Amid the growing concern over the spread of the coronavirus, Georgia football has postponed its Pro Day.
As a result of the growing concern over the spread of the coronavirus, Georgia has announced its Pro Day, which was to be held next Wednesday, has been postponed.
According to this tweet below, Georgia will host no spring football through at least March 30th.
That means the Pro Day and the Coaches Clinic will not take place. It’s unlikely that the coaches clinic will be rescheduled, though the Pro Day should be moved to a yet-to-be-determined date.
Georgia announces there will be no spring football through at least March 30, which includes no coaching clinic or pro day. The Bulldogs had been scheduled to start Tuesday.
The Pro-Day turnout would have been underwhelming, as NFL teams are being cautious about sending scouts across the country to observe. Many NFL teams have already said they will be sending nobody.
Previously, the SEC suspended all on-campus and in-home recruiting for its member institutions.
With students scheduled to return to Athens from spring break on Monday, Georgia announced it will not hold classes for the next two weeks. Students have been asked by authorities to stay away from campus until Sunday March 29.
On Thursday, the NCAA cancelled all championships for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year, including the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
With nearly all sporting events in the United States suspended due to the threat of the Coronavirus, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said Friday that the Bulldogs will not begin spring practice as originally scheduled. UGA was to begin …
With nearly all sporting events in the United States suspended due to the threat of the Coronavirus, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said Friday that the Bulldogs will not begin spring practice as originally scheduled.
UGA was to begin spring practice on Tuesday, but McGarity told Athens radio station 960 that practices for football will be suspended for “weeks”.
“We’re following the guidance from the chancellors which said students are strongly encouraged to be off-campus,” McGarity said. “For us to be able to practice with that directive doesn’t make sense.
“So for this period of time, there will be no practices. We’ll just see where things stand after that two week period.”
In addition, with G-Day scheduled for April 18, it is appearing less likely the annual spring game will be played this year.
Georgia announces there will be no spring football through at least March 30, which includes no coaching clinic or pro day. The Bulldogs had been scheduled to start Tuesday.
Previously, the SEC suspended all on-campus and in-home recruiting for its member institutions.
With students scheduled to return to Athens from spring break on Monday, Georgia announced it will not hold classes for the next two weeks. Students have been asked by authorities to stay away from campus until Sunday March 29.
On Thursday, the NCAA cancelled all championships for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year, including the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
Is Georgia football going to cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?
With the Georgia campus largely empty this week as students are on spring break, the main concern for faculty and administrators is the possibility of eliminating in-person classes on account of the unfolding COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
With social distancing becoming necessary, it is possible the university could close for a period of time. In anticipation of this event, the University System of Georgia has produced an online training course called “Rapid Guide to Teaching Online.”
For the time being, however, the university has sent an email to all of its students, faculty and staff stating that the school is planning on resuming normal class operations on Monday, March 16th – the first day back from spring break.
Many schools across the nation have extended spring break and will do way with in-person classes temporarily. Washington, Stanford, Penn State, several Ivy League schools and others have already gone this route. Wednesday, the Florida Board of Governors declared that all public universities in Florida have been directed to transition all in-person classes to online platforms effective immediately, a precautionary step to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
With Georgia’s 15 days of spring practice to begin March 17, culminating with the annual G-Day Game on April 18, contingency plans are being made for the football team. Options include practicing in isolation and playing G-Day in an empty stadium or cancelling the spring season. G-Day, which has attracted huge crowds of up to 94,000 to Sanford Stadium in the Kirby Smart era, has become a tremendous recruiting tool for the Bulldogs. However, with some states, such as Ohio and Washington banning athletic events, it would not be a surprise to see the state of Georgia follow.
Georgia AD Greg McGarity said it will be up to Kirby Smart and his staff on spring practice, due to start on Tuesday.
McGarity also didn’t want to say anything on the state of G-Day, set for April 18, because of how fluid the situation is nationally.
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that March Madness, including the Final Four in April, would be played in empty stadiums. Less than 24 hours later, the Power 5 leagues cancelled their conference tournaments. Following suit were the American, Atlantic 10, Conference USA, MAC, America East, Big Sky and WAC.
After the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, it is increasingly more likely that Georgia will follow in the footsteps of other schools and cancel G-Day or play a controlled scrimmage without spectators.
The SEC is cancelling the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus
The SEC is cancelling the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Georgia Bulldogs won their opener in against Ole Miss and were set to face the Florida Gators today, but now that game is cancelled.
ALERT: Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville.
Georgia basketball star Anthony Edwards wins SEC Freshman of the Year.
[jwplayer TL8eFkf5-er0jUifI]
Georgia basketball superstar Anthony Edwards has won the SEC Freshman of the Year Award, the conference announced on Tuesday.
He becomes Georgia’s first player ever to win the award since its creation in 2001.
Edwards came to Georgia as a five-star out of Atlanta with the highest expectations since Dominique Wilkins. And though the team may have had a disappointing season, going 15-16, Edwards put on a show all season.
During his freshman year, Edwards averaged 19.5 points per game. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game. Edwards posted three 30-point games and had 13 games with 20 points or more.
