Bulldogs Return To Stegeman To Host Florida

Saturday, February 17

Athens, Ga.

1:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Florida

February 16, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 25: Georgia (14-10, 4-7 SEC) vs. Florida (17-7, 7-4 SEC)
Saturday, February 17 || 1:00 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 (Mike Morgan, play-by-play; Mark Wise, color analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 386
History: UF leads, 123-105 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UF, 102-98 in OT, on 1/27/24

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 30-25 (2nd season) Career Record: 273-153 (13th season)				Florida Gators Head Coach: Todd Golden Record at UF: 33-24 (2nd season) Career Record: 90-60 (5th season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	12.8	75.9	Points Per Game	84.6	16.3	Clayton Jr.
Anselem-Ibe	.591	.431	Field Goal Pct.	.455	.650	Handlogten
Abdur-Rahim	2.3	8.2	3-Pointers Per Game	7.7	2.4	Clayton Jr.
Abdur-Rahim	.377	.348	3-Point Pct.	.334	.400	Pullin
Abdur-Rahim	.873	.730	Free Throw Pct.	.688	.845	Pullin
Tchewa	6.7	36.0	Rebounds Per Game	44.4	8.0	Samuel
Hill	3.7	12.1	Assists Per Game	15.2	4.3	Pullin
Hill	2.51	1.03	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.24	3.92	Pullin
Anselem	0.8	3.5	Blocks Per Game	5.5	1.4	Condon
Demary Jr.	1.5	6.6	Steals Per Game	6.8	1.3	Kugel
Thomasson	27.5		Minutes Per Game		32.6	Pullin

GAME GIVEAWAY

The first 750 UGA students will receive a free retro replica jersey from the Bulldogs' 1996 "Sweet 16" season.

The Starting 5...

Georgia returns to action following a mid-week open date when the Bulldogs host Florida at Stegeman Coliseum in a 1:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday.
Georgia has used nine Bulldogs to comprise seven different starting lineups this season, including four variations in the last five games.
Georgia is 24-1 when holding its opponents to less than 70 points during Mike White's two seasons with the Bulldogs – 2-0 in 40s, 7-0 in the 50s and 15-1 in the 60s.
Georgia will play 16 regular-season games against teams mentioned in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology...51.6 percent of the Bulldogs' schedule.
Georgia entered this weekend No. 18 nationally in bench points, with UGA's reserves contributing 29.4 ppg. The Bulldogs sport a bench scoring margin of +280 (+11.7 ppg).

The Opening Tip

Following a rare February open date, Georgia returns to action on Saturday when the Bulldogs host Florida in a 1:00 p.m. matchup at Stegeman Coliseum.

Saturday's contest is a rematch of a thriller in Gainesville three weeks ago when Georgia rallied from a 21-point, second-half deficit to tie the game with 49 seconds remaining. After forcing overtime, the Bulldogs dropped a 102-98 decision.

Georgia enters the weekend 14-10 overall and 4-7 in SEC play and looking to snap a five-game losing streak that began in Gainesville.

The 2023-24 campaign has been a streaky one for the Bulldogs. Contrary to Georgia's current situation, the Bulldogs recorded winning streaks of 10 games overall, 10 contests at Stegeman Coliseum and three road outings earlier this season.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim leads a trio of Bulldogs scoring at a double-digit pace for Georgia at 12.8 ppg, largely due to shooting team-high percentages of .377 from 3-point range and .873 at the free throw line. Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez are contributing 12.0 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Freshman Silas Demary Jr. is literally one bucket shy of a double-figure average, with his 238 points equating to 9.9 ppg.

Georgia has been more productive and balanced offensively in conference action.

The Bulldogs are one of three teams with a higher scoring offense in SEC play over non-league games. Four Bulldogs have upped their scoring by a point by game or more against conference competition, with Demary producing a full 3.0 ppg more (8.5 ppg to 11.5 ppg).

Keeping An Eye On…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is among UGA's career leaders...
• 10 3FGs from co-No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 20 3FGAs from No. 17 Ty Wilson

Justin Hill is career statistics wise...
• 5 assists from 400

Scouting The Gators

Florida is 17-7 overall and 7-4 in the SEC after winning six of its last seven outings. That stretch includes back-to-back overtime decisions against Georgia and at No. 6 Kentucky.

