Georgia Basketball gets huge win in Anthony Edwards

Georgia Basketball might be having a tough season on the court in 2019 but the decision of Anthony Edwards to play for the Dawgs can change the program.

Wow. Just wow. I cannot believe that Georgia Basketball just landed one of the best high school players in the country. That is a sentance I would have never, ever thought I would be typing in a column just a year ago. Anthony Edwards, the top-ranked shooting guards in the 2019 class has decided to play with Tom Crean and the Dawgs, picking them over Kentucky and FSU.

Edwards is the top player in Atlanta in this year’s class. Traditionally UGA has struggled to get players from this basketball hotbed to stay in state. Their program hasn’t had the pedigree or the coaching staff to be able to convince future NBA lottery picks to come just an hour and a half down the road to Athens. Crean’s arrival changed that and Edwards statement at his commitment showed why:

"“Two of my favorite players, Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo, were coached by Tom Crean and he’s a great coach,” Edwards told 247Sports. “They came in, not highly rated, and came out really good. It weighed big on me.”"

When was the last time UGA basketball had a coach who could point to two players of that caliber as guys that he mentored? Dwyane Wade is a surefire hall of fame player who Crean remains incredibly close to. Oladipo has become one of the best in the league at his position and would have been an All-Star for a 2nd year in a row if he hadn’t been injured a few weeks ago. Both guys were/are the best players on their teams. Both are shooting guards. Both were taught and mentored by Crean.

Those stories, the connections with top NBA players, that’s what Crean has brought to UGA. It’s also what programs need in an era where the best players want to go to the NBA in just a season. Mark Fox was a decent coach, but he’s never helped build up a player who has achieved those sort of heights. It was easy for someone like John Calipari to sweep in and take a player who might otherwise consider UGA. Fox couldn’t honestly say that he’d position anyone to be a lottery pick.

Crean can, both Oldaipo and Wade were top 5-picks and are household names. It’s unlikely in this day and age of ‘one and done’ players that Crean will ever build a relationship with someone like Edwards that is as close as the one he built with Wade. That being said, being the key launch point for one of the greatest shooting guards in recent memory is a pretty good thing to sell to 5-stars.

Edwards joins Jaykwon Walton and Toumani Camara in this years recruiting class. Both of the other two players 4-star prospects and top 100 guys. They are also both long, rangy wing players that should offer versatility and shooting in Crean’s system. That class now looks like being the best UGA has ever pulled in.

As good as those other players could be, Edwards is the key here. What UGA needs (desperately) in Crean’s system is better guard play. Edwards is the premier player at that position in this class and someone who has been touted as the next James Harden. He’s a ball-handling guard who can score from anywhere and create for others. If Crean can help develop him to become the player many expect, UGA could be a serious threat to other SEC teams next season.

But Edwards decision is about more than just next year. It’s unlikely that a player this good stays for more than a year but his time in Athens could potentially impact the program for a great deal longer. Should he succeed, Georgia and Crean will be in a position to build a program that has the potential to become a powerhouse based on it’s geographical location to a bucketload of talent.

Crean is trying to build something special in Athens but it’s been a tough start. His team sits 10-13 on the season and they’re having a lot of tough nights playing in a brutal SEC. Edwards decision should motivate fans and current players to stay engaged and committed to his philosophy. It’s a sign that better days are ahead and that despite a tough year, this is a coach who can deliver in ways we haven’t seen before. Help is coming Dawg fans and when it arrives, good lord its going to be exciting.