Men's Basketball Returns Home To Meet KSU

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (3-3) vs. Kennesaw State (1-6)
Tuesday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta; XM: 383; Internet: 962. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
TV: None
Video: SEC Network + (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Marcus Thornton, analyst)

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
3-3 in 1st season at UGA
359-234 in 19th season overall
G	14	Tye Fagan	6.0	2.0
6-3; 185; Fr.; Thomaston, Ga.
G	0	William Jackson	3.3	1.7
6-4; 185; Sr.; Athens, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	14.5	5.8
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	11.5	8.0
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	110	6.0
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Kennesaw State Owls
Coach: Al Skinner
36-64 in 4th season at GSU
421-355 in 26th season overall
G	4	Tyler Hooker	19.6	4.3
6-0; 150; R-Jr.; Simpsonville, S.C.
G	11	Kyle Clarke	7.7	3.8
6-5; 200; Sr.; Daytona Beach, Fla.
F	33	Kosta Jankovic	8.6	5.1
6-8; 210; Sr.; Belgrade, Serbia
F	24	Bryson Lockley	4.7	5.9
6-8; 218; R-Jr.; Houston, Texas
F	5	Isaac Mbuyamba	1.7	4.7
6-7; 235; Jr.; Portland, Ore.

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	KENNESAW STATE
Points Per Game	76.3	57.4
Opp. Point Per Game	74.0	71.1
Scoring Margin	+2.3	-13.7
Field Goal Pct.	.481	.368
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.401	.449
3-Point Pct.	.303	.314
3-Pointers Per Game	5.5	3.9
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.341	.351
Free Throw Pct.	.705	.643
Free Throws Per Game	17.2	11.6
Rebounds Per Game	41.7	36.3
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.8	38.7
Rebound Margin	+5.8	-2.4
Assists Per Game	15.2	8.7
Turnovers Per Game	17.3	15.0
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.88	0.58
Turnover Margin	-4.7	-3.0
Steals Per Game	5.5	6.7
Blocks Per Game	6.0	3.1

The Starting 5...

A total of 16,213 attended UGA's first two home games, the largest tally for the first two home outings since the 2002-03 campaign.
Derek Ogbeide enters the Kennesaw State game four rebounds shy of moving to No. 15 among UGA's career leaders.
Rayshaun Hammonds became the first SEC player this season with 30 points and 0 TOs when he had 31 points versus Illinois State.
The crowd of 9,018 against Savannah State was UGA's largest for a home opener since Dominique Wilkins' sopho-more year in Athens.
UGA's coaching staff sports a combined 80 seasons of D-I experience (Crean-28, Scott-27, Dollar-23, Abdur-Rahim-12) with 38 postseason bids

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs return to Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday evening to host in-state foe Kennesaw State at 7:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs are 3-3 to date and looking to get back on the winning track after dropping their final two outings in the Cayman Islands Classic last week.

Kennesaw State is 1-6 overall. The Owls won their season opener before six straight setbacks, most recently falling to Belmont at home last Saturday.

Series History

Georgia sports a 2-0 record in matchups with Kennesaw State, in a pair of dates with holiday associations.

The Bulldogs won the initial meeting, 75-66, on Valentine's Day of 2007. Georgia captured the most recent contest, 72-52, on New Year's Eve of 2008.

Up Next: Texas Southern Visits

After playing six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 season, Georgia has just two outings in seven days.

Following tonight's contest, the Bulldogs will host 2018 NCAA Tournament participant Texas Southern next Monday.

The Dogs Are Drawing

Crowds of 9,018 and 7,195 attended Georgia's first two home games of the 2018-19 campaign. All told, that's 16,213 Bulldogs.

That is the largest two-game tally for the initial two outings of the season at Stegeman Coliseum in 15 years.

In 2002-03, Georgia welcomed crowds of 8,643 for the season opener against Belmont and then drew 8,527 for the second home game of the campaign versus South Alabama - a combined tally of 17,170.

