Dwayne Polee Update

Rumors of Polee committing to UNLV this week were overblown. He told the Las Vegas Sun last night that he's about two weeks away from committing, and his final schools are Oregon, UNLV, UGA and New Mexico. The four-star, 6'7" highlight reel has officially visited Athens already. (Ht - CedarDawg)

PWD

Mark Fox gets a Commitment

Donte Williams returned from his visit to Athens over the weekend, pondered his future and gave Mark Fox confirmation that he'll be a Georgia Bulldog next season.

-- Fox gets second commitment - DawgPost
-- Williams commits to UGA - UGASports.com

Sites differ on his offer list pre- and post-Jeff Lebo's termination at Auburn, but it looks like he had offers from UGA, Auburn, UAB and a variety of other mid-majors. Over the weekend, we listed 5 Reasons Why Donte Williams is a good commit for Mark Fox.

PWD

Bourbon to Check Out

A few months ago, I tried a small batch bourbon called "Old Pogue Master's Select." A friend of the blog (and of the distillers) brought a bottle to a tailgate last season for Dawgnoxious and I to try. We were blown away. (Image: GotBourbon.com)

As BulldoginExile told me after he tried it, the flavors of honey and butter are so unexpected as to really impress. I'm not typically a guy that drinks his bourbon neat, but Pogue was so smooth that it worked incredibly well for our initial tasting(s).

I bring it up now because I saw that the package store in Athens next door to Five and Ten restaurant now carries it in stock. So, I no longer have to order online or have friends bring me a bottle when they are in the Midwest.

Just something to consider as you ponder life's meaning or the impact of the 3-4 on UGA's defense as we wait for football season to return.

PWD

Note: This is not a paid endorsement. And yes, I'm still a Maker's Mark fan.

Boston Globe Slaps Michael Adams

Bob Ryan of ESPN's The Sports Reporters and the Boston Globe comments on Michael Adams' candidacy for president of the NCAA, and he throws Adams a beating. It's a must read for Georgia alumni. (Ht - TheDawgfather on dawgrun.com)

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

Basketball Recruiting: Sherrard Brantley

Sherrard Brantley is a 6'2" 170 lb freshman shooting guard at Northwest Florida Community College. The former Dublin, GA native is holding offers from Georgia, LSU and a variety of mid-majors. I'm pretty sure the video above is from his senior year in Dublin. According to the TheBlueJayCafe.com (Creighton site), Brantley is at LSU this weekend, UGA next weekend and Creighton the following weekend.

According to TigerBait.com this is why UGA and LSU are interested in the kid

Brantley, who helped Dublin (Ga.) to the Class 2A state championship as a senior, enrolled at Northwest Florida last fall after failing to qualify academically. He would have three years of eligibility remaining with whatever Division I school he signs with.

Brantley, who has played in all of his team's 31 games, has shot 42.4 percent from two-point range and 78 percent from the free throw line.

But the true eye-opener with Brantley is his presence from the perimeter with his 43-percent shooting from the 3-point land with 105 makes on 246 attempts. (Emphasis added)

If Trey Thompkins comes back next season and Gerald Robinson, Jr. is the combo guard he's billed to be, Georgia will take a nice healthy step forward. The type of season where you make the NCAAs as a low at-large seed.

However, if Georgia adds a legitimate starter at the Shooting Guard or Small Forward position, it has the potential to take a huge leap forward. The candidate to give us some big time minutes at Small Forward is Dwayne Polee out of Los Angeles. If Travis Leslie improves his handle, he could move to the two guard spot with Gerald Robinson taking over at point guard.

But even in that scenario, Georgia still will need a bomber to replace Ricky McPhee and bust open the suffocating zones that Trey Thompkins will face every week. A kid that can hit 40% from three point land at the two guard spot is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Sign them both, and you've really got something potentially. That would give us a primary rotation of:

PG - Robinson / Ware
SG - Brantley / Robinson / Leslie
SF - Leslie / Polee / Ebuka
PF - Thompkins / Barnes / Lalanne
C - Price / Thompkins / Barnes

By the way, Mark Fox has an exceptional story to tell JUCO recruits. Fox played JUCO ball, and graduated from Garden City Community College before getting his bachelor's degree. Assistant Coach Kwanza Johnson also graduated from junior college before playing for Tulsa and going on to get a Law Degree. They respect the JUCO game, and their story resonates with JUCO players.

It's also tougher for the admissions committee to give Fox a tough time about JUCOs when Georgia is paying a JUCO grad over a $1 million to teach on campus.

See Also:
-- Fox's eye for talent - AJC

PWD

Basketball Recruiting: Donte Williams

Per UGASports.com and DawgPost.com, Donte Williams (2010 class) is on his official visit to Athens this weekend. He's a 6'9"+ long, rangy kid with a raw offensive game, and good defensive quickness/instincts. He plays at Miller Grove High School (DeKalb County) with 2011 Top 150 recruit Henry Brooks and 2012 alpha male recruit Tony Parker.

His other offers include Auburn and several mid-major programs. Georgia is out in front on Williams per the sites above. Here's why we should sign him:

1. We're down to 8 scholarship players right now. Nine including signee Cady Lalanne (PF).

2. We have the scholarship flexibility to take a project. We have 8 open scholarships (including Lalanne) to give over the next two seasons and possibly nine if Travis leaves. We have never in our history signed 9 legit high-major recruits in a two year period. It's not like the next Michael Jordan was going to use this scholarship.

