Freshmen Derek Ogbeide, Mike Edwards help fill Georgia's frontcourt void

ATHENS -- It won't be easy replacing a combined 23.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

That was the production Georgia's basketball team got out of Marcus Thornton and Nemanja Djurisic from last year's team. Sophomore Yante Maten will be counted on in an expanded role down low, but there aren't any players with a whole lot of game experience joining him.

That's where freshmen Derek Ogbeide and Mike Edwards factor in. Both are long, athletic and love to run the court. If both frontcourt players can step in and fill the void then Georgia could be in good shape with an otherwise stacked backcourt aiding them.

"It's really up to me and Mike, whether we're going to make the decision to do what we need to do to be successful," Ogbeide said. "The decision is on us, if we choose to take our opportunity and make it happen. We have a lot of potential, I believe."

The freshmen connected with each other during their recruitment and are hoping the relationship will extend on the basketball court. Edwards is expected to play power forward and Ogbeide could be who head coach Mark Fox turns to at center.

Fox said both freshman big men -- each about an inch taller than Thornton and Djurisic -- have impressed since arriving to campus but acknowledged there's plenty of room for improvement.

"We're bigger, more athletic up front. We're just younger," Fox said. "I think from an athletic standpoint, those guys fit right in. But it's like a wild colt, you gotta get them trained. Right now, they're making mistakes out of aggressiveness, which is OK. They're going to make some mistakes. We're trying to correct lots of possessions and lots of experiences right now in practice so they make some errors and can grow."

Senior guard Charles Mann knows there probably will be some growing pains among the youthful frontcourt. As Ogbeide and Edwards become accustomed to the college game, they very well could need the backcourt to help shoulder the load early on this season.

Even so, Mann likes what he sees out of them so far.

"They are good players," Mann said. "They bring so much to the table that we don't have and add to the stuff that we do have. I'm very confident in my team and especially in those two to provide what we need to win."

Edwards loves to run the floor but said he needs to prepare himself better for the fast pace of the college game. With both Edwards and Ogbeide, the Bulldogs have a chance to play a lot faster than in years past.

"We can both run the floor really well," Edwards said. "We can lock on defenders and defend multiple positions. I think that's what can really improve this team."

Ogbeide believes he and Edwards can become a formidable duo early on in their careers if they put the time and work in.

"He knows what to do and we have a similar skill set," Ogbeide said. "We're working on our communication, trying to talk better together, trying to link up mentally together on the court and off the court."

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Freshmen Derek Ogbeide, Mike Edwards help fill Georgia's frontcourt void ."