A Historic Opener

Georgia christened both the 2018-19 campaign and the Tom Crean era on Nov. 9 with an impressive evening on and off the court.

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State, Georgia's most points in a game in the 2000s.

The last time the Bulldogs scored more was in a 113-74 victory over Grambling on Nov. 27, 1999, at the Great Alaska Shootout.

A crowd of 9,018 fans turned out at Stegeman Coliseum for the opener.

The last time the Bulldogs drew a larger crowd for their initial home outing was in 37 years ago in 1981, which was Dominique Wilkins' sophomore year. A then-capacity crowd of 11,200 turned out for a 62-61 win over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1981.

That also represented the most fans for a home opener since the Stegeman Coliseum's capacity became 10,523 in 1994.

Also on the scoreboard front, Georgia's 59 first-half points were its most in a half since putting up 60 in the second period against Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

"First things first, I want to say thank you to everybody who was here for this," Crean said. "This is largest crowd on an opening night since they redid Stegeman Coliseum, and it was fun. It was fun to see the enthusiasm that people have had turn into bodies and live energy and loud fans tonight. That was tremendous. I want to say that first and foremost."

Bulldogs Set Sellout Record

The Tom Crean regime established an impressive attendance record before ever setting foot on the Stegeman Coliseum floor.

Georgia sold out three regular-season games in October.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for both the Florida and Kentucky games. That represented the earliest sellout in Georgia Basketball history.

Two days later, the Bulldogs' matchup with Texas also became a sellout.

Prior to this year, Georgia had never sold out more than one home game prior to the season opener.

Bulldogs Begin With Busy Stretch

Georgia played six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 campaign.

The season began with the Nov. 9 opener against Savannah State, a trip to Temple on Nov. 13 and a matchup with Sam Houston State on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs then played three games in three days on Nov. 19-21 in the Cayman Islands Classic.

The Bulldogs Who Are Back

Georgia returns three starters - seniors William "Turtle" Jackson and Derek Ogbeide and sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds - and 11 total letterwinners from last season's team.

Of those 11 returnees, nine have starting experience within SEC play.

Georgia's Four Puppies

The Bulldogs' 15-player roster features a quartet of freshmen.

Three of those are Peach State prep products - Tye Fagan from Thomaston, Amanze Ngumezi from Savannah and JoJo Toppin from Norcross. The fourth, Ignas Sargiunas, hails from Kaunas, Lithuania.

Hammonds Accomplishes Rare Stat Line Against Illinois State

Rayshaun Hammonds poured in a career-high 31 points while not turning the ball over once versus Illinois State in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Hammonds became the first SEC player to put up 30 points with non turnovers this season. Only two league players - Vanderbilt's Jeff Roberson and Terence Davis from Ole Miss - did so during 2017-18.

Hammonds joined Yante Maten and Jumaine Jones to become just the third Bulldog in the last 20 seasons to accomplish that feat as outlined below.

30 Points, 0 Turnovers
Player	Pts.	Opponent (date)
R. Hammonds	31	Illinois State (11/19/18)
Y. Maten	30	Charleston Southern (12/17/16)
Y. Maten	30	Kansas (11/22/16)
J. Jones	34	Kentucky (1/26/99)

Bulldogs Return To Stegeman

Georgia returns to action on Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs host in-state foe Kennesaw State at Stegeman Coliseum in a 7:00 p.m. matchup.

Georgia is 3-3 on the year and looking to get back on the winning track after dropping its final two outings of the Cayman Islands Classic last week.

Sophomores Rayhaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton lead the Bulldogs on the offensive end, averaging 14.5 ppg and 11.5 ppg, respectively. Senior Derek Ogbeide also is scoring at a double-digit clip of 11.0 ppg.

Kennesaw State arrives in Athens at 1-6. The Owls opened the season with a victory before suffering six consecutive setbacks.

Tyler Hooker paces the Owls with an impressive 19.6 ppg scoring average and is coming off a 30-point outburst against Belmont last Saturday.

