Tag: uga basketball news

ESPN ranks top-100 NBA players ever — where’s Dominique Wilkins?

Where did Georgia basketball and Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins rank on ESPN’s list of the top-100 NBA players of all-time?

ESPN recently ranked the top-100 greatest NBA basketball players of all-time, and included former Georgia Bulldog Dominique Wilkins.

Wilkins, also known as the Human Highlight Film, checked in at No. 46 on the list, one spot behind Anthony Davis.

On Wilkins, ESPN wrote:

46. Dominique Wilkins

More than just a dunker, the “Human Highlight Film” was one of the top scorers of his era. He led the lead in scoring in 1985-86, when he finished second in MVP voting. It was the same season he earned his only All-NBA first-team honor. Wilkins’ Hawks didn’t advance far in the playoffs; they kept running into the Celtics, Pistons and Bucks in the 1980s. But fans won’t forget his duel with Larry Bird in Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals. — Lopez

Team Bosh legend Dominique Wilkins celebrates after winning the 2015 NBA All Star Shooting Stars competition at Barclays Center. PHOTO: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks and was a nine-time NBA All-Star. He is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history. In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wilkins played for Georgia from 1979-81 and was the third overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft. At Georgia, he averaged 21 points and 8 rebounds per game.

In the NBA, Wilkins averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

 

 

Georgia basketball lands graduate transfer from George Mason

On Sunday, the Georgia basketball program landed Justin Kier, a transfer guard from George Mason.

On Sunday, Tom Crean and the Georgia basketball program landed a graduate transfer from George Mason.

Justin Kier, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard chose to commit to Georgia over Minnesota and NC State.

In nine games last season for the Patriots, Kier averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds. He missed time due to foot injuries.

In the 2018-19 season, Kier averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds as a junior.

Kier will look to fill the void left by projected No. 1 overall draft choice Anthony Edwards.

Coveted VT basketball transfer Landers Nolley makes decision

Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley has made his decision. It came down to Georgia basketball, Ole Miss and Memphis.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 sit-out transfer in the country, Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley has made his decision on where he will spend the duration of his collegiate career.

On Friday, Nolley tweeted that he had trimmed his list to three: Georgia, Ole Miss and Memphis.

And then on Monday he made his announcement, choosing Memphis over Ole Miss and Georgia.

A 6-foot-7 guard/wing, Nolley, a Georgia native from Faiburn, will likely sit out next season and will be eligible to play during the 2021-22 season.

Last season a freshman for Virginia Tech, Nolley averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 37 percent from the floor.

 

Report: Coveted transfer Landers Nolley sets announcement date – Georgia basketball in the running

VT transfer Landers Nolley, one of the most coveted players in the country, set an announcement time. Georgia basketball is in the running.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 sit-out transfer in the country, Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley tweeted on Friday that he’s trimmed his list to three: Georgia, Ole Miss and Memphis.

Per Evan Daniels of 247Sports, Nolley has settled on a date and time to make his college announcement.

A 6-foot-7 guard/wing, Nolley has been taking virtual tours of the campuses and athletic facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The signing deadline is May 31.

Nolley is a Georgia native. From Faiburn, he graduated from Langston Hughes High School in 2018.

Last season a freshman for Virginia Tech, Nolley averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 37 percent from the floor.

Nolley will likely sit out next season and will be eligible to play during the 2021-22 season.

Georgia basketball in final three for Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley

Georgia basketball has made the final three for Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley.

Georgia has made the final three for Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 sit-out transfer in the country, Nolley tweeted on Friday that he’s trimmed his list to three: Georgia, Ole Miss and Memphis.

The list originally started at 50 and was then cut to 11 and now to three. His top-11 included UConn, Alabama, Georgetown, Maryland, NC State, Oregon, TCU and Texas Tech.

A 6-foot-7 guard/wing, Nolley has been taking virtual tours of the campuses and athletic facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The signing deadline is May 31.

Last season a freshman for Virginia Tech, Nolley averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 37 percent from the floor.

Nolley will likely sit out next season and will be eligible to play during the 2021-22 season.

4-star C Frank Anselem includes Georgia basketball in top-three

Georgia basketball made the top-three for 4-star center Frank Anselem.

On Tuesday night, 4-star center Frank Anselem released his top-three schools.

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound big man narrowed his list down to Georgia, LSU and Alabama.

Anselem, a Georgia native, currently attends Prolific Prep in Napa, California.

He also announced on Twitter that he will be reclassifying from 2021 to 2020. Prior to reclassifying, Anselem was rated as the 76th overall prospect in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Where he will rank among the 2020 class is unknown yet but he should remain as a top-100 player in the country.

Anselem’s reclassifying announcement:

Anselem’s top-three announcement:

Dannell Ellerbe gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Former Georgia linebacker Dannelle Ellerbe gives his edition of the Georgia football pickup basketball starting five.

Former Georgia and NFL linebacker Dannell Ellerbe gave his response for who he thinks would be the best five Georgia football players in a pick-up basketball game.

Ellerbe was a 2nd team All-SEC caliber linebacker during his time in Athens.  He’s had a great career in the NFL playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.

For some background on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

Related: Our starting five (Here) — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here) –Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Ellerbe, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2004-2020.

We asked Ellerbe to pick five Georgia football players from his time at UGA to present (2004-current) to make up a basketball team.