No less than five Gators are currently scoring at a double-digit pace. Walter Clayton Jr. leads that quintet at 16.3 ppg, followed by Zyon Pullin at 15.5 ppg, Tyrese Samuel at 13.1 ppg, Will Richard at 11.1 ppg and Riley Kugel at 10.8 ppg.

A pair of Florida players lead the SEC in individual statistics, with Samuel sporting the best field goal percentage (.563) and Pullin pacing all league players in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.92).

Series History With Florida

Despite Georgia's 63-44 lead in games played in Athens, Florida possesses a 123-105 edge in the all-time hardwood series between the Bulldogs and the Gators.

Three weeks ago on Jan. 27 at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, the Gators survived a furious rally by Georgia before garnering a 102-98 victory in overtime.

RJ Melendez exploded for a career-high 35 points off the bench to lead the Bulldogs, while Russel Tchewa notched his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Reserves Blue Cain (14) and Justin Hill (11) also scored in double figures as Georgia outscored the Gators in bench points, 62-15.

Georgia trailed by as many as 21 points four times in the second half, lastly at 68-47 with 12:52 remaining. After Florida led 77-61 at the 7:47 mark, the Bulldogs closed out regulation on a 24-8 surge to knot the score at 85-85. Melendez and Cain combined to score 20 of UGA's points during the comeback.

The Gators then outscored Georgia, 13-7, in the extra period.

Georgia and Florida last met at Stegeman Coliseum on Feb. 28 last season, with Georgia dropping a 77-67 decision.

Kario Oquendo led a trio of Bulldogs in double figures with 20 points. Justin Hill added 16 points and four assists, while Braelen Bridges chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.

Florida gained the game's first significant lead by using an 11-0 surge to go up 37-28 with 2:18 left in the first half. The Gators completed the period with a 3-pointer to grab their first double-digit advantage, 43-33, at the intermission.

Georgia got within a single possession on three occasions, lastly at 60-57 with 6:50 remaining. Florida answered with back-to-back jumpers and never allowed Georgia closer than five points thereafter.

Gators Are Georgia's Most Frequent Foe

Georgia and Florida will face off for the 229th time on Saturday, the most games the Bulldogs have played against any opponent.

Rounding out the top-5 in games played against Georgia are Georgia Tech with 199, Auburn with 197, Tennessee with 161 and Kentucky with 160.

Last Time Out

Georgia fought back from a 12-point, second-half deficit to grab a 66-65 lead with just under four minutes remaining but could not complete the comeback and fell 78-75 at Arkansas last Saturday.

Justin Hill's 3-pointer at the 3:57 mark put the Bulldogs up for the first time since being up 19-17 midway through the first half. The teams traded the lead five times over the next 2:15 before the Razorbacks went back on top for good with 54 seconds remaining.

Silas Demary Jr. led Georgia with 19 points, while Hill chipped in 18 and Russel Tchewa added 10.

Klatsky Brothers Face Off

Georgia's Brandon Klatsky and Florida's Alex Klatsky are brothers.

Brandon is a redshirt freshman with the Bulldogs who has seen action in two games this season. Alex is a redshirt senior with the Gators and has logged playing time in 22 contests at UF.

The Klatskys played together for one season at the Ranney School, helping the Panthers to a 31-3 finish and the 2019 New Jersey Non-Public B state championship and the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title.

Saturday's game marks the second time this season that Bulldogs have played against a brother. Freshman Dylan James faced his brother Dorian, a redshirt senior, when Georgia hosted North Florida on Dec. 22.

Georgia's Magic Number Is On The "Other" End of The Floor

The 13th and final rule Dr. James Naismith listed when creating basketball was "The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner." Quite simply, the team that scores the most points wins.

For Georgia, the number of points the opposing team scores has been an extremely strong indicator of success during Mike White's two seasons with the Bulldogs.

Georgia is 24-1 when holding its opponents to less than 70 points during that span and 6-24 when opponents reach the 70-point plateau. The lone loss on that ledger was a 61-55 setback at South Carolina in the 2022-23 regular-season finale.

A Lot Of Great Games During The Last Five Outings

Georgia's losing streak has featured a five competitive and somewhat dramatic setbacks.

The Bulldogs rallied from 21 points down to force overtime at Florida before falling 102-98.