Georgia kicks off SEC Tournament play on Wednesday vs Ole Miss. If the Bulldogs want to make the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need to win five SEC games in five days. The conference tournament takes place in Nashville.,
Georgia Bulldogs basketball must win five games in five days to make the NCAA Tournament.
The Georgia Bulldogs will have to reinvent their season in order to make the NCAA Tournament. Georgia finished the SEC regular season as the 13th best team in the conference (or 2nd worst if you’re more of a glass half-empty guy).
The first two seasons of the Tom Crean era have been rough in Athens. The University of Georgia has the second worst record in the SEC over that time frame. Only Vanderbilt has lost more than the Dawgs.
Even with Anthony Edwards, a likely top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Georgia couldn’t hold on to leads or have a winning record. UGA is currently 15-16 overall and 5-13 in SEC basketball play.
Georgia will have to beat Ole Miss on Wednesday, then play Florida Thursday. A win against Florida, who UGA went 0-2 against, will give the Dawgs a date with Mississippi State.
Defeating the Bulldogs would allow Georgia to play the winner of Kentucky versus Alabama/Tennessee in the semifinal. Finally, then Georgia would play in the SEC final game on Sunday for their fifth game in five days.
Who do you have? My pick is Kentucky over Auburn in the final.
To win the SEC, Georgia would have to win five games, which is one less than what it takes to win the NCAA Tournament (as long as the team doesn’t play in the first four). It’s not all bad news for Tom Crean and UGA.The Bulldogs have another solid recruiting class coming in.
In his first game back from injury, Steph Curry drops highlight-reel dime with his surgically repaired left hand.
It has been 58 games since Stephen Curry suited up in his No. 30 Golden State Warriors uniform. Finally, Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors, that changed.
In Curry’s return to Golden State’s lineup for the first time in four months, all eyes were on his left hand. Since getting injured in late October against the Phoenix Suns, Curry’s hand has gone through two surgeries and a tedious rehab.
Outside of scrimmaging in practice, Curry’s hand has gone through a limited amount of full-contact situations. The two-time Most Valuable Player’s hand was bound to get tested against the Raptors.
The six-time All-Star didn’t waste any time using his surgically repaired hand. Curry whipped a behind the back no-look pass to Andrew Wiggins underneath the basket for an easy layup.
Curry still has a long way to go as he works back from injury over the remaining 20 games on the schedule. Still, his highlight reel pass with his left hand is a positive sign for the future.
For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.
For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.
Attendance spiked following Tom Crean’s 2018 appointment as the Bulldogs’ head coach. When Crean managed to secure the commitment of 2019’s top high school prospect Anthony Edwards, excitement built further for Georgia basketball fans.
Win or lose, however, Georgia faithful kept buying tickets to hoot and holler for the Dawgs. The Steg was packed and, oh my, was it loud.
A sure sign of an impassioned fanbase, the majority of the home crowd stayed until each game’s final whistle all year.
Thank you #DawgNation for packing out Stegeman all year long and helping us set a new regular-season attendance record for the second straight year‼️#GoDawgspic.twitter.com/nEhNFxg9Ra
Mind you, that’s not just because of the fans’ recognition of the inevitably horrific post-game traffic splitting from Carlton Street toward either Lumpkin Street or East Campus Road.
The 2019-2020 Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tourney left to be played.
Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win next week’s SEC Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless conference tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
In that case, a conference quarterfinal or semifinal would ostensibly improve Crean and company’s chances, but after such an up-and-down season, nothing can be guaranteed (always the case in the sports) or even predicted (always the case in Georgia sports).
Should the Bulldogs receive an NIT invite, they have the opportunity of hosting another game in Athens, potentially adding to the season’s attendance record.
After Anthony Edwards committed to UGA in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.
Anthony Edwards arrived in Athens, Georgia to much fanfare.
Depending on which recruiting service you asked, Edwards was either the first- or second-ranked high school basketball prospect of the 2019 recruiting cycle.
After the senior out of Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep announced his commitment to Tom Crean’s Bulldogs in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.
Reminder: this was over three months before Edwards had even graduated high school and over eight months before he would play in his first collegiate competition.
What is almost certainly the Dawgs’ only regular season featuring Anthony Edwards ends with an even 15-15 record. Unless the 2020 Bulldogs can replicate the results of 2008’s unlikely winners in next week’s SEC tournament, Georgia may not qualify for any further postseason play.
Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win the conference tourney to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
A quarterfinal or semifinal appearance in the conference tourney would likely earn them a spot, anything less would likely leave them out. But Georgia basketball fans probably don’t want to think of any more what-ifs.
All of that sounds bad. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not great. But here’s the thing: Edwards is still projected as the top NBA draft pick by more than one draft analyst.
This isn’t a moral victory thing. Anyone who watched Georgia’s men’s basketball team all season saw the team fold and surrender late leads on multiple occasions.
