College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 20-17; 6-12, 11th in the SEC, lost in the semifinals of the NIT

Head Coach: Michael White (Third Year; 36-33 at Georgia, with no NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

G Silas Demary, Jr – 6’5″, 195 Sophomore

G Tyrin Lawrence – 6’4″, 200 Senior

G Dakota Leffew – 6’5″, 195 Senior

F Asa Newell – 6’11”, 220 Freshman / 5-star recruit

C Somtochukwu ‘Somto’ Cyril – 6’11”, 260 Freshman / Consensus Top 50 recruit

Experienced Reserves

G Blue Cain – 6’5″, 195 Sophomore

G De’Shayne Montgomery – 6’5″, 190 Sophomore

F Dylan James – 6’9″, 210 Sophomore

F RJ Godfrey – 6’8″, 230 Junior

F/C Justin Abson – 6’9″, 255 Junior

Freshmen

G Savo Drezgić – 6’4″, 200 / Serbia

G Jordyn Kee – 6’3″, 185

Sometimes, finishing strong means a lot. Stacking momentum late in the year can be a real springboard for a developing team, and if the run Georgia went on in March is to be seen as an indicator, the Dawgs’ arrow is pointing up.

Something else which helps? The Bulldogs have added some exciting new talent to a young core which helped to make a run to the NIT semifinals last season. What isn’t so great is that Georgia lost a lot of experienced players following the hot conclusion of their campaign. Head coach Mike White must replace his top four scorers from last year, but a couple of newly-minted sophomores are back and looking to become the faces of the program. 

Also, well, accumulating talent has never been much of an issue for White. As evidence, he’s signed one of the nation’s outstanding freshman duos and attracted some proven producers from the transfer portal to help the kids out. Georgia proved late last season that it had the right mix to consistently hang with good teams, and now White is ready to show that his rebuilding project has become a Southeastern Conference contender. 

The best freshman last year is also UGA’s leading returning scorer this fall. Playmaking guard Silas Demary, Jr, started 36 of the team’s 37 games a year ago, played the second-most minutes of any Dawg, and showed more than a few hints of stardom to come. A strong, confident driver, Demary wasn’t intimidated by taking it straight to the rim against the grown dudes in the SEC as a rookie. He was named to the league’s All-Freshman team following a debut which saw Demary take a leading role for the Bulldogs right out of the gates.

With a tremendously quick first step, Demary can get going downhill from the wing in a hurry and disorder a defense. Once he gets near the paint, Demary has the wiggle, explosiveness, and creativity on the move to score or manufacture looks for his friends. He took the tenth-most foul shots of any SEC player as a rookie, and as Demary’s jump shot and 70.6% rate at the stripe become more consistent, he should have all the tools needed to be a featured weapon.

His skills show up defensively, too. Demary uses his 6’5″ frame and great lateral quickness to stay with his man, and he’s adept at reading other players’ eyes and jumping on mistakes or chances to force a turnover. Now that White can trust Demary to make things happen for others and generally make good decisions, the second-year guard is going to have the ball in his hands a lot. A commensurate jump in production (Demary’s 19.9% usage rate last season should edge closer to 30) ought to follow, and it’s not difficult to see why numerous publications are predicting a huge sophomore year from the young Dawg. 

Set to join Demary and post numbers off the ball is former Vanderbilt star Tyrin Lawrence. Last year did not go the way Lawrence or the Commodores had planned, due in no small part to an ankle injury which sidelined the veteran guard at the beginning of the season and hampered him throughout. At his best, Lawrence is a show-stopping scorer who, like Demary, does great work off the bounce. He’s got the ability to elevate in traffic and finish at the hoop, and Lawrence is a dangerous stop-and-pop guy when the defense collapses on him. 

While he’s never been a major deep threat, but on two good wheels, Lawrence is much more the guy who shot 36.0% from downtown two years ago than the one who struggled to a 27.2% rate last winter. A good passer, Lawrence keeps the ball moving and will find guys, but his true calling is to score the rock. At 6’4″, Lawrence gives UGA a big pairing at guard, and their defensive talents should combine to erase a deficiency which the Bulldogs occasionally felt with Noah Thomasson and Justin Hill last year. 

