Friday, May 7, 2010

Polee to St. John's

I'm struggling here.

On the one hand, I'd like to wait until it's official before posting further thoughts about Dwayne Polee's recruitment. Then again, from all unofficial indications, it looks like Polee has in fact made his decision, and it's St. John's.

So, I will give 10 unofficial comments.

1. Hats off to Lavin if he won the recruiting battle fair and square.

The process worked. Mark Fox did his best to get in a sleeper recruit, and we lost out. Lavin has taken teams to the highest levels while he was a head coach at UCLA. Dwayne Polee likely saw Lavin's credentials and the opportunity to play in New York, and a young coach like Fox and a college town like Athens couldn't compare.

2. If, however, it took a package deal to secure Polee's commitment, then Georgia was never the place, and St. John's won't be.

We may not like this life principle, but it's true nonetheless. Sooner or later, stuff has a way of coming back on us.

3. If UGA had an open slot on the staff due to Mark Pope's resignation, and we never offered the position to Polee, Sr., then I have new respect for Coach Mark Fox.

4. I hope that Polee, Sr.'s resignation this week at USC was just coincidental.

5. If Polee, Sr. ends up somehow as part of the coaching staff at St. John's, I would not be surprised.

6. I'd love to see Georgia bring in top-ranked recruits, but Georgia should never sacrifice principle to do so.

7. Some things are more important than winning.

8. Georgia will be truly successful when both the means and the end of recruiting are lined up.

9. It can be done.

10. It will be.