Yante Maten: The Inside Presence UGA Needs
By John Buhler
Yante Maten is having a fantastic starting to his sophomore season with the Georgia Bulldogs. He’s becoming a great interior player for UGA under Mark Fox.
The 2015-16 Georgia Bulldogs are 2-2 on the year as they are dealing with some early season injuries to G Juwan Parker and F Derek Ogbeide. While the back court trio of Kenny Gaines, Charles Mann, and J.J. Frazier have looked great at times for the Dawgs this season, it was going to take some time for the Georgia Bulldogs to redefine themselves at forward.
Entering 2015-16, UGA lost a ton of minutes with both Nemanja Djurisic and Marcus Thornton graduating and Cameron Forte transferring away from the program. However in the Georgia Bulldogs’ first four games, it seems that sophomore forward Yante Maten of Pontiac, Michigan is establishing himself as a reliable player in Mark Fox’s front court.
-= Related: Georgia Bulldogs Come Up Short vs. Seton Hall =-
At 6’8”, 240 lbs., Maten is averaging 13.3 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 2.0 blocks per game playing 29.5 minutes per contest. He has started at forward all year for the Dawgs and there is no reason for Mark Fox to not pencil Maten’s name into the starting five every night.
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Though UGA had a difficult time defending the great guard and low post play of the Seton Hall Pirates last night in Newark, I thought that Yante Maten asserted himself as a big piece for the Dawgs going forward. Senior G Kenny Gaines had been the go-to scorer for the Georgia Bulldogs with his great outside jump shot in the first three games.
However it was Maten’s 21 points on 6-11 shooting, including an impressive 9-11 at the line that moved the needle for me. He had this great feel to the game against a strong Big East opponent in Seton Hall. For one of the bigger guys on the Georgia Bulldogs, Maten at times moved like a guard on both ends of the floor. His athleticism is a great gain for the UGA program and I can’t wait to see what he can do for the Dawgs in the next two plus years.
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Yante Maten is drastically improving his efficiency on both ends of the court. He’s significantly better on offense, boasting a 111.2 ORTG compared to last year’s 98.4. On defense, he’s better too with a 90.3 DRTG compared to his 2014-15 mark of 95. 8.
The Georgia Bulldogs still have a way to go if they want to get back into the NCAA Tournament, but a loss to Seton Hall isn’t bad by any means as the Pirates will likely get back to the Big Dance for the first time in a decade. Visually, the Pirates passed the eye test last night and depending on how they do in Big East play, should make the Tournament.
What has come to light in the first four games for the Georgia Bulldogs are three things. 1. Kenny Gaines is going to have a special senior season in Athens with the way he’s been shooting the basketball. 2. Mark Fox needs to get Juwan Parker and Derek Ogbeide back from injury if they want to hang tough in the improving SEC. 3. Yante Maten is becoming the next great front court player for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Next: Kenny Gaines: Three-Point Stroke Sustainable?
The Georgia Bulldogs will have tomorrow off as well before taking on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Stegeman Coliseum Tuesday Night. Tipoff is a 7:00 PM ET and the game will air on SECN+.
Look for Sophomore Forward Yante Maten along with Senior Shooting Guard Kenny Gaines to have a great bounce back game versus the 3-2 Golden Grizzlies. They’ll need to recover from their tough road loss to Seton Hall before hosting the Kansas State Wildcats Friday night. Go Dawgs!