Tag: Tom Crean

Georgia basketball lands Gonzaga PG via transfer portal

Georgia basketball and coach Tom Crean have added another player through the transfer portal. Details here…

Georgia basketball has added another player from the transfer portal. Aaron Cook, who spent four years at Southern Illinois and the last year at Gonzaga, has chosen to play in Athens.

Cook (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) was a pivotal bench contributor for the 2021 NCAA championship runner-up Bulldogs, averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor.

Cook is the fifth player added through the transfer portal after Georgia lost nine players from the previous season to the portal, including four of five starters.

This Tom Crean story from a student manager is absolutely wild

Georgia men’s basketball coach Tom Crean is catching heat from former players, student managers, members of the media and more in Athens

Tom Crean, the Georgia men’s basketball head coach who previously led the Marquette and Indiana programs, has been to talk of the town lately in Athens.

Entering his fourth season as coach of the Bulldogs, Crean has slightly improved the team’s overall record each year, but failed to meet the most basic expectations.

Crean still has not reached a postseason and likely would have missed the NIT and NCAA’s in 2019 with No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards.

Mar 4, 2020; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards (5) controls the ball against the Florida Gators during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Now, the longtime basketball coach is struggling to find even three or four-star recruits to join him in Athens, as several players exit the program.

At this point, who could blame them? Just Monday, UGA Wire reported on the text Crean sent Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell when he picked Louisville over Crean’s Hoosiers.

In addition, Crean has had his fair share of outbursts while at Georgia.

Now, UGA Wire has learned that Crean reportedly cussed out a student manager in practice for not opening the diet Coke brought to him on the court.

Another student manager called Crean “the worst person you could ever work for” …

With all the stories that have been uncovered on Crean over the years, it makes perfect sense why no basketball recruit would want to come to Georgia right now.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the Dawgs in being able to show recruits the campus of Georgia and in the transfer portal. It is a chaotic time in college basketball, but even with all the excuses Crean has in his book, Georgia can do better.

Feb 27, 2019; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Tom Crean reacts during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Just last week, Crean stated the reason for Sahvir Wheeler leaving the program stemmed from his desire to play closer to home.

Wheeler announced his ‘Top 10’ on Monday, with the vast majority of his schools being twice as far from home as Athens was.

Tom Crean is running this program into the ground faster than a Mecole Hardman kickoff return. If Georgia wants to have any hope of competing in men’s basketball ever again, the time is now to end this atrocious era.

To make matters worse, it appears every former star in the program cannot stand the guy.

This is just embarrassing for Georgia at this point.

Report: Tom Crean once told Utah Jazz star he wasn’t good enough for NBA

Report: Tom Crean once told Utah Jazz star he wasn’t good enough for NBA, let alone Power 5 basketball

Tom Crean, the Georgia men’s basketball coach who previously worked at Indiana and Marquette, is having a rough tenure in Athens.

Crean has slightly improved his record through three seasons at Georgia, but just recently had the bottom fall out in recruiting.

Despite having former five-star and No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards on the roster last season and a more experienced lineup this year, Crean has failed to even sniff a postseason berth.

Now, the longtime head coach has lost the majority of his starting lineup from last season in Sahvir Wheeler, Toumani Camara and Tye Fagan.

Georgia head coach Tom Crean works with guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) during the first half of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game against Missouri at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 11, 2021.

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This leaves Crean with an empty roster headed into the final weeks of 2021 recruiting and the offseason.

To make matters worse, Crean was recruiting 13th out of 14 in the conference just last week.

Now, it appears there is legitimate traction to the rumors that Crean’s coaching style and attitude are affecting the program.

UGA Wire has discovered that Crean reportedly sent a disturbing text to former Louisville star Donovan Mitchell while at Indiana.

Mitchell, one of the key front-runners for MVP in the NBA this season, chose Louisville over Crean’s Hoosiers and a few other top-ranked programs during his recruitment.

