COVID-19 has already made this year’s men’s basketball season weird. It is about to make a day of the last year already unusual even more unusual.
Despite the fact that Georgia’s recent SEC shutdown against Alabama will be held at the Stegeman Coliseum on March 6, the Bulldogs are moving forward with the senior day’s activities against South Carolina.
The “senior” class consists of three transfer students (Andrew Garcia, PJ Horne and Justin Kier), who spent the first four years in other schools. They played in Athens for one season – the strange season of COVID-19 with limited capacity and a series of health protocols.
Their careers in college basketball may not even be over. The NCAA gave them the option to return next year, and none of the three gave any indication of their future with the program.
“It’s a single senior day, not just because of the season, but because they will have the option to come back if they want to,” said coach Tom Crean at a virtual press conference on Friday. “It is something we will deal with in the future.”
Even so, the festivities will continue. Crean did not know on Friday whether the parents would be allowed to enter the court, but said he expected “adjustments”.
Saturday can be a very special day for Garcia. Georgia’s graduate transfer from Stony Brook is eight points away from 1,000 in his career.
Garcia said on Friday that it was an “incredible” achievement for him, as his career was affected by injuries. He said he underwent two surgeries on his right knee after high school and another in his first year with the Seawolves.
“Going through injuries is difficult,” Garcia said at a virtual press conference on Friday. “It can take someone’s dream away, so I’m grateful to be able to reach that milestone. It makes me even happier and hungry. ”
Recently, Garcia is dealing with a nose injury sustained against Tennessee on February 10 that also required surgery. He is playing with a mask that can cause vibrations when touching the nose stems, but said he is getting used to it.
“It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s just there,” said Garcia. “It’s like muscle memory. I just want to play with this as much as possible. ”
Crean said Georgia’s trio of graduate transfers brought maturity and spirit to this year’s team. He enjoyed watching his progress and appreciation for the program.
“They didn’t take anything for granted and it was a good lesson for our players,” said Crean. “It ‘never feels like you’re entitled to anything’, because it’s all about how you work. It’s all about how you prepare. It’s about what you bring to the table, you know, the impact you can have on your teammates. I loved having all three. “
The emotions surrounding a strange senior year are unlikely to be at the forefront of Bulldog minds. That will be South Carolina, a SEC 5-12 (3-10) rival that defeated Georgia 83-59 at its first meeting on January 27 in Columbia.
Crean said it is difficult for him to watch the first game, and he expects adjustments to be made on the floor, instead of watching more movies.
“I’ve watched it a few times in the past few days and it’s not good for my stomach,” said Crean. “I don’t know how much I’m going to show this to the team. We showed them some clips, but it’s more about where they are now, how they are playing. ”
Coming out of their dominant 91-78 over competitive LSU on Tuesday, the Bulldogs are not expecting a repeat defeat against the Gamecocks. As Crean said, Georgia believes it is different now.
“I will just say that we are a better team now,” Horne said at Friday’s virtual press conference. “We put some things in perspective over time [on]. “