Bulldogs Host Ole Miss In Home Finale

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 30: Georgia (15-14, 5-11 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (20-9, 7-9 SEC)
Tuesday, March 5 || 7:00 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 (Kevin Fitzgerald, play-by-play; Dane Bradshaw, color analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 158 or 191
History: UGA leads, 77-47 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - OM, 78-74, on 2/7/23

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 31-30 (2nd season) Career Record: 274-158 (13th season)				Ole Miss Rebels Head Coach: Chris Beard Record at OM: 20-9 (1st season) Career Record: 257-107 (12th season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Thomasson	12.8	75.1	Points Per. Game	75.9	17.0	Murrell
James	.586	.430	Field Goal Pct.	.452	.591	Sharp
Abdur-Rahim	2.1	8.1	3-Pointers Per. Game	7.5	2.6	Murrell
Abdur-Rahim	.356	.335	3-Point Pct.	.377	.407	Murrell
Abdur-Rahim	.887	.735	Free Throw Pct.	.737	.824	Murray
Tchewa	6.6	35.5	Rebounds Per. Game	34.1	6.3	Flanigan
Hill	3.4	11.6	Assists Per. Game	15.3	4.1	Murray
Hill	2.23	1.00	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.41	2.38	Murray
Anselem	0.6	3.2	Blocks Per. Game	5.9	2.5	Sharp
Demary Jr.	1.5	6.4	Steals Per. Game	8.0	1.7	Murrell
Thomasson	27.9		Minutes Per. Game		34.0	Murrel

The Starting 5...

Georgia wraps up its regular-season home slate on Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs host Ole Miss at Stegeman Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.
Georgia head coach Mike White was a four-year starter at Ole Miss from 1995-99 and helped the Rebels earn three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. His wife, the former Kira Zschau, was an All-SEC volleyball player for Ole Miss.
Georgia has now used 10 players to comprise 10 different starting fives this season. Over the last 10 games, the Bulldogs have utilized seven different quintets of starters.
Eight of Georgia's 29 games have been a one-possession contest in the final 30 seconds of regulation, with the Bulldogs sporting a 4-4 record in those outings.
Georgia entered this week No. 18 nationally in bench points, with UGA's reserves contributing 28.8 ppg. The Bulldogs' bench has outscored its opponents in 23 of 29 games and supplied a season-long scoring margin of +290, and easy-to-equate average of +10.0 ppg.

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs will host Ole Miss on Tuesday evening in their regular-season finale at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs are looking to snap a three-game losing skid. The 2023-24 campaign has been a streaky one for Georgia, which also recorded winning streaks of 10 games overall, 10 contests at Stegeman Coliseum and three road outings earlier this season.

The Bulldogs celebrated their seven seniors – which actually features three graduate transfers and four seniors – prior to last Saturday's game against Texas A&M. That group has compiled some relatively massive numbers at the NCAA level, scoring 6,746 points and grabbing 2,990 rebounds in 16,656 minutes played during 759 games.

Noah Thomasson is Georgia's leading scorer, both overall (12.8 ppg) and in SEC play (13.1 ppg). Jabri Abdur-Rahim also is scoring at a double-figure pace for the Bulldogs at 12.2 ppg, largely due to sporting team-high shooting percentages of .356 from 3-point range and .887 at the free throw line. A balanced offensive attack features five more players contributing between 7.0-9.9 ppg.

Five Bulldogs have upped their scoring averages from their non-conference contributions to SEC play, topped by Russel Tchewa's jump of 2.8 ppg (from 6.1 to 8.9).

Keeping An Eye On…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is among UGA's career leaders...
• 3 3FGs from co No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 9 3FGs from No. 12 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
• 32 3FGs from No. 11 Jody Patton
• 2 3FGAs from No. 14 Turtle Jackson
• 9 3FGAs from No. 13 Sundiata Gaines
• 36 3FGAs from No. 12 Ray Harrison

Scouting The Rebels

Ole Miss enters the final week of the regular season at 20-9 overall and 7-9 in the SEC. The Rebels snapped a three-game losing streak with an 84-78 road win at Missouri last Saturday.