3. Can he really be worse than Drazen? Therefore, signing him won't send us backwards.

4. He's at an elite HS program with multiple quality teammates in one of the better basketball counties within a 200 mile radius. We need a pipeline in that area.

5. Fox put several unknown recruits into the NBA. He's got an eye for this exact type of scenario. This isn't Dennis Felton with zero track record in this area bumbling into signing Troy Brewer...who's other offer was from a Baltimore Church League. This guy has a good track record with unknown signees.

We lose Thompkins, Barnes and Price in the next two seasons. We need some big men on campus.

PWD

One last thought on tailgating rules

I read hundreds of blog comments, editorials, articles and message board posts about the new tailgate rules over the past several weeks. Here's my only remaining question.

There were 70 tons of garbage left on North Campus after a single game last year. In reading all of those articles and comments, how is it possible that there wasn't a single post anywhere from a person saying, "You know what. I wish I had picked up my trash."

How can a group of fans make such a mess and that results in so much that they find important and fun being taken from them and not have a single one express any regret over their own actions or accept any responsibility for the outcome? That just blows me away. But I guess that explains the problem.

PWD

Strength and Conditioning

Doing some catching up here....on Tuesday, Anthony Dasher wrote a long article about the transition to a "full body workout" routine for the Bulldogs as part of a revamped strength program.

The article mostly drew a hoo-hum from me because I've never heard anyone involved in our strength program say anything other than (pick at least two):

• "This is the best off season we've ever had"
  
• "Team chemistry is very high this year."
  
• "The guys are lifting more than ever."
  
• "Setting new records like crazy in the weight room."

So the fact that they are evolving their approach and talking to other programs about best practices is a big non-event in my eyes. I want to see it on the field. Having said all of that...what did interest me was this blurb:

Richt indicated Tuesday that changes in Georgia's overall conditioning needed to be made, not specifically related to the changes being implemented now, but also in regards to the Bulldogs' nutritional needs.

"I think we've done a tremendous job of getting them of getting our guys prepared for the season, but I think in-season we have had some guys who maybe lost some weight," Richt said. "I think the biggest part of it is the nutritional aspect. We've got to make sure we're feeding these guys right. Some of the guys who live off campus, they get their meal money and it's hard to really gauge what they're doing so we'll have to make sure they're getting the food, the nutrition that they need in-season."

That was an attention getter for me, and it should be to anyone else that followed Jeff Owens and Mike Moore's twitter feeds last season. They are good guys and damn good dawgs, but As David Pollack said on Twitter after yet another post about a late night Owens run for fast food, "Dude, eat a salad."

If Twitter feeds are any indication...and with Jeff it would just about have to be given the volume of posts on the topic...We've got some guys off campus that have got to start eating better, and if this is a point of emphasis going forward that's a good thing. As a general rule of thumb, if you're smaller or slower than a blogger (particularly this one) we shouldn't recruit you. And if you eat worse than me, you're not eating right. I have a Body by Playstation. I know out of shape.

Back to the S&C Program
To me...the cries for revamping our strength program this off season are valid, but I think they are misplaced. It's not the drills that worry me. It's the attention to detail and the expectations for the kids. My questions are...

• "Are we staffed properly?" I've heard (but not confirmed) that other programs have many more S&C assistants than UGA. Are our players getting the individual attention they need?
  
  
• "Are we focused on the little things?" Generally speaking, I think the staff had let quite a few details slip last season. Seeing more attention to detail in areas like player diet encourages me. I think a fresh set of eyes on the defensive side is probably a big part of that. Another part is Coach Van Halanger being healthier than he was last season.
  
  
• "Are we expecting greatness and holding guys accountable?" This is an area where I got really concerned last season. I'm hoping to hear about progress in this area, but I doubt we will until a kid slips up and describes the differences in the S&C attendance monitoring now vs. last year. Or some other area.
  

Overall, I like where things are trending. But I'm not getting excited because of vague quotes about intensity, chemistry or hard work. I'm getting excited because it sounds like we have our sh*t together on some of the basic stuff that had started slipping.

Like...well...tackling.

PWD

Paul Hewitt turns down St. Johns

Paul Hewitt is staying in Atlanta. If Gani Lawal joins Derrick Favors in declaring to go pro as expected, you have to love our chances of winning at the McNerd Dome next season.

PWD

DeMario Mayfield to transfer?

UGASports.com is reporting that freshman combo guard DeMario Mayfield has asked for his release from the Georgia Basketball program. Mayfield participated in 18 of 31 games last season including 6 of 18 SEC contests. He averaged 0.9 points and scored in only 1 game after New Year's.

Update: Drazen is out too.

His best game of the season was against the Gators at home when he gave us 5 points and 1 assist in 4 minutes of action. All of his contributions in that game were critical to the victory.

What does this mean?
When Dennis Felton lost players it was often high profile contributors like Mike Mercer, Takais Brown, Billy Humphrey, and Channing Toney. That was a HUGE problem and the single biggest barrier to his success other than not being a talented coach. (#suckerpunch)

Losing players like Younes Idrissi, Reshad Singleton, Marcus Sikes and Kendrick Johnson wasn't Felton's problem. It's rarely a bad thing for your bottom tier performers to walk away. It frees up scholarships and can actually accelerate a turn around project.

