Bulldogs Venture To Starkville To Face State

Wednesday, February 7

Starkville, Miss.

9:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Mississippi State

February 07, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 23: Georgia (14-8, 4-5 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (14-8, 3-6 SEC)
Wednesday, February 7 || 9:00 p.m. ET
Humphrey Coliseum (9,100) || Starkville, Miss.
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 391
History: UGA leads, 59-58 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - 178-65 (7th season)

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 30-24 (2nd season) Career Record: 273-152 (13th season)				Mississippi State Bulldogs Head Coach: Chris Jans Record at MSU: 35-21 (2nd season) Career Record: 178-65 (7th season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	13.4	76.5	Points Per Game	74.2	16.9	Smith III
Anselem-Ibe	.591	.432	Field Goal Pct.	.448	.619	Matthews
Abdur-Rahim	2.4	8.2	3-Pointers Per Game	7.2	2.7	Hubbard
Abdur-Rahim	.390	.351	3-Point Pct.	.313	.351	Hubbard
Abdur-Rahim	.881	.725	Free Throw Pct.	.679	.824	Hubbard
Tchewa	6.9	36.6	Rebounds Per Game	39.3	7.6	Smith III
Hill	3.7	12.5	Assists Per Game	14.7	3.0	Davis
Hill	2.53	1.07	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.12	1.91	Davis
Anselem-Ibe	0.9	3.6	Blocks Per Game	3.3	0.7	Bell Jr.
Demary Jr.	1.5	6.6	Steals Per Game	8.0	2.0	Matthews
Thomasson	27.3		Minutes Per Game		28.2	Matthews

The Starting 5...

Georgia returns to the road on Wednesday night when the Bulldogs trek to Starkville to face Mississippi State at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Georgia will play 17 regular-season games against teams mentioned in Tuesday's edition of ESPN. com's Bracketology...54.8 percent of the Bulldogs' schedule. Of those, 14 contests are versus projected tourney teams and three are against "first teams out."
Georgia entered this week No. 17 nationally in bench points at 30.1 ppg. The Bulldogs' reserves have won the bench point battle in 19 of 22 games and sport a scoring margin of +294 (+13.4 ppg).
Georgia is one of three teams with a higher scoring offense in SEC games over non-conference play.
The Bulldogs put up 75.4 ppg in 13 non-league games before averaging 78.2 in SEC outings (+2.8 ppg).
Five Bulldogs have upped their point production from their non-conference numbers – RJ Melendez is +3.0 ppg, Silas Demary Jr. is +2.9 ppg, Russel Tchewa is +2.7 ppg and Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Justin Hill both are +0.6 ppg.

The Opening Tip

Georgia ventures to Starkville on Wednesday evening for the first of two road outings this week. The Bulldogs will face Mississippi State at 9:00 p.m. ET before traveling to Fayetteville for a rematch with Arkansas on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Georgia is currently 14-8 overall and 4-5 in SEC play and looking to snap a three-game losing skid of fairly 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.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim leads a trio of Bulldogs scoring at a double-digit pace for Georgia at 13.4 ppg, largely due to shooting team-high percentages of .390 from 3-point range and .881 at the free throw line. Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez are contributing 12.0 ppg and 11.0 ppg.

Georgia has been more productive and balanced offensively in conference action. The Bulldogs are one of three teams – along with LSU and Tennessee – with a higher scoring offense in SEC play over non-conference game. Five Bulldogs have upped their point production from their nonconference numbers – Melendez is +3.0 ppg, Silas Demary Jr. is +2.9 ppg, Russel Tchewa is +3.7 ppg and Abdur-Rahim and Justin Hill both are +0.6 ppg.

