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January 14, 2010

Basketball Progress

Last night, the Basketball Team continued to show progress.  They lost, but they are getting better.  How close are we?

We have played three ranked teams in a row, and we're 1-2 against those teams. However, we were only down by 2 points with 1:05 or less remaining in both losses including the road game at Rupp Arena. For 39 minutes, we gave them all they wanted.  We're getting better, and we're competing with ranked teams despite wide talent gaps at several spots.  It'll be a long season, but there is progress there.

Another Positives:
  • Travis Leslie - I don't think the SEC has a Most-Improved Player of the Year Award.  If they did, Travis Leslie would win it.  On the season, he's averaging 13.6 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.  He's also shooting 76.8% from the free throw line.  Last season, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 57.5% from the free throw line...all while being in so much academic trouble that he missed about a month of the season to get his grades together.  He still disappears for stretches or makes mental gaffes, but he's a much, much better player. Plus, his Academic House is in order...as is his House of Dunk.  When players improve this much year over year, it gives you a keen sense of hope for the future.
  • The Student Section -- The crowd also saw progress as we had the largest student section since probably the UK game in January of last year.  On game day, I heard from a pretty good source that they sold 3x the student tickets for this game at the Bookstore on Gameday as they sold for the Tech game. Unfortunately, the students have been away so long (and we've been bad so long), that many have forgotten that part of their job is to cheer and stand (although some sections...specifically WW in the upper level...did stand all game).  But that'll come back around as the team gives them more and more to cheer about.  By the way...if you're a student, you should budget your time for getting there more than 15 minutes early. The line for processing students is still long.
The SEC gave us a brutal schedule to start, and the trip to Starkville on Saturday vs. SEC West front runner Mississippi State is no joke.  But something positive is slowly happening in Athens for basketball. 

See Also:
-- Travis Leslie Erupts into Real Threat - ABH
-- Batman Needs a Robin - DawgPost
-- Bulldogs Fall in Back and Forth Game - RnB
-- Can't Overcome Rebels - Macon Telegraph

PWD

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Travis has been involved in four SportsCenter top plays in his last three games. Three of the plays were good. The last one, unfortunately...

Newt said...

PWD-
I asked you this via Twitter, but will do the same here. Doesn't a player have to have both feet on the floor to establish himself inbounds before touching the ball? Polynice had not done so on the ball he threw off Leslie's back at the end. Ref standing right there missed it but it was clear on replay.

Another valient effort and you can tell the effect Fox is having on the team. Can't wait to see all of this hard work and progress start to pay off in the W column.

Seth said...

Couldn't agree more. If anyone hasn't been to a game since Felton, you owe it to your self to go. Just watching them on offense is a sight for sore eyes. Rather than just dribbling, waiting, standing around, randomly passing, then turning it over, we actually have a coherent plan with (usually) crisp passes and good rebounding.

Anonymous said...

Despite the close loss last night, we now have a product on the floor we can be proud of regardless of outcome. I love Coach Fox's constant reiteration that there are no "moral victories" in his view or the team's view but as a fan, it was great to see a big crowd, a lively team (not playing down on themselves after UK) and a battle to the wire against a more talented field. We're a couple of brain farts away from being able to give every team in the conference hell.

Bill M. said...

I was in WW and most definitely standing.

C. Todd Davis said...

Being a Pacific Northwest living Dawg, it is great to read about the goodness that is coming back to the hoops in Athens, especially since I do not get to see many of the games. I enjoy reading your positive but honest take on Fox and the team, and I hope to get to a game on my next trip to the Classic City.

Go DAWGS!

Anonymous said...

I watched as much of it as I could catch on TV last night. There was only one glaring negative that I noticed: during the last timeout, behind the commentators I could hear that ridiculous, nerdy "woh-oh-oh-oh-oh" techno song. Do we really have to use that??? Please leave that and the accompanying jumping-up-and-down-nerd-mating-dance to the dorks at the trade school. I hate to complain, but that is a real peeve of mine.

