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Georgia Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Bulldogs

By Richard Gnann

ATHENS, GA - JANUARY 04: A cheerleader cheers on the Georgia Bulldogs during their basketball game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Stegeman Coliseum on January 4, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - JANUARY 04: A cheerleader cheers on the Georgia Bulldogs during their basketball game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Stegeman Coliseum on January 4, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 12: Jackson II
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 12: Jackson II /

At Point

Whether the 2018 edition of Georgia basketball can win more than twenty games and compete for a Sweet Sixteen berth will depend on the play of two guards: sophomore Tyree Crump (6’1″ 182 lbs) and junior Will Jackson (6’4″ 185 lbs). Both arrived with great promise. It’s time for both to fulfill that promise.

Will “Turtle” Jackson

A hometown Athens hoops hero, Jackson made the short trip from Athens Christian School to the University of Georgia in 2015. While there have been flashes of spectacular play, his on-court production did not arrive with him. Jackson averaged 1.4 points a game in 2016 and 4.1 points a game in 2017. He was named the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, excelling as a defensive disruptor.

Jackson averaged 17 minutes a game last year. He will be counted on for 20 or more minutes a game and significant scoring this year. Jackson displays the tools but is does he have the consistency? For Georgia to be successful, he must put them to work. Close observers say the necessary missing ingredient has been confidence.

Tyree Crump

Crump arrived at Georgia in 2016 as the more heralded part of a package recruiting deal with South Georgia pal Jordan Harris. But while Harris immediately found early playing time, Crump struggled. By mid-season, Crump played well enough in spot duty to excite the fans and be named the team’s Sixth Man of the Year.

Crump made 24 out of 33 shots from the field (73%) over the last eleven games of the season. Now, Crump must step up and make the big time plays and play consistently through the entire season.

At every other spot on the floor, the Dawgs know what they have. What they have is pretty darn good, but no matter how well the Dawgs play inside and on the wings, the play of Jackson and Crump will determine the success of Bulldog basketball – and perhaps the length of Mark Fox’s tenure. Consistent production at the point is the question mark. Jackson and Crump are exceptionally talented but have not played consistently when the band is playing. They must this year.

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