Sophomore Blue Cain is back from last year’s team, and he proved as a rookie that his reputation as a sharpshootin’ prep star was well-earned. A smooth scorer who slips and glides between screens and around the perimeter, Cain has a natural marksmanship sixth sense for finding open spaces on the floor and creating room to let fly. With a quick, fluid release and great form from the land of trey, Cain’s jumper is as repeatable as a great pitcher’s throwing motion. 

An astute defender who has the size, length, and athleticism to become a very effective 3-and-D guard, Cain has playmaking instincts on that end of the floor. He’s a guy who can swing momentum in a hurry, and Cain showed off that talent in a variety of ways down the stretch of his rookie campaign. He stuffed the stat sheet for 19 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the SEC tournament against Missouri, and Cain’s 17 points and eight boards were instrumental in helping the Dawgs knock off Ohio State and reach the NIT semifinals. With further growth from his all-around game and more of that sweet, sweet shootin’, Cain should stretch the floor for Demary and Lawrence while becoming a steady double-digit scorer this winter. 

Two of Georgia’s new guards played together last year, too. Dakota Leffew and De’Shayne Montgomery were named first-team all-conference and Rookie of the Year, respectively, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season. With their decisions to depart Mount St. Mary’s and head to Athens, the Dawgs are getting not only continuity but quality. 

Two years ago, Leffew became a key piece for the Mountaineers operating as an off-guard alongside All-MAAC point guard Jalen Benjamin. Last winter, Leffew took the reins of the offense and ranked top five in the conference in both scoring and assists. Another big guard who can distribute the rock and fabricate scoring chances, Leffew has a good handle and gives White great size up and do2n the lineup. His scoring has long come primarily via the long ball, and Leffew has splashed 147 triples at a 37.2% rate over the past two seasons combined. 

Though he was the Mountaineers’ 6th man for much of his rookie year, Montgomery shot the ball so efficiently that Mount St. Mary’s coach Dan Engelstad had to keep him involved. The 6’5″ youngster shot 57.7/41.2/72.8% on two’s, three’s, and freebies in his debut, and like Leffew, Montgomery can guard people and pass the ball, as well. The duo combined for 99 steals last season, and they further upgrade UGA’s perimeter defense. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

0.366 – Free Throw Attempts Per FG Attempt (81st)

11.8 – Assists Per Game (263st)

8.1 – 3FG Made Per Game (102nd)

49.0% Team 2FG Percentage (237th)

23.7% – Offensive Rebound Percentage (278th)

White has brought together a whole lot of young talent up front, and the Dawgs have a genuine two-deep at each of the big spots. Whether their coach decides to go with youth and experience, length and power, or mix it all up, UGA will have quality on the front line. The team’s top-rated freshmen could well play those most minutes at their respective positions among all the bug guys. Asa Newell and Somtochukwu ‘Somto’ Cyril are as ballyhooed a 4/5 combo as just about any team in the country has coming in, and together they are ready to prove themselves against SEC competition. 

A consensus 5-star recruit, Asa Newell will be joining his brother Jaden Newell, who was a freshman on last year’s team. With the frame and game of a prototype stretch-4, Asa Newell has star potential as a scoring forward. He can chase the action end to end, shoot three’s, block shots, and Newell will absolutely drop the hammer when thrown a lob. He needs to get stronger, but the young forward has good defensive instincts and the awareness and timing of a playmaker. Not so much a banger in the post, Newell is smooth on the perimeter and can really cook from distance. He’s still learning to use his size inside, but Newell is a tremendous pick or pop threat after screening action, and as he grows more comfortable throwing his weight around, Newell should thrive. 

A onetime Kentucky pledge, Cyril ultimately chose Georgia after Wildcats coach John Calipari bolted for Arkansas. He also tested out the NBA Draft process to gain feedback and seasoning following a hand injury which knocked him out for much of last season in Overtime Elite last year. Now that he’s a Dawg, White is excited to see the rookie big man show his stuff. 

