Wilkins Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

Dominique Wilkins, who brought national notoriety to the Georgia basketball program in the early 1980s before a stellar career in the NBA, was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, it was widely reported Friday night.
Official announcement of the 2006 inductees will be made Monday in Indianapolis, site of the NCAA Final Four. To gain election, a finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee. Official induction ceremonies are scheduled for Sept. 7-9 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Hall of Fame.
Wilkins, born in Paris and raised in Baltimore before moving to Washington, N.C., in high school, surprised the college basketball world by signing with Hugh Durham's young program in 1979. He was a first-team Parade Magazine All-American and could have chosen from an elite list of colleges.
Wilkins played three seasons for Georgia and won All-America honors both as a sophomore and junior in 1981-82. During his tenure, the Bulldogs made the first post-season appearances in school history, playing in the National Invitation Tournament in both 1981 and 1982. He finished his 3-year career with 1,688 points before electing to turn professional.
"Dominique gave us credibility right away," said Durham, who quickly built a powerhouse team once Wilkins cast his lot with Georgia. "Without Dominique, there's no Final Four, no Vern Fleming, none of that. Some people talk about how we went to the Final Four because we didn't have Dominique. That's crazy. I really think we could have won the whole thing with him."
Wilkins was the third player selected in the 1982 NBA Draft, taken by the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston, San Antonio and Orlando in the NBA before his official retirement in 1999. He is currently employed by the Hawks as Vice President for Basketball.
Wilkins is the only Georgia player ever to have his jersey number (21) retired. The Atlanta Hawks have also retired no. 21. Wilkins' nephew, Damien, played two seasons for the Bulldogs (2003-04), wearing jersey number 12.

Georgia's Mike Mercer Named Freshman All-SEC

Georgia guard Mike Mercer was named to the eight-member Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team, as voted by the league's 12 coaches and announced by the league office here Wednesday.
Mercer, from Snellville, Ga., enters the SEC Tournament averaging 10.8 points, second-best on the team, and 3.0 rebounds, with 44 assists and 47 steals. His 2006 season scoring high came Dec. 28, when his 22 points paced Georgia to a 72-69 gambling victory over Clemson. His SEC season high of 16 points came in the Bulldogs' loss at Florida on March 1.
In the 19 years of the SEC All-Freshman team, Georgia has had seven honorees. Mercer is the first since Levi Stukes was selected in 2004.

Georgia Falls To Arkansas In SEC Tourney

Jonathon Modica scored 20 points, and Arkansas continued its hot streak in the Southeastern Conference tournament with a 80-67 victory over Georgia on Thursday night.
The Razorbacks (22-8) will play sportsbooks No. 16 Florida in the second round Friday. They built up their NCAA tournament resume by finishing the regular season with five straight wins that included victories over the Gators, Alabama and Tennessee.
Four days ago, Arkansas won 74-57 at Georgia, and the Razorbacks had little trouble beating the Bulldogs again.
Georgia (15-15) has not had much luck in the SEC tournament recently. The Bulldogs lost in the first round last year and haven't advanced past the quarterfinals since 1997.
Arkansas grabbed the lead in the first half and pulled away with a 13-2 run. The Razorbacks didn't trail again as they pushed the lead to 10 before halftime.
A little over three minutes into the second half, Arkansas was up by 14. Georgia got as close as 53-43 on Mike Mercer's floater in the lane, but the Razorbacks reeled off 11 straight points in the next four minutes. Eric Ferguson's 3 made it 64-43 with 12:32 remaining.
Ronnie Brewer, the SEC's leading scorer, added 18 points, while Ferguson had 16 and Charles Thomas scored 14 for ncaa team Arkansas.

Mercer scored 16 points off the bench, Younes Idrissi added 14 and Channing Toney had 10 for Georgia.
The Razorbacks hit a low point in a 73-70 loss at Mississippi on Feb. 15, but they beat Florida in overtime in the next game to start their win streak.
Arkansas had lost in the first round the last four years. The Razorbacks made it to the semifinals in 2001 and are the only ones to win the tournament championship having to play four games. Arkansas also won the title in 2000.
Georgia was ahead 16-15 after consecutive 3s by Mercer, but Arkansas responded with the 13-2 run. Modica capped it with a jumper that gave the Razorbacks a 28-18 lead with 8:32 left in the first half.