Series History With the Owls

Georgia is 2-0 all-time against with Kennesaw State, winning home dates over the Owls with holiday associations during the 2006-07 and 2008-09 seasons.

In the most recent matchup on New Year's Eve of 2008, Troy Brewer's 15 points led five Bulldogs in double figures in a 72-52 victory.

Brewer's 15 and Jeremy Price's 13 accounted for all of Georgia's bench points in the game, while starters Trey Thompkins, Albert Jackson and Dustin Ware added 14, 12 and 10, respectively.

The Bulldogs opened the game with a 16-4 spurt and held a 34-22 advantage at the half.

Georgia maintained a double-digit lead most of the way until Kennesaw State pulled to within nine at 55-46 with a little more than four minutes to play. The Bulldogs then finished the game on a 17-6 run.

On Valentine's Day of 2007, Takais Brown led Georgia with 16 points in just 21 minutes of action of a 75-66 victory. Sundiata Gaines added 15 points and Levi Stukes chipped in 14 of his own.

Last Time Out...

Georgia lost to Georgia State, 91-67, last Wednesday evening in the third-place matchup of the Cayman Islands Classic at John Gray Gymnasium.

"These tournaments reveal where you are at," head coach Tom Crean said. "If you handle it right then you grow from it and then you bond. There is no question that they popped us. I told my team that they didn't lose this game today; they lost it in practice leading up to the tournament. We have a long way to go, but we are starting now. It has now been revealed about how we have to get better and I'm looking forward to being with them and finding out who we are."

The Bulldogs shot 47.2-percent from the floor, but the Panthers countered with a 55.7-percent shooting performance that included knocking down 14-of-25 attempts on 3-pointers.

Georgia led 14-11 prior to the Panthers going on a 14-0 run to swing momentum. The game marked the third game this season that the Bulldogs faced an opponent that made a postseason appearance last season and had at least 20 wins.

Career-High Outings Against ISU

Sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton exploded for career-high offensive outputs of 31 and 22 points, respectively, against Illinois State in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Hammonds scored 31 points in 31 minutes of playing time. He topped his previous best effort of 21 points against LSU last season. In fact, Hammonds almost reached that mark in the first half alone. He scored 18 points in the opening period and eventually moved to 22 with an emphatic slam dunk at the 14:20 mark of the second half.

Claxton did much of his damage after the intermission. He scored 14 second-half points and also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Not to be lost in the box score, Claxton also dished out a career-high four assists.

Fagan Gets First Nod

Freshman Tye Fagan secured his first career start against Illinois State and went on to play 36 minutes - the most PT any Bulldog has seen this season.

The Thomaston, Ga., native scored eight points and also grabbed a season-most five rebounds versus the Redbirds.

Excitement Surrounds Bulldogs

Tom Crean was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach on March 15 and has created an off-season buzz surrounding Georgia Basketball that it hasn't been seen since Dominique Wilkins' days in Athens during the early-80s.

Before this season, Georgia had never sold out more than one game before its opener.

This fall, the Bulldogs had three sellouts - Florida, Kentucky and Texas - in October.

In addition, the number of contributors and the amount donated to UGA's Basketball Enhancement Fund (BEF) set records by considerable margins. The BEF tally topped $1 million for the first time ever and as of Nov. 7 had bettered the previous watermark by just shy of 25 percent.

"I'm just looking forward to this enthusiasm that is being generated around the program being live, screaming bodies in the seats," Crean said prior to the season opener. "We want bodies that are there early, that are there during, that are loud at the beginning, that are helping us through it and that coming to have some fun."

Bulldogs' Roster Loaded With Peach State Products

Nearly three-fourths of Georgia's roster - 11-of-15=.733 to be exact - played high school hoops in the Peach State.

