Sports Page Atlanta

Georgia Tech center Ra’Sean Dickey has decided to transfer and play basketball professionally in the Ukraine. 

The 5th year center did not play last season.  In 3 seasons, he averaged 8.7 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.  More importantly he made over 60 percent of his shots during his Yellow Jacket career.  His best season was his sophomore season where he averaged 13.2 points per game.

He will play in the Ukraine with his former Tech teammate Anthony Morrow.

The media members of the ACC have selected Clemson and Virginia Tech as the divisional champions and the Tigers to become the overall champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Hokies received 58 of the 65 first place votes in the Coastal Division and Georgia Tech received 1 and was picked to finish 4th.

The Tigers took 59 first place votes on the Atlantic side.

The Tigers then to 51 of the votes to win the entire conference.

The ACC Championship will be played on December 6th in Tampa Bay.

For complete predictions click here.

Former Georgia Tech golfer David Duval found himself on the first page of the British Open leader board after 2 rounds. The former #1 player in the world has struggled a lot since winning the British Open back in 2001.

Here is how he has done in the majors since winning the 2001 British Open…

2001 - PGA Championship: T-10th

2002 - Masters: Missed Cut - US Open: MC - British Open: T-22nd - PGA Championship: T-34th

2003 - Masters: MC - US Open: MC - British Open: MC - PGA Championship - Withdrew

2004 - Masters: Did Not Play - US Open: MC - British Open: DNP - PGA Championship: MC

2005 - Masters: MC - US Open: MC - British Open: MC - PGA Championship: MC

2006 - Masters: MC - US Open: T-16th - British Open: T-56th - PGA Championship: MC

2007 - Masters: DNP - US Open: DNP - Britiship Open: DNP - PGA Championship: DNP

2008 - Masters: DNP - US Open: DNP

After 2 rounds in this year’s British Open he was in 4th place and was 1 of 11 golfers to shoot under par on Friday.

Georgia State Head Coach Bill Curry has started the hiring process early and for some of his choices he didn’t have to go to far to do so.

The Panthers hired John Bond, John Thompson and George Pugh to join the team that begins playing in 2010.

Bond was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech last season.  Thompson was a former defensive coordintator at South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.  Pugh has been a head coach and assistant in many places and has ties to area when he was a head coach at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross.

Former Georgia Tech golfer Stewart Cink did it.  After several top-10 finishes this season including 2 runner-ups, Cink put it together and won.  It was the 2nd time he has won The Travelers Championship (although it was called Canon Greater Hartford Open back in 1997).

Cink has 5 career PGA Tour wins…

1997 - Canon Greater Hartford Open

2000 - MCI Classic

2004 - MCI Heritage

2004 - WGC NEC Invitational

2008 - Travelers Championship

He also 3rd on the PGA money list right now behind two no-name guys named Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (I hear, Tiger might miss the rest of the season… I think it has been on the news once or twice this week). 

Bill Curry was just named the head coach of the Georgia State Panthers football team. The Panthers will start action in 2010, but got the ball rolling, but nabbing of the influential coaches in this area and in the country.

Bill Curry played college ball at Georgia Tech and was a star lineman before having a all-pro NFL career with the Packers, Oilers, Colts and Rams. He was an assistant coach with the Packers under Bart Starr for 3 seasons before getting his head coaching gigs.

He started at his alma mater, Georgia Tech. He led the Yellow Jackets from 1980 to 1986 and had an overall record of 34-43-4. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1985 and was also the winner of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

He then switched conferences to the SEC where he led the Crimson Tide. At Alabama he replaced Ray Perkins and coached from 1987 to 1989 and finished with a 26-10 record. He won the SEC in 1989 and was named the SEC Coach of the Year. The following season he switched teams and started coaching Kentucky. His success did not follow. From 1990 to 1996, he finished with a 26-52 record.

After coaching, he started working for ESPN and has been a college football analyst for 11 seasons at the sports network.

Oh yeah, my stat….

Bill Curry is one of four people that have played for Georgia Tech and has been their head coach. The other three are…

William Alexander

Bill Fulcher

Pepper Rodgers

(I think Coach Curry is the only one to coach Georgia State, though)

Six Georgia Bulldogs and Seven Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were drafted in the MLB First Year Draft the last few days.  The Dawgs had two first round draft picks for the first time since 1987.  This is the 35th straight season that at least one Bulldog was taken.  As for the Jackets, the first player taken was Charlie Blackmon.  This is the 3rd time he has been drafted, but the first as a non-pitcher.  Many more signed commitments by both teams were drafted as well.  Here is a list…

Georgia Bulldogs:

