Noah Thomasson said the pitch made by Mike White and his staff for him to join the Georgia program did not have as much to do with basketball as you'd expect.

Thomasson told UGASports in an exclusive interview Tuesday afternoon that the conversation went much deeper.

“I think the staff, Mike White, (assistant) Erik Pastrana, all those guys—I think they did a really good job of selling the family aspect,” Thomasson said. “It wasn’t just from the basketball standpoint, but making me feel like I’m going to have a home here, even if it's for just a year. They recruited me the hardest out of every school once I put my name in the portal, and it felt like home when I put on that red jersey.”

Thomasson, who averaged 19.5 points per game last season at Niagara, announced Tuesday morning that he would accept White’s offer of Georgia’s final available scholarship.

The fact Georgia took more than a basketball interest in Thomasson is ultimately what swayed the Houston native to make his choice.

“It shows that you’re wanted. They didn’t do what a lot of schools did throughout the process, recruit me one day and go after another guy the next day,” Thomasson said. “They were upfront, they were honest, they told me what they wanted out of me. They recruited other guys; they told me we were going to build a strong team, and they wanted me to be a part of it. I wanted to be a part of it myself.”

With his decision, Thomasson reunites with his childhood friend Justin Hill. The two have known each other all their lives, and Thomasson said he’s looking forward to playing together for one year.

He informed Hill of his decision Monday.

“I let him know,” said Thomasson. “He said he kind of knew. We really had a good experience on campus with each other.”

Give Pastrana a lot of credit, too.

“He’s just honest, man. We kind of understand each other. We have similar backgrounds, he coached in the junior college in the Kansas area where I went to junior college,” Thomasson said. “With him, it was just honesty, loyalty; he was 100 with me the whole time. Being transparent isn’t something you can always for in this recruiting process.”

Considering UGA was not really on his radar when Thomasson first put his name in the portal, the fact Georgia was able to cultivate its relationship as quickly as it did also speaks volumes to the Bulldogs’ ability to land a player with this kind of scoring punch.

“At first, I was like ‘Oh, Georgia, that’s a nice school’ but I really didn’t start considering it until I got up on campus. You could feel it, man,” Thomasson said. “You know how Athens is, man. It’s just something that kind of hits you. I was like Mom, Dad, I really like it up here.”

With a father who lives in Atlanta and the fact Georgia annually plays at Texas A&M and LSU, the idea that his parents could finally come to see him play on a more consistent basis also made the Bulldogs appealing.

“My dad lives in Atlanta, and my mother and family can come over (from Texas) and see me in a couple of games. That’s big-time for me, man,” he said. “With me being in New York, and earlier when I was in Kansas there was Covid, so it was hard for them to come to watch me play a lot. It’s going to be a blessing.”

Thomasson likes the roster White has put together.

“What excites me is we’ve got both older guys and younger guys. We’ve got a team that’s kind of blended; it’s not like we’ve got a bunch of old heads. We’ve got some good experience, but it’s going to be fun to watch these young guys grow throughout the year, because we’re going to need them,” he said. “We’ve got a really good freshman class that’s coming in, and I’m excited to meet those guys and see how they’re going to fit into the team. I can’t wait to help those guys out, because I’ve been through it.”

One of those freshmen Thomasson is excited to work with is freshman Silas Demary, Jr. Thomasson was on his visit to Georgia the same weekend as Demary Jr., and witnessed the reaction of White and his staff when the former Southern Cal commit told coaches he was going to be a Bulldog.

“I was on my visit when Silas committed, and to see Coach White and the whole staff erupt when he announced, that was something that was really felt with me, man,” Thomasson said. “We all stayed in touch, the guys who were visiting, and he really did a great job of selling the program, telling us what his plans are for the program. It was really an eye-opener for me because I could see myself in that program.

"It was a dope feeling for me to see how Coach White reacted to it; You could tell he cares about Silas and his family.”

Now that he’s a Bulldog, Thomasson cannot wait to get to Athens and start preparing for the upcoming season.

“I hope we can win a lot of games,” he said. “That’s the plan.”