Mayfield is a curious kid. He definitely had more upside than the Idrissi's of the world, but he seemed unlikely to become a front line starter either. Additionally, Fox reportedly asked the kid to stick around. I'm not shocked to have some player attrition, and I don't think we're done yet because Drazen is still on campus. That's not a mean spirited shot at Draz, it's just that he's obviously the 12th most talented guy on a 12 man roster. But I would've liked to see Mayfield give it one more year.

If Fox replaces Mayfield with a better recruit in the 2011 recruiting class, this is a net positive for Georgia. If he doesn't it wasn't. If I were laying odds, I'd say this works out in our favor. Between Gerald Robinson, Jr., Dustin Ware, Vincent Williams, Ebuka and Travis Leslie we've got the 1, 2 and 3 spots reasonably well addressed for next season.

Add a JUCO shooting guard as rumored or Dwayne Polee at SF, and losing Mayfield is not a material event.

Best of luck to the kid. He helped us beat the Gators, and he stayed out of trouble. For that I have very little negative to say about him, and neither should any Dawg fans who are being fair.

Georgia now has 3 scholarships to give in 2010 in addition to the already signed Cady Lalanne (PF). We also have 4 to give in 2011 if Trey bolts, and more if Drazen or Travis leave (for wildly different reasons). I expect us to offer 3 this year and 5 next year. If we sign and enroll 5 legit high major recruits in 2011, it will be the first time that we've done so since the 1992 recruiting class that included Carlos Strong, Shandon Anderson, Pertha Robinon, Terrell Bell and I forgot the other guy.

The 2011 class is positively enormous for the future of UGA hoops.

PWD

Another Big Match for Men's Tennis

After dropping last week's hard fought match with USC, the men's tennis team welcomes their other big nonconference foe, No. 3 Ohio State, to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex tomorrow.  The match is set for 3PM, an hour earlier than originally scheduled.  Ohio State, like USC, is loaded with talented players and it will take a great effort to beat them.  Judging by the USC match, we have the capability to pull off the upset, but we'll have to play a small bit better than last week to defend our home turf.  If you can get away tomorrow afternoon, come out and watch the guys knock it around with the Buckeyes.

Quinton

Basketball Recruiting Update

Great free update on DawgPost.com from Fletcher Page. Sounds really exciting on the Dwayne Polee front.

PWD

Paul Hewitt to St. John's?

The AJC now reports that St. John's University has formally asked for permission to speak with Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt. The New York Daily News quotes Hewitt gushing about the St. John's job opening saying:

"Do you remember what it was like in New York when the Yankees finally won the World Series again in 1996, the way it electrified the city? St. John's could definitely do the same thing," said Hewitt, who grew up in Queens and Long Island. "I remember going to the building they call Carnesecca (Arena) and seeing huge crowds embrace the team. I remember going to the Garden and seeing it full. And I remember the winning.

"The right coach could do all that again and it would be a sight."

For those who struggle with nuance, let me translate..."Get me the hell out of Atlanta." (ht - Mark Bradley)

If SJU were to hire Tech, it would be the equivalent of a $7 million bailout for the future of their basketball program. The upside for Georgia...if Tech were to hire poorly or at least a weaker recruiter than Hewitt (who is exceptional in that area), it could help us in state for 2011 recruits and beyond.

The downside...many high quality candidates will see the Tech job for what it is...a program with the potential to be Top 3 in the ACC almost every year on the court due to the recruiting base. However, it lacks the financial clout to invest in the facilities or coaching salaries to match that potentially elite status. In other words, an enigma of a job. But one with tremendous upside. It's also unlikely that Tech will hire a worse floor coach than Hewitt.

If I were ranking recruiters and UGA and Tech over the past 30 years, it would go something like this:

1. Paul Hewitt
2. Bobby Cremins
3. Hugh Durham
4. Ron Jirsa (Ezra, DA and Jumanie were big timers)
5. Tubby Smith (inherited great talent. Recruited average at best)
6. Dennis Felton (maybe higher than Tubby. Just couldn't retain his best)
7. Jim Harrick (worst recruiter I've ever seen unless you count transfers)
TBD Mark Fox

If I were to rank floor coaches over that period, I'd go:

1. Jim Harrick (and it's not even close)
2. Tubby Smith
3. Bobby Cremins
4. Hugh Durham (early in his career he was great, but not the end)
5. Dennis Felton
6. Paul Hewitt (Yes. Hewitt is a worse floor coach than Felton)
7. Ron Jirsa (Totally inept)
TBD Mark Fox

It would be difficult for a competent Athletic Director like Tech's DRad to do worse than Hewitt on the court. But surpassing him on the recruiting trail will be very, very tough. This is an interesting development to watch for UGA fans. Tech could be losing a coach that had a losing record (4-6) against UGA despite us spending 7 of those 10 years navigating some of the worst seasons in UGA basketball since the late 1970s.

See Also:
-- Please don't go! - DawgSports

PWD

Diamond Dawgs Slaughtered

As a Georgia baseball fan, it pains me to write that the past weekend was a complete and total demolition of the UGA baseball team, a bloody execution too gruesome for your children to be admitted to watch.  Auburn swept us in the weekend series by a collective run total of 43-9.  If it were a boxing match, they would have stopped two of the three games in the early rounds for fear of Georgia's eminent death. "Quinton," you say, "that's a bit harsh isn't it?"  Here's Perno's quote after the sweep: 

"We’re not good and that’s my fault. There were too many expectations on this group and we’re not a good baseball team on any front — we don’t defend, we don’t pitch and we can’t hit. We don’t have a whole lot of grit or toughness, we don’t throw enough strikes and we sure have a tough time scoring runs."

