Ballin' With The Bulldogs: The Dale Connover Story

[jksander]

Posting an update tonight after work. Imported into DDSCB22 last night and want to finish recruiting before I update Transfer portal is interesting ... will need to use it for a few seasons to see how it affects me long term.

[jksander]

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Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
1/19    #8    @ Alabama              W 67-50        16-3 (6-0)       J. Sanders (10 pts 9 reb 3 ast) A. Zuraaba (16 pts 5 reb 6 ast)
1/23    #5    @ Mississippi St.      W 95-87        17-3 (7-0)       J. Sanders (18 pts 9 reb 2 ast) A. Zuraaba (18 pts 4 reb 8 ast)
1/26    #5    Mississippi            W 98-69        18-3 (8-0)       A. Zuraaba (31 pts 3 reb 9 ast) D. Patrick (21 pts 2 ast)
1/30    #4    @ Missouri             W 85-71        19-3 (9-0)       J. Sanders (19 pts 11 reb 2 ast) A. Zuraaba (19 pts 3 reb 6 ast)
2/2     #4    LSU                    W 83-69        20-3 (10-0)      J. Sanders (28 pts 12 reb 5 ast) D. Patrick (14 pts 5 reb 2 ast)
2/6     #2    @ Vanderbilt           W 74-64        21-3 (11-0)      G. Taylor (19 pts 13 reb 2 blk) A. Zuraaba (14 pts 6 reb 10 ast)
2/9     #2    South Carolina         W 65-64        22-3 (12-0)      J. Sanders (21 pts 4 reb 3 ast) A. Zuraaba (19 pts 2 reb 7 ast)
2/13    #2    @ Texas A&M            L 79-91        22-4 (12-1)      J. Sanders (11 pts 10 reb 2 ast) D. Patrick (18 pts 3 reb 2 stl)
2/16    #2    Auburn                 W 83-68        23-4 (13-1)      M. Lampley (16 pts 3 reb 1 ast) S. Ware (14 pts 4 reb 2 stl)
2/20    #4    @ #10 Kentucky         W 74-65        24-4 (14-1)      D. Patrick (24 pts 9 reb 2 blk) J. Sanders (11 pts 7 reb 2 blk)
2/23    #4    Tennessee              L 91-98        24-5 (14-2)      J. Sanders (27 pts 13 reb 2 blk) D. Patrick (19 pts 2 reb 1 ast)
2/27    #5    #3 Florida             L 87-91        24-6 (14-3)      J. Sanders (18 pts 14 reb 10 ast) S. Ware (8 pts 10 reb 1 stl)
3/2     #5    @ #16 Arkansas         W 70-64        25-6 (15-3)      J. Sanders (16 pts 9 reb 2 ast) C. Lawson (15 pts 3 reb 1 stl)

Sanders and Zuraaba were both named Norton Quarterfinalists again this year, with Sanders again on the cusp of the top 10 vote-getters, while Zuraaba sat just outside the top 20. The conference race was tight all year, however, and that kept our focus razor-sharp on a game-to-game basis. On February 9th we were still 11-0 when #11 Kentucky (19-4, 10-1) faced #7 Florida (22-3, 9-2). Florida won the game handily, 84-69, but Arkansas remained right on our tails, still just with one loss themselves. And we’d just maintained that one game lead by beating South Carolina by a single point to remain undefeated in conference play, at which point we lost Gary Taylor for the season to a torn ACL. This seemed like the kind of year where someone could win a share of the title with just a loss or two in the SEC, leaving no room for error, and suddenly we were having to promote Clarence Lawson into the starting rotation, right as we head into the meat f the conference slate. Losing Taylor hurts us a lot, clearly, as he has always been one of our defensive lynchpins, quietly leading the team on a daily basis.

Sanders and Zuraaba both made the cut for the Norton Semifinalist list, while the conference race came down to our home game against Florida on the 27th, with us both tied for first at 14-2 apiece, Arkansas and Kentucky now mathematically eliminated from contention fir furst place. And after we lost a heartbreaker to the Gators, we faced the Razorbacks who still had a shot at finishing with a share of second place if they could beat us on their court. We held tough to beat them by six, finishing with our best-ever SEC record but in second place yet again heading into the SEC Tournament.

Sanders was again named a Norton Semifinalist, finishing 7th in the voting at that point in the process. He’ll need to really shine in the tournaments if he hopes to earn 1st Team All American status.

SEC Tournament

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Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/9     (7) Missouri           L 73-78        25-7             J. Sanders (22 pts 6 reb 1 stl) A. Zuraaba (16 pts 7 reb 7 ast)

Our shot at a three-peat in the Conference Tournament came to a quick end against Missouri as they overcame a 30-37 halftime deficit to beat us by five. In the semifinals (4) Kentucky defensively stifled (8) South Carolina 56-46 and the Tigers stunned the (3) Razorbacks 75-72 in another come from behind victory, earning their spot in the finals with the Wildcats. That was where their run ended, however, as UK stomped them in the championship, winning 71-52.

The following SEC Teams made it into the NCAA Tournament:

Dayton: Mississippi State -- play-in to be 12th Seed in Houston
Kansas City: (1) Florida
Kansas City: (5) Arkansas
Houston: (3) Kentucky
Houston: (9) Tennessee
Denver: (1) Georgia
Denver: (5) Missouri

South Carolina finished in the CBT. LSU, the only other conference team with strength-of-schedule good enough for even a minor tournament, was passed over completely. The Gamecocks, with their #74 Net ranking, had hopes of making the NIT, but instead wound up as a lowly 7th seed in the worst tournament of the bunch.