UGA Wire has learned that Crean reportedly sent Mitchell a text multiple paragraphs long, telling the point-guard he just wasn’t good enough for the NBA, after the former Brewster Academy product committed to Louisville.

To Crean’s credit, Mitchell was slightly underrated by most scouts coming out of high school, but it’s still perplexing to think a former blue-blood coach would text a high school kid something like that.

I mean, really? Who does that?

This isn’t the first time Crean has been under fire for bashing players either …

Back in Crean’s first season, the coach had a meltdown following a home loss to Ole Miss, which left several members of the team upset in the locker room. Crean had to apologize for the language he used towards the team and already lost a lot of fans in year one.

Since Crean’s texts to Mitchell, the point guard has gone on to drop 25 on Crean’s former team for Louisville and become the face of the Utah Jazz franchise.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 31: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Countdown Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Oh by the way, he is about to sign a $195 million contract extension too …

Add this to the list of things Tom Crean has done to hurt his reputation and persona in the college basketball world.

I mean, my goodness. Who would want to play for this guy?

Just look at some of these Crean outbursts at former players over the years …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WGEtObvpgk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQW0epDCfhs

And there’s always this gem of an article:

It would be one thing if Crean was recruiting like expected and improving this program from the Mark Fox era at Georgia. However, he’s done the complete opposite.

What an embarrassment for the University of Georgia, the men’s basketball program, the players who have to put up with Crean and the long-suffering fans.

End this disaster …

It’s time to end the Tom Crean experiment

The Tom Crean experiment needs to be over in Athens

Just last week, Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean lost point-guard Sahvir Wheeler to the transfer portal after leading the SEC in several key stat categories.

The rising junior was expected to lead a more experienced Georgia team onto the floor next season with fans hoping to see Crean develop his roster into an NCAA Tournament caliber ball club.

However, the Dawgs have lost practically their entire starting roster to the transfer portal, with KD Johnson and Jaxon Etter being the lone role players returning.

Couple that with the fact Crean was recruiting 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC and you already had a massive problem on hand in Athens.

Then comes Sahvir Wheeler’s ‘Top 10’ announcement on Monday. Wheeler was rumored to be looking into playing closer to home, but it is now clear the point guard just wanted a new environment.

Wheeler’s comments here add even more concern for fans of the Bulldogs, who were already pulling hair out from Crean’s efforts leading the program.

The general consensus amongst much of the Bulldog faithful is that Crean will get one more year due to his massive buyout at $7.2 this season. If Georgia elects to fire Crean without cause next year, that figure drops down to $3.1 million.

However, it is well past time to let Crean go.

The program is in complete disarray, worse than where it was when Crean found it just three years ago.

Georgia has nothing left to lose by firing Crean, as the current recruiting class is still in the basement of the conference and expectations for 2021-2022 are at an all-time low.

It’s understandable that Georgia is a football-first school in terms of financial spending, given the sheer size of the fanbase and the revenue football brings in.

However, if Sanford Stadium can receive 436 upgrades over a few years and 257 other football-related buildings can be built, then Crean can be let go and Foley Field improved for students on campus.

Make the decision, Georgia. Either get rid of Crean and go hire Jonas Hayes or simply state you are too cheap to fire Crean and waiving the white flag on your men’s basketball program.

And remember, I’m not saying the Dawgs have to compete with the likes of Duke, Kentucky, UNC, UCLA and Kansas here.

I’m simply stating that Georgia can do better in basketball without Tom Crean.

Go get Hayes, hire a few former players like JJ Frazier as assistant coaches and make a run at the NIT’s and NCAA’s.

Firing Mark Fox was supposed to be a move towards relevancy in men’s basketball. Instead, it has turned this program completely on its side.

The only excuse one can make for Crean at this point is his $7.2 million buyout. Auburn football paid Gus Malzahn over $21 million to go away. Malzahn was still finishing above .500 every year with two SEC West Division titles and a trio of wins over Alabama.

What has Crean done for Georgia basketball other than landing the homegrown Anthony Edwards, who was already projected No. 1 in the NBA Draft before playing for Crean.

