Georgia basketball in search of leaders and wins — ideally both

What happens when nine freshmen and a graduate transfer are combined with five veterans who haven’t experienced that much winning in their collegiate career?

The result is a need for leadership to come collectively. That’s been the case for the Georgia men’s basketball team all season. As the calendar nears March, that kind of leadership still eludes the Bulldogs (12-13, 2-10 SEC).

“It’s got to be collective,” Georgia head coach Tom Crean said. “If there’s not going to be one or two people that set the tone with that, then you’ve got to get it from more people and everybody’s got to understand their role in it.”

Coming into this season, this was going to be an issue for Crean’s team. Losing five seniors plus sophomore Nicolas Claxton from last year’s squad left a leadership void that had to be filled somehow.

There were, however, candidates to step into those shoes. This team has two seniors in guards Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris (along with the transfer Donnell Gresham), as well as junior forward and second-leading scorer Rayshaun Hammonds. There is also Anthony Edwards, who as a freshman has the ability to take over a game.

But through 25 games, the void still exists.

“The coach can preach ‘it’s going to be all right’ all he wants, but you have got to be able to look out there and know you’re in it together with those guys and feel better about it,” Crean said. “It’s verbal talk, it’s huddle talk, it’s on-the-court talk. Those types of things make that happen, and we’re just not very good at that yet.”

This has surfaced in conference play in the form of squandered leads. Georgia has blown halftime leads of six, 12, three, 15 and nine points in SEC games. Against Missouri and Florida, the Bulldogs surrendered leads of 20 and 22 points, respectively.

“Great leadership is safety,” Crean said. “You feel safe because somebody’s out there. You feel like it’s going to turn because somebody is out there.”

Crean also noted that even though he’s just 18 years old, the Bulldogs need more of that vocal leadership from Edwards. It brings a level of energy that only certain players possess, and Edwards has that ability to energize his teammates.

But getting freshmen to be vocal can be a challenge. Crean has been fighting that battle all season.

Freshman forward Toumani Camara is a perfect example. He has started 16 games in a row and is one of the most important pieces of Georgia’s rotation.

He described himself as a leader by example, but that isn’t always enough. The staff has been working with him to speak up more with his teammates, but he’s still very much a work in progress in that area.

“The more you talk, the more energy you have,” Crean said. “It’s not only you’re bringing energy to your teammates, you’re bringing energy to yourself. It’s an engagement that is there. I always say, you’re empowering yourself to be even more of a leader when you talk.”

The Bulldogs don’t have that alpha male figure on the team, but Camara said that’s not a problem. It’s up to the team as a whole, whether it be seniors or freshmen, starters or bench players, to give that kind of leadership when it’s needed.

If Georgia wants a strong finish to the season, that will need to improve in a major way beginning with Wednesday’s home matchup with No. 13 Auburn (22-3, 9-3). The Bulldogs have lost four straight games.

“It would be very, very good to have a couple of guys have some early success and say, ‘OK, we’re going to be fine,’” Crean said. “That’s what we need to grow into.”

▪ Watch Georgia vs. Auburn basketball: 7 pm Wednesday, ESPN2

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.