Ole Miss raced through non-conference play with a 13-0 record and climbed to No. 22 and No. 19 in the AP and coaches polls, respectively, before falling to No. 5/5 in the SEC opener.

A quartet of double-digit scorers combine to put up 76.8 percent of the Rebels' 75.9 ppg. Matthew Murrell tops that list at 17.0 ppg, followed by Allen Flanigan at 15.3 ppg, Jaylen Murray at 13.5 ppg and Jaemyn Brakefield at 12.4 ppg.

Series History With Ole Miss

Georgia is 77-47 all-time versus Ole Miss, including a 42-16 edge in Athens.

The Bulldogs and Rebels split two meetings last season, with the visitor winning each affair.

Most recently last Feb. 7 in Athens, Braelen Bridges scored a career-high 26 points, but Georgia still dropped a 78-74 decision to Ole Miss at Stegeman Coliseum.

Bridges was 11-of-15 from the field and also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season.

The back-and-forth battle featured no less than 13 ties and 15 lead changes. Georgia led for a majority of the contest before Ole Miss used a 6-1 surge to go up 67-73 with 2:40 left and held off the Bulldogs the rest of the way.

Last Time Out

Freshman Blue Cain scored a team-high 11 points – his third time leading Georgia offensively this season – in the Bulldogs' 70-56 setback to Texas A&M last Saturday.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 10 points, his 17th double-figure performance this season.

Georgia trailed 60-56 following Cain's floating jumper with 6:35 remaining before the Aggies closed out the day on a 10-0 surge.

"These guys, they mean everything to me," graduate transfer Noah Thomasson said following the game. "They are like family to me. They gave me a chance to go somewhere for my fifth year and have a good time doing it. I enjoy playing for these guys, and I try to give them my all every single day. I can remember times when I was down and dealing with stuff with my family back at home, and I knew that every teammate was going to call and text me to make sure I was good. I really appreciate those guys and the coaching staff. I really appreciate them for giving me this opportunity to play in the SEC and showcase my skills and talents."

White Faces His Alma Mater

Georgia head coach Mike White was a four-year starter for Ole Miss from 1995-99 and later served as an assistant coach for the Rebels from 2004-11.

During the 11 seasons of those combined stints, White helped Ole Miss record seven 20-win campaigns, capture four SEC West titles (1997, 1998, 2007 & 2010) and earn seven postseason bids (three NCAA and four NITs).

Ole Miss recorded its first span of three-consecutive 20-win seasons during White's sophomore-senior years. The Rebels earned NCAA bids each of those years, including the program's first-ever "March Madness" victory. In fact, White calls dribbling out the clock in that 72-70 NCAA win over Villanova at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee as the favorite memory of his basketball career.

White returned to Ole Miss as an assistant coach in 2004 and helped the Rebels advance to four NITs, including trips to the semifinals in 2008 and 2010.

The More Honored Ole Miss Athlete

During his playing career with the Rebels, White met his wife, the former Kira Zschau.

While Mike enjoyed great team success on the hardwood, Kira was the more celebrated individual athlete and earned All-SEC recognition on the volleyball court.

In Ole Miss records for the "sideout scoring" era, Kira ranks No. 3 in single-season kills (481 in 2000) and owns the No. 2 and No. 3 single-match kill totals ever by a Rebel (31 vs. Arkansas in 2000 and 30 vs. Winthrop in 2000).

Another Nail-Biter for the Bulldogs

Last Tuesday's game at LSU was not decided until essentially the final horn, upping the number of "close games" for Georgia this season to a baker's dozen.

Of the Bulldogs' 28 games to date...
• 13 have been a one-possession game in the last five minutes. Georgia is 6-7 in those games.
• 11 have been a one-possession game in the last 90 seconds. Georgia is 4-7 in those games.
• Eight have been a one-possession game in the last 30 seconds. Georgia is 4-4 in those games.

Some Big Numbers for UGA "Seniors"

Georgia honored seven players on "Senior Day" against Texas A&M, even though a couple of those are graduate transfers.