If you can’t shore up the money to get Crean out of Athens, then maybe there shouldn’t be a men’s basketball program on campus.

Right now, this program is the equivalent of Vanderbilt football or Missouri baseball to the conference. Being a Top 5 academic school in the SEC, with the recruiting hotbed of the Atlanta metro and the financial strength UGA has, there is no excuse to be this bad year-to-year in men’s basketball.

Get rid of Tom Crean or go give the basketball funding to Scott Stricklin and the baseball program to make consistent runs at SEC Championships and Omaha.

Heck, Joni Taylor and the women’s basketball team could use that funding too.

Make the move, Georgia. We’re bound to read a tweet from Crean on building DWade or Victor Oladipo here shortly. Maybe some of his former Georgia players can eventually make that wall of his instead of receiving a cardboard cut-out…

Geesh.

Tom Creans blows it again; former players and media sound off

Tom Crean continues to struggle as coach of Georgia, is it time to move on?

To say the Tom Crean experiment is off to a rough start in Athens would be a ridiculous understatement.

The former Indiana and Marquette men’s basketball coach has slightly improved the team’s record year-to-year from his disastrous first season at Georgia, but that’s not the problem here.

The problem is Crean was brought in to lock down the state of Georgia in basketball, or at least pluck a handful of in-state products from the likes of Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and others.

Mark Fox did a solid job getting the most out of his players at Georgia prior to Crean, but many wanted to see the program take the next step with a guy like Crean who was expected to recruit.

Many fans’ frustrations boiled over by the midpoint of another disappointing season in 2020-2021.

However, most were on board with trusting Crean for another year, given he had developed Sahvir Wheeler, Toumani Camara, Tye Fagan and others now.

Then, over half of the Bulldogs’ leading scorers left the program.

Crean is left with an empty cupboard in Athens, while managing to recruit 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC for 2021.

As of right now, the leading contributor returning outside of KD Johnson is walk-on Jaxon Etter.

The program has hit rock bottom, even with any COVID-19 or transfer rule excuses that Crean keeps pumping along. The fact of the matter is, the Dawgs are in trouble.

Every SEC team has won an NCAA Tournament game since Georgia last did in 2002, which was also vacated. The Dawgs have not won a tournament game that counted in the record books since 1996.

Athletic Director Josh Brooks has been excellent with fan engagement, communication and just about everything else during his tenure as the head guy at Georgia.

It’s time to see what Brooks can do with a hire in the basketball realm now.

Just look at these tweets from former players within the program and members of the media.

Who would want to play for this guy?

And for the ‘Georgia is a football school’ crowd …

Obviously the Dawgs aren’t going to be a blue blood like a Duke, UNC or Kentucky. They aren’t going to be able to get a coach like Mick Cronin who went and found success in fixing UCLA.

However, they can do better than Tom Crean.

Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have all won at least a share of the regular season SEC title or the tournament in the past decade.

The Tigers and South Carolina, two of Georgia’s primary basketball rivals, have made Final Four runs in the past 5 years.

Georgia doesn’t have to make a run at a Final Four, but you can’t tell me the program is the best it can be right now. Especially under a guy making $3.2 million a year to do this.

Look around the region. Georgia Tech, Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State and South Carolina all seem to have figured it out to some degree.

Heck, Nate Oats is over at Alabama, a perennial football power, with an arena in worse condition than Georgia’s, winning both the regular season and conference tournament title.

Oats took his Tide to the Sweet 16 in year two and is recruiting with the likes of Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA.

A little further to the South, you will find Auburn. Bruce Pearl and company just plucked five-star Jabari Smith out of the Atlanta metro, in addition to nabbing Georgia legacy Walker Kessler in the transfer portal.

The Dawgs may never be a legitimate threat in basketball, but getting rid of Tom Crean at least opens the door for some kind of hope.

And look at this. The guy puts his former standouts from other schools on wallpaper in his office, while making the UGA legends of the program a cardboard cutout on the side.

