• View topic - Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 2:44 pm**

May 1, 2022
The Georgia Bulldogs have found Tom Crean’s replacement in 36-year-old Dale Connover, a 2010 graduate of Georgia who has epent the last decade-plus as a recruiting guru for the Bulldogs (2011-14), Texas Tech (2014-19) and Kansas (2019-2022). The hiring makes Connover one of the youngest Division 1 head coaches, but he’s built a reputation for hitting the recruiting trail hard while building teams that can run the court and beat quality opponents. The National Championship ring he got at Kansas in 2022 and National Runner-Up status in 2019 under Chris Beard certainly doesn’t hurt perceptions.

“I’ve spent years learning from legendary coaches Bill Self and Chris Beard,” he told the Athens Banner Herald. “It’s been far too long since Georgia basketball has meant anything, and though I can’t turn things around immediately, my job is to lay the framework to build a long-term winner. We are meant to be more than just a football school.”

Only time will tell how successful Connover will be with the Bulldogs’ ballers, but early word suggests he’s already making hay on the recruiting front, with interest from at least a dozen top-100 prospects in the southeast. With five scholarships available to fill, he’ll have plenty of room to rebuild the program in his own image.

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SEASON ONE
2022-23

Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 36 (0-0)
Conf. Titles: 0
National Titles: 0
Reputation: 65%
Job Security: 100%
Contract: $468,000 / 4 years
Offense: 78%
Defense: 64%
Recruiting: 83%
Scouting: 69%
Development: 81%
Ambition: High
Academics: Average
Discipline: High
Integrity: High
Temper: Very Low
Player Preference: Prefers Young Players
Rotation: Balanced
Pace: Very Fast
Crash Off. Boards: Usually Crash
Def. Intensity: Slightly Low
Crash Def. Boards: Usually Crash
Full Court Defense: Rarely Pressure
Zone Defense: Usually Zone

School Information
School: Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens GA
Conference: SEC
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 Cap)
Budget: $220,250 ($143,000 Assistants / $77,250 Recruiting)
Facilities: B-
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 54%
Conf. Prestige: 78%

Scouting Reports
Southeast Premium ($30,000)

Camps
Georgia Superstar Camp (7/4-6, $2,000)
Memphis Hoop Summit (7/25-27, $3,700)

Remaining Recruiting Budget: $41,550 (5 Scholarships Open)

Recruits
6’9” PF Antwan Brown (HS Senior, Cuthbert GA) 3.2 GPA (#26 Ntl, #11 Reg) 20.1 ppg 10.5 rpg 2.8 apg 2.7 bpg 3.3 spg
6’6” PF Scott Ware (HS Senior, Gulf Breeze FL) 2.9 GPA (#61 Ntl, #19 Reg) 12.7 ppg 10.9 rpg 2.9 apg 1.6 bpg 3.3 spg
6’3” SF Jason Sanders (HS Senior, Athens GA) 2.8 GPA (#36 Ntl, #13 Reg) 19.1 ppg 5.6 rpg 1.4 apg 1.2 bpg 2.4 spg
6’8” C Gary Taylor (HS Senior, Titusville FL) 3.0 GPA (#58 Ntl, #17 Reg) 16.2 ppg 13.8 rpg 1.6 apg 6.2 bpg 1.7 spg
6’2” PG Ajibayo Zuraaba (International, Nigeria) 2.6 GPA (#50 Ntl, -- Reg) 16.1 ppg 4.5 rpg 6.7 apg 0.4 bpg 3.7 spg

Schedule
11/16 - Alabama A&M
11/19 - Florida State
11/23 - Saint Mary’s
11/26 - Minnesota
11/30 - @ Connecticut
12/3 - Dayton
12/7 - @ Cincinnati
12/14 - @ Virginia
12/21 - Northwestern
12/23 - (n) Charleston - Hoops For Troops Tournament
12/28 - #25 Creighton
1/4 - Auburn
1/7 - @ Missouri
1/11 - #13 Kentucky
1/14 - @ Vanderbilt
1/18 - Mississippi State
1/21 - @ Auburn
1/25 - LSU
1/28 - @ #7 Florida
2/1 - South Carolina
2/4 - @ Texas A&M
2/8 - Mississippi
2/11 - @ Alabama
2/15 - Missouri
2/18 - Tennessee
2/22 - @ Arkansas
2/25 - @ #13 Kentucky
3/1 - Vanderbilt
3/4 - @ Mississippi State

Roster
PG - Reggie Patrick (6’2” 202 lbs So) Richmond Academy (Augusta GA) 3.2 GPA (1.5/2.5)
SG - Brian Woods (6’3” 218 lbs Sr) Lowndes HS (Valdosta GA) 3.1 GPA (3.5/3.5)
SF - Rupert Sullivan (6’7” 233 lbs So) Upson-Lee HS (Thomaston GA) 3.1 GPA (3.5/3.5)
PF - Jamaal Cook (6’6” 201 lbs Sr) Southwest HS (Macon GA) 4.0 GPA (3.5/3.5)
C - Heddick Austin (6’9” 269 lbs Sr) Adairsville HS (Adairsville GA) 3.1 GPA (3.0/3.0)

6 - Darrick Bryant (6’7” 232 lbs Sr) North Atlanta HS (Atlanta GA) 3.6 GPA (3.0/3.0)
7 - Josh Thompson (6’11” 239 lbs Jr) Jordan HS (Columbus GA) 4.0 GPA (2.0/3.0)*
8 - Jeramy Lane (6’6” 218 lbs Sr) Jefferson County HS (Fayette MS) 3.8 GPA (2.0/3.5)
9 - Drew Hartsfield (6’9” 255 lbs Fr) Westside HS (Augusta GA) 3.2 GPA (2.0/4.0)
10 - Steve Allison (6’7” 234 lbs Jr) Carver HS (Columbus GA) 3.4 GPA (1.5/3.5)
11 - Charles Miner (6’1” 170 lbs So) St. Pius X HS (Atlanta GA) 4.0 GPA (1.5/3.5)
12 - Ernest Hammond (6’4” 202 lbs So) Greene County HS (Greensboro GA) 3.0 GPA (1.0/3.0)
13 - Adrian Hargrove (6’6” 202 lbs Jr) Crawford County HS (Roberta GA) 2.9 GPA (1.0/3.5)
14 - Jerry Walker (6’1” 207 lbs So) Westminster HS (Atlanta GA) 2.8 GPA (1.0/4.0)
15 - Brian Eidson (6’6” 224 lbs Fr) Carrollton HS (Carrollton GA) 2.9 GPA (0.0/1.0)
__________
* Walk-on

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 3:16 pm**

This will be a quick-sim kind of dynasty, since my work schedule makes one where I coach out every single game become tedious. I'm hoping this one will be exciting as I see how far good recruiting can take a team like Georgia, which won't have the budget of a Duke or a Kentucky ... can we keep bringing in top classes without fighting a war of attrition as players ditch us for the NBA? Only time will tell