Here is Ellerbe’s starting five:

Point Guard: D.J. Shockley (6-1, quarterback)

Shooting Guard: Tony Taylor (6-0, linebacker)

Small Forward: Antonio Sims (6-1, safety)

Power Forward: Quentin Moses (6-5, defensive end)

Center: Leonard Pope (6-8, tight end)

Ellerbe’s squad is old-school, and may include a few names that are unfamiliar to some of our younger readers.

We all know who D.J. Shockley is. Shock at point guard was a solid pick. He has the size, athleticism and playmaking skills to run the point. Can’t ask for much more than a dual-threat, SEC Championship Game MVP quarterback to be running point guard.

At shooting guard, Ellerbe went with former Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor, who was named MVP of the 2006 Georgia Bulldogs after leading the team in tackles. At 6-foot and 235 pounds, Taylor has the strength and athleticism to be a strong guard.

For the three spot, Ellerbe went with Antonio Sims, who played safety for the Dawgs in 2005 and 2006 before transferring. A rover, Sims would have great instincts and a nose for the basketball on the court. Lockdown defender who could surprise you with his athleticism on offense.

For the big men, Ellerbe showed some love to two of the greatest to ever do it at Georgia, Quentin Moses and Leonard Pope. Both of these men were monsters in Athens and can play bully ball down low.

I especially love the Pope selection.

Related: 

Our starting five (Here)

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman’s starting five (Here)

Mecole Hardman gives his Georgia football pick-up basketball starting 5

Mecole Hardman gives his version of the Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five.

Former Georgia wide receiver and current Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman decided he had to get a say in this Georgia football pick-up basketball starting five conversation.

Hardman won a Super Bowl with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last year, achieving what every football player longs for their entire career in his rookie season.

We reached out to Mecole via Twitter asking him who’d be in his basketball starting five to see how it matches up against ours, as well as other players selections.

Some background info on what we’re doing…

To help get you through quarantine, we thought of a fun and creative way to entertainer our readers.

We started by compiling our own pick-up basketball team made up of current Georgia football players. But why stop there? We then reached out to a few former Bulldogs and asked them to assemble their own teams.

We let them draft players who played at Georgia from the time they started their careers to present day. So for Hardman, he was able to choose Georgia players from 2016-2020.

Related: Our starting five: Here — Isaiah Wilson’s starting five: Here

Hardman so humbly left himself off the squad.

Mecole’s starting five:

Point Guard: Terry Godwin (5-11, wide receiver)

Shooting Guard: Javon Wims (6-2, wide receiver)

Small Forward: Richard LeCounte (5-11, safety)

Power Forward: Lorenzo Carter (6-5, linebacker)

Center: Davin Bellamy (6-5, linebacker)

Mecole went with his former Dawgs for his basketball starting five, selecting a lot of NFL talent. This team would have a lot of skill and finesse with Godwin and Wims in the backcourt while also being very physical with Carter and Bellamy defending the paint.

Mecole’s big men are physical but also are quite athletic and in shape, giving them stretch 4 and 5 capabilities on offense.

How would Mecole’s team do against the team we assembled?

Click the link below to see some more squads.

Our starting five: Here

Isaiah Wilson’s starting five: Here

Coming soon: Dannell Ellerbe, Tavarres King and Jeb Blazevich

Georgia basketball star Anthony Edwards goes No. 1 in latest NBA mock draft

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

Georgia’s Anthony Edwards was selected at No. 1 in NBC Sports‘ latest NBA mock draft.

On June 25, Edwards could be UGA’s first ever No. 1 selection in the NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-4 guard was a one-and-done at Georgia, displaying an incredible scoring ability and freakish athleticism.

The SEC Freshman of the Year scored a team-leading 19.1 points per game while adding 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

On Edwards, NBC Sports wrote:

Edwards is the best scorer in this 2020 NBA Mock Draft. At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan and explosive athleticism, he’s proven himself to be a dangerous three-level bucket-getter that can get hot and do things like score 33 points in a half. Ask Michigan State. He also has the physical profile of a guard that can defend two or three different positions in the NBA. It’s all there.

Although Edwards is perhaps the most proficient scorer in this year’s draft class, there are still some questions regarding his jump-shot.

At UGA, Edwards shot 29% from the 3-pt line, however, the numbers may not reflect that the guard was forced to be a one-man show for the Bulldogs.

Whether Edwards goes first or not, Bulldog fans hope he lands with a certain team from Atlanta…..

The Hawks do currently hold one of 14 projected lottery picks, so there is a possibility Edwards may be back in the red and black this fall.

Georgia basketball assistant accepts head coaching job

A Georgia basketball assistant has taken the head coaching job at Air Force.

On Tuesday, Air Force announced that it has hired Georgia basketball assistant coach Joe Scott to become the program’s new head coach.

Scott returns to the Academy for his second stint as head coach of the Falcons. He served as Air Force’s head coach from 2000-04.

“I would like to thank Nathan Pine for the opportunity to return to the Academy, as we pursue our common goal of reenergizing Air Force basketball,” Scott said in a statement.

“Thank you to our Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, members of the search committee and everyone else at the Academy connected with the search process. It was a first-class operation all the way.”

Scott served as an assistant under Tom Crean at Georgia for the last two seasons. He has also had head coaching positions at Princeton and Denver.

In his 16 seasons as a head coach, Scott has compiled a record of 235-240 and was named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in 2004 after guiding the Falcons to a 22–7 record and an NCAA Tournament berth.