ESPN.com - No. 9: Georgia

ESPN.com: ESPNMagazine

Tuesday, November 12, 2002
No. 9: Georgia

By By Ryan Hockensmith

Last Season: 2210, NCAA Second Round


	To boost morale, Jarvis should get gas more often.

As junior wing Jarvis Hayes refueled at an Athens gas station this summer, some guy told him Georgia would win it all. Don't laugh: The Bulldogs return 68.2 ppg from a team that tied for first in the SEC East. And the 6'7" Hayes (18.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is looking even better after sprucing up his perimeter game at MJ's Flight School. To think, he might not even be Georgia's top player. Jim Harrick considers 6'7" junior Damien Wilkins, an NC State transfer, his on-court leader. (Damien's uncle Dominique also played for UGa.) Granted, the Dawgs' depth was gutted in the off-season, and they lack a quality big man. But they didn't have anybody over 6'8" last season, either. "Size is overrated," Hayes says. Watch him prove that Georgia isn't.

One Step Ahead: Harrick is a results-now coach, having led all four of his teams (Pepperdine, UCLA, Rhode Island and Georgia) to the Tourney within three years of taking over. A solid game tactician, he also has an eye for hidden talent, bringing in Hayes and twin brother Jonas from Western Carolina two years ago.

One Step Behind: At what price success? Harrick admits he's taken bad recruiting risks. Witness the summer carnage: Three of his four frosh didn't qualify, while junior F/C Steve Thomas was suspended for three games and contentious reserve G Tony Cole was booted for good because of rape charges against the two (later dropped).

2002-2003 NCAA PREVIEW
MEN
1. Arizona Wildcats	9. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Kansas Jayhawks	10. UCLA Bruins
3. Oklahoma Sooners	11. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Pittsburgh Panthers	12. Kentucky Wildcats
5. Florida Gators	13. Virginia Cavaliers
6. Texas Longhorns	14. Michigan State Spartans
7. Duke Blue Devils	15. Xavier Musketeers
8. UConn Huskies	16. Indiana Hoosiers

This article will appear in the November 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine.