It’s been a while since a Bulldawg has had their name mentioned in the NBA Draft, but sounds like Asa Newell will have to be the new trend-setter for Mike White’s program.
Question is…does Newell even “feel like” a Bulldawg? Ditto Anthony Edwards, who was one and done at Georgia in his time prior to doing well in the NBA.
It was, at one time, what maybe made watching college basketball a challenge, knowing that the rules allowed for someone to be a one-off player, then comes the fan “theology” that someone used a program as a stepping stone to get to the league. This would likely play into someone’s internal criteria of what makes for a “DGD” or similar narratives based on an athlete’s time in a program or “dedication” to the school.
Fact of the matter is, if the NFL had similar rules in place, where an athlete has to be at least one year removed from high school (note: college attendance is not necessary, just trying to discourage the high school-direct to league jump…why? Hell if I know) there would be a slew of guys trying to make the leap after one year in a program. I would argue that many draftable football players coming out of high school could benefit from the strength and conditioning programs in college programs, plus with better NIL offers, you’re encouraged to stick around a while if you’re a football player, whereas baseball or basketball players are reportedly making lesser valuation. That leads to this:
It’s going to be seemingly harder and harder to get a program “lifer” anymore, as it has been regardless of NIL or not. It’s been also harder and harder to really attend to college basketball or baseball given the amount of turnover and roster movement that occurs each year, at least for me, to be honest. That’s not to say there’s no value there, it just makes it harder in the “spirit” of amateurism and college sports to watch. Hell, even pro teams at least have a core of athletes that are stable for a few seasons…whereas in some college sports, over half if not the entire roster of a team can be different from one season to the next.
Does the roster turnover make it harder for you to watch college sports…or have you adopted an “it is what it is” mindset to continue to enjoy the sport as it is today?
Considering the reseating process they put us thru and the true fact that you can hardly identify the new team , I am seriously cutting my donation to the minimum. I may even drop 2 of my 4 tickets because all this is making procuring seats much cheaper with more options. In the regional the number of empty seats was appalling and it points to your comments of NIL and transfer fatigue.
Ii was a Georgia Basketball season ticket holder for years but when the AA reseated I would have had worse tickets. I gave up my season tickets as a result.
Gaskilldawg
It has impacted my enjoyment of college basketball the most, but baseball as well. Even outside of Georgia I used to watch a lot of college basketball in the 1990’s when the players usually stayed in school 3 years and well before the onslaught of transfers. I miss the days of getting to know a group of players and being able to identify teams that were young, but talented and would be good as a class gained experience over a few seasons.
I’ll still watch college baseball, but it is worse than pro sports now with roster turnover. Georgia and Wes Johnson seem to be one of the worst “offenders” of using the portal. I understand Johnson is doing what he thinks is best to compete, but I wish there was a bigger emphasis on bringing in HS talent to build the roster. It seems to me the best teams get their best players from HS recruiting and then supplement with the portal. Johnson doesn’t seem to use that same strategy. Look at LSU. The key players were guys that came from HS unless I am mistaken. That at least gives you a core that grows in the program and the fans can find the guys to root for over a few seasons. Granted it isn’t Johnson’s job to provide DGDs for the fans, but I do feel like that goes a long way to building a culture and connection among the team that leads to success.
Strickland built through the HS and you saw the results. We had some really good HS players come through but could never quite get over the hump. I think Johnson’s approach is, if I can bring in quality players, get some national exposure – in which we did with our National rankings – we then will have the resume to attract the top HS players.
I would counter that Strickland didn’t land the best HS talent. I know there is a sweet spot between kids who will play college versus get drafted out of HS, but I feel like you can go get Star college players from HS and then supplement that with the portal. Especially, with the talent in the state of Georgia.
I don’t know Sanford? I’d call Emerson Hancock, Kyle Farmer, Charlie Condon, Robert Tyler and Jonathan Cannon all pretty dang good players.
We are very much alike. I watched a ton of college hoops in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Fans knew starting lineups year after year. These days, you have no idea who is even on the team, much less starters. There is value in identifying with players and the believing that they are a Georgia Bulldog.
Wes Johnson is building Georgia into a college baseball contender, but as you pointed out, he is doing it with transfers. Personally, I am not a fan. As you stated, I would much rather see UGA load up on the massive amount of high school talent we have in the metro Atlanta area. That being said, I see tons of college baseball programs crushing the transfer portal. What I really do not like, is the punk culture that we see from the UGA baseball team. Tennessee and Georgia appear to be the 2 biggest culprits of such behavior. Wes Johnson is either promoting such behavior, or he is allowing it. Either way, Johnson is at fault for this.
Is there a reason an NIL contract & scholly can’t be long term, say 3 years? It’s an alternative schools might consider instead of one and done.
Alex Anthopolous of the Braves likes to get young talent signed up to long term contracts. Sure, the Braves aren’t doing so hot right now. But I’d argue their problems are in the dugout and some players heads. It’s not lack of talent.
College sports is dying a slow death. It just is. For me, I watch very little college basketball now even Georgia. I watch little college baseball although I follow how the Dawgs are doing online. Once Georgia football was out of the playoff, I watched 5 minutes max of the remainder of the playoff. Even then, the Texas game against Az State was really the only one I watched with any interest. The problem is the various stakeholders only care about extracting whatever value they can today with little more than lip service paid to the real customer of the product – the fan in the stands or the viewer from home.
Ant Man and Newell still call out the Dawgs when they have the chance. They’re DGDs to me.
But yeah, roster turnover does dampen my enthusiasm for the sports.
Understanding receiving information concerning a individual$ future financial $tanding, Mr. Ant Man was one and done, no doubt there, Asa Newell is another individual, he might get a few minutes here and there, no sure if he’s a next level year two or three starter, his game and physical body could have used another year in UGA basketball, would have really raised his draft $tatu$, looking at next years roster may have hastened an early exit…GO DAWGS!!
Oh, I agree that Asa could have stayed and probably improved his draft status, but he was never shy about his 1 and done plan, even when he got here. He was also not shy about wanting to be a Dawg.
I hope he develops into a good NBA player, but I don’t know how good his chances are. I guess it depends on where he winds up and if they spend time trying to develop him overall or just throw him to the wolves. Either way, he’ll surpass my retirement account balance in his first year as a professional.
The constant player churn is killing my interest in college sports. Football is handing by a thread with UGA having better player retention than most, but basketball and baseball are now sports mostly played by paid mercenaries who could care less about our school. Hell, our baseball team this year was a bunch of jerks who we are just going to replace with a bunch of new jerks who could care less about representing the university.
Who do you feel the “jerks” are on the UGA baseball team?
Any player who disrespects the game by:
Looking like Mr. T
Flipping bats
Posing while on a base
Wearing an unbuttoned shirt
Pretty much. The behavior at the Regionals was not great. That’s fine. I just read we have 22 players transferring in so maybe it will be different next year. Not that I will be watching.
Scheduling and conference membership has done far more to damage my interest in Football, Changing rosters hasn’t helped. I know surprisingly little about who is expected to be a playmaker in Athens this fall.
I’ll watch Baseball if a college I have ties to is doing well. I was interested in UGA but the coach will have to have his team more disciplined for me to have interest next year.
I have never had much interest in Basketball outside of local teams in the tournament and that has been even less so since High School. What is and isn’t a penalty seems to change as the end of the game approaches.
Where I am in life makes it easier to realize there are plenty of better things to do rather spend my time watching a rotating roster of kids who for the most part don’t give a shit about the University. I still give Kirby and his team some attention but nothing like I used to do. I did attend some baseball games this year but honestly was turned off by the undisciplined style of play.