University of Georgia Athletics
Inside The Booth: SEC Tournament Starts
March 10, 2010 | Men's Basketball
By Scott Howard
The SEC Tournament begins Thursday in Nashville. I like the venue here much better than the domes. The recently-renamed Bridgestone Arena (formerly the Sommet Center) seats more than 18-thousand for basketball. I understand why the Conference places its events in a dome occasionally, but I enjoy the arenas much better for basketball.
Georgia plays the late game on Thursday night when the Dogs take on Arkansas. The Bulldogs lost six SEC games by four points or less this season and Arkansas was one of them. Georgia built a 15 point halftime lead, but saw it wither away in the final 20 minutes when Courtney Fortson, the long-haired point guard, put all of the Hogs on his small back and carried them to the winning trough.
This week, Georgia will try to re-create its Tournament magic from two years ago, without having to play twice in one day, and win a few more games to extend the season. According to one of the many RPI websites, collegerpi.com, the Dogs have the highest RPI of any team in the country with a losing record. Heading into the tournament, with a record of 13-16, Georgia has an RPI of 99.
I want to say thanks to my broadcast partners, Mark Slonaker and Tony Schiavone. These guys have been great to work with all season on the Bulldogs Radio Network. Spending a lot of time traveling is much more tolerable when you enjoy the people with whom you travel. No one works harder or is more conscientious about his job than Tony, who is a multi-talented broadcaster and, as one of his many duties, will handle the play-by-play for the Gwinnett Braves once again this season.
I have thoroughly enjoyed learning the game through the eyes of our coach on the broadcast, Mark Slonaker. From his playing days at UGA, to being an assistant coach and then a head coach, "Slon" knows his stuff as well as anyone. In addition, he is a tremendous human being. He even gave up sweets for Lent. It has truly been my pleasure to work with him on the radio this year.
My hat goes off to our ISP studio man, Drew Branyon, who is making his way up the crowded broadcasting ladder with great promise… and he didn't even go to Syracuse. Thanks Tony, Mark and Drew for all your fine work with the Dogs. Now, let's play some more!
Go Dawgs!
