Where are they now - Anthony Morrow

Not only was Anthony Morrow super-fireball-blazing-sun-hot during the NBA's summer league. Not only did he secure a contract with the Golden State Warriors after going undrafted. Now, his new head coach says he's the best shooter and their team and is heaping on the praise....... and apparently his shooting prowess has not cooled off since the summer:

"We picked him up this summer and loved him," Nelson said. "He's really impressive. Very pleased that we signed him and I think he's going to be a good player someday. ... The guy makes every shot. It's unbelievable. You've got to wonder about how a guy like that slips through the cracks. I'm happy to have him."

WATN - Random Ramblings

GARY GUYTON HIT
Ran across this quote:

BEST HIT: Pats linebacker Gary Guyton gave Davone Bess a reason to rethink returning another kick with a shot to the sternum in the second quarter that dropped him like a papaya.

DURANT BROOKS - BETTER DAY
Durant Brooks had a better day last week punting, saving his job for another day. However, it wasn't a totally clean performance, as he "iced" his own kicker at one point, incurring the wrath of his head coach.

Durant Brooks, on getting screamed at by Zorn for calling for a snap too early on a field goal: I thought he was going to throw his headphones on me. He scared me. He matured me, how about that. I grew up a little bit after. He came in the locker room, of course we won, it was a big kick, but he came in, he asked if I was all right, because he gave me one. He gave me a knocking.

Zorn on the same:The reason I was so mad, was the referee was standing over the ball. The official, Mr. Official was standing over the ball. And [Brooks] asked for the ball. And, you know, I was thinking to myself, 'Why are you asking for the ball?' It was like we iced our own kicker. We iced ourselves. And then we missed the field goal. So I was pretty bent out of shape.

DAWAN LANDRY SPINAL INJURY
Landry was taken off the field in a stretcher Sunday with the Ravens. Recent reports are that he will play again and could be back soon.

Beesball - Wieters Baseball America's POY

Matt Wieters was awarded Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year award this week. Quite impressive to say the least. He has burned his way through the minors, leaving nothing but charred debris in his wake. Check out these two great stories:

Hall weighs in on Wieters
Taking Flight

More on DJ Donley

Well, more facts are in about the status of DJ Donley. We may not know where he's headed, but we know he'll never play football again at Georgia Tech:

Receiver D.J. Donley, a transfer from Georgia Tech, has not arrived at Purdue, and coach Joe Tiller said Donley might end up at a junior college this season.

"We're (still) planning on getting him, but I don't know when," Tiller said Sunday. "Right now the thoughts are we might have him go to Coffeyville (Community College in Kansas). I don't really know. He needed a B and a C (in summer school), and he got a B and an F."

Where are they now - Calvin Johnson

Great article on Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, and check out the highlights from his 2nd pre-season game.



In case you didn't get enough, how about watching the catch:



Turns out CJ even does it in the games:

Where are they now? Extravaganza

Let's hit some quick highlights here:

ANTHONY MORROW
Named MVP of the summer league "Revue" he participated in, and managed to sign a contract with the Golden State Warriors. Golden State doesn't release terms of contracts, but it's likely a one year deal. Still music to A-Mo's ears. He only hit 17-23 3 point hots with the Warriors summer league team. He only averaged about 21 points. Heck, if you look at his entire July, including time in the Miami Heat summer league, he hit 27-39 from behind the arc. Sizzling. A-Mo looked good driving to the hoop as well, confounding Tech fans wondering why he kept it a secret for so long.

MIKE COX
Yes, Mike is basically getting a 5th year of collegiate football by playing for his college coach. However, when you know the playbook cold, and Chan Gailey has seen your work up close for 4 years, you should feel pretty good. Mike is getting the first team snaps as the KC Chiefs fullback, and he wasn't even drafted. Mike says the playbook is exactly the same (which should really unite Chiefs fans... chortle). Great for Mike

REGGIE BALL
Reggie's season is over. He injured his knee in practice with the Detroit Lions last Friday. I hate it for him, as the Lions were looking for another receiver for camp and he impressed enough to be signed to the practice squad last season.

