South Carolina State at Georgia
WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 1-1; South Carolina State 0-4
TV/RADIO: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, Mark Slonaker); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
It’s been a big couple of days for Georgia basketball player Noah Baumann.
One day after finding his long-distance range with a trio of three-pointers in Saturday’s five-point loss to Cincinnati, Baumann proposed to his longtime girlfriend Mackenzie Moore on Sunday.
She said yes.
Tuesday night, the newly engaged Baumann takes to the court with the rest of his new Bulldog teammates, hoping his memorable week continues against visiting South Carolina State (7 p.m.).
“I wanted to do it in the summer. I wanted to do it before basketball season, which isn’t how things turned out. Everything has happened in the last couple of days, but it's been special. She's been with me since senior year of high school,” Baumann said. “December 1st will be five years together, but we've known each other since seventh grade. She’s someone I want to be with my whole life, and she's my best friend. She's been with me through the ups and downs of my college basketball career.
“The game on Saturday we lost. It's a game where we beat ourselves. I think if we play that game again, it will turn out differently, but I'm happy about me and her. It's exciting.”
Head coach Tom Crean said Baumann gave him the heads up he was about to pop the question.
“We talked about it in the late morning, and he gave me the heads up,” Crean said. “I’m really, really proud of him.”
Baumann’s journey to Athens has certainly been a long and winding one.
After spending his first two seasons at San Jose State where he started 44 of 61 games, Baumann transferred to Southern Cal, where he spent last season appearing in 31 of 33 games.
Soon after the season, Baumann was on the road again. This time, landing at Georgia, siding with Crean and the Bulldogs despite never visiting campus before.
"It's been amazing. It's definitely different from California. I'm not used to the humidity at all. In the summer, it was beating me up. But no, everything's been great,” Baumann said. “Tom Crean has been amazing. The coaching staff has been really good. Being able to play with the guys has been really good. Athens is amazing. I never thought it would be as perfect as it is.”
Having his fiancé with him certainly helped that process.
A former softball player at Miami-Ohio, Baumann and Moore had kept their relationship a long-distance one until now.
“Yeah, it was long-distance the whole time,” Baumann said. “But now, done with softball and graduated, and she didn't want to keep doing long-distance or go back to Phoenix, so she just came with me to Georgia. She's been here since day one for me, and I'm thankful for it."
Crean and the Bulldogs are certainly glad to have him on board.
Improving the team’s perimeter shooting was a huge focus for Crean as he went about the business of putting together the roster for this year’s squad.
A career 46 percent shooter at San Jose State, Baumann was brought in with hopes he could continue that trend for the Bulldogs.
Saturday’s game was a positive sign. Baumann went 3-of-5 from the field—all three buckets from three-point range—to finish with nine points.
"My main thing is my three-point shooting. I was, I think, 46 percent over two years at my first school. I know that every time I shoot the ball, I think it's going to go in. I'm very confident in the way I shoot,” the 6-foot-6 Phoenix native said. “I don't need to dribble. I definitely want to be able to move around a lot. Defensively, I just want to be someone that can bring energy and fight to that side of the basketball. I might not be the quickest, but I'll be yelling, screaming, and giving 100 percent energy on that side of the court, and then come down and do my role offensively.”
