‘It’s a way that you live’: Georgia refocuses its young squad heading into SEC play
Georgia’s men’s basketball team has hit the big time.
No, they’re not heading north to Broadway or west to Hollywood. They are entering the SEC portion of their schedule, venturing into a league loaded with teams that are big, aggressive and relentlessly physical when it comes to rebounding.
Head coach Tom Crean spent nearly 30 years coaching at various stops before taking over the Georgia job in March 2018. Nearly two years later, he’s seen firsthand just how physical the SEC can be.
“Every game you play you see more and more how important rebounding is in this league, and how good people are at it,” Crean said Tuesday. “It’s not something that you do, it’s a way that you live. I think that’s what’s different in this league.”
This is an in-season adjustment every team must go through, but Georgia’s youth adds another dimension. The Bulldogs have nine freshmen on the roster, plus Donnell Gresham who is getting his first taste of SEC action after transferring from Northeastern.
Crean said on Jan. 10 that it’s hard to build relentlessness in young players because that term takes on such a different meaning in college as opposed to high school. The key, he said, is first playing with some consistency, which leads to resilience that snowballs from there.
“You’re able to bounce back, and you’re not able to let little things bother you,” Crean said. “You’re not able to let the last shot knock you out of the next few minutes. Those are the kind of things that build a relentlessness in people, that when that ball goes up on the glass, that you’re going to get it.”
That mindset got put to the test right out of the gate in conference play. Georgia opened the SEC slate with two of the best - and most physical - teams in the conference in Kentucky and Auburn.
Crean told his players before the Kentucky game that the Wildcats would be unlike anything they had seen to that point in the season. In a 78-69 loss, that proved to be prophetic.
The first half actually went Georgia’s way. The Bulldogs led 37-31 at half and, perhaps more importantly, outrebounded the bigger Wildcats 24-17 in the first 20 minutes.
But after halftime, Georgia wore down.
Kentucky pounded the glass, owning a 24-11 rebounding advantage in the second half. On a related note, the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 47-32 in the second half to win by nine. Five Kentucky players finished with at least five rebounds, compared to three Bulldogs who hit that number.
“It’s hard to keep doing it time and time again,” Crean said after the loss. “They don’t go away. They’re incredibly physical and aggressive. That’s why they win. That’s why (John Calipari is) such a great coach. That’s what it is. They’re going to keep coming at you, and they’re going to keep coming at you on the glass with two and three guys every time.”
Freshman Toumani Camara said later the team had trouble adjusting to the physicality Kentucky presented. Junior Rayshaun Hammonds praised the work ethic of the freshmen, noting they’re constantly in the gym, but they were still overmatched physically against the Wildcats.
They got another chance four days later on the road at undefeated Auburn, one of the best rebounding teams in the country on both ends. The story of the boards, however, played out largely the same.
The Bulldogs held their own on the glass early on and built a quick lead. But the Tigers fought back and outscored Georgia by 11 in both halves to cruise to the 82-60 victory.
The rebounding battle went to Auburn by a 41-33 margin. The Tigers also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points. Five Auburn players reached the six-rebound plateau, while only Hammonds and Camara had at least five for Georgia.
Even still, Camara said he felt his squad handled the physicality better against the Tigers. The relentless mentality was starting to build.
Gresham said that comes both from practice and understanding the significance of every possession in conference play. Players have to do whatever it takes to get in position for a rebound, no matter how much contact that will draw.
That mentality must extend to guards like Gresham as well as the forwards. Crean said the rebounding by guards in the SEC is some of the best he’s ever seen, and for a team to be successful all five players on the floor have to be involved.
The Bulldogs returned home after the Auburn contest to face Tennessee Wednesday. Against another experienced and tough team, Georgia went toe to toe for all 40 minutes.
The Bulldogs held a 37-34 rebounding advantage for the game, pulling down 20 boards to Tennessee’s 17 in the first half before both teams had 17 rebounds in the second half. Four Bulldogs had at least five rebounds, led by Gresham with seven and freshman Anthony Edwards with six.
Not coincidentally, Georgia’s best SEC rebounding performance led to the first SEC win. The Bulldogs led 47-28 at halftime and led by as many as 26 late in the second half before a late Tennessee run made the final score 80-63 in favor of Georgia.
There’s still a long way to go, both in room for improvement and in the schedule with 15 conference contests still remaining. But with each passing game that relentless and physical mindset will continue to cultivate, which will make the Bulldogs a tough out in a tough conference.
“We weren’t as physical as we need to be when it came to the rebounding, but we were more physical than what we had been,” Crean said. “That’s the only way we’re going to win.”