I hate to go anonymous, but for some reason Google doesn't like my password.

Dawgy45 said...

I caught as much of the game as I could on TV last night. During the last timeout I noticed one glaring negative: behind the announcers I could hear that ridiculous "woh-oh-oh-oh-oh" techno nerd song. Do we REALLY have to use that? Leave that and the accompanying jump-up-and-down-nerd-mating-dance to the dorks at the trade school. PLEASE.

I hate to gripe but that is a real peeve of mine.

T said...

I'm a student and was at the game last night. I thought the student turnout was pretty solid. Nice to see the kids getting excited for basketball.

HellisOrange said...

I want to be optomistic about this team. I do think CMF is a great coach and a good fit. However, I am so jaded by the felton era that I keep asking myself if UGA is better or are the teams we are playing just not amped up to play us?

Daniel said...

Honestly, looking at the stats today, it's pretty obvious what the problem is moving forward for this club.

The top four scorers for Ole Miss had a combined 44 points.

The top four scorers for Georgia had a combined 64 points.

However, when every player on the Ole Miss roster scores at least 6 points, while Georgia gets only 12 points outside the top 4 scorers, there is an issue.

The Georgia bench absolutely has to produce more for this team to win these games. We have a good thing going, but Trey, Travis, Ricky, and Dustin won't be able to have success without some help.

Athens95 said...

I think the product is much improved. That said, I was amazed how little Thompkins had the ball in his hands the last several possessions.

Quinton McDawg said...

David-
If I were in the band, nothing would piss me off more than house music at the basketball game. I have no idea why we play recorded music at any football or basketball game. Let the band play!

Also, the only halftime show I want to see are the acrobats from that Athens gym. Do away with all else.

Thorsten said...

Holy Shiite thats funny!

Andrew Danger Fritze said...

Hell yeah, WW section. We stood up.

Anonymous said...

What are the early indications on what Trey will do next year? If he is on campus we are a legitimate threat. 2 years under Fox and a player like that would raise the expectations a great deal.

Anonymous said...

Theo, I don't live in GA and watched the game on ESPN360. I'd never watched anything on there before and didn't have high expectation for the quality, but it was just like watching it on TV (except for a much smaller screen). You should check it out next time they are on it. I recommend it.

Brad said...

Q-
What about quick change? I think they've been performing since the days of the Tub.

Anonymous said...

Herschel interview midway through about his MMA debut Jan. 30.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4826271&categoryid=2378529

Chuck said...

Kernkraft 400 is the song, the sportschant remix. And I think that it is not that sweet. The jumping and singing makes it even less so

Will said...

Quinton, you must have missed Quick Change, then. My friends and I dismissed them as well, but were enjoying it by the end.

Anyways, I agree with the comments about the pre-recorded music. Also, I'm starting to cringe every time we play a video about how much of underdogs we are. I get the Rocky thing (that guy is a burgeoning tradition at this point, one of our few), but the other two movie sections are about how nobody believes in us and thinks we'll lose. Why do we play those? They're HUUUUUGE downers. And the lone-clap thing? GAH, that's pathetic!

Will said...

Also, Pollack is reporting that Grantham to Georgia as DC has been confirmed, and he'll be the 3rd highest paid DC in the country.

Now we get to ask what happens to Garner and who Grantham brings with him.

el diablo said...

he could be right but isn't this like the 3rd person he has said is confirmed. he's no jay glazer.

Unknown said...

YATA FTW!

NBA.com has like 3 videos of his game winning trey heroics, talk about cloud 9...

Seth said...

Sundiata Gaines!

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300114026

So glad this happened for him.

Andrew said...

Also, please report on the monster shot Sundiata hit last night to get the Jazz the win. So long, D-League.

Mr. Sanchez said...

In other UGA hoops news, SUNDIATA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSnS6Ji3sog

Anonymous said...

Sundiata Gaines!

 
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