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Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 11/16 Alabama A&M W 82-64 1-0 R. Sullivan (25 pts 7 reb) R. Patrick (17 pts 3 reb 9 ast) 11/19 Florida St. W 84-73 2-0 B. Woods (19 pts 7 reb 3 ast) R. Patrick (17 pts 5 reb 5 ast) 11/23 #9 Saint Mary’s L 70-79 2-1 D. Bryant (14 pts 9 reb 1 blk) D. Hartsfield (12 pts 2 reb 3 stl) 11/26 Minnesota L 60-87 2-2 R. Patrick (9 pts 3 ast 1 stl) J. Cook (9 pts 2 reb 1 ast) 11/30 @ #14 Connecticut L 70-85 2-3 J. Cook (22 pts 8 reb 1 ast 2 blk) R. Sullivan (10 pts 2 reb 2 ast) 12/3 Dayton W 88-83 3-3 D. Bryant (25 pts 7 reb 1 blk) B. Woods (18 pts 6 reb 2 blk) 12/7 @ Cincinnati W 90-83 4-3 B. Woods (22 pts 5 reb 6 ast) D. Bryant (19 pts 9 reb 1 ast) 12/14 @ Virginia L 81-90 4-4 D. Bryant (22 pts 3 reb) R. Sullivan (18 pts 3 reb 2 stl) 12/21 Northwestern W 76-66 5-4 R. Sullivan (16 pts 6 reb 2 ast) J. Cook (15 pts 9 reb 2 ast) 12/23 (n) Charleston W 71-63 6-4 B. Woods (15 pts 7 reb 2 ast) D. Hartsfield (11 pts 6 reb 2 stl) 12/24 (n) Colorado W 86-71 7-4 R. Patrick (20 pts 3 reb 5 ast) D. Bryant (15 pts 6 reb 3 ast) 12/25 (n) Illinois L 54-66 7-5 R. Sullivan (14 pts 4 reb) B. Woods (10 pts 5 reb 3 ast) 12/28 #23 Creighton W 90-77 8-5 R. Sullivan (20 pts 7 reb) R. Patrick (12 pts 4 reb 8 ast) 1/4 Auburn L 81-90 8-6 (0-1) R. Sullivan (17 pts 4 reb) R. Patrick (11 pts 12 ast 2 stl) 1/7 @ Missouri L 75-89 8-7 (0-2) D. Bryant (19 pts 8 reb 2 blk) H. Austin (10 pts 2 reb 1 stl) 1/11 Kentucky L 92-102 (OT) 8-8 (0-3) J. Lane (17 pts 2 reb) B. Woods (15 pts 9 reb 2 ast 1 blk) 1/14 @ Vanderbilt L 61-78 8-9 (0-4) D. Hartsfield (15 pts 6 reb 3 ast) D. Bryant (14 pts 4 reb 1 ast)

After four consecutive losses in the conference, coming after 2021-22’s disastrous 1-17 campaign, the program’s AD has put his full support behind head coach Dale Connover. “He’s brought in what should be a top five class for next season while continuing to coach these Seniors to be as good as they can be. The results haven’t been great, but we’re building a culture here that has been lacking in past seasons. Expecting last year’s team to suddenly be a championship contender is simply unrealistic.”

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 8:02 pm**

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 1/18 Mississippi St. W 93-77 9-9 (1-4) D. Bryant (19 pts 5 reb 1 ast) R. Sullivan (11 pts 9 reb 3 ast) 1/21 @ Auburn W 77-72 10-9 (2-4) H. Austin (16 pts 4 reb) R. Patrick (13 pts 2 reb 6 ast 1 stl) 1/25 LSU W 82-73 11-9 (3-4) H. Austin (13 pts 7 reb 2 stl) R. Patrick (17 pts 5 reb 3 ast) 1/28 @ #7 Florida L 58-81 11-10 (3-5) R. Sullivan (11 pts 8 reb) C. Miner (13 pts 2 reb 1 ast) 2/1 South Carolina L 59-70 11-11 (3-6) R. Sullivan (10 pts 2 reb) D. Bryant (6 pts 13 reb 1 stl 1 blk) 2/4 @ Texas A&M L 89-102 11-12 (3-7) R. Sullivan (15 pts 5 reb 1 ast) R. Patrick (11 pts 2 reb 3 ast) 2/8 Mississippi W 84-70 12-12 (4-7) H. Austin (21 pts 5 reb 4 ast 3 stl) D. Bryant (14 pts 11 reb 2 ast) 2/11 @ Alabama L 60-81 12-13 (4-8) R. Patrick (14 pts 5 reb 3 ast) H. Austin (8 pts 11 reb 4 blk) 2/15 Missouri L 76-80 12-14 (4-9) B. Woods (14 pts 10 reb 4 ast) D. Bryant (11 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 stl) 2/18 #20 Tennessee L 75-87 12-15 (4-10) R. Sullivan (16 pts 2 reb 1 ast) B. Woods (16 pts 8 reb 2 ast) 2/22 @ Arkansas L 71-83 12-16 (4-11) R. Sullivan (28 pts 7 reb 3 ast) R. Patrick (8 pts 6 ast 1 stl) 2/25 @ #13 Kentucky L 64-77 12-17 (4-12) R. Patrick (19 pts 7 ast) R. Sullivan (16 pts 3 reb 3 ast 1 blk) 3/1 Vanderbilt L 77-89 12-18 (4-13) D. Bryant (15 pts 13 reb 2 ast) B. Woods (11 pts 12 reb 1 blk) 3/4 @ Mississippi St. L 77-94 12-19 (4-14) D. Bryant (14 pts 13 reb 4 ast) D. Hartsfield (18 pts 6 reb 2 blk) SEC Tournament Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 3/7 (n) Texas A&M L 99-112 12-20 D. Bryant (14 pts 9 reb 2 ast 3 blk) R. Sullivan (19 pts 6 reb)

#8 Florida won the conference outright with a 25-6 (13-5) record, while #16 Tennessee finished a close second at 22-8 (12-6). No other SEC teams finished the regular season ranked, but Mississippi had a respectable 21-8 (11-7) despite going 2-8 on the road. LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State, at 10-8, were the only other teams in the conference with winning SEC records. But we wound up being the only team to finish with a losing record overall, in last place by two whole games. That definitely wasn’t the result I was looking for in my first year as a head coach, but I respect the hell out of my Seniors who came back and played their hardest despite the coaching change and the adversity we faced all year in tough environments.

Mississippi State upset Florida in the SEC Tournament Finals, winning 80-65, which was the real shocker of the week at that point. Nine SEC teams made the NCAA tournament, but in a crazy turn of events, six of them wound up meeting in first-round conference rematches, which quickly whittled the field down. (7) Mississippi State got past (10) Alabama, (7) Mississippi escaped (10) Auburn and (8) Kentucky slaughtered (9) LSU in those matchups, while (8) Arkansas against (9) Temple, (2) Florida won a surprisingly close defensive game against Columbia, and (5) Tennessee outlasted (12) West Virginia. But only Florida (72-55 over North Carolina) made it to the Sweet Sixteen -- Kentucky, in particular, lost an embarrassingly bad defensive battle against (1) Georgetown 39-50, adding to our conference’s shame. Nine teams enter the first weekend, one comes out alive.

