The success of the Diamond Dogs this season highlights a strange incongruity in another arena of UGA Athletics, no pun intended: the basketball program.
This past week, Damon Evans extended an offer to Mizz's hardwood coach, Mike Anderson, to the tune of $700,000 more than Missouri had offered to re-up the contract, which would nearly double his then annual salary of $850,000.
Anderson, in turn, refused, signing back on with a promising Tiger program. The DawgNation, understandably, was shocked. Every day that passes without a coach signifies that the window for a high-profile hire is getting smaller. It begs the question: what is wrong with UGA?
If you say nothing, then you're ignoring the fact that Georgia has had five different coaches in the years since Hugh Durham left, and things are not looking up. The program has struggled in a decade of corruption and underachievement.
According to the AJC, AD Damon Evans is meeting with Clemson's and Miami's head coaches this week to discuss taking over the jobs.
I dont' know. Just doesn't scream 'high-profile', does it? What the Bulldogs cannot do, as they did with the baseball program, is hire from within. The program has been severely hurt in the last several years, and with no "branches" left on the coaching tree, where will Damon Evans go if the U and Clemson don't take the bait?
Yeah, the basketball program is in rough shape but can be brought back around. I'd go with another bulldog coach, with Butler's head man. We have had flashes of brilliance in 02 and 03. Even winning the SEC championship with 4 games in 3 days last year. We can be good again....patience is a virtue with the right hire hopefully.
ReplyDeleteNevada, apparently. Mark Bradley wrote an interesting (and obvious) column about the hire in today's AJC.
ReplyDeleteI know...I should have waited 24 hours!
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