GETTING INSIDE

Georgia has finished in last place in the SEC’s Eastern Division in five of the past six seasons, and that dreary trend figures to extend this season.

But that doesn’t mean first-year coach Mark Fox will go into the year completely unarmed.

The Bulldogs have one of the top young inside players in the league, Trey Thompkins, who now has the benefit of international experience after playing in the FIBA Under-19 World Championships, and Albert Jackson is a capable veteran looking to end his career on a high note.

They also have a good, young point guard in Dustin Ware.

Thompkins averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, and Ware was seventh in the SEC in assists with 3.38 a game.

The problem is there is little to go along with them, especially in the backcourt.

Zac Swansey and Troy Brewer might have helped on the perimeter, but both left the team during the offseason. That’s going to leave it up to Ebuka Anyaorah, coming off a redshirt year as a freshman, and newcomers DeMario Mayfield and Vincent Williams to step in.

Ricky McPhee, a transfer from Gardner-Webb who played last season, is a streak shooter who can provide scoring from the perimeter when he is on his game.

In the frontcourt, juniors Chris Barnes and Jeremy Price will have step up their games if the Bulldogs are to improve on last season’s 12 victories.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Georgia finished with only 12 victories last season, but one-fourth of them came in a period of about two weeks near the end of the season. The Bulldogs beat Florida on Feb. 14, Vanderbilt on Feb. 25, and Kentucky in Lexington on March 4.

• G Dustin Ware had 17 starts for the Bulldogs, including the final 13 games, on his way to becoming the first Georgia freshman to register at least 100 assists since Rashad Wright in 2001. Ware finished with 108 assists against 75 turnovers.

• F Trey Thompkins led Georgia in rebounding as a freshman last season with his 7.4 average.

Last Year:   12-20 overall, 3-13 in the SEC.

Head Coach:   Mark Fox (career 123-43); first year at Georgia.

Quote To Note:   “It’s not very often you get to wear the USA across your chest. It’s an experience he should cherish.”—Coach Mark Fox, on Trey Thompkins, who played for the USA’s gold medal team in the U19 World Championships.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Freshmen Vincent Williams and DeMario Mayfield can play the point, and one likely will end up spelling last season’s capable first-year find, Dustin Ware. Williams signed in the spring, and Mayfield was the only one of the two November signees who stuck around following the coaching change. Daniel Miller, a 6-11 center, asked for and was granted his release. Ebuka Anyaorah arrived a year ago but sat out the season after having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. He hopes to step in alongside Ware in the backcourt.

Key Early-season Games:   The Bulldogs have four tough games early, and none is on their court. They are at Alabama-Birmingham, which is rebuilding, on Nov. 21 and go to Virginia Tech on Dec. 6. After meeting St. John’s in New York in the SEC-Big East Invitational on Dec. 19, the Bulldogs play Illinois in Duluth, Ga., after a 10-day break. The new year starts off with two more challenges—at Missouri on Jan. 2 and Georgia Tech at home on Jan. 5.

Program Direction:   The program can’t go down—you can’t finish any lower than sixth in a six-team division, but wins look like they are going to be hard to come by in Mark Fox’s first season. The Bulldogs never capitalized on their surprising success in 2008, when they made it into the NCAA field by winning the SEC Tournament, and it is going to take a season or two to see if Fox can make them competitive in the SEC.

Probable Starting Lineup:   G Dustin Ware, G Ebuka Anyaorah, F Trey Thompkins, F Jeremy Price, F/C Albert Jackson.

Roster Report:  

• G Gerald Robinson, a 6-1 junior transfer from Tennessee State, will have to sit out this season.

• F Trey Thompkins should benefit from his experience playing for the USA team in the FIBA U19 World Championships, where he started five of nine games and averaged 10.6 points, with a high of 22.

• C Albert Jackson suffered a dislocated finger during the offseason, but is not expected to miss any time.

• G Travis Leslie is back in good standing after missing five games at the end of last season because of academic issues.