Knights Claim Another Region Title
By: Rich Bontrager
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In an epic game between two bitter rivals, the Frederica Knights surprised many fans and sports reporters with a spectacular win against Bulloch Academy, 49-12.
Coming into this Region Championship matchup, the series between these two powerhouses stood at 2-2. In each of those four games, the home team had prevailed. This season, the Knights would arrive in Statesboro, GA and dominate in most all areas of the game.
What made the victory extra unique was that Frederica had 6 players not suited up due to injury and Jashawn Sheffield (SR. WR/Safety) was limited to only offensive plays due to a minor injury from last week’s John Milledge loss.
The Knights won the coin toss and elected to start on defense, as they have done all but one game this season. Coach Brandon Derrick trusted his defense to set the tone of the game and create short field position for his offensive squad. The defense did just that.
The Knights would score 14 unanswered points in the first half. First on a 3-yard rushing TD by Jaylin Simpson (Sr. QB) and then again on a 13-yard run by Isaiah Jackson (Sr. RB). Both extra-point kicks were good by Logan Bauer (Sr. K).
In fact, Bauer would kick a perfect game and go 7 for 7, something he had never done all season.
The Knight’s defensive gave Bulloch’s offense moments of frustration. Several times the Gators carried the ball into the “red zone” only to turn the ball over on downs, or miss a field goal.
The Knight’s defense gave up plenty of rushing yards, but always found a way to shut down Bulloch’s offensive machine. Including a big first half-sack by Will Counts (So., DL).
While the Knights would miss yet another scoring opportunity just before halftime, they scored on the first offensive play of the second half as Denver Anthony (Jr., RB) scored on a 60-yard rushing play.
A few plays later, Harry Veal (Sr., LB) recovered a bad lateral by Don Aarons of the Gators. Moments later, Denver Anthony ran for his second TD (16 yds) in less than 2 minutes of the third quarter play. Those scores put Frederica up 28-0.
The defense continued to set up the offense well as Josh Meadow’s made a big 4th down stop on Bulloch and Will Thompson would sack QB Don Aarons.
In total the Knights scored 21 points in the third quarter, and an additional 14 in the fourth.
One of the of most significant factors in getting such a disproportionate win over such
an intense rival like Bulloch was the “team’s unity”, said Coach Brandon Derrick after the game. “Yes, we made mental mistakes late in the game, but our team played extremely well as a unit, and for one another”, he said.
With the Region Championship title, Frederica will enjoy a bye week before beginning playoff action at home on, Friday, November, 16th.
The Knights will have home field advantage throughout the regional play. Along with home field advantage, Frederica will be able to get the six injured and sick players healed up as the “March to Mercer” officially gets underway.
With this win, the Knights conclude the regular season with a record of 7-3, and 4-0 in region play.
Playoff Terrors
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors have won their 4th straight Region Championship.
Glynn beat the Bradwell Tigers 42-21.
The Red Terrors took a 7-0 lead on their second possession of the game. Bradwell tied the game up at 7-7 early in the 2nd quarter.
Glynn took charge of the game with two unanswered touchdowns before the half to take a 21-7 advantage into halftime.
Glynn Academy put the game away midway through the 3rd quarter on a 1-yard TD run by TJ Lewis, giving Glynn a 28-7 lead.
The Terrors would pour it on by adding another score late in the 3rd quarter, via a 15-yard TD run by Quany Bostick for a 35-7 lead.
Bradwell would score early in the 4th to make it a 35-14 game. The Red Terrors would respond would score a rushing TD to go up 42-14 mid way through the 4th. The Tigers would score a TD late in the 4th quarter to make the score a little more respectable, 42-21. That would be the final
Glynn Academy picked a great time to play their best of the year, heading into the playoffs.
Bradwell had a chance to win the #1 seed if they could beat Glynn and gotten a favorable scenario in a tie breaker, pending the outcome of the Richmond Hill/Effingham game.
However, with the Terrors win that tie breaker scenario was void and the Red Terrors secured the #1 seed.
The Red Terrors will play Lakeside Evans in the first round of the playoffs. Lakeside Evans won the #4 seed from region 3-6A. That game will be played next week at Glynn County Stadium. With the loss Bradwell falls to the 4th seed.
