In Stegeman Coliseum, and every other NCAA basketball arena, pre-game ceremonies culminate with the introduction of the starting lineup of each team, followed by their coach.

But Georgia fans won’t hear Georgia Basketball public address announcer David Johnston announce new coach Mark Fox during the pre-game introductions when the Bulldogs tip off their season opener, and the first of Fox’s tenure at Georgia, against New Orleans on Friday night.

In fact, you will never hear Fox announced while he is head coach at Georgia. Fox prefers for the pre-game focus and attention to just be on his starting lineup instead of himself.

“That’s just something I’ve always done,” Fox said when asked why he wasn’t introduced during last Friday’s exhibition against North Georgia.

“I don’t think it’s about the coach, I really don’t. I have a role to play with this program and this team, but this is about young people having as good of experience as they can have. And I don’t need to have the introduction.”

Unfortunately for Fox, he won’t be able to take that humble approach in visitor’s arenas.

“I won’t have any say on the road, but always, at home I would prefer just to let us introduce our players and go from there,” he said.

And it’s that selfless, team-first attitude that has players “giving 110 percent in everything [they] do” for their new coach, according to preseason 2nd team All-SEC sophomore Trey Thompkins.

“At times we want to show him we appreciate everything he does for us, and he doesn’t want that,” Thompkins said of his new coach’s humble nature. “But it’s a great feeling; it’s a blessing to have a guy like that in the front of the ship.”

Friday night’s season opener against New Orleans will also mark the return of former Georgia player Billy Humphrey, who is now a senior guard at New Orleans.

After three separate off-the-court problems within a year led to his dismissal from the team in July of 2008, Humphrey will look to cause problems of a different variety for the Bulldogs in his return to Athens.

Humphrey’s dismissal, and subsequent transfer to New Orleans, came following his third arrest within a year after a junior season in which he averaged 12.2 points per game for the Dogs. And although his former teammate for two years – senior Albert Jackson – says Humphrey is excited to play in front of the Georgia fans again, he may not get that chance, as his availability to play is “questionable” after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago.

“It’s going to be a little different, having him always been on your side and on the team for so many years, and seeing him in a different jersey. I don’t know how I’m going to take that,” Jackson said. “But it’s definitely going to be fun playing against an old teammate, an old friend, and we all keep in touch, so I think we’re all excited to play against him. I know he’s excited to come here and play against us.”

With proven players like Humphrey on the New Orleans roster and losses last season to mid-majors Loyola Chicago and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Bulldogs are not taking the mid-major program from the Sun Belt conference lightly.

“New Orleans, they’re not a pushover, and we’ve got to come with 110 percent, and I plan on doing that, and I know my teammates do, too,” Thompkins said.

Added Jackson, “We’ve been working hard. You know, there are a lot of people asking questions, a lot of speculation, people wanting to know how we’re going to be.

“I’m just ready to get out there and finally play a game that counts, and you’re always excited to get the season on the road, so I think everybody is amped up and excited about the game.”

Tip-off for Friday’s game is at 7 p.m., with 50 cents of every $2 student ticket being donated from the Athletic Association to ugaMiracle.