So, if we can't do any of that stuff, what can we do?  Lose, repeatedly.  

To reinforce the point, Auburn is #29 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll.  They aren't in nor are they receiving votes in any of the other polls.  We just got destroyed by them.  Left on the schedule: #4 LSU in Baton Rouge, #6 Clemson, #8 Florida in Gainesville, #17 Ole Miss, #18 South Carolina, #20 Arkansas in Fayetteville, and #23 Vanderbilt in Nashville.  Plus #5 Tech a couple more times.  If Auburn got 43 in Athens, what could a really good team do?

We're young and we're hurt, but I doubt the team would make it to Hoover with everybody healthy.  Take your lumps, learn from it, recruit, and evaluate the assistants at the end of the year.  This season is done, folks.

Quinton

Tennis Streak in Jeopardy Today

The tennis team takes on defending national champion USC today at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.  If you can break away from work and the basketball tournament, get out and support the tennis team.  

The No. 6 Dawgs have a 71 match home winning streak going, the second longest such streak ever.  The No. 3 Trojans are a worrisome opponent if we'd like to keep that streak going.  They have the best singles player in the country, Steve Johnson, four other ranked players, and all of their doubles teams are ranked in the top 50.  They are loaded.  Both Dan Magill and I have our doubts about the team's chances.  We'll need to play our best to beat them and some fans in the stands barking at the opposition can only help keep the streak alive.

Quinton

New Tailgate Rules for 2010 Season

This is a breaking story regarding new Tailgate Rules for Georgia Football games...particularly North Campus...but the big news is:

1. Tailgating on North Campus will only begin 4 hours before kickoff. There are also extensive restrictions on what can be brought on North Campus including a ban of:
Tents
Kegs
Generators
Televisions
Amplified music
Grills or cookers of any type
Tables larger than 4 ft. long
Household furniture (folding chairs not included)

2. A ban on pull behind trailers and cookers for all campus parking lots. Yes, Dawgnoxious, this totally and completely screws us.

To the students, young alumni and other people who completely made an a$$ of themselves on North Campus and the folks of all ages all over the rest campus who couldn't bring a damn trash bag or two to their tailgate to clean up their mess resulting in greater restrictions for everyone, I say. Nice work a$$holes.

PWD

Children by the Millions Sing for Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton passed away at age 59. I saw him at the 40 Watt circa '92 or so, and it was by far the oddest show I ever saw. But as an influence on my namesake and the focal point one of the most underrated songs of all-time...the "invisible man who sings with an invisible voice" definitely gets a tip of the hat on this blog for his contribution to modern alt-rock.

And no...he didn't die in Memphis as that would've indeed been cool. He passed away in New Orleans.

See Also:
-- Original version of Alex Chilton by the Replacements

PWD

Basketball Schedule Rumors

Looks like UGA is looking for as many as two more BCS caliber home games and two more BCS caliber road games for the upcoming 2010-2011 season. This is according to a message board post by our director of football operation on Basketball Travelers, a site where coaches and assistant athletic directors can exchange scheduling opportunities with each other.

"We are looking for H & H series for 2010-2011 with BCS schools. Looking for 2 @ home and 2 on the road."

The site is one of several craigstlist.org type sites for arranging b-ball rendezvous.

The basketball schedule as of now for 2010-2011 includes:

Neutral:
Old Spice Classic (3 Games) - Participants include BC, Cal, Notre Dame, Temple, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, UGA, and Manhattan.

Home:
UAB
Hawaii (tentative)

Away:
Georgia Tech
Saint Louis

If you add four more BCS-level games to the mix, that would really look impressive. While we're asking for 4 games (2 home and 2 away), I'd wager that we'd settle for three (2 home and 1 away). I'm also guessing...and it's just a guess...that we wouldn't go back to Gwinnett next season IF we could land the other games being asked for.

That's the schedule for a team that doesn't just want to make the NCAA Tourney. It's the schedule for a team that wants a great seed. If Trey bails on us, I'd expect to see that schedule soften up.

Then again...all BCS teams aren't created equal. If we ended up with Nebraska, DePaul, Penn State and Iowa as the four teams, it wouldn't exactly terrify anyone.

PWD

(Ht - bigtuck31)

Great News for UGA Hoops

Paul Hewitt's glorious 5 year 7 million perpetual rollover deal picked
up another season.

http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2010/03/16/hewitts-contract-rolled-over-tuesday/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_tech_sports

This means the Wizard of Techwood will remain on North Ave. Where
he'll continue to underachieve.

Great day for UGA hoops. Eventually Tech will hire an elite coach who
will unlock the true potential of that program.

Pardon the typos. On a mobile device.

Baseball in Atlanta Tonight

Perno's boys visit Russ Chandler tonight to play Tech.  The fortunes of the two teams involved are divergent.  Tech is 12-1 and No. 3 in the country while we're 8-8 after last weekend's series win.  Sunday's game saw Siena hold on for a 10-9 win.