The list includes: seniors Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), William "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian School), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity Catholic High) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook High); juniors Tyree Crump (Bainbridge High) and Jordan Harris (Seminole County High); sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross High) and Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills High); and freshmen Tye Fagan (Upson-Lee High); Amanze Ngumezi (Johnson High) and JoJo Toppin (Norcross High).

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3" Crump

Tyree Crump has scored nearly two-thirds of his career points at Georgia on shots from at least 20-feet, 9-inches from the basket.

With a 10 3-pointers this season, Crump has now knocked down 73 3s during his career with the Bulldogs, directly accounting for 219 of his points 352 (62.2 percent) during his collegiate career.

Those 73 trifectas also account for 67.0 percent (73-of-109) of his made shots from the floor at Georgia.

Fagan Owns Unique Record

The first recruit to commit to Georgia under Tom Crean certainly brought a winning résumé to Athens.

Tye Fagan, who inked papers with Bulldogs on May 2 during the spring signing period, helped Upson-Lee High School to back-to-back state titles and 63 consecutive victories as a junior and senior. The Knights' effort currently represents the third-longest winning streak in Georgia boys' basketball prep history.

"Any time you can add a championship-winning player and person to your program, it's great," Crean said. "But I can't recall ever signing anyone that was 63-0. That's unique."

Georgia's loss at Temple represented Fagan's first setback representing his school since a Upson-Lee lost to New Hampstead on Feb. 17, 2016 in the first round of the 2016 state tournament.

Ogbeide Already Ranks Among Bulldogs' Best Boarders Ever

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders.

Ogbeide ascended to the No. 16 position - as outlined below - during the Sam Houston State victory and is now four boards shy of the current No. 15 tally of James Banks.

Claxton Goes International

Nicolas Claxton spent a portion of his summer playing for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team in qualifying contests for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He is eligible to do so since his father, Charles, an All-SEC center for UGA in the early-90s, was born on the U.S.V.I.

Claxton helped ignite a closing 13-0 surge in an 84-74 victory over the Bahamas on June 28. He was fouled and converted a free throw to start the run and then made a stickback with 3:15 left to put the U.S.V.I up for good. With 2:51 remaining, Claxton stole a Buddy Hield pass that resulted in a bucket on the other end.

In a loss to Canada on July 2 on Ottawa, Claxton scored seven points and had a team-high six rebounds.

Workouts Feature Belted "Dawg Of The Week" Accolade

Georgia's summer and fall workouts have included the naming of a "Dawg of the Week," an award accompanied by an extremely authentic wrestling-style championship belt.

"That was (strength & conditioning director) Sean Hayes' idea," Tom Crean said. "He showed me the design and I liked it and he got it done. It's something that Sean really spearheads, and he's really basing it not only on who had the best week themselves but most importantly who's helping others the best. It's about who's not only pushing themselves to a very high level but through the fatigue, through the frustration that comes through the adversity that comes. Are they really helping their teammates, especially the young guys?"

Inaugural StegMania A Success

Tom Crean arrived in Athens with a distinct vision. One of the first things he wanted to create was an preseason event to display the new energy and enthusiasm surrounding Georgia Basketball.

On Friday, Oct. 5, the first-ever StegMania drew a crowd of more than 5,000. It was, by all measures, a significant success.

UGA students lined up around the Coliseum to receive commemorative "StegMania" t-shirts. A lengthy autograph session with a distinct family feel wrapped up the festivities.

StegMania itself was packed with pyrotechnic player introductions, a high-flying dunk contest, a dance battle with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, a impromptu performance of the hit song "Rolex" by hip-hop artists Ayo & Teo and a scrimmage with Crean "mic'd up" for the crowd.

"When you're brand new coming into something like this, you really don't have an expectation," said Crean, who donned a "Georgia vs. All Y'all" t-shirt for the evening. "But if I would've had one, it would have exceeded it. When I saw people in line to get into the Coliseum, I got a lump in my throat. It was awesome because you never take it for granted. Hopefully, everyone walks out of here knowing that they matter."

