In our ongoing series about the perceived woes of Georgia basketball, today's installment is on tradition. Several people argue that Georgia will never have a consistently good basketball team because there is no precedent for a clean, sustained period of basketball excellence. It's another argument that does a disservice to our university and its goals of competing at the highest levels in all realms.
The first problem with this argument is that it presumes results based on past performances. In college athletics over the long term, such analysis breaks down fairly quickly. While it may be easier for Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, and Michigan to consistently win on the gridiron, that in no way prevents relative upstarts like Miami (Fla.), Florida, or Florida State, all of whom have won multiple national championships only in the past thirty years, from now beating the old guard consistently and winning championships.
Basketball is even more fluid than football. It requires fewer resources, so more schools can compete effectively. This has been proven by the sustained success of Gonzaga or Butler over recent years. Such results aren't limited to those two. Seven of the top 15 teams in this week's basketball poll have never won a national championship. If tradition mattered so much, UCLA and Kentucky should play for the national championship every year. Neither of those teams, by the way, are in the top 15.
There are two interrelated things that trump tradition: money and coaching. Here's a brief comparison. Before the 1990-91 season, Georgia basketball had two conference championships, cracked the AP top 25 in four seasons, and made four NCAA tournament appearances (although one was later vacated because of NCAA violations). Until that same season, Florida had won one conference championship, appeared in the AP top 25 four years, and had three NCAA tournament appearances. The two programs were virtually identical.*
So what happened in 1990? UF hired Lon Kruger to bring them from irrelevance to mediocrity. Kruger did just that. He also guided the Gators to a Final Four appearance. Kruger's results were spotty, but his hiring put UF basketball on a distinct upward trend. Then, when Kruger left, Billy Donovan came in and made the Gators a national power. All it took was good coaching hires and the commitment to the program that great coaches demand.
UF, a school with no appreciable basketball tradition, went on to win back-to-back national titles after their program's long history of losing. UGA, meanwhile, has remained stuck in its past, watching lots of upstarts with far fewer resources, a much smaller native talent base, and much less potential for national appeal pass the Dawgs by.
It doesn't have to be that way. We have already built a state of the art practice facility and there are talks of further renovations to Stegeman. It appears that the athletic department realizes our program has the same potential Florida has realized. No one is rationally demanding national titles in the short run. What I will demand, however, is a team that is competitive in the SEC. All it takes is money and coaching.
Quinton
The first problem with this argument is that it presumes results based on past performances. In college athletics over the long term, such analysis breaks down fairly quickly. While it may be easier for Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, and Michigan to consistently win on the gridiron, that in no way prevents relative upstarts like Miami (Fla.), Florida, or Florida State, all of whom have won multiple national championships only in the past thirty years, from now beating the old guard consistently and winning championships.
Basketball is even more fluid than football. It requires fewer resources, so more schools can compete effectively. This has been proven by the sustained success of Gonzaga or Butler over recent years. Such results aren't limited to those two. Seven of the top 15 teams in this week's basketball poll have never won a national championship. If tradition mattered so much, UCLA and Kentucky should play for the national championship every year. Neither of those teams, by the way, are in the top 15.
There are two interrelated things that trump tradition: money and coaching. Here's a brief comparison. Before the 1990-91 season, Georgia basketball had two conference championships, cracked the AP top 25 in four seasons, and made four NCAA tournament appearances (although one was later vacated because of NCAA violations). Until that same season, Florida had won one conference championship, appeared in the AP top 25 four years, and had three NCAA tournament appearances. The two programs were virtually identical.*
So what happened in 1990? UF hired Lon Kruger to bring them from irrelevance to mediocrity. Kruger did just that. He also guided the Gators to a Final Four appearance. Kruger's results were spotty, but his hiring put UF basketball on a distinct upward trend. Then, when Kruger left, Billy Donovan came in and made the Gators a national power. All it took was good coaching hires and the commitment to the program that great coaches demand.
UF, a school with no appreciable basketball tradition, went on to win back-to-back national titles after their program's long history of losing. UGA, meanwhile, has remained stuck in its past, watching lots of upstarts with far fewer resources, a much smaller native talent base, and much less potential for national appeal pass the Dawgs by.
It doesn't have to be that way. We have already built a state of the art practice facility and there are talks of further renovations to Stegeman. It appears that the athletic department realizes our program has the same potential Florida has realized. No one is rationally demanding national titles in the short run. What I will demand, however, is a team that is competitive in the SEC. All it takes is money and coaching.
Quinton
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