The Dawgs will have freshman Blake Dieterich on the hill in his first career start.  Blake's had a few relief appearances with some mixed success (7.1 IP, 8H, 4BB, 8Ks).  Tech will counter with sophomore Mark Pope who has some impressive stats in six innings pitched (0.00 ERA, 4H, 7Ks).  The pitching match up looks to favor the insects.  

The baseball team hasn't looked good so far this season and those performances make sense in light of our youth and injuries.  But, the pitching, long thought to be a great asset in the preseason, hasn't shown up.  The offense, long thought to be a liability in the preseason, has lived up to its billing.  There are a few signs of hope at the plate, the biggest of which is fresh faced freshman Robert Shipman who has been filling in for injured Chase Davidson at first.  In four games last week, Shipman went 7-for-13 with 3HRs and six RBIs. 

A big game against a highly ranked rival might reveal the latent talent on this team.  If we can somehow find a way to pull it out, it could be the spark to better play this season.  If you're in Atlanta tonight, get out and cheer on the team.

Quinton

A Season Opener in the Georgia Dome?

Last night, Damon Evans said that he'd like open a future season in the Georgia Dome as part of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic. He obviously wasn't talking about this season, but he is interested in a future date.

Considering the game is booked for 2010 and 2012, the next obvious slot available is 2011. Unfortunately, we have the pointless series with Louisville starting in Week 1 of that season.

The next available seasons where we could play a neutral site game and still maintain at least six home games in 2014 and 2016. Of those, 2016 is the most appealing to me because we dodge Bama and LSU those years. Well...actually...the most appealing option is playing there in 2011 and dumping Louisville.

I'm all for appearing in that game.

PWD

Bracket Help for Stat Nerds

Great trend info from ESPN.

http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?w=19bjg&storyId=4997253&i=TOP&topslot=1

Motivational Speech for Tonight

We'll save Hoosiers clips and the reading of 1 Samuel 17:49 for tomorrow.

PWD

Georgia gets Vandy Tonight

I really like our chances tonight for several reasons:

1. We beat Vandy soundly at home, and only lost by a very narrow margin in overtime at Memorial Gym.

2. This game isn't not in Memorial Gym. The Vandy crowd will be relatively small given that UK and UT fans own almost all the tickets to the event. If you've never been to an SEC Tourney, you can't appreciate how incredibly slanted the entire affair is towards UK. It's basically the Big Blue Invitational.

3. Vandy has nothing to play for. Their seed is pretty much set. Historically, Stallings is at his best in the tourney when he's on the bubble. The 'Dores know they aren't going to beat UK to win it all. So what are they really playing for?

I'm not guaranteeing a victory or anything insane, but I do like our chances. Especially, if we play defense like we did last night against Arkansas.

Interestingly, the Macon Telegraph reports that UGA doesn't have to finish with a winning record to get invited to the CBI or CIT tournaments. Those are Tier 3 tourneys behind the NCAA and NIT events. CollegeRPI.com and WarrenNolan.com have us with an RPI of 99 and 100 respectively. With a win over the Gators on Saturday and the emerging star power of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, the Dawgs might be an attractive get for those lesser tourneys, and we clearly need the experience.

Update: In news of the very weird...Jim Harrick is on the selection committee for the CIT's 16 team tournament. I've heard strong rumblings that he's a big fan of the Mark Fox hire. The CBI tourney is also a 16 team event played on campuses, but the final round is a best 2 out of 3 affair. Based on last year's attendees, the CBI is the more prestigious event.

UF and Miss State are both beatable opponents on Saturday, but we have to win tonight first.

See Also:
-- A high note in Nashville - ABH
-- Tired of talking about 2008 - AJC
-- A good time to win outside of GA - AJC
-- A hunch that Thompkins will be back - AJC

PWD

Of Clemson and Spring Football

Kyle King is all about playing Clemson in 2013. I am too, but I don't get why we're playing Clemson (2013/2014) and Oregon (2015, 2016) the same cycled home and home years as Georgia Tech. In other words, we're on the road at GT and Clemson in '13 and on the road at Oregon and GT in '15. That's the opposite of the way we've scheduled most of our other big OCC games since 2002 (Ok State aside).

I'm also in agreement with Blutarsky that the idea of playing Clemson in a Spring exhibition would also be fun. I will add to his take that we already do this with Clemson in Basketball. The NCAA allows for one closed scrimmage (no fans and no media) between schools per year, and UGA has elected to pair up with Clemson 3-4 times over the past few years. The match-ups started with Felton and Purnell as they were old friends, and it continued this year between Fox and Purnell.

I see little value in playing Clemson more than one series per decade in football (regular season). Mainly because it benefits them more than us in terms of in state recruiting. However, I'd like to see us play them every year for the rest of eternity in basketball. The old football mentality of "Clemson is an enemy" helps fill seats for basketball. And seat filling regional games would be a huge asset to basketball.

PWD

(Update: The original headline was "Of Clemson and Spring Break." It should've read "Of Clemson and Spring Football.")

Trey Thompkins named 1st team All-SEC

Trey becomes the first UGA player to make the first team All-SEC squad since Jarvis Hayes in 2002 and 2003.  In looking at the All-SEC roster and the broader SEC landscape, it looks like Trey would be one of the true front-runners for SEC Player of the Year if he returns for his junior season in Athens.

