It's not incredibly common for a program at UGA's current place in the basketball pecking order to get a 1,500 word profile on its coach. Particularly from ESPN and particularly in May. So it's eye catching that Mark Schlabach sat down with Mark Fox to discuss the Georgia basketball program.
In the article, Fox emphasizes the positive aspects of our history. He focuses on guys like Dominique, Damien, Jarvis, Shandon, Jumaine and Litterial. He also talks about Stegeman as an asset instead of an anchor, and he discusses recruiting the talent rich Atlanta market. It's a great read.
Thus far, Mark Fox has said and done everything right. Will that translate to wins? I don't know. But I do know that belittling our tradition, reinforcing negative stereotypes about our facilities, focusing only on defense while ignoring offense, and complaining about fan support doesn't work. So this is a nice change from the prior administration. The contrast couldn't be more vivid.
SEC Hoops News:
-- Gators Star to play in Greece next year - ESPN
PWD
12 comments:
It's funny how easy it is to do the right things, but some coaches refuse to do it. Donnan going with the black stripe comes to mind.
Of course, we do not have much tradition, but there are not many schools that can claim a player as good as 'Nique. And he lives about an hour away and spends most days playing golf. I am sure he would appreciate the chance to come by practice every now and again.
I know we should not have ridiculous expectations, but even if Fox is just a mediocre coach, he should have a very competitive team next year.
If HT3 gets in shape, he and Ware will form a dynamic duo. There is a lot of untapped potential in Barnes, Price and AJax. If we can find a decent 2 guard and 2 decent backups, we can win some SEC games.
It is really refreshing to see someone approaching this job the right way.
If we had just given Felton more time, I am convinced that he was about to turn a corner with this program.
snicker. snicker.
I hope that Fox can exceed our expectations next year, but the talent level of this team is far from competitive. Like it or not, Fox is going to need a few years to get some of his guys in here to play. We need talented wings, some shooters, and decent posts to pair with or replace HT3 once he moves on. Certainly having an offensive and recruiting philosophy will help, but he isn't a miracle worker. Fox knows what we are up against next year. He has repeatedly stated our problems many times. If, we can learn to shoot free throws, draw a foul down low, and not kick the ball around, we can pull out a winning season. That's all I am hoping for next year, and realistically, that's all anyone of us can expect.
I have been struck by much Fox has sounded like Richt when he first was hired. Like Fox, Richt talked about enbracing the (positive) history of the program and highlighting great former players. Richt also talked from the first day about the importance of recruiting well in Georgia. While much of this is common sense and stuff Fox intended to do anyway, it seems like their conversations have been taken to heart by him.
I guess it helps that Schlabach is a UGA grad.
Fox is smart enough to know that he can field a competitive team by recruiting young men from Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, and Albany. Shoot, probably just from Atlanta.
Get an out-of-state guy once a year and watch this program blossom. We can be called a sleeping giant b/c we never were one. But the infrastructure to build a very, very successful program has always been there. Now, let's see if we have the final, most important ingredient - the coach.
There is a lot of hate within the comments on that ESPN article. People need to trust our AD a little more... Respect goes to Fox for really building a PR campaign and establishing his commitment-- also great article by Schlabach.
Like you JasonC, I wonder if Schlabach talked one of his superiors into doing that, maybe cause he's as excited as some of the fans are.
Regarding the comments to the article on the ESPN site:
I don't know who those people are, but despite their handle names and claims to be Georgia fans, they clearly know very little about UGA. For example, 2 of the commenters talk about what an outrage it is that Fox is earning more than CMR, which is obviously untrue given their total compensation packages. Also, they take numerous shots at what they consider an "exaggerated article" on Fox's coaching skills while failing to mention the one piece of information that would bolster their rantings-namely that the author of the article is a former UGA beat writer and UGA grad. In short, they appear to have never heard of Schlabach, someone even casual UGA fans know about.
Given the extensive knowledge these "Georgia fans" seem to have of Nevada basketball and its coaches over the last several years, my guess is that these are some (or one) Nevada fans unhappy that Fox left their school.
JasonC, you are obviously too young to remember that the way that Schlabach built his career was throwing UGA under the bus, day after day, in the AJC during the Harrick mess.
He is obviously a shrewd cat. Turned the Harrick mess into a highway for his career arc. Went to the Washington Post(or Times?) after trashing UGA for 6 months, then on to ESPN.
Yes, Schlabach is a UGA alum. But please, please do not paint him as a fan or apologist. The work he did against his school in the name of his career will never be forgotten by those who read it.
Anon 12:06:
So if you're a brain surgeon and Tim Tebow has a aneurysm, you wouldn't operate on him because he's a Florida guy? If you did, that would be in the name of your career, and Lord knows a dawg wouldn't do that! Gimme a break. Schlabach is actually a professional in a day where journalism has become a joke. You can call the Harrick fiasco a bad deal, but, whether only a PE class or not, he cheated and deserved to be outed.
You are absolutely right! Compared to Felton this is a breath of fresh air. I've never seen a more negative human being than he was in the LONG time that he was here. Good riddance!
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