Hoops recruiting: Talking it over with a national expert

Mark Fox’s second recruiting class at Georgia is notable for one big name. … And I mean big, as in longer than we originally thought.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will now be known by his hyphenated name, news which came to our attention just recently. More important for Fox and the future of the Georgia program, the product of Greenville, Ga., is a consensus top 20 recruit, and an important bridge to the future once Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie move on. (And most presume that to be sooner rather than later.)

The Bulldogs also signed a couple big men in JUCO transfer John Florveus and Tim Dixon of Columbus. Florveus is a 7-footer from Florida, while the 6-10 Dixon is also playing his senior season in Florida, after transferring from Kendrick High School.

"Two of our needs that we wanted to address with this class were length and scoring ability,” Fox said in a statement. “We feel like we've certainly addressed those needs well with two long, athletic players in Tim Dixon and John Florveus, and we also added a great shooter who can score from the perimeter in Kentavious. We believe they will all fit our system very well. All three of these young men come from great families and we're looking forward to having them join our program."

For more on Georgia’s class, we turn to Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer, who was kind enough to answer a few questions:

SE: How good is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (He of the now hyphenated name)? Is he a program-changer?

JM: CP is one of the best shooting guards in the country and No. 11 overall in the Rivals150. He is a highly talented player and exceptional scorer. I don’t know that I would call him a program-changer but he will be a go-to scorer for Georgia and instantly stretch defenses.

SE: As for the other two: JUCO transfer John Florveus, and Tim Dixon. Is it fair to call them a couple bigs who will help depth-wise?

JM: They will provide depth. Dixon is a player who will need some time to develop. He needs to get stronger and tougher. Florveus will be in a better position to have an early impact because of his experience.

SE: How does Georgia’s recruiting compare with its competitors in the SEC East, given that Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee seem to get at least one top 20 guy every year? In a nutshell, how does Georgia’s recruiting for the next few classes look, and how critical is it for Georgia to have a big season this year?

JM: No one in the SEC comes close to Kentucky in recruiting but Georgia is now working on par with the other schools in the SEC. If Georgia continues with its positive momentum on the court I expect its recruiting to continue on the same path. There is a lot of talent in Georgia and prospects are taking notice of how players are positively developing their games under Coach Fox.