Bulldogs Return To Action Against High Point

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (6-3) vs. High Point (8-3)
Saturday, December 16 || Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, color analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Daymeon Fishback, color analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 389
History: UGA leads, 2-0 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UGA, 49-46, on 11/25/15

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 22-19 (2nd season) Career Record: 265-147 (13th season)				High Point Panthers Head Coach: Alan Huss Record at HPU: 8-3 (1st season) Career Record: 8-3 (1st season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	13.0	72.1	Points Per Game	89.1	19.5	Miles
DeLoach	.500	.404	Field Goal Pct.	.497	.626	Miles
Abdur-Rahim/Thomasson	2.1	8.0	3-Pointers Per Game	9.5	2.4	Benham
Abdur-Rahim	.422	.317	3-Point Pct.	.387	.500	Childress
Abdur-Rahim	.894	.705	Free Throw Pct.	.759	.900	Miles
Tchewa	6.4	38.3	Rebounds Per Game	42.2	8.0	Hamilton
Hill	2.7	11.2	Assists Per Game	13.5	4.4	Miles
Hill	2.40	0.98	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.16	2.52	Miles
Moncrieffe	0.9	3.0	Blocks Per Game	3.7	1.8	Bodo Bodo
Demary Jr.	1.4	5.7	Steals Per Game	5.3	1.3	Miles
Thomasson	28.1		Minutes Per Game		31.2	Miles

The Starting 5...

Georgia returns to action following an 11-day break from competition during Final Exams by hosting High Point on Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum. The contest is the second game of a doubleheader, which also features Georgia's Lady Bulldogs taking on Georgia Tech at 1:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs' current four-game winning streak equals their longest under Mike White. UGA's last four victories over Winthrop, Florida State, Mercer and Georgia Tech match the quartet of consecutive wins last season over Notre Dame, Chattanooga, Rider and No. 22/20 Auburn.
Georgia is slated to play 14 of 31 (45.2 percent) of its regular-season games against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's bracketology. Another Bulldog opponent, Oregon, is currently tabbed as the "first team out" of the bracket.
Georgia is the nation's only Power conference team to: 1) open its season with back-to-back games versus Power conference programs (Oregon and Wake Forest); and 2) face four Power conference foes in its first five outings (UO, WFU, Miami and Providence).
Georgia's freshman and transfer recruiting classes both were ranked as high as No. 11. The Bulldogs were only one of three teams to have both of those groups ranked top-20 nationally by On3.com.

The Opening Tip

Following an 11-day break from games during Final Exams on the UGA campus, the Georgia Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday when they host High Point at Stegeman Coliseum at 5:30 p.m. The contest is the second half of a doubleheader which also features Georgia's Lady Bulldogs taking on Georgia Tech at 1:30.

Georgia enters the game at 6-3 on the season and in the midst of a four-game winning streak. The quartet of consecutive victories matches the Bulldogs' best winning streak in Mike White's two seasons in Athens.

The matchup with the Panthers is the third outing in a six-game December homestand for Georgia. The Bulldogs opened the stretch with wins over Mercer and Georgia Tech. Saturday's game opens a busy pre-holiday spurt for Georgia which also includes matchups against Mount St. Mary's and North Florida on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. A Dec. 30 date with Alabama A&M rounds out the 2023 calendar.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is pacing Georgia offensively at 13.0 ppg, largely due to connecting on team-best percentages of .422 (19-of-45) from 3-point range and .894 (42-of-47) at the line. Noah Thomasson also is scoring at a double-digit clip for the Bulldogs at 12.8 ppg.

Scouting The Panthers

A quick glance at High Point's season stats provides from eye-grabbing numbers.

Most notably, the Panthers (8-3) entered this weekend ranked No. 9 nationally in scoring, averaging 89.1 points per game. As of Friday, High Point also was among the nation's top-50 teams shooting the ball at all three levels – No. 26 in field goal percentage (.497), No. 31 in 3-point percentage (.387) and No. 41 in free throw percentage. For good measure, the Panthers were No. 6 in rebound margin, grabbing 13.3 rpg more than their opponents.

