Dawn of the Dawg
Fansided

Georgia Basketball: What can UGA learn from S. Carolina?

By Alistair Penny

Jan 21, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) takes the ball to the basket during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) takes the ball to the basket during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

Coaching:

Mar 10, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky won 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky won 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Mark Fox is by no means a bad coach, but there remains a big difference in the success he has achieved compared to Frank Martin. Fox achieved success much earlier, posting his best record at UGA in his second season. Martin on the other hand has built the program up to this point, with each year getting progressively better.

As mentioned in the previous slide, this years team has been built around two highly regarded payers that he recruited. Fox has not yet achieved the success Martin has in recruiting and hopefully that is an area in which he can improve in the future. That in itself will make Fox a better coach and UGA a better team.

Martin has to be given credit as well for the defense he has built for the gamecocks. Knocking out Marquette and Duke’s explosive offenses in the tournament just shows how tough his team is playing this year. After topping Florida and Baylor to get to this point, they have beaten 4 top 15 teams in just over a week. That’s an impressive achievement.

Carolina’s defense is something that the coach deserves credit for. While players execute, its the coaches that scheme this particular part of the game. Mark Fox remains a solid coach, but he is yet to implement a concept that truly defines his team in the way that Martin has. Whether it’s offense or defense, this is an area where Fox needs to shine for UGA to improve.

Home/Georgia Basketball