Football Staff Growing again

Asst. Coach and Football Operations Director now open.

No morale victories. Florida State 62. Georgia State 55. Final

Halftime from the Civic Center in Tally. Florida State 30. Georgia State 24.

Previewing the FSU Game: Tomahawk Nation Style

Link: http://www.tomahawknation.com/2009/12/15/1199094/preview-and-game-thread-georgia#storyjump

An opening in the Sun Belt?

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The University of New Orleans may become Louisiana's second school to begin a move from the NCAA's Division I to Division III.

UNO, the city's largest public university at 11,800 students and only about 100 students smaller than Tulane, announced Wednesday that it is considering such a drop.

The board of trustees for Centenary, a Methodist school in Shreveport with fewer than 900 undergraduate students, voted in July to make the switch, which requires approval by the NCAA.

Only five other schools have done so since 1981. Birmingham-Southern, which began the process in 2006, was the first in this decade.

Link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/11/11/new.orleans.ap/

My take and how it affects Georgia State: The Sun Belt (if it hasn't already) will contact our Athletic Dept. and guage interest.  I fully expect Tulane to drop down classifications as well.  There will be a choice of Conference USA and/or Sun Belt if we choose to go Division 1.  I beleive this is a great opportunity and it will be up to us and our fundraising efforts to make this jump.

Beyond the Box Score: Embarassing Loss to Winless FAMU 60-58

Good:
-Xavier Hansbro.  14 pts (7-14 fg), 7 rebounds.  All you can ask for from your starting PF.

Bad:
-Trey Hampton.  Mr. Inconsitency.  4 pts, 6 rebounds in 32 minutes.  No offense.  No help.
-Joe Dukes.  2-12 and 0-5 from 3.  Having an awful season so far and I really hope he can wake up. 
-Jihad Ali.  3-10 (10 shots in 18 minutes?!?) from the field.  Not good.
-11 assists, 13 turnovers.  Can't win with that margin.

Ugly:
-FAMU currently ranks #311 in RPI out of 320 teams and we were their first win.  Absolutely horrible.

Next Game: Tuesday night at Florida State.  Look for an absolute beat down.  I don't believe we keep this game within 20 points.  This is the best team on our schedule.

Halftime

Not a good start in Tally. FAMU 33. Georgia State 26.

2011 Basketball Recruit Donovan Ross grabbing interest from Georgia State

Vitals:
Height: 6'5
Weight: 188lbs.
High School: Ridgeland (Ridgeland, MS)
Position: SF

From Scout.com
"I'm receiving the most interest from Georgia State and Middle Tennessee State," said the 6-5, 188-pounder.

Scout.com Profile: http://mississippistate.scout.com/a.z?s=136&p=8&c=1&nid=4155193

My take:  He's widely considered one of the better juniors in the state of Mississippi and I'm glad we are on him early.

Georgia State Baseball Getting National Attention

Good to be the CAA King.  Ready to Dance again?

15. Colonial Athletic. The CAA is far from a bad conference, but it’s not the conference it was capable of being a few seasons ago. Georgia State is the rising program to watch out of this league.

Link: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news?slug=kr-confrankings120809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

More than 1,000 tickets sold on First Day for football

To reach 1,000 tickets on day one, with our inaugural game still 10 months away, is phenomenal," said Kosha Irby, Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs. "We have felt all along that the Georgia State community and the city of Atlanta are eager to support this football program, and today's success is tangible proof."

Georgia State after Northside-Warner Robins K Devon Pike

Ready to kick in the Dome?

Devon Pike of Warner Robins, GA is the senior and is considered to be one of the best kickers in the state of Georgia.  This would be a huge get after nearly getting Ryan Gates who went on to play for Gardener Webb and earn All-Conference honors last season.

We are up against Memphis and South Carolina for his services.

Georgia State Football Ticket Sales Underway

I've got mine.  Do you have yours?

Final from James Madison. Georgia State win 49-44.

Preview and Prediction: James Madison

The Dukes have a 4 game win streak going.  Let's put the brakes on that today.

Preview: CAA Opener on the road.  Absolutely crucial to get off to a good start in conference.  With a trip looming to Tallahassee where you are hoping to gain a split, this game could keep our heads above .500 until the New Year.

The Dukes have won 4 games in a row after dropping their first two games to Ohio State and Murray State.  In those 4 victories they've averaged better than 71 ppg which is of major concern because we do not currently have the offensive firepower to put up 70 points without a huge effort from both of front and back courts. 

