2015 Allstate Legend Jacky Dorsey and the Promise of UGA Basketball
Allstate® has announced the 2015 Class of Allstate® SEC Basketball Legends. Jacky Dorsey is the representative for the Georgia Bulldogs.
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Former Georgia sharp shooting basketball forward Jacky Dorsey joins the 2015 Class of SEC Basketball Legends. There may be no more fitting player to represent the University of Georgia. Besides his accomplishments, as much as any single player, Jacky Dorsey personifies the Georgia Nation’s 60 year frustration with Bulldog Basketball.
From 1974 – 1976. Dorsey was one of the SEC’s most exciting players. Had he stayed his entire four years in Athens, he would certainly have become one of the league’s all-time greats. As talented a shooter as any Georgia player before or since, Dorsey was a 2-time All-SEC forward in 1974- 75 and 1975-76.
The Georgia player quickest to reach 1,000 points, reaching the mark in the 43rd game of his career, Dorsey owns both the Georgia scoring average record for career (23.7 points per game) and season (25.7 points per game.) And with many of Dorsey’s shots coming from long range, his trademark high arcing jumper would have resulted in a greater point average had he benefitted from the 3-point line.
But the talented shooters story, like the story of Georgia basketball, is one of promise not always fulfilled.
Dorsey, 6’7” and 230 pounds, was recruited out of Atlanta’s Archer High School in 1974. After two individually stellar seasons, named First Team All –SEC twice, and with the Bulldog program improving from a 8-17 record in 1975 to a 12-15 record in 1976, Dorsey and his immense, program changing talents, bolted to the NBA.
Dorsey comments on his decision to the Associated Press were reported in the Tuscaloosa News in February 1977.
“I felt I did the right thing then, but I kind of regret what happened. But I made a mistake and everybody makes some mistakes.”
Dorsey went on to discuss the reason he left Georgia. “Coach Guthrie was playing me at center a lot my sophomore year because that was what the team needed. But I’m just not a center. In the pros, they let you develop your talent at your best position. I didn’t feel I could improve any after my sophomore year.”
That Dorsey could not improve is certainly a reasonable argument since he was already two time All-SEC, becoming Georgia’s season scoring leader his first year. But the argument loses some steam after that as the Georgia center position was manned in 1974 – 75 by second year starter Steve Waxman and in 1975 -76 by the ultra talented 6’11” beast Lucius Foster who was joined on the 1976-77 team by Georgia big man legend Lavon Mercer.
Allstate SEC Basketball Legend Jacky Dorsey
In any event, the New Orleans Jazz chose Dorsey in the NBA draft. “I had high expectations from the Jazz. I was expecting a two or three year contract. I didn’t get it. I was a first round draft choice [Dorsey was actually drafted in the second round] and they treated me like a last round pick. I just didn’t put out and it wasn’t’ because I couldn’t’ play. I just didn’t want to play.”
After playing in seven games for Denver and four for Portland, Dorsey found his way to Hartford, Connecticut and the Eastern Professional League, supplementing his income working at the Community Recourse Center. Dorsey bounced back, playing in 1978 – 79 for Houston and in 1980-81 for Seattle.
Along with Dorsey, The 2015 Allstate SEC Basketball Legends class includes C.M. Newton, Alabama; Darrell Walker, Arkansas; Chris Porter, Auburn; Eddie Shannon, Florida; Jacky Dorsey, Georgia; Bob Burrow, Kentucky; Ronald Dupree, LSU; B.L. “Country” Graham, Ole Miss; Doug Hutton, Mississippi State; Derrick Chievous, Missouri; Jack Thompson, South Carolina; Johnny Darden, Tennessee; Sonny Parker, Texas A&M; Bruce Elder, Vanderbilt.
Each SEC Basketball Legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution’s first game at the tournament.