ATHENS - Georgia coach Jim Harrick says Rashad Wright's play can't be judged by the box score.
OK, Harrick knows it's a cliche, and he knows it's probably overused by most coaches. But he also knows it's true in this case.
``The stat sheet has nothing to do with his play,'' Harrick said of his point guard. ``He's just very solid. He's the point man not only on offense, but on defense. He really understands what we're trying to do on both ends of the floor.''
Wright started 22 games last year and became the first freshman to hand out more than 100 assists since Litterial Green in 1989. Wright's been even better this year in leading the Bulldogs (12-2) to their best start since 1996-97. He hasn't scored much, and he doesn't even get that many assists some games. But the most telling stat is the low number in the turnover column.
In the first nine games - eight of them Georgia victories - Wright had 47 assists and nine turnovers, including an 11 assist-one turnover performance against Georgia Tech's full-court press.
He's also improved his free throw shooting, the one big liability from last season when he shot 51 percent. This year, he's up to 78 percent.
``I know part of my job is to take care of the ball, but I don't think about it during the game,'' Wright said. ``I just try to get the ball to our scorers in the right position and let them do their thing.''
He's got plenty of scorers around him. Ezra Williams, Jarvis Hayes and Chris Daniels all average in double figures, and center Steve Thomas has high games of 24 and 16 points.
Wright's been in double figures four times, but he knows his value to the team lies elsewhere.
``I don't worry about who scores or who gets the credit,'' Wright said. ``It's all about what's best for the team and helping the team win.''
Not much was expected of Georgia this season, which went 16-15 last year and lost three of its top players, including leading scorer D.A. Layne. Most preseason publications picked the Bulldogs to finish toward the bottom of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division.
``Most people couldn't name a guy on our club, so they thought we weren't going to be any good,'' Harrick said. ``But it turns out these guys can play.''
Williams has proven he's more than just a scorer, working his way inside for 6.4 rebounds a game. Hayes, who scored 40 points in an exhibition game, has been nearly as electrifying in the regular season, averaging 15.8 points and shooting 35 percent from the 3-point line.
And the inside tandem of Daniels and Thomas have more than made up for the loss of Shon Coleman and Anthony Evans.
Georgia's easy victory over Vanderbilt last Saturday was Harrick's first in a SEC opener and put the Bulldogs on top of the division heading into Wednesday's game at Kentucky, where they haven't won since 1985.
``We just have to go up there and play our game,'' Wright said. ``As long as we do that, we'll be fine.''
The one weakness in Wright's game is his perimeter shooting. He's shooting 19 percent this season from beyond the 3-point arc, down from 32 percent last year.
``Right now, he's a really good shooter from 15-to-16 feet,'' Harrick said. ``He's not a 3-point shooter yet. He needs to knock down that 3-point shot and make himself available out there. But that's going to come."
Thursday
May 1st, 2025
4:28PM
