WHERE: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
WHEN: Tuesday, 9 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 16-11, 6-8; Arkansas 18-9, 7-7
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Kevin Fitzgerald, Ron Slay); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie).
Getting former players involved in the program is a big deal for White
As Mike White goes about the business of building his Georgia basketball program, getting as many former players back involved has been one of his bigger goals.
“This is their program,” said White, whose Bulldogs travel to Arkansas for Tuesday night’s game against the Razorbacks (9 p.m., SEC Network).
White’s staff already includes former Georgia standouts Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines, and last week another Bulldog great – point guard JJ Frazier – was on hand.
“You talk about toughness. It’s incredible, his stature because he played so hard and had little regard for his body,” White said. “That was a pretty good backcourt with him, Charles Mann, and Kenny Gaines. But yeah, those guys were excited to see each other, you could tell. JJ had a few words for our guys, put a little wisdom on them, had some good stuff to say.”
Former Bulldog standout James Banks, who was among alumni back at Georgia recently to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of Georgia’s 1983 Final Four team, has dropped by several times.
“I’ve seen them quite a bit this year. I’ve been to practice, actually came to practice a few months ago when Dominique (Wilkins) was visiting with his son on an unofficial visit,” Banks said. “I got good vibes from it. I think he can do a good job. If he can recruit the state. But just watching them play, they play hard, they compete in practice, kind of reminiscent of what we did in practice with the level of intensity that they play with.”
Mann serves as White’s Director of Recruiting, while Gaines serves as a Graduate Manager for the team.
“Kenny has been fantastic in different roles,” White said of Gaines, who enjoyed a solid career with the Bulldogs under former head coach Mark Fox, playing from 2012-2016, including a senior season that saw him average 12.8 points per game.
Following a summer ball stint with the Houston Rockets, the former Whitefield Academy standout played overseas with teams in France, Lithuania, and Italy before calling it a career.
White said Mann has already made quite an impression.
“Charles has been fantastic. He’s a young guy who will be really successful in this business for a long time, and he’s been instrumental in bridging the gap between me and our current staff, and a lot of former players,” White said. “So, we’re going to do a lot with Charles as far as bringing back former Bulldogs that we need to be a big part of this program.”
Frazier was the latest.
As a junior, Frazier averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the Second Team All-SEC. As a senior, Frazier averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.85 steals per game and was named to the First Team All-SEC
“You could see him light up when he walked into the gym. I’m sure he shot a lot of balls at those rims. He put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this program, as did Kenny and Charles,” White said. “When we had the Final Four Reunion, guys were proud, their families were proud to be back here and we’re proud to have them here."
New and Notes
• Eight different Dogs have been used to comprise 11 different starting lineups for UGA this season.
• All 12 Dogs who have logged playing time this season are averaging double-digit minutes per game.
• Seven different Dogs have made double-digit 3s this season, the most since 8 did so in 1997-98.
• UGA is ranked No. 2 nationally in bench minutes, with reserves logging 45.4 percent of the Dogs’ PT.
• UGA’s assist-to-TO ratio is up by +.26 since Thanksgiving, the best improvement by an SEC team during that span.
Scouting Arkansas
Arkansas enters Tuesday’s game at 18-7 overall and 7-7 in SEC play following an 84-65 win over Florida last weekend. That victory snapped a two-game losing skid for the Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks began the season ranked in the top 10 of both the AP and coaches polls and remained there through December before starting league play 1-5.
Ricky Council IV leads Arkansas on the offensive end, averaging 16.4 ppg. Anthony Black and Davonte “Devo” Davis also score at a double-digit rate and contribute 13.0 ppg and 10.7 ppg, respectively.
Next Up
Georgia hosts Missouri Saturday at 1 p.m.