Bulldogs in Openers

With the victory over Savannah State, Georgia improved to 81-33 record in season-opening contests during the Bulldogs' 114 campaigns of basketball.

That tally includes a 35-6 mark when the Bulldogs have opened the season at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia's biggest victory in an opener at the Coliseum also was its first. In the Bulldogs' first-ever season opener in the Coliseum on Dec. 3 1964, UGA bested No. 13 North Carolina, 64-61.

Crean's Opening Outings

Tom Crean improved to 18-1 in season openers as a head coach. Crean was 8-1 to begin his nine seasons at Marquette from 1999-2008. He was a perfect 9-0 at Indiana from 2008-17.

The biggest season-opening victory for a Crean-coached team was two years ago when the No. 11-ranked Hoosiers defeated No. 3 Kansas, 103-99, in overtime at the Armed Forces Challenge in Honolulu.

The Hoosiers raced to an 8-1 start that season - including a second signature victory in November over eventual 2017 NCAA Champion North Carolina - before injuries decimated Indiana's roster.

Some Early-Season Birthdays

Three Bulldogs celebrated their birthdays during November.

Jake Thelen, Georgia's Director of Basketball Operations, enjoyed his birthday on Thursday, Nov. 8. Thelen, who turned 26, is the youngest "DOBO" at a Power 5 Conference program.

Teshaun Hightower celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday, Nov. 21 in the Cayman Islands.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Rayshaun Hammonds turned 20.

Bulldogs Win Exhibitions

Georgia won both of its preseason exhibition outings. The Bulldogs bested UAB in Birmingham, 56-54, on Oct. 18 and the topped Division II West Georgia, 98-59 on Nov. 1.

Against UAB, Rayshaun Hammonds led Georgia with 13 points and nine rebounds. Nicolas Claxton and JoJo Toppin added eight points each for the Bulldogs.

Hammonds scored on a three-point play that ignited a 9-3 run over the final 3:58 for the Bulldogs. Georgia held UAB without a field goal for the final 5:41 of the contest.

Tyree Crump led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures against West Georgia. Crump knocked down 6-of-10 3-point attempts en route to 18 points.

Nicolas Claxton added 14 points, while Rayshaun Hammonds and Teshaun Hightower chipped in 10 apiece. Claxton and Hammonds each grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The Bulldogs raced to a 12-1 lead and held the Wolves without a field goal for the first 6:37 of the game.

The Leftiest Lads In The Land

The Bulldogs' roster features six - count 'em on two hands - left-handed players. Georgia's southpaws include Nicolas Claxton, Tye Fagan, Rayshaun Hammonds, Jordan Harris, Derek Ogbeide and JoJo Toppin.

We're relatively confident that tally is the most any NCAA Division I basketball team will suit up during 2018-19.

During the summer months, J.D. Hamilton of the NCAA sends out a laundry list of questions to the nation's Division I men's basketball SIDs. The inquiries can range from statistical - what school has the most 2,000-point scorers - to staff - who has the nation's most experienced coaching staff - to roster related - who has the most newcomers.

Round 1 of the email on September 5 including the following offering from Athens: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as many or more players who are left-handed?"

Not that SIDs are bound to answer every request, but that question received no replies. So, the ask was modified for a second email correspondence sent out by Hamilton on September 26 to read: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as four or more players who are left-handed?"

That led to Tennessee (D.J. Burns, John Fulkerson, Jalen Johnson and Yves Pons), Washington (David Crisp, Elijah Hardy, Bryan Penn-Johnson and Nate Roberts) and Winthrop (Adam Pickett, Jermaine Ukaegbu, Kyle Zunic and Raivis Scerbinskis) supplying lists of four.

While nothing is official, Georgia will claim the unofficial title of the leftiest team in America until proven otherwise.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Claxton

Tyree Crump

Tye Fagan

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Christian Harrison

Teshaun Hightower

Yante Maten

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Ignas Sargiunas

JoJo Toppin