Florida faced a tough 29-5 (6) Bucknell squad in the Sweet Sixteen, winning convincingly enough 76-63. They then took on (1) Kansas in the Elite Eight, the Jayhawks fighting to defend last year’s title with their 32-3 record, and Kansas prevailed 83-63. Not even close. In the National Semifinals, (4) Ohio State survived to take on the Jayhawks in the Championship, but they lost a tight battle in the end. Kansas repeated as National Champions with a 70-73 win.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Rupert Sullivan (11.9 ppg) Darrick Bryant (10.5 ppg) Brian Woods (10.4 ppg)
Rebounding: Darrick Bryant (6.4 rpg) Brian Woods (5.0 rpg)
Assists: Reggie Patrick (5.6 apg)
Steals: Heddick Austin (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Darrick Bryant (0.9 bpg)

Graduating Players
Jamaal Cook (4.0 GPA) 8.2 ppg 4.1 rpg 0.7 apg 0.2 spg 0.6 bpg (32 games, 1 start)
Drew Hartsfield (3.2 GPA) 6.6 ppg 3.8 rpg 1.5 apg 0.8 spg 0.6 bpg (22 games, 21 starts)
Heddick Austin (3.1 GGA) 7.5 ppg 4.0 rpg 1.0 apg 1.0 spg 0.8 bpg (32 games, 11 starts)
Jerry Walker (3.0 GPA) 1.8 ppg 0.5 rpg 0.4 apg 0.1 spg (10 games)
Jeramy Lane (3.8 GPA) 4.7 ppg 1.5 rpg 0.6 apg 0.5 spg 0.1 bpg (31 games)

No one on our team won any post-season awards (obviously).

I had kept the assistants from the Crean era for my first season, but it was clear I needed to bring in my own staff in order to build for the future. Here are our new hires, which will mean less money for recruiting but I feel in the long term it was the smart move:

Associate HC: Steven Gebbers (48, $90,000 / 5 yrs) - Scouting: 78%
2nd Assistant: Damone Branch (54, $45,000 / 5 yrs) - Recruiting: 66%
3rd Assistant: Brooks Jackson (57, $27,500 / 5 yrs) - Development: 81%

Though I failed my first season’s tests in the eyes of the board, I am confident we will make significant strides in the upcoming season. As far as I am concerned, the sky’s the limit for Bulldogs basketball in the immediate future. And the board did approve my request for more time to make sure we handle the transition, so I’m not feeling at all that I am in the hot seat.

The biggest news of all? OUR RECRUITNG CLASS IS RANKED 4TH IN THE NATION! Behind only Creighton, North Carolina and the two-time defending National Champs at Kansas! We only have one scholarship to fill in the coming season, so we can aim high and bring in a real stud all-star if we put in the effort.

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 9:50 pm**

SEASON TWO
2023-24

Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 37 (12-20, .375)
Conf. Titles: 0
National Titles: 0
Reputation: 64% (-1)
Contract: $468,000 / 3 years
Offense: 80% (+2)
Defense: 64%
Recruiting: 86% (+3)
Scouting: 72% (+3)
Development: 84% (+3)

School Information[/b]
[b]School: Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens GA
Conference: SEC
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 Cap)
Budget: $220,250 ($162,000 Assistants / $57,750 Recruiting)
Facilities: B-
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 48% (-6)
Conf. Prestige: 75% (-3)

Scouting Reports
Southeast Premium ($30,000)

Camps
None. I plan to cast a small net for big fish, and I don’t feel the need to waste money on travel. None of our players are transferring, so there’s no need to worry about that mess either.

Remaining Recruiting Budget: $27,750 (1 Scholarship Open)

Recruits
6’4” SG C.J. Demond (HS Senior, Hendersonville TN) 3.1 GPA (#94 Ntl, #32 Reg) 17.1 ppg 3.3 rpg 1.6 apg 0.7 bpg 1.4 spg

Demond is a legitimate four-star recruit with a lot of upside and athleticism who is willing to be a role player and develop with the program. He’s also incredibly academic-minded, and I think he’ll be a strong fit with this program.

Redshirts
I’ve decided to redshirt Freshman forward Scott Ware because he has a great deal of long-term potential but I don’t think he’s ready to get significant minutes this season. This may prove to be an issue, as he came in expecting to play, a lot, but either he’ll come around to the idea or he’ll move on and we’ll find someone more ready to build a team and not an individual fiefdom. I’m hoping he’ll come around, because he’s a legitimate talent. He just isn’t ready to play more than a reserve role at the moment.

In other news, I’ve negotiated a regular meeting between our team and Clemson during the non-conference season. I’m hoping this can become an every-year rivalry that compares to our football competitions. Only time will tell! We’ll start with a trip there this fall, and they’ll play on our court in 2024-25.

Schedule
11/16 - Temple
11/19 - Butler
11/23 - Davidson
11/26 - @ VCU
11/30 - Kent St.
12/3 - Dayton
12/7 - @ Indiana
12/9 - (n) Utah St. - Golden State Classic
12/13 - @ Clemson
12/21 - Arizona St.
12/28 - Florida St.
1/4 - Alabama
1/7 - @ Vanderbilt
1/11 - @ Missouri
1/14 - #3 Florida
1/18 - @ Auburn
1/21 - Texas A&M
1/25 - @ #24 Tennessee
1/28 - Arkansas
2/1 - @ Alabama
2/4 - LSU
2/8 - @ South Carolina
2/11 - @ Mississippi St.
2/15 - Vanderbilt
2/18 - @ #19 Kentucky
2/22 - Mississippi
2/25 - Missouri
3/1 - @ #3 Florida
3/4 - Auburn

Roster
PG - Ajibayo Zuraaba (6’2” 175 lbs Fr) International HS (Nigeria) 2.6 GPA (4.5/5.0)
SG - Reggie Patrick (6’2” 202 lbs Jr) Richmond Academy (Augusta GA) 3.5 GPA (2.0/3.5) 9.5 ppg 2.5 rpg 5.6 apg 0.5 spg
SF - Jason Sanders (6’3” 205 lbs Fr) Athens Christian HS (Athens GA) 2.8 GPA (3.5/5.0)
PF -Antwan Brown (6’9” 238 lbs Fr) Randolph-Clay HS (Cuthbert GA) 3.2 GPA (2.0/5.0)
C - Gary Taylor (6’8” 246 lbs Fr) Temple Christian HS (Titusville FL) 3.0 GPA (4.0/4.5)

6 - Rupert Sullivan (6’7” 233 lbs Jr) Upson-Lee HS (Thomaston GA) 3.1 GPA (3.5/3.5) 11.9 ppg 4.6 rpg 1.6 apg 0.8 spg 0.3 bpg
7 - Drew Hartsfield (6’9” 255 lbs So) Westside HS (Augusta GA) 3.2 GPA (1.5/3.0) 6.6 ppg 3.8 rpg 1.5 apg 0.8 spg 0.6 bpg
8 - Steve Allison (6’7” 234 lbs Sr) Carver HS (Columbus GA) 3.6 GPA (2.0/3.5) 0.5 ppg 0.6 rpg 0.2 apg 0.1 bpg*
9 - Josh Thompson (6’11” 239 lbs Sr) Jordan HS (Columbus GA) 4.0 GPA (2.5/3.0) 3.5 ppg 2.1 rpg 0.8 apg 0.5 spg 0.6 bpg*
10 - Charles Miner (6’1” 170 lbs Jr) St. Pius X HS (Atlanta GA) 4.0 GPA (1.5/2.5) 5.2 ppg 1.0 rpg 2.1 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg
11 - Jerry Walker (6’1” 207 lbs Jr) Westminster HS (Atlanta GA) 3.3 GPA (1.0/3.0) 1.8 ppg 0.5 rpg 0.4 apg 0.1 spg
12 - Adrian Hargrove (6’6” 202 lbs Sr) Crawford County HS (Roberta GA) 3.1 GPA (1.0/3.5) did not play
13 - Ernest Hammond (6’4” 202 lbs Jr) Greene County HS (Greensboro GA) 3.5 GPA (1.5/3.5) 2.1 ppg 0.4 rpg 0.6 apg 0.1 spg
14 - Brian Eidson (6’6” 224 lbs So) Carrollton HS (Carrollton GA) 3.2 GPA (0.5/3.5) no significant minutes

