Spring Break
No down time for men's hoops
DREW KANN For The Red & Black
Issue date: 6/4/09 Section: Sports
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Since the Bulldogs last took the court in defeat to eventual SEC Tournament champion Mississippi State, the team has been engulfed in a whirlwind of hirings, players and coaches coming and going and further speculation about who exactly will be taking the court in Stegeman Coliseum when the 2009-2010 season tips off is November.
After the midseason firing of Dennis Felton as head coach following a string of dismal performances by the Bulldogs, assistant coach Pete Herrmann stepped in as interim head coach while athletic director Damon Evans searched for the right man to begin rebuilding a program in obvious need of an overhaul.
Before a new head coach could even be named, the rebuilding process took a sharp turn for the worse.
Two sophomore guards, Zac Swansey and Troy Brewer, were granted releases from their athletic scholarships after expressing a desire to continue their collegiate basketball careers elsewhere.
These departures left the team with just eight scholarship players on the roster and fans with little more than a glimmer of hope for the team's immediate future.
After months of speculation, including rumors that former Indiana and Texas Tech coaching legend Bob Knight was in talks with the University, the rebuilding process began in surprising fashion in early April.
Mark Fox was named Georgia's new head coach, after serving five years in the same capacity at Nevada where he led the Wolfpack to five seasons of 21 wins or more, including three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 2006-08.
Since being hired, Fox has pieced together a diverse supporting cast of assistant coaches, intent on fielding a team that can compete in the SEC.
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