NCAA Tournament

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Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/17    (16) Binghamton        W 79-58        26-7             S. Ware (20 pts 4 reb 2 blk) J. Sanders (13 pts 10 reb 3 ast 2 blk)
3/19    (9) Xavier             W 87-69        27-7             A. Zuraada (27 pts 4 reb 4 ast) J. Sanders (13 pts 10 reb 4 ast 2 blk)
3/24    (5) Missouri           W 90-74        28-7             J. Sanders (16 pts 11 reb 5 ast 3 stl) S. Ware (15 pts 4 reb)
3/26    (2) Duke               L 64-73        28-8             J. Sanders (18 pts 6 reb 1 stl) D. Patrick (10 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 stl)

In their First Four matchup against (12) Pennsylvania, Mississippi State won a shootout 94-82, dominating the second half after treailing by eight at the half! On Thursday Florida took on (16) Charleston Southern in a game they never trailed, winning 83-55, while Arkansas beat (12) Northwestern 62-49. We had a relatively comfortable win against a Binghamton team that had to win its conference tournament and a play-in game but still only had 14 wins on the year. Meanwhile, Kentucky handled (14) South Alabama 66-53, Mississippi State DESTROYED (5) Alcorn State 103-75 and Missouri survived (12) Indiana State 84-72. Unfortunately for Vols fans, Tennessee couldn’t get past (8) Creighton, losing 71-76.

On Saturday Florida survived a shocking assault by (8) Houston, beating the Cougars at the buzzer 71-69 to avoid what could have been a costly overtime, while Arkansas stumbled mightily against (13) Bowling Green State, losing 69-74 in a game they led by only a few minutes in the first half. It wasn’t even as close as it looked. On Sunday we punched our ticket to the Sweet Sixteen by punishing Xavier in the paint thanks to a really strong night by Zuraada! Elsewhere, Kentucky held off (6) Georgetown 70-51 to earn a shot at (2) Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen, while Missouri breezed by (4) USC 70-54 to earn their Sweet Sixteen matchup against … US! Unfortunately Mississippi State’s run was stopped in its tracks by (4) Seton Hall 83-72, so their seasn comes to an end.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Florida played first, facing a tough fight from (13) Bowling Green State before pulling away down the stretch to win 82-70. Kentucky lost a nailbiter against (2) Kansas 66-67, but we got past our SEC foes, beating Missouri handily 90-74 to go to our third Elite Eight in a row! Florida then faced off against (6) Virginia, winning a defensive slugfest, again at the buzzer, 63-62 to stay alive and make the Final Four! We had to get past Duke first if we wanted to meet the Gators there, and unfortunately that proved to be one challenge too many. Duke dominated from the start and we were never able to get into any kind of rhythm. It was a heartbreaking loss for our seniors and to the fanbase, who have to wonder how long it will take to build a team capable of returning to this level of playoff consistency.

South Carolina ruined my record of never having to mention SEC teams who played in minor tournaments when the Gamecocks beat St. Bonaventure 81-67 to take the CBT “Title” home.

In the Final Four, Florida faced (1) Villanova in the National Semifinals, while Duke took on (1) West Virginia (yes, this was the Year of the Chalk brackets.) Florida had gone as far as they had gas for, losing to ‘Nova 87-76. Duke, meanwhile, lost a squeaker to West Virgninia, 83-78, setting up a Villanova / West Virginia championship game. And ‘Nova had the defensive chops to take it all, beating West Virginia down the stretch to win 79-71.
 
Team Leaders
Scoring: Jason Sanders (15.9 ppg) Ajibayo Zuraaba (13.9 ppg) David Patrick (12.5 ppg) Gary Taylor (11.0 ppg)
Rebounding: Gary Taylor (9.6 rpg) Jason Sanders (8.2 rpg) Scott Ware (6.4 rpg) Clarence Lawson (4.7 rpg)
Assists: Ajibayo Zuraaba (6.8 apg) Jason Sanders (4.0 apg) Gary Taylor (1.9 apg) David Patrick (1.8 apg)
Steals: Gary Taylor (2.2 spg) Jason Sanders (2.0 spg) Clarence Lawson (0.8 spg)
Blocks: Gary Taylor (2.2 bpg) Jason Sanders (1.0 bpg) Clarence Lawson (1.0 bpg) Scott Ware (1.0 spg)

Graduating Players
Ajibayo Zuraaba (3.1 GPA) 14.3 ppg 2.8 rpg 6.9 apg 0.7 spg 0.6 bpg (132 starts)
Jason Sanders (3.6 GPA) 17.0 ppg 6.3 rpg 2.7 apg 1.0 spg 0.8 bpg (132 starts)
Gary Taylor (3.9 GPA) 11.1 ppg 10.2 rpg 1.8 apg 1.9 spg 2.3 bpg (125 starts)
Clarence Lawson (3.2 GPA) 6.8 ppg 4.5 rpg 1.1 apg 0.8 spg 0.8 bpg (66 games, 7 starts)
Roberto Traylor (3.1 GPA) 0.1 ppg 0.2 rpg 0.1 apg 0.1 bpg (17 games)

Awards
2nd Team All American: Jason Sanders
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jason Sanders
1st Team All SEC: Jason Sanders
2nd Team All SEC: Ajibayo Zuraaba

We failed to win a National Title and did not three-peat as Conference Champs, but we won 28 games, finished ranked in the top 25, earned a #1 seed for the tournament, and increased our school prestige ever so slightly. So it’s hard for the administration to be too hard on us, though I am concerned that expectations may be too high heading into what is at the very least a rebuilding year. We’ve also had serious staff turnover. Damone Branch left us to coach at Northern Arizona, and Steven Gebbers will be the head coach at Akron in the fall. Brooks Jackson, my 3rd Assistant, has been leading practice and player development and has a year left on his contract at $27,500. I’ve promoted him to Associate Head Coach on a one year $102,000 contract. But we’ll have to fill our other tow assistant roles, and he’s likely to be on the lookout for a head coaching position himself next year. We’re lowering our overall coaching salary costs this year in hopes that either I can promote one of these younger guys from within next year or dig deeper into the coach search next season when we may have to replace our AHC.

Associate HC: Brooks Jackson (61, $102,000 / 1 yrs) - Development: 88%
2nd Assistant: Jeremy Morris (49, $21,500 / 5 yrs) - Recruiting: 67% (former 3rd Assistant at Mississippi)
3rd Assistant: Brian Thunell (42, $17,450 / 3 yrs) - Scouting: 37% (first-year coach)

I must say, I’m getting frustrated with the Athletic Board. I’ve been coaching here for five years without an increase to our budget, and they’re still outright denying me for even the slightest improvement. You want to demand a national title? Give me the money to recruit nationally! I’ve been “doing fine with the budget I have” because I’m scrimping on travel expenses and scouting reports, while not really having the money in the budget to have the coaching staff I need to help develop the players we get. I’ve always dreamed of finding a way to bring a title to the Bulldogs as head coach, but if they’re going to keep tying a hand behind my back, I don’t kow whether it’s a reasonable expectation.