TASHARD CHOICE
Tashard looks like he's locked in on the 3rd string spot and it's his to lose. Knowing TC, he's eyeing that #2 spot next.

KEITH BROOKING
Keith is being moving back to weakside linebacker, his position of choice. He's turning into a regular ironman in the ATL. Go Keith!

DAVE WILSON
Not a popular WATN, but here it is anyhow. Wilson is working for Jackie Sherrell, the former Miss St, Texas A&M and Pitt coach. Sherrill is president and national coordinator of GameOn Sports Nutrition, a company that produces some kind of sports energy drink. Well, our former recruiting coordinator works for Sherrill at said company. So now you know.......... not that you wanted to.

Where are they now - Anthony Morrow

Anthony Morrow is absolutely lighting up the summer league when he gets a chance. His latest outing - 27 pts (9-16, 4-5 3pt, 5-6 free throws), 10 rebounds, 5 assists. His 3 pt shooting percentage has been lights out, and he's got a legit shot to grab one of the Golden State Warrior's final roster spots. Check it out:

On the style of the Warriors: “I love the style of play, just run and gun.”

On how he played against the Mav’s: “This is probably one of the best games I’ve played in.”

On how he plans to improve his game: “I know there’s a lot of guys who didn’t get drafted that are, talent-wise, better than me so I’m gonna’ work hard on my game, pray to God I get an opportunity.“

Where are they now - Will Bynum

Will Bynum walks away from an overseas contract in Itlay to sign a multi-year deal with........... get ready......... the Detriot Pistons. Turns out the Thrill is not "gone" at all. Check it out.

Jay Bilas on Dennis Scott

Jay Bilas posted his crack at the to p 25 3pt shooters in college history. Guess who clocks in at his #1? None other than 3D, Dennis Scott. With 3D it wasn't so much about his percentage, it was about his range. It was about leisurely jumpers from half-court. It's on ESPN Insider. Here's the take on D-Scott:

1. Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech, 1988-90: 351-831 (.422)
Scott gave "range" a whole new meaning. I first heard about Dennis when he was in seventh grade, and I never saw anyone shoot with such ease from so deep.

WATN - Tashard Choice - Stage Actor ?

Tashard Choice attended one of those NFL camp lectures by a guy teaching newly crowned professionals how to handle their business when every "cousin" and long lost friend comes out of the woodwork. Choice got picked to come up on stage and act out an impromptu scenario. Choice absolutely does his deal, and has his fellow pro's laughing.

Classic Tashard Choice. Classic. Check it out.

WATN? - Bonus Coverage

There's a plethora of Where Are They Now? bonus coverage to be had for Georgia Tech fans. Let's roll right into it:

WATN - ANTHONY MORROW
A-Mo had quite the outing this week during his summer league stint with the Miami Heat. How's about 5 3-pointers, dropping 19 points in a victory where top Miami pick Michael Beasley had 9 pts on 1-13 shooting, 7 fouls and 5 turnovers. Kansas's Mario Chalmers had 19 pts and 9 assists for the Heat as well.

WATN - RESNO "ROCK" PERDONI
Renso "Rock" Perdoni has been named to the 75th anniversary all-Sun Bowl team. He's one of 75 guys named.

WATN - JAKE RUDOLPH
The former Georgia Tech standout football player Jake Rudolph passed away last week. Rudolph was on Bobby Dodd's back-to-back undefeated teams back in the early 50's. The AJC recounts his famous plays and some nice back-story. Rest in peace young man.

WATN - CALVIN JOHNSON
Some see this year as a breakout season for Calvin "The Truth" Johnson, being all healthy and all.

WATN - TOM BARTON
Interesting story about the guy largely responsible for building Greenville Tech (a local technical school here in upstate SC). While the guy was a Clemson graduate, I couldn't help but notice the following statement:

Of the festivities surrounding his retirement, Barton said, "I'd like for both my mother and Coach Frank Howard to see today what has happened."

Bobby Dodd of Georgia Tech, who coached Barton's final football game, wanted to help him find a career. He contacted a number of schools, and Barton wound up with a job teaching and coaching at Brown High in west Atlanta.

