High school recruiting has helped Georgia basketball weather SEC gauntlet

What stuck out about Demary’s play Wednesday night is that the Bulldogs (16-7, 4-6 SEC) didn’t really need it. Cain’s layup extended Georgia’s lead to 81-61 with just over a minute left.

But it was the kind of play that UGA coach Mike White could barely wait to talk about when it came up after his team’s 81-62 win over LSU.

“That’s a microcosm of what we’re trying to be,” White said. “Culture is action, and that exemplifies what we’re trying to do on a daily basis, things that we can control.”

That competitive culture — the kind needed to survive a conference that is trying to send an NCAA-record 13 teams to March Madness — is what White wants to establish in his program.

And that’s much easier to do when, for the first time in four years, Georgia isn’t relying on transfers to lead it on the floor.

The Bulldogs’ leaders in scoring, assists, and rebounds had been transfers every season since the 2021-22 season. Georgia had asked veteran players often coming from inferior conferences to lead immediately against much more experienced SEC teams.

Every college basketball team has its transfers, but some use the portal to rebuild, while others use it to reinforce.

This Georgia basketball team is built around its high school recruiting, namely freshman superstar Asa Newell and Demary. Newell leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks, while Demary leads in assists and steals.

Cain and 6-foot-11 freshman Somto Cyril, who both signed with Georgia out of high school, have been bedrock pieces in some of UGA’s biggest wins.

Then transfers such as RJ Godfrey, Dakota Leffew and Tyrin Lawrence add their talents to what White assembled from the high school level. Godfrey, Leffew and Lawrence are three of the six Georgia players who have started a game this season.

Demary and Cain, two of Georgia’s three returners from last year, have noted significant changes from their freshman seasons.

Cain echoed the importance of Georgia’s culture after coming two assists shy of the second triple double in school history. Cain said his intensity has changed, improving his offensive numbers while boosting him defensively, as well.

“Just playing harder, that’s what coach White always says to me,” Cain said. “I played hard last year, but just trying to take it up to another level this year.”

Cain displayed his intensity in the second half after being called for a controversial shooting foul on LSU’s Mike Williams. The call invited the loudest boos of the night from UGA’s home crowd as Williams shot free throws.

Cain quickly turned those boos into thunderous cheers on the next possession, driving to the lane for a physical three-point play.

Newell led the team in scoring for the ninth time in 10 games, quietly putting together a 17-point night. Cyril electrified Stegeman Coliseum with several rim-rocking dunks on an eight-point night with 10 rebounds.

Newell and Cyril also combined for four blocks, reflecting White’s emphasis on defensive dominance.

“A lot of our big wins, teams are (scoring) in the 60s,” White said. “That’s easier to control than whether or not shots are falling.”

Georgia is far from where it ultimately wants to be. The Bulldogs still are winless on the road in the SEC, tied for sixth place at 4-6 in the conference.

But it’s possible a winning culture could be forming at UGA, founded on high school recruiting and extended by talented transfers.

Even if it’s only showing at home, or when the Bulldogs aren’t facing a top-10 team for a change.

Time will tell, and quickly. Georgia faces a tougher test Saturday when No. 22 Mississippi State comes to Stegeman Coliseum for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

A win would underline the culture shift that several players have spoken of, while a loss could kill Georgia’s momentum going into a stretch against four consecutive top-10 teams.