a, should be even better in his sophomore season in terms of how to schedule practices and his familiarity with his own group and with the opposition. He showed he was a quick study a season ago and his

ATHENS, Ga. -- Mark Fox and his players understand another NIT berth wont be enough for this Georgia team.Fox has built a winning program with three straight 20-win seasons and three straight winning records in Southeastern Conference games. But his only NCAA Tournament appearances with Georgia came in 2011 and 2015. He has sufficient talent and depth on his roster to add a 2017 NCAA berth to that list.No one rises to low expectations, Fox said. I think you should expect yourself to be successful. ... We really dont spend a lot of time on outside opinions, but I think internally these kids expect to have a solid team. Thats a good attitude to have in your locker room.Asked about Fox after a 20-14 finish and second-round NIT loss last season, athletic director Greg McGarity said he remained confident the program was on the rise under the coach. Otherwise there would be a different story line, McGarity said.Georgia was picked fourth in the SEC this month by a media panel, and senior guard J.J. Frazier made the preseason All-SEC team. Frazier is the SECs leading returning scorer, at 16.9 points per game. Forward Yante Maten averaged 16.5 points. Matens 8.0 rebounds per game rank second among the leagues returning players.Thats a nice foundation for a team which must replace longtime starters Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines.Fraziers leadership adds strength to that foundation.We probably have the best leadership weve had since Ive been at Georgia, Fox said. J.J. Frazier is a natural leader. I think hes now experienced enough to know exactly what we want to do. Usually what he says is what they need to hear. He really cares about winning and playing the game the right way.---Some other things to know about Georgias 2016-17 season:RUST REMOVED: After missing last season which recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, guard Juwan Parker used Georgias preseason summer tour of Spain to regain his game form. He was able to knock some rust off, Fox said. Parker earned a starting job two years ago before the injury, and could be the favorite to start on the wing this season.LANDERS KEYS: Forwards Derek Ogbeide (6-8, 245) and Mike Edwards (6-9, 225) showed potential but lacked consistency as freshmen last season. Ogbeide, a strong rebounder, ended the season as a starter. Fox said former Georgia womens coach Andy Landers says the sophomores are his possible keys to the season. Fox said his good friend Landers has attended a couple practices and even joined the trip to Spain. Andy keeps saying if those guys who were freshmen last year take a step forward, you guys have a chance to have a very good team, Fox said. I think theres a lot of truth to that.MORE THAN A SHOOTER: Frazier is best known as a 3-point shooter, a skill which overshadows his all-around play. He ranked among the SECs top 10 leaders in eight categories last season, the most of any player, including assists, steals and free throws. Listed at 5-10, 155 pounds, Frazier was third on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game.NOT FORGOTTEN: Georgia returns eight of its top 10 scorers from last season, but the missing two were important. Gaines and Mann combined to average 24.1 points last season. I think we lost a lot more than people realize, Fox said.BARCELONA BULLDOGS: Georgia was 3-0 on its Spain trip. Fox said the practice time was valuable but also important was the camaraderie that is established or strengthened.---Online:AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgFrancisco Cervelli Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Braves Jerseys China . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Grant Dayton Braves Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Stitched Braves Jerseys . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No.For a good part of the first quarter of last season, it seemed as though the future of the Philadelphia Flyers was still somewhere off in the distance. A rebuild with an emphasis on the build part under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol seemed to be about as good as it was going to get for Flyers fans.But a funny thing happened to all of those dire predictions of being a lottery team: The Flyers scratched and clawed their way into a most unlikely of playoff berths and then managed somehow to stretch the powerful Washington Capitals to six games in the first round.Theres already healthy skepticism that last season was a blip on the rebuilding radar and the Flyers will be back outside the playoff bubble. But Im not so sure, especially watching rookie of the year nominee Shayne Gostisbehere playing so well at the World Cup of Hockey and veteran Mark Streit helping Team Europe to an unexpected berth in the tournament finals.Certainly GM Ron Hextall isnt letting the players feel its a given theyll get back to where they were last season. Essentially were starting fresh here, Hextall said in a recent interview.Best new facesA tinkering summer for Hextall brought in a couple of veterans to help augment the youth movement that is fully in place in Philadelphia. Veteran center and defensive specialist Boyd Gordon will be looking for fourth-line minutes, while Dale Weise will be expected to be a kind of everyman, even bringing unexpected offensive upside. Ivan Provorov is another young defenseman with a big top-end skill set. The left-handed seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft is just 19, and at one point during training camp was paired with Gostisbehere. A glimpse of the future or is the future here?Biggest unknownsCan the Flyers continue their upward arc in terms of evolution while weve seen so many teams (the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets come to mind) take one step forward and then regress for a season or two? Specifically, can they find enough offense to help take the pressure off the defense and goaltending? Last season, the Flyers were 22nd in scoring. Only one team with a worse offense made the playyoffs (Detroit Red Wings).dddddddddddd The penalty kill, tied for 20th, needs to improve.Can the unlikely goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth continue to provide the high level of netminding we saw down the stretch and into the playoffs? And who is the No. 1? Neuvirth had an eye-popping .981 save percentage in three starts in the playoffs against the Capitals. Hextall has said hes looking for more from younger players Scott Laughton -- who is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury -- Jordan Weal and Nick Cousins, who all have strong pedigrees but need to prove they are NHL-ready. And NHLers in the fold need to give more, such as Jakub Voracek, who struggled for much of last season after signing a monster contract extension last summer.Sure thingsNot sure how Dave Hakstol didnt end up on the ballot for coach of the year, but thats a moot point. What isnt moot is that Hakstol, who came to the NHL after a long, successful stint with the University of North Dakota, should be even better in his sophomore season in terms of how to schedule practices and his familiarity with his own group and with the opposition. He showed he was a quick study a season ago and his skill set behind the bench should be even more evident this season.Up front, you have to figure captain Claude Giroux is motivated after making Team Canadas World Cup of Hockey roster and then not playing. He rebounded after being left off the 2014 Olympic roster with a place on the Hart Trophy ballot a few months later, so expect a similar response this time around.Is there anyone steadier -- and maybe more underappreciated -- than Wayne Simmonds? Hes coming off a career-best 32-goal campaign and has become one of the on-ice leaders, having averaged a hair less than 30 goals a season over the past three.PredictionThe bottom of the Metropolitan Division is a dogs breakfast. But Im liking what is going on with the Flyers, even if they finish just outside the playoff picture. Fifth in the Metropolitan. ' ' '