Senior forward Kenny Gaines was named SEC Co-Player of the Week after his play helped the Georgia basketball team pick up their first win of the season.
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The preseason All-SEC first team selection continues to rack up the accolades early in the season. Kenny Gaines was named SEC Co-Player of the Week along with Kentucky sophomore Tyler Ulis in an article put out Monday by the conference.
After dropping their season opener, Georgia picked up a big 63-52 win last Friday night over Murray State. Gaines totaled a career-high 35 points, including 22 in the second half.
He accounted for 55.6 percent of the team’s total points in the game, the highest mark by any Georgia player since the 1960-1961 season when complete records were first made available. He also knocked down seven of 14 three-pointers, and recorded the 15th best single-game scoring performance in team history.
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With the early season struggles of fellow senior standout Charles Mann, who scored just two points Friday, Gaines will be relied upon even more to guide the Bulldogs to success. The team should continue to feed off of his stellar shooting from the outside, especially when their other stars cannot find their range.
Currently, three of Georgia’s top four returning players are averaging at least 12 points per game (p/g). Yante Maten (12 p/g) and J.J. Frazier (15 p/g) have put in two solid games to open the season, while Gaines is averaging 23.5 p/g after only 12 points versus Chattanooga.
The Dawgs take on High Point Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum before their tough non-conference schedule begins.
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Before conference play starts on January 2, 2016, Georgia has games against the likes of Seton Hall, Oakland, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson. The positive news is that only one of those games is on the road (November 28th at Seton Hall).
If Mann can find his form, the Dawgs will have four great leaders that should build confidence in their younger players. One thing is for sure though, Gaines should be getting the ball early and often in every game.