Who to Stop: 6'5 Julius Wells is averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest.  The kid has a license to pull as he averages 14 FGA in their first 6 games.  It will be very interesting to see who draws this defensive assignment as Wells is very active. 

Projected Lineup:
PG Joe Dukes
SG Trae Goldston
SF Jihad Ali
PF Trey Hampton
PF Xavier Hansbro

My Prediction: We finally break the trend of loss then win.  Panthers win 68-64.

Football Tickets On Sale Monday

Season tickets for the inaugural Georgia State football season go on sale on Monday, Dec. 7, and GSU faculty, staff and fans are invited to the Sports Arena that day to make their purchase or simply join in the excitement.

Georgia State athletics will open the third floor of the Sports Arena from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and all are invited to be among the first fans to purchase their season tickets. The first 50 fans who purchase their season tickets at the Dec. 7 kickoff event will receive free authentic mini-helmets, autographed by head coach Bill Curry.

The inaugural Georgia State football season kicks off on Sept. 2, 2010 versus Shorter at the Georgia Dome.

Fans attending Monday's event can register to win free inaugural season tickets, as well as many other prizes, including VIP experiences for the inaugural spring football game and GSU men's basketball games, authentic Panther apparel and autographed merchandise.

I'll be there.  Will you?

Could current DC John Thompson be in the running for the UGA DC job?

DC help wanted
Two coaches on the Alabama staff could be candidates for the defensive coordinator positions at Georgia and Florida State.

Crimson Tide linebackers coach Sal Sunseri could get a look at FSU. He and Jimbo Fisher worked together at LSU. Another possibility is West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who worked with Seminole offensive line coach Rick Trickett in Morgantown.

Georgia may take a look at Alabama defensive Kirby Smart, a former Bulldog defensive back. Smart also could be on Florida State’s radar.
Other possible candidates for the Bulldogs’ job are Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre and Kansas State defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Georgia State defensive John Thompson could get in the mix, too.

Another name to watch for both spots is ex-Memphis coach Tommy West.

Link: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=td-newsflash120309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

My take: I believe that Thompson is a possible choice but not probable.  Richt is going to go with guys that he's coached with first then branch out.  Look for Clemson's DC Kevin Steele to get in the mix as well.

Hofstra the latest CAA school to drop football

In a statement, university president Stuart Rabinowitz said "the choice was painful, but clear."


"The cost of the football program, now and in the future, far exceeds the return possible from an FCS program, which does not generate significant national interest," he said.

Interesting days ahead for our conference...

First Look at 2010 Commit Jevonta Maynor

Big Kudos for my man Saint for doing a run down.  The kid looks impressive.

Beyond the Box Score: Jacksonville Win

Largest Crowd of the Season took in our improving D

Quotes to Note: "Our guys did a great job defensively," said GSU head coach Rod Barnes. "Trae Goldston shot the ball really well in the first half, and then in second half, Xavier Hansbro came up with some really big baskets and big rebounds. I think his play down the stretch was the difference in the game."

Good:

-Panthers shot 50% from the field.  Continue to do this and we'll win a lot more.

-Trae Goldston went 4-5 from 3.  Absolutely crucial becuase we all know this kid can shoot. 

-James Fields is growing into a good defensive stopper.  The kid can stick to someone and harass him.  While many wanted to give up on him after a so-so freshman year (!), I told many to remain patient.  He's a winner and a tough Savannah bred player.

-Joe Dukes finished the game with 5 assists, 3 turnovers.  Improvement.

-Attendance of 1733.  Simple formula - Giveaways plus winning = Fans.  Here's hoping we can aim for 2000 after the holiday break.

Bad:

-Trey Hampton had no impact.  Playing 34 minutes, scoring 0 points and only grabbing 2 rebounds.  Not acceptable for a PF in Division 1 basketball.  I'll eat some crow and say Ousman Krubally should be starting and playing 25+ minutes per game.

-Dante Curry continues to be the great mystery.  Inconsistent playing time and he must not be playing well in practice.

-Justin Vincent is still too out of shape to play.  Hope we get him on the stationary bike and he drops some weight in the next few weeks.  We need his size.

Next Game: At James Madison on Saturday.  We open up CAA play against the Dukes.  They are similiar in style as they don't score a ton and the game should be in the 60s again.  They've won 3 in a row after starting the season with losses vs. Ohio State and Murray State.  We've got to slow down Julius Wells.  Mr. Fields, you are up.