson). I just don't see the incentive for an 87-year-old guy who is currently a consultant with the Lakers to do the same for us. That's all I was saying. It'd be great if it happened, but I just don't see it happening.
It was, indeed, supposed to be a Kiffin joke. It suffered in the execution. That's what I get for trying to be funny in the middle of a work day -- or for trying to be funny at all.
As others have said, Fox will need the BEST RECRUITER POSSIBLE early on.
If he does, we can be successful much quicker than people think, imo
I mean, you can come play for us and START IMMEDIATELY
Hmmmm... Butch Pierre?
chad dollar recruited the current Ga players with LSU. he followed brady to ark st.
gumborue
Hired, per AJC.
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