Georgia's Dustin Ware has seen a lot in his three seasons in Athens and now it is his turn to takeover as the leader of the Bulldogs basketball team. At the annual SEC Media Day, Ware talked about this year's team and its many unknowns.
"There are definitely a lot of unknowns, but we've been doing a good job working in practice and just trying to get better at what we're doing. No matter what, the older players are going to have to be the leaders up there and everyone just has to work hard. We are just looking to go out there and play hard and compete." "It's really going to be tough to replace the old players. I think we're really going to be able to improve, we've got a lot of guys out there working really hard. The returning players need to be ready to lead and be supportive of the younger players."
Ware averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 assists per game last season but will be leaned on much more with Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie having left early for the NBA. Ware has been one of the steadiest ball handlers in the conference leading it in assist to turnover ratio last season.
Ware points out that the uncertainty with the new players is lessened thanks to Mark Fox keeping things consistent in his first two seasons as coach.
"Having the coach be there every year and the older players knowing the coach is really helpful to help guide the rest of the team. Coach Fox hasn't changed: he's a competitive coach and loves to win and inspires that in all the players."
The Bulldogs will open their season with a scrimmage on November 4 against Morehouse College. Georgia will open the 2011 season for real on November 11 when they host Wofford at Stegeman Coliseum.
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