Some of the other top candidates would be: (Current Class Listed)

Chris Warren (Jr.) - Ole Miss
AJ Ogilvy (Jr.) - Vandy
Bledsoe (Fr.) - UK
Kenny Boyton (Fr.) - UF
Courtney Fortson (So.) - ARK
Scotty Hopson (So.) - UT

Assuming all of those guys come back.  Regardless, Trey has our best chance to win it since Dominique won it in 1981...the only time a UGA Player won the award. (Source: wikipedia)

PWD

I'm glad SOMEBODY finally got arrested

In 2009, we had the fewest off field football incidents that I can remember in about 15-20 years, and we had a season completely in the toilet. I think it was "scrambledawg" who called last year, "A Dumpster Fire" of a season. (via the DawgVent)

Last time we had a big armed QB in the news for being a dumbass, we finished #2 in the nation. My conclusion? Viva la Mettenboozer. So I say...Let the Good Times Roll!

Which reminds me....We know about The Cherrishinski and The Knowshon Moreshino. What's Zach's signature drink?

Update -- Suggestions so far for Zach's signature cocktail:

From DAve Akins
• Maybe a Mett-hatten or Mett-tropolitan?
  
• There's also Zach's Mambo
  
• Zach's De-Lish
  
• Big Zac(h)'s Morning After

From Walter Geiger of the Barnesville News:
• Mettentini - Grey Goose with a double shot of humility.

Others? I'm currently leaning towards the Mett-hatten.

PWD

Super, Craptacular Weekend

By way of a recap, here's what happened this weekend:

• The baseball team got pummeled, repeatedly, in a weekend sweep by Florida State. Imagine your worst nightmare as a baseball coach and that's what Perno got this weekend. The staff ace gave up seven earned in four innings, McRee gave up three earned and three walks without recording an out, and Cecil Tanner gave up six earned with six walks. No one outside of Johnathan Taylor on Friday night had any offensive production to note. Maybe it's the type of beating that wakes a team up, but if we play like that in conference play, it's going to be a long and sparsely attended baseball season.
• The basketball team lost one of the worst basketball games you will ever see Saturday. Both UGA and LSU shot under 37% from the field. Neither team scored a field goal for the first five and a half minutes of the game. It was 20-20 at the half. The Dawgs lost their best chance at a road win against one of the worst SEC basketball teams of recent vintage. As I've told PWD, it's literally impossible for us to win a road game. Impossible.
• The top ranked equestrian team even lost to Auburn.
• The carnage wasn't limited to current Bulldogs. John Isner, representing the USA in the Davis Cup in Serbia, lost his two singles matches. The US got beat 3-2. Isner did help get one win. When Mike Bryan got sick, Isner teamed up with Bob Bryan to win in doubles.
• To top it all off, freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger got arrested for actin' a fool outside a bar in Remerton. Guess that three way QB battle in spring practice just went to a two way race. Just as I am amazed by what otherwise wealthy people will do for a free t-shirt at a basketball game, I am amazed at what a college student will risk for a few beers.

There were a few bright spots. The softball team dominated with a couple of no-nos before conference play starts and the tennis teams won their matches.

Quinton

UGA QB Zach McLovin Arrested

As you likely know by now, Zach Mettenberger (age 18) was arrested in Remerton, Georgia on multiple misdemeanor charges including (per the AJC):

• Underage consumption/possession of alcohol
  
• disorderly conduct
  
• obstruction
  
• two counts of having fake identification

I'll start by saying that I really don't think this is a big deal. The kid got pinched for drinking on Spring Break. So what? It's a one or two game suspension. The only person he screwed in this deal is himself because it makes it dramatically more difficult for him to win the starting job. In terms of a risk point for UGA...it shouldn't matter much unless Murray gets hurt.

My issues are more with the police report. I mean seriously...who parties in Remerton, Georgia? You're less than 3 hours from the Beach during Spring Break where you can get away with anything short of murder, and you stop for a party in Remerton? That's like driving to Vegas but stopping to gamble in Bullhead City, Nevada. Or going to Carnival in Rio and stopping for beers with Amazonian villagers in a remote hut.

3 hours from freedom. And don't give me that "You're just an elitist Atlanta guy crapping on South Georgia." I've lived in Valdosta, and I sure as hell wouldn't party there OR Remerton.

As for the two fake ids? Come on Zach. That's amateur hour crap. What do you need a second fake ID for?

"Oh, you don't think I look like Admiral McLovin? Maybe, you'll be more comfortable if I were Mohammad Sadar."

Good grief.

PWD

Baseball Limps to Tally

The baseball team's strategy this year was going to reliant on strong pitching and manufacturing runs without the power bats we've enjoyed the last few years.  So far, that strategy has been working ... against Stetson and Presbyterian.  Against teams that you've heard of, the strategy isn't going as well.  The Dawgs have lost to Baylor, Duke and got popped by Bama Wednesday night, 13-2.  The road gets no smoother this weekend against No. 6 Florida State in Tallahassee.  Sunday's game is on Sun Sports, if you get that channel.

