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SEC: Why You Need to Know Georgia’s Yante Maten

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau

Dec 21, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox coaches guard Juwan Parker (3) against the Western Carolina Catamounts in the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Western Carolina 65-63. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox coaches guard Juwan Parker (3) against the Western Carolina Catamounts in the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Western Carolina 65-63. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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In life we know that everything works out for good and we end up in the perfect situation time and time again. Our talents make room for our opportunities regardless of our faults and shortcomings. One of the reasons why Georgia Bulldogs power forwardYante Maten is in the right situation is because he landed up in a school that will make room for his gifts.

Next season Maten is going to have an awesome freshman year learning how to adjust to the rigors of college basketball inside of the Southeastern Conference. After leaving high school, Maten was only ranked as a three star prospect which is a huge surprise. He finished his senior year as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan, averaging 19.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, 6.6 blocks, 4.8 assists while shooting 66 percent from the field.

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What power

forward

in the class is giving those numbers? Undervalued as a high school prospect, the Bulldogs landed a gem by getting

Maten

apart of their 2014 recruiting class.

He landed in the right situation because of the coaching staff that the Bulldogs have in place. Playing in Athens with coach Mark Fox will help Maten become a better player faster than a lot of other schools he had offers from

Since landing in Athens, Coach Fox has guided Georgia to its first 20 win season in nine years. In addition, he also helped the Bulldogs receive an at large bid in nine years as well. Coach Fox not only lands recruits like Maten that leave high school overlooked, but he also develops them into better players. 

One of the most notable success stories of Coach Fox was landing the five-star shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. In only two years, Caldwell-Pope was a go-to scorer, and turned into a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Feb 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox (far right) and his players celebrate after defeating the Mississippi Rebels at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Mississippi 61-60. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox (far right) and his players celebrate after defeating the Mississippi Rebels at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Mississippi 61-60. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Now as a freshman, Maten will not have the pressure as Caldwell-Pope did since he wasn’t as highly touted leaving high school. However under the wing of Coach Fox, if Maten manages to absorb the knowledge that Coach Fox is preaching then we will become astronomically better than he was in high school.

If Maten does this, the SEC needs to get put on alert because his potential is great. 

Maten’s game now can get described as “very intriguing.” With the 6’8″, 240-pound body, he already has the size to make an impact within the SEC. Though he is not the freakish athlete that other bigs in his freshman class are (Cliff Alexander, that would be you), Maten’s game is very polished and very fluid. 

Maten is a very intelligent basketball player. When observing his tape it is obvious that he knows how to move without the basketball and knows how to position his body on the court to get easy points. Finding openings on the court is an underrated skill and the fact that Maten already has a feel for the court at such a young age puts him ahead of the curve. Playing against teams like Kentucky, Arkansas, and LSU, that skill will come in handy.

Those teams and others within the SEC all have power forwards that can physically matchup against Maten. However, he can combat that by using his intelligence to get into a great position within the defense and catch his opponents off guard by getting quick seals or finding holes quickly within the defense.

While watching Maten’s tape one of the eye-popping skills I saw was that he knows how to dribble fairly well. Ball handling isn’t a necessity for a big man. To the big men who do have handles, it only makes them a more valuable weapon on offense.

I do not expect Maten to play at the perimeter at all next year for the Bulldogs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we got to see him catch the basketball 17 feet away from the rim, put the basketball on the floor and create space and score.

With the Bulldogs losing Brandon Morris and Donte Williams due to graduation, Maten will learn from forward Marcus Thornton who led the Bulldogs in rebounds per game, and in double-doubles.

Maten should enjoy his freshman year playing for the Bulldogs because not only will his team get better because of his arrival, but also because the Bulldogs will compete within the SEC. Last season they had a 20-14 record overall and a 12-6 record within the SEC.

This team will continue to get better, and so will the freshman. There isn’t much more to ask for.

Oh wait I almost forgot, just wait and look at their newest recruits from their upcoming classes.

His time in Athens will be well served.