Red letter day

The University of Georgia’s men’s basketball and football programs are coming off different kinds of seasons.

But in both cases, the red and black faithful were inspired with hope for next year Thursday night as the Whitfield County Bulldog Club hosted gridiron coach Mark Richt and hardcourt general Mark Fox at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center.

“This is the fourth time I’ve met coach Richt, and my second time for coach Fox,” said Matthew Daniel, a Bulldogs fan and a student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. “I can’t wait for both seasons. It’s fun to get hyped up for them.”

In a year of ups and downs for Fox’s second year leading the team, the basketball Bulldogs (21-12, 9-7 and fourth in the Southeastern Conference’s East Division) reached the NCAA tournament via an at-large for the first time since 2001. It was also Georgia’s first trip to the tournament at all since 2008.

“Two years ago we were the bottom feeders in the SEC,” Ringgold fan John Green said. “We’ve got some good recruits coming in. Two years from now, I expect us to be in the hunt for a national championship.”

Fox, who recently received a contract extension through 2016 at $1.7 million per year, said he is his biggest critic.

“I have always had higher expectations for myself and my team than anybody else,” Fox said. “I have never felt pressure from the outside. I see the contract as a sign of support from the administration.”

After losing its two leaders in scoring and rebounding to the NBA draft, Fox said feeding off the team’s success can help offset the absence of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, who combined for nearly 30 points and 15 rebounds per game last season.

“The guys who are coming back understand the process of what we were able to do,” Fox said. “We’ll have to use that experience to educate the younger kids. When you’re recruiting, you say you want to (take certain steps) because you want to reach a vision.

“With the guys we’ve got coming in, instead of building on a vision, we can build on success.”

On the football field, 2010 had more downs than ups. For the first time in Richt’s 10-year tenure in Athens, Georgia finished under .500 at 6-7, including a 10-6 loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl.

“No one is good with that,” Richt said. “No one expects that, but it happened. It’s time to look in the mirror to see where we go from here. A lot of that will have to do with how we prepare in the offseason. And how, as a team, we buy in to what we’re doing because we (all) have to buy in.”

Starting next month, Dalton High’s Watts Dantzler, who signed with Georgia in February, will be among a group of offensive linemen looking to fill in supporting roles for a unit which does not have much depth after graduation and the recent transfer of tackle A.J. Harmon.

“It’s definitely looking like it will be easier for (Dantzler) and the others to get some playing time early,” Richt said. “Whether or not he’s ready, time will tell. Once he gets on campus, there will be time to get his body right and to start trying to prepare to compete.”

Richt hopes the Bulldogs’ response to a 1-4 start — they won five of their final seven games in the regular season and beat rival Georgia Tech 42-34 in the finale — is a good sign. The coach said that effort showed his players had the ability to perform while playing in the SEC, which produced the reigning national champion, Auburn, and has produced the BCS national champion five years in a row.

“We play in a league of close games,” Richt said. “Auburn had five close games, and they won them all. Our loss to Florida was tough and we went to overtime at Auburn. We showed we can rebound well.”

Athlon Sports has already named Georgia as the team to beat in the SEC East. Richt said he sees several reasons prognosticators could share his optimism about Bulldogs, including sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray, the SEC’s leading returning passer. He also expects the defense to continue to master the 3-4 scheme defensive coordinator Todd Grantham introduced in his first season in Athens last year.

“I think the selling point on that is people look at the quarterback,” Richt said. “I think it helps that we’re in year two of our defensive transition. We’re looking for some good things on that side. And we’ve got our punter and kicker back. Our special teams are pretty settled. But I always think we’re going to win.”

Fans at the trade center Thursday showed faith that Richt has the team headed in the right direction.

“Coach Richt is a good Christian guy,” Green said. “He teaches them more than football. As long as they show some improvement, that’s enough.”

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