The Bulldogs escorted onto the Stegeman Coliseum playing floor included first-year grad transfers RJ Sunahara, Russel Tchewa and Noah Thomasson; second-season seniors Frank Anselem-Ibe, Justin Hill and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe; and third-year senior Jabri Abdur-Rahim.

That septet – we googled it – of Bulldogs has combined to comprise some pretty massive statistics as NCAA basketball players. Those totals, with the D-I statistical leader, are listed below.

Stat	No.	Leader
Seven Seniors Totals
Games played	759	Tchewa	133
Games started	427	Tchewa 89, Thomasson	89
Minutes	16,567	Thomasson	3,177
Points	6,746	Thomasson	1,395
Rebounds	2,990	Tchewa	687
Assists	1,103	Hill	405
Blocks	365	Anselem-Ibe	53
Steals	473	Hill	108

Digits For Georgia's Freshmen Are Impressive Too

In addition to the aforementioned Senior class, Georgia's freshmen who bookend that group have made a impressive impact this season, particularly in SEC play.

Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. are two of only seven freshman who are logging 20.0 mpg in league outings. In addition, Dylan James has seen his playing time jump significantly, averaging 13.4 mpg in the last seven games.

Demary was the only freshman in the league to start every game this season before that streak was snapped for the Bulldogs' "Senior Day" lineup, and he is one of only six freshmen in the SEC averaging double figures in conference action at 10.6 ppg. He also ranks No. 9 among league leaders in steals per game at 1.52 spg.

Cain, who made his first career start at LSU on Feb. 27, is one of just 10 SEC freshmen scoring 6.7 ppg or more in league games.

In addition to his increased playing time, James is averaging 4.1 ppg and 2.4 rpg in Georgia's last seven contests, a considerable jump from the 2.1 ppg and 1.4 rpg he contributed in seven games played during the Bulldogs' first 22 outings of the season.

Tchewa's Numbers, Efficiency Up In SEC play

Graduate transfer Russel Tchewa has increased his production and shooting efficiency considerably during SEC action.

Seven of Tchewa's 10 double-figure scoring outputs and all four of his double-digit rebound counts have come during league play. Those tallies produced his team-leading three double-doubles on the year.

After averaging 6.1 ppg in 13 non-conference games, Tchewa has upped that average to 8.9 ppg against SEC foes – an increase of 2.8 ppg.

After averaging 6.3 rpg in November and December, he is grabbing 6.8 rpg in league outings – an increase of 0.5 rpg.

After shooting 49.1 percent from the field in non-conference action, Tchewa is converting on 59.3 percent versus conference competition – an increase of 10.2 percent.

Tchewa's playing time also has seen a significant jump since 2024 calendar began. He logged 22.2 minutes of action in non-conference contests but has upped that to 27.7 mpg in the SEC – an increase of 5.5 mpg.

Thomasson Now The Top Dog In Scoring

Noah Thomasson inched past Jabri Abdur-Rahim to become Georgia's leading scorer in late February. The graduate transfer from Houston's surge began with a season-high 26-point performance against Florida. Following the matchup with the Gators, Abdur-Rahim was averaging 12.7 ppg to Thomasson's 12.5 ppg.

With a 17-point night at Vanderbilt, Thomasson tied Abdur-Rahim, with both players contributing 12.7 ppg.

Thomasson led the Bulldogs offensively for the third straight game with 18 points against Auburn, upping his average to 12.9 ppg to Abdur-Rahim's 12.5 ppg.

Thomasson now sports a team-leading 19 double-figure scoring outputs this season, including a quartet of 20-point performances. Abdur-Rahim is second in double-digit evenings with 17 and also has four 20-point outputs.

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.

Last Wednesday's 66-67 loss at LSU was just the second time Georgia has suffered a setback when holding its opponents under 70 points under White. Georgia is 25-2 in such outings and 6-27 when opponents reach the 70-point plateau. The other loss on that ledger was a 61-55 decision at South Carolina in the 2022-23 regular-season finale.

UGA Students Packing Stegeman

The Stegeman Coliseum student section has overflowed its allotment of 2,065 seats to 127 percent capacity during Georgia's seven home SEC contests when school was in session. When more than 2,065 students show up and there are still remaining unsold seats, 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; 2,726 for South Carolina; 2,175 for Florida; and 2,156 for Auburn.