RS - Scott Ware (6’6” 193 lbs Fr) Gulf Breeze HS (Gulf Breeze FL) 2.9 GPA (1.5/4.5)
__________
* Walk-on

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 11:16 pm**

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 11/16 Temple W 67-66 1-0 G. Taylor (13 pts 11 reb 5 stl) A. Brown (13 pts 8 reb 1 ast) 11/19 Butler W 83-82 2-0 A. Brown (21 pts 4 reb 3 ast) J. Sanders (19 pts 5 reb 1 stl) 11/23 Davidson W 80-62 3-0 J. Sanders (24 pts 8 reb) G. Taylor (13 pts 13 reb 2 stl 5 blk) 11/26 @ #20 VCU W 84-79 4-0 J. Sanders (24 pts 5 reb 3 ast) A. Zuraaba (24 pts 2 reb 6 ast) 11/30 #24 Kent St. L 74-79 4-1 A. Brown (16 pts 6 reb 1 stl) J. Sanders (13 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 stl) 12/3 #24 Dayton W 91-86 5-1 J. Sanders (23 pts 6 reb 4 ast 2 stl) A. Zuraaba (19 pts 11 ast) 12/7 @ Indiana W 78-77 6-1 J. Sanders (19 pts 5 reb) A. Zuraaba (14 pts 3 reb 9 ast) 12/9 (n) Utah St. W 76-73 7-1 G. Taylor (10 pts 12 reb 1 blk) J. Sanders (20 pts 4 reb 2 ast) 12/10 (n) #10 Notre Dame W 82-67 8-1 A. Zuraaba (17 pts 7 ast 2 stl 2 blk) J. Sanders (17 pts 8 reb) 12/11 #22 (n) Marquette W 83-75 9-1 A. Zuraaba (28 pts 5 reb 11 ast) E. Hammond (20 pts 3 reb 5 ast) 12/13 #22 @ Clemson L 78-81 9-2 J. Sanders (30 pts 12 reb) A. Zuraaba (11 pts 2 reb 5 ast 2 blk) 12/21 #22 #21 Arizona St. W 71-57 10-2 G. Taylor (17 pts 8 reb) A. Zuraaba (22 pts 6 ast 2 blk) 12/28 #21 Florida St. W 86-72 11-2 G. Taylor (16 pts 10 reb 4 ast) J. Sanders (10 pts 8 reb 3 ast)

There’s no escaping expectations now! Heading into conference play we have built up a solid record by going 6-2 in games decided by five points or fewer, and we won the Golden State Classic by upending #10 Notre Dame and then winning by seven points against a 7-1 Marquette squad. Our only blemishes were a five-point loss to Kent State on our court and a three-point loss to Clemson on the road, in an atmosphere that should prime us nicely for the brutalities of SEC road-play.

The road gets harder in the grueling SEC half of the season, however. We’re ranked #23 with the #5 ranking in the NET, but we’re going to be facing #6 Florida (10-3, #7 NET), #20 South Carolina (11-1, #3 NET), #22 Tennessee (10-1, #69 NET) as well as an unranked but hungry Kentucky squad that is 8-4 and ranked #23 in the NET. Eight SEC teams are ranked in the top 75 NET rankings, and we get to spend the next nine weeks beating the crap out of each other!

Posted: **Sun Nov 20, 2022 3:46 am**

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 1/4 #23 Alabama L 59-63 11-3 (0-1) J. Sanders (15 pts 2 ast 2 stl) R. Sullivan (8 pts 14 reb) 1/7 #23 @ Vanderbilt W 73-57 12-3 (1-1) G. Taylor (12 pts 20 reb 6 blk) A. Zuraaba (27 pts 5 reb 8 ast) 1/11 #21 @ Missouri L 92-93 12-4 (1-2) A. Zuraaba (25 pts 6 ast) J. Sanders (18 pts 7 reb 2 ast 2 stl) 1/14 #21 #6 Florida L 84-87 12-5 (1-3) G. Taylor (21 pts 10 reb 4 stl) J. Sanders (24 pts 4 reb 3 ast) 1/18 #23 @ Auburn W 75-72 13-5 (2-3) A. Zuraaba (17 pts 4 reb 10 ast) E. Hammond (18 pts 1 reb 1 ast) 1/21 #23 Texas A&M W 73-72 14-5 (3-3) A. Zuraaba (27 pts 4 reb 5 ast) G. Taylor (13 pts 10 reb 3 blk) 1/25 #22 @ #17 Tennessee W 81-71 15-5 (4-3) A. Zuraaba (17 pts 2 reb 5 ast) J. Sanders (13 pts 6 reb 4 ast) 1/28 #22 Arkansas L 52-61 15-6 (4-4) A. Zuraaba (17 pts 3 ast) A. Brown (10 pts 10 reb 1 ast) 2/1 #23 @ #19 Alabama W 77-71 16-6 (5-4) J. Sanders (21 pts 3 reb) A. Zuraaba (19 pts 4 reb 6 ast 2 stl) 2/4 #23 LSU W 85-84 17-6 (6-4) J. Sanders (21 pts 5 reb 5 ast) G. Taylor (9 pts 10 reb 4 blk) 2/8 #21 @ South Carolina L 58-83 17-7 (6-5) J. Sanders (15 pts 5 reb 2 ast) A> Zuraaba (12 pts 6 ast 1 stl) 2/11 #21 @ Mississippi St. W 88-82 18-7 (7-5) J. Sanders (26 pts 5 reb) A. Zuraaba (14 pts 3 reb 6 ast) 2/15 #20 Vanderbilt W 72-61 19-7 (8-5) G. Taylor (13 pts 7 reb 3 stl) A. Zuraaba (16 pts 4 reb 4 ast) 2/18 #20 @ Kentucky L 58-80 19-8 (8-6) A. Zuraaba (28 pts 3 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (6 pts 13 reb 1 stl) 2/22 #21 Mississippi W 89-59 20-8 (9-6) J. Sanders (30 pts 3 reb) A. Zuraaba (16 pts 10 ast 1 stl 1 blk) 2/25 #21 Missouri W 97-86 21-8 (10-6) A. Zuraaba (22 pts 3 reb 4 ast) G. Taylor (13 pts 8 reb 4 stl) 3/1 #20 @ #4 Florida L 67-78 21-9 (10-7) A. Zuraaba (20 pts 3 reb 4 ast) J. Sanders (11 pts 6 reb 2 ast) 3/4 #20 Auburn W 76-65 22-9 (11-7) A. Zuraaba (30 pts 2 ast 1 stl) J. Sanders (14 pts 7 reb 1 blk)

Antwan Brown (9.9 ppg 7.1 rpg 1.2 apg) has only played in 17 starts due to nagging injuries and has decided to declare for the draft, though I don’t quite get how he thinks he’s going to go high when he wasn’t even on the Norton shortlist. Que sera sera, I suppose. Good luck, son! I have gone ahead and offered a scholarship to Derick Paige, from Le Queen, Arkansas. He is a top 200 prospect nationally and ranked #31 in the region, with good upside though if he accepts he’s almost certain to be a redshirt. [UPDATE: He gave us his Verbal agreement on March 11th.]

