Mark Fox (Image: Georgiadogs.com. Click to Enlarge)I watched the Mark Fox introductory press conference live on GXtra, and I'm lousy at taking detailed notes. However, here's my best shot at the sound bites that most interested me. I paraphrased a few lines, but you'll get the idea. I got as close as I could without a replay button.
Q: When did you first become aware of the UGA position?
A: "My interest in Georgia goes way back. I talked to a search firm a few years ago about another job. They wanted me to consider it, and I replied 'It's not like it's Georgia.'"
Q: How are you going to compete with the great coaches in the SEC?
A: "Well...Billy Donovan is a great coach, but Billy Donovan and I aren't playing one on one. Which is good because he's a better player than I am. Now, Calipari and his bad hip, I could probably take him."
Q: How do you get the local talent pipeline going:
A: "First, you have to let recruits know that their dreams can come true at this institution. Every young kid wants to play in the NBA, and every kid needs to realize that he'll have to work for 3 or 4 decades after basketball. We can help do both." (This is a heavy paraphrase. If I butchered the line, you'll see a better quote from the beat writers. But I liked what he said.)
Q: Are you going to get a local assistant?
A: "We will hire someone who is familiar with this area. That's not something we take lightly."
Q: Are you close with Trent Johnson?
A: "Trent Johnson and I are very close. He introduced me to my wife. 99 days out of 100 I thank him for that."
Q: What are your Offensive and Defensive philosophies?
A: "You can't always control what situations you get yourself into so you have to be flexible. Offensively, we want to play as fast as we can play well. Everything starts with defense and rebounding. Defensively, we're mainly a man to man team. You can't rebound if the other guy is making all of his shots. Offensively, we put a premium on shot selection, and we have to execute in the half court."
Overall, he was saying that it would depend on our talent level as to what the systems would look like initially vs. eventually.
Q: Are you bringing any assistants with you?
A: PWD NOTE: He's bringingtwo assistants one assistant. The most senior assistant will likely become head coach at Nevada. The one assistant he did name was Kwanza Johnson.
Johnson played for Tubby Smith at Tulsa. The guy has a Bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from Tulsa. Fox said, "Johnson is a shooting star assistant in this profession. I'm thrilled to have him." He was a senior on Tubby's last team there and went to two consecutive Sweet 16s. He was Team Captain and an all conference defensive player at Tulsa. When you start your college career as a JUCO and walk away with an economics degree and a law degree, you are most certainly an overachiever. He's exactly the type of coach we need on the recruiting trail and setting an example for the player in terms of work ethic. (Note: that's me talking...not Fox)
A: "My interest in Georgia goes way back. I talked to a search firm a few years ago about another job. They wanted me to consider it, and I replied 'It's not like it's Georgia.'"
Q: How are you going to compete with the great coaches in the SEC?
A: "Well...Billy Donovan is a great coach, but Billy Donovan and I aren't playing one on one. Which is good because he's a better player than I am. Now, Calipari and his bad hip, I could probably take him."
Q: How do you get the local talent pipeline going:
A: "First, you have to let recruits know that their dreams can come true at this institution. Every young kid wants to play in the NBA, and every kid needs to realize that he'll have to work for 3 or 4 decades after basketball. We can help do both." (This is a heavy paraphrase. If I butchered the line, you'll see a better quote from the beat writers. But I liked what he said.)
Q: Are you going to get a local assistant?
A: "We will hire someone who is familiar with this area. That's not something we take lightly."
Q: Are you close with Trent Johnson?
A: "Trent Johnson and I are very close. He introduced me to my wife. 99 days out of 100 I thank him for that."
Q: What are your Offensive and Defensive philosophies?
A: "You can't always control what situations you get yourself into so you have to be flexible. Offensively, we want to play as fast as we can play well. Everything starts with defense and rebounding. Defensively, we're mainly a man to man team. You can't rebound if the other guy is making all of his shots. Offensively, we put a premium on shot selection, and we have to execute in the half court."
Overall, he was saying that it would depend on our talent level as to what the systems would look like initially vs. eventually.
Q: Are you bringing any assistants with you?
A: PWD NOTE: He's bringing
Johnson played for Tubby Smith at Tulsa. The guy has a Bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from Tulsa. Fox said, "Johnson is a shooting star assistant in this profession. I'm thrilled to have him." He was a senior on Tubby's last team there and went to two consecutive Sweet 16s. He was Team Captain and an all conference defensive player at Tulsa. When you start your college career as a JUCO and walk away with an economics degree and a law degree, you are most certainly an overachiever. He's exactly the type of coach we need on the recruiting trail and setting an example for the player in terms of work ethic. (Note: that's me talking...not Fox)
Overall, I was impressed. He has a comfortable presence in front of the camera, and a strong dry wit. He wasn't doing slapstick on the podium, but he was disarmingly charming. When you compare a Dennis Felton press conference / filibuster to this it's night and day. He didn't need notes or a script. He just talked comfortably about the situation.
I'm encouraged.
PWD
(BTW -- He had the God given sense to wear what looked like a gray suit with a red and black tie. Thankfully)
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