Duke Miles' 19.5 ppg scoring average put him at No. 35 nationally through Thursday's games. He leads a pride of Panthers scoring at a double-digit pace which also includes Kimani Hamilton at 14.6 ppg (and a team-high 8.0 rpg), Abdoulaye Thiam at 13.1 ppg and Kezza Giffa at 12.4 ppg.

Series History With High Point

Georgia has won both previous meetings with High Point, earning a 47-point victory in the first matchup in 2010 before eking out a three-point win in 2015.

In the most recent meeting on Nov. 25, 2015, Georgia built a double-digit halftime lead and then withstood a cold-shooting second stanza en route to a 49-46 victory over the Panthers at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia won despite going just under 15 minutes without a made field goal. After Yante Maten's tip-in with 17:30 left in the game, the Bulldogs' missed 13 straight shots from the floor before Kenny Gaines' short jumper in the lane with 2:35 left made it 44-39.

High Point cut the lead to one with a made jumper with under two minutes on the clock, but J.J. Frazier brought the score to 46-43 with a basket as the shot clock expired and 42 seconds to go.

The Panthers again brought it within a point at 47-46 as 14 seconds remained. However, Charles Mann completed a perfect 8-of-8 evening at the line to return Georgia's lead to three points.

The win marked just the third time the Bulldogs won a game while scoring less than 50 points since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985.

Last Time Out

Georgia never trailed en route to a 76-62 victory over arch rival Georgia Tech at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs offensively with 16 points, while Justin Hill added 14 points and Jabri Abdur Rahim and Blue Cain chipped in 12 point apiece.

Georgia used a 12-2 run midway through the first half to build a 21-10 lead at the 6:27 mark of the opening period. The Bulldogs eventually pushed the gap to 16 points, 36-20, at halftime and never allowed the Yellow Jackets closer than 12 points in the second stanza. Georgia's lead topped out at 23 points, 56-33, with 10:21 remaining.

Georgia's victory came after the Yellow Jackets defeated No. 21/22 Mississippi State and No. 7/7 Duke the previous week.

"I thought we defended at a really high level against a team that is really difficult to defend coming off one of the best weeks in college basketball," head coach Mike White said. "Georgia Tech, coming off two huge wins, is really playing well. I thought our crowd was a big factor in helping us defensively."

White's Teams Strong In Stegeman...Now And Then

Georgia is 5-0 at Stegeman Coliseum this season, upping the Bulldogs' home record to 18-4 under head coach Mike White during his two campaigns in Athens.

A year ago, Georgia won its first 10 home games to record just the sixth double-digit home winning streak in program history. The Bulldogs eventually finished 13-4 at Stegeman during the 2022-23 campaign, matching Georgia's the second-most regular-season home victories ever.

White's success at Stegeman isn't limited to his time on the Bulldogs' bench. He was 7-1 in the arena as a visiting head coach. White led Louisiana Tech to an NIT victory over Georgia at Stegeman in 2014 and was 6-1 against the Bulldogs in seven seasons at Florida from 2015-22.

All told, White is 25-5 as a head coach at Stegeman, a sizzling 83.3 winning percentage.

Lots Of Dogs Leading In Scoring And Rebounding

Nine games into the 2023-24 season, no less than five Bulldogs have led Georgia in scoring and five different players have paced UGA in rebounding.

Noah Thomasson has been Georgia's leading scorer in four games, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim has done so twice and Blue Cain, Silas Demary Jr. and RJ Melendez have each done so once.

Russel Tchewa has paced the Bulldogs on the glass in four of nine outings followed by Jalen DeLoach (twice) and Demary and Melendez (once each).