#4 Florida (27-4, 17-1) is the undisputed SEC regular season champ this year, with #16 Alabama (24-7, 15-3) in second. We finished third, ahead of #25 Tennessee and Arkansas which finished 10-8 apeice. As a top-four seed we earned a double bye for the conference tournament!

SEC Tournament

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 3/9 #20 (n) South Carolina L 73-86 22-10 A. Zuraaba (16 pts 12 ast) J. Sanders (18 pts 7 reb 1 ast)

South Carolina, the 14th seed in the tournament, had an improbable run out of sheer desperation. Though they’d finished the regular season at 17-13, their 6-12 record in the SEC and #72 NET rating left them teetering on the bubble of making a post-season tournament despite their abysmal conference run. So they proceeded to blow out (11) Auburn 70-46, outlasted (6) Kentucky 74-67, and then stumped us by 13. That set up semifinal matches between (1) Florida and (5) Arkansas, plus (14) South Carolina versus (7) Vanderbilt with a shot at the SEC Tournament Title. The Gamecocks won a squeaker at the buzzer against the Commodores 68-67, while Florida did what Florida does by pounding the Razorbacks 74-57. Against the Gators (29-4), South Carolina (now 21-13) -- playing the team’s FIFTH GAME IN FIVE NIGHTS, mind you -- lost a hard-fought battle after leading 36-33 at the half, letting Florida run with it to take the title 76-65.

Our NCAA Tournament fate seemed secure, having lost to the Gamecocks who were on an historic run. But would they make the postseason?

The following SEC Teams made the NCAA Tournament:

Cleveland: (10) Arkansas
New Orleans: (4) Alabama
New Orleans: (9) Tennessee
Albuquerque: (1) Florida
Albuquerque: (4) Georgia

A lot of surprising teams won the weaker conference tournaments, setting up a First Four that featured four teams playing for 16-seeds with sub-.500 records, and the chaos really messed with the committee I suppose. It’s going to be a weird tournament first round for sure!

The following SEC Teams made the NIT:

Midwest: (5) Mississippi State
West: (1) Kentucky
West: (3) Vanderbilt

South Carolina drew the 8th Seed in the West Region for the CBI Tournament. Texas A&M drew the 7th Seed in the Midwest Region of the CBT “Who Gives A F---“ Tournament. I will only post about SEC teams that win games in the NCAA Tournament from here on out, unless a team WINS one of those also-ran tourneys.

NCAA Tournament

Code: Select all: Date Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 3/17 (13) UNC Asheville W 85-72 23-10 A. Zuraaba (18 pts 6 reb 9 ast) J. Sanders (15 pts 9 reb 2 stl) 3/19 (12) E. Michigan W 96-78 24-10 A. Zuraaba (24 pts 2 reb 5 ast) J. Sanders (20 pts 5 reb 3 ast) 3/24 (9) Nebraska L 71-81 24-11 G. Taylor (23 pts 7 reb 3 stl) J. Sanders (13 pts 3 reb 2 stl)

(10) Arkansas was outmatched by (7) Bradley on Thursday, losing a tough one 62-66. On Friday Alabama won a blowout against (13) NC Asheville 72-54, Tennessee won a squeaker over (8) Arizona State 86-85, and FLORIDA WAS STUNNED 78-75 BY (16) LAFAYETTE!!! Our conference pride may never recover. Someone ran a headline on a sports blog parodying Idiocracy: “SHUT UP, I’M GATORIN!” Perfect.

On Sunday in the second round, Tennessee fell to (1) Xavier 62-77, but Alabama stayed alive against (12) Washington 77-67, so the SEC’s two 4-Seeds, at least, remained alive. By the time we both played in the Sweet Sixteen, no SEC teams remained in the also-ran tournaments. And none of us made it out of the Sweet Sixteen either, as (1) Xavier flattened Alabama 76-53 right before we went out to lose against the Cornhuskers. Sigh. But it was a hell of a season, including our first tourney appearance since 2015, and our first (non-vacated) Sweet Sixteen since the mid-1990s!

We were spared a Kansas three-peat by (7) Oklahoma upsetting them 78-77 in the Round of 32. The Sooners made it to the Final Four from there, where they got stomped by (1) Georgetown 73-57. (3) BYU, meanwhile, upset (9) Nebraska 68-65 to earn their spot in the title game. The Hoyas emerged victorious over the Cougars, however, as Georgetown burst out to a 42-27 halftime lead and never let go despite a frenzied BYU comeback. Final score: Hoyas 74, Cougars 69.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Ajibayo Zuraaba (17.3 ppg) Jason Sanders (16.5 ppg) Antwan Brown (9.7 ppg)
Rebounding: Gary Taylor (9.3 rpg) Antwan Brown (7.3 rpg) Jason Sanders (5.1 rpg)
Assists: Ajibayo Zuraaba (6.3 apg) Reggie Patrick (2.4 apg) Jason Sanders (2.2 apg) Ernest Hammond (2.0 apg)
Steals: Gary Taylor (1.9 spg) Jason Sanders (0.9 spg)
Blocks: Gary Taylor (2.0 bpg) Rupert Sullivan (0.9 bpg)

Graduating Players
Adrian Hargrove (3.3 GPA) 1.6 ppg 0.6 rpg 0.6 apg 0.2 spg (14 games)

Awards
SEC Freshman of the Year: Ajibayo Zuraaba
2nd Team All SEC: Ajibayo Zuraaba
2nd Team All SEC: Jason Sanders
2nd Team All SEC: Gary Taylor

Alabama’s Shawn Boardman won SEC Coach of the Year.

We exceeded every goal the board had set for the season, Derrick Paige signed his LOI, completing our small recruiting class for the season and ensuring we’ll have three freshmen in this class (with Scott Ware reclassified following his redshirt year). I’m keeping my coaching staff intact, another thing I don’t have to worry about. The board denied my request for facilities upgrades but acknowleged that if I continue to exceed expectations we’ll have a shot in the coming seasons.

Our recruiting class of two players is ranked 162nd nationally. Which is fine, we needed players who could play certain roles, and we’ll have room to hopefully give Scott Ware big minutes as a redshirted freshman. We’ll need to do well this year, however, with Reggie Patrick, Charles Miner, Ernest Hammond, Jerry Walker and Rupert Sullivan graduating. That’s four guards and a forward leaving after the season, so we’ll need to look for at least a pair of versatile guards as well as more depth at power forward (or at the least a center who can play forward). This recruiting season will be difficult, but will allow us to cement our program’s upward mobility.

Posted: **Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:31 pm**

SEASON THREE
2024-25

Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 38 (36-31, .537)
Conf. Titles: 0
National Titles: 0
Reputation: 68% (+4)
Contract: $468,000 / 2 years
Offense: 81% (+1)
Defense: 64%
Recruiting: 90% (+4)
Scouting: 72%
Development: 89% (+5)

School Information
School: Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens GA
Conference: SEC
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 Cap)
Budget: $220,250 ($162,000 Assistants / $57,750 Recruiting)
Facilities: C+ (Down from a B- ... I'm going to have to stay on this with the board.)
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 57% (+9)
Conf. Prestige: 77% (+2)

Scouting Reports
Southeast Premium ($30,000)

Camps
None.