Georgia then owned double-digit leads over both No. 24/22 Alabama and South Carolina before the Tide and Gamecocks rallied. The Bulldogs led for a combined 56:55 of those contests – 33:49 against Alabama and 23:06 versus South Carolina.

Georgia trimmed a 13-point deficit to three in Starkville before State surged to victory.

Last Saturday's outing at Arkansas featured three ties and five lead changes in the final 3:47 before the Razorbacks secured a three-point decision.

UGA Students Packing Stegeman

During each of Georgia's five home SEC contests, the Stegeman Coliseum student section has overflowed its capacity of 2,065. When more than 2,065 students show up and there are still remaining unsold seats in Stegeman, they are allowed to occupy the empty locations.

Georgia drew 3,026 students for Arkansas; 2,330 for Tennessee; 2,806 for LSU; 3,208 for Alabama; and 2,726 for South Carolina.

The Stegeman student capacity for five games should be 10,325. In reality, 13,629 students have come through the turnstiles for those contests. The student attendance average of 2,726 per game is 137 percent of "capacity."

Nine Bulldogs Get Starting Nod

Nine Georgia players have been used to comprise seven different starting fives this season.

The Bulldogs mixed and matched seven players to form three different starting quintets over the first 10 outings.

Georgia then settled into the same starting unit for the next 10 contests.

Over the last five games, the Bulldogs have used four different sets of starters.

Silas Demary Jr., Russel Tchewa and Noah Thomasson are the three constants who have started every game this season.

Bulldogs' Bench Providing Productivity

Georgia entered this weekend ranked No. 18 nationally in benching scoring at 29.4 ppg – 38.7 percent of the Bulldogs' average of 75.9 ppg.

The Bulldogs' reserves have outscored their counterparts in 20 of 24 games – every outing other than versus Oregon, at No. 8/10 Kentucky, against South Carolina in Athens and at Arkansas.

Georgia sports an impressive +280 scoring margin in bench points – an advantage of +111.7 ppg. Dogs' Defense Is Nation's Most Improved Over Two Seasons

Georgia is has climbed 244 spots in kenpom.com's defensive efficiency rankings during Mike White's two seasons with the Bulldogs, the biggest jump of any Division I program.

Georgia entered this weekend ranked No. 74 nationally on the defensive end. That's after the Bulldogs finished No. 318 during the 2021-22 season.

Dogs' Stats Trending Upward In SEC Play

Generally, teams' statistical performances slip slightly once SEC play starts...the whole tougher competition thing.

Conversely, several of Georgia's stats have improved over the Bulldogs' non-conference numbers as outlined below.

The Bulldogs are one of only three league teams – along with Tennessee and LSU – scoring more points and SEC foes than they did during November and December.

Stat	Non	SEC
SEC Team Increases
Scoring Offense	75.4	76.6
3FG Pct.	.344	.362
3FGs Per Game	8.0	8.9
Free Throw Pct.	.696	.771

Individual Scoring Up Too

As you would expect with Georgia's team scoring offense improving during SEC play.

Four Bulldogs have increased their point production by 1.0 ppg or more conference contests, led by Silas Demary Jr.'s increase of 3.0 as outlined below.

Statistic	Non	SEC
SEC Individual Increases
Silas Demary Jr.	8.5	11.5
RJ Melendez	9.8	10.9
Justin Hill	8.5	9.5
Russel Tchewa	6.1	8.6

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Five of the Bulldogs' seven remaining regular-season outings are against teams now featured in the 68-team field of ESPN.com's most recently published edition of Braketology.

All told, Georgia's 31-game regular-season slate includes 16 matchups – 51.6 percent of the schedule – against teams mentioned in the Feb. 16 version Bracketology. Of those, 14 games are against teams projected to reach the tournament and two are versus Wake Forest and Providence, the first two "teams out" of the bracket.

In addition, Georgia defeated another projected tourney team, Eastern Kentucky, in a preseason charity exhibition.

Melendez Has Bulldogs' Biggest Game Ever Off Bench...We Think

RJ Melendez's 35-point performance at Florida on Jan. 27 tied the 20th-highest single-game output ever by a Georgia Bulldog. It may be the most points ever by a Bulldog off the bench.

Box scores determined the vast majority of the scoring efforts tied with and ahead of Melendez were done by starters. In fact, there are only four performances where research has yet to confirm were accomplished by starters as outlined below.

