Tom Crean: Tech Rivalry "Really Important"
ATHENS - Leading up to the annual UGA-Tech game, UGA coach Tom Crean talked with reporters about the importance of the game.
Head Coach Tom Crean
On the Georgia Tech game and moving it to earlier in the season…
“I think just for students. I think so that it hits both school’s students. I think that was the biggest reason.
On before coaching at Georgia what he knew about the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry…
“I didn’t know a lot about it. I would follow it like I would follow other rivalries, but I think it's really important. I think last year getting a dose of it inside of Atlanta inside of their arena was really good for us, and really good for me to get a feel for how important it is to people. I just think it's one of those deals that no matter where you're at your season, no matter where you're at in your program, no matter where you're at in your record, it doesn't matter when that game comes, and I think that's really important. I think that's what makes it such a good rivalry game.
On the beating Georgia Tech and the impact it would have on recruiting…
“We want to win every game we play, and that that certainly we want to win that one, but that recruiting is a is a 24 hour, seven day a week situation, and it never comes down as much to one or two games. It comes down to the development of your program and what do you do with the players. With that being said, Georgia Tech is obviously a game, much like them, we want to win the game just like we want to win every game.”
On what his first impressions of Georgia Tech’s team are…
"They're really fast and much improved. I'm not putting words in [head coach Josh Pastner’s] mouth, but [it’s] probably the best team I've seen that he has had (there). They're very deep. They shoot the ball so much better than they did a year ago. [Michael] Devoe has improved tremendously. He's shooting 75 percent from the three already. The addition of Bubba Parham makes a difference for them. Jose Alvarado is playing with really good maturity and, like I said, they're deep. They can do a lot of different things. They can play different ways, and they can keep the speed of the game going, and I think they do a really good job. Defensively, they do a tremendous job with their ball screen defense. They're getting back in transition well. They’ve got length, so they can mix man and zone, which they do. They’re getting very good movement without the ball. I know cutting is a huge part of their game, and when you've got the ability to space— and they can back up even more than they did a year ago— that makes the cutting that much more dangerous."
On what he wants each day from Anthony Edwards…
"He needs to come in every day with an attack mentality, and we talked about that the other day. That's so important. You’ve got to take what the defense gives you but sometimes, when you're talented like that, you have to attack a little bit more, and he's got a great mindset. There was nobody happier on the floor than he was the other night. There’s no doubt about that. He’s has great joy playing with his teammates, but we need him to be on the attack. A big thing for us the other night was the ball touching the paint and making sure that it was getting inside the paint, not necessarily to score it in the paint, but to get it in the paint so that, if we didn't score in the paint, we could get it kicked out, and we create some help. We did a good job of that, but we're a team that's got to be on the attack. We’ve got to get him more catch-and-shoot opportunities. We've got to keep moving him around offensively. I thought he did a good job defensively the other night, but we don't want to settle for shots. We don't want to force shots, but we want to attack, and we want to put pressure on the defense and on the rim. The only way to do that is to come in with a strong attack mentality."
On how the addition of Edwards has changed the perception of the program…
"I think the outside world would be a better gauge of that than me, because I'm right in the middle of it every day. There's no question [that] it's a huge thing, I think, in our era of time here, it made being at Georgia cool. There's still some situations in-state where [players] don't see that yet, or it's not the right thing to do yet or those type of things. We deal with that— I went through that at Indiana my second year at Indiana, and we ended up signing Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey, and all those guys do is win Big10 championships and go to Sweet 16s. We don't worry about that as much, but when you have an Anthony Edwards who comes in like that, and he's willing to cast his lot with you— as a coach, and with your program and with your university— that says a lot. It just puts you in a spot where you say, ‘This is what we're trying to do. We're really serious about what we're trying to do, and he's really serious about where he's trying to go, and what he's trying to get accomplished.' The down-the-road value of this is the institutional memory that comes from this, and that's what you want young people to understand, too— the institutional memory that will come long after you're gone, if you come in here, you do it right, you represent the school the right way. It can pay off for decades. It has in other sports, and it has here. This is our time now. This is our era, and we've got to be able to make it happen here with us, as well. Anthony is very serious about player development, and he's really serious about getting better, because that's what the cornerstone of this program has got to be, and we want it to be.”