Oh, by the way, our incoming recruiting class is ranked #3 in the nation behind Kansas and Kentucky. No thanks to the administration, but I’ll keep fighting to bring further respect to this program.

Hey, PointGuard, when you read this, have you had any better experience getting the board to approve budget increases? That's something I'd like to see addressed in DDSCB23 ... I feel like the game's financial engine is set about thirty years in the past, where teams did not spend big money on coaches and budgets for larger teams. At the very least a school like Georgia, if a head coach is suddenly turning the program around, would grant budget increases semi-regularly. I have yet to see a situation where you can take a job in DDSCB and have a large enough budget to both keep top-quality coaches and recruit by paying for a gold National or International report on any regular basis. It'd also be cool to have control over our own job negotiations ... right now you just get down to your last year on a contract and the school gives you a new contract with a slight raise lol ... the negotiations would be fun.

[jksander]

SEASON SIX
2027-28

Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 41 (130-51, .718)
Conf. Titles: 1 (2025)
Conf. Tourney Titles: 2 (2025, 2026)
National Coach of the Year: 0
SEC Coach of the Year: 2 (2025, 2026)
National Titles: 0
Final Fours: 2 (2025, 2026)
Elite Eights: 3 (2025, 2026, 2027)
Sweet Sixteens: 4 (2024, 2025, 2026, 2027)
Reputation: 91% (+6)
Contract: $491,000 / 4 years
Offense: 81%
Defense: 64%
Recruiting: 94%
Scouting: 72%
Development: 95%

School Information
School: Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens GA
Conference: SEC
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 Cap)
Budget: $220,250 ($140,950 Assistants / $79,300 Recruiting)
Facilities: B+
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 70% (+1)
Conf. Prestige: 79%

Scouting Reports
National Basic ($10,000)
Southeast Premium ($30,000)

Transfers
Derrick McCarter, Ryan Hill and Craig Smith have decided to enter the transfer portal. All were young with potential, but had struggled to find minutes on the court due to inexperience. This definitely sets the season off to an interesting start. Thankfully there are new transfer rules that allow us to head into the portal ourselves to see if we can replace players with talented newcomers who could potentially start immediately, something I’m certainly considering since we lost so many starters this spring.

Mike Lampley (PG), David Patrick (SG) Scott Ware (PF) and Eddie Hancock (C) look to be our best starter candidates, but we’re definitely going to be looking for another strong starting forward and potentially a guard who could start at the point and allow Lampley to play solid minutes as a sixth man, as he’s never particularly cared about getting starter’s minutes.

Transfer Recruits
6’7” JR SF Damian Strong (Syracuse) - transferred from American U, sat out a year, only got three minutes playing time for Syracuse
- looks to be a solid three to four star player, 3.7 GPA, wants solid minutes to show what he can do.
- strong outside shooter, passer and rebounder with defensive ability and solid athleticism.
6’4” SO PG Cedric Bryant (Tennessee) - expected to be a starter, got redshirted and then only played 4.4 minutes a game FR year
- I don’t expect our team to be dominated by 30 mpg starters, so I will likely start him but trade minutes with Lampley as 6th man
- an athletic shooter, he passes and handles well but needs some work on defense and disipline

Camps
Georgia Superstar Camp ($2,000)

Recruiting Budget Remaining: $32,200
Scholarships Available: 4

NBA Draft
#25 - Jason Sanders
#42 - Ajibayo Zuraaba
#44 - Gary Taylor

This apparently got lost during the transfer (NBA Draft never showed up) so I went back into DDSCB21 and simmed to see where my stars should have gotten drafted. They won’t show up on my coach card, but damn it, I’m glad to imagine their awesome careers regardless.

Norton Nominees
Eddie Hancock is our only nominee, but he’s also a 1st Team Preseason All American in the voting, so we’re going to be expecting him to be at the level of leading this team from the first game -- and it’s more than likely he’ll be a one-and-done player, so hopefully he can help us in this bridge season as I redevelop some team depth via recruiting.

Committed Recruits
6’6” SF Shane Swanson (HS Senior, Largo FL) 2.8 GPA (#7 Ntl, #3 Reg) 23.3 ppg 7.9 rpg 2.6 apg 6.6 spg 1.2 bpg
6’8” C Jerome Williams (HS Senior, Hazard KY) 3.0 GPA (#10 Ntl, #4 Reg) 20.0 ppg 17.0 rpg 1.5 apg 6.3 spg 3.8 bpg
6’2” PG Garrett Bibby (HS Senior, Greeleyville SC) 2.9 GPA (#12 Ntl, #5 Reg) 22.2 ppg 5.8 rpg 8.1 apg 5.4 spg 0.6 bpg
6’1” SG Ray Kurtz (HS Senior, Quitman GA) 3.2 GPA (#97 Ntl, #33 Reg) 14.7 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.6 apg 1.7 spg 0.7 bpg

If this doesn’t net me a #1 Recruiting Class, I don’t know what it would take … Tennessee should be our closest SEC competitor, as they snagged the #2 player in the nation. But three blue chip players in the top 12 plus a top 100 role player should definitely turn some heads. If Hancock plays two seasons with us he’ll have a ton of help in the lineup next year. And if he leaves for the NBA after a season, we’ll be ready to compete from day one regardless. And we worked our recruiting budget all the way down to $965, so had it not worked out in the early signing period, I’d be struggling for sure. All in, or why bother?

Redshirts
We’ll be redshirting two freshmen this year: forward Jeff Robins and center Wil Burrough.

Schedule
11/16 - North Carolina St.
11/19 - Clarleston So.
11/21 - (n) North Texas -- WS Midwest Invitational
11/26 - Dayton
11/30 - @ UNLV
12/3 - #11 Memphis
12/7 - Brigham Young
12/10 - Kent State
12/13 - @ Clemson
12/21 - Connecticut
12/28 - #13 VCU

We are preseason ranked #17, behind #7 Kentucky, #9 Florida and #15 Tennessee.

