This season/ This program

4,723 Views | 14 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by mmixon
dawg212003
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To start the season I had really high hopes. Yes we lost a big part in Robinson and Cole, but we also brought back majority of the starters that had good experience. Not to mention a really good recruiting class. I am really disappointed in the outcome with this season. Majority of the girls don't look like they have been developed. That blame rest solely on Joni and her staff. Something definitely needs to change. Whether it be Joni or a shake up in her coaching staff. The program of old isn't here anymore. Georgia used to be one of the top programs with a storied history and could recruit with the best of them. Not so much anymore. We are getting passed by programs we used to beat every year. It's really sad to see what direction this program is heading.
bhdawg
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Watched the team last nite and on 6 rebounds and fast breaks , here is what we got. One layup and 5 T O s. Cant win like that folks. Fundamentals are lacking here. JMO
Dawg44
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It's been at least 25 years since we recruited very well.
mmixon
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It hasn't been that long, in fact we recruited very well starting this century. 2000 we started with Christi Thomas, 01 the Braxton Twins, Jessica Pierce, Ebony Felder, 02 Sherrill Baker, Alexis Kendrick, Marquita Driskell, 03 Janese Hardrick and Cori Chambers. After that it went down for a while. The key to that was Landers had Terri Flournoy Williams as his recruiting coordinator until 01, Michael Shafer was her under study who took over until he became a head coach. We didn't get another better than average class until Kim Hairston signed Jasmine James, Jasmine Hassell, Anne Marie Armstrong, Tamika Willis and Enoni Jones. After that, Kim left for the University of Virginia and now she just took over as Head Coach over East Carolina. She previously turned around the University of Hartford. Kim is headed for great things in her career. I was coaching YBOA between 2006 till 2011 when I had the time and we asked her to come to my home town to do a camp and she came right on and my girls loved her. In fact I had three that went D1 and they all went to college on scholarships. Doesn't get any better than that. Looking at Joni and her staff, taking over a big-time program, you really need experience on coaching and putting together a staff that can be successful. Joni is learning on the job and her staff is learning on the job. I know they have some experience, but not leading a top program. We have a couple of players coming in next year but I just see more of the same of what we're doing now. We need that big time recruiter.
Dawg44
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Agree we need better recruiters. I bet Joni would do fine if she had South Carolina's players? And I know a coach is responsible for her own recruiting.
We did sign some better than average players in the last 25 years. But we never had any classes ranked in the top ten that I can remember during that time? Many of the really great ones didn't want to come and be yelled at constantly. That's all Andy did. Nothing but mean and hateful comments all the time. Modern players won't go for that when there are tons of better choices out there. It's sad but true. I honestly don't feel like Joni has had a single great player in her five years. I'm talking about difference makers. Unstoppable players like all the top ten programs have. I'm all for us doing whatever we need to do to get great players!
mmixon
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I agree with you Dawg44, I hated seeing Landers chewing out players during games. That does not make players play better. That was one of the biggest reason recruiting started dropping off and especially the state of Georgia. We have had some great players but we don't have a staff that can develop them. Mckenzie Engram needed someone to really work with her on getting her body in quicker position to make lay-ups and mid-range jumpers. If Mckenzie make two-thirds of her lay-ups her senior year she might have average 20 pts. easy. Caliya Robinson should have been better and the fact that Taja Cole left us after last season was an indicator that changes on our staff should have been made. The staff recruiting is terrible for the simple reason they don't know how to get what they need even though it probably want be a 5 star. I am going to give you a player they need to be all over now. Brianna Turnage is one they should be keeping some kind of contact with everyday. She is 6'1" or 6'2" and she can do anything on the court. She plays with the best team in Georgia hands down-Westlake. That team has everybody point guard Raven Johnson who they are targeting and that's fine. But they should not be after Turnage because of Raven, they should stay after this young lady just as hard as Raven and let her know that she could have great value at UGA. Brianna reminds me so much of DiDi Richards of Baylor their do everything player. Not only can Brianna rebound and play defense on anyone she can score with the best of them and she can shoot the jump shot with accuracy from the three point line. For some reason I think UGA is trying to make it a package deal which most times doesn't work. The Staff also like to magazine recruit and by that I am saying they go after the highest ranked player which insults the next ranked player. The one thing I liked about Landers is he never did that. Take for example we needed a point guard for the 2003 class, we wanted Alexis Kendrick but when Sherrill Baker who was lower ranked made her choice early we got her first plus we kinda knew that Janese Hardrick was coming in the next class even though she was committed to South Carolina at the time. If you are recruiting you target 3 players for the same position and you take the first one no matter what their ranking is and if another one wants to come you take her as well. They need to get out of those magazines and get out there and see those kids as often as possible. We wanted Olivia Nelson-Ododa but why wasn't we on Jessika Carter as hard instead of letting Miss State walk in an take her without any resistance, the same Nausia Woolfolk and Morgan Jones of FSU. That is one of the biggest things I see from this staff is knowing who to recruit and how to put together a Team that can win in the SEC. And I definitely agree that we are falling every year closer to the bottom when in the nineties and the beginning of this century we were at the top of the SEC,
dawg212003
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Sorry. Then how does Baylor and UConn stay near the top and can recruit with the best of them? You can't, with a straight face, say both Geno and Kim don't yell and scream at their players. You see it every game they are on.
mmixon
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Badboyoncampus01, they don't yell at their players all the time. Landers did try to tone it down the last few years but it was some cases I saw him really chew out some players during games that was excessive. It's a different game today. If kids aren't happy with a coach at all they are in the transfer portal.