Glynn Academy finishes the regular season at 7-3. It was a weird regular season for the Red Terrors. It was a season that saw Glynn Academy benefit from a forfeit win by Fort Dorchester, lose three games in a row in the middle of the season and then rebound to win four in row to close the season, all region wins.
Young And Talented
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season has recently started. The Atlanta Hawks finished the 2017-18 season 24-58 and earned the third pick in the draft. They drafted Luka Doncic from Spain then traded him to Dallas for the fifth pick, Trae Young.
In his lone season at Oklahoma, Young established himself as a multi-talented scoring threat. Young finished his freshman regular season leading the country in many statistics: assists (271), turnovers (161), points (848), points per game (27.4), assists per game (8.7), and assist percentage (48.6%).
The 811 points scored in the Big 12 would break the conference’s record for most points scored by a freshman player, which was previously held by Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley.
Young has received a lot of hype with some labeling him as the next Steph Curry. So far, he has done well, leading rookies with 19.8 points per game. His season high was 35 points against Cleveland. The Cavs also have a stud rookie point guard, Collin Sexton. The Hawks won the game 133-111 for the first win of the season.
The next game Atlanta played Dallas in the battle of traded draft picks. Kent Bazemore led the way with 32 points. Small forward Taurean Prince scored 24 and Young had 17. Doncic played well for the Mavs and had 21 points. Atlanta won 111-104.
Doncic is averaging 18.7 ppg, 6.2 rebounds per game and 4 assists per game. We are still early in the season so we cannot tell which team won the draft day trade. I felt Atlanta should have kept Doncic but time will tell which player will have the most success.
The last game was at home against Chicago. The Bulls won 97-85. Prince, Young and Bazemore combined for 15 of Atlanta’s 22 turnovers on a night when the Hawks shot 32.1 percent (27 of 84).
”Coming off two games where we played well (and won), it was a lesson in how you handle success,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. ”Sometimes, we were trying to do too much, and it was evident with our 22 turnovers. … I thought right from the start we were trying to hit home runs.”
So far Prince has been a pleasant surprise in his second year. He’s averaging 20.6 ppg and 5 apg. He forms a solid young tandem with Young.
DeAndre’ Bembrey is also a second year small forward and he’s playing well coming off the bench. He averages 9 points and 5.4 rpg.
The Hawks have some veterans on the team to help. Vince Carter is in his 20th season. He transitioned from being a great dunker into a three-point shooter.
The team is 2-3 and currently ninth in the East. Time will tell if they can sustain this current pace or be one of the worst teams in the league.
There is some excitement around the team, which has been lacking for quite some time. The stadium underwent a $213.5 million renovation and has been renamed State Farm Arena (formerly Philips Arena).
I know they aren’t going to the playoffs but this team is exciting to watch. Young is a potential Rookie of the Year candidate.
The Eagles Return
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Georgia Southern since they transitioned from the FCS to the FBS in 2014.
Their short-lived tenure on the FBS level reminds me of Darius Rucker’s music career (yes, I just heard Hootie & Blowfish 0n the radio and now I can’t stop thinking about how the Dolphins make him cry).
The inaugural season, in which they won the Sun Belt outright, was far more successful than anyone could have imagined; much like “Cracked Rear View Mirror”. The following seasons were basically like every other Hootie album that came after their debut album.
This current season, a redemption of sorts, is kind of like Rucker’s exploration into country music I guess.
Anyway, bad pop culture references aside, the Eagles are making another unexpected run at the Sun Belt, which gained steam after their home win over Appalachian State.
Even though the Mountaineers lost their starting quarterback on the first series, and their backups made Nathan Peterman look like Joe Montana, Georgia Southern completely dominated the game.
While you can’t look too much into all the turnovers Georgia Southern forced because of Appalachian’s quarterback situation, you can’t say the same about the other side of the ball.
Appalachian entered the game with one of the stingiest defenses in the country, which Georgia Southern promptly dominated upfront and ran all over them.
I’m not saying Georgia Southern is as good as Penn State, but as someone who has watched every App. St. game this year, I haven’t seen them be handled like that on defense all season, including the Penn State game.