Remaining Recruiting Budget: $27,750 (5 Scholarships Open)

NBA Draft
#22 - Antwan Brown <- I guess he did know what he was doing.

Committed Recruits
6’1” PG Derrick McCarter (HS Senior, Munford AL) 3.2 GPA (#47 Ntl, #10 Reg) 15.0 ppg 4.7 rpg 4.7 apg 2.3 spg 0.5 bpg
6’6” PG Mike Lampley (HS Senior, Miami FL) 3.7 GPA (#78 Ntl, #15 Reg) 18.5 ppg 4.3 rpg 3.2 apg 2.6 spg 0.7 bpg
6’5” SF Ryan Hill (HS Senior, Smyrna GA) 3.2 GPA (#104 Ntl, #22 Reg) 15.3 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.6 apg 1.5 spg 0.9 bpg
6’10” C Eric Brinson (HS Senior, Jackson TN) 3.0 GPA (#117 Ntl, #29 Reg) 16.7 ppg 9.2 rpg 1.9 apg 1.7 spg 1.9 bpg

Offered Recruits
6’9” C Clarence Lawson (JUCO, Rome HS, Rome GA) 2.1 GPA (#119 Ntl, #22 Reg) 14.6 ppg 8.0 rpg 1.6 apg 1.6 spg 1.5 bpg

Redshirts
None. Next year we may need to redhirt a couple, and the players I’ve gone after in recruiting are quality recruits but for whom playing time is not a specific demand. They want to be part of a winning program with a team ethos.

Schedule
11/15 - Rutgers
11/18 - Washington
11/21 - (n) Fresno State - Fallen Heroes Tourney
11/25 - VA Commonwealth
11/29 - #25 St. Mary’s
12/2 - Michigan
12/6 - Cincinnati
12/9 - @ Purdue
12/13 - Clemson
12/20 - #16 San Diego
12/27 - Dayton
1/3 - @ Missouri
1/6 - #11 Kentucky
1/10 - @ Alabama
1/13 - Vanderbilt
1/17 - @ LSU
1/20 - #2 Florida
1/24 - @ Texas A&M
1/27 - Auburn
1/31 - @ #11 Kentucky
2/3 - Missouri
2/7 - @ Mississippi St.
2/10 - South Carolina
2/14 - @ Tennessee
2/17 - Mississippi
2/21 - @ Arkansas
2/24 - Alabama
2/28 - @ Vanderbilt
3/3 - LSU

I had asked for a schedule with more road games, but our AD apparently thought home cupcakes were the best thing. So I did what I could to ensure that, if we’re playing a ton at home, we at least get to play at home against the toughest competition I could find.

Roster
PG - Ajibayo Zuraaba (6’2” 175 lbs So) International HS (Nigeria) 2.6 GPA (4.5/5.0) 17.3 ppg 2.5 rpg 6.3 apg 0.6 spg 0.7 bpg
SG - Jason Sanders (6’3” 205 lbs So) Athens Christian HS (Athens GA) 3.1 GPA (4.0/5.0) 16.5 ppg 5.1 rpg 2.2 apg 0.9 spg 0.6 bpg
SF - Scott Ware (6’6” 193 lbs Fr RS) Gulf Breeze HS (Gulf Breeze FL) 3.5 GPA (2.0/4.5)
PF - Robert Sullivan (6’7” 233 lbs Sr) Upson-Lee HS (Thomaston GA) 3.1 GPA (3.5/3.5) 5.7 ppg 3.8 rpg 0.7 apg 0.5 spg 0.9 bpg
C - Gary Taylor (6’8” 246 lbs So) Temple Christian HS (Titusville FL) 3.5 GPA (4.5/4.5) 8.5 ppg 9.3 rpg 1.7 apg 1.9 spg 2.0 bpg

6 - Reggie Patrick (6’2” 202 lbs Sr) Richmond Academy HS (Augusta GA) 3.7 GPA (2.5/3.5) 3.9 ppg 1.3 rpg 2.4 apg 0.1 spg
7 - Derrick Paige (6’4” 212 lbs Fr) Le Queen HS (Le Queen AR) 3.2 GPA (1.0/4.0)
8 - C.J. Demond (6’4” 206 lbs Fr) Beech HS (Hendersonville TN) 3.1 GPA (1.5/4.0)
9 - Drew Hartsfield (6’9” 255 lbs Jr) Westside HS (Augusta GA) 3.8 GPA (2.5/4.0) 4.8 ppg 4.2 rpg 1.3 apg 0.8 spg 0.6 bpg
10 - Keith Sowder (6’7” 219 lbs Sr) Columbus HS (Columbus GA) 3.5 GPA (3.5/3.5)*
11 - Jonathan Robertson (6’8” 228 lbs Sr) Wilcox County HS (Rochelle GA) 3.3 GPA (4.0/4.0)*
12 - Charles Miner (6’1” 170 lbs Sr) St. Pius X HS (Atlanta GA) 4.0 GPA (2.0/3.0) 3.9 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.8 apg 0.2 spg
13 - Ernest Hammond (6’4” 202 lbs Sr) Greene County HS (Greensboro GA) 3.6 GPA (2.0/3.0) 7.5 ppg 2.6 rpg 2.0 apg 0.5 spg 0.2 bpg
14 - Jerry Walker (6’1” 207 lbs Sr) Westminster HS (Atlanta GA) 3.5 GPA (1.5/3.5) no significant minutes
15 - Brian Eidson (6’6” 224 lbs Jr) Carrollton HS (Carrollton GA) 3.4 GPA (1.5/3.5) no significant minutes
__________
* Walk-on

This is a really sturdy lineup, and I don’t expect to go more than nine deep considering the need for spreading minutes around.

Posted: **Sun Nov 20, 2022 10:00 pm**

Bulldogs are moving quickly up the ranks in the SEC. Yeah, strong starting lineup expecially if Ware produces. Walkons' rating are amazingly high.

By the way, what is your recruiting difficulty level?

Good to see you back on the dynasty board. Keep it going.

Posted: **Sun Nov 20, 2022 10:29 pm**

PointGuard wrote:Bulldogs are moving quickly up the ranks in the SEC. Yeah, strong starting lineup expecially if Ware produces. Walkons' rating are amazingly high.

By the way, what is your recruiting difficulty level?

Good to see you back on the dynasty board. Keep it going.

Regular. It's been surprisingly tough since that first season ... I think the AI is on to me, and the right teams keep beating me ... lost the #1 player in the nation in Georgia this season to Kansas, and lost a 4.0 GPA athlete who loved my school, but in the end decided to take his top 30 ass to Northwestern (ugh ...) Still playing around with recruiting strategies, and may then kick the difficulty up, but interested to see what my incoming class draws because they're all good but probably not top 20 class good. So perhaps the huge class in my first year may be my highlight lol

This is going to be interesting though because I put Connover's dream school as Georgia. So unless he gets fired I don't plan to have him jump ship ... and winning continuously in this SEC is not going to be easy, so I expect some big years and then some leaner years where the schedule gets beefed up by non-conference wins.

Also, of note, I have yet to get my first official * * * * * recruit. So far all my guys have been * * * * in the WSSN rankings during recruiting.