On what he’s seen from this year’s team that has impressed him...
“They get along really well. I think it's a hard thing to really understand the level of urgency that you have to have. There are a lot of things in the game that you can get away with. You can fake hustle here and there, but you can't fake urgency on the defensive end. You can't fake it on the defensive or offensive glass. You can't fake it on running the floor. You really can't fake it moving without the ball, because you can't just cut and stand or cardboard stand with no purpose. Whether you're standing there waiting for the ball, or when you're cutting without the ball, there's got to be tremendous purpose. I think the young guys are learning more and more about that all the time. [I’m impressed] with the happiness for one another and the way they get along this early in the season. That gives us a chance to keep building chemistry. You don't have chemistry three games in. It's ongoing, and chemistry takes time. It takes time, and it gets tested when real adversity comes, and then it gets tested again when adversity comes. That's just the stuff that you have to go through, but I do like their attitudes. I like the way they work, and I like the way they spend extra time at this. It seems like they're building a lot."
On whether it’s abnormal for guys to shoot after the games like Anthony Edwards did after the game against Delaware State…
"I’ve had guys go back who missed free throws and come back out to shoot free throws after a game. It just says a lot about who [Anthony] is. That's important. He’s a very serious-minded 18-year-old.”
#4 Tyree Crump | Senior
On how the team is preparing for Georgia Tech…
“We have started preparing for them but we are really doing the same thing that we have been doing for the rest of the games.”
On specific areas of your game that you are focusing on…
“Defense.”
On how you have progressed as a leader through the start of the season…
“Being a leader, you have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. As a veteran, I am always ready so I know what it is going to be like going into this game. I am trying to get the younger guys to feel the same mentally.”
On things you do before the game…
“I bring a lot of energy to the team. I try to get them to not be so nervous. It is going to be a big crowd, probably a sell-out. So I try to get the team comfortable and just play their game.”
On what you see from the team as a whole so far that you like…
“We have so much chemistry. We are all having fun and the game just comes so much easier because we are having fun. These guys, they love each other, not just me, but everybody.”
On the rivalry aspect against Georgia Tech…
“I don’t think the young guys fully understand yet what this game means to the seniors, well Jordan Harris and I because we are the only two seniors. But, we haven’t lost to Georgia Tech so we want to go out with a bang. I don’t think they understand how much this means to us.”
# 5 Anthony Edwards | Freshman
On having fun during this past game...
"Those types of games I just play for my teammates. I know some games they might not get in. I know we have the best teammates in the country. I want to see them shine as much as I shine, and as much as the other players shine too."
On his type of play in the Delaware State game...
"I told myself let my teammates get the ball. I tried to get as many assists as I can. I just thought play for them and be as happy as I could."
On if he feels any pressure...
"No, not really. I just play for my teammates. I play for my team. I play for my coaches. I play for myself. I just do what I can when I am out there."
On practicing on his shooting after the game...
"I do that sometimes. I may not, I could get treatment and the athletic training staff won't let me. But I try to do that as much as I can. I just felt like I needed a workout. The opponent we played I didn't really break a sweat, so I needed a workout. When I get a chance and they don't have a problem leaving the gym unlocked I practice after games a lot. "
On the Georgia Tech game this week...
"I am just ready to play. It is a big rivalry game."
On how he feels about the basketball team in general...
" feel like we are really good. I know we can get better. We just got to keep growing as we go."
Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (3-0) vs. Georgia Tech (2-0)
Wednesday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Dean Keener, analyst)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. XM & Internet: 374. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
The Starting Five
• Through Monday’s games, UGA had the 2nd, 3rd and 5th most points by any SEC on the season – 100 vs. Delaware St., 95 vs. The Citadel and 91 vs. W. Carolina.
