Team finishes on a cool 16 game losing streak.... Nice job....

Hey, we finished 16-16. That's progress after the debacle that was Crean.... Sure, we struggled in conference, but White doesn't have his players. The SEC was really tough this year; experts are predicting as many as 8 teams in the NCAA tournament. That's nuts. And honestly, some of the players on our team just either have very little talent or play with no heart.... We didn't "peak" under Fox; the SEC was weak.

dawglegright said:

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The only thing that peaked in the Foxy era was my blood pressure.

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Also the post-Harrick, post-self-imposed-death-penalty Georgia basketball program.

Listen, I was not a fan of Fox, and I find the amount we still talk about him on this board to be tiresome (my sincere apology for my small part in that today), but the 2014-15 season was about it. Yes, the SEC was much weaker, but you play the league you're in.

To that point, and moving on from our old friend, the league is stronger now, and the coaches better, and that's why I thought the hire last year merited a bolder move. Character issues aside, if Ole Miss snags Beard, that's yet another program likely to soon outclass us.

The talent this season was middling at best, and the wins were nice. Winning the games you're supposed to win is no small thing, and we won (most of) them. I like watching wins more than I like watching losses.

However, the stats paint a bleaker picture. In conference play, the results weren't a whole lot better than last year: a defense that was last in points allowed and nearly last in most other defensive categories and an offense that only did one thing well (get to the free throw line, same as last year). See for yourself: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/georgia/men/2023.html

That's where I struggle. I need someone to point out one (positive) indelible mark Coach White left on the program this season. I need someone to help me find the indicators that we're headed in a better direction. I may just be missing them.

I'm not mad at anyone for being optimistic that White will turn things around. However, that optimism seems to be based only what he's done at previous stops, and not on anything we saw on the court this year.

At midseason I never thought I would be with you, but here we are. One positive i can spin is while we played crappy, we played crappy with a purpose, unlike with Crean where I felt like we were undisciplined and running around with no purpose or plan.

We only have 6-7 players eligible to return in 23-24, and I am already hearing whispers of a mass exodus of those players. The issue with O in the second half has done nothing to squelch those fires.

We can't continue to rebuild a roster wholesale year after year. We can't afford to drink solely from the transfer market. There is a REASON players transfer, and it mostly ain't because they are maximizing their potential where they left, and if they were, they are attempting a step up in class.

It's just a vicious cycle. All I/we can do is hope for the best. White has been on the case less than a year. We've given others who will not be mentioned anymore far more rope..

Holy cow! You expect a coach in his first year on the job, playing mostly with kids he did not recruit, to leave some "indelible" mark on the program? That's asking more than a bit much. White is known for having teams that play tough defense. We didn't have players that could do that. Oquendo, in particular, is a constant culprit. He's got all the talent in the world, but if you can't play both ends of the court, you don't play for White. Too often as fans, we judge a player by how many points he puts up. Good coaches don't do that. A former UGA player pointed out to me last year that many of KO's points came after the game was decided. He was right. KO is often lazy and doesn't hustle. He and JAR have always played defense with their hands and not their feet. It's like Kirby requiring backs and receivers to be able to block before they can get on the field. A lot of people were doubting Kirby after his first year, too. Now, I'm not saying White is gonna start winning national championships anytime soon, but we have to get to relevance first. And the first step is to rebuild the roster. Dean Smith was burned in effigy in Chapel Hill early in his tenure. Given time, he did OK. Not saying White is a Dean Smith, but he deserves time.

Nostradawgus said:

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At midseason I never thought I would be with you, but here we are. One positive i can spin is while we played crappy, we played crappy with a purpose, unlike with Crean where I felt like we were undisciplined and running around with no purpose or plan.

We only have 6-7 players eligible to return in 23-24, and I am already hearing whispers of a mass exodus of those players. The issue with O in the second half has done nothing to squelch those fires.

We can't continue to rebuild a roster wholesale year after year. We can't afford to drink solely from the transfer market. There is a REASON players transfer, and it mostly ain't because they are maximizing their potential where they left, and if they were, they are attempting a step up in class.

It's just a vicious cycle. All I/we can do is hope for the best. White has been on the case less than a year. We've given others who will not be mentioned anymore far more rope..

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I'm just not getting it. OK, we didn't finish the season well, but we ended 16-16 after winning just 6 games last year - and we just don't have a good roster. Honestly, I don't think the staff would regret a few transfers. Who do you really want back? Hill, definitely. JAR maybe, but he may go play for his uncle. Not Roberts. Not Oquendo. Holt for defense perhaps. Moncrieffe would have to come off the bench. I'm running out of choices here.

