Confirmed: Mark Fox names Philip Pearson as Assistant Basketball Coach

The AJC has confirmed what we projected yesterday. Mark Fox has named Philip Pearson, former Alabama interim head coach and assistant for 11 years, as an assistant head coach for the Georgia Bulldogs. The Birmingham News also confirmed the hire.

As we outlined yesterday, Pearson had more success recruiting highly rated high school talent from the state of Georgia over the past 10 years than Dennis Felton and Jim Harrick's staffs combined.

Early this morning, Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News spoke glowingly of the rumored Pearson to Bama move.

"Everybody who thinks Georgia didn't get it when it went outside the conference, the region and the box to hire new basketball coach Mark Fox, get this:

Fox gets it. He's thinking of hiring Philip Pearson.

Sealing that deal would be the smartest move the Georgia coach has made since accepting a job that'll pay him $1.3 million a year for six years."

This could be the best assistant coaching move for UGA basketball since Hugh Durham hired Tevester Anderson. Old time UGA hoops fans know that was a compliment.

UPDATE: The team had their first practice with Fox, Pearson and Kwanza Johnson today.

PWD
Georgia Sports Blog