• UGA has opened the season with three 90-plus point outings, the first time the Bulldogs have scored 90 or more three times in a row since Dec. of 2006.
• Six Bulldogs scored in double-digit against The Citadel. The last time UGA did so was a 92-62 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 22, 2002.
• The point tallies of Anthony Edwards (24) and Sahvir Wheeler (19) in the season opener were the second- and third-best ever by a freshman in their UGA debut.
• Georgia’s celebrated freshman class – ranked among the top-10 groups nationally by every recruiting service – features five of the nation’s top-100 prospects.
The Opening Tip
Georgia hosts Georgia Tech wraps up a four-game homestand at Stegeman Coliseum to begin the season on Wednesday evening in the hardwood version of “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.”
The Bulldogs are looking to extend a four-game winning streak over the Yellow Jackets, just the fifth time in 195 meetings that Georgia has won four straight over Tech. The Bulldogs’ longest streak in the series is seven consecutive wins twice (from 1908-21 and 1980-85). The second-longest is five games twice (from 1929-31 and 1939-41).
Game Promotions
The first 1,250 UGA students in attendance on Wednesday will receive free Bojangles’ and a white throwback “shersey.”
Keeping An Eye On…Entering Tonight’s Game Among UGA’s career Leaders
Tyree Crump is...
• 7 3FGs from co-No. 12s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 13 3FGs from No. 11 K. Caldwell-Pope
• 25 FGAs from No. 11 Ray Harrison
• 37 FGAs from No. 10 K. Caldwell-Pope
Series History
While Georgia Tech owns a 103-92 edge over Georgia in the all-time series, the Bulldogs possess a 54-30 advantage in games in Athens.
Last Dec. 22 in Atlanta, Nicolas Claxton’s extremely thorough linescore of 13 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and six blocks led Georgia in a 70-59 victory over Georgia Tech.
A 13-0 surge by the Bulldogs, who never trailed in the game, provided a 25-9 lead with 3:02 left in the first half. The Jackets closed that gap to 10 at the intermission and then pulled within one possession on four occasions in the second stanza, but a different Bulldog answered each time.
In the last meeting at Stegeman Coliseum two seasons ago on Dec. 21, 2018, Yante Maten’s 24 points – his fifth 20-point performance in just the 10th game of that season – lifted Georgia to an 80-59 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia used a 15-4 run, ignited by a jumper and dunk from Maten, for a 26-17 edge and never trailed thereafter. Maten’s six rebounds put him at 696 total boards as a Bulldog, sliding past Trey Thompkins and into the No. 10 spot among Georgia’s career leaders.
Scouting The Jackets
Georgia Tech arrives in Athens with a 2-0 record following an overtime victory at N.C. State and a home win over Elon.
Wednesday’s game will be the Jackets’ first in nine days.
Sophomore Michael DeVoe leads a trio of double-digit scorers for Tech at 22.0 ppg, while senior James Banks III is contributing a double-double clip of 15.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
Last Time Out...
Rayshaun Hammonds’ outburst of 26 points and a career-high 14 rebounds led Georgia in a 100-66 victory over Delaware State last Friday night.
Hammonds scored 17 first-half points as the Bulldogs raced to a 50-30 lead at the intermission and never looked back. Amanze Ngumezi chipped in a career-best 16 points.
Hammonds and Ngumezi were extremely efficient from the field. The connected on a combined 18-of-24 shot attempts, a sterling 75.0 percent which paced UGA to a 59.7 percent effort from the field.
Georgia reached the century mark for the first time in just over a year...since topping Savannah State, 110-76, in last year’s season opener on Nov. 9.”