Abdur-Rahim Already Among Best-Ever Bulldogs At The Line

Jabri Abdur-Rahim has already joined Georgia's top-10 career leaders in free throw percentage and is well within reach of the best single-season leaders ledger.

Abdur-Rahim has made 162-of-199 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 81.4 percent.

With a minimum of 125 made free throws needed to be featured among UGA's career FT percentage leaders, Abdur-Rahim is currently No. 5 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined to the right.

Abdur-Rahim has connected on 42-of-47 free throws this season, a stellar 89.4 percent conversion rate.

A minimum of 50 made FTs is required for inclusion on single-season ledger. In nine games, Abdur-Rahim already is 84 percent of the way to that standard. His current percentage would rank third at UGA behind Channing Toney (.910 in 2004-05) and Joe Ward (.902 in 1983-84).

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	J.J. Frazier	.841
2.	Dick McIntosh	.831
3.	Juwan Parker	.828
4.	Jerry Epling	.822
5.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.813

Bulldogs Bench Bounces Back

After being outperformed in the season opener, Georgia's reserves have done considerably better since.

Oregon outscored Georgia in bench points, 28-22. The Bulldogs have won the "bench battle" in every game since and now sport a +87 scoring margin – a 93-point swing and a scoring margin of +11.6 in Georgia's last eight outings.

BEWARE: Barking Bench Means Bulldogs May Bite

Getting "three stops in a row" is an extremely popular analytical indicator quoted by basketball coaches competing on just about every level. At Georgia, a sequence of three stops in a row is recorded as a "bite" for the Bulldogs.

If you notice various members of the bench barking loudly while Georgia is on the defensive end of the floor, that indicates that the Bulldogs have already posted two consecutive defensive stops and are just shy of taking a "bite" out of their opponent's offensive efforts.

A Challenging Slate Out Of The Gate

Georgia is the only Power conference team to open the 2023-24 season with back-to-back outings against other Power conference programs. The Bulldogs began the year against Oregon in a Naismith Hall of Fame Series date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before hosting Wake Forest.

The Power heavy schedule didn't stop there.

Georgia played four of its first five, five of its first seven and six of its first nine games against Power conference foes.

Georgia faced Miami, a 2023 Final Four participant, in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship followed by Providence, another NCAA Tournament team last March.

The Bulldogs other two Power conference dates in non-conference action are both versus ACC competition – a 68-66 win over Florida State on Nov. 29 and versus Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.

All told, 24 of Georgia's 31 regular-season games (.774) are against Power conference teams.

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Georgia is not only playing Power conference teams, it's playing really good Power conference teams – at least according to Joe Lunardi.

The Bulldogs' 31-game regular-season slate includes 13 matchups against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology. In addition, Georgia also played Oregon, Lunardi's "first team out" of the bracket, in the season opener and defeated Eastern Kentucky, a 14th team projected into the NCAA bracket, in a preseason exhibition.

Cain, Demary Make Their Marks In Collegiate Debuts

Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. made key contributions for Georgia in their collegiate debuts against Oregon in the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic.

Demary became the first true freshman to get a starting nod for the Bulldogs in a season opener since Anthony Edwards in 2019. The Raleigh, N.C., native produced a thorough linescore of eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Cain became the first true freshman to notch a double-digit scoring output in the season opener since Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler did so in 2019. Cain posted 12 points off the bench by connecting on 5-of-11 shots from the field and matched Demary for the team high with two steals.

Georgia Signs Top-10 Prospect Asa Newell

Georgia opened the NCAA's early signing period with a bang on Nov. 6 when the Bulldogs signed Asa Newell, the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2024.

Newell is the fifth top-100 prospect to sign with Georgia in the last two classes.