Roster
PG - Cedric Bryant (6’4” 206 lbs So RS) Portsmouth NH (Portsmouth HS) 2.5 GPA (2.0/4.0)
SG - David Patrick (6’2” 190 lbs So) Miami FL (Braddock HS) 3.4 GPA (4.0/5.0) 12.5 ppg 3.2 rpg 1.8 apg 0.8 spg 0.5 bpg
SF - Damian Strong (6’7” 195 lbs Jr) West New York NJ (Memorial HS) 3.7 GPA (3.5/4.0)
PF - Scott Ware (6’6” 193 lbs Sr RS) Gulf Breeze FL (Gulf Breeze HS) 4.0 GPA (4.0/4.5) 7.3 ppg 6.4 rpg 1.1 apg 0.7 spg 1.1 bpg
C - Eddie Hancock (6’9” 271 lbs Fr) Fairburn GA (Creekside HS) 3.0 GPA (5.0/5.0)

6 - Mike Lampley (6’6” 216 lbs Jr) Miami FL (Bay Point HS) 4.0 GPA (2.5/4.0) 5.0 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.0 apg 0.3 spg 0.2 bpg
7 - Derick Paige (6’4” 212 lbs Sr) De Queen AR (De Queen HS) 3.9 GPA (2.0/4.0) 0.8 ppg 0.4 apg
8 - Brandt Gunn (6’2” 193 lbs Fr) Columbia SC (A.C. Flora HS) 3.0 GPA (2.0/3.5)
9 - Corey Finley (6’5” 172 lbs Fr) Jonesboro GA (Jonesboro HS) 2.8 GPA (2.0/4.5)
10 - C.J. DeMond (6’4” 206 lbs Sr) Hendersonville TN (Beech HS) 3.2 GPA (2.0/4.0) insignificant minutes

RS - Jeff Robins (6’7” 202 lbs Fr) Tampa FL (Middleton HS) 3.1 GPA (2.5/4.5)
RS - Wil Burrough (6’10” 251 lbs Fr) Jacksonville FL (Bartram Trail HS) 3.1 GPA (0.5/5.0)

I have decided not to have walk-on players on the team this year as an experiment. All ten active players should expect to get minutes of at least some significance. This is going to be a clear rebuilding year … how well we succeed will depend on how all these young, new faces blend as a team to form a cohesive unit. We’re starting out ranked 17th in the nation based on our recruiting class (mostly Hancock) so I am keeping expectations tempered at this point.

[PointGuard]

Yes, I've received budget increases...difficult to get, but definitely not impossible. Have also received facilities improvements...more difficult to get, but great when that happens. Personally I don't get concerned about the budget and coach pay being close to reality. I kind of look at it as it is what it is. And I think the major (high prestige) programs have sufficient capability at getting the best recruits.

There is a suggestionin the CB23 Suggestions List for coaches to be able to negotiate their contracts. (again, not something that really interests me personally, but I can understand how it could be an improvement and something at least some game players would like). It's one of nearly 200 suggestions, so I have no idea if Gary will consider it this year, though. Time will tell.

[jksander]

Yes, I've received budget increases...difficult to get, but definitely not impossible. Have also received facilities improvements...more difficult to get, but great when that happens. Personally I don't get concerned about the budget and coach pay being close to reality. I kind of look at it as it is what it is. And I think the major (high prestige) programs have sufficient capability at getting the best recruits.

There is a suggestionin the CB23 Suggestions List for coaches to be able to negotiate their contracts. (again, not something that really interests me personally, but I can understand how it could be an improvement and something at least some game players would like). It's one of nearly 200 suggestions, so I have no idea if Gary will consider it this year, though. Time will tell.

Makes sense Lord knows I've been playing these games since way back when Arlie Rahn was running .400 Software, so I'm used to playing the games year in and year out and being astonished by how much they improve on every iteration, even if my own personal suggestions aren't taken

[jksander]

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Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
11/16   #17   North Carolina St.     L 65-75        0-1              E. Hancock (12 pts 11 reb 3 blk) C. Bryant (12 pts 1 reb 6 ast)
11/19   #17   Clarleston So.         W 74-53        1-1              E. Hancock (22 pts 18 reb 5 ast 2 blk) S. Ware (15 pts 3 reb)

Wil Burrough caused a huge scene at practice when he picked a fight with Hancock, said if he wasn’t redshirted he’d be starting right now, and then threw a punch. He’s been a disruptive force all through the preseason and has made it clear he’ll be transfering out in the spring. I’ve officially cut him from the team, and offered his scholarship to a local kid who has been on my radar. Don’t want to be here? Get the hell out of my practices and away from this team.

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11/21         (n) North Texas        W 73-55        2-1              E. Hancock (12 pts 18 reb 3 blk) S. Ware (12 pts 11 reb 1 blk)
11/22         (n) #24 Miami          W 92-77        3-1              E. Hancock (26 pts 14 reb 3 ast 2 stl) D. Patrick (14 pts 4 reb)
11/23         (n) Ohio State         W 74-64        4-1              D. Patrick (21 pts 4 reb 2 ast) D. Strong (15 pts 7 reb 2 ast)
11/26         Dayton                 W 93-60        5-1              E. Hancock (30 pts 12 reb 4 ast) C. Bryant (12 pts 6 reb 5 ast)
11/30   #14   @ UNLV                 L 64-69        5-2              E. Hancock (15 pts 14 reb 2 ast 3 blk) S. Ware (11 pts 9 reb)
12/3    #14   Memphis                W 78-53        6-2              E. Hancock (33 pts 19 reb 2 stl 2 blk) D. Patrick (16 pts 4 reb)
12/7    #13   Brigham Young          W 75-67        7-2              E. Hancock (32 pts 12 reb 4 blk) S. Ware (7 pts 12 reb 1 blk)
12/10   #13   Kent State             W 83-62        8-2              E. Hancock (12 pts 13 reb 2 stl) D. Paige (14 pts 3 reb 1 ast)
12/13   #11   @ #21 Clemson          L 67-77        8-3              E. Hancock (21 pts 10 reb 4 stl) D. Strong (12 pts 2 reb)
12/21   #15   Connecticut            W 76-44        9-3              S. Ware (16 pts 6 reb) D. Patrick (15 pts 3 reb 2 ast)
12/28   #14   #10 VCU                L 82-90        9-4              E. Hancock (16 pts 11 reb 4 blk) D. Patrick (18 pts 6 reb 2 ast)

Though not quite a rebuild, we’re a very young team with a super talented freshman leading the team with a lack of consistency. Hancock (18.8 PPG 12.8 RPG 2.5 APG 2.5 SPG 2.5 BPG) is a double-double machine, but sometimes his performances take so much of the spotlight the rest of the team just kind of eats his dust. That won us nine games, but whether we’ll be able to win against the best of the SEC remains unproven. A 10-8 SEC run would get us comfortably into the NCAA Tournament, which is where I’m privately keeping my expectations for the season. Anything over 20 wins for the regular season would be a really good performance for this talented, but still learning the ropes, group of players.

