ATHENS – As the Georgia Bulldogs prepare to open preseason practice Monday, coach Mike White and a couple of his players took some time to discuss the upcoming season. Their messaging was clear.
While everyone loves the potential of White’s third UGA team, nobody is about say a peep about the NCAA tournament or any other postseason action.
White mentioned at the end of last season that he thought the Bulldogs were too caught up in postseason aspirations. While they reached NIT semifinals, the team backed into the tournament bid after Ole Miss declined an invitation. By the time the 2024-25 season was over, what once served as inspiration felt closer to a burden.
So, while “NCAA” and “tournament” aren’t exactly dirty words, you won’t hear them coming from the mouths of Bulldogs any time soon.
“We’re spending a lot of time talking about culture,” White said Monday at the Stegeman Coliseum Training Facility. “We’re talking about culture and growth and process. Whether or not we’re going to the tournament this year, whether we go to the NIT and all that stuff, we won’t talk about. We just talk about getting better today and what does that look like.”
Indications are Georgia could be much better in 2024-25. With three true freshmen starting by the end of last season, the Bulldogs went 20-17 against one of the SEC’s toughest overall schedules. Those three freshmen – Silas Demary Jr., Blue Cain and Dylan James – are sophomores now and all returned.
Meanwhile, White and his staff literally scoured the world to find talent with which to surround them. They appear to have found some, too. Some came from Georgia’s backyard, others from the other side of the world and some from both.
For example, 6-foot-11 thunder-dunker Somto Cyril came from Atlanta’s Overtime Elite Academy, but he hails from Enugu, Nigeria. And UGA had to wait well into the summer to land European star Savo Drezgic, who was busy playing club ball at home in Belgrade, Serbia.
Meanwhile, RJ Godfrey, Tyrin Lawrence and Dakota Leffew are transferring in from Clemson, Vanderbilt and Mount St. Mary’s, respectively. However, all three are native Georgians who grew up just down the road.
Then there’s the crown jewel of the 2024 recruiting class, five-star freshman signee Asa Newell, who grew up in Athens. It took several trips to Destin, Florida — where Newell moved to when he was 10 — and Montverde Academy — where he played for two years — to convince Asa to join his brother, Jaden, at UGA.
Put them and a few more key pieces together, and Georgia looks like one of the most improved teams in the well-stocked SEC.
“We’re going to be good. We are,” said White, who’s 36-33 heading into his third season with the Bulldogs. “Our whole league’s gonna be good. But I like our group, a really competitive group that’s worked hard.”
It’s not like White was getting his first look at them Monday. Practice rules have changed considerably in recent years to allow coaches and players to spend more time together in the preseason. The reality is, the Bulldogs have been going at it pretty hard since fall classes began in early August and, truthfully, well before that.
That’s even more important during the age of the transfer portal. Georgia’s roster this year includes five transfers and four freshman signees, which sounds like a lot of newness until one considers the Bulldogs had six transfers and four freshman signees a year ago. It’s simply the way of the world these days.
So is convincing your best players to stick with you, which Georgia was able to do with Demary, Cain and James.
“I definitely think we’re taking steps in the right direction,” said Demary, a 36-game starter last year and the team’s leading returning scorer (9.7 ppg). “Last year was a start to something, and I feel like this year, bringing in some of the better guys and me, Blue and Dylan being back, I feel like we’re jelling. The chemistry is there, and we’re growing every day.”
Preliminary reports from inside the practice gym are encouraging. The dunks, blocks and athleticism displayed by the 6-11, 260-pound Cyril are a daily discussion.
“Somto’s got a 7-foot-6 wingspan and really, really elevates on the floor,” White said. “There’s a couple of plays a day where some jaws are dropped.”
Demary confirmed.
“He dunked on me one time in practice, and that was jaw-dropping for me,” said the 6-5 sophomore guard. “I was talking trash to him, and then he got me back. He’s a lot of fun.”
Asa Newell has been similarly impressive, according to his teammates. That’s a good thing considering ESPN’s No. 2-rated power forward is one of the highest-rated prospects to sign with Georgia.
“I definitely think he lives up to it,” Cain said of the newest Newell. “He has a crazy motor, plays crazy hard and he’s way more skilled than I thought. He’s a great player.”
Godfrey, though, arguably has made the most profound impact on the 2024-25 Bulldogs. The son of former Georgia football star Randall Godfrey – “RJ” is from Randall Jr. – came to UGA from Clemson, where he was a regular on two tournament teams (an NIT appearance in 2023 and the Tigers’ Elite Eight run in the 2024 NCAA tournament). Godfrey reportedly has ramped up the intensity and accountability factors on the court and in the locker room.
“He’s been terrific,” White said. “RJ was a heck of a player on some really good teams and played alongside some really good front-court players. His consistency, his motor, his toughness. We know exactly what we’re getting out of RJ every day, and it’s rubbed off a little bit.”
Echoed Demary: “RJ knows what it takes to get there. He’s a great locker room guy, a great culture guy. He’s one of our leaders.”
Georgia hopes the infusion of talent, coupled with a focus on culture and the daily effort to improve, will result in a significant improved basketball team. But will anybody notice in a more rugged than ever SEC that has expanded to include Oklahoma and Texas?
“I think there’s a chance we can be significantly better than last year,” White said. “Where does that put us in our league? I have no idea. If I spend time worrying about that I’m not spending time on us getting better today. … But I’ve been around this league for a long, long time — since I was 18 years old — and, my goodness, it’s the best it’s ever been.”
Maybe Georgia basketball is too.
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