Dawg44
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Those coaches only yell at their players a few times a game if needed. Landers yelled all the time. Nonstop. It's not effective if you yell all the time. Great players are not interested in playing in that environment when they can go play anywhere else they want to go.
Dawg44
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Great information Mixon. I really value your post and opinions.
dawg212003
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Joni needs to do the right thing and step down. No excuse she should still be the coach.
Slappy Sloppy15
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Mediocrity in basketball period, men or women. Even when the coaches get 4 star level or 5 star talent. The players seem to progress very slowly and sometimes not at all. The team has no depth cause you don't put them in positions to learn. Spot minutes here or there. And the team isn't exactly Tourney bound doing this way so what could it hurt to throw them in the fire now. Bodes better for the future, it's perplexing to watch both Joni and Tom.
mmixon
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I am going to address both Teams. First, the Men's Team is in a better spot than the Women's Team. Tom Crean is a very experience coach. He coached Marquette to the 2003 final four, he went to Indiana after that and he won 2 Big 10 Titles and reached the sweet sixteen 3 times. He has a very good resume. I like what he has done already at UGA. After his first season he goes out and signs Anthony Edwards who will be a top 5 draft pick this year if he chooses to leave. But add in 8 other freshman with a grad transfer and he already has UGA competing very well. He has signed two incoming freshman and a couple of JC Players for next year and I already see his team getting better. Very experience coaching staff with outstanding recruiters with a very good strength and conditioning staff I am looking to start if not next year but for sure 2021/22 to be a main stay in the NCAA. Once we get there I am looking for recruiting to get even better. Now the Women's Team is totally different. McGarity hired Joni with no experience as a head coach at a major program that has been successful. Most successful programs like to go out and hire someone who is already coached at other institutions like Tom Crean. Now Joni has done okay but nothing to jump up and down and say this program is top ten. The Team did okay when we had Mackenzie Engram, Caliya Robinson and Taja Cole. But she hasn't replace those kind of players with recruiting and it doesn't look good down the road. As the late Dennis Green said, you are what your record says you are. The talent on this team is below NCAA Tourney level. We have 14 players on this team with two seniors and two signees. So you only have room for one more player no matter what. I just don't see this Team being any better next year or the next. This Team is going to have to make a complete overhaul.
dawg212003
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One of the biggest things you have left out is the lack of development. These girls don't look like they are being developed. At all.
88969
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I love Joni as a person, but she just hasn't shown the ability to attract top talent or coach them up. Unfortunately, this once elite program seems to be in a race to the bottom. I find it hard to believe we can't compete with schools like NC State, Missouri State, DePaul, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota State, Florida Gulf Coast, Princeton, Stony Brook and Central Michigan, much less the lower tier of the SEC. Sad,
mmixon
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Badboyoncampus01, you are right about the young ladies not being developed. Mackenzie Engram and Caliya Robinson with good development should have made it in the WNBA. I felt like Taja Cole left us to try and get that development with someone else. It's very sad because if you look at our football team Kirby has the best recruiting staff in college football. UGA just finish with another number one class and that's because he was never afraid to go out and find the right people who can coach and recruit. That's why I feel like Tom Crean will be successful as well. If Joni is replaced, then McGarity needs to get a coaching search this time and spend the money to lure a top notch coach like Kim Mulkey. Kim played on back to back National Championship Teams at La Tech and she became an assistant after her playing career were she assisted La Tech on a National Championship Team and multiple final four team before taking over at Baylor who was on the bottom when she went there. Now Baylor is up there with UCONN and Notre Dame every year and they have won 10 Big 12 Championships in a row. I had a list when Landers stepped down but I never got a chance to display it. I had Nell Fortner, Gail Goestenkors and Niele Ivey. Nell built the Purdue Team that won the 1999 that won the National Championship Team that she didn't get to coach because she had been selected to coach the 2000 Olympic Team that she led to the Goal Medal. Gail Goestenkors built Duke into a power that had went to multiple final fours and Niele Ivey who led Notre Dame to the 2001 National Championship and she has been Muppet McGraw right hand at Notre Dame in recruiting and coaching. Niele has landed great player after great player and we have seen the results this decade. She is an assistant in the NBA right now but she needs to be coaching in college were she belongs.
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