Up Next: Aloha Athens
The Bulldogs will depart for Maui on Friday morning for their first-ever appearance in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Georgia will open play in the 50th state on Monday when the Bulldogs take on Dayton at 9:30 a.m. HT/2:30 p.m. ET. That contest will be televised on ESPN2.
Georgia will face either Michigan State or Virginia Tech on Tuesday. The other half of the bracket includes Kansas, UCLA, BYU and tournament host Chaminade.
A Historic String Of Success
The Bulldogs’ current four-game winning streak over Georgia Tech features a quartet of double-digit victories over the Jackets.
To find a four consecutive, double-figure wins by UGA over GT, you have to go back to some of the series’ origins more than a century ago. The last time Georgia topped Tech by 10-plus points four times in a row came between 1908-09 and 1913-14.
Last season’s win at McCamish Pavilion provided a signature moment for Georgia’s five four-year seniors. Prior to last December, only four four-year letterwinners for the Bulldogs finished their careers with a perfect record against Tech – James Banks, Vern Fleming, Richard Corhen and Gerald Crosby.
That fraternity more than doubled when Mike Edwards, Turtle Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, Connor O’Neill and E’Torrion Wilridge joined the fold.
It should be noted that UGA and GT played two or more times every season from 1924-25 through 1981-82. Since then, the teams have met once per year, making an undefeated run throughout college a little less taxing.
Dogs Scoring At A Torrid Pace
Georgia has scored 100, 95 and 91 points in three outings to date – the second-, third- and fifth-highest outputs in the SEC this season.
That marks the first time UGA has scored 90 or more points in three consecutive games since December 2006. That season, the Bulldogs defeated Gardner-Webb, 96-67, on Dec. 2; topped No. 16 Gonzaga, 96-83, on Dec. 16; and bested Jacksonville, 93-77, on Dec. 19.
The last time Georgia reached the 90-point plateau four games in a row actually spans two seasons. The Bulldogs finished off the 1967-68 season by scoring 91 points against Vanderbilt, 111 versus Ole Miss and 97 against Florida. Georgia then opened the 1968-69 campaign by posting 107 points in the season opener against Sewanee.
For the record, no Georgia team has scored 90 or more points in four-consecutive contests in the first 114 seasons of Bulldog Basketball.
Dogs Dish The Ball Against DSU
Georgia recorded 30 assists on the Bulldogs’ 40 made baskets in their 100-66 win over Delaware State last Friday night.
That represented the most assists by Georgia in just under a baker’s dozen seasons...since Bulldog passes resulted in 32 buckets to be in a 105-60 victory over South Carolina State on Nov. 21, 2006.
Georgia Fans Flock To Stegeman
Georgia has drawn 24,947 toal fans to the Bulldogs’ first three games this season. That represents the third-best three-game tally to open a season since 1979.
Georgia’s best attendance mark to begin a season was 27,541 in 1981-82. No disrespect to UGA’s first three opponents this season, but the 1981-82 trio included outings against Georgia Tech and Kentucky and came when the then-Georgia Coliseum seated 11,200.
The second-most was 25,156 for the first three home outings of the 2002-03 season.
FYI, Georgia’s best four-game total to start a campaign was 38,741 in 1981-82. The Bulldogs’ fourth game that season was a sellout of 11,200 against Vanderbilt.
Six Double-Digit Bulldogs
A half-dozen Georgia players posted double-figure scoring outputs against The Citadel on Nov. 12 – the first time six Bulldogs scored 10 or more points in just under 17 years.
Anthony Edwards poured in 29 points, Tyree Crump and Donnell Gresham Jr. added 13 apiece and Rayshaun Hammonds, Amanze Ngumezi and Sahvir Wheeler chipped in 10 points each.
Prior to that, you had to go back to a 92-62 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 22, 2002 to find a contest with six Bulldogs in double figures. In that game, Steve Thomas scored 18 points, followed by Ezra Williams (13), Chris Daniels (12), Jarvis Hayes (11), Rashad Wright (11) and Jonas Hayes (10).