As the old saying goes, ask and you shall receive. With Georgia making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015, these are certainly exciting times for Georgia basketball and Bulldog Nation collectively.
And while those 10 years since Georgia last earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament may seem long and excruciating, it has been even longer, 29 years in fact, since the University of Georgia men’s basketball team made any serious noise in college basketball's annual event.
To help unpack and put into perspective just how big of an accomplishment making the tournament was for Mike White and Georgia, Carlos Strong, a member of the 1996 Georgia NCAA Tournament team, sat down to discuss his experience and what he likes about this year's team.
The Crown Jewel
In 1992, legendary UGA basketball coach Hugh Durham signed one of the best recruiting classes of his tenure at Georgia. Like Asa Newell, Strong was considered the crown jewel of that recruiting class. In his senior year of high school, Strong was ranked as the number one player in the state of Georgia and the number three overall player in the nation.
Strong was also a member of the 1992 Junior Olympic team, a McDonald’s All-American, and a McDonald’s slam dunk champion. With scholarship offers from all over the country, including some of the traditional powerhouse programs at the time, Strong elected to stay home and attend the University of Georgia. A decision he proudly stands behind, still to this day. Collegiately, Strong was an All-SEC selection, who would start every game of his four-year Georgia career.
Improbable run
Strong and the 1996 Georgia basketball team did the unthinkable by defeating the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers - led by the legendary coach Gene Keady - in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia would make it all the way to the Sweet 16, before suffering a heartbreaking 83-81 overtime defeat to John Wallace and the Syracuse Orangemen, who would end up as the NCAA runner-up that season.
Unique Perspective
Strong was kind enough to lend his time and unique perspective on not only his 1996 tournament team but also this year‘s squad led by Newell and vastly impressive sophomore Silas Demary Jr.
Strong also provided insight on what drove his decision to stay home and attend the University of Georgia, his own experience of being a part of an NCAA tournament run, tournament seeding, and his prediction for Georgia’s first-round matchup against Gonzaga.
Catching up with Carlos
What played into your decision to play for your hometown Georgia Bulldogs at that time, especially when it was widely known that you were heavily recruited by the likes of Rick Pitino and the Kentucky Wildcats?
Carlos Strong: “Two things. Back in those days, the opportunity to play as a true freshman is not like it is today. The Fab Five at Michigan was the exception, not the norm in those days. So, having the chance to play early versus redshirting played a major role in my decision. Secondly, I think you have to understand, growing up in Athens, you already had a sense of being a Bulldog. You know, Athens is a small town with a major division one college right in its backyard. So, I was always a Dog fan growing up, anyway.”
What do you believe was a key driver for your team leading up to that 1996 tournament that gave you guys so much momentum and confidence in being able to beat the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers?
CS: “Tubby (Smith). Tubby came in and changed the dynamics of the way we thought and allowed us to play our game more freely. So, when we played Purdue, it was easy because they were not SEC-level. Honestly, even though they were a number one-seed, that game was a breeze.”
Unlike your 1996 team, this year’s Georgia Bulldogs team is really young. Given that youth, what are some of your thoughts of this year’s Georgia team?
CS: “I really like this team. Asa (Newell) is a likely lottery pick in this year's draft. I recently did a podcast with Silas (Demary) a few months ago and he has emerged as someone that has really been putting the ball in the bucket.”
However, Strong's praise of Demary did not end there. In fact, Strong believes so much in Demary's on-court growth and success that he went on to say, “I think he (Demary) is in an area where that if he has a good game (versus Gonzaga), win or lose, he can try for the NBA.”
What do you feel are some of the key ingredients to making a good NCAA run?
CS: “It is very important that you are playing your best ball of the year, having confidence in each other and can you put it all together and gel right now.”
What do you think is going through the minds of those kids who are preparing themselves for the NCAA tournament?
CS: “Seeding doesn’t matter to the players, that is for the fans. As a player, your mentality is it is one game and we move on. So, when it comes to preparation it is simple, you are preparing to win. Seeding aside, you only have to be better than your opponent one night. That’s it. Nothing else matters.”
Do you feel that Georgia needs to go into this matchup against Gonzaga and try to take away what the Zags do well or do you feel that Georgia needs to just focus on what it is that they do well and play their game? What do you feel should be their approach?
CS: “It can be a bit of both. You got to try and take away their strengths, while playing to your own strengths. I think this game is a favorable matchup (for Georgia). Gonzaga is going to be well-coached and they are going to be ready to go, but I truly believe this is the best matchup Georgia could have (asked for) right now.”
What is your prediction for Georgia’s first round matchup against Gonzaga?
CS: “If UGA can get ten points from another player or combination of players from the bench, I predict UGA will win by at least six points.”
Georgia and Gonzaga are set to do battle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 20 at 4:35 pm EST on TBS.