Saturday, May 16, 2009

Vincent Williams Game

I saw the attached article on a game by Vincent Williams and his South Dade High School team.

South Dade lost the game, but you have to like the production from Williams.

South Dade vs. Coral Reef.

Chris Barnes Arrested

Yuck.

Hate this kind of stuff. Anyway, it's basketball-related news, so I'll share it. Chris Barnes was pulled over and arrested for "vehicle insurance and registration violations."

It will be interesting to see how Coach Fox handles these kind of issues. Coach Felton was more of a disciplinarian, and didn't have much tolerance for infractions involving members of the team. Then again, Felton had to deal with instances much more serious than the violations involved here.

Will there be game suspensions for Barnes? Will he run stairs?

Will the Athens police keep arresting athletes for what many fans view as minor violations of the law?

Friday, May 15, 2009

No-Go for Nigeria

Former UGA basketball coach Dennis Felton has decided not to accept a job to coach in Nigeria.

Coach Felton is apparently looking for something state-side, so the timing wasn't right for him and his family.

Gerald Robinson is official

Good article from the Nashville paper.

Sounds like a lot of schools wanted Robinson, but UGA succesfully reeled him in.

Good catch for the Dawgs.

Hold the Mayo

Okay, it's not the most original of headlines, but that's not the point.

The point is that college basketball doesn't look very good right now. What's slimier than mayonaise? College basketball recruiting, some would say.

Allegations have surfaced that Tim Floyd paid big money to land O.J. Mayo. Who, here, is surprised? Mayo apparently went clear across the country to play for a guy who never recruited him.

Mayo had a ton of guys hanging onto him. The person making the allegations of a pay-off was apparently a runner for the street agent.

All this raises a lot of questions in my mind. How many levels of individuals are involved here? How many guys have to be given cash before a college coach can satisfy himself that his crooked deeds won't get exposed?

Makes me wonder how Tim Floyd was able to put together the rest of his signing classes. He had some high quality recruits sign over the last few years.

How many other college programs have handlers on the unofficial payroll? And what is the NCAA going to do about it?

I hope that UGA basketball does not get involved in this kind of foolishness. I want to win, but not that bad. So if some handler for a star recruit shows up on our doorstep, tell them to hold the Mayo.

Gerald Robinson Commits?

Could be. I don't have any new news. We'll see what the buzz is over the next couple of days.

If true, however, Coach Fox has addressed the point guard issue for the future. He has sophomore, Dustin Ware, incoming freshman, Vince Williams, and now Gerald Robinson, as a transfer.

I think we need at least one big guy and one small forward for next year's class.

Howard Thompkins Sticks with UGA

Good news. Coach Fox has racked up his most important recruiting victory. Trey Thompkins will be remaining with the Dawgs next year.

I figured that Thompkins would not be going anywhere next year. He had a good freshman year, despite coming off a series of injuries. Given that Coach Fox has emphasized more of the offensive side of the equation, I thought that Thompkins would remain at UGA.

Delwan Graham Dismissed from LSU

Caught me by surprise. I had expected Graham to do well on the college scene. Somewhat of a "tweener," sure, but he was touted as a player who could make an impact through his effort.

LSU Coach Trent Johnson will have to really coach this year. I was impressed with what Johnson was able to do as a first-year coach, coming in and winning the SEC.

Coach Johnson's accomplishment should be kept in context, though. When LSU dismissed Coach John Brady, Coach Johnson got the benefit of a full roster, stocked with seniors. He was set up pretty well.

Now, the five seniors have graduated, and Tasmin Mitchell has declared for the draft. Assuming that Mitchell does not return, LSU will not have much to work with, and I anticipate that they will have a "first to worst" quality season.

Give Coach Johnson credit. In dismissing Graham, Coach Johnson is sticking with his principles. He will not carry players who violate team rules, even when his roster is already thin. He should be advised, however, that despite having an SEC championship under his belt, the memories of fans are short.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Swansey to Tennessee Tech

Sounds like a good fit for him.

As I said previously, if Swansey fixes the mechanical issues on his jumpshot, he can have a nice career. I don't think he will ever be pro material, but he can work hard in the year that he has to sit out, get faster and tighten up his handle, and contribute to his new team.

Swansey sounds upbeat about the change. Good luck to him.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Speaking of Players

named, Tony, UGA should make sure that we're in good shape with this one.

Tony Parker-- no, not the lightning quick point guard married to Eva Longoria, but the elite big man from the Atlanta area-- is already being compared to Lebron James. That's a stretch, people. Not because Parker isn't good, but because he'll never bring the ball up court, drive by people, or hit the three.

However, although their games may be quite different, the expectations are starting to sound familiar. People knew Lebron was good, way back when. Could see the basketball ability. Well, Tony Parker is continuing to showcase his talent, and people are impressed.

Coach Fox and staff need to do all they can to reel in Parker.

Cole Slaw

Shouldn't we be able to move past Tony Cole?

No matter what the year is, Tony Cole manages to find himself back in the news. And the news media keeps associating him with UGA. I can't read an article about Joe Johnson without discovering another reference to Tony Cole.

I never did like cole slaw. Cabbage with mayonaise. But I think I like Cole news coverage even less. Let it drop, folks.