Mike White and the Georgia Basketball team begin summer workouts this week with expectations of being competitive once again in a tough SEC. Seven teams from around the league were included in ESPN’s way-too-early top-25 with another two in the next five out. Looking at Joe Lunardi’s bracketology, the SEC is projected to get 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are on the outside looking in according to Lunardi and are thought of as a bubble team by fellow national analyst Jon Rothstein. Still, White is confident steps in the right direction can be taken in year three.
“I think we’ve got a chance to be very good,” White said during an appearance at Georgia’s athletic association board of directors meeting. “We talked about the metrics earlier and the improvements from year one to year two and from the previous staff to the end of year one. We’re anticipating significant improvements in year three.”
What gives White confidence? The newcomers he and his staff have recruited should elevate the level of play in Athens with athleticism and ability to clean up mistakes defensively with shot blocking and rim protection on the interior more than has happened in the past. That starts with 6-foot-10, 240-pound freshman Somto Cyril. Previously committed to Kentucky under John Calipari, Cyril was released from his National Letter of Intent after the Wildcats’ coaching change – ultimately ending up at Georgia after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft.
“He plays angry around the rim. He’s a fierce competitor to complement his physical attributes,” White told reporters at SEC Spring Meetings. “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. Excited to coach him.”
Cyril isn’t the only addition that has White excited. At one point recently, Georgia was the only program in the country with top-10 ranked classes both for traditional high school recruiting and the new-age transfer portal. Bringing in eight newcomers to date to bring UGA’s total on the roster to 11 (Blue Cain, Silas Demary and Dylan James return after all three were starting by the end of their freshman year in 2023-24), the Bulldogs are hoping they can gel a little bit quicker this year as compared to last year when it took some time for nine newcomers including key freshmen to get on the same page – especially against a tough schedule.
“Really excited about these guys. Veteran guards with ball skills that give us versatility in the backcourt with athleticism and length and defensive and rebounding prowess up front with those fours and fives we signed,” White said. “A couple of high school kids that athletically bring a lot to the table. We’re excited about Asa Newell and Somto Cyril. Representing the state of Georgia with our class with Somto being OTE. Dakota Leffew, Tyrin Lawrence, RJ Godfrey all come back to the greater Atlanta area. Super excited about this group.”
“If I pinpointed one, I’ll have six mad a me. I feel good about all these guys, I really do,” the head coach continued. “… RJ Godfrey is a guy who comes to mind who played on a really good team behind a couple of really good frontcourt players. I think for an outsider looking at our class, I think he might be considered a sleeper. Of course, you’ve got the high school guys who are really highly ranked, you’ve got the guards from (Mount) St. Mary’s (DeShayne Montgomery and Dakota Leffew) who put up really good numbers against us. You’ve got Tyrin (Lawrence) who most in the SEC are familiar with. I’m excited about all of them, but he (Godfrey) could be in particular a little bit more of a sleeper.”
Since White spoke, Georgia added Class of 2024 guard Jordyn Kee from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Expected to redshirt, the three-star chose UGA over the likes of Florida State, Georgetown, Michigan and Missouri as well as Bryant. The Bulldogs are expecting to add one more player to their roster for 2024-25.
As for Georgia’s schedule, White admitted it’ll be reined in some as compared to last year’s. UGA was the only team in the six basketball power conferences to play a pair of games against power conference opponents to open the season and took on six in total (Oregon, Wake Forest, Miami, Providence, Florida State, Georgia Tech) across the 13 non-conference games. While it was good for the team down the stretch – not overmatched in games against Xavier, Wake Forest and Ohio State in the NIT – White felt his team’s confidence wasn’t quite as high as he would’ve hoped, and their resume took a hit because of the losses.
“I’m not sure if it was in our best interest to start with the couple that we started with. That’s on me. But you live and you learn, you own it as I tell my guys every day,” White said. “Having said that, we win one or two of those and we’d be talking what a great schedule we put together, right? Unless something changes, we’ll open with four at home that I think are winnable. We’re obviously going to have to show up and play well, so hopefully can get some momentum early season as compared to last season.”
Georgia officially announced on Tuesday a previously reported on non-conference game against St. John’s in the Bahamas to follow up a previously announced matchup with Marquette, also in the Bahamas. White said agreements on the mid-major games at home are “close to being done.” The Bulldogs are also expected to play in-state rival Georgia Tech (away) as well as a second ACC opponent in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Matchups for the SEC portion of the schedule have been announced with dates to follow later.
Georgia won 20 games for the first time in season seasons and made its first appearance in the postseason since 2017, advancing to the NIT semifinals. The Bulldogs will look to build on the momentum entering 2024-25 and year three of the Mike White era in Athens.
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