Mark Fox says guard play must improve beginning with Vanderbilt game
ATHENS -- With five games remaining and not much wiggle room to work with, it appears Georgia head coach Mark Fox is challenging his veteran backcourt to come through and perform better than it has in recent weeks.
Fox said he hasn't been happy with some of the decisions guards Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines and J.J. Frazier have made with the basketball, which have contributed to the myriad inconsistencies the Bulldogs have dealt with.
Following its loss to Florida on Tuesday, Georgia (14-10, 7-6 SEC) is operating without any margin of error. Another loss could be the final blow for any potential NCAA Tournament at-large hopes, considering the resume the Bulldogs have put together to this point.
Georgia's guard play in its final five games will go a long way in terms of whether this team can sneak into the big dance or not. With two seniors (Mann, Gaines) and a junior (Frazier) leading the way, Fox is expecting more out of his backcourt leaders during this final stretch.
"They have to make better decisions than they're making right now," Fox said. "If they'd make good decisions, it would be an asset, but they have to make good decisions in order for their experience to be an asset. I haven't been pleased with consistency in that area. We have had some good nights, we just haven't been as consistent in that area, and we have to push for improvement."
It is unknown what the three guards' take on Fox's assessment is, or what they think themselves, as players were not made available to reporters before a game for the first time all season. A spokesman said this was most likely due to the travel schedule for Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, which involves a noon tip-off time.
All three guards posted scoring totals below their averages in recent losses to Kentucky and Florida. Mann posted 21 points in a win over Mississippi State, but Gaines and Frazier were only able to score eight points combined.
Fox said he has given plenty of leeway to his veteran group but that of late, he hasn't seen the kind of results he'd hope for.
"I think it's probably an individual thing," Fox said. "We just have to make better decisions with the basketball. I don't know if it's pressing. I have given them some more rope to be aggressive this year because they're the experienced guys, and we need them to make some plays."
Fox is hopeful his guards take heed of the message he relayed to them following the loss to Florida, given the important upcoming stretch that will make or break Georgia's season. And that's not even an assurance since Bulldogs only have one top-50 win and have dropped 10 of their 24 games.
It's safe to say that where Georgia spends the postseason will depend a lot on how Georgia's veteran guards play during this final stretch of the regular season.
"They just have to make the right decisions with that freedom," Fox said. "I think the other night we took some shots that we probably should not have taken. Shot selection is something that we always talk about. It's something that we have to be mindful of, and that would be an area where I had a little bit of frustration the other night."
This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Mark Fox says guard play must improve beginning with Vanderbilt game ."