You know, the guys who actually played for the G logo on their chests and in that very building.

It’s time to end this disaster.

Grab Jonas Hayes from Xavier and turn this program around. Hayes has key connections in the recruiting hotbed of Georgia and out-recruits Crean there from 500 miles away.

Georgia basketball off to best start since 1982-83 Final Four team

Tom Crean and the Georgia men’s basketball team are off to an impressive 7-0 season start.

The Georgia men’s basketball team is off to its best start since the 1982-83 Final Four team.  The Dawgs have come out hot in 2020, winning seven games straight to put them at 7-0.

Head coach Tom Crean is now in his third season with the Bulldogs and is already completely shifting the culture of Georgia basketball.  He recruited Anthony Edwards, who went No. 1 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft and now has Georgia undefeated so far in 2020.

Crean is showcasing a very balanced roster of talent, having five players average ten or more points.  Sophomore forward Toumani Camara is leading the charge for the Dawgs in the stat book, averaging 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  He is also shooting the ball efficiently at 52.9%.

Senior guard Justin Kier is finding his role and stepping up big for the Bulldogs, averaging 12 points on 48.1% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 4 assists through seven games.

So far, the Dawgs have beat Florida A&M, North Georgia, Jacksonville, Montana, Samford, Cincinnati and Northeastern.  This is definitely the easier portion of their schedule, as they have a full slate of SEC matchups coming up that will put them to the test.

Georgia will face the 5-3 Mississippi State Bulldogs next on Dec. 30.  ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives UGA a 45.7% chance of coming out on top in that game.

Twitter reacts as Timberwolves pick UGA’s Anthony Edwards first

Social media reacted as the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Georgia Bulldogs star Anthony Edwards number one overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Georgia Bulldogs standout basketball player Anthony Edwards number one overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Edwards is the first Georgia basketball prospect to be selected with the top pick.

Edwards is considered one of the top NBA prospects to ever come out of the University of Georgia. In fact, Edwards is the highest selected played in UGA basketball history. NBA legend Dominique Wilkins was the previous record. Wilkins was picked third overall in the 1982 NBA Draft.

Here’s how social media reacted to the selection of Georgia Bulldogs star Anthony Edwards:

It is a memorable day for Anthony Edwards, who honored members of his family:

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Georgia’s Anthony Edwards goes No. 1 in latest 2020 NBA mock draft

Georgia basketball SG Anthony Edwards is projected to be selected first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Star Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards declared for the NBA draft this past September, following an absolutely electric freshman year at UGA.

Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Dawgs during the 2019-2020 season.  He has been in the talks of being a top three pick in the draft this year, along with Memphis center James Wiseman and the Illawarra Hawks point guard LaMelo Ball.

In NBC’s final version of its 2020 NBA Mock Draft Edwards goes No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

NBC’s Top 5:

  • 5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Obi Toppin (Dayton, PF)
  • 4. Chicago Bulls: Deni Avdija (Maccabi Tel Aviv, SG/SF)
  • 3. Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball (Illawarra Hawks, PG/SG)
  • 2. Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman (Memphis, C)
  • 1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards (Georgia, SG)

There isn’t quite a consensus on who is the best of these three but Edwards, Ball and Wiseman present the biggest upside in the draft.

Here’s what NBC’s Tyler Byrum and Chase Hughes had to say about Edwards going No. 1 over the other two prospects:

Despite all the momentum for LaMelo Ball to be the first pick, we are sticking with Edwards who presents a super high ceiling due to his explosive athleticism and makes a perfect fit within the core Minnesota is building around. Fit often doesn’t determine the first overall pick, but it may in a year like this with little separating the top three guys. Edwards could be an ideal complement to Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell as a slasher on the wing.

Edwards would fit in with Minnesota very well.  They have their stars in point guard D’Angelo Russell and center Karl Anthony Towns but could use some serious help at the shooting guard position.

Edwards would provide the Timberwolves with a great wing threat that could add a whole new aspect to their offensive scheme.