Keeping An Eye On…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is among UGA's career leaders...
• 1 3FGs from No. 15 Terrance Woodbury
• 12 3FGs from co-No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 5 3FGAs from No. 18 Rashad Wright
• 30 3FGAs from No. 17 Ty Wilson
Noah Thomasson is career statistics wise...
• 22 points from 1,300

SCOUTING THE SEC'S WESTERLY BULLDOGS

Mississippi State is 14-8 on the season and 3-6 in SEC play entering Wednesday's game. The Bulldogs possess impressive top-10 victories over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Auburn.

Tolu Smith III missed the season's first dozen games but has returned to the form which had him voted as the SEC's Player of the Year in preseason balloting of league coaches. He is averaging team highs of 16.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Though he has yet to play in the 75 percent minimum of MSU's games to be ranked overall, in stats for SEC outings Smith is the only player ranked in among the league's top-10 leaders in scoring (No. 7 at 17.0 ppg) and rebounding (No. 8 at 7.44 rpg).

Josh Hubbard is contributing 14.8 ppg for the Bulldogs, making him the SEC's second-leading scorer among freshmen.

SERIES HISTORY WITH STATE

By virtue of last season's win in Athens, Georgia owns a 59-58 edge in all-time meetings of the SEC's versions of Bulldogs.

Braelen Bridges scored his 1,000th point and grabbed his 500th rebound in his 100th career outing as one of four Bulldogs in double figures in Georgia's victory over State at Stegeman Coliseum last Jan. 11, 2023.

Bridges finished the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. His last two points to reach 1,000 were critical to the victory, a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining that gave Georgia a twopossession lead.

After Georgia led 20-19 at halftime, the second stanza featured four ties and 10 lead changes before UGA pulled away with clutch free throw shooting. Justin Hill scored eight consecutive Georgia points on a pair of 3-pointers and a floater. The last bucket gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, 40-39. After leading 46-45 at the 3:09 mark, Georgia converted on 12 straight trips to the line down the stretch.

In Georgia's last trip to Starkville on Jan. 12, 2022, Kario Oquendo poured in what was then a career-high 28 points; however, Georgia still dropped an 88-72 decision to State. The Bulldogs led 36-35 at halftime, largely due to Oquendo's 15 first-half points. State took the lead for good on a layup with 17:06 left that made it 42-40.

LAST TIME OUT

Jabri Abdur-Rahim scored a game-high 20 points – his fourth 20-point performance this season – however South Carolina rallied to a 72-62 win over Georgia last Saturday.

The Bulldogs started quickly, racing to a 29-19 lead with 8:05 left in the first half. The Gamecocks cut that margin to two points by halftime and took the lead for good with 11:17 remaining.

Blue Cain chipped in 11 points off the bench for Georgia, which was outscored on bench points for just the third time in 22 games.

DOGS' DEFENSE IS NATION'S MOST IMPROVED OVER TWO SEASONS

Georgia is has climbed 253 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 week ranked No. 65 nationally on the defensive end. That's after the Bulldogs finished No. 318 during the 2021-22 season. Georgia's ascension is 30 positions more than any other program. Maine is second at 223, moving from No. 349 in 2021-22 to No. 126 this season.

BULLDOGS' BENCH PROVIDING PRODUCTIVITY

Georgia entered this weekend ranked No. 17 nationally in benching scoring at 30.1 ppg.

The Bulldogs' reserves have outscored their counterparts in 19 of 22 games – every outing other than versus Oregon, at No. 8/10 Kentucky and against South Carolina in Athens.

Georgia sports an impressive +294 scoring margin in bench points – an advantage of +13.4 ppg.

The bench has been even more impressive in SEC play. Through nine contests, Georgia's reserves are +130 (+14.4 ppg) versus league competition.

DOGS' STATS TRENDING UPWARD IN SEC PLAY

Generally, teams' statistical performances slip slightly once Southeastern Conference play starts...the whole tougher competition thing. To the contrary, several of Georgia's stats have improved over the Bulldogs' nonconference numbers as outlined to the right.

Georgia is the only SEC team shooting as well from the field in league games as it did in non-conference action.

