ATHENS – As football’s regular season winds down and basketball’s cranks up, both sports are in the throes of recruiting. Wednesday marked the opening of the early signing period for basketball and other winter sports, while football barrels headlong into what has become its primary recruiting season with a December signing period.
Coach Joni Taylor and her women’s basketball team got both seasons off to a strong start Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs throttled Gardner-Webb 97-45 at Stegeman Coliseum to get off to a 1-0 start. Georgia led its visitors 47-16 at halftime, the lowest first-half total by an opponent since Georgia Tech last year.
Once again, the Bulldogs were led forward Jenna Stati, who decided to take advantage of the NCAA’s extra COVID-19 season of eligibility and return another. She had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Georgia got second double-double from junior Javyn Nicholson with 13 points and 12 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the field (39-of-78).
“What we have been talking to our team about all summer and fall is picking up where we left off,” Taylor said afterward. “I think we have done a tremendous job of staying focused and working towards that goal.”
The Bulldogs went 21-7 last season, finishing as runners-up in the SEC Tournament and falling to Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Before tipoff Thursday, Georgia received the signed paperwork of 2022 signees Janiah Barker and Sydney Bowles. Barker, a 6-foot-2 forward from Marietta who currently is playing at Monteverde in Florida, is considered the No. 3 player in the nation by ESPN. Bowles is a 4-star guard from Lithonia who is a senior at Woodward Academy.
Georgia coach Tom Crean and the Bulldogs have gotten one signee so far. J.T. Elder is a 6-7 swingman from Phoenix. It’s well-known in basketball circles that Elder has had a troubled life. A foster child, Elder initially signed with Portland State out of high school, but his scholarship was rescinded after a DUI arrest as a 17-year-old.
Elder is reported to have transformed his life at PHH Prep, a postgraduate prep school in Phoenix. He is averaging 18 points, 13 rebounds and three steals there this season. He reported chose the Bulldogs over Arizona State, TCU, DePaul, Washington and several other schools.
Georgia got even bigger news for its class of 2023 on Thursday. Marquavious “Qua” Brown, a 4-star prospect and explosive 6-4 player from Newton County, chose the Bulldogs over a slew of major offers.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (1-0) head to Cincinnati on Saturday to take on the Bearcats. Georgia defeated Florida International 58-51 in its season opener Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum. Aaron Cook, a 6-2 point guard from St. Louis by way of Gonzaga, led the Bulldogs in scoring with 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.
As for football, Georgia heads toward the mid-December early signing period ranked No. 2 (behind Alabama) in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The Bulldogs’ class features two 5-star and 12 4-star prospects.
Georgia will find out Friday afternoon if it will land the commitment of Julian Humphrey. The 4-star cornerback from Clear Lake, Tex., was a longtime commitment for the Florida Gators, but has since backed out of that. Sometime around 1 p.m. Friday, he’s expected to choose between the Bulldogs, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M.
Georgia landed a commitment Thursday from 4-star 2023 wide receiver Raymond Cottrell of Milton. The No. 85 overall prospect in the 2023 class also was once committed to the Gators.
Coach Kirby Smart was asked earlier this week how much he cared about a prospect’s recruiting rankings when he’s considering whether to offer them. He leaned into the microphone on the dais in front of his and said, loudly, “ZERO.
“I have no idea what the stars are, nor do I care,” he said.
Nevertheless, a lot of “stars” continue to come the Bulldogs’ way.
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