If Edwards is to go No.1, he will be the first Georgia Bulldog to ever do so.  The closest to that accomplishment are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at the No. 8 pick in 2013 and Dominique Wilkins at the No. 3 pick in 1982.

The 2020 NBA Draft begins tonight at 7:00 P.M. ET on ESPN.

Dwyane Wade: Anthony Edwards ‘can be better’ than him

Miami Heat basketball legend Dwyane Wade thinks that former Georgia Bulldog basketball standout Anthony Edwards can be better than him.

NBA and Miami Heat basketball legend Dwyane Wade has strong praise for former Georgia Bulldog basketball standout Anthony Edwards. Dwyane Wade, who is a three-time NBA Champion, believes that Anthony Edwards can be better than him.

Here’s what a quote of what Wade Tweeted regarding the University of Georgia basketball product:

He can be better. America here is your number 1 pick!

Anthony Edwards committed to the Georgia Bulldogs to go a similar journey to that of NBA superstars Victor Oladipo and Dwyane Wade.

Current Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean coached all three players. Crean previously coached Wade for several years when he was at Marquette, where the duo made a Final Four. Additionally, Crean coached Victor Oladipo at Indiana from 2010-2013. Both Oladipo and Wade ended up as top five NBA Draft picks. Crean maintains close relationships with all three players.

Anthony Edwards will look to be Tom Crean’s latest player to be a top five selection. All three players are dynamic shooting guards, who are excellent at getting to the rim. Each of them has explosive athleticism.

Anthony Edwards is arguably the best jump shooter of the group and came in as the most highly touted high school recruit of the three. He has to refine his defensive game in order to truly resemble Dwyane Wade or Victor Oladipo. Edwards does have immense defensive potential due to his rare athleticism and solid build.

Here’s Dwyane Wade’s reaction to Anthony Edwards picking him as his NBA comparison:

Victor Oladipo, a two time NBA All-Star, chimed in via Twitter as well. He’s definitely a believer a Anthony Edwards’ game.

Is Dwyane Wade, Victor Oladipo, or someone else a better NBA comparison for Anthony Edwards?

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Ashley Landis/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

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Anthony Edwards projected to go No. 3 in 2020 NBA mock draft

Georgia G Anthony Edwards is projected by Rookie Wire to go No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets.

The 2019-20 NBA season came to a close this October as the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions of the world for a record tying 17th time.  With the end of last season here, now it’s time for teams to focus on the future and look towards the ever so close 2020 NBA Draft.

Starting just last week, team personnel have been allowed to visit potential draft prospects in their hometowns in order to make evaluations.

For the first time in seven years, the Georgia Bulldogs have a lottery pick in the mix.  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just won his first title with the Lakers, was selected 8th overall in 2013 by the Detroit Pistons.

Rookie Wire released their 2020 NBA Mock Draft 6.0 earlier this Thursday, giving great insight as to what teams are thinking based on their draft position and needs.

Of that list of 60 picks, Anthony Edwards is projected to go No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

The list has two superstars in front of Edwards in the NBL’s LaMelo Ball going No. 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton going No. 2 to the Golden State Warriors.

Here’s what Rookie Wire had to say about Edwards and the fit in Charlotte:

“The Charlotte Hornets need a bona fide star on their roster, and that kind of potential is exactly what Anthony Edwards offers.

The 19-year-old wing is someone whose teams have been built around him, boasting an absurdly high usage rate through AAU and college competition. But the Hornets can give him the keys to the team as their franchise alpha, riding with the highs and letting the lows be learning experiences for his development.

During his freshman year at Georgia, his scoring output increased as the season progressed. He scored extremely well within five feet of the rim, and he can be an above-average defender by virtue of his athleticism alone.”

Many experts see Edwards going No. 1 or No. 2 behind Ball but the fit does seem right in Charlotte.  They’ve had a lack in scoring for years, especially now that Kemba Walker is no longer with them.

Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his one season at Georgia.

The 2020 Draft is scheduled for November 18th and will be aired live on ESPN.