White, Demary Jr., Newell Discuss Exhibition With UCF

BASKETBALL PRESS CONFERENCES

S. Demary

Coach White

A. Newell

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia head coach Mike White and players Silas Demary Jr. and Asa Newell took part in a media availability on Monday to discuss the Bulldogs' exhibition game against UCF on Tuesday evening.

Both the Bulldogs and the Knights won their previous preseason exhibitions in impressive fashion. Georgia defeated Charlotte, 86-59, on the road on Nov. 19. The previous day, UCF topped Florida Gulf Coast, 92-78, in Orlando.

Tuesday's charity contest at Stegeman Coliseum will tip off at 7:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $5 for the public, while UGA students will be admitted free. All proceeds from the contest will benefit UGA Miracle, which is celebrating its 30th year at the University of Georgia in 2024-25. UGA Miracle is the largest student-run philanthropy in the state of Georgia and is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families battling pediatric illness. In 2024, the organization raised $1,075,281.24.

The Bulldogs will take on Tennessee Tech in their regular-season opener next Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30. The game will be the second of a doubleheader also featuring the Georgia Lady Bulldogs against N.C. Central at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets for the exhibition game against UCF and the doubleheader are available at www.georgiadogs.com/mbbtix.

Here you can view the interviews with White, Demary Jr. and Newell. Below are selected quotes from Monday's media session.

Head Coach Mike White
On the excitement of playing an exhibition at Stegeman Coliseum against UCF:
"Definitely for everybody, throughout our league, right? It's going to be a big year for SEC basketball. We've got a good team. We're going to be fun to watch. I'm excited to see a bunch of students in the Steg tomorrow. And a bunch of our other fans that are eager to see this team. Obviously, you hope you play well offensively, defensively. But as much as anything, I'd like to see our culture in the right place. You know, I'd like to see our guys connected. After evaluating huddles and pre-game and half-time and how we operate on the bench and during time-outs and all those things. We'd like to get off to a good start in those areas."

On the team being fun to watch this season:
"You know, I think we'll turn people over more, block more shots and get out and transition more. We're a pretty athletic team. We're better on the offensive glass. We've got good size, you know, from 6'4 to a couple 6'11s. We're a big athletic team, and so we'll be competitive in the SEC."

On what he's seen from practices this week since the Charlotte exhibition:
"A couple really good ones after Charlotte. We had one where our guys showed a little bit of 'I'm ready to play somebody else.' Pretty sharp yesterday, got to be sharp today. That's why you play, you simulate a real game prep, and we do two-day game preps. So, today's is important. Yesterday was pretty solid. Continue to get better. Most of this is about us, especially in exhibition. Some of it will be the opponent a little bit more today than yesterday. But we've got a ton to continue to focus upon with us, with our guys, with our roster, with our schemes, and the way we're defending."

On what he sees from UCF:
"Really disruptive team and program. It's really what Johnny [Dawkins] has done since he's been there, forever. Good staff, good coach. They're going to be competitive in their league and another really good league amongst the nation's leaders last year in overall disruption defensively with blocking shots and turning it over. And they'll switch up some defensive ball-screen coverages. They did a good job with recruiting. They've got a really talented team too."

On preparing for early-season opponents with little to no film study:
"You do a little bit of guessing. You do a little bit based on studying the team in the previous year and even a couple of years just going back. As a staff, collectively you come up with a pretty good idea of what you think you're going to see. But again, it's as important as anything we do with regard to defending and scoring against UCF or trying to score rather, it is how we execute what we're trying to do regardless of who the opponent is, offensively and defensively. Our guards and transition are supposed to sprint to the corner. It doesn't matter that the opposition is UCF or whoever. We need to sprint to the corner. We need to block out. We need to contest. We need to set real screens, wait on screens, all those things that we work on daily. And now there's people in the stands. We have family in the stands. We have students in the stands. Can we retain that focus level and have carryover from the practice gym to the stadium."

On what he wants to see from Asa Newell against UCF:
"The same exact thing we see in practice, really. And that's the challenge for all of these guys, especially the younger ones. We want to see the same version. The way we practice today should be the way we play against UCF, should be the way we play against Georgia Tech, and so on and so forth. It's a process. We talk about that a lot. And so, with him, it's just his approach, his mentality, not his numbers necessarily. He'll play well, but I want to see him play like he does between lines on the practice floor, which is hard, makes winning plays. He's a detailed guy. He's an unselfish guy, plays with a lot of intensity, and just plays really hard. I expect to see that. I'd be surprised if I don't."

On utilizing bench depth:
"I do, yeah. I think that we've got parity like we did last year, and I think we're just as deep."

On the team's on-court communication:
"You can't talk enough, period, especially defensively. We like our practices to be up-tempo. We like our guys to take ownership over communicating and holding each other accountable in that category. We challenge it to a certain extent. With this team, we haven't needed to challenge it quite as much. These guys really like to compete. We've got a pretty vocal team. We've got some quiet guys off the court, but when we're between those lines, we've got to talk. We've got to be loud and early and consistent with our communication."