Someone help me with the connection here?

WATN - JASON PERRY
Former Georgia Tech diamond-baller Jason Perry was swapped around by four different clubs before finally getting his first taste of the bigs back in the he played his college ball. The Atlanta Braves call-up only tripled in his first at-bat and has been contributing ever since.

WATN - J.P. FOSHCI
Who is John Paul Foschi? A Kansas City Chief - that's who. Chan Gailey continues to look after some of his old guys.

Where are they now - Stewart Cink

Turns out Stewart Cink's lack of PGA Tour wins was starting to weigh on him. His latest win comes at a good time:

"I know there's been talk that I've not been a closer," he said. "I mean they have every right to say that, because I felt the same way myself. And so I felt like I had something to prove to myself. I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody out there that's writing stories or doing articles or whatever, but to myself. I wanted to prove something to myself. And that extra burden that was carrying around, trying to silence those thoughts added to the difficulty. And coming through it makes me even more proud of it."

Where are they now - Extravaganza

Jamal Lewis was released by the Falcons..................... Philip Wheeler looks to have a serious chance the crack the starting line-up at some point this NFL season with the Colts................ Matt Wieters continues to absolutely tear up the O's minor league system and will probably be making his next jump after his league's all-star game, where he is now the headliner.................... Stewart Cink won the most recent PGA Tour event - the Travelers Championship. Fans wished him well here........... Wayne Clough gets a caricature..................... Ted Roof goes from trying to fix the worst program in D-IA (Duke) to only trying to fix the worst defense in IA (Minn)............... Jeremis Smith is working out for the Milwaukee Bucks today along with a handful of other players.

Where are they now - Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh was chosen as a member of the US Olympic basketball team. In addition there are rumors that Jermaine O'Neill might be joining him in Toronto. Congrats to Chris!! I think we should all expect the US to bring home the gold, but nothing can be presumed on the international stage any longer.





Player Position NBA Team
Carmelo Anthony Forward Denver
Carlos Boozer Forward Utah
Chris Bosh Forward/Centre Toronto
Kobe Bryant Guard L.A. Lakers
LeBron James Forward Cleveland
Dwight Howard Centre Orlando
Jason Kidd Guard Dallas
Chris Paul Guard New Orleans
Tayshaun Prince Forward Detroit
Michael Redd Guard Milwaukee
Dwyane Wade Guard Miami
Deron Williams Guard Utah

Where are they now - Matt Harpring

The Sports Network - National Basketball Association

Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Matt Harpring underwent successful scope surgery to remove two bone spurs from his right ankle, Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor announced Friday.

The procedure was performed Thursday by Dr. R. Marvin Royster in Atlanta. A timeline on Harpring's recovery was not immediately available.

The Georgia Tech product averaged 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting .500 from the field in 76 games, all off the bench last season.

The 6-foot-7 veteran, entering his ninth season and seventh with the Jazz, appeared in all 12 of Utah's playoff tilts this past season, averaging 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest.

Where are they now - Calvin Johnson

How do you top All-American? How do you top breaking handfuls of records? How do you top highlight-reel catches? How do you top being a first round draft pick with a $30+million signing bonus?

I'll tell you how. You bowl. You bowl like the wind. You participate in a 100+ person team tourney and then proceed to win by bowling a 243, including 8-straight strikes. Just crazy. Wes Durham's moniker of "The Truth" still holds.

On a side note, CJ missed a few "voluntary" practices to work out some personal issues (completely sanctioned by his coach). Hope everything's kosher.w

Where are they now - Matt Wieters

Great article on Matt Wieters, who will be coming to a MLB stadium near you............ soon.

J.J. Cannon, the Keys hitting coach, has worked with him since the spring.

"Him
coming here is a blessing for us," Cannon said. "He's a knowledgeable,
positive young man. I'm surprised he adapted so quickly to pro ball. He
just came in and took off."

He called him a leader in both the clubhouse and on the field.

"You see him in the locker room and you don't think he's the big dog," Cannon said. "But on the field he is the big dog."