It's hard to fathom that Alfred Scott did not start Georgia's 122-2 – yes 122-2, that's not a typo – win over Southeast Christian on Jan. 12, 1918. FYI, that performance stands as the largest margin of victory by any Division I team.

Jacky Dorsey was known to start throughout his career in Athens; however, box scores for the two games haven't been located...we've emailed LSU and Southern Miss, by the way.

Zippy Morocco's contest came during the same season when he set what was the SEC's season scoring record, compiling 590 points...and we've emailed Tennessee too.

Pts.	Player, Opponent, Date
Did He Get The Nod?
62	Alfred Scott vs. SE Christian (1/12/1918)
43	Jacky Dorsey vs. So. Miss (12/21/74)
41	Jacky Dorsey vs. LSU (1/20/75)
38	Zippy Morocco vs. Tennessee (2/25/53)
37	Zippy Morocco vs. Alabama (1/10/53)

Any Scoring Comparison To "Ant" Is Impressive

Jabri Abdur-Rahim's 34 points at No. 8/10 Kentucky represented the most by a Bulldog versus a top-10 team since Anthony Edwards' 37-point showing against No. 3 Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2019 in the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Silas Demary Jr.'s 22 points at Kentucky represented the most by a Georgia freshman against a top-10 team since Edwards' 37-point showing against Spartans in Maui.

FYI, Edwards scored 33 points in the second half against the Spartans and those 20 minutes played a pivotal part in him becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

"Don't Look, Ethel!"...Of Bulldogs' Steaks and Stuff

Much of Georgia's 2023-24 season has been of the streaky nature.

Georgia put together a 10-game winning streak from Nov. 24-Jan. 10, tying the fourth-longest in program history and the longest in 75 years since the 1947-48 season as outlined below.

Within their 12-3 start, the Bulldogs were 10-0 at Stegeman, equaling the seventh-longest home winning streak and the fifth-longest home streak since Georgia moved into the Coliseum in 1964.

Rk.	Season	No.
UGA Winning Streaks
1.	1912-13 & 1913-14	16
2.	1930-31	13
3.	1947-48	11
4.	2023-24	10
	1930-31	10

Rk.	Season(s)	No.
UGA Home Streaks
1.	1930-31 & '31-32	25
2.	1938-39 & '39-40	20
3.	1988-89, '89-90 & '90-91	15
4.	2001-02 & '02-03	13
5.	1997-98 & '98-99	12
6.	1984-85 & '85-86	11
7.	2023-24	10
	2022-23	10
	2007-08	10

Abdur-Rahim, Melendez Own Top-5 Season FT Percentage Marks

Jabri Abdur-Rahim and RJ Melendez currently now own two of the five best single-season free throw percentages in Georgia Basketball history.

A minimum of 50 made free throws are required for inclusion on the Bulldogs' all-time single-season percentage leaders ledger.

Abdur-Rahim surpassed that standard during the Mount St. Mary's game on Dec. 20, just the 11th outing of the season. He has now connected on 96-of-110 (.873) free throws, which equals the fourth-best percentage in school history as outlined below.

Melendez met the 50 makes standard while going 4-of-4 at the stripe versus No. 24/22 Alabama on Jan. 31. He is currently 52-of-60 at the line this season, an 86.7 percent conversion rate that is No. 5 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	Channing Toney ('05)	.910
2.	Joe Ward ('84)	.902
3.	J.J. Frazier ('17)	.886
4.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.873
5.	RJ Melendez	.867

Jabri Sets Game Mark, Joins Career Leaders Too

In addition to his aforementioned season efforts, Jabri Abdur-Rahim owns spots among Georgia's best game and career performers among the Bulldogs' best free throw shooters ever.

Abdur-Rahim's school-record 10-of-10 effort against Mount St. Mary's tied Georgia's single-game record, representing the 15th time a Bulldog converted on nine or more FTs in a single contest.

A minimum of 125 made free throws are needed to be featured among UGA's career FT percentage leaders. Abdur-Rahim has made 216-of-262 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 82.8 percent that currently has him tied at No. 3 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	J.J. Frazier	.841
2.	Dick McIntosh	.831
3.	Juwan Parker	.828
4.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.824
5.	Jerry Epling	.822

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.

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 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 No. 2 in the SCNext Top 25 national rankings last season and is currently ranked No. 1 this season.

Newest Bulldogs Rated Highly

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 Class of 2023 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.

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.