As one of the fastest players in the Southeastern Conference, senior guard Gerald Robinson has a rare problem.

His speed has single-handedly won Georgia games like it did against Winthrop, as Robinson drove the ball coast to coast before laying the ball in as time expired.

But what may be his biggest asset to the team has at times also been his biggest problem.

Robinson leads the Bulldogs in turnovers at nearly three per game.

MARK FOX

He has also had seven games in which he has turned to ball over at least four times this season, the most on the team.

“[His speed] can get him into trouble,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said. “It’s still something he is still learning how to control. It’s like a drag racer, those can be dangerous but he and I have talked about that.”

However, even with the inconsistencies that Robinson’s game can bring, Fox is aware of the contribution that Robinson’s speed has brought him and the difference it has made at times in his third season as the Bulldogs head coach.

“His speed gives us an element that quite frankly last year was probably the difference in us getting to the NCAA Tournament,” Fox said. “Because in the key wins down the stretch his ability to make plays was critical for us. But I think he is still trying to learn how to manage it for 40 minutes… I think he’s got a great gift [and] he’s got elite-level speed.”

Fox even went on to emphasize what having a speedy player like Robinson can do for a team.

“Quickness and speed often predicate how successful you are,” Fox added. “It’s hard to guard speed and quickness. It’s hard to matchup with it. So I think it’s a vital asset to have.”

Bulldogs welcome long layoff

For a struggling team, sometimes rest can be the best remedy, and for a physically worn-out team such as the Bulldogs, rest could not have come at a better time.

Since their game last Tuesday against Kentucky, the Bulldogs — losers of five of their last six games — have had a week off to rest, recover and refocus on the task at hand.

Fox believes that one of the team’s biggest benefactors during this unusually-long time off have been the freshmen who have been forced into a lot of minutes, especially Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“I felt like our young players had hit the wall big time,” Fox said. “We’ve had to play Kentavious so much and play him out of his natural position. He’s had to play at the small forward position against bigger, stronger guys and then have to play 35 minutes a game in the league. [For guys like] he and Nemanja and a lot of the young guys it’s just a long year, it’s a physical adjustment for them, it’s a mental adjustment. I felt like we were hitting that wall.”

But while Fox gave certain players a few days off during their break, he made sure one particular player took full advantage of the bye week to try to get him back in game shape.

Marcus Thornton, who returned to the lineup against Tennessee back on Jan. 18, has been slowly making progress since having right knee surgery back in late December.

“The guys that had played major minutes I gave a couple of days off just ’cause they needed rest,” Fox said. “But Marcus we did not give two days off to because I felt like [since] he missed a month of practice, he doesn’t have the timing, the conditioning, the rhythm, anything he had before he got hurt. So we put him in the gym and tried to get him back to where he was before he got injured.”

Fox believes the decision has already paid some dividends, as Thornton has looked better and better in every practice.

However, Fox was not hesitant to admit that there still was some work to be done before his forward is back to his old self.

“He’s looking better,” Fox said. “I just think it’s going to take him some time. It’s just a hard thing to deal with.”

As the bye week provided some time for the Bulldogs to recover physically, it also provided Georgia a moment to recover mentally, as it tries to overcome a 1-5 start in the SEC.

In those five league losses, Georgia has had opportunities in all but two of those games to walk away with the win, pulling within single digits late in the second half before ultimately failing to finish strong.

“You have to deal with adversity but you have to understand why you’re having adversity and that’s one of the things these young guys need to realize that there’s a reason you lost a close game,” Fox said. “I do think a lot of it is mental. It’s just such a transition for these guys but they got to make it. Everyone else makes it, they got to make it too.”

Fox not in favor of moving games off Signing Day

With Signing Day just around the corner, the focus will most likely shift from basketball to football as teams and fans alike wait to see their school’s newest recruits.

But with Georgia’s game against Auburn scheduled for Wednesday night, some believe that the SEC should move their games that are normally scheduled on Signing Day to Tuesday and Thursday, as they worry about attendance for Wednesday night basketball games.

Fox is not one of those believers.

“No, I don’t think the SEC should consider [moving the games] at all,” Fox said. “I’m [as big a] supporter of SEC football as anybody. But I don’t think [Signing Day will] affect our attendance at all.”