[jksander]

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Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
1/4     #18   @ Vanderbilt           W 83-72        10-4 (1-0)       E. Hancock (20 pts 14 reb 2 blk) D. Patrick (24 pts 1 reb 1 ast)
1/7     #18   Mississippi            W 86-59        11-4 (2-0)       E. Hancock (20 pts 5 reb 3 ast) C. Bryant (19 pts 4 reb 5 ast)
1/11    #16   Missouri               L 61-68        11-5 (2-1)       E. Hancock (21 pts 17 reb 3 ast) D. Strong (10 pts 5 reb 3 ast)
1/14    #16   @ Kentucky             L 57-67        11-6 (2-2)       D. Patrick (18 pts 2 reb 1 blk) C. Bryant (9 pts 3 reb 6 ast)
1/18    #19   South Carolina         W 89-78        12-6 (3-2)       E. Hancock (13 pts 14 reb 7 ast) D. Strong (23 pts 7 reb 4 ast)
1/21    #19   @ Auburn               W 85-81        13-6 (4-2)       E. Hancock (14 pts 11 reb 4 blk) S. Ware (15 pts 8 reb 2 stl)
1/25    #17   @ Texas A&M            W 82-80        14-6 (5-2)       E. Hancock (29 pts 13 reb 6 stl) D. Patrick (18 pts 5 reb 1 ast)
1/28    #17   Florida                W 66-45        15-6 (6-2)       E. Hancock (17 pts 10 reb 5 blk) C. Finley (16 pts 3 reb 4 ast)

Eddie Hancock is now the front-runner to WIN the Norton Award, and I’ve resigned myself to the idea of him being a one-and-done player. We’ve exceeded expectations thus far in a down-year for many of the SEC’s usual contenders, and with ten games left in the conference season we’re still right in the thick of the race. Missouri (17-2, 8-0) is the obvious front-runner, especially since we lost to them at home early in January, and Kentucky (12-7, 6-2) will also at least own a tiebreaker against us as we lost to them on their court. Our best hope is to win both those games in late February and then we’re at least in the thick of things. But with five teams sitting at 6-2 (Alabama, Mississippi State and Tennessee share part of that tie with us and UK) and Arkansas right in there at 5-3, it’s pretty much anyone’s season to emerge as a dominant February force.

Florida, meanwhile, is having their worst season in a decade, sitting at 10-11 (3-5) and looking like they might not even make it to a postseason tourney (though they do have a #56 NET so anything could happen.)

[jksander]

Code: Select all

Date    Rank  Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
2/1     #15   @ Mississippi          W 83-60        16-6 (7-2)       E. Hancock (20 pts 19 reb 6 ast 5 stl) D. Strong (24 pts 4 reb)
2/4     #15   Vanderbilt             W 65-60        17-6 (8-2)       E. Hancock (19 pts 11 reb 2 blk) D. Patrick (21 pts 4 reb 4 ast)
2/8     #15   @ LSU                  W 82-79        18-6 (9-2)       E. Hancock (30 pts 15 reb 4 ast) S. Ware (10 pts 6 reb 1 stl)
2/11    #15   #13 Mississippi St.    W 78-64        19-6 (10-2)      E. Hancock (25 pts 13 reb 4 stl) D. Patrick (21 pts 2 ast)
2/15    #13   @ #25 Alabama          W 81-76        20-6 (11-2)      E. Hancock (10 pts 10 reb 3 blk) D. Patrick (19 pts 6 reb 1 ast)
2/18    #13   #5 Tennessee           W 71-62        21-6 (12-2)      C. Bryant (28 pts 2 reb 3 ast) D. Strong (11 pts 9 reb 1 ast)
2/22    #11   Arkansas               W 79-76        22-6 (13-2)      D. Patrick (16 pts 3 reb 2 stl) C. Finley (16 pts 5 reb 4 ast)
2/25    #11   @ #12 Missouri         L 73-80        22-7 (13-3)      E. Hancock (16 pts 5 reb 2 stl) C. Finley (15 pts 5 ast 3 stl)
2/28    #12   Kentucky               W 65-54        23-7 (14-3)      E. Hancock (15 pts 17 reb 5 blk) D. Strong (14 pts 5 reb 4 ast)
3/4     #12   @ South Carolina       W 85-68        24-7 (15-3)      D. Patrick (29 pts 4 reb) D. Strong (23 pts 6 reb 4 ast 3 stl)

Alas, it’s the news we were expecting. Eddie Hancock is declaring for the NBA Draft as he remains likely to win the Norton Award. We’re also losing David Patrick (13.5 ppg 1.4 apg 3.3 rpg) to the draft as a sophomore, which is even more disappointing since none of us suspected he’d be leaving before at the very least his junior season. Thankfully we have incoming five-star players ready to take both of their spots, and I don’t expect this to derail expectations for the coming season. I have also offered the two newly opened scholarships to players who were on our radar and who remained unsigned. So, even sticking with my new no walk-on policy, I think we will have a significantly deeper team next fall. I will post a full recruit commitment listing after late signings are complete.

As for this season, Missouri finished atop the SEC with a 25-4 (16-2) record, while we finished alone in second place. Mississippi State and Tennessee finished tied for third at 14-4, while Alabama finished fifth with a 21-8 (13-5) record. Kentucky (15-14, 9-9) and Florida (16-15 (9-9) finished well below expectations, and rumor has it that if Kentucky doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament and get to at least the Sweet Sixteen, head coach Steve Asbury may be job hunting in April as his 123-79 record over six seasons with just an NIT Quarterfinal and two Sweet Sixteens to his credit, has not kept up with expectations.

