Still, this program that has struggled so long for competitiveness in the SEC will not be able to compete with one super player alone.  They found that out last year as Dominique Wilkins took the league by storm but the Bulldogs still finished in the bottom three of the SEC.  They are getting closer and Coach Durham has brought in some good young talent.  They are moving forward. Still, Athens has not switched over to being a basketball hotbed and as good as the football team is that may never happen. As good as Dominique Wilkins is the King of Athens is and always will be another sophomore superstar named Herschel Walker! 

Wilkins is simply put the best dunker in the world.  He has hops that are crazy.  He also goes 6’7 and 200 pounds and is still growing.  He also is a great all-around player but whenever you speak of the Wilkins you must start with his great ability to throw one down over and above anyone who has the courage to try and stop him.  Not only does he excite the crowd with these dunks but he lets everyone know of his presence with power and grace.  Only a sophomore this upcoming season, with all of the hype since his high school days you would think he was a senior, Wilkins showed that he is also developing a well-rounded offensive game.  He is developing a perimeter jump shot and can obviously get his shot off whenever he wants.  His skills are limitless and his ability is peerless.  As a forward he runs like no one else and can also rebound because of his amazing vertical jumping.  He has a chance to be as good as he wants and has the desire to reach incredible heights.  He is also the unquestionable leader of this team and cherishes that role.  Wilkins is the biggest recruit ever for Hugh Durham and the Bulldogs (by a mile) and coming from North Carolina you would have thought he was bound for the Wolfpack or the Tar Heels but the Human Highlight film wanted to get away from home and that meant Georgia.  They bleed blue in Carolina and the fans from his hometown of Washington North Carolina did not like this and Nique has said his family had to be moved because of the negative nonsense going on there.  He has not returned to his home state until but the schedule makes (AD’s) have decided that the first two games of the year will be back home against those two ACC juggernauts.  Wilkins’s matchups with Michael Jordan and David Thompson will be must see but if the Bulldogs have any chance of surviving those two games (and the rest of their schedule) Wilkins better get some more support.  Durham has pulled some strings on some new talent including some transfers (another kid is coming in from Western Carolina) but most of the high-end talent is on the wings like Wilkins.  He understands that the pros are knocking down the door to get to his basketball prodigy and wants to be able to build this program for more than the next few years. The attention the team gets on their trip to the Carolinas will surely help but the Bulldogs need to keep moving forward.  As they have learned from their vaunted football program if you put all of your eggs in one basket you are asking for trouble if one of them breaks.  Or leaves.  When Herschel Walker went down last year for those two games, Terrell Davis was every bit as good.  Until you have that kind of overall talent on your roster you can only hope for a superstar to carry you so far and only for small windows of time.  This program wants to be elite and that means not only a full roster of talent, but players that complement each other and not only a coach that can recruit but develop a culture that will grow even if you are not there. 

Fellow sophomore Vern Fleming is a solid complement to Wilkins.  A big point guard (6’5) who can also score, Fleming is the quarterback of this team.  He is a smooth distributor of the ball but is also tough as nails.  He uses his size to his advantage but does not get blown by when he guards quicker point guards.  He has a nice midrange shot and can flat get to the hoop.  His biggest asset is his leadership and his ability to do whatever it takes to succeed.  Fleming showed how important he was in the two victories without Wilkins and may be the most underrated player in this league.  But the fans of Athens know how important that he is to their success and treat him like royalty.

The only senior who will get considerable playing time is center Bob Lienhard. Lienhard is a tremendous rebounder who gave the Bulldogs a presence in the middle.  He is solid underneath and the bruiser from the Bronx knows how to mix it up.  At six foot eleven Lienhard backs down from no one and is the anchor in the middle setting himself up every time the Bulldogs go to a half court set right on the block (or sometimes right in the key if he can get away with it).  Big Bob’s consistency and toughness down low were a major factor in the last three years of Bulldog basketball.  Apparently Lienhard has already decided to forego the draft after this year and has decided with an Italian team in Cantu after a summer all-star trip to that beautiful country. Lienhard was recognized every time he walks down the street and I think he likes the fact he can build his own future.  Lienhard has never played by the same rules as everyone else and definitely beats to his own drum and that is exactly why he is such a legend in the Capital city of the Alternative world.  The Bulldogs will not replace Lienhard no matter who they bring in.  He is a true living legend.  Fellow seniors Jerry ‘Beaver’ Waller and Phil Simpson once played next to Lienhard but those days are long gone and these two will be waiting for senior day. 

There was one other senior who was schedule to get some playing time but Zippy Morocco, yes I said that right, Zippy Morocco has a commitment as wide receiver/punt returner on the Bulldog football.   This high scoring guard must make a decision as he is definitely not going pro in either sport.  He chose football last year and by the time he got back to being available full-time the team was set and Sophomore Willie Anderson had taken over his shooting guard position.  He did show some flashes of his scoring ability but only played in a handful of games.  Anderson has an exceptional first season in Athens. Kind of out of the blue as he was expected to be a sixth man.  He is a complete player who plays both ends equally well.  The best defender on the team, Anderson is also a good passer and runs the court well.  He can score but is unselfish to the point of giving up many opportunities for the benefit of the team.  He guarded the best wing on the other team so that Nique could do his thing.  There are rumors that Durham would like to move Anderson back to the sixth man spot where he would flourish even more but Durham needs to find a replacement.  The good thing is that with Fleming on the team, the Bulldogs could go with someone smaller in the backcourt.  But the one thing they will have to be able to do is shoot.  The only weakness in Anderson’s arsenal is his long-range shooting and Fleming and Wilkins are not exactly Pistol Pete from behind the arc either.  Zippy can shoot but we still don’t know if he is going to be available so Durham needs to find some shooters.  The Road to Morocco sometimes goes through Georgia and sometimes the journey ends up in Italy.  Another senior, Jimmy Pitts, is also on the roster and can shoot but has little chance defensively.  6’2 senior Herb White once played point guard here but has lost that role and provides leadership and toughness off the bench but is nowhere near Fleming in ability. 

