UGA Basketball: Mark Fox Signs Caldwell, Makes Another Great Move

Mark Fox just keeps building up his program, making it better and better as every day passes. When Fox came to the University of Georgia as the head basketball coach, there was little to no enthusiasm for the sport at the school. But that quickly changed.

The coach from Nevada immediately raised the team’s level of play and the crowd’s spirit at the same time. By the end of the 2009-2010 season, basketball games at Stegeman Coliseum had become events and the raucous crowd helped push their team to upset victories against in-state rival Georgia Tech among others.

While Fox immediately raised the level of the Georgia basketball program, his reign as Head Coach could have been less of a success if star players Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie had decided to depart from Athens for the ranks of professional basketball.

Instead the two players opted for another season under the tutelage of Fox in the hopes of going deep into the Big Dance and raising their stocks to sure-fire lottery levels.

Since then, Fox has continued to bring players to the program. He signed Georgia’s “Mr. Basketball,” Marcus Thornton to play for the Bulldogs next season. Thornton joined fellow recruits Cady Lalanne and Donte Williams in the 2010 class.

However, just as important as the actual players he signs, the reputation that Fox is creating for both himself and the Georgia program is wonderful. With each commitment, he raises the awareness level of recruits around the country and in Georgia.

This most recently paid dividends when Fox landed one of the biggest commitments he has to this date: Kentavious Caldwell.

Caldwell, a rising senior at Grenville High School, is Fox’s first true five-star recruit and provides a great start to the building of the 2011 class. Caldwell informed Scout.com that he chose Georgia over Tennessee, Alabama, Clemson, and Florida State. 

The 6’4” shooting guard is rated in the top 15 players in the country by ESPN.com, Scout.com, and Rivals.com. He is expected to be a McDonald’s All-American as well.

While the signing of Caldwell raises the level of talent on the Bulldogs significantly, that is not its most important effect. With this signing, Fox validated his recruiting work and made the school a much more appealing option for other in-state recruits.

For the first time in a while, the Bulldog Nation is excited about basketball.