[jksander]

SEC Tournament

Code: Select all

Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/9     (10) Mississippi       W 90-74        25-7             E. Hancock (18 pts 13 reb 4 ast) C. Bryant (10 pts 2 reb 11 ast)
3/10    (3) Mississippi St.    W 98-83        26-7             E. Hancock (23 pts 9 reb 3 ast) D. Patrick (18 pts 4 reb 3 ast)

3/11 (4) Tennessee L 58-65 26-8 E. Hancock (22 pts 7 reb 2 blk) D. Patrick (9 pts 3 reb 2 ast)

Florida and Kentucky both lost in their first games of the tournament, seriously jeopardizing their postseason hopes as each team finished the season at exactly .500 -- even Florida’s #55 Net Rating won’t likely get a team without a winning record into the postseason, even in the Cellar-dweller Basketball Tournament (I mean CBT). We blitzed our way to the title game, but were held in check by a tough Volunteer defense, losing by seven and leaving us fully focused on making our way deep into the NCAA Tournament. In what was supposed to be an “off” year, we’re heading into the selection weekend with a legitimate shot at a top three seed. Not bad at all!

Here’s our final recruiting list, now that all seven players have committed!

6’6” SF Shane Swanson (HS Senior, Largo FL) 2.8 GPA (#7 Ntl, #3 Reg) 23.3 ppg 7.9 rpg 2.6 apg 6.6 spg 1.2 bpg
6’8” C Jerome Williams (HS Senior, Hazard KY) 3.0 GPA (#10 Ntl, #4 Reg) 20.0 ppg 17.0 rpg 1.5 apg 6.3 spg 3.8 bpg
6’2” PG Garrett Bibby (HS Senior, Greeleyville SC) 2.9 GPA (#12 Ntl, #5 Reg) 22.2 ppg 5.8 rpg 8.1 apg 5.4 spg 0.6 bpg
6’1” SG Ray Kurtz (HS Senior, Quitman GA) 3.2 GPA (#97 Ntl, #33 Reg) 14.7 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.6 apg 1.7 spg 0.7 bpg
6’8” PF Paul Holmes (HS Senior, Chattanooga TN) 2.9 GPA (#115 Ntl, #38 Reg) 15.0 ppg 7.0 rpg 3.9 apg 1.7 spg 2.3 bpg
6’6” PF Derick Thomas (HS Senior, Ocilla GA) 3.1 GPA (#117 Ntl, #35 Reg) 14.4 ppg 3.5 rpg 3.4 apg 1.6 spg 1.9 bpg
6’7” PF Paul Dumic (HS Senior, Oxford MS) 3.1 GPA (#181 Ntl, #40 Reg) 15.0 ppg 4.7 rpg 2.9 apg 2.6 spg 1.8 bpg

Swanson, Williams and Bibby are ***** candidates, while Kurtz, Holmes and Thomas are ****’s. Dumic is a *** who chose us for our facilities and academics, hoping that we’d be able to help him maximize his game while still getting a shot at a real education. Depending on how he handles summer workouts, I may consider him for a redshirt to maximize his time with us.

SEC teams heading into the NCAA Tournament:

Dayton: (12) Texas A&M -- playing into Columbus bracket
East Rutherford: (2) Tennessee
Columbus: (2) Missouri
Columbus: (6) Alabama
Oklahoma City: (3) Georgia
Phoenix: (4) Mississippi St.

Texas A&M (19-14, 10-8) finished the year with a #37 NET ranking, so winding up in Dayon definitely sticks in their craw. I would expect them to be a dangerous 12-seed for sure.

Florida, at 16-16, somehow made the NIT as a 4-seed, not deserving it a bit. Arkansas (21-9) and Kentucky (15-15) each made the third-tier CBI Tournament. Kentucky shouldn’t have made it, but the Razorbacks, despite their 8-10 conference record, had a #57 NET ranking and earned a top seed. They probably should have gotten Florida’s spot in the NIT.
 
NCAA Tournament

Code: Select all

Date    Opponent               Score          W/L Record       Leaders
3/17    (14) Niagara           W 81-60        27-8             E. Hancock (18 pts 8 reb 2 ast) M. Lampley (15 pts 2 ast 1 stl)
3/19    (6) Purdue             L 70-92        27-9             D. Patrick (13 pts 4 reb 1 ast) C. Finley (15 pts 2 reb 1 ast)

Texas A&M got the seeding they deserved, as UNLV handled them easily in Dayton 69-63. On Thursday afternoon Tennessee manhandled (15) Tennessee Tech defensively 69-56, while Missouri stumped (15) Oral Roberts 87-65. Alabama also won a solid defensive matchup against (11) Navy 69-53, getting head coach Shawn Boardman back into the second round for the first time since March of 2025 -- not bad, considering his team was in the CBT two years ago and finished 12-18 last year! On day two we had a solid wall-to-wall win against an overmatched Niagara team, while Mississippi State steamrolled the (13) High Point Panthers 84-69.

On Saturday Alabama had the toughest test, facing (3) VCU in the first game of the afternoon, winning a killer overtime affair after they gave up a 12-point halftime lead, outscoring the Rams 8-4 in overtime to win 81-77, their first Sweet Sixteen in almost a decade! The Crimson Tide haven’t been to an Elite Eight since 2004, and they have never made the Final Four, only winning a pre-tournament era title in 1930. Tennessee rolled as well, beating (7) Memphis 72-65, and Missouri advanced in a tough defensive matchup against (7) Providence 79-69! Mississippi State won a shootout against (12) BYU to make the Sweet Sixteen as well, 05-81. But in our game against a hard-nosed Purdue squad, Hancock fouled out early and our bench had to put in signifiant time. Unfortunately we lost this one in a blowout, 70-92. What a bummer of a way to end our season.

