‘It’s been real intense.’ How Georgia basketball keeps up momentum even when on break

If it feels like it’s been a while since Georgia has taken the court, that’s because it has been.

Head coach Tom Crean said as much on Dec. 12, two days before the Bulldogs play Arizona State in Tempe. That contest will be the team’s first since Dec. 4, as the team has taken a break for finals while resting at a 6-2 record.

While there haven’t been any games recently, that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs haven’t been working just as hard to improve.

“When you have breaks and stuff like that, you think it’s just time to relax,” senior guard Tyree Crump said. “But the way we’ve been practicing, it’s been real intense.”

This is Crump’s fourth time going through this long finals layoff. He said it benefits the team in several ways, from extra rest to more time spent gameplanning for the next opponent — in this case the Sun Devils.

But the team also focuses on itself during this stretch of practices. Graduate transfer Donnell Gresham said the Bulldogs have spent a good portion of time working on fundamentals such as footwork when shooting and finishing through contact.

These practices haven’t been as long as those earlier in the season. After all, the players do have studying to do.But what they lack in length, Gresham said they more than make up for in intensity.

That’s nothing new for the Bulldogs, as Crean has said before he likes to have practices be just as, if not more challenging than the games themselves.

“Practices are, to me, harder than the games because we’re going a lot faster,” Gresham said. “It’s way more intense. Coach is yelling at us about little details. When we get in the game, we kind of know what we’re doing.”

Front and center of the energy ensemble is Crean, who Crump said has never sat in the same place for more than two minutes. He’s been more intense in practice this week, something Crump said fills his players with confidence which then radiates out to the entire team.

“There’s certain things that you want to really, really make sure that you’re getting done,” Crean said. “Every day, it all starts with how are we going to make this individual better and how is it going to collectively become a part of the team.”

Crean also said part of coaching, and this break in particular, is not assuming what players do or don’t have a firm grasp of. Concepts are constantly being built on, which helps explain the emphasis on the fundamentals over the past few practices when the Bulldogs haven’t been preparing for an imminent opponent.

As finals week ends, a huge road test looms at the 7-2 Arizona State Sun Devils. But despite the layoff, the Bulldogs aren’t afraid of being rusty in the desert.

“You practice how you play,” Crump said. “If you’re going hard in practice, if you’re intense in practice, then you get in the game and it’s the same way.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 6:00 AM.