A major contributor to the uneven play has been injuries.  The infield lineup that we'll likely feature in SEC play hasn't even played together yet because of injuries and suspensions.  From georgiadogs.com:

"Georgia’s starting lineup consists of three freshmen and six sophomores, and the infield has yet to feature all four projected starters. Currently, the Bulldogs are without freshmen starting shortstop Kyle Farmer (out 3-6 weeks due to a broken hamate bone in left wrist) and sophomore second baseman Levi Hyams (sore back). Farmer, who is the team’s second leading hitter at .458, has missed the past three games while Hyams has yet to see action this season. Since Farmer’s injury, third baseman Colby May has moved to shortstop while redshirt freshman Kevin Ruiz and sophomore catcher Christian Glisson have split time at third base. Glisson had never played third base in his career while Ruiz saw some time there in the fall. Meanwhile at second base, freshman Todd Hankins has started all nine games this year. Ruiz along with freshman Robert Shipman filled in the first five games at first base while sophomore Chase Davidson was out with an elbow injury. Davidson has returned to first base the past three games. Hyams might see action in the field during the FSU series and could be back full-time by next week."

The young season does have a few sterling performances.  Zach Cone hit for the cycle in the season's second game.  He became the first Dawg to pull that off since Josh Smith in 2004.  Justin Grimm has pitched like the high draft pick he is expected to be.  He's got a 1.69 ERA in two games so far.  It's a small sample size, but Grimm's looked good.  Alex McRee has three saves in four appearances and eleven Ks, but he still walks too many batters.  Peter Verdin has at least one hit in every game this year.  

The team has some palpable talent, but the injuries will hamper us in the early going.  

Quinton

Spring Practice Day 1 Recaps

Image by Hipple
Spring is in the air. Don't you love it.

-- Grantham gets first taste - ABH
-- Live from Spring Practice - ABH
-- QBs divide snaps - ABH
-- Speed Bumps - Hale
-- QB Battle Royale - DawgSports
-- the Pleasure of uncertainty - GTP
-- Houston adjusting for UGA - Chattanooga Free Press
-- Chemistry coming together - Macon Telegraph
-- Pre-spring jitters for Charles - DawgPost

The players that I'm most curious about this Spring are Murray, Mettenberger, Washington, Hamilton and Samuel. Who are your top 5 players of intrigue this Spring?

PWD

If the SEC Tourney were tonight...

Georgia is tied with South Carolina at 5-10 in SEC play. Because of tie-breaker rules, we would be the 5 seed in the East if the SEC Tourney were tonight.

We would fall to the sixth seed if South Carolina wins at Vanderbilt as we'd move to head to head tie breaker C, which gives the nod to the chickens based on their win over Kentucky.

Said differently:

If UGA beats LSU and SC beats Vandy, UGA gets the 6 seed.
If both UGA and SC both lose, we get the 5 seed.
If UGA wins and SC loses, we get the 5 seed.
If SC wins and UGA loses, we obviously get the 6 seed.

The most likely scenario is that both of us lose on the road or UGA wins and SC loses. In either of those scenarios, we're the 5 seed in the East. Which means our most likely tournament path would be:

Round 1:
E5 UGA vs. W4 (Alabama/Arkansas/Auburn)

Round 2:
E5 UGA vs. E1 Kentucky

Round 3:
E5 UGA vs. W2 (ARK or Ole Miss) or E3 Tennessee

Round 4:
E5 UGA vs. E2 Vandy, W1 MSU or E4 Florida

In other words, we got a brutal draw with UK in the 2nd round. Damn.

PWD

Tennis Update, Past and Present

The men's tennis team will barnstorm Alabama this weekend: Tuscaloosa on Friday and Auburn on Sunday.  The team's currently ranked 11th in the ITA rankings, which has to be their first double digit ranking since Isner's sophomore year (2005?).  The team tried to return to the finals of the indoor championships last month, but #1 Virginia swept us 4-0 in the quarterfinals.  No shame in that, as UVa is usually really good and is now #1.  But, the Dawgs then lost to UF in the consolation bracket by an embarrassing 4-0 margin.  UF's good this year, but they shouldn't be sweeping us.  The Dawgs currently sit behind UT (#2), UF (#7), and UK (#8) in the national rankings.

Despite those setbacks, the team is still in the hunt for the longest home winning streak ever.  The current streak is at 68 and the record, held by UGA teams of the Magill era, is 76.  I doubt we get there.  Kentucky visits on March 12 and that match will be a fight.  Even if we get past the 'Cats, #5 Southern Cal visits on March 19 and #3 Ohio State visits on March 25.  If we can get through those matches with the streak intact, we can do anything this year, including win a national title.  I just think that's too large a task for this year's team.  Big crowds will help, so stop by a tennis match if you can.

I should have mentioned this months ago, but tennis alum John Isner is starting to come into his own this year on the pro circuit.  He won his first ATP tournament in Auckland before making a nice run in the Australian Open.  During the Aussie Open, ESPN did this profile of John that features Manny Diaz and UGA prominently.  Last month, John reached the finals of the Morgan Keegan tournament in Memphis, but lost a hard fought match against fellow American, Sam Querrey, his doubles partner.  John's run has him currently at #20 in the world and the second highest ranked American.  Vanity Fair recently profiled him about the Memphis event.  The guy's a walking billboard for the tennis program and a Damn Good Dawg.


Keep up the good work, John!

BY THE WAY: Isner is representing the U. S. of A. on the Davis Cup team this weekend.  Tennis Channel will have live and replay coverage.  

Quinton

Senior Night Bball Pregame Trick Shot

From Connor Nolte's blog -- Passer's Remorse. Gotta love Ricky's shot.