In the first day of the Sweet Sixteen, Alabama’s run came to an end against (2) Missouri, falling to their SEC compatriots 70-83, while Tennessee lost a stunner against (6) Oklahoma State, 59-74. That left Mississippi State as our lone major tournament team as they faced (1) Duke on Friday, and they fared equally badly, losing 79-94. Only Missouri would advance to the Elite Eight (their first since 2009) and they had to face (1) Gonzaga (33-3) if they wanted to get to the Final Four for the first time ever -- they, like Alabama, only have National Titles from the pre-Tournament era (1921 and 1922). But they’ll have to wait another year if that’s the goal, since they fell to the Zags 60-68.

The Final Four was all chalk, except for (6) Oklahoma State, which managed to win their way to a shot against (1) Gonzaga, which they managed to win 68-60! That earned them a title shot against (1) Duke, which had dismantled (1) Kansas 80-62 in the semifinals. The championship game was an equal disappointment -- Duke led 45-36 at the half and coasted to win 83-65. It was head coach Shane Moore’s first National Title in his fourth trip to the Final Four in six years, and the school’s sixth overall, but first since 2015 when Coach K won his final championship.

Florida made the NIT Final Four, but lost in the semifinals to Minnesota 59-61. Kentucky, however, managed to win the entire CBI Tournament, beating Marshall in the finals 66-54. Whether that will be enough for their coach to keep his job will remain to be seen.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Eddie Hancock (17.6 ppg) David Patrick (13.8 ppg) Damian Strong (9.6 ppg) Cedric Bryant (8.7 ppg)
Rebounding: Eddie Hancock (11.8 rpg) Scott Ware (7.4 rpg) Damian Strong (4.5 rpg)
Assists: Cedric Bryant (6.0 apg) Damian Strong (2.7 apg) Eddie Hancock (2.6 apg)
Steals: Eddie Hancock (2.8 spg) Damian Strong (1.5 spg)
Blocks: Eddie Hancock (2.6 bpg) Scott Ware (1.4 bpg)

Though he did not match Jason Sanders’ school record for single season scoring, Eddie Hancock did shatter Gary Taylor’s record of 375 set back in 2026, with 401 rebounds this season. He also broke Taylor’s 2026 steals record (69) with 95 steals this season, though his 88 blocks fell short of Taylor’s 99 in 2026. His 599 points scored will place him second behind Sanders’ 638 from 2026.

Graduating Players
Derick Paige (4.0 GPA) 4.9 ppg 0.9 rpg 1.4 apg 0.1 spg 0.1 bpg (114 games)
C.J. DeMond (3.2 GPA) 3.1 ppg 1.5 rpg 0.8 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg (102 games)
Scott Ware (4.0 GPA) 8.2 ppg 5.8 rpg 1.3 apg 0.6 spg 0.9 bpg (134 starts)

Leaving Early
Eddie Hancock (3.0 GPA) 17.6 ppg 11.8 rpg 2.6 apg 2.8 spg 2.6 bpg (34 starts)
David Patrick (3.0 GPA) 13.2 ppg 3.2 rpg 1.7 apg 0.5 spg 0.3 bpg (66 starts)

I’m thinking Jeff Robins may transfer out. He redshirted the season and has shown marked improvement in his play during practices, but I have not been able to break through his guarded façade. I’m hoping he’ll give us a chance to see him play in a Georgia uniform in the fall, but if he chooses to leave I’ll understand as there will be a lot of competition with incoming players for playing time. He’s never seemed overly concerned with that, but sometimes it’s hard to gauge when a kid just won’t open up.

Awards
Norton Award: Eddie Hancock
National Player of the Year: Eddie Hancock
National Freshman of the Year: Eddie Hancock
1st Team All American: Eddie Hancock
SEC Player of the Year: Eddie Hancock
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Eddie Hancock
SEC Freshman of the Year: Eddie Hancock
1st Team All SEC: Eddie Hancock

Tennessee’s coach D.J. Shaw won SEC Coach of the Year.

With us not making it to the Sweet Sixteen our school prestige dropped slightly, and I took a lot of crap over not making the Final Four, though they were happy we won more than 20 games and recruited as well as we did. I made it clear that if they want to keep expecting sky high success, they’ll need to start putting some money where their mouths are. But despite surprising job openings at Duke and West Virginia, I’m happy here and ready to keep bringing top classes in … better to win a title with the program I built from scratch than jump ship to another where I piggyback off the work of others.

Steve Asbury kept his job at Kentucky for another year, while North Carolina coach Bucky Berry made national waves by leaving to take the open Duke job! Berry was coming off a dismal 9-23 performance at UNC two years ago for which he’d been fired. An odd hire indeed. UNC wound up hiring Leland Morton last year after Berry’s firing, and he went 15-17 in his first season. West Virginia hired Mike Wright, who went 127-77 in six seasons coaching Pittsburgh to an NIT Title and a Sweet Sixteen. The other two big open jobs this year were USC and Washington out in the Pac 12. USC hired Vidal Gibbs (81-56 after four years at Houston), while LSU’s Greg Largent left to take the Washington job after his 12-19 record last season amid rumors they were going to fire him if he didn’t leave.

Interesting stuff.

We had a lot of work to do in the offseason regarding OUR coaching situation. Brooks Jackson decided not to accept our offer of an extended contract, trying his hand at finding a head coach job that never materialized. So I was able to talk him into a three-year deal worth $109,650 per year, a 7.5% raise to keep my top-notch development coach. I’ve had him on my staff since the beginning, and I’m very confident in his abilities.

Associate HC: Brooks Jackson (62, $109,650 / 3 yrs) - Development: 88%
2nd Assistant: Jeremy Morris (50, $21,500 / 4 yrs) - Recruiting: 67%
3rd Assistant: Brian Thunell (43, $17,450 / 2 yrs) - Scouting: 37%

And the board finally gave me their vote of approval, boosting our budget overall to $251,000 per year, a 13% inrease that will help us both with recruiting and with hiring stronger assistant coaches in the coming years! With three years left on my contract I am getting the impression that they are definitely wanting to work to keep me leading the Georgia Bulldogs well into the next decade.I mean, hey, I’m only 42! The sky’s the limit with our program here in the SEC.