- - - -

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 11/15 Rutgers W 87-56 1-0 J. Sanders (14 pts 5 reb) R. Sullivan (17 pts 9 reb 2 blk) 11/18 Washington W 83-59 2-0 A. Zuraaba (16 pts 10 ast 2 stl) G. Taylor (11 pts 13 reb 2 ast( 11/21 #24 (n) Fresno State W 87-73 3-0 G. Taylor (20 pts 8 reb 3 blk) J. Sanders (13 pts 5 reb 3 ast) 11/22 #24 (n) #16 Seton Hall W 80-76 4-0 J. Sanders (19 pts 3 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (7 pts 14 reb 3 blk) 11/23 #24 (n) Mid. Tenn St. W 84-76 5-0 J. Sanders (27 pts 7 reb 3 ast) G. Taylor (18 pts 11 reb 3 blk) 11/25 #24 VA Commonwealth W 89-88 6-0 J. Sanders (24 pts 8 reb 6 ast 1 blk) G. Taylor (11 pts 8 reb) 11/29 #7 #16 St. Mary’s W 84-70 7-0 J. Sanders (22 pts 6 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (16 pts 8 reb 5 blk) 12/2 #7 Michigan W 89-64 8-0 R. Sullivan (11 pts 12 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (22 pts 10 reb 3 stl) 12/6 #5 Cincinnati W 78-65 9-0 G. Taylor (14 pts 12 reb 3 stl 2 blk) A. Zuraaba (21 pts 5 ast) 12/9 #5 @ #17 Purdue W 85-83 10-0 G. Taylor (15 pts 16 reb 3 ast 4 blk) D. Hartsfield (10 pts 5 ast) 12/13 #4 Clemson L 70-71 10-1 G. Taylor (20 pts 15 reb 5 ast) J. Sanders (10 pts 10 reb 1 blk) 12/20 #9 #22 San Diego W 95-81 11-1 R. Sullivan (19 pts 7 reb 1 ast 1 blk) J. Sanders (25 pts 6 reb) 12/27 #10 Dayton W 84-50 12-1 D. Hartsfield (14 pts 9 reb 2 ast 2 blk) J. Sanders (19 pts 3 reb)

This season is looking like one for the ages for Georgia long-time basketball fans. We have blazed trails already with our Sweet Sixteen run last year, plus our 11-7 record in the SEC was our best since 2014-15 (21-12, 11-7), and we won 24 games for the first time since 1982-93 when we went 24-11 and won the SEC Tournament. We haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 2008, and our last outright conference title was in 1989-90, when we were 20-9 but went 13-5 in the SEC. So there’s a lot of room for this year to break all-time records here in Athens, if our boys can keep playing like they’ve been playing.

Clemson is clearly a game that’s going to be a good rivalry when we can finally get over the hump and beat them. Three point loss on the road last year, one point loss at home this year, UNBELIEVEABLE … but this year’s SEC is going to be sneaky brutal from top to bottom, and repeating our record of last year is not a given. We need to fight to be in the top third of the standings, and then let the challenging games swing our way if we want to have an all-time season.

#14 Kentucky is going to be particularly tough. The Wildcats beefed up their schedule a TON this year and have BEATEN #24 Wisconsin, but have also LOST against #2 Oklahoma, #8 Arizona, #8 Louisville, #23 Gonzaga and #3 Brigham Young. And yet at 9-5 they remain ranked, due to their #15 NET rating. Out of 14 teams in the conference, our #1 NET ranking is the only one that beats theirs though six teams are in the top 50 including Mississippi St. (11-1), #9 Florida (12-2) #24 Alabama (10-2) and Mississippi (9-2).

Oddly, only Kentucky (9-5), South Carolina (7-5), Texas A&M (7-6) and LSU (5-6) have five or more losses in the conference. But as we’ve seen, any team in this conference can and often will win on any given day. We’re just hoping to start out with a winning record unlike 2022-23 (0-4) and 2023-24 (1-3).

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2022 4:08 am**

Code: Select all: Date Rank Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 1/3 #10 @ Missouri W 89-67 13-1 (1-0) J. Sanders (18 pts 6 reb) S. Ware (16 pts 1 reb 1 ast) 1/6 #10 #14 Kentucky W 78-77 14-1 (2-0) A. Zuraaba (23 pts 9 ast 1 blk) J. Sanders (17 pts 4 reb 4 ast) 1/10 #8 @ #22 Alabama L 64-87 14-2 (2-1) A. Zuraaba (13 pts 3 reb 9 ast) G. Taylor (6 pts 10 reb 4 blk) 1/13 #8 Vanderbilt W 84-73 15-2 (3-1) G. Taylor (13 pts 14 reb 3 blk) J. Sanders (20 pts 9 reb) 1/17 #7 @ LSU W 82-55 16-2 (4-1) J. Sanders (38 pts 3 reb 3 blk) G. Taylor (10 pts 16 reb 3 blk) 1/20 #7 #15 Florida W 95-80 17-2 (5-1) J. Sanders (21 pts 2 reb 1 ast) A. Zuraaba (4 pts 10 ast) 1/24 #7 @ Texas A&M W 66-56 18-2 (6-1) G. Taylor (16 pts 18 reb) J. Sanders (14 pts 4 reb 2 blk) 1/27 #7 Auburn W 87-77 19-2 (7-1) A. Zuraaba (21 pts 7 ast 1 stl) J. Sanders (17 pts 6 reb 4 ast) 1/31 #7 @ #11 Kentucky L 60-72 19-3 (7-2) A. Zuraaba (21 pts 3 reb 4 ast) S. Ware (12 pts 5 reb 3 ast) 2/3 #7 Missouri W 89-79 20-3 (8-2) J. Sanders (20 pts 7 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (19 pts 5 reb 2 stl) 2/7 #7 @ #23 Mississippi St. L 74-83 20-4 (8-3) G. Taylor (16 pts 9 reb 4 blk) R. Sullivan (15 pts 7 reb 3 ast) 2/10 #7 South Carolina W 88-69 21-4 (9-3) A. Zuraaba (37 pts 3 reb 8 ast S. Ware (12 pts 6 reb 2 ast) 2/14 #7 @ Tennessee L 61-70 21-5 (9-4) J. Sanders (21 pts 5 reb 3 ast) R. Sullivan (10 pts 6 reb 2 blk) 2/17 #7 Mississippi W 87-77 22-5 (10-4) G. Taylor (17 pts 15 reb 3 blk) A. Zuraaba (21 pts 3 reb 4 ast) 2/21 #8 @ Arkansas W 71-68 23-5 (11-4) G. Taylor (12 pts 8 reb 5 stl) S. Ware (16 pts 3 reb 3 ast) 2/24 #8 Alabama W 87-74 24-5 (12-4) A. Zuraaba (22 pts 6 reb 7 ast) S. Ware (17 pts 3 reb 3 ast) 2/28 #7 @ Vanderbilt W 78-76 25-5 (13-4) G. Taylor (18 pts 17 reb 3 blk) J. Sanders (21 pts 2 reb) 3/3 #7 LSU W 95-71 26-5 (14-4) G. Taylor (16 pts 14 reb) A> Zuraaba (11 pts 3 reb 12 ast)

We finished the season with a 14-4 record in the conference, and both that and our 26 wins are school records already. We wound up in a tie with Kentucky for the SEC Championship, and though it’s not a solo championship, there’s not much fault we can find in how this season has gone so far. But an SEC Tourney title would ice the cake and set us up for a shot at a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi State has been the surprise of the year, going 12-6 in the conference to finish fourth with a 23-7 record overall! Florida also finished 12-6, while Mississippi and Texas A&M overachieved enough to finish 10-6, though A&M needs to probably win out in the SEC Tourney if they want to go to any tournaments as their NET rating is 106th. Unlike last year only seven teams in the conference stand a legitimate shot of going to the postseason without winning the whole conference tourney.