The Stegeman student capacity should have been 14,455. In reality, 18,427 students have been at those contests. The attendance average of 2,632 per game is 127 percent of "capacity."

Unfortunately, Georgia's final two SEC home outings are during Spring Break on campus.

Bulldogs Notch Fourth Road Win

Georgia's victory at Vanderbilt represented the Bulldogs' fourth road win of the season. Georgia is now 4-5 on the road during the 2023-24 season.

"Good for you" would probably be the best passive, aggressive, condescending response.

It is good for the Bulldogs, considering it took Georgia 37 road games (as in a 4-33 record) over four seasons to win four road games prior to this season. The four road Ws in 2023-24 are the most Georgia has recorded in a season since the 2017-18 campaign.

A Lot Of Entertaining Outings During The Losing Streak

Georgia's losing streak from Jan. 27-Feb. 17 featured six competitive and dramatic contests.

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.

The Bulldogs matchup at Arkansas on Feb. 10 featured three ties and five lead changes in the final 3:47 before the Razorbacks secured a three-point decision.

Georgia again led for more than half the game – 21:11 to be exact – and built an 11-point, first-half lead over Florida in Athens before the Gators rallied in the second stanza.

Bulldogs Continue To Shuffle Starting Lineup

Ten Bulldogs players have been used to comprise 10 different starting fives this season.

Georgia mixed and matched seven players to form three different starting quintets over the first 10 outings. The Bulldogs then settled into the same starting unit for the next 10 contests.

Over the last 10 games, Georgia has used seven different sets of starters.

Russel Tchewa and Noah Thomasson are the three constants who have started every game. Silas Demary Jr. started every game until "Senior Day." At that point, he was the only freshman in the SEC to start every game in 2023-24.

Individual Scoring In SEC Action Up

No less than five Bulldogs have boosted their point production from non-conference outings to Southeastern Conference competition, led by Russel Tchewa's increase of 2.7 ppg as outlined below.

Statistic	Non	SEC
SEC Individual Increases
Noah Thomasson	12.5	13.6
Silas Demary Jr.	8.5	10.7
RJ Melendez	9.8	10.0
Justin Hill	8.5	9.5
Russel Tchewa	6.1	9.2

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Georgia's 31-game regular-season slate includes 15 matchups – 48.4 percent – against teams mentioned in the Feb. 27 version on ESPN.com's Bracketology. Of those, 13 games are against teams in the bracket and two are versus "first out" squads Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

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

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

Jabri Abdur-Rahim and RJ Melendez now own two of the five best single-season free throw percentages in Georgia history. A minimum of 50 makes 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 118-of-133 (.887) free throws, the third-best percentage in school history as outlined below.

Melendez met the 50 makes standard versus No. 24/22 Alabama on Jan. 31. He is currently 55-of-63 at the line this season, an 87.3 percent conversion rate that is No. 5 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Season FT Pct. Leaders
1.	Channing Toney ('05)	.910
2.	Joe Ward ('84)	.902
3.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.887
4.	J.J. Frazier ('17)	.886
5.	RJ Melendez	.873
6.	Lanny Taylor ('70)	.864
7.	Christian Wright ('22)	.861
8.	Juwan Parker ('18)	.859
9.	Jerry Epling ('69)	.858
10.	Juwan Parker ('17)	.856

Jabri Sets Game Mark, Joins Career Percentage Line Leaders too

In addition to his aforementioned season efforts, Jabri Abdur-Rahim shares Georgia's best game free throw percentage and is among the best career converters too.

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 connected on 238-of-285 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 83.5 percent that currently has him at No. 2 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	J.J. Frazier	.841
2.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.835
3.	Dick McIntosh	.831
4.	Juwan Parker	.828
5.	Jerry Epling	.822

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 Bulldog. It may be the most points ever off the bench for Georgia.

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.

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.

"Don't Look, Ethel!"...Of Bulldogs Winning Streaks & 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

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Braelen Bridges

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