[jksander]

SEASON SEVEN
2028-29

Coach Information
Name: Dale Connover
Age / Record: 42 (157-60, .724)
Conf. Titles: 1 (2025)
Conf. Tourney Titles: 2 (2025, 2026)
National Coach of the Year: 0
SEC Coach of the Year: 2 (2025-2026)
National Titles: 0
Final Fours: 2 (2025-2026)
Elite Eights: 3 (2025-2027)
Sweet Sixteens: 4 (2024-2027)
Reputation: 94% (+3)
Contract: $491,000 / 3 years
Offense: 81%
Defense: 64%
Recruiting: 94%
Scouting: 74% (+2)
Development: 95%

School Information
School: Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Athens GA
Conference: SEC
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 Cap)
Budget: $251,000 ($148,600 Assistants / $102,400 Recruiting)
Facilities: B+
Academics: B (SAT Min: 940)
School Prestige: 68% (-2)
Conf. Prestige: 78% (-1)

Top 5 Recruit Classes
1. Duke
2. Georgia
3. Syracuse
4. Arizona
5. Notre Dame

Top 5 SEC Recruit Classes
2. Georgia
7. Tennessee
17. Alabama
22. Missouri
28. Florida

Scouting Reports
National Basic ($10,000)
Southeast Premium ($30,000)

Transfers
Surprisingly, our only transfer this year is Mike Lampley, who feels there’s too much competition for him at his position. I am hoping he’ll find somewhere to play where he can be happy, as he’s always been a hard worker for us.

Transfer Recruits
None. There was a kid transfering from Arkansas who I thought might have given us some depth among big men, but he chose to go elsewhere, and with our recuiting abilities in the Southeast, I don’t feel like we have to be dependent on the transfer portal this year.

Camps
Indy Elite Camp ($5,000)
Memphis Hoop Summit ($3,700)

Recruiting Budget Remaining: $52,500
Scholarships Available: 2

NBA Draft
#5 - Eddie Hancock
#22 - David Patrick

Norton Nominees
Shane Swanson (7th Preseason -- 2nd Team Preseason All American)
Garrett Bibby (17th Preseason)

Committed Recruits
6’0” PG Rob Wilkes (HS Senior, Homerville GA) 2.9 GPA (#11 Ntl, #4 Reg) 24.6 ppg 7.1 rpg 9.3 apg 4.5 spg 0.4 bpg
6’7” PF Ricky Granberry (HS Senior, Atlanta GA) 2.9 GPA (#19 Ntl, #6 Reg) 20.9 ppg 12.4 rpg 1.8 apg 4.6 spg 5.2 bpg

We got the two top recruits in the state, which is f---ing awesome for a school like ours that hasn’t always been able to boast about bringing in the top blue-chip players in Georgia, but now can -- and does. This should be easily another top three recruiting class, and should keep us ahead of our SEC foes. Once these two players sign their LOIs, I’ll officially have officially signed 10 players from Georgia, opening the state up as an official pipeline. Florida, with seven signed recruits, and Tennessee with four, are not far behind!

It’s worth noting that the Clemson rivalry we’ve been part of seems to be ramping up on the recruiting end as well. They’ve nabbed a blue-chipper of their own this season and have put together four straight 20-win seasons under head coach David Jefferies, getting back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time last season! We’re only 2-3 against the Tigers, but this year we get to host them and hope to even the score.

Redshirts
Paul Dumic and Derick Thomas will redshirt this season.

Schedule
11/15 - @ Providence
11/18 - (n) Vermont - Hawaiian Shootout
11/22 - Boise State
11/25 - @ Illinois
11/29 - Ohio State
12/2 - @ #18 Maryland
12/6 - #17 Memphis
12/9 - @ Indiana
12/13 - #24 Clemson
12/20 - @ #25 Purdue
12/27 - @ Iowa State

The quick turnaround from Hawaii to being back at home against Boise State certainly is a new level of jet-lag insanity, but I told our AD I wanted things to be tough this year and I guess he took me dead seriously. Hell, there are no easy games at all beyond Thanksgiving, including a third of the Big Ten, three of those games on the road! By January we’ll KNOW what we’re made of, starting at #15 in the AP Poll and then finishing … sky’s the limit!

Roster
PG - Garrett Bibby (6’2” 204 lbs Fr) Greeleyville SC (C.E. Murphy HS) 2.9 GPA (5.0/5.0)
SG - Damian Strong (6’7” 195 lbs Sr) West New York NJ (Memorial HS) 3.9 GPA (4.0/4.0) 9.6 ppg 4.5 rpg 2.7 apg 1.5 spg 0.6 bpg
SF - Shane Swanson (6’6” 210 lbs Fr) Largo FL (Largo HS) 2.8 GPA (5.0/5.0)
PF - Paul Holmes (6’8” 190 lbs Fr) Chattanooga TN (Brainerd HS) 2.9 GPA (3.0/4.0)
C - Jerome Williams (6’8” 263 lbs Fr) Hazard KY (Hazard HS) 3.0 GPA (3.5/5.0)

6 - Cedric Bryant (6’4” 206 lbs Jr RS) Portsmouth NH (Portsmouth HS) 2.8 GPA (2.5/4.0) 8.7 ppg 2.9 rpg 6.0 apg 0.8 spg 0.1 bpg
7 - Brandt Gunn (6’2” 193 lbs So) Columbia SC (A.C. Flora HS) 3.6 GPA (3.5/4.0) 1.8 ppg 1.2 rpg 0.6 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg
8 - Jeff Robins (6’7” 202 lbs Fr RS) Tampa FL (Middleton HS) 3.2 GPA (1.0/2.5)
9 - Corey Finley (6’5” 172 lbs So) Jonesboro GA (Jonesboro HS) 2.9 GPA (2.0/4.0) 5.2 ppg 1.6 rpg 1.6 apg 0.6 spg 0.2 bpg
10 - Ray Kurtz (6’1” 204 lbs Fr) Quitman GA (Brooks County HS) 3.2 GPA (1.0/4.0)

RS - Paul Dumic (6’7” 210 lbs Fr) Oxford MS (Lafayette County HS) 3.1 GPA (1.0/3.5)
RS - Derick Thomas (6’6” 215 lbs Fr) Ocilla GA (Irwin County HS) 3.1 GPA (1.0/4.0)

The bench right now will be fighting over minutes. Right now Bryant, Gunn, Robins and Finley will each be getting 8 to 12 minutes per game, with Kurtz playing only a cleanup role in garbage time. Our starters will be expecting to play 30 to 34 minutes a game.