SEC Tournament

Code: Select all: Date Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 3/9 (10) Tennessee W 79-77 27-5 G. Taylor (16 pts 6 reb 2 blk) J. Sanders (15 pts 5 reb 1 ast) 3/10 (3) Florida W 72-54 28-5 R. Sullivan (13 pts 7 reb 2 ast) A. Zuraaba (8 pts 6 reb 7 ast) 3/11 (4) Mississippi St. W 90-89 29-5 G. Taylor (16 pts 9 reb 3 ast) J. Sanders (21 pts 5 reb 2 ast)

We almost lost the title game, as Mississippi State fought back from a 34-51 halftime deficit, but we held tough down the stretch and hit the baskets when they counted and were able to emerge with our first conference tourney title since 2008 (and only our third SEC Tourney championship in school history!)

The following SEC teams are going to the NCAA Tournament:

Dayton: Vanderbilt (12-seed Play-In)
Buffalo: (5) Mississippi State
Cleveland: (8) Mississippi
Oklahoma City: (1) Georgia
Oklahoma City: (3) Kentucky
Oklahoma City: (7) Alabama
Albuquerque: (5) Florida

Texas A&M made the NIT and Tennessee made the CBT. A&M lost their first game, Tennessee won one then lost one. ‘Nuff said.
Vanderbilt got blown out by Utah 65-84 in their attempt to play their way into the Oklahoma City bracket.

NCAA Tournament

Code: Select all: Date Opponent Score W/L Record Leaders 3/17 (16) Georgia Southern W 84-65 30-5 A. Zuraaba (21 pts 4 reb 8 ast) G. Taylor (16 pts 13 reb 2 blk) 3/19 (8) Northwestern W 78-73 31-5 A. Zuraaba (15 pts 2 reb 2 ast) G. Taylor (9 pts 10 reb 2 stl 2 blk) 3/24 (5) Virginia Tech W 80-57 32-5 G. Taylor (21 pts 12 reb 4 ast 2 stl) J. Sanders (11 pts 7 reb 3 ast) 3/26 (2) Maryland W 88-73 33-5 R. Sullivan (11 pts 8 reb 4 blk) A. Zuraaba (16 pts 1 reb 5 ast) 4/1 (2) Oklahoma L 71-84 33-6 J. Sanders (23 pts 8 reb 1 ast) A. Zuraaba (11 pts 4 reb 9 ast)

On Thursday in the opening round, Mississippi State beat (12) Bellarmine 82-71, while Mississippi outlasted (9) South Dakota 63-61. The next day Kentucky beat (14) Bradley 65-54, Alabama outlasted (10) Dayton 63-53 and (12) High Point stunned Florida with their second first round loss in a row, 70-69! Damn, it must suck to be a Gator fan these days. On Saturday, Mississippi State won a solid offensive battle against (4) SD State 82-72, but (1) Louisville took care of business against Ole Miss, beating them solidly 84-69. Closing out the first weekend, following our tight win against Northwestern, Alabama fell to (2) Maryland 54-78 while Kentucky dismantled (6) Temple 91-68.

Mississippi faced off first in the Sweet Sixteen, playing (1) Pittsburgh in a prime-time matchup on Thursday evening. And they played as perfectly as you could have expected, leading 49-46 at the half and then dominating the remainder defensively to win 91-80! We won our game with relative ease in the early afternoon spot, and then had time to watch Kentucky fall to (2) Maryland 80-67 after falling behind 33-55 at the half! It was a laugher all the way to the buzzer.

On Saturday in the Elite Eight, Mississippi State took on (2) Arizona for their shot at the Final Four immediately after Gonzaga’s 68-71 loss to Notre Dame in a hard-fought matchup. Unfortunately their game was not nearly as classic, as Arizona ran away with the game early en route to a 92-69 blowout. We handled ours almost as nicely, leading 48-47 at the half and then turning on the burners in the second, beating Maryland handily by 15 -- setting up our first Final Four in 42 years!

Alas, Oklahoma blew us out in the National Semifinals, but it was an amazing trip, a great weekend for all of us, and God willing we’ll be back avenging the loss next spring -- Go Bulldogs!

Arizona went on to beat the Sooners at their own game in the title game, 78-68 to take the title.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Jason Sanders (16.7 ppg) Gary Taylor (13.3 ppg) Ajibayo Zuraaba (13.1 ppg) Scott Ware (10.1 ppg)
Rebounding: Gary Taylor (10.4 rpg) Rupert Sullivan (6.1 rpg) Jason Sanders (4.8 rpg) Drew Hartsfield (4.8 rpg)
Assists: Ajibayo Zuraaba (6.8 apg) Reggie Patrick (2.5 apg) Scott Ware (2.0 apg)
Steals: Gary Taylor (1.6 spg) Drew Hartsfield (0.9 spg) Scott Ware (0.8 spg)
Blocks: Gary Taylor (2.3 bpg) Robert Sullivan (1.8 bpg) Jason Sanders (0.7 bpg)

Graduating Players
Rupert Sullivan (3.1 GPA) 8.4 ppg 4.9 rpg 1.3 apg 0.7 spg 1.0 bpg (98 games, 80 starts)
Reggie Patrick (3.7 GPA) 5.8 ppg 1.7 rpg 3.5 apg 0.3 spg (98 games, 32 starts)
Charles Miner (4.0 GPA) 4.1 ppg 0.7 rpg 1.3 apg 0.2 spg (75 games, 3 starts)
Ernest Hammond (3.6 GPA) 4.9 ppg 1.6 rpg 1.3 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg (61 games, 31 starts)
Jerry Walker (3.5 GPA) 1.7 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.3 apg 0.1 spg (13 games)
Jonathan Robinson (3.3 GPA) 1.7 ppg 1.4 rpg 0.4 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg (33 games)
Keith Sowder (3.6 GPA) 0.8 ppg 0.6 rpg 0.3 apg 0.2 spg 0.1 bpg (29 games)

Awards
SEC Coach of the Year: Dale Connover
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Gary Taylor
1st Team All SEC: Jason Sanders
1st Team All SEC: Gary Taylor

Again we exceeded every goal the administration and fan-base could throw at us, putting together the best season all around in Georgia basketball history. But can we keep it going in this direction? All five of our recruits signed their letters of intent, including our first ever JuCo prospect, so we’ll have to keep an eye on his grades as he arrives in the summer. All our assistants have stuck around, I was given a five-year contract extention and a raise, putting me at $491,000 per year and in the driver’s seat for the long term! And the board approved our facility upgrade request, bumping us from C+ to B+ and putting us in line with Florida (B+) and Tennessee (B+) and closer to the likes of Arkansas (A-), Texas A&M (A-) and Kentucky (A+).

Our incoming five-man recruiting class is ranked 26th Nationally. SEC Teams ahead of us were Mississippi (#24), Florida (#3) and Kentucky (#1). South Carolina (#36), Tennessee (#38) and Vanderbilt (#46) rounded out the top 50, with Alabama (#51) just outside. We have two players graduating this year, and we need to make sure to have those two scholarships count. Next year my goal is for a top ten class or better, and to potentially bring in our first five-star recruit.

Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

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Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

Re: Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story