Men’s basketball coach Mark Fox has a proven track record of developing post players.

He transformed three under-the-radar high school recruits into some of the nation’s premier big men during his time at Nevada – a fact duly noted by Georgia’s quartet of experienced post players.

During his five seasons at the helm of the Nevada basketball program, Fox guided forward Nick Fazekas to three WAC Player of the Year Awards and AP 2nd team All-American honors in the 2007 season, which culminated with him being selected with the 34th pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 NBA Draft.

“He always tells me about Nick Fazekas,” said sophomore Trey Thompkins, whose ability to play inside-outside closely resembles Fazekas. “And I listen to him. I’ve watched a couple tapes on [Fazekas], just seeing what he used to do. He was a great player, and hopefully I can be as good as him.”

Fazekas wasn’t the only player Fox put in the pros, as he put Javalle Mcgee and Ramon Sessions at the top level in the past three years as well.

“It’s motivating knowing that he has put a lot of big men in the league because we all want to make it to that level, too,” junior Chris Barnes said.

And Fox isn’t the only one on the Georgia staff with a proven track record of getting big men to the next level.

Director of Basketball Operations Kent Davison was a head coach for three franchises in the NBA Developmental League for seven years and, during that time span, had the most players called up to the NBA of any other coach in the NBDL.

“It’s been amazing,” senior captain Albert Jackson said of the opportunity. “I couldn’t ask for any better circumstances to enter my senior year with.”

Along with the coaching experience of Fox and Davison, Jackson says he has taken every opportunity to gain as much knowledge as possible from Operations Coordinator Mark Pope, who played at Kentucky before playing seven years in the NBA.

“[Pope's] basically told me that I have the intangibles to make the NBA teams with my size and athleticism, and he can give me that guide of how to make it … Everyone wants to play professionally, and having a guy that can tell you how to do that, and the steps to take to get there, is priceless.”

So what improvements has Jackson seen out of his game in the limited time working with his new coaches?

“The biggest improvement is just skill wise. I’ve always been strong and athletic, but my skills have never been the best,” Jackson said.

Added Fox of Jackson: “He’s been very receptive, and he knows the success we’ve had with big players and so he’s bought into what we’re doing. I think that offensively him establishing position can lead to baskets because he is so big and strong … He is a physical player and good rebounder. He’s still improving, and he’s just a really good kid.”

With a senior, two juniors, and a returning sophomore starter in the frontcourt, Fox is pleased with the depth and experience he inherited up front, and believes the post guys will be able to “anchor our defense with our interior play.”

“It’s not going to be that up and down Georgia frontcourt of the past,” Jackson said.