Georgia’s Fox As SEC Coach Of The Year?

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His team is 5-9 in conference play.  It’s 13-14 overall.  And it hasn’t won a road game all year.

Yet Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes that Georgia’s Mark Fox should be named the SEC’s Coach of the Year for his first-year efforts.

Seriously.

I can name three coaches in Fox’s division that are more deserving of the honor:

John Calipari — Brought in a freshman class second to none and then somehow kept the egos in check and coaxed such youth (albeit talented youth) to a 12-2 record in the SEC.

Kevin Stallings — Has quietly put together the SEC’s clear-cut second best team.  The Commodores are physical, smart and they refuse to go away.

Bruce Pearl — Made a stand on discipline by dismissing his best player yet still led UT to a top 15 RPI and wins over Kansas and Kentucky while dealing with numerous injuries and suspensions.

Fox has done a solid job in his debut season in Athens.  The Dawgs have been better than expected and have become downright dangerous at Stegeman Coliseum. 

The coach whose hire led to much head-scratching last year has given Bulldog fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.

But Fox’s team does have two players — Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie — who are projected as future NBA lottery picks.  So the cupboard isn’t completely bare.

And it’s hard to forget about that 13-14 record overall.

Credit Fox for a better-than-expected first year.  But save the awards, trophies and honors for somebody else.