Preseason practice got underway Friday for the Georgia men’s basketball team, and according to head coach Dennis Felton, the defending SEC Champion Bulldogs have already benefited from their run to the SEC Tournament title a year ago. “While you’re earning championships, you learn along the way. We’ve taken a lot from it and we’ve had a tremendous spring, summer and fall leading into the season,” Felton said. “But this season is a new season with a very different team that comes with its own new and unique challenges.”
Senior swingman Terrance Woodbury, who is the most experienced Georgia player and the team’s top returning scorer (11 points per game) from last season’s 17-17 team, looks to carry over the momentum from the Bulldogs’ SEC title run last year. “I played with a lot of confidence those last four games,” Woodbury said. “I’m going to try to keep that throughout the season.”
Woodbury is one of two Georgia seniors, with walk-on Corey Butler being the other, and will be one of the team’s leaders. “Obviously I expect to take a bigger leadership role on this team, just because [I’m] the lone scholarship senior,” Woodbury said. “I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself. I’m just going to come out and play as hard as I can and push my team so we can get to where we got last year.”
Personnel-wise, the Georgia frontcourt is not particularly deep, with Albert Jackson being the truest center based on his size. But Jeremy Price, who showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman last year, and Chris Barnes also return. “Albert is very big and strong and athletic. Chris is not quite as big, but he’s strong and athletic. Jeremy is not quite as big, but is big and talented,” Felton said.
The Bulldogs are looking to get a boost up front from 6-foot-9 freshman power forward Howard Thompkins. Thompkins brings quite an impressive resume to Athens, having led Wesleyan to a Georgia Class 2A state championship his senior year and Oak Hill Academy to a national championship his junior year. He looks to add another dimension to the Bulldogs. “I hope to bring an outside scoring presence from the big-man standpoint,” Thompkins said.
Thompkins, who can also play small forward, did not practice with the team on Friday because of an MCL sprain that has had him sidelined for about a week and a half. “It’s a small injury. I’ll be back probably Tuesday,” Thompkins said.
With the exception of former North Gwinnett guard Ebuka Anyaorah, who will likely miss the season with a stress fracture in his left leg, Georgia’s other freshmen went through Friday’s three-hour practice. Felton was pleased with what he saw from the newcomers. “I thought they covered a lot of ground today, learning in our first practice,” Felton said. “We’re counting on them. They’re a big part of our team.”
The first-year Bulldogs are Serbian forward Drazen Zlovaric (Patterson School, N.C.) and guards Dustin Ware (North Cobb Christian) and Travis Leslie (Columbia High School).
Felton says it is too early to tell how his backcourt will shape out. Last year’s second-leading scorer and starting shooting guard Billy Humphrey was dismissed from the team in the offseason and the Bulldogs lost starting point guard Sundiata Gaines to graduation. Zac Swansey and Troy Brewer are both sophomores who played key minutes last year in the backcourt. “Outside of Wood (Terrance Woodbury) and Corey (Butler) we’re very young and somebody’s going to have to really surface,” Felton said. “We’ll find out in the next several weeks.”
A dark horse to be a contributor is former Parkview standout Ricky McPhee. McPhee transferred from Gardner-Webb and is walking on at Georgia. He averaged 7.4 ppg in two seasons at Gardner-Webb. “Everyone has the same opportunity to contribute and come in and make an impact,” Felton said. “Regardless of the fact that Ricky’s a walk-on, he’s out there with precisely the same opportunity as the rest of those guys.”
“I’ve played for two years, so I’ve got some experience playing in big games,” McPhee said. “I’m a pretty good shooter, so I can come in and score some points if I get open shots.”
Despite several questions, this Bulldog team appears to offer plenty of options. “You’ve got great versatility,” Thompkins said. “You’ve got high-flyers, you’ve got scorers, people who have great floor games, people who are smart, who love to play hard. It will be a great season.”
“I really like our talent and I like the diversity of pieces we have,” Felton said. “I think it is a team that can really come together very well, fitting together, as we learn to play with each other.”
Georgia will average about a practice a day leading up to its exhibition with Albany State on Nov. 7. The Bulldogs will then open the season exactly a week later when they host USC-Upstate at 7:30 p.m., before traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to take face Loyola-Chicago in the first round of the NIT Season Tipoff on Nov. 17.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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