Where are they now - Bill Curry

Here's a little on Bill Curry's sales pitch to get kids to come to Georgia State.

"We set it apart by communicating that it's a different kind of
opportunity," Curry said. "If you go to Georgia or Georgia Tech, you're
going to have to compete with a bunch of high school All-Americans to
get playing time."

Where are they now - Bill Curry

For the "completely out of left field" moment of the week, how about this - Bill Curry was named as the inaugural head coach of the newly formed football program at Georgia State. Ga St will be playing "I-AA" starting in 2010, and Curry will go down in the history books as their first head coach. We knew Curry had the bug to get back into the collegiate game after his run for the Georgia Tech Athletic Director job. Even the most die-hard Curry supporters have a hard time finding fault in how Dan Radakovich has hit the ground running, but it did leave us wondering in what form Curry would emerge. I didn't see him staying with the ESPN gig, even though he did a nice job with it. I could have seen him making some cheddar on the speaking circuit. He's definitely an engaging and entertaining speaker.

............... but head coach at Georgia State? Does it make sense for GaSt? Does it make sense for Curry? My general feeling is that it's probably good thing both Curry and the school. Looking through our old gold lense, is it a good thing for Georgia Tech? Some downside and little upside. Let's look at some factors:

SPLASH
If Georgia State was going to make an impact hire, this is probably close to a home-run. A highly respected, high character guy known in all circles of the game. A guy well known in the state - heck, in the state sports hall-of-fame. Getting Curry should work to energize the fanbase in just the right way.

FUNDRAISING
There's no doubt in my mind Curry can raise funds and sway donors. He's strong but approachable, wise and influential. We don't know about the product he'll be selling, but he's an outstanding front-man.

Now, there could be an interesting side-effect with Georgia Tech. Dan Radakovich is on a mission to draw a new non-alumni fan-base in the ATL area. Now comes another competing product. There's no way around that. People will have another choice to make. Having said that, it would be pretty sad if a brand new program had a big negative impact on a program that has as much tradition and history as Georgia Tech. But hey, if we were drawing enough ATL-area non-alumni fans, then D-Rad wouldn't be on a mission, now, would he?

RECRUITING
Can Bill Curry get into the recruiting game again? Sure, why not? He can probably live on ATL-area kids that are looked over by the big schools. Heck, the ATL has become such a hotbed for recruiting that schools like Clemson, 'Bama, FSU and others are starting to schedule "neutral site" games in the Georgia dome just to poach in-state kids. I doubt recruiting will be too much of an issue.

COACHING
The X's and O's. If we take an honest look at Bill Curry's coaching resume, it really isn't all that great. He was ok at Georgia Tech (31-43-4), better at Alabama (26-10) with the exception of 3 sinful losses to Auburn (side bar story from a former 'Bama beat writer) and he was pretty bad at Kentucky (23-51). Can Curry build a winning program where no program exists? Remains to be seen. They'll be competing in the Colonial Athletic Association (and playing in the Georgia Dome).

I don't really think they really hired Curry for his coaching ability. His choices when building a coaching staff will probably be more important in his ability to win. That will probably happen in the coming weeks.

BOTTOM-LINE
At the end of the day, it's a good hire for Georgia State. It's probably a decent way for Curry to get back into the collegiate game while also forging an untraveled road. Bill Curry is now the first guy to ever run this program. There's a strong legacy thing going on there.

Bill Curry is incredibly well-like and respected by his teammates, players he coached, and just about anyone who meets him. Personally, I wish nothing but the best for Mr.Curry. We all should. A great man forging a new chapter in his life back in the town his collegiate career began. Great stuff.

So does this mean we'll be seeing a Panthers / Jackets match-up on the field? With the way football scheduling works, it's not bound to happen for years, barring some scheduling quirck (Army, ya hear me?). However, I have no doubt that those conversations will occur if they haven't already. Of course they'll want to schedule GT. Of course they'll want to schedule UGAg. So stay tuned..............

Where are they now - George Cooper

Tight-end supreme George Cooper was released by the Atlanta Falcons today. He was on their practice squad last season. What are they thinking?