PWD

Calipari Impressed by UGA visit

Coach Calipari gets it (from the AJC):

“Georgia,” he said, “is one of those gem jobs that no one realizes.”

He cites the recruiting base and the new facilities as reasons for the optimism for UGA people.

Update: Dean Legge has a great video interview with Calipari. He's even more glowing in his praise in the video.

How good is the in state basketball talent in GA? In football, Texas and California are the top producers of recruits with Florida right on their heels. In basketball the changing demographics and exploding talent base would make Illinois Basketball more like Texas Football and Georgia's in state hoops talent pool is analogous to Florida's football talent base.

Things are going well with 2011 recruiting, and that's the class that will define this coaching staff. The Early Signing Period for 2011 starts in Nov. 2010. The biggest recruits for Coach Fox to land between now and then are:

1. Trey Thompkins
2 (Tie) Kentavious Caldwell
2 (Tie) Dai-Jon Parker
2 (Tie) Julian Royal
5. Any of the 9 other Top 150 players in the nation who call GA their home

I think we'll sign two of the big three in state b-ball players, and I really hope / think Trey comes back.

If Thompkins returns, we should be in good shape for a tourney run. Especially considering the progress that Jeremy Price is making along with the developing outside shot of Dustin Ware and the addition of Gerald Robinson Jr.

I remain very optimistic about the future of UGA basketball.

PWD

UK is more than 12 points more talented than UGA

The talent assembled in Lexington this year is on par with the 1996-1998 Wildcats and the 2 Gator national title squads. I was at the Cats vs. UConn game in Madison Square Garden, and it's impressive the amount of progress Wall and Cousins have made.

Make no mistake about it. They are more than 12 points more talented than the difference in last night's score or the 10 point average difference in the two contests. To me, that means we're squeezing near the maximum out of what we do have.

Couple of Thoughts about the Game:

• Coach Fox's Tirade - I loved seeing Fox lose his mind against the refs last night. That was the single biggest butt chewing of an official that I've witnessed that didn't involve a technical foul. If I were a recruit, I'd love having a guy on my side that had my back like that.
  
  
• Trey Thompkins - In front of a pack of NBA scouts who are following the Wall, Cousins, Patterson, etc. show Trey really underwhelmed. Some of that was attributable to the foul situation, but some of it was he's just not ready to face an NBA front court...yet.
  
  
• The Crowd - Best environment for a UGA game since at least Felton's first year against UK and UF. It may have been better than either of those two games and you may have to go back to that religious experience game against Florida days after the Cole / Harrick story broke the prior year. Regardless, it's been a long six or seven years. It was good to have butts in seats going ballistic for this team.
  
  
• Charles Barkley - If memory serves, Barkley was on the selection committee that eventually named Jeff Lebo. Barkley presented the committee with three names of candidates who he knew were extremely interested in the job including Indiana's Mike Davis, UAB's Mike Anderson and VCU's Jeff Capel. All three had been to the NCAA Tourney, two of them had advanced to the Sweet 16 and beyond, and all three were black. None of them were seriously considered in favor of hiring Jeff Lebo...the only candidate who hadn't been to the dance...and was white. Barkley stepped down from the committee prior to the Lebo announcement in anger. His appearance in Athens was the final thumb in the eye to Lebo and Auburn. On the night Beard-Eaves closed its doors, Charles should've been there. Even though he was right about Lebo, he still should've been there. That's one dude you don't want on your bad side. BTW -- He's got to be pushing 350 lbs. He's HUGE.

Here are some headlines from the game:

-- UK blocks 14 shots - ABH
-- Talent trumps grit - AJC
-- Cats pull away - Lexington Herald
-- UK Overwhelms UGA - MaconTelegraph
-- UGA loses big - Red and Black
-- Postmortem - UK Blog
-- Instantaneous Wrapup - DawgSports

PWD

About the Blog

I've obviously not been posting as much the past few months, and I'm not sure when or if the level of activity / posting will return to the ultra high-level of the 2008 season when we were at our peak.

Some of the reduction in posts is due to increased work related travel. Some of it is due to tighter work related IT firewalls. Some of it is due to burnout. And some of it is due to quite a bit of courting on my end. Yeah me.

This isn't an excuse post. I'm just telling you what the deal is because many of you have either emailed me or posted in the comments. I don't know what's in store for the site long term, but I know I'm NOT shutting it down.

I'm just reassessing things. I've got an idea or two to make the blog better (beyond simply posting more often). We'll see if I get to them any time soon.

I'm happy with the decisions and priorities I've made regarding this site and my spare time (this isn't my profession). Just bear with me. I imagine that I'll catch my second wind sooner or later.

Go Dawgs.

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

Student Tickets Available for Tonight

(UPDATE: Student Tickets for UK are now Sold Out)

Hoops Student Tickets On Sale Wednesday

UGA student tickets for tonight’s men’s basketball game against Kentucky are $2 and can be purchased at the UGA Bookstore (9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.) and Stegeman Coliseum Ticket Booth 4 starting at 6:00p.m. today.

Students must present a valid UGA ID card for each ticket they wish to purchase and buy up to 4 tickets. All student sales are cash only.

Student Ticket Sales Locations

9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. UGA Bookstore

6:00p.m. Stegeman Coliseum Ticket Booth 4