Fox sees first year at UGA as building block

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With Georgia’s loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament, the book closed on Mark Fox's first season in Athens.

And for the most part, players and Fox say, the story was enjoyable.

Fox said his team, which finished 14-17, would not be invited to lesser postseason tournaments like the NIT or CBI.

But Fox's initial year still had its share of successes and signature wins, establishing the foundation for achievement in the near future.

“We’re taking the right steps and becoming a better program,” senior guard Ricky McPhee said.

And the consensus is on McPhee’s side.

Georgia beat Illinois in November for Fox’s first meaningful win. The Bulldogs followed with an upset over in-state rival Georgia Tech and SEC foes Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

In fact, aside from Kentucky, the Bulldogs beat each team in the Eastern Division, viewed as the dominant division in the SEC, for a finish of 5-11 in the conference.

The team also won a game in the SEC ournament, beating Arkansas 77-64.

Even the losses, while frustrating, gave the team hope.

The Bulldogs lost eight conference games by 10 points or fewer, with an average margin of defeat of 7.6 points. Last season, the margin was more than 15 points per game.

Still, Georgia players aren’t satisfied with getting close, an encouraging mark that Fox expects more from his program moving forward.

“As a team, we expected to win some of those games,” said leading scorer Trey Thompkins, who averaged 17.6 points per game. “We never shortchanged ourselves on the fact that we were inexperienced with coach’s system or we were a young team. We came out to fight just like all our opponents did. We expected to win just like any other team would.”

The first season in the Fox era was a success in that improvement was made, and a culture of winning began to take shape.

The path is evident for the team to rise to another level.

If Thompkins and Travis Leslie, both sophomores, decide to return to school, instead of entering the NBA draft, Georgia would return one the best one-two punches in the conference.

The two were non-committal following the Vanderbilt game.

“That’s something I don’t even want to think about right now,” Thompkins said. “If that time comes, I’ll talk it over with my coaches and make the best decision for me.”

Added Leslie, “I’m not thinking about that right now. If I do, it’s going to be up to my parents, and we’ll figure that out whenever we get a chance.”

Fox intends to aid his two promising players. Just having two players involved in the NBA discussion shows how far the program has come, since Georgia’s last draft pick was in 2004.

“They need to decompress, but I’ll sit down with them and talk about their futures and find out what the pro people say and manage the process,” Fox said.

If Thompkins and Leslie come back, Georgia will have great talent.

Improving performance on the road will be the next step.

The Bulldogs were 0-10 in true road games this season, in some cases dropping close contests.

Another key jump involves developing consistent guard play to accompany Thompkins and Leslie in the scoring department. Toward the end of the season, many teams, like Vanderbilt did Friday, were able to employ zone defenses to slow Georgia’s scoring duo. With McPhee, Georgia’s lone 3-point threat, graduating, Georgia must find someone who can stretch the floor and alleviate pressure on Thompkins and Leslie.

Sources inside the program say Tennessee State transfer Gerald Robinson Jr., who sat out this season per NCAA regulations, could be that guy. And Georgia intends on signing two more prospects in the late-signing period, with hopes of securing at least one guard.

Regardless of the work to be done, the first season was seen as a success in Fox’s boss’ eyes.

“I always felt Mark would come in and do a good job,” Georgia athletics director Damon Evans said. “But where this team really showed me something is the improvement from the players individually, the improvement from the overall chemistry together and how hard they fought. I think they exceeded a lot of people’s expectations, and I’m pleased with the progress, extremely pleased.”

Fox talked this season about how special the first year at a program is. He says he won’t forget the contributions of his seniors, McPhee, Albert Jackson and Tyler Whatley, saying they helped build the foundation for what is to come at Georgia. In fact, in his message following the Vanderbilt game, he told his players how much he respected them all for each contribution for the initial strides of his program.

“Often times at the end of the year, you sense guys that are just waiting for it to end,” Fox said. “I never senses that with this team. And they were excited to come to the gym every day. I just told them that they’ve made an impact on Georgia basketball. They’ve given us some momentum forward and earned some respect back for our program, and I’ll always appreciate that.”