With the Sun Belt’s new division alignment, and conference championship game, the next few weeks will be interesting. The big game for Georgia Southern is their November 10th matchup against Troy. If both teams win their upcoming games, the winner will take sole possession of first place within the East Division.
(The Louisiana Monroe game this weekend could be a sneaky one for Southern since it is positioned right in between the Appalachian and Troy games. Georgia Southern is the better team, but ULM is good enough to give them fits if the Eagles are looking ahead to Troy.)
If Georgia Southern beats Troy they’ll own the tiebreaker with both Troy and Appalachian State, with only Coastal Carolina and Georgia State remaining on their schedule; two teams they should defeat easily.
A loss would require Southern fans to root for Appalachian to beat Troy in the season finale, which is like asking a Georgia fan to pull for Florida to win, causing a three-way tie for the division title.
Of course, all of this would require each of those three teams to win their remaining games, outside of the ones I just outlined.
Saying a team “controls their own destiny” is one of the most clichéd sports lines there is, so I’ll simply make this statement: at this point Georgia Southern has the “authority to decide whether or not they will take advantage of the situation ordained to them by a higher power.”
Regardless of the outcome, the Eagles have begun re-staking their claim as one of the better programs within the Sun Belt Conference.
With Appalachian State and Troy both residing in the same division, having Georgia Southern back makes the East Division one of the most exciting and competitive ones in all of college football.
Pirates Voyage Over
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Brunswick High’s season came to an end as Kevin Harris and the Bradwell Tigers beat Brunswick High 41-14 in front of a small crowd in Hinesville.
Harris scored 5 TD’s on the night for the Tigers as the Pirate run defense struggled once again with a solid running football team.
The loss ended the Pirates season. The Pirates finished the 2018 season at 3-7.
Bradwell now plays Glynn next Friday in Hinesville with a share of the region title on the line.
The 2018 season ended in disappointing fashion for the Pirates as the defense got shredded by Harris and the Tiger offense as they exposed the Pirates run defense all night long. I’m almost afraid to looked at the final rushing stats for Bradwell, but let’s just say it was a large number.
Pirate Report Card: Offense: C. BHS started Anthony Mountain at QB and the offense came out clicking with a score on the opening drive with a 25-yard TD run.
Mountain went down with a knee injury on an option pitch and the offense struggled for remainder of the first half.
KJ Lee came in and played ok for rest of the game. Jaylen Trimmings capped off his BHS career with a 100-yard performance to go out in style. The offensive line blocked fine but the Pirates got too far behind as Bradwell scored every time they had the football in the first half.
Defense: D-. This unit struggled all night long and all season. The run defense and tackling were poor, and the unit could not get off the field.
Anytime you give up 5 rushing touchdowns to a player that is worthy of an F, but I’m in a generous mood today. BHS needs defensive lineman and the search begins immediately.
Special Teams: C. The Pirates had two fake punts that resulted in first downs that kept drives alive. The kickoffs must improve next season as kicks need to travel close to the end zone.
Coaching: C. Nice game plan on offense and nice calls on the fake punts, but the defense looked helpless at times trying to stop Harris and company. Sean Pender will get things fixed on that side of the ball this off-season, but coaches can’t get out there and tackle and make plays for the players.
Overall: D. This team, while young at spots, had a chance to reach playoffs with a win but could not tackle Mr. Harris and the game got out of hand in the third quarter.
Up Next: Off season program as young talent needs to develop minds and bodies to compete for a region run in 2019.
I’m eager to see who steps up as a leader in the locker room this off-season. Since the 2010 football season the Pirates have only made the playoffs twice in 8 seasons.
This was a rebuilding season and Sean Pender will get this team back on track in 2019.
Playoff Bound
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the first time in five years, the Statesboro Blue Devils will have a spot waiting for them in the GHSA state football playoffs.
Facing a South Effingham squad that eliminated them from postseason contention on the final night of the 2017 regular season, Statesboro ground out an early touchdown and extended its lead with another late score to hang on for a 12-7 victory.
Only five teams compete in Region 2-AAAAA, with four being awarded spots in the state playoffs. That has been the case for the last three seasons, but the Blue Devils ended both 2016 and 2017 in last place and were forced to watch from the sidelines in the postseason.