The younger brother of current Bulldog Jaden Newell, Asa is a 6-10, 215-pound power forward and a consensus five-star recruit. Asa is the second-highest ESPN.com and third-highest 247Sports.com ranked recruit to sign with Georgia during the internet era. He trails only Anthony Edwards (No. 4 in 2019) on the ESPN.com ledger and only Edwards (No. 2) and Lou Williams (No.6 in 2005) in the 247Sports.com composite. Edwards went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, while Williams elected to turn pro and has enjoyed a 17-year NBA career that includes three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Newell was a member of USA National Teams for FIBA World Cup tournaments during the past two summers, helping the USA capture a Gold Medal at the 2022 U17 tourney in Malaga, Spain and finish fourth at the 2023 U19 event in Debrecen, Hungary.

Newell is in his second season at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., which finished 23-3 and finished No. 2 nationally in the SCNext Top 25 high school boys' basketball rankings last season.

Both Packs of New Bulldogs Highly Rated

Georgia was one of three programs with both its freshman and transfer recruiting classes ranked among the nation's top-20 groups by On3.com. The Bulldogs' five transfer were tabbed as at No. 11, while the freshmen were featured at No. 18.

All four of Georgia's freshmen were rated as top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023 by various recruiting services. The highest rankings were: Blue Cain at No. 53 by On3.com, Silas Demary Jr. at No. 56 by Rivals.com, Dylan James at No. 78 in the 247Sports.com and Mari Jordan at No. 87 by ESPN.com.

As a class, the freshman were ranked No. 11 by Rivals.com, No. 15 in the 247Sports.com composite, No. 18 by On3.com and No. 20 by 247Sports.com. Georgia's freshmen were the second-highest ranked class in the SEC 247Sports.com's composite ledger of the average ranking of those recruiting services. Ten of 14 SEC schools were ranked among the nation's top-50 freshman classes in the 247Sports.com composite.

A "March Madness" Pedigree

Seven Georgia players have played in the NCAA Tournament at previous schools.

Third-year Bulldog Jabri Abdur-Rahim was a member of Virginia's roster in 2021 when the Cavaliers won the ACC regular-season title en route to March Madness.

Frank Anselem-Ibe, Justin Hill and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who are in their second seasons in Athens, also reached the Big Dance. Anselem-Ibe helped Syracuse reach the 2021 Sweet 16. Hill led Longwood to the 2022 tournament. Moncrieffe played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while at Syracuse.

Georgia newcomers Jalen DeLoach, RJ Melendez and RJ Sunahara bring NCAA Tournament experience as well. DeLoach helped VCU earn an NCAA bid last spring. Melendez was on Illinois teams that reached the 2022 and 2023 tourneys. Sunahara played in a trio of Division II tournaments at Nova Southeastern, including the Sharks perfect 36-0 march to the 2023 national title.

In addition, Russel Tchewa's Texas Tech team was on the NCAA bubble in 2020 before the championship was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunahara Takes One For the Team...accepts new nickname

It's not uncommon for basketball teams to have multiple players with the same first name, but that usually occurs with a rather common name. When a pair of "RJ's" transferred to Georgia during the offseason, it left the coaching staff scratching their heads.

"We're going to have to figure this out," Mike White quipped to the media when discussing the Bulldogs' summer trip to Italy.

It didn't take long for RJ Sunahara to become "Sunny"...at least while he's on the basketball court. Even though his name is pronounced "soon-ah-hara," the 2023 Division II National Player of the Year is now "Sunny." Actually, the nickname fits quite well with Sunahara's Hawaiian heritage.

Bulldogs Tops A-Sun Favorite EKU In Exhibition

Six Bulldogs scored in double figures at Georgia defeated Eastern Kentucky, 99-82, in an exhibition game benefiting the American Red Cross at Stegeman Coliseum on Oct. 30.

EKU returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from a 23-14. The Colonels are the preseason favorite of both media and coaches to win the Atlantic Sun Conference this season and have been a consistent member of ESPN's Bracketology throughout the summer and preseason.

RJ Melendez Georgia with 21 points and added nine rebounds, while Russell Tchewa notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Noah Thomasson added 15 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. all chipped in 12.

