Friday, August 7, 2009

Troy Brewer to American U.

Troy Brewer has decided to finish his playing career at American University.

Troy had become disenchanted with his prospects with the Georgia basketball program during his sophomore year. He wasn't receiving much playing time under Coach Felton, and after Felton was let go, he decided to pursue other options. Without even waiting to see who the new head coach would be, Troy, along with Zac Swansey, announced that he would transfer from UGA. Swansey ended up going to Tennessee Tech.

American University sounds like a good fit for Brewer. The school is located in Washington, D.C., which makes it close to Troy's home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. AU is a much smaller school, with 6,000 undergraduate students. The Eagles compete in the Patriot League, playing against the likes of Army, Navy, Lehigh, Lafayette, and Holy Cross.

American went 24 and 8 in basketball last year, won the Patriot League, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. American lost by 13 to Villanova.

Announcement

Good luck, Troy!

Weight Room Exploits

Great article from David Hale.

The guys have really been getting after it over the summer. Pushing themselves. Getting in shape and getting stronger. Very strong.

Georgia may or may not win a championship this year. But the team definitely has a championship attitude.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

My, How You've Grown!

Herschel Walker was quoted in Vince Dooley's "Tales from the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs" as saying that his success on the gridiron didn't stem so much from his individual running strength, "it was the offensive line. I had the best offensive line in football."

I looked back at the offensive line from 1980, and one thing jumped out at me: The guys from the 80's were tiny compared to the behemoths that man the line today.

1980/ 2009

Wayne Radloff: 245/ Ben Jones: 300
Tim Morrison: 254/ Vince Vance: 320
Nat Hudson: 265/ Clint Boling: 290
Jim Blackwood: 247/ Justin Anderson: 328
Jeff Harper: 245/ Cordy Glenn: 331

If the 2009 line were somehow to lose 300-lb Ben Jones, the 4 remaining players would still outweigh the 5 linemen from UGA's championship team. Of course, what the 1980 group lacked in size (every team was smaller back then), they made up for it with effort.

As Georgia prepares to start the 2009 season, at least one commentator has suggested that we could have the best offensive line in the country. Here's hoping we have a bigger version of the guys who won it all in 1980.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Ellen, Are You Gellin'? Part Deux

The team made it.

As I said in the original "Ellen" post of July 19, there had been no off-season arrests for the 2009 UGA football squad. However, there was still some time left before practice officially started. Would the team stay together and out of trouble?

The answer has been a resounding, yes.

A lot of work went on behind the scenes to take a UGA team that seemed cocky and self-absorbed, and was definitely not gellin', and turn it into a mature and sophisticated unit. Fun, cool, hip, without being out of control. Dr. Scholls would be proud. I definitely am.

Congratulations to the coaching staff and the young men in the Red and Black.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

2010 Guards Going Fast

So reports Dave Telep.

Good article from Scout.

I'd like to see Georgia start to get early commitments from talented basketball players. Gerald Robinson, a tranfer, is technically UGA's first player for the 2010 class, but I'm unaware of any other guys that are close to committing to UGA.

Maybe there will be some good news soon on the basketball recruiting front.

Rivals' Review of Oklahoma State

As I have said before, this is a tough, tough opener.

Georgia has officially started practice, so the guys better be getting ready for a very stiff test for the first game of the year.

State

Rion Brown Commits

Coach Mark Fox got close, but it was no cigar for UGA.

Rion Brown has committed to Miami.

There are still some players out there that can help UGA, so we'll see how recruiting goes over the next few weeks and months.

Brown

Monday, August 3, 2009

Sports vs. Spouse

Armchair GM has a cute article on a devoted wife trying hard to love a husband who is not a football fan.

Is loving you right?

Georgia Trailing in Recruitment of Harris

Damontre Harris, a 6' 9" center prospect for 2010, is said to be favoring South Carolina.

South Carolina's coach, Darrin Horn, was the first major college coach to offer Harris. Since that time, Harris has had several impressive outings and has picked up other offers, including Auburn, Wake Forest, and Connecticut.

Although Harris has visited UGA, and was coached by Jarvis Hayes during a recent camp, UGA has not been able to dislodge Carolina from their leading position.

Jeff Owens Wants to Hit Somebody

Fresh veggies are okay. I need them. You do, too.

But for goodness sake, a big snarling carnivore needs meat. None of this Lean Cuisine stuff, either. Let him loose so he can chase, overtake, and feast on wild game.

Jeff Owens is a 300 pound defensive lineman. He's been out for a full year, and now he's 100% recovered. He's in the mood to hunt quarterbacks. I say, let the big dog eat!

Is it football season yet?

Pertha Robinson Goes Up

Maybe not as high up as he used to go, but he is still out there playing the game.

The Albany Legends basketball game was held a couple of weeks ago in Albany, Georgia. The younger players held on at the end to win the game.

Legends

There are some good players outside of metro Atlanta, too. They don't get the same amount of coverage, but maybe Fox can find a "Pertha Robinson" or a "Chris Daniels" type of athlete by broadening UGA's recruiting base to find the talented guys in some of Georgia's second-tier cities (Albany, Columbus, Macon, Savannah).

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Mark Price Shooting Academy

Mentioned a few weeks ago that Sundiata Gaines ought to work with Mark Price to boost his free throw shooting.

Upon reflection, I thought that some readers might like to know about Mark Price's Academy. Hopefully, Mark Fox is putting his players through individual drills like the ones that Price does.

Academy

UGA's Basketball Schedule

It's rounding into shape. Sure, it won't have the greatest teams added at this late date, but it's good to get on with the program.

Should be fun to play UAB. They will be guard-oriented again. How effective they will be without Robert Vaden is open to debate. But they have some other talented players. Will be a challenge for UGA.

Schedule