“He plays angry around the rim,” White enthused about Cyril this summer. “He’s a fierce competitor to complement his physical attributes. His length, his vertical reach, his jumping ability, his girth at 260 and his ability to move at a really high level for a kid that size…That coupled with the fact he plays with a really high level of intensity gives you a guy that can compete night in and night out on the glass defensively, finishing at the rim. He’s going to be a really good addition for us.” With his combination of brawn and mobility, Cyril should be a genuine force defensively from the moment he takes the floor for UGA. He’s also a strong rebounder at both ends, and Cyril can hold his own when the play inside gets rough. As a pick-and-roll finisher and tip-in/hustle points guy, Cyril’s offense should develop around the foundation of his true post skills. 

“He plays angry around the rim…He’s a fierce competitor to complement his physical attributes.”

– Michael White on Somto Cyril

The Dawgs haven’t had enough rim protectors the past few years, but White will be putting a stop to that trend this fall. Justin Abson is also an ex-Mountaineer, but he played for Appalachian State his first two seasons. In his 66 career games played, Abson has blocked 166 shots, and he’s the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. The Florida product is a physical presence and was a game-changing intimidator for App State. His quick feet and great timing inside allows guards to play aggressively and wings to close out hard on shooters, as Abson’s ability to change and reject shots tends to get stuck in the other teams’ minds. He remains a bit limited offensively,  and Abson is only a 43.5% foul shooter entering his junior campaign. If he can prove swift and skilled enough to hang against SEC competition without fouling and finish good looks around the rim, Abson will provide White with a terrific 1-2 punch at the pivot. 

Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey is another rising third-year player, and he played well late last year as the Tigers advanced deep into the NCAA Tournament. A physical rebounder and defender who plays with great energy, Godfrey leads by example and backs down from no matchup. He’s got some developing face-up skill, and Godfrey proved highly efficient as a scorer with the minutes he earned at Clemson. He adds a tremendous amount of competition to what has become a Dawg frontcourt rich with depth. 

White’s third returning player from last year is Dylan James, who had an up and down debut. His freshman season was complicated by a nagging injury, but when healthy, James is a bouncy shot blocker. He’s got easy hops and oozes defensive potential, and James can shoot the rock well out to the three-point arc. The battle for minutes is going to be fierce, but James was a consensus Top 100 recruit just a year ago and has plenty of untapped potential. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

N St. John’s – November 24

N Marquette – November 23

N Grand Canyon – December 14

vs Notre Dame – December 3

@ Georgia Tech – November 15

Rounding out Georgia’s roster are a couple of freshmen guards who will face an uphill climb for minutes in the short term. Serbian guard Savo Drezgić has been competing against professionals and in top international tournaments for the past couple of seasons. Even so, he decided to reclassify to this year and join the Dawgs. Over the summer, Drezgić put on one of his finest performances. The stat-sheet-stuffing lead guard was a star for his home country at this year’s EuroBasket U18 tournament, and was named all-tournament after helping Serbia to a silver medal. He plays with an aggressive mindset and doesn’t mind getting physical on his way to the rim, which should serve Drezgić well entering the SEC. As he polishes his skills, a backup role looks to belong to Drezgić in the near future, and he’s a quality long-term prospect. The same could be said for Jordyn Kee. The least-heralded of UGA’s freshmen, Kee still had offers from Florida State and Mizzou before choosing Athens. It may take him a bit to really crack the rotation, but Kee has good quickness and scoring instincts. 

With the upgrades Georgia has made, there’s legitimate excitement about this year’s team. Football may be king in Dawg country these days, but gridiron fans understand the hype around signing 4-and-5-star guys, and they know what that sort of talent can get done. 

“[It’s a] really competitive group. Guys have worked hard,” White explained to 247 Sports this September. His rising lead guard is already catching food vibes from his new teammates, as well. 

“Asa’s about 6-10, Somto’s 6-11, so we have true size and I feel like we’re a little bit faster this year,” Demary surmised this summer. “We get our transition a lot more. Also on the back line, we’re a little bit longer. I might blow an assignment, but I know I can trust Somto behind me to block that shot or alter it.” With a crew of young stars who will improve both individually and, their coaches hope, as a unit. This won’t be the first time White has trotted out a highly-anticipated bunch of young talents, and of course the Dawgs will have to climb over the backs of a whole bunch of strong squads in order to ascend the SEC. Confidence is high in Athens, though, and with tipoff just around the corner, Georgia is poised to establish its reputation as a hoops power.