Kentavious Caldwell Commits to UGA Basketball

This is the type of recruit that always seemed to be getting away. That is until Mark Fox was hired on as head coach of the Men’s Basketball team. All he has done in his short time here is instill hope in a fan base that has a keen eye on the future. Commitments to play from big time in state players like Caldwell and Marcus Thornton before him signals that UGA Basketball is now on the map with a big exclamation point.

Caldwell is a 6’6″ 185lb shooting guard from Greenville High School. He averaged 29.7 points per game as a junior last year. He is regarded as one of the nation’s top 15 players and is currently ranked as the 11th best player in the country per ESPNU’s rankings. That would signal a possible McDonald’s All American. Do you know how long it has been since Georgia Basketball had a McDonald’s All American. The last to commit was Lou Williams who skipped college all together by entering the NBA draft. The last to actually commit and play at UGA was Carlos Strong in 1992.

This is really huge for a program that was busy recruiting players like Zac Swansey at the end of Coach Dennis Felton’s tenure. Nothing against Swansey but he is not an SEC talent. Nor is he the potential All American talent the way Caldwell is. Mark Fox has brought UGA Basketball recruiting up a level. AJC columnist Mark Bradley writes that Fox’s hiring was one of the things that recently departed Athletic Director Damon Evans got right.

In Mark Fox’s one season now he took over some left overs from the Felton era and made them respectable. He has helped to further improve Trey Thompkins game and has turned Travis Leslie into a potential star and ESPN highlight machine. Add to that mix this season transfer Gerald Robinson Jr. and Georgia Mr. Basketball Marcus Thornton and you have the makings of an exciting season already.