To me, a recovering pessimist constantly checking my peripheral vision for any sort of bright side, such results don’t blind me from what I’ve learned to see truth of the matter:
If a star player like Anthony Edwards can come into Georgia’s historically average basketball program and maintain his projected draft position while packing Stegeman Coliseum to the brim, it shows young local talent that they can do the same and receive that fanfare and adoration similar to Edwards’.
That is, before they go get a fat paycheck in the NBA.
Though not assuredly, this could prove vital for a program currently struggling to tread water alongside a strong and balanced Southeastern Conference no longer run just by traditionally powerful Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee (each of which can usually predict its two annual division games against Georgia as wins).
The Atlanta area is one of the highest-concentrated NBA breeding grounds in the United States. Georgia often lands local four-star recruits but very seldom secures commitments from upper echelon five-stars. The last was current Los Angeles Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2011.
Examples: 2018’s Ashton Hagans and E.J. Montgomery enrolled at Kentucky. Wendell Carter enrolled at Duke in 2017. Kobi Simmons enrolled at Arizona in 2016.
So, yeah, in the short term, this isn’t ideal. Especially knowing that .500 winning percentage could’ve been a .533 or a possibly a .567, or heck, maybe even .600!
But since I’m speaking in hypotheticals, Georgia could very well have lost some of their eventual dramatic victories, namely against SMU, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.
Given what Edwards’ success could mean for the future of Georgia men’s basketball recruiting in the future, I choose to see this year’s 15-15 record as a glass half full.
Even in the short term, the Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tournament to be played.
With the near conclusion of the 2019-20 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regular Season, it is worth taking another look at the 2020 NBA Draft prospects.
With the conclusion of the 2019-20 NCAA men’s basketball regular season fast approaching, it’s worth taking another look at the 2020 NBA Draft prospects.
While quite a bit will change on big boards and mock drafts following the conference tournaments and March Madness, some of the top players have already convinced NBA teams that they deserve serious consideration when the draft rolls around on June 25, 2020.
Others still have plenty of time to improve their draft stock on the floor and in workouts and interviews. For what it is worth, former top prospects coming into their freshman campaigns who could go back to school for their sophomore campaigns (for example, Florida’s Scottie Lewis and Duke’s Wendell Moore) were not included on this list.
Note that statistics are pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik.com, KenPom.com, RealGM or Sports-Reference.
1. LaMelo Ball, USA
(Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
Guard, 6-foot-7, 18 years old
The main reason to believe in Ball as the top player in the 2020 NBA Draft is because of his ridiculously high upside. With his unique size, he can put up a triple-double on any given night. Even when Ball was playing against much older professional competition in Australia’s NBL, Ball nearly averaged a triple-double per 36 minutes. Meanwhile, his defensive stats were also much better than expected, and his basketball instincts are strong. It is difficult to find an accurate read on Ball, given how many different teams he has played for in recent years. However, there should be enough to like about him for a team to select him with one of the first few picks.
2. Onyeka Okongwu, USC
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Big, 6-foot-9, 19 years old
While he’s a bit undersized at 6-9, he can play bigger than his height, given his 7-foot-2 wingspan. For example, his block percentage (10.0%) ranks among the top five of all freshmen this season. He is more celebrated for his defensive ability, but the offense is there, too. Okongwu is averaging 1.14 points per possession as an offensive finisher, per Synergy, which ranks in the 98th percentile among all NCAA players. Put it all together, and the USC big man currently has the best box plus-minus in college basketball. Even if there might not be as much star potential as a player such as Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, he feels much closer to a sure thing in the NBA.
3. Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Wing, 6-foot-5, 18 years old
Under head coach Tom Crean, the University of Georgia freshman has been a revelation in transition offense. Edwards ranks among the top five nationally in total scoring on these plays, per Synergy, averaging 5.7 points per game. He looks his best when his shot attempts come closer to the rim, especially considering his 6-foot-9 wingspan. Farther from the basket, meanwhile, more than half of his 3-pointers have been unassisted. This shows he is capable of creating his own shot. Edwards, however, is shooting just 30.3% from beyond the arc on the season. But the reason to like him as a top-three pick is more about flashes of greatness, and he is averaging 21.8 points per game in February.
4. Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Guard, 6-foot-5, 20 years old
Haliburton is a skinny, lengthy guard measured with a 7-foot wingspan though and 170-pound frame. But most important is his valuable 3-and-D skill set. Before his injury, his 3-point percentage (41.9%) and steal percentage (3.8%) were both among the best in the NCAA. As a distributor and lead ballhandler, despite an unusually low usage rate, his assist rate still ranks in the top 10 among all underclassmen at high-major programs. Haliburton has been productive enough to suggest he can take over as the starting point guard in the NBA as soon as next season. There may be a low ceiling, but there is also a very high floor.
5. Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Guard, 6-foot-5, 18 years old
Much like Ball, there is a lot to like about Hayes due to his size and overall upside. He can be a lead ballhandler and has been measured with a 6-foot-7 wingspan. Hayes led France to the silver medal in 2018 at the U17 World Cup, averaging 21.4 points and 4.4 assists with 3.6 steals per 36 minutes. He is shooting 39.0% from beyond the arc in Eurocup action and has been able to produce well as a scorer as he has grown into a bigger role.
