Wofford at Georgia
WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: Sunday, 4 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 2-4, Wofford 4-2
TV/RADIO: SECNetwork+ (Jeff Dantzler, Chuck Dowdle); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
Graduate guard Aaron Cook did not sugarcoat the situation when asked about Georgia’s chemistry and work ethic heading into Sunday’s game against Wofford.
Both need to improve.
“It’s vastly important. With 10 new guys, sometimes there can be egos and things that get in the way of our success,” Cook said. “This group of guys is really willing to learn. Everyone is buying into what we’re trying to do, and the chemistry is starting to flow. We took a step back with the last two games, but I think going forward, we’re only going to get better and better.”
Jaxon Etter agreed.
Even in the midst of their losses earlier this week, Etter said there were stretches when the Bulldogs (2-4) actually played well.
Unfortunately, more often than not, that was not the case.
“There are times in the games where it’s like ‘Wow. This team is really well connected.’ But at the same time, there are certain parts of the game where we look like we’re not. We just have to fix those little stretches where the other team goes on a run, and we kind of fall apart before we get back connected and build our own run,” Etter said. “We have to eliminate that stretch where we kind of get disbanded, or we want to do something on our own rather than as a collective group. That’s our biggest thing in my opinion.”
With Memphis, George Mason, and East Tennessee State among the six straight non-conference game Georgia plays before opening SEC play Jan. 4 against Texas A&M, the Bulldogs need to start finding answers.
When asked about what needed to be his team’s focus heading into December, head coach Tom Crean’s list was a long one.
“We have so many things to improve upon, and we're improving. Even though it didn't show up as much on Tuesday, we missed 13 open drive-and-kick threes,” Crean said. “The good news is that we got the kicks; we made the next pass. The bad news is we did not make the shots.”
That was certainly an issue against Virginia and Northwestern.
After connecting on just 20 of 54 shots against the Cavaliers, the Bulldogs made just 20 of their 54 attempts against the Wildcats. Georgia was a combined 8 of 49 on three-pointers.
“I think the biggest thing we can do in lieu of everything is continuing to build our confidence. We have to get our execution right,” Crean said. “The physicality of the game is not bothering us as much offensively as the overdribbling and not making the quick pass is bothering us.”
Defensively, there are issues that need to be ironed out as well.
“Defensively, we just have to get our communication. I do think we have to continue to get our energy level up,” Crean said. “We have gone 12 out of 13 days, five games in 12 days, one day off to travel. I do think it all caught up with us a little on Tuesday, even though we made a heck of a comeback and showed that it is not a conditioning thing, that it is a little bit more of a mental conditioning thing.
“We have to make sure we overcome the fatigue mentally as much as physically."
NOTES: Crean hopes to have Noah Baumann, Tyrone Baker, and Jonathan Ned closer to 100 percent after battling the effects of the flu. “I wouldn’t say those guys looked really good yesterday, but at least they were back out there,” Crean said. “It's Friday, you never know with the way these bugs are going, but we did have everybody yesterday, and I'm counting on everybody today. I thought we were really good with monitoring their minutes yesterday.” … Crean said, as the health of junior college transfer Dalen Ridgnal continues to improve, so too should his production on the court. “He got a concussion in the (junior college) national championship game. He had surgery four or five days later, so he missed all kinds of contact, all kinds of development in the summer,” Crean said.
“He started to come back and got hurt again and has still been behind in that area.” A two-time JUCO All-American, Ridgnal averaged 18.6 points and 11.7 rebounds during his career at Cowley Junior College, but due to the injuries, has not played more than seven minutes a game for the Bulldogs.
“He’s behind a little bit, because of how much time he’s missed, but we’re also trying to find places that let him play free. We want him to play with a clear mind, a free mind, and there’s a lot of movement in our offense,” Crean said. “His range is as good as anybody’s on the team. There’s no question that he and Jabri (Abdur-Rahim) have got to become more consistent for us as we move forward.”