As a team, Georgia shot 54.8 percent from the field.

"I thought we did some good things and we've got a lot to work on," head coach Mike White said. "I was very pleased with their tenacity defensively, and progression and tempo offensively. It was a really fast-paced game."

Georgia opened the game with a 6-0 surge 73 seconds into the contest and lead throughout the entire opening half. The Bulldogs kept the Colonels at bay, ending the half on a 13-3 run and carrying a 21-point lead headed into the locker room. From there, Georgia controlled the second half and was ahead by as many as 24 points.

Forza Dogs...Georgia's Tour Of Italy

Georgia got a jump on preparations for the 2023-24 season during the summer when the Bulldogs ventured to Italy for a three-game international tour from July 20-29.

On the the hardwood, Georgia defeated different teams from the Italian Club Orange Basket Bassano by 39.3 points per game. Each Bulldog dressed out for two of the three games, with nine different players recording one or more double-figure scoring outputs.

Away from basketball, Georgia spent four days in Rome, one day in Florence and two days in Sorrento. The team toured the traditional sites such as Vatican City, The Colosseum, The Forum, Pompeii, Amalfi and Positano. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a cooking class where they prepared – and then dined on – their own pasta and tiramisu.

Designer Genes

We believe that Georgia Basketball's family tree may be the most athletic in the country. Almost every Bulldog has immediate family who competed at the collegiate or professional levels, including:

Jabri Abdur-Rahim – his dad, Shareef, was a 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 NBA All-Star and current president of the NBA's G League; and five of his uncles (Amir, Muhammad, Tahir, Bilal and Malik) played college basketball.

Blue Cain – his mom, the former Myriah Lonergan, played basketball at George Washington and is in GWU's Athletic Hall of Fame; his dad, Chris, played golf at Duke; and his sister, Sophie, is a senior setter on Appalachian State's volleyball team.

Jalen DeLoach – his brother, Kalen, is in his third season as a starting linebacker at Florida State; and his sister, Taylor, was a Big Ten champion in the 400-meter relay at Ohio State.

Silas Demary Jr. – his dad, Silas Sr., played at Virginia State and was the 2005 Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Year for the L.A. Avengers.

Justin Hill – his dad, Keith, played basketball at Michigan State and New Mexico State, where he helped the Aggies reach the NCAA Tourney; his mom, the former Donna Holt, played basketball at Virginia, where she was 1988 ACC Player of the Year and was named to the ACC's Silver Anniversary team in 2002;

Dylan James – his brother, Dorian, is a redshirt senior of North Florida's basketball team; and two additional siblings – brother Darius and sister Charla – played basketball at Lynn University.

Markel Jennings – is distant cousins on his dad's side with NFL players Vernon and Vontae Davis, who both were multiple Pro Bowl selections.

Brandon Klatsky – his dad, Brian, played college basketball at DIII Skidmore; and his brother, Alex, is a redshirt senior on Florida's basketball team.

Jaden Newell – his brother, Asa, the No. 8 overall prospect in 247Sports.com Class of 2024 composite rankings, has signed to join him in Athens next season.

RJ Sunahara – his dad, Reed, was a two-time All-American in volleyball at UCLA and is the current women's volleyball coach at West Virginia; his mom, the former Laura Rekstis, played volleyball at Cincinnati; his grandfather, Peter Rekstis, played football at Cincinnati; his uncle, Chet Moeller, played football at Navy and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Noah Thomasson – his dad, Leon, played football at Texas Southern and for the Atlanta Falcons; and he's distant cousins with Spud Webb on his mom's size.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Blue Cain

Jalen DeLoach

Silas Demary Jr.

Justin Hill

Dylan James

Markel Jennings

Brandon Klatsky

RJ Melendez

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Jaden Newell

RJ Sunahara

Russel Tchewa

Noah Thomasson