Heading into Friday night’s game at Womack Field, the stakes were clear. South Effingham was playing its final game of the regular season and had lost its first three region games while Statesboro was 0-2 in region play with another game awaiting next week. A Statesboro win would guarantee a finish ahead of the Mustangs and a playoff berth.
The Blue Devils answered the call as Jaylin Roberson rushed for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the SHS defense held tight throughout the night.
Roberson raced to the left side and turned the corner, stepping through a pair of tackles while tightrope walking the sideline on his way to a 46-yard touchdown to give the Devils an early 6-0 lead following a failed PAT.
Statesboro’s defense stifled South Effingham all night, allowing just 152 total yards. But the biggest defensive stop of the night may have come from the SHS offense.
The Devils drove inside the SEHS red zone late in the second quarter and threatened to extend the lead, only to see Davardrion Lipsey cough up the ball.
The fumble was scooped up by a Mustang defender and SHS linemen weren’t able to keep pace, but Roberson covered both the length and the width of the entire field to make a tackle at the SHS 3 yard line.
A pair of penalties backed the Mustangs farther from the end zone and Michael Dixon stepped in front of a Zach Taylor pass for an interception that maintained the SHS lead into halftime.
While the Devil defense continued to shut down the Mustangs in the second half, the lead remained at a precarious six points well into the final quarter.
Roberson once again rose to the occasion to seal the victory, ripping off a 63-yard run with under five minutes to play and finding the end zone once again three plays later.
South Effingham reached the end zone on its next possession. However, the score came with less than a minute remaining and the ensuing onside kick attempt bounced out of bounds, allowing the Devils to run out the final seconds.
The win guarantees the Devils of at least a fourth place finish in region play, but they could move to third with a win at New Hampstead in next week’s regular season finale.
Depending on their finish, the Devils will head to the South metro-Atlanta area to take on either Riverdale or Starr’s Mill in the first round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs in two weeks.
Terrors Survive
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors came into their game Friday night against the Effingham Rebels.
Glynn had bounced back nicely from 3 straight losses in the middle of the year with 2 consecutive wins over region foes Richmond Hill and Brunswick High.
The Red Terrors were coming off their 5th City Championship in a row against rival Brunswick, 17-12.
The Red Terrors jumped out to a 7-0 lead, scoring on the opening drive of the football game. Glynn Academy’s defense then played lights out for the remainder of the first half. The Red Terrors’ defense forced a long FG attempt by the Rebels that was no good. Effingham would not get back into scoring position in the second half after that.
Glynn would score their second touchdown from 14 yards out on a Quany Bostic run. The Red Terrors went 57 yards in 3 plays for the score and the Terrors would lead 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
All year the Terrors have leaned on their special teams and defense; their special teams blocked a punt at midfield late in the first half. That blocked punt would lead to Red Terrors FG right before the half. At the half the Red Terrors would lead 17-0.
The Rebels would make it a game late in the 3rd quarter, punching the ball in on a short run to make the score 17-7.
Effingham would draw closer on a field goal after the Terrors kept them out of the end zone after a 1st and goal from the 6-yard line. The Rebels trailing 17-10, and suddenly, we had a game.
The Terrors would respond. With a little over four minutes to go the Red Terrors go 83 yards in 3 plays and score on a long Caden Hutchinson TD run for a 24-10 lead.
The Rebels would score a late TD with a little over a minute to go to make the score 24-17. The Red Terrors would recover the on-side kick and run out the clock. The Red Terrors escape with a 24-17.
With the win and Brunswick High losing the 4 teams that made the playoffs from Region 2-6A will be Glynn, Richmond Hill, Bradwell and Effingham.
Glynn Academy will play Bradwell next week with the region possibly on the line. If the Terrors take down the Tigers they will win their 4th straight region championship.
Turning The Ship Around
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me own up to something, I knew going into the 2018 football season for the Brunswick High Pirates this team was going to struggle.
I knew this team was going to struggle back during spring practice when I went out to watch the team before I wrote the Pirate Spring Preview for the Georgia Sports Edition.
Those who know me well know that I bleed Blue and Gold. I played on the first two football teams John Willis put on the field at Brunswick High School. I am currently the color analyst for the Pirate Radio Broadcast team for the past 12 years, past president of the booster club, and current vice-president of the Brunswick Touchdown Club.