SS - Gordon Beckham (1st round - 8th overall) White Sox

P - Joshua Fields (1st round - 20th overall) Mariners

P - Trevor Holder (10th round - 298th overall) Marlins

P - Stephen Dodson (10th round - 317th overall) Rockies

P - Nathan Moreau (11th round - 326th overall) Orioles

3B - Ryan Peisel (12th round - 337th overall) Rockies

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:

OF - Charlie Blackmon (2nd round - 72nd pick) Rockies

P - David Duncan (5th round - 152nd pick) Astros

P - Chris Hicks (14th round - 422nd pick) Astros

C - Jason Haniger (19th round - 564th pick) Pirates

1B/OF - Luke Murton (33rd round - 1,008th pick) Diamondbacks

P - Brad Rulon (34th round - 1,040th pick) Yankees

P - Eddie Burns (39th round - 1,191st pick) Indians

Signed Commitments:

Georgia -

Brett DeVall (40th overall) Braves

Zeke Spurill (70th overall) Braves

Chase Davidson (88th overall) Diamondbacks

Zack Cone (112th overall) Angels

Michael Pallazzone (550th overall) Braves

Blaine O’Brien (1,036th overall) Phillies

Cecil Tanner (1,090th overall) Braves

Also 2 Bulldog football players were taken -

Xavier Avery (50th overall) Orioles

Sanders Commings (1,128th overall) Diamondbacks

Georgia Tech:

Mark Pope (520th overall) Braves

Brandon Miller (1,012th overall) Red Sox

No there is no Mel Kiper involved… 

But the Baseball Amateur Draft or the First Year Draft is later today… whatever you call it high school graduates and eligible collegians are waiting to get picked.  Players that don’t sign with the team can go back or enter the college of their choice.

The player that most people will be number one is the shortstop from Georgia named Beckham…. Tim, not Gordon.  Many sources are predicting the Griffin High School star to go number one or at worst number two.

Don’t worry Gordon… he is expected to go somewhere between picks 6 and 16 and another Georgia Bulldog Joshua Fields will go somewhere between 12 and 25.  It is anyone’s guess.  But here are all the former Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets that were first round picks in baseball’s amateur draft…

Georgia Bulldogs:

OF - Larry Littleton (1976)

OF - Jeff Pyburn (1980)

P - Cris Carpenter (1987)

P - Derek Lilliquist (1987)

P - Kendal Rhine (1992)

P - Brooks Brown (2006)

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:

P - Kevin Brown (1986)

2B - Ty Griffin (1988)

C - Jason Varitek (1993) and then came back and was first round in 1994

SS - Nomar Garciaparra (1994)

OF - Jay Payton (1994)

OF - Mark Fischer (1997)

3B/1B - Mark Teixeira (2001)

2B - Richard Lewis (2001)

OF - Matt Murton (2003)

SS - Tyler Greene (2005)

C - Matt Weiters (2007)

OF - Danny Payne (2007)

Besides Beckham and Fields, Georgia pitchers Stephen Dodson and Trevor Holder are among other Bulldogs projected to be drafted as well as Yellow Jacket stars Charlie Blackmon and David Duncan.

Also watch out for signees to be swept away from both teams.  It happens every year so don’t get too upset.

After the series concluded on Monday, the members of media selected their all-region team.  Georgia Bulldog Matt Olson was the region’s most outstanding player.  The senior right fielder hit an incredible .692 (18-for-26) in the series with 6 rbi and 10 runs scored.

In all 6 Georgia Bulldogs and 2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets made the team.  Here is the complete list from the region.

Catcher: Jason Haniger - Georgia Tech

First Base: Rich Poythress - Georgia

Second Base: Justin McClanahan - Louisville

Third Base: Ryan Peisel - Georgia

Shortstop: Gordon Beckham - Georgia

Outfield: Matt Olson - Georgia

Outfield: Charlie Blackmon - Georgia Tech

Outfield: Blake Bratcher - Lipscomb

Designated Hitter: Bryce Masssanari - Georgia

Pitcher: Nick Montgomery - Georgia

Pitcher: Rex Brothers - Lipscomb

Most Outstanding Player:  Matt Olson - Georgia

It all comes down to tonight in Athens, Georgia.  The winner between Georgia and Georgia Tech will face NC State in the Super Regionals next week.

The Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets have now faced each other 4 times this season.  The first two the Jackets had easy times and the second two the Dawgs came up on top.

As you can see the stats are as different as night and day…

First 2 games -                      Georgia Tech                Georgia

                            runs                    20                               5

                            hits                      31                               12

                   extra base hits            10                               3

                        home runs                4                               0

                           wins                       2                                 0

Second 2 games -                    Georgia Tech                    Georgia

                          runs                      2                                    11

                          hits                        9                                    23

                   extra base hits           1                                       9

                        home runs             0                                      4

                             wins                   0                                      2