Charles Mann has a bold stance on Georgia’s guards.
“I feel like we possibly have the best guards in the conference,” the junior said. “We have a lot of good guards and we worked hard this summer. We’re going to need the bigs, too, but we are going to bring a lot to the table this year.”
With Mann, Kenny Gaines J.J. Frazier and Juwan Parker all returning and the addition of freshman Turtle Jackson, the Bulldogs have ideal depth.
Considering the youth in the front court, where the most experienced post player is sophomore Yante Maten, Georgia could employ three and four guard lineups. The lineups allow Georgia to get its best players on the floor as well as speed up a game that is shortening its shot clock in an effort to increase pace and scoring.
The Georgia guards said the team is capable of sacrificing length and size to gain speed and shooting.
“We have athleticism and quickness and even with that we have still have strong guards in me, Charles and Juwan, and then J.J. can stretch the defense,” Gaines said. “The defense will have to play us in a couple of different ways and we could use that to our advantage.”
Georgia head coach Mark Fox tempered expectations of guard-heavy lineups.
“If we get healthy that might be something we experiment with,” Fox said. “Matchups dictate so much of this game, so are they going to adjust to us or are we going to adjust to them and maybe go small?”
Gaines and Parker were recently cleared for full-contact after both spent months rehabbing injuries.
Given Fox’s current stance on the four guard lineups, some players will have to come off the bench. Frazier is fine if it’s him.
“I did it last year, so I don’t think that is a problem,” he said. “I could score zero points and have just as much fun watching my teammate score 16 or 20 points. For me it is just about winning.”
Frazier added that his game isn’t affected by starting or coming off the bench. His position and demeanor don’t change.
There is also the possibility of some guards defending different positions as a way to alleviate size concerns. Last season, Mann played some small forward and this year, Jackson said he has spent time working on his defense in camp in anticipation of defending small-forward type players.
“I have pretty good length and we’ve been working a lot on my defensive drills like footwork and positioning,” he said.
Fox spoke highly of all his guards, but he doesn’t think his team is ready for four and three guard lineups. At least not yet.
“I think it really depends how much progress we have in the next couple weeks,” Fox said.