I have been blessed to work closely with former head coaches Maurice Freeman, whom I can out fish any day of the week, Victor Floyd, who was 5-2 against Glynn, Larry Harold, and current head coach Sean Pender, who took me scalloping for the first time this past summer.
My fiancé, Sandra, knows if something were to happen to me that my football coach John Willis is to be seated with my family at my funeral and if he wants to speak then the podium is his. With that being said here are the reasons I knew this team would struggle is 2018:
1)Lack of game experience at key positions.
In 2017 BHS had 15 different players start a game on the defensive side of the ball and when the clock hit zero in that heartbreaking loss to Northside Warner Robins to end a bounce back 7-3 playoff season 13 of those players graduated.
I was positive publicly about the chances of the 2018 Pirates, but I told my close friends in private that this team was going to struggle on defense.
While this team has struggled on defense this season, especially against the run, looking ahead to 2019 the defense will have 8-10 players back that will have started a varsity game on that side of the ball. Those players will bulk up in the offseason strength and conditioning program.
2)Small senior class. The program lost 32 seniors after the 2017 season, many of which were solid contributors. This senior class only has 5-6 players that are solid contributors overall.
BHS has started a freshman at RB, DB, and OL at various times this season. This program will bounce back fine in 2019 with as many as 14-15 starters returning next season. The current 9th and 10th grade classes are stocked with good athletes.
3)Skill position players on offense had to develop on the fly. BHS lost a record setting QB and all starting WR’s, who set some single season records in year one of Sean Pender’s air raid offense.
BHS has good, young talent on offense coming back in 2019. In fact, other than Jaylen Trimmings, the Pirates return everyone in the skill areas in 2019.
Brunswick’s best skill players are freshman and sophomores this season. The biggest development area for young players is between their 10th and 11th grade seasons in high school.
BHS currently sits at 3-6 on the season with a trip to Bradwell this Friday night to close out the regular season.
If Brunswick can win and have Bradwell lose to Glynn and have Richmond Hill lose to Effingham in Springfield then the Pirates get in the playoffs in a down year.
If Effingham loses to Glynn and Richmond Hill, and Bradwell loses to BHS, and Glynn then a tie-breaker scenario kicks in that does not favor BHS.
I saw a disturbing social media post from a guy who does not support the program with his time or money complaining about the defensive coaches over the weekend. That is fine I guess, but it motivated me to write this story because I know the Pirates have quality coaches and players that will turn this around and be contender for a region title in 2019.
Keep in mind, next season with 15 starters will return, BHS plays only one region game away from Glynn County stadium. That game is at Richmond Hill, a place that BHS has never lost. The Pirates also has Coffee and Bartram Trail coming to Glynn County Stadium for non-region games.
Be patient Pirate Fans. The future is bright with this program, regardless of what pot-stirrers say on social media.
Packing Another State Title?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football regular season is almost over. The best team in the state of Georgia’s highest classification (7A) is Colquitt County. The Packers are 8-0 and coming off a 38-9 win over Camden County.
It does not look like they will slow down any time soon. I’m going to look at the ranked teams from Gwinnett County and see if any of them have a chance to win the championship.
Over the past 21 years, twelve of the state champions of Georgia’s highest classification have been from Gwinnett County.
The highest ranked team is #3 Grayson (6-2). The Rams were the top ranked team in the preseason and ranked nationally. Despite all of that promise, the team had a mutiny and tried to get head coach Christian Hunnicutt fired.
A large number of players walked out of practice the week before the season opener. An anonymous parent said practice issues date back to last season, Hunnicutt’s first as Rams head coach, citing multiple ambulance trips for heat related issues and full body cramps, multiple players with broken bones in their hands from excessive hitting in practice and players who are injured being called “soft” and being “isolated.”
The 2 losses were against Begen Catholic (New Jersey) and Colquitt County. Texas A&M recruit Kenyon Jackson (6-foot-6, 200 pounds) is the best player on offense. They also have three high-level seniors on the offensive line — Tennessee commit Wanya Morris, Auburn commit Jakai Clark and Michigan commit Trente Jones.
