The All-Time Underappreciated Georgia Basketball Team

Mar 19, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; General view of the NCAA logo on the court during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Gerald Crosby

Georgia basketball fans have little trouble naming four of the five starters on the storied 1983 Georgia Basketball Final Four Team. Vern Fleming and James Banks, of course, along with crowd favorites Lamar Heard and Terry Fair easily fly off the tongue. But, who was that other guy? He is Gerald Crosby.

A third team Parade All-American, Crosby came to Georgia as a sharpshooting guard from Birmingham. He immediately caught the fancy of Bulldog fans with his jump shot accuracy. It wasn’t long before he also began disrupting defensively.

At home on Vern Fleming’s wing, Crosby sank 22 of 29 shots to lead Georgia to the 1983 Southeastern Conference tournament title and an unlikely NCAA bid. Georgia’s Cinderella run did not end until Coach Jim Valvano’s own Cinderella team struck the midnight chimes on Hugh Durham’s Bulldog squad.

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