The Bulldogs have some issues at power forward.  The most talented player there is Junior Jacky Dorsey.  He can be flat dominant at times both scoring and rebounding.  Dorsey tore a tricep midway through the season and tried to play with it.  He gave a game effort but had to shut her down and that hurt the team.  Jacky really isn’t big enough (6’7 230) for the pounding the big dogs of the SEC give you on a night in and night out basis. Still, he is by far the best this team has and has been unstoppable at times when he gets called upon enough.  He was second on the team in scoring as a freshman but fell back to 4th last year with Fleming and Wilkins in town.  Coach Durham tried in vain to try a suitable sidekick to Lienhard up front who could handle the trenches in the SEC.  Sophomore Alec Kessler got his opportunity and did a good job but he lacks the athletic ability to guard the physical beasts of the SEC.  He and Lienhard seemed to share a common language at times and really played well together on the offensive end.  It was on the defensive end where they had problems.  Kessler was big enough at six eleven and has a huge heart but did not like the physical aspect of the game as much as he was a cerebral kid.  He loves hitting jumpers and opening up things down low.  He will be a doctor someday as he is that smart but for now he loves playing for the Bulldogs and once Lienhard leaves for Italy (he wishes he could go with him) the center position is his next year in Athens.  But this year he will be either be starting at the four or the first guy off the bench up front but he has to get better inside, especially guarding the rim.  Junior Tim Bassett is a solid backup up front at both center and power forward and he is the type of physical specimen needed to battle underneath..  Bassett is a great defender and rebounder but is a liability offensively and is better suited for a backup role.  Bassett is a transfer from the great JC in Idaho the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls where he was a stud.  He came to Athens after a High School career in DC and had no idea the racism he would encounter in Georgia.  Bassett was involved in a brawl in the first game he played against rival Georgia Tech in the game they dub a ‘good old fashioned hate for each other’.  Bassett was protecting his teammate (Ronnie Hogue) but got ejected and missed a few games.  He came back to have a strong season especially in the two games versus Kentucky where he was hung in effigy.  Bassett is tough however and will be the first to tell you that all this nonsense in the SEC has just prepared him better for his ultimate goal which is a career in the Pros. He is the perfect bodyguard (he is chiseled) for a player like Nique.   If he can get a little better on the offensive end (of course playing with Wilkins he does not get to show his skills much except for putbacks and such) he should be a great role player somewhere.  He has got another two years to compete in the SEC and he knows the Bulldogs have a shot at upsetting the good old boys of the Southeast as long as Dominique is around. 

Three other juniors will probably decide the fate of this year’s team.  This trio came before Durham got to Athens and he has been trying to replace them since he got here but these kids can play.  The aforementioned Hogue is a solid player as well who could start at the two but has had some issues shooting the ball.  He can get to the hoop and finish and is ok defensively but this team needs shooter.  The favorite to be the starting two guard is fellow junior Walter Daniels.  Daniels is up the road from Macon and can shoot and is solid all-around.  He is only 6;2 and not dynamic but is by far the best option this team has at the two.  The key is Lavon Mercer.  Mercer was the biggest recruit ever for the Bulldogs before Wilkins after a senior season in Metter Georgia where he averaged 38 and 30.  Really!  This 6’10 215 pounder is also a terrific shot blocker and played center often or at least was the rim protector next to Lienhard.  Mercer was on the same trip overseas with Lienhard but stopped off in Israel where he was indeed a man amongst men.  Mercer did not have the season many expected last year as he missed some games due to injury and never really adjusted to playing next to Wilkins.  This team needs him, especially his shot blocking, and if they have any chance of jumping up the totem pole this trio of juniors will have to be a huge part of the matriculation. 

Sophomores James Banks, Cedric Henderson and Terry Fair also got shots down low.  Both are a little undersized for power forward though they had some productive moments.  Banks is only 6’6 and is better suited for the 3 but we know the story there. Henderson is an enigma but has real talent.  If the 6’8 true four can stay on the floor he could really push for the starting role.  He was impressive in limited time last year.  Fair is a tremendous athlete who loves to dunk and is almost as good as it (NOT) as Nique.  He will play anywhere as he showed by playing center at six seven and holding his own. Durham even tried putting Wilkins up front due to the team’s depth at the wing but why risk losing Wilkins in the wars down low?  That will not happen this year as Durham will not risk injuring his meal ticket.  

The Georgia Bulldogs play in a college football town.  They know this. The only thing that rivals the gridiron popularity is the incredible music that comes from this place. The basketball team has a superstar in the making in sophomore forward Dominique Wilkins. The high-flying Wilkins has become a fixture on highlight reels. Coach Hugh Durham has done a heck of a job in bringing in some talent to what used to be the doormat of the SEC. Now they just need to take that big step from the basement to the penthouse.