In addition, the Bulldogs are: • One of three teams scoring more points in SEC play.
• One of two teams with a better rebound margin versus league teams.
• One of four teams making more 3-pointers per game versus league competition.
• One of five teams with a higher 3-point field goal percentage in SEC outings.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING IN SEC ACTION UP TOO

As you would expect with Georgia's team scoring offense improving during Southeastern Conference play, no less than five Bulldogs have increased their point production in league play over their numbers in November and December as well as outlined to the right.

The Bulldogs are:
• One of two teams scoring more points in SEC play.
• One of two teams with a better rebound margin versus league teams.
• One of three teams shooting a higher field goal percentage against conference foes.
• One of three teams with a higher 3-point field goal percentage in SEC outings.
• One of five teams making more 3-pointers per game versus league competition.

Stat	Non	SEC
UGA's SEC Increases
Scoring Offense	75.4	78.2
FG Pct.	.432	.432
3FG Pct.	.344	.362
3FGs Per Game	8.0	8.6
Free Throw Pct.	696	.771
Rebound Margin	-1.62	-1.22

Individual Scoring Up Too

Statistic	Non	SEC
UGA's PPG Increases
Jabri Abdur-Rahim	13.2	13.8
RJ Melendez	9.8	12.8
Silas Demary Jr.	8.5	11.4
Justin Hill	8.5	9.1
Russel Tchewa	6.1	8.8

A VERY "MADDENING" SCHEDULE

Georgia's 31-game regular-season slate includes 17 matchups – 54.8 percent of the schedule – against teams mentioned in the most recently published edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology. Of those, 14 games are against teams projected to reach the tournament and three are versus schools listed among the "first teams out" of the bracket.

Six of the Bulldogs' nine remaining regular-season outings are against teams now featured in the 68-team field.

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

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."

BULLDOGS' BALL SECURITY TAKES DRAMATIC TURN

During Georgia's first eight games – through the Mercer game on Dec. 1 – the Bulldogs delivered 87 assists while committing 94 turnovers. That equates to an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.93.

During Georgia's last 14 games, the Bulldogs have dished out 187 assists while committing just 161 turnovers. That equates to a healthier assist-to-TO effort of 1.16.

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

RJ Melendez's 35-point performance at Florida last Saturday 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 to the right.

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 Start??
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 to the right.

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

Georgia, which was a combined 1-20 in road games during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, won its first three road outings during the 2023-24 campaign at Florida State, Missouri and South Carolina. That made the Bulldogs one of the five last D-I teams with a perfect road record before UGA's initial road setback at Kentucky on Jan. 20.

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

WHITE BEGINS SEC SLATES WITH WINS

Georgia started SEC play with victories in both of Mike White's first two seasons at UGA, winning at Missouri, 75- 68, on Jan. 6 and topping No. 22 Auburn, 76-64, a year ago.

White is the first Georgia men's basketball coach to begin SEC play with a 1-0 record in his first two seasons since...Ralph "Shug" Jordan during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 campaigns. Jordan left Athens in 1951 to become the head football coach at Auburn, his alma mater, where he is now a namesakes of the school's Jordan-Hare Stadium.

White then became the first UGA coach ever to start his first two seasons 3-1 in SEC play.

A CHALLENGING SLATE OUT OF THE GATE

Georgia was 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 2023 NCAA Tourney teams Miami and Providence at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. The other Power conference dates were wins at Florida State on Nov. 29 and over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.

All told, 24 of Georgia's 31 regular-season games (.774) during the 2023-24 season are against Power conference teams.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN TOTALS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR ARE RARE

Georgia's 10 wins in November and December represented just the fifth time in program history that the Bulldogs notched a double-digit victory total before the calendar flipped.

Three of the previous four teams went on to earn NCAA Tournament bids.

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-109 (.881) free throws, which equals the fourth-best percentage in school history as outlined to the right.

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 to the right.

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	.881
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-261 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 82.8 percent that currently has him tied at No. 3 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined to the right.

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