After picking up two wins in the state of Georgia, Bob Marlin had a lot of good news to talk about...like Elijah McGuire joining the team.

Not to mention, his star big man, Shawn Long, posted monster numbers and ripped down five player of the week honors. Long, and his supporting cast, went into the state of Georgia and picked up a pair of W's. Beyond that, they spanked a Georgia State team that had won 15 straight home games and handed them the largest home loss in the Ron Hunter era.

Bob Marlin had some words with his team after they went down, 10-18, to start the game in Atlanta. His motivational speech worked like a charm.

"From that point on, they put on a clinic," Marlin said. He added, "In the second half, we came out and punched them. They didn't punch back."

Georgia State also helped dig their own grave with a little taunting. Former Louisville guard Kevin Ware hit a big shot at the end of the first half, and he put a little extra spice on his celebration and had some words for the Cajun bench. That was a big mistake.

"He shouldn't have done that," Marlin said. Later in the day, at his weekly coach's show, he added, "The guys turned it up, and we can thank Kevin Ware for that."

As Marlin said, the Cajuns "dominated the glass" and added onto the momentum they built in Statesboro against Georgia Southern.

The win against Georgia Southern was another homecoming game for Jay Wright in the state of Georgia. Even though his stats from the two games don't shimmer, Marlin was pleased with his progress over the trip. With the news that Kasey Shepherd will miss some time with a ruptured tendon in the finger of his shooting hand, Wright will be expected to keep picking his game up.

Marlin said all year long that if the guard play gets better, everything will start falling into place. Even with their brutal schedule (10 out of first 15 games on the road), the Cajuns' head coach wouldn't allow them to give in.

"We talked about adversity last week," Marlin said. "I told the guys we were going to circle the wagons and close our inner circle."

Increased guard play would definitely help tighten things up, and Marlin is getting a little unexpected help in that department in the form of Elijah McGuire.

The crown jewel of Ragin' Cajun football is going to try his hand on the hardwood. This might come as a surprise to some, but Marlin said McGuire voiced his desire to play basketball since his first day on campus. He tried to give Mark Hudspeth a little warning before McGuire even became "The Prophet."

He told Coach Hud all the way back when McGuire joined UL, "If you redshirt Eli, you know he's going to play basketball. I don't know if he took us serious or not."

A two-way athlete at Vandebilt Catholic in Houma, McGuire's talent on the basketball court isn't an issue. Marlin said they didn't offer him, but it was because they knew he was destined to play football. A few years farther down the line, he walked into Marlin's office and made it happen himself.

His presence and leadership abilities will be an appreciated boost in the locker room, even if he doesn't figure it out on the court immediately. Shawn Long was so excited to get him on campus that he offered to share his locker with him. Think about that, the Cajuns could have a future NBA player (Long) sharing a locker with a future NFL player (McGuire). Not a bad pair to have sitting next to each other and competing.

Ultimately, it made sense for both parties. Marlin needed guard play, and McGuire wanted to ball.

"If he can help us cut down the nets, that would be great. If not, he will be back with spring football in a couple weeks," Marlin said.

Time will tell with the Eli experiment, but he's hopping on the buggy as it rolls downhill. After winning five of their last seven games, the Cajuns are ready to start sprinting toward the Sun Belt Conference tournament with a ton of games at home. Cajun Nation will have plenty of opportunities to go out and watch a win, and they might even see "The Prophet" dunk on somebody.

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