Georgia basketball climbs the recruiting ladder
Georgia basketball head Coach Tom Crean expects a number seven ranked national haul on signing day.
If you want to stick around Georgia basketball as head coach, you better climb the recruiting ladder fast – fast like day one. Tom Crean may be the first Georgia head basketball coach to pull that off since Hugh Durham brought in his celebrated second recruiting class – celebrated like Dominique Wilkins.
Georgia basketball’s class at number seven
Crean is expected to sign a national number seven ranked class on April 17. Included in the group of four signees is the national second ranked player and top guard, Anthony Edwards. It could be the second best class in the SEC.
More from Dawn of the Dawg
- Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
- Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
- Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
- Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
- Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina
What Georgia lacked this season, and the reason Mark Fox’s teams could not win enough games for him to keep his job, is the ability to break down the defense and get to the rim off the dribble. Anthony Edwards’ ability to do just that immediately puts Georgia in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Basketball is a guard’s game
A casual watching of this year’s Final Four reveals the necessity of shaking loose one-on-one with the shot clock winding down.
While there’s nothing weak in Edwards game, he’s better driving the ball than jump shooting. He will take the ball, break down the defense, and get to the rim for the Dawgs in 2020.
James Harden in red and black
Kipp Adams of 247.com compares Edwards to James Harden of the Houston Rockets. (The guy with the beard if you aren’t an NBA fan.)
Adams also said, “Staying dialed in at all times and his shot selection are other areas for improvement.” So, in other words, he’s 18 years old.
Also, “Edwards is most effective when he has the ball in his hands.” Which is why he could be the number one pick in the 2020 draft.
More succinctly, Edwards is exactly what the vet ordered for this canine basketball program.
But wait. There’s more
Joining Edwards will be a trio of four-star small forwards. Of the three, Georgia needs two to step up and contribute as freshman. The likely pair is Christian Brown and Jaykwan Walton. Both are 6’ 6”, 200 pound athletic players who will begin their careers scoring around the basket.
“Edwards is most effective when he has the ball in his hands.”
However, the Dawgs may turn to Toumani Camara early. Although he ranks well below Walton and Brown as the number 96 national player, he has the ball handling ability to improvise and make plays off the dribble – a difference making skill in the Twenty-first century version of Dr. Naismith’s game.
Still missing the point
There is one thing missing from this 2019 recruiting class, something the Dawgs have lacked since the beloved JJ Frazier departed in 2017. The Dawgs desperately need a dependable point guard.
dark. Next. Brian Herrien looks to impress
Things could get dicey for the 2020 Georgia cagers if Edwards or any of the current players must direct Georgia’s attack at the point. But why borrow worries? This recruiting class has Georgia basketball on it’s sharpest upward trajectory in since the1980s.