On new players stepping into leadership roles:
"I think each of our portal guys has brought something a little bit different in terms of leadership. Some of it could be offensively. Some of it could be just with how hard they play or their approach coming into practice. Some of it could be being a little bit more vocal than their teammates. No one really sticks out more than others. If I had to pick one, I can't help myself, RJ Godfrey just leading by example with winning plays, a guy that just does a lot of stuff that doesn't always show up as we stat practices. He plays with basketball character, a lot, based on what we talked about earlier."

On the team's progress leading up to the season:
"Yeah, I like our team. We've got a great group to work with. They love competing. This group loves practice. We'll have another good one today. We'll get better today. I'm excited about tipping it up tomorrow."

No. 5 Silas Demary Jr. | So. G
On his biggest takeaway from the Charlotte exhibition:
"I would just say for us to have our first time playing against a crowd, outside of our fans. Obviously, it's our first time tomorrow, but just to be outside of guys that we see every day. They can see different fans, get to travel, get to see the road environment. I think it was a great experience for the freshmen and the younger guys. Get to see how it is to travel on the road, see how film is, see how it is, just to be together all the time and leaving from Georgia. So, I think it was a great experience on and off the court. I think it's something that'll help us going down the road."

On the team's performance against Charlotte:
"I think we played pretty good. Obviously, nobody plays perfect. You see the mistakes and everything like that, but I think for our first game, just to play together under the whistle for the first time in our actual jerseys, I think it was a great experience. I think we learned a lot. We learned how everybody plays off of each other and really just gets going in the moments. Trying to win every 'four-minute game.' I think we did a pretty good job of that. I think we won every one but maybe one 'four-minute game.' So, I think that's growth. It's just good to see where we are for our first time under the whistle."

On the buzz around campus for this season:
"I think the buzz is very high right now. A lot of people want to see the new faces and the newcomers. So, I think tomorrow will be a great test for us just to stay poised. Obviously, I think we're going to go through some adversity through our times. See how we play within our home crowd, if everybody can stay poised and not try to do too much and just follow the game plan. I know the fans, the students, they can't wait to come here and be in the 'Steg.' So, I think we have a lot of hype around the team, and I think it'll just be a great experience tomorrow."

On the most exciting thing about this team:
"I would just say our athleticism. I feel like we have a lot of athletic guys. I feel like once we get playing in transition, we have a lot of dunks, a lot of steals, a lot of blocked shots. I think we kind of have a team that could have a top ten highlight any night. So, I feel like that's what the buzz is, and I think fans are very interested in to see it."

On the chemistry developed through preseason:
"I would just say we got a lot of new faces. I think we have like nine new guys. So, I think off the court, we try to be together as much. We go eat after practice. Some of us go get haircuts together. So, I think just us bonding off the court just to help us more on the court. Just being able to trust that guy, knowing he's going to be in the right spot. Really on the defensive end because I think our offense will take care of it. But if we defend well, knowing that if I stunt, my teammate behind me is going to stunt and be in the right lane. Just knowing that we always have each other's back no matter what."

On Coach White led practices:
"Just being a point guard on the team, Coach White is like head of the snake. He's very calm and poised. Always communicating, he'll stop things when he feels like or pull you to the side, but definitely it's a high-level communicating practice. I feel like you always have to have your hard hat on and always thinking. There's always something. You have to be able to think throughout the game. I think Coach White and the coaches are always putting us in positions just to think and go through adversity and practice and figure it out on our own."

No. 14 Asa Newell | F | Fr.
On why Georgia will be an exciting team this year:
"It's going to be an exciting team because we're really athletic, we're really detailed, and I feel like we're just going to have a really good season under Mike White. He's a great coach."

On how he defines a great season at Georgia:
"I feel like if we just go in and try our best every single day, it's going to take care of the things that need to be taken care of. So I always like to tell myself the days I don't want to do it are the days I get better. So if we just stack days, it'll take care of itself."

On his play in the scrimmage against Charlotte:
"I felt like I did a pretty good job. I need to rebound the ball more. I did a good job running the floor, playing hard, playing aggressive for my first college game. So I felt like I did pretty well."

On the team's chemistry:
"A lot of new faces. We all like to go eat after every practice, so just having that charisma of everyone loves each other. So we've got really good chemistry off the court, and on the court, I feel like everybody serves the ball well. Nobody likes to try to get their own shot off. We pass the ball extremely well."

On how valuable the scrimmage against Charlotte was in preparing for UCF:
"It just feel like us playing against a road opponent – getting there a day early, sleeping. We just treated it like a real road game, so just having that aspect of it, a little adversity before our first home opener is really good for us."

On what stands out to him about UCF:
"I feel like they score the ball really well, so we're going to have to stay in front of our man and play help defense a lot. They're just really athletic. UCF is a really strong opponent, so it's really good that we have them scheduled."

On watching high school players transition to the SEC and his personal goals:
"Yes, I like to watch as many college games as I can. I watch Cooper Flagg, Boogie Fland, watch Liam [McNeeley]'s game. But just having that aspect of, 'Wow, we're really here, and my dreams are coming true.' So my personal goals, I want to just lead this team in every single way I can."

White, Demary Jr., Newell Discuss Exhibition With UCF

Players Mentioned

Silas Demary Jr.

RJ Godfrey

Asa Newell

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