After scandal, Dawgs try a new way

<p>No one expects much from the Georgia Bulldogs. Even their new coach is realistic.</p><p>We wont match up with anyone we play, Dennis Felton said.</p><p>Then again, this season is about more than just wins and losses. This is about a program that was knocked to its knees by a bitter ex-player and a coaching staff that played fast and loose with the rules.</p><p>When the dust settled, the Bulldogs had pulled the plug on a promising season, coach Jim Harrick had been forced out and those dreaded NCAA investigators were snooping around.</p><p>When everything first happened, it was real tough, forward Chris Daniels said. But in the end, I think it made us stronger people. Were real men ready to go out in the real world.</p><p>Felton, one of college basketballs most promising young coaches, left a successful program at Western Kentucky to clean up the mess that was left at Georgia.</p><p>He doesnt have much to work with. The Bulldogs lost their two leading scorers: Jarvis Hayes (now playing in the NBA) and Ezra Williams. Several recruits who had committed to play for Harrick backed out after the coaching change. Steve Thomas, the teams best rebounder, was kicked off the team when he clashed with the authoritarian coach.</p><p>Georgia was left with four returning seniors, a bare-bones recruiting class and enough walk-ons to fill out a five-on-five in practice.</p><p>Felton knows the Bulldogs are going to be in for a couple of rough seasons, but his more immediate goal is restoring some dignity to a program that was a laughingstock just a few months ago.</p><p>How are we going to respond? Are we going to act like a bunch of victims? Or do we control what we can control? Felton asked. Lets go out and rebuild our image by the way we carry ourselves, by how we deal with other folks, by how we go to work to be the best team we can be.</p><p>Felton is a striking change from his predecessor. While Harrick was a brilliant Xs and Os coach who always got the most out of his teams on the court, he didnt pay much attention to matters away from the gym.</p><p>At best, it was a country-club atmosphere. At worst, it was a program totally out of control.</p><p>Harricks willingness to look the other way finally caught up with him when a disgruntled former player, Tony Cole, went public with accusations about the coachs son.</p><p>Jim Harrick Jr., an assistant coach, was accused of paying off bills and taking correspondence classes for Cole. But the real bombshell was a coaching course taught by Junior, who handed out As to several players even though they didnt bother to set foot in the classroom.</p><p>Georgia moved quickly to limit the fallout from the inevitable NCAA investigation. Despite a 19-8 record, the Bulldogs pulled out of the Southeastern Conference and NCAA tournaments, where they could have made a big impact. Harrick Jr. was suspended, then fired. His father agreed to retire. Daniels and point guard Rashad Wright were declared ineligible for their role in the classroom caper, though they have since been reinstated.</p><p>When you come to college, you just want to go to school and play ball, Wright said. You dont want to deal with all those distractions. We tried to stick together as teammates and friends. Now, we just want to have some fun.</p><p>Well, actually, Felton isnt the most fun-loving guy in the world. He quickly imposed a lengthy set of rules, everything from mandatory team breakfasts to a ban on gaudy jewelry. He ordered his players shave any facial hair below their lips (Felton has a mustache) and take off their hats while indoors.</p><p>Wayne Arnold was kicked off the team after being caught with pot in a dorm room (five football players were merely suspended). When Thomas balked at the rigid regime, Felton showed him the door. Another senior, Jonas Hayes, has struggled to get along with the new coach. Even the secretary, who had survived several coaching changes, quit her job after Felton arrived.</p><p>He takes some getting used to, Daniels admitted. We had to learn what he wants and how he wants to do it.</p><p>The most difficult thing for the seniors was Feltons demand that all players live in a dorm. Talk about culture shock. Instead of residing in an apartment or house, theyre back in those cramped, dingy rooms, hanging out with a bunch of freshmen.</p><p>The 7:30 breakfasts, taking your hat off, not wearing jewelry, that stuff was easy, Daniels said. The big thing for me was moving back on campus. That was hard to do.</p><p>Things wont be much easier on the court, either. After winning 41 games over the past two years, the Bulldogs would probably be satisfied with a .500 season.</p><p>The four seniors provide a solid nucleus. Wright is one of the best point guards in the Southeastern Conference. Damien Wilkins is capable of taking on more of the scoring load. Daniels and Hayes are experienced front-line players.</p><p>But Georgia will often be overmatched on the inside. At least one of the freshmen will have to start. The rest of the newcomers _ three signees and some walk-ons _ are what passes for a bench.</p><p>Well just have to take it one game at a time and hope we have enough left in the tank by the end of the year, Daniels said, not sounding too optimistic.</p><p>The NCAA investigation is still hanging over the team, as well. School officials are hopeful the sanctions wont be too severe after the drastic measures they took last March. But the investigation has dragged on longer than expected.</p><p>During the summertime, they were saying we would have a decision in a couple of months. Now theyre saying January, Daniels said. Its kind of crazy.</p><p>But the Bulldogs arent going to spend a lot of time worrying about the NCAA. Considering what theyve already been through, another punch to the stomach wouldnt hurt too much.</p><p>Were strong people, Daniels said. We know how to handle adversity.</p>

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