Outside linebacker, Owen Pappoe is the No. 2 recruit in the state. Defensive end Kevin Harris is the No.9 recruit in the state and an Alabama commit. Corner back Kenyatta Watson II is committed to Texas and a three-star recruit. They also have defensive tackle Tru Thompson who is a Florida State commit. On paper they are hands down the most talented team in Georgia.
#4 Parkview (8-0) has played great this season. They just trounced their archrival Brookwood 31-2. The Panthers were a powerhouse in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. They won four state championships from 1997-2002 including a three-peat in 2000-2002.
Their best player is Malik Washington; he’s the No. 81 player in Georgia. He plays wide receiver and free safety. Parkview lacks the talent of some of the other top teams so I think they will struggle in the playoffs.
No. 7 North Gwinnett (7-2) are the defending state champs and the last team to beat Colquitt County.
The Bulldogs lost two close games to Wekiva (FL) and Walton. Walton is the 2nd ranked team in the state and just lost their first game of the season so they are very good.
North Gwinnett has the talent and experience to win again this season. Running back and Iowa commit is Tyler Goodson is the biggest threat on offense. They beat Duluth 41-0 Friday and clinched their second straight Region 6-AAAAAAA championship.
The last ranked team from the county is No. 9 Archer (6-2). They lost the season opener 21-19 against Milton then reeled off five consecutive wins. Then they were clobbered 41-14 by Grayson.
The Tigers have a lot of talent on defense so it was surprising they could not compete with Grayson. They have a corner and safety committed to Clemson, Andrew Booth and Jalyn Phillips. Defensive end Colby Wooden is an Auburn commit.
Colquitt County will be tough to take down this year but I think they will have a rematch with Grayson in the state championship.
Crean Of The Crop
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I can’t help but imagine it’s been a while since the UGA basketball fan base has entered a new season with any type of optimism.
I guess you have to back to the Jim Harrick year’s, which is not a time most fans look fondly upon. With the arrival of Tom Crean in March, there is reason for some excitement in Athens.
It’s completely fair to include Crean’s tenure at Indiana when judging his ability to coach, but I wouldn’t look too much into it.
For one, he didn’t do a bad job; Indiana has incredibly high standards that aren’t realistic in relation to their spot in the college basketball hierarchy. It’s kind of like expecting John Travolta to carry a movie because “Phenomenon” was popular over 20 years ago.
Plus, if you’re going to compare program expectations, Georgia is more aligned with Marquette, than Indiana.
At Crean’s two previous stops it has taken a couple years to implement his system with the players he wants, but has turned things around quickly once he was able to do so.
I fully expect him to have the same type of influence on Georgia’s program; unfortunately, that means it’ll be a year or two before fans really start to see everything pay off.
Even with a proven coach like Crean at the helm, this is going to be a difficult year. Their lone double-digit scorer from last year (Magen) is gone, and there isn’t much left over for the new coach to work with.
There are some young talented players coming in, who will be good building blocks 2-3 years down the road and could put up some good numbers, if for no other reason than they’ll have to.
Crean’s main objective this year is similar to that of Hawks head coach, Lloyd Pierce, albeit with a few minor differences.
Most of this upcoming season will be spent implementing his system, seeing who will be able to contribute over the next year or two, and making the Bulldog program as attractive as he can to prospective recruits.
There is a lot of basketball talent in the state that has seemed to have little, to no interest in signing with Georgia. Part of that has to do with the program’s history of mediocrity, but mainly because of their head coaches.
Most recruits today are concerned about their brand and making it to the NBA before they’re able to legally buy a beer. All the Georgia coaches since Harrick haven’t had a proven track record of being able to get players to the next level. When a player has made it, like with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they are looked at as an outlier.
Crean’s notoriety and history with players like Dwayne Wade and Victor Oladipo should help in keeping some of the homegrown talent within the state.
Once that starts to occur, you’ll begin to see the program start to take off. But, like I mentioned earlier, all that is still a couple years away.
So, as the Bulldogs struggle to stay out of the SEC cellar this year- and probably next year- just keep in mind that Crean knows what he’s doing. He’s a good coach and recruiter that I bet will have this team back in the Sweet Sixteen within the next 4-5 years.
For a program that hasn’t tasted that type of success in over 20 years- 22 years, to be extract- it will be well worth the wait.
