Meet Mark Fox.

He’s 40 years old and the 21st Georgia basketball coach.

He said two things occupy the majority of his time – basketball and family. If, perhaps, there were a couple of more hours in the day, Fox said he would love to use the extra time to play more golf.

But that’s not the case.

“Certainly, I think I’m a little boring in that way,” he said.

Boring in his free time, maybe. But at his job? Not so much.

Seven years ago, Fox missed his daughter Olivia’s birth – he was out recruiting former Nevada guard Kyle Shiloh. Fox also said he’s thankful 99 out of 100 days that former boss and LSU coach Trent Johnson introduced him to his wife Cindy. That one day is when he forgot her birthday.

“When you forget her birthday because of the league tournament – that’s not one of those days out of the 100,” Fox said.

Maybe part of it is Fox’s passion. This past season, Fox’s Nevada Wolf Pack battled Virginia Commonwealth in a nationally televised contest.

Fox was ejected after receiving two technical fouls in just 18 seconds, with his team down eight late in the game. After a questionable call, Fox howled at officials. The ejection sparked a Nevada comeback and the Wolf Pack won 71-70. Yet, Fox still doesn’t believe he should have received the second technical.

“I deserved one,” Fox admitted. “I intentionally got the first one because I was upset. And I was standing like I am now when I got the second, so I don’t know why I got the second.”

Fox’s personality certainly didn’t bore Georgia athletic director Damon Evans last week. When Evans finished interviewing candidates, he said one person stuck out among the final group.

“Once we had finished the entire process [Thursday], this gentleman Mark stuck in my mind,” Evans said. “Sometimes you have to go with that gut feeling.”

Fox is honest. He made it no secret there are coaching positions he has always kept an eye on – jobs other coaches have to pay attention to.

“As a coach we’re all looking at places like North Carolina and UCLA, those kind of places,” Fox said. “But those are once in a lifetime opportunities. But there are certainly a lot of teams that have success. That’s what I think I felt about Nevada, that there were enough resources – and if done the right way – to have success. And I feel that way here, too.”

Fox’s six-year, $1.3 million deal should entice him to stay in Athens for a while. But if Fox puts Georgia in the win column more often than his predecessor, would Evans renegotiate to lock him up for the long term?

“You’re doggone right,” Evans said. “We’re here for the long haul, man. I’ve made a commitment to the people to build Georgia basketball. I want them to have something to be proud of. I can’t be more plain than that. I want that coliseum full. I want these students jumping around. I want people across the country to be talking about Georgia basketball.”

Fox’s honesty helped create a solid recruiting foundation. At Nevada (pronounced “Ne-vaa-da” not “Ne-vah-da” as some in the South say, Fox said), he kept the majority of the home state talent. That included Luke Babbitt, a highly touted recruit from Reno who initially chose to play for Ohio State.

After contemplating his decision, Babbitt reconsidered and pledged to play for the Wolf Pack.

Fox said he will do the same for Georgia, to sell the program to the talent-rich recruiting area of Atlanta.

“It’s [about] relationships, and how you treat people – and it takes time,” Fox said. “Certainly, it’s developing a rapport with people. And letting them know they are welcome at any time on this campus.”

Fox didn’t play basketball for a major program. He played at Garden City Community College in Kansas, before finishing his career at Eastern New Mexico. Where he played didn’t matter because, as he put it, he knew he was going to coach since grade school.

“I’m a lot better coach than I was a player,” he said.

And here he is. A 40-year-old coach taking the highest position of his career, a job he said he’s been interested in for some time – possibly because his wife was born in Athens. He is taking over a program longing for a sense of pride. And Fox hopes to help instill a winning attitude among the Georgia basketball community.

“We have to establish success,” Fox said. “We have to do the things that correlate to success. And then you take it step one, step two and so forth.”