As for using the portal to rebuild, you absolutely can. Wake Forst was a portal rebuild; Baylor built an NCAA championship on the portal. The portal has made many teams better. There are going to be plenty of good players in the portal. But we won't be dependent solely on the portal. White and his staff will recruit HS kids, too.

I don't get the feeling of panic after 1 year by some.

Monkdawg said:

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You expect a coach in his first year on the job, playing mostly with kids he did not recruit, to leave some "indelible" mark on the program?

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I do actually.

Or perhaps my language was a bit too strong. If so, mea culpa. Maybe I'm just looking for some sort of identity. Something to tell me his coaching made a difference. I keep hearing his identity is defense, but my eyes don't see it. Does coaching matter? Is it just talent? Is "don't leave your feet" not something that can be drilled? How about communication and rotation on defense? Closing out under control? Are our players just too dense?

How about ball movement on offense? Did you see how Missouri (as one example of many) had us off balance the entire game with their cutting and ball movement? Is their talent just that superior? Does coaching not matter until the talent is there?

How about rebounding? Good God in heaven, the rebounding...

It may seem like I'm panicking, but I'm not. I will be patient. Anyone who has been a fan as long as any of us on this board has the patience of Job.

I do hope my skepticism can be understood, though. All that has changed since I became a season-ticket holder is the price of my parking (up 50%) and soon the location of my seat (almost certainly worse). As a fan, "at least we had the Harrick years" doesn't do it for me anymore. As we come up on the third straight season of almost certain complete roster makeover, I need something to grasp onto.

Hopefully, in a few weeks/months, that something is a growing list of talented transfers and some big-time 2024 commitments.

BTW, Fox was fired an hour ago....

StevieBuckets said:

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Monkdawg said:

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You expect a coach in his first year on the job, playing mostly with kids he did not recruit, to leave some "indelible" mark on the program?

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I do actually.

Or perhaps my language was a bit too strong. If so, mea culpa. Maybe I'm just looking for some sort of identity. Something to tell me his coaching made a difference. I keep hearing his identity is defense, but my eyes don't see it. Does coaching matter? Is it just talent? Is "don't leave your feet" not something that can be drilled? How about communication and rotation on defense? Closing out under control? Are our players just too dense?

How about ball movement on offense? Did you see how Missouri (as one example of many) had us off balance the entire game with their cutting and ball movement? Is their talent just that superior? Does coaching not matter until the talent is there?

How about rebounding? Good God in heaven, the rebounding...

It may seem like I'm panicking, but I'm not. I will be patient. Anyone who has been a fan as long as any of us on this board has the patience of Job.

I do hope my skepticism can be understood, though. All that has changed since I became a season-ticket holder is the price of my parking (up 50%) and soon the location of my seat (almost certainly worse). As a fan, "at least we had the Harrick years" doesn't do it for me anymore. As we come up on the third straight season of almost certain complete roster makeover, I need something to grasp onto.

Hopefully, in a few weeks/months, that something is a growing list of talented transfers and some big-time 2024 commitments.

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I think there are 2 schools of thought - 1) you can play your style regardless of your talent to try to establish your identity, regardless of who you have on the roster or 2) you can try to play to the strengths of the players you have. I think White tried to play with what he had, for better or worse. I don't think he was telling kids not to rebound or not to play defense. They just didn't have the right mind-set. I love Hill. That kid plays hard and smart. He hustles, he leads, he plays defense, he takes good shots. No one else on the team really does.

Here is the comprehensive list of players I'd like to see return next year:

• Justin Hill (to me, the most improved player on the roster by a long shot)
• Jabri Abdur-Rahim (can't do much of anything but shoot with his feet set, but that's not nothing)
• Jusaun Holt (a tenacious defender and "energy guy" who, hopefully, finds some scoring ability; I believe he's already announced that he's returning)

If he is remotely coachable, add Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe to that list.

I hope my list is much, much longer a year from now!

StevieBuckets said:

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Here is the comprehensive list of players I'd like to see return next year:

• Justin Hill (to me, the most improved player on the roster by a long shot)
• Jabri Abdur-Rahim (can't do much of anything but shoot with his feet set, but that's not nothing)
• Jusaun Holt (a tenacious defender and "energy guy" who, hopefully, finds some scoring ability; I believe he's already announced that he's returning)

If he is remotely coachable, add Